This Day In History: The First Drive-In Movie Theater Opens Share Filed to:drive in ( Welcome to Today in History, the series where we dive into important historical events that have had a significant impact on the automotive or racing world. If you have something you’d like to see that falls on an upcoming weekend, let me know at eblackstock [at] jalopnik [dot] com.) Back then, the term “drive-in” wasn’t used. Instead, Richard Hollingshead, the man who developed the idea, originally called the concept “park-in theatres.” Hollingshead was reportedly inspired by the fact that his mum struggled to sit comfortable in traditional theatre seats, History reports. He wondered whether it would be better if people could enjoy open-air theatres where people watched films from the comfort of their cars.