Before the invention of the gas gauge, how was a vehicle's fuel measured?

I used the stick method to see how much fuel was in the wings when I was learning to fly in an old Cessna 152. Good times.

in fact all of the answers are right, to a degree.

does anyone know when this was?

rayvan, yes thank the lord

Player #25910183, Its a good system when your gas guage is broken.

I remember staying at a farm as a kid. The son had a motorcycle. He would check the level by opening the tank and shaking the bike.