The Origin of 'cats eyes'
 

Does anyone know where 'cats eyes' originated from? I was told as a kid that a boy put bits of tin foil on the road so he could find his way home in the dark by torch light (I dont think he new the way very well) and this was the start of the idea.

However the boys in work laughed at me when i said this and said they were named after dead cats on the road whose eyes are clearly visible under the light of car headlamps.

Does anyone know any more about this? :confused:

The only cats eyes I know about are the marbles.

http://www.marblemansion.com/cart/img/blkpw.jpg

I'm assuming you are talking about road reflectors.

they were designed and engineered for safety. that's the only knowledge that i have of them based on the knowledge of son of the man who's name is on the patent in the America.

Cats eyes in craps is one on each die.

Thought that was "snake-eyes" ;)

I have never heard those things being called "Cats Eyes". That tabs were always called "reflectors" since i have know them, with the hard bumps being "drunk bumps" that just happened to refelect light well.

And yeah, i know em as "snake eyes" as well.

That's what I recall also.

The dead cats on the road story makes sense.

Apparently the inventor was driving along a road one night in the fog, and saw a cat in front of him. The eyes reflected his headlamps, making it stand out - so he swerved his car. When he stopped and got out, he found that the cat was standing on the edge of the road; if he'd not seen it he would have continued (and presumably hit something). The cat saved his life; and got him thinking about why he'd seen its eyes so clearly cutting through the fog...

Edit: apparently this was Percy Shaw, of Halifax UK (probably why we know them more as Cats Eyes over here :) ). And the road in question was the road from Queensbury.

Cheers for that Cliche I thought they were called cats eyes every where.

Also how did you get an Avator just out of interest?

Ah I just checked your profile your not a rookie are you?

lol :)