Brake lights and indicators are an integral part of every new car today. However, few people know that they were invented by a person who some refer to as the first movie star.
Does the name Florence Lawrence or the birth name Florence Annie Bridgwood mean something to you? Apparently nothing at all unless you’re a fan of early 20th century movies. The Canadian-American stage and film actress is also often referred to as the first ever film star, as it was not customary at the time to include actors’ names in the closing credits of silent films. Hers appeared there as one of the first, if not the first. During her career, she appeared in around 300 films… and credited two automotive inventions.
The earnings from Florence’s film career made it possible to purchase one of the screams of modern technology at the time – a car. The machine fascinated her and she gradually learned not only to operate it herself, but also to service it. At the same time, she saw room for improvement in the area of car traffic safety, as the then infrastructure and traffic rules were not yet properly prepared.
Because drivers had to impractically communicate the intended change of direction with their hands, her first invention was indicators controlled by buttons in the interior. After pressing the appropriate button, a pointer was raised on the side of the car, so there was no need to make gestures. This invention gave rise to today’s turn signals, while another of her inventions evolved into brake lights. Florence placed a STOP sign on the back of the car, which went up automatically when the brake pedal was pressed.
Florence did not patent her inventions, which some sources see as a mistake on her part, while others say it was her intention. She is said to have seen her inventions as a contribution to the safety of all motorists. For a similar reason, even Volvo did not patent its seat belts. However, not everyone had the same noble intentions, and a modified version of the turn signals and brake light was patented in 1925 by Edgar Walz Jr. However, it took many years for them to be extended to the equipment of all cars.
Unfortunately, Florence Lawrence also had a lot of bad luck in her life. During the filming of Pawns of Destiny in 1915, a fire on the set turned into an uncontrollable conflagration, from which she suffered not only burns, but also a broken spine after a nasty fall. She was reportedly trying to help one of her fellow actors. Then in 1937 she was diagnosed with a then-incurable bone disease causing anemia (the specific disease is not known with certainty).
She did not do well in business either, and her fortune acquired during her acting career gradually disappeared, especially with the stock market crash in October 1929. One life blow after another brought her to the point where she apparently took her own life, at the end of December 1938 in aged 53 years. However, her automobile inventions live with us to this day and contribute significantly to traffic safety. So at least the brake lights, while many drivers still have to learn how to use the blinkers.
Finally, let’s add one more thing – why are the brake lights red? This too has its own history, the main reason being that red light has the longest wavelength (lowest frequency) of the visible spectrum and can therefore be seen at the longest distance, especially in bad weather where it is not so much refracted by rain or fog. The color red is also historically associated with warning of danger, so its use makes sense from this point of view as well.
