1879: James Jacob Ritty patents the first cash register. It’s supposed to be a way to keep his bartenders honest. The invention does little to curtail employee pilferage — but it does create a massive industry and enables hipsters several generations later to coin the phrase ka-ching!

Ritty opened his first bar in Dayton, Ohio, styling himself a “Dealer in Pure Whiskies, Fine Wines, and Cigars.” It was a popular spot but, trouble was, some of money that was supposed to go into the till never quite made it there.

Without any sort of audit trail, bartenders could literally make out like bandits — ...