Pennsylvania Trivia & Tidbits - Page 17

Looking for Pennsylvania trivia? Try our list Pennsylvania little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Philadelphian Emile Berliner (1851-1929) invented the microphone that became part of the first Bell telephones. In 1887, his gramophone was the first record player to use disks.

first appeared: 1/28/2001

Benjamin Franklin founded the Philadelphia Zoo, the first public zoo in the United States.

first appeared: 1/21/2001

In June 1778, a wagon caravan escorted the Liberty Bell on its return to Philadelphia along Allentown Road. Nine months earlier, when British troops threatened to capture the city, the bell had been whisked into hiding.

first appeared: 1/14/2001

Harrisburg was, in the 1830s and 1840s, home to such newspapers as Log Cabin Rifle, Plough Boy, Magician, and Yeoman.

first appeared: 1/7/2001

The paper bag—with its pleated bottom that makes for easy unfolding and allows it to sit flat on grocery counters—was patented in 1883 by Charles Stillwell, who is buried in Wayne (pop. 1,000). Today, more than 25 billion paper bags are used each year.

first appeared: 12/31/2000

Stemming from a movement started by Quakers in 1688, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 29, 1780, became the first state to pass the "Abolition" law, eventually making slavery illegal.

first appeared: 12/24/2000

Bob Hoffman of York (pop. 40,200) is considered the Father of Weightlifting. Hoffman started York Barbell Corp. in 1932 and preached the message of physical fitness throughout his life as a U.S. Olympic coach and businessman.

first appeared: 12/17/2000

Vowing not to lose another patient to pneumonia, Dr. George Holtzapple successfully created the first medical application of oxygen in 1885, saving the life of a 16-year-old boy and winning international fame through his discovery.

first appeared: 12/10/2000

Drake Well Museum in Titusville (pop. 6,434) marks the site where Edwin L. Drake drilled the world's first oil well in 1859 and launched the modern petroleum industry.

first appeared: 12/3/2000

Col. Lewis Walker financed the refinement of an invention called the slide fastener—later known as the “zipper.” In 1913, he constructed a factory to manufacture the new invention in Meadville (pop. 14,000), his hometown.

first appeared: 11/26/2000

Washington Atlee Burpee, founder of Burpee Seed Co., started his career as a poultry farmer in Philadelphia. He later expanded to include livestock and—to provide his customers with proper food for their animals—began in 1878 offering special seeds in his catalogs. Within two years, his sale of seeds was thriving and raising animals soon became a sideline to the seed business.

first appeared: 11/19/2000

"Dunkers" was the nickname for the German Baptist Bretheren, one of many smaller religious sects which came from Europe seeking religious freedom in Pennsylvania.

first appeared: 11/12/2000

KDKA in Pittsburgh was the first radio station in the country to begin broadcasting commercially. Its first broadcast was on Nov. 2, 1920, and featured election returns for the Harding/Cox presidential election.

first appeared: 11/5/2000

At 3,820 feet, the Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg is the longest stone arch bridge in the world. It spans the Susquehanna River and consists of 48 arches.

first appeared: 10/22/2000

George W. Ferris, a Pittsburgh native, invented the ferris wheel in 1892. His first ferris wheel could hold about 2,000 people and debuted at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Two 140-foot steel towers supported the wheel, connected by a 45-foot axle. The wheel section was 250 feet in diameter, with an 825-foot circumference.

first appeared: 10/8/2000

Football was first played professionally in Latrobe in 1895 between teams from Latrobe and Jeanette. Latrobe won, 12-0.

first appeared: 9/24/2000

What a gimmick—a house in Hallam is shaped like a shoe. Col. Mahlon Haines, who owned 40 shoe stores, had the house built in 1947. A boot-decorated fence surrounds the yard, and the mailbox is shaped like a shoe. Even the dog house and sand box are fashioned like boots. The white boot-shaped stucco house is on the National Register of Historic Places.

first appeared: 9/10/2000

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