This Day in History: New York mandates license plates

On April 25, 1901, New York became the first state to mandate the use of license plates. Rather than issuing plates, however, the state took an application from drivers, who then made their own plates using their initials, often using leather, brass, or other interesting materials. People quickly started gaming the system with fake initials or false information, or simply manufacturing their own plates without registering, so by 1903, the state turned to government-issued numbers and state-provided seals to be used on homemade plates.