A: Embezzlement gets a bad rap, as do brothels. Put the two together, though, and you get the recipe for one of the greatest inventions of the 19^th century. In the 1870s, James J. Ritty of Dayton, Ohio, owned a saloon that doubled as a casino and (allegedly) a house of ill repute. Aside from his blatant disregard for the law, Ritty’s biggest problem was finding honest help. (His bartenders and customers tended to pilfer his profits.) So in 1879, he patented a device called the “incorruptible cashier” – basically a primitive, drawer-less cash register. Ritty quickly sold the invention, preferring to concentrate his efforts on his now-profitable tavern. Incidentally, infamous bank robber John Dillinger once paid a visit to Ritty’s joint, but he stole no money. Dillinger had a strict policy against robbing saloons.