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Philly Firsts
Most people think of Philadelphia as the place where the principles of freedom on which our nation was founded were first set down on paper. But the City of Brotherly Love can boast of a long tradition of "firsts," in every area of daily life, over the past three centuries. Where would we be without hospitals, volunteer fire departments, and public libraries--not to mention inventions like the lightning rod, bifocals, and the computer? From the conventional to the unusual, and from the earliest date of the city's settlement to the present, Philly Firsts celebrates the ingenuity, creativity, and perseverance of the denizens of this great city.
- GenresNonfiction
207 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 1999
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September 9, 2011
I was hoping for a bit more of the quirky here, because I know Philadelphia to be a very quirky city! There wasn't much quirky, but a mountain of "firsts" that I knew nothing about. For example, the first Thanksgiving Day Parade was sponsored by Gimbel's (Take that Macy's!) in 1920, a full 4 years before the first parade in New York, sponsored by Macy's (Take that NYC!) Once, during the Christmas holidays, I watched the Philly parade, and Santa Claus climbed up a ladder into a window of the mall! No one that I knew was at the parade and no one believed me when I recounted what happened. Apparently, this was a reenactment of the first Thanksgiving Day Parade when Santa climbed up the outside of Gimbel's into the toy department! (Take that non-believers!)
In my opinion, the author did not do justice to the Mummer's Parade, but that's just me. Where else can you get up at noon, fool around at home for another 2-3 hours before you go out of the house and STILL catch the parade? That's my kind of parade.
Bejamin Franklin, my favorite Philadelphian, used to kill turkeys and chickens in his experiments with those kites! He wrote that the meat, after being electrocuted, was "uncommonly tender."
As for firsts, the PSFS building (1932) was the first modern skyscraper in the country. Although I don't necessarily believe that to be an accomplishment to brag about, it was also the first to be air conditioned! As someone who grew up on the Gulf of Mexico without air conditioning, suffering through unbearable heat and humidity, that gets my attention. First American zoo (1874), first bottled mineral water (1825), first licorice (1900) and bubble gum (1928), and everyone's favorite little capitalists--the very first Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)!
The lists go on and on, so if you're a fan of lists, you might enjoy this book. Me, I'm an unabashed fan of Philadelphia!
In my opinion, the author did not do justice to the Mummer's Parade, but that's just me. Where else can you get up at noon, fool around at home for another 2-3 hours before you go out of the house and STILL catch the parade? That's my kind of parade.
Bejamin Franklin, my favorite Philadelphian, used to kill turkeys and chickens in his experiments with those kites! He wrote that the meat, after being electrocuted, was "uncommonly tender."
As for firsts, the PSFS building (1932) was the first modern skyscraper in the country. Although I don't necessarily believe that to be an accomplishment to brag about, it was also the first to be air conditioned! As someone who grew up on the Gulf of Mexico without air conditioning, suffering through unbearable heat and humidity, that gets my attention. First American zoo (1874), first bottled mineral water (1825), first licorice (1900) and bubble gum (1928), and everyone's favorite little capitalists--the very first Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)!
The lists go on and on, so if you're a fan of lists, you might enjoy this book. Me, I'm an unabashed fan of Philadelphia!
Displaying 1 of 1 review