121 years ago on May 15th, 1903
New York becomes the first state to require vehicle registration numbers
The law superseded a 1901 law that required drivers to put their initials on the back of their cars. Today, New York offers dozens of options for license plates, including September 11th remembrance plates, a custom New York City design, and even a $60 option to personalize your plate if you'd still like to use your initials instead of the randomly-assigned DMV code.
References: