When was the first public opinion poll taken?

To assess voters’ preferences in the 1824 presidential election, citizens were asked whom they preferred. This was the first public opinion poll. The results, published in the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian on July 24, 1824, gave Andrew Jackson a commanding lead over John Quincy Adams and all others. However, Adams won the election.

Who was the first person to die in the gas chamber?

who was the first person to die in the gas chamber

The first person to die in the gas chamber was Gee Jon. He was convicted of assassinating a member of a rival Chinese tong and died in a gas chamber in Nevada State Prison in Carson City on February 8, 1924. The idea of the gas chamber was introduced by Major D. A. Turner of … Read more

Who was the first woman in space?

who was the first woman in space

The first woman in space was Valentina V. Tereshkova of the USSR. She made 48 orbits of the earth in a three-day mission in Vostok 6, June 16 to 19, 1963.

What was the first drive-in movie?

what was the first drive in movie

The first drive-in movie was on a 10-acre site in Camden, New Jersey, and was opened by Richard Hollingshead on June 6, 1933. The screen measured 40 by 30 feet; there was room for 400 cars.

What were the first frozen foods?

what were the first frozen foods

The first line of Birds Eye products was launched in the mid-1920s and named after their inventor, Clarence Birdseye. They included individually packaged boxes of peas, spinach, berries, cherries, fish, and meats. Birdseye had investigated the preservation of foods by ice while on U.S. government surveys of fish and wildlife in Labrador in 1912 and … Read more

What was the first monopoly in the United States?

what was the first monopoly in the united states

The first monopoly in the United States is considered to have been John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company. The company made him the wealthiest person in the United States. This allowed him to found the Astor Library, one of the cornerstones of the New York Public Library.

When did the first radio station broadcast?

when did the first radio station broadcast

On November 2, 1920, the radio station KDKA in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, broadcast for the first time. Its initial newscast reported that Warren Harding had been elected president of the United States.

What was the first personal ad?

what was the first personal ad

The first personal ad might well have been a matrimonial advertisement that appeared in a British publication called the Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade on July 19, 1695. The ad read: A Gentleman about 30 Years of Age, that says he has a Very Good Estate, would willingly Match Himself to some … Read more

What was the first restaurant?

what was the first restaurant

Meals had long been offered in taverns, cook-shops, and coffeehouses. The first place known as a restaurant was the Champ d’Oiseau, which opened in Paris in 1765. At the entrance was the Latin motto Venite ad me, omn e qui stomacho laboratis, et ego restaurabo vos, or “Come to me, anybody whose stomach groans, and … Read more

Who made the first transatlantic flight?

who made the first transatlantic flight

The first transatlantic flight was made by Albert C. (“Putty”) Read and crew aboard the Lame Duck, May 16 to 27, 1919. They flew, with stops, from Trespassey Bay, Canada, to Plymouth, England. The first nonstop flight was that of John William Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, June 14 to 15, 1919. Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 … Read more

Why is twenty-one considered the age of legal adulthood?

why is twenty one considered the age of legal adulthood

The practice grew out of British common law. Before the Norman invasion, thirteen or fourteen was considered the age of adulthood, at least among the nobility. But during battles, it was observed that thirteen- and fourteen-year-old nobles were not large or strong enough to carry the heavy armor and lance used in fighting. The age … Read more

What was the first passenger airline?

what was the first passenger airline

The Saint Petersburg, Tampa Airboat Line of Saint Petersburg, Florida, began flight operations on January 1, 1914. The twice-a-day service took passengers one at a time across 20-mile-wide Tampa Bay. The complete trip in a Benoit flying boat covered 36 miles and cost $5. The service ran for four months.

Where was the first house of prostitution?

where was the first house of prostitution

The first such house of prostitution on record may have been Ka-Kum. It was located in the city of Erech (or Uruk) in Sumer and dating back to about 3000 B.C. The first brothels in Europe were located in Athens about 600 B.C. These non-profit operations sanctioned by the leader Solon charged men 1 cent … Read more

Where and when was the world’s first shopping center built?

where and when was the worlds first shopping center built

The first urban shopping center was Roland Park Shopping Center, built in 1896 in Baltimore, Maryland. The first suburban shopping center was built in 1928 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Called Suburban Square, it offered two department stores, doctors’ offices, a movie theater, and 17 other shops.

What was the first spacecraft to land on the moon?

what was the first spacecraft to land on the moon

The first spacecraft to land on the moon was Luna 2, launched by the USSR on September 12, 1959. It crash-landed between the craters Archimedes and Autolycus in the Mare Imbrium on September 14. A successful landing was made by Luna 9 on February 3, 1966.

What is the origin of the term Witch Hazel?

what is the origin of the term witch hazel

The term witch hazel is the common name for the Hamamelis plant. The witch of the plant’s name comes from wice, an Anglo-Saxon word for a plant with flexible branches. It is unclear who first used the leaves and bark of witch hazel in toiletries and tonics. Some believe it was the Anglo-Saxons; others think … Read more

When did the first showboat open and when did the last showboat close?

when did the first showboat open and when did the last showboat close

The first showboat was William Chapman’s Floating Theatre, built at Pittsburgh in 1831. It traveled the system of waterways dominated by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, bringing entertainment to America’s river frontier. Once the river frontier closed and other entertainments beckoned, showboats declined. The last authentic showboat in operation was the Golden Rod in 1943.

What was the first zoo in the United States?

what was the first zoo in the united states

The first zoo in the United States was the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens, which opened in 1874. In 1938, it became the site of the first children’s zoo. Founded and operated by the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Zoo currently houses more than 1,400 specimens of over 400 species.

Who was the first man to die in the electric chair?

who was the first man to die in the electric chair

Convicted axe-murderer William Kemmler became the first man to be executed by electrocution on August 6, 1890, at Auburn State Prison, New York. Harold P. Brown had conceived the idea of death by electrocution and conducted the early experiments. Thomas Alva Edison supplied the equipment. According to the official report, the procedure, which had to … Read more

What was the first skyscraper?

what was the first skyscraper

The first skyscraper was the 10-story Home Insurance Company Building in Chicago It was designed by William Le Baron Jenney and completed in 1885. The first tall building to be supported by an internal frame of iron and steel rather than by thick masonry walls, it was demolished in 1931.

Who was the first black mayor?

who was the first black mayor

Carl B. Stokes (b. 1927) was the first black mayor. He was the great-grandson of a slave and was mayor of Cleveland from 1967 to 1971.

What was the first movie theater in the United States?

what was the first movie theater in the united states

On June 26, 1896, the 400-seat Vitascope Hall was opened at the corner of Canal Street and Exchange Place in New Orleans by William T. Rock. For 10 cents, viewers could peer into the projection room; for another 10 cents, they could see the Edison Vitascope projector. A popular film of the time was May … Read more

When was the first blood bank opened?

when was the first blood bank opened

The first blood bank was not opened until 1940 in New York City. It was designed and operated by American surgeon Richard Charles Drew (1904-1950). He could not contribute blood to the bank because he was black.

What is the world’s best-selling cookie?

what is the worlds best selling cookie

Not surprisingly, the world’s best selling cookie is the unassuming Oreo, made by Nabisco Brands. The first Oreo was sold in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1912. Now, over 6 billion are sold each year, which means that $1 of every American’s $10 in grocery money goes to the cookie.

When was the first laundromat opened?

when was the first laundromat opened

The first laundromat opened on April 18, 1934. It was the Washateria in Fort Worth, Texas by J. F. Cantrell. It offered four electric washing machines that were rented by the hour.

Who was the first black U.S. senator?

who was the first black u s senator

Hiram Revels (1822-1901) of Mississippi became the first black senator on February 25, 1870. He completed the term begun by Jefferson Davis, who had resigned to become the president of the Confederacy. Aside from Blanche K. Bruce, who represented Mississippi from 1875 to 1881, there were no other black senators until 1966, when Edward Brooke, … Read more

What was the first stolen car?

what was the first stolen car

The first stolen car was a Peugeot owned by Baron de Zuylen of France It was stolen in June 1896 by a mechanic from the manufacturer’s plant in Paris, where it had been taken for repairs.

What was the first television news broadcast?

What was the first television news broadcast

The first news event to be televised was the nomination of Alfred E. Smith for the presidency in Albany, New York, on August 22, 1928. The program was transmitted by Schenectady’s WGY. The first regular news reports were 15-minute daily programs transmitted over New York’s WCBS and WNBT, beginning on July 1, 1941. The First … Read more