The first night baseball game or the first night football game?
The first night baseball game was played first, on June 2, 1883, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The first night football game was played in 1892 at the Mansfield Fair, in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.
The golf tee or the safety pin?
The safety pin was invented first, in 1849, by Walter Hunt. The golf tee was invented in 1899 by George F. Grant of Boston, Massachusetts.
Chop suey or potato chips?
Potato chips came before chop suey. The first ones were cooked in a Saratoga Springs, New York, hotel in 1865, and were originally called Saratoga chips. Chop suey was not invented in China. It was, in fact, first cooked in New York City on August 29, 1896, for the Chinese Ambassador.
Vollyball or basketball?
Basketball was invented in 1892 by James Naismith of Springfield, Massachusetts (where today's Basketball Hall of Fame is located). Three years later, not too far away in Holyoke, Massachusetts, George Morgan of the local YMCA developed the game of volleyball, which was originally called Mintonette.
Printed Christmas cards or the long-distance phone call?
Christmas cards came first. They were first engraved in 1875. The long distance phone call--from Boston to New York City--was made on March 27, 1884.
The derby hat or earmuffs?
Men started wearing derby hats around 1850. Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine, invented earmuffs in 1873.
The ball-point pen or the pencil with attached eraser?
The pencil with attached eraser came first. Pencils had been around a while before Hyman L. Lipman patented the pencil with the attached eraser in 1858. In 1888, John J. Loud of Weymouth, Massachusetts, received a patent for his ball-point pen.
Comic books or bottle caps with cork liners?
In 1892, William Painter obtained a patent for his invention--the bottle cap with cork in the crown. The first comic books (containing cartoons that had appeared in newspapers) were published in 1904.
The 5 cent piece (nickel) or the parking meter?
The United States Congress authorized the minting of the first five-cent peice or "nickel" (even though the coin contained 75% copper and only 25% nickel) in 1866. The first parking meter made its appearance in Oklahoma City, in 1935.
