A history of coffee vending that ignores Japan?

I can buy seven kinds of hot or cold coffee on nearly every corner from Shibuya to the deepest inaka. People outside Japan often focus on the wacky vending machines, but the real story is the incredible availability and quality of the standard-issue 自販機. The engineering story of how vending machine manufacturers repurposed exhaust for heat while keeping cold drinks cool alone is worth the price of admission.

I'll keep my thoughts about American vending machines (and coffee vending in particular) to myself.