First Ice Cream Soda

First Ice Cream Soda

Not every great invention comes from a moment of confidence. This one came from a rattled soda vendor trying not to get upstaged. This episode traces how Robert Green, showing up at the Franklin Institute's 1874 anniversary exhibition with second-hand equipment and the threat of a much flashier rival looming over him, stumbled into an idea that became one of America's best-loved treats: the ice cream soda. Marisa Magnatta is joined by Eric Berley, co-founder of The Franklin Fountain, Philadelphia's old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain built to keep this exact history alive.

First Organized Baseball Team

Marisa Magnatta is joined by the Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball, John Thorn, to talk about America’s first baseball team, The Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia, and how it planted the roots of America’s favorite pastime.

First Bank of The United States

Before there was a national economy, someone had to figure out how to pay for one. This episode tells the story of the First Bank of the United States, born right here in Philadelphia in 1791, and how a fierce fight over this bank set the terms of a constitutional debate we're still having today. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Dr. Peter C. Earle, Senior Director of Research at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), an economist and financial markets expert with over 30 years of experience.

First Paper Maker in America

Before there was freedom of the press, someone had to make the paper. This episode tells the story of William Rittenhouse, the immigrant who built America's first paper mill in Germantown in 1690, and why that mill wasn't just an industrial first, but the foundation of free speech in the colonies. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Professor Joseph M. Adelman, a historian of early American media, communication, and politics.

First Annual Reminder Demonstration

Most people think Stonewall was where the LGBTQ+ rights movement began, but Philadelphia got there first. This episode tells the story of the first Annual Reminder Demonstration, a series of Independence Day protests held at Independence Hall years before Stonewall, and how a simple act of holding hands helped ignite the modern Pride movement. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Rue Landau, Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large, civil rights attorney, and the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Philadelphia City Council.