The history of license plates can be traced back quite a number of centuries, in fact to the time of Julius Caesar himself, but not a lot is known because of the lack of accurate records. It is possible that the chariots of the time were marked with unique identifying numbers but nothing is known for sure. What is certain however is that with cars becoming more and more common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the need for license plates became apparent.  

The first two countries to introduce license plates were France and Germany, in 1893 and 1896 respectively. The very first plates were simply a number, starting with the digit one. Before licensing became a universally accepted concept, many countries started issuing their own registration number plates, many of which were home-made metal numbers attached to a metal pad. Through its legislature, New York became the first state to make registration of cars through license plates mandatory, and Australia followed soon after.

In the latter, from 1910 till 1937, the plates were only in numbers, that is, there were no alphabets at the time. The plates were simple: black lettering on a white background which after 1924 was changed to the reverse, that is, white lettering on a black background. After 1951, the alphanumerical registration plate was introduced, consisting of three letters and three numbers each.

Nowadays plates usually have the State name as well as a state slogan at the bottom. Recently many issued plates have come in the respective state’s colors too. The newer electric cars also feature a green diamond on their plates to indicate the presence of dangerous voltage inside. There is much more to the world of license plates, and you can find everything at http://www.quotemywheels.com.au/. So, keep exploring!