On this date in 1935, drivers in Oklahoma City were confronted with America’s first parking meter, collecting rent for a space on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue. While local drivers could avoid that single space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many to sprout up in Oklahoma City and across the nation, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest, and as municipalities sought to raise revenues while rotating street parking spots among more drivers. At the same time, pay parking lots and garages began to open for business. Today there are more than 13,000 commercial parking facilities in the U.S., which take in well over $8 billion a year in parking fees. You can find current data on the country’s economy by downloading the America’s Economy mobile app at <www.census.gov/mobile>.