On September 2, 1969, America's first automatic teller machine (ATM) makes its public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Centre, New York. ATMs went on to revolutionize the banking industry, eliminating the need to visit a bank to conduct basic financial transactions.

When were ATMs first used in the US?

In the U.S., Dallas-based engineer Donald Wetzel pioneered the development and deployment of the ATM, with the first being installed at the Chemical Bank branch in Rockville Center, New York, in September 1969. And ATM popularity continued to grow around the world.

What did ATMs used to be called?

The machine was initially known as a Docuteller because it was manufactured by the firm Docutel and, like most early ATMs, its use was limited only to customers of the bank. Shared ATMs, in which consumers could use another bank's ATM to withdraw funds from their accounts, were introduced roughly a decade later.