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Witness History: How cat's eyes were invented

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How cat's eyes were invented

25/11/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, How cat's eyes were invented

In 1934, Percy Shaw invented cat's eyes, the reflective studs in the road

In England in 1934, Percy Shaw invented cat's eyes, the reflective studs in the road.

In 1934, the late Percy Shaw almost crashed while driving home from the pub on a foggy night in West Yorkshire, in England. 

He was saved when his headlights were reflected in the eyes of a cat and it gave him a brilliant idea. 

He invented reflective studs for the road and called them cat’s eyes. 

Rachel Naylor speaks to Percy's great-niece, Glenda Shaw.

(Photo: Percy Shaw holding one of his cat's eyes, outside his factory in Halifax, England, in 1958. Credit: Getty Images)

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