8 Incredible Inventions The World Can Thank New Orleans For
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Jackie Ann
Author
Not many people know that New Orleans has invented several things that have changed the trajectory of everything from science to sweets. Sure, most people know New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, but we’ve invented a few other things the world can thank us for. Here are 8 inventions that New Orleans can claim as their own.
America’s first truly American art form began its roots right here in the Crescent City and we wear that with a badge of honor.
Although the game in some version has been around for hundreds of years, the version closest to what we know today is believed to have begun right here in New Orleans. As the legend goes, sailors in the Port of New Orleans in the early 19th century began playing poker to pass the time and make a little cash between jobs.
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John Leonard Riddell, a chemistry professor at Tulane invented the first practical microscope that enables binocular viewing of an object through a single objective lens, which transformed the trajectory of science.
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Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss in 1819, although flossing was not commercially available until 1882, and then more widely available in 1898 when the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss.
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There’s a debate over the exact origin of this sweet treat, and many believe it has roots in Italy that date all the way back to the 15th century. Joseph Lascaux, a dentist of all professions, invented a cotton candy machine in 1921, although the patent for the basic cotton candy machine goes to Albert D. Robinson of Massachusetts, who is credited with inventing the first machine in 1905.
There’s a debate over who first created this iconic sandwich, but most of the stories date back to the streetcar strike in the early 1900s. No matter who invented it, we thank them for it and couldn’t imagine New Orleans without po’boys.
People have been using cloth to shade windows for hundreds of years, but Venetian blinds in particular date back to Italy in the 1700s. In 1841, New Orleanian John Hampson invented the mechanism that allows you to easily adjust the slats, opening the doors for more aluminum and other metal slats.
Perhaps New Orleans’ most important invention, the cocktail. Although there’s still some debate over who really made the first cocktail, it’s widely accepted that New Orleans takes home that honor with the invention of the Sazerac.
How many of these inventions did you know? Let us know in the comments below!
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