- History of Cincinnati, Ohio
) named it "Losantiville" [http://www.filsonhistorical.org] from four terms, each of different language; meaning "The city opposite the mouth of the (Licking) River," "ville" is French for "city," "anti" is Greek for "opposite," "os" is Latin for "mouth," and "L" was all that was included of "Licking River."
Early history
Cincinnati began as three settlements between the Little Miami and Great Miami rivers on the north shore of the Ohio River. Columbia was on the Little Miami, North Bend on the Great Miami. Losantiville, the central settlement, was opposite the mouth of the Licking River.
In 1789 Fort Washington was built to protect the settlements in the
Northwest Territory . The post was constructed under the direction of GeneralJosiah Harmar and was named in honor of PresidentGeorge Washington . [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=719]In 1790,
Arthur St. Clair , the governor of theNorthwest Territory , changed the name of the settlