The city of Cleveland, which was established in 1796, has a lengthy and fascinating history. Inventions, notable people, and rich lore stem from this region, yet many of these wonderful stories aren’t well known to some of us locals. Listed below are 12 Cleveland firsts that you might not be familiar with. In fact, some of these things Cleveland did first might even blow your mind.

1. The alligator clip was first seen in Cleveland.
Qurren/Wikimedia Commons
Ralph S. Mueller aimed to build a simple metal clip with spring-loaded jaws for product testing, which would find some prominence in the upcoming telephone industry. However, he would come to find that there were actually many practical uses for his clip, and today they are most commonly encountered in jumper cables.
2. The famed "Tommy Gun" of the 1920s and World War II was originally designed and constructed right here in Cleveland.
Imperial War Museums/Wikimedia Commons
When General John Thompson conceived the idea for a handheld machine gun, he recruited Theodore Eickhoff to design it. Eickhoff came to Cleveland to do so, as the local Warner & Swasey Company was to produce the parts for the gun. On Euclid Avenue, in a small machine shop, the gun that was favored by gangsters such as "Machine Gun" Kelly and "Pretty Boy" Floyd was born. It was initially sold to the Marine Corps and police units, but it would become especially well known when, in 1938, the U.S. military recruited the gun for use in combat.
3. In Akron, the first commercial oatmeal manufacturer in the United States would go on to become the Quaker Mills Company, and they would register the nation's first trademark for a breakfast cereal.
National Magazine/Wikimedia Commons
The German Mills American Oatmeal Company, which began in 1854, quickly rose to acclaim as an influx of German and Irish immigrants boosted sales. The Quaker Oats brand name would follow the evolution of oatmeal to cereal in 1877 as the company began to market oats and eventually puffed rice and wheat. Their trademark smiling Quaker man still graces their packaging today.
4. Clevelander Bill Wambsganss hit the first and only unassisted triple play in the World Series.
The Brown Brothers/Wikimedia Commons
The Cleveland Indians were facing the Brooklyn Robins in the 1920 World Series, and, by game 5, tensions couldn't be higher. The game was being held at Dunn Field in Cleveland, and in New York, fans crowded eagerly around radios for updates. When "Wamby" carried out the unassisted triple play, it was only the second in MLB history, and the only such play in the World Series. The teams would face off two more times before the Cleveland Indians won the 1920 World Series.
5. The first successful separation of conjoined twins had Cleveland as a backdrop.
Russell Lee/Wikimedia Commons
According to the Guiness World Records, the first successful separation of conjoined twins was achieved in 1952 by Dr. Jack Geller. The twins were xiphopagus, or joined at the sternum, and were separated on December 14 at Mount Sinai Hospital.
6. The first car to be sold in the United States was manufactured here in Cleveland.
Daderot/Wikimedia Commons
Alexander Winton owned a bicycle factory, and by 1897, he began applying his engineering skills to produce cars. In 1898, he sold a car to a man in Pennsylvania, and the sale would go down as the first automobile sale in the U.S. In that first year, Winton would sell 21 additional cars, but he would ultimately cease production in 1924.

