It was on this day in 1943 that celebrated American engineer Curtis Veeder - inventor of counting devices such as the vehicle tachometer and odometer - passed away at the age of 81.

Born in Pennsylvania, Veeder was a gifted engineering student and was entering his first mechanical patents by the age of 18 whilst working primarily with bicycles.

Having developed the Veeder Manufacturing Company, he was able to adapt his revolutionary odometer for automobiles in 1903 under an accompanying advertising slogan of ‘It’s Nice To Know How Far You Go’.

In all, Veeder went on to hold more than 150 patents in the field of precision engineering, leading to enormous personal wealth, whilst his Veeder-Root corporation still thrives today and has become a global leader in fuel management.

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