List of Pennsylvania firsts
Appearance
This is a list of firsts achieved in Province of Pennsylvania during the colonial era and, following the American Revolution, the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Firsts
17th century
- 1688 — First public protest of slavery in America, Germantown (now part of Philadelphia)[1]
18th century
- 1731 — First subscription library in the United States, Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin[2]
- 1732 — First social club in the English-speaking world, the Schuylkill Fishing Company of the State in Schuylkill, Philadelphia[3]
- 1743 — First institution devoted to science, the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia[4]
- 1748 — First dancing organization in America, the Dancing Assemblies of Philadelphia
- 1748 — First Lutheran church body in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium[5]
- 1751 — First hospital in America, the Pennsylvania Hospital[6]
- 1754 — First (and only)[Fort Necessity[7]
- 1762 — First lectures on anatomy in North America, Dr. William Shippen, Philadelphia[8]
- 1765 — First medical school, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, which made Penn the first educational institution to become a university in the United States, Philadelphia[9]
- 1766 — First organized hunting club in America, the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club near Philadelphia
- 1774 — First continuously serving unit in the United States military, the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry
- 1775 — Continental Marines founded, Tun Tavern, Philadelphia; now known as U.S. Marine Corps[10]
- 1777 — First United States Capital,
- 1780 — First abolition law, while the state capital was in Philadelphia[13]
- 1784 — First successful daily newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, Philadelphia[14]
- 1786 — First vessel ever moved by steam, Delaware River at Philadelphia, by John Fitch[15]
- 1790 — First stock exchange in America, Philadelphia[16]
- 1792 — First United States Mint, Philadelphia[17]
- 1794 — First African Methodist Episcopal church, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, Philadelphia[18]
- 1795 — First turnpike in the United States, Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike[14]
- 1796 — First suspension bridge, Uniontown by James Finley[19]
19th century
- 1805 — First art institution in the United States, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia[20]
- 1805 — First covered bridge in the U.S., the Market Street Bridge (a.k.a. "the Permanent Bridge"), Philadelphia
- 1809 — First theater in the U.S., Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
- 1816 — First wire cable suspension bridge, near Philadelphia, by Josiah White and Erskine Hazard[19]
- 1821 — First pharmacy school, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia)[21]
- 1845 — First T-rail rolled in the U.S., Danville
- 1848 — First and only visual arts college for women in the United States, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia[22]
- 1856 — First national convention for the Republican Party, Musical Fund Hall, Philadelphia
- 1859 — First grand opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose, the Academy of Music, Philadelphia
- 1859 — First successful oil well, Edwin L. Drake)[23]
- 1861 — First pretzel factory, Julius Sturgis, Lititz[24]
- 1863 — First J.E.B. Stuart vs. George Armstrong Custer
- 1866 — First mill in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to the process of making Harrisburg[25]
- 1873 — First Roller Coaster, Jim Thorpe[26]
- 1874 — First zoo, Philadelphia (chartered in 1859)[27]
- 1876 — First World's Fair in the United States, the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia
- 1877 — First department store opened, Wanamaker's, Philadelphia
- 1879 — First non-reservation school for Carlisle Indian School
- 1881 — First community illuminated by electricity, Philipsburg
- 1881 — First business school in the United States, Wharton School[28]
- 1883 — First successful three-wire electric lighting system, Sunbury
- 1884 — First taxi service, Philadelphia; First Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere, Shenandoah.
20th century
- 1901 — First escalator in the U.S., Philadelphia
- 1903 — First World Series, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox
- 1913 — First coast-to-coast highway, Lincoln Highway
- 1919 — First Thanksgiving Day Parade, Philadelphia
- 1920 — First commercial radio station, KDKA (AM) (Pittsburgh)[14]
- 1922 — First municipal airport, Clarion, Parker D. Cramer airfield
- 1922 — First women (eight, including Martha Gibbons Thomas) elected to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- 1924 — First woman to serve as Speaker of a State House of Representatives, Alice M. Bentley
- 1932 — First totally air conditioned building, Philadelphia, PSFS Building
- 1933 — First American-born bishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church, September 10, 1933, consecration of Benjamin (Basalyga) of Olyphant
- 1933 — First baseball stadium built for a Black team, Pittsburgh, Greenlee Stadium
- 1933 — First African-American woman to be elected a State Legislator, Crystal Bird Fauset
- 1939 — First Little League Baseball game, June 6, Williamsport.
- 1946 — First large-scale, electronic, digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- 1947 — First Little League World Series, Williamsport.
- 1948 — First cable television system, Mahanoy City
- 1952 — First indoor zoo - National Aviary, Pittsburgh
- 1957 — First American commercial nuclear generator, Shippingport Atomic Power Station
- 1970 — First African American female Secretary of State, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, appointed under Gov. Milton Shapp
- 1974 — First successful conjoined twin separation, Philadelphia, Clara and Altagracia Rodriguez, at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- 1976 — First automotive bridge to be named for a woman, Betsy Ross Bridge, Philadelphia
- 1976 — First museum for young children, The "Please Touch Museum for Children" in Philadelphia
- 1977 — First African-American to serve as speaker of a state House of Representatives, K. Leroy Irvis of Pittsburgh
- 1999 — First web site address[29]
21st century
- 2003 — First Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, January 24, 2003, Tom Ridge
- 2003 — First Puerto Rican Secretary of State in the United States, outside of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, April 2, 2003, Pedro A. Cortés
- 2003 — First confirmed Latino Cabinet member, April 2, 2003, Pedro A. Cortés
- 2021 — First openly transgender four-star officer in the nation's eight uniformed services, Rachel Levine.[30]
References
- ^ "Christianity and Slavery". Religioustolerance.org. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ISBN 0-914076-73-6.
- ^ [ Displaying Abstract ] (2012-06-10). "The New York Times: "Oldest Dining Club in the World" (January 15, 1905)". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "American Philosophical Society". Amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ Eric W. Gritsch, A History of Lutheranism, (Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 2002) p.175.
- ^ "About Penn Medicine: History". Penn Medicine. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "George Washington biography". Mountvernon.org. Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "William Shippen, Jr. (1736-1808)". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "John Morgan (1735-1789)". Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ "USMC Heritage". Usmcpress.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "CITY OF PHILADELPHIA" (PDF). Med.upenn.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
- ^ Cecil Adams (2004-12-10). "York, Pennsylvania: First capital of the United States?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery.(1)". Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c [1] Archived September 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Life of John Fitch : the inventor of the steam-boat". Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Page Not Available". Phlx.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Mint". Ushistory.org. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ [2] Archived January 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Context for World Heritage Bridges". Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "About USP". Usip.edu. 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "Moore College of Art & Design – Mission & History". moore.edu.
- ^ "Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1896". World Digital Library. 1896. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ^ "Sturgis Pretzel House". Albright.edu. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ [3] Archived February 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Early Years in America | Roller Coaster History". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ^ "About the Philadelphia Zoo". Philadelphia Zoo. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ "About Wharton". The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ [4][dead link]
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-10-19.