When you think of inventions or items that are uniquely Chicago, deep dish pizza might come to mind.
But it’s far from the only one.
The first blood bank, the first can of spray paint and the first zipper were all created in Chicago.
“Think about it, in the 1890s and way before that, clothes weren’t held together by a zipper they were buttons or pins,” explained Tom Schaffner, the owner and operator of LStop Tours. “In 1891, the inventor got the idea to lock things together via metal.”
Tom Schaffner is a lover and defender of all things Chicago. He’s in the know of what our great city can take credit for.
“The first modern skyscraper,” Tom added. “And what makes it modern is the steel frame that we don’t see.”
Just like deep dish pizza, you’ve probably heard that Chicago is the home of the first modern day skyscraper.
But, what about the twinkie?
Schaffner said the popular breaded treat began at a local bakery in the 1930s.
“A guy was looking at their machinery, which was used for strawberry shortcake and was idle for 6 months of the year when they weren’t in season,” he said. “So this worker thought it would be great if they could find a way to keep the machines running all season.”
This next one is also an American treasure… the Ferris wheel!
“It’s so iconic, it goes back to that World’s Fair with the first Ferris wheel,” said Erika Taylor, the vice president of Arts, Culture and Engagement at Navy Pier. “We built ours back in 1995.”
Whether you’re looking at Chicago from the street or the sky, you’ll see Navy Pier’s main attraction.
That’s because the Ferris wheel started here.
“It’s the first thing people think about when they think about Navy Pier,” Taylor added. “It is iconic to us and iconic to the city.”
That’s not all, though.
The car radio, vacuum cleaner and even the first cell phone were created in Chicago. The list is along, and we haven’t even covered half of them!