Confidence votes 14.2K. Based on what we think of when we hear the term vending machine today, some might be surprised to learn that vending machines have their historical roots in ancient Greece! The first known vending machine was invented by the Greek engineer and mathematician Hero of Alexandria around 215 BC.These first vending machines were located in Egyptian temples and dispensed holy water in exchange for coins.In the early 1880's in London an English publisher named Richard Carlisle made a vending machine that sold books. The first vending machine in the United States dispensed chewing gum.n the early 1880's in London an English publisher named Richard Carlisle made a vending machine that sold books. The first vending machine in the United States dispensed chewing gum.