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7. Cleveland was the first city to experience Garrett Morgan's stop light, gas mask, and hair straightening oil.
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow/Wikimedia Commons
Morgan truly was an innovative genius. Born in Kentucky, he would move to Ohio at the age of 16, and eventually to Cleveland two years later. During his life in Cleveland, he invented a belt fastener for sewing machines, a "smoke hood" gas mask, hair straightening cream, and a 3-way traffic signal that differed dramatically from the traditional "stop/go" type signals.
8. Breakthroughs in the invention of the modern golf ball were pioneered by Northeast Ohioans.
Emi Yañez/Wikimedia Commons
Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, and the Superintendent of the B.F. Goodrich Company, Bertram Work, met up for a golf date in 1898. Haskell had wrapped rubber thread around the ball, whether out of curiosity or boredom, and found that it bounced quite dramatically. Work suggested coating the ball with some sort of cover, and the end result is a modern golf ball that behaved quite differently from traditional wooden or featherie balls.
9. Clevelanders were the first people to meet Superman.
Joe Shuster/Wikimedia Commons
Cleveland-born high school students Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster dreamed up Superman. They would later sell the rights to the company that would become DC Comics in 1938. Their character would go on to make his debut in Action Comics #1, and the Man of Steel went on to become an American icon.
10. The frosted light bulb was also born in Cleveland.
flickr/Louis du Mont
In light bulbs, frosted glass helps disperse the light from the filament more evenly across the bulb's surface area, an idea which was thought to be impossible to execute when electricity was in its infancy. However, in the 1920s, some supervisors thought it would be hilarious to convince newbies at the General Electric Nela Park Cleveland laboratory to try to create a process to frost lamp bulbs. They were taken by surprise when, in 1925, Marvin Pipkin successfully frosted the interior of a lamp bulb with the use of acid in a two-step process.
11. Wind turbines were also invented by Euclid-born Charles Brush.
Dustin M. Ramsey/Wikimedia Commons
Brush truly had a vision of the future, and he worked tirelessly to bring it to life. In 1884, he built a mansion/personal laboratory on Euclid Avenue. And by 1888, he had constructed a wind turbine generator to power it. His home was actually the first in Cleveland to have electricity, and the wind turbine kept it continuously powered for more than two decades. His legacy has influenced the Ohio landscape, dotting it with expanses of giant fans.
12. Cleveland was the first city to be fully lit by arched streetlights, which were designed by Cleveland-born inventor Charles F. Brush.
Dmitry G/Wikimedia Commons
Brush was fascinated by electricity at an early age, and by the age of 27, he had designed a simple and maintainable design for a generator that powered arc lights. Thanks to his invention, in 1879, the streets of Public Square in Cleveland became the first to be fully illuminated by electric light. He would go on to redesign and perfect the design of arc lights, adding automatic functions and longevity before his company was ultimately absorbed by General Electric in 1891.

Were you already familiar with these 12 Cleveland firsts? Did any of them really surprise you? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

There have been quite a few weird and strange things to happen in Cleveland. Looking back, it truly is incredible what has taken place in this Ohio city.

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First Things Done In Cleveland

Jennifer Young | June 13, 2023

What are three inventions from Cleveland that the rest of the world is thankful for?

As previously mentioned, there have been many Cleveland firsts, including some of the best inventions to ever come about. Listed below are three inventions that the world is definitely thankful for. Can you think of any others to add to the list?

1. Modern Alkaline Batteries

Alkaline batteries were invented in 1899. However, it wasn't until 1957 that this special type of battery became a staple. While working at Eveready's Cleveland factory, Lewis Urry, Paul Marsal, and Karl Kordesch invented a long-lasting alkaline battery.In 1960, their patent was granted. After experiencing rebranding, the Eveready Alkaline Battery eventually became known as Energizer.

2. The First-Ever, Stopped-Heart Surgery

In 1956, at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Donald Effler and Dr. Lawrence Groves were responsible for performing the first-ever, stopped-heart operation. The way this happened is the doctors and their surgical team used a heart-lung machine, which was developed by the Cleveland Clinic's very own Dr. Willem Kolff, to stop a patient's heart for 17 minutes in order to perform an operation. During the time of this procedure, risks were very high because it was something new. However, today, this is a very common procedure at the Cleveland Clinic.

3. Commercial-Scale Refrigeration

In 1853, Alexander C. Twining patented his own refrigerator. What made it extra special is the fact that it produced lots of ice daily. This refrigerator, which was a huge success, was used in Cleveland, Ohio at his first plant. However, the patent for his refrigerator was eventually infringed upon.

Is it true that Cleveland is home to one of America's first shopping malls?

There have been many Ohio firsts, especially here in Cleveland. One of them includes The Arcade, which is a beautiful shopping mall that's located in downtown Cleveland. It boasts two structures consisting of nine stories. These structures are then connected by a five-story arcade, which is reminiscent of an indoor street that's lined with a variety of shops. The Arcade opened in 1890, making it one of America's first shopping malls. So, yes. Cleveland is in fact home to one of the first shopping malls in America.

 

 

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