Just recently, The New York Times published an extremely fascinating infographic about the evolution of taxicabs in our city.
Did you know the original taxis were painted red and green? Well, when businessman Harry N. Allen innovated the New York Taxicab Company in 1907, they were.
In 1915, Chicago businessman John Hertz (yes, the same Hertz from the famous rental car company) opened the first Yellow Cab Company in Chicago. He commissioned a university study to "scientifically ascertain which color would stand out strongest at a distance."
Needless to say, yellow won that study. Color researchers still agree that yellow is generally the most visible color.
This well-told story disregards the fact that there were already yellow cabs in NYC as early as 1909, and that Albert Rockwell opened the Yellow Taxicab Company in NYC in 1912. Legend has it that Rockwell chose yellow to appease his wife Nettie, whose favorite color was yellow.
These stories don't incorporate the make and model of the cars so many of us rely on, though.
[anad]
Check out the evolution of the automobile models that have been transporting New Yorkers for over a century. It's pretty fascinating.
We can only guess what this sort of graphic will look like 100 years into the future. Our best guess is that it'll have something to do with driverless cars.
Via NY Times
Check out Yellow Taxis Are Now Testing an Uber-Like App (Without Surge Pricing)!