Posted in Illinois August 01, 2015 by

Some People Don’t Know That Illinois Was The First To Do These 10 Things

Just one look at the Chicago skyline or our booming farmland down south, and you will immediately realize how much innovation has come out of Illinois. But there are a lot of amazing things that Illinois was the first to do that you might not even realize. So we’re counting down ten things that Illinois was the first to do:

1. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment
Mr.TinDC/Flickr
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery
2. The first skyscraper...in the WORLD...was built in Chicago (1885)
Brent Payne/Flickr
3. The first McDonalds franchise was put in Des Plaines--and you can visit the museum today (1955)
Jerry Huddleston/Flickr
4. The first ferris wheel was invented in Illinois and debuted at the World's Fair (1893)
amateur photography/Flickr
The capacity for the ride? Over two THOUSAND people
5. The first vacuum cleaner was actually developed in a Chicago basement (1869)
Paul Roth/Flickr
Domestic goddesses everywhere are appreciative!
6. The first successful open-heart surgery was performed in Illinois (1893)
epsos.de/Flickr
Daniel Hale Williams, the surgeon, was also the first African-American cardiologist
7. The cellphone was invented in Schaumburg (1973)
Gary Barber/Flickr
Cellphones are such a huge part of our lives. Where would we be without them?
8. The first mechanical dishwasher was developed in Shelbyville (1885)
andrea castelli/Flickr
Not having to wash dishes by hand = AMAZING
9. After the Civil War, Greene Vardiman Black started practicing dentistry
Matt Lemmon/Flickr
Pro: your teeth are cleaner. Con: getting a filling SUUUUUUCKS
10. The game of softball was invented as a winter alternative to baseball (1887)
Steven Pisano/Flickr

Those are a lot of firsts–and that list doesn’t even include the LONG list of things that we perfected here in Illinois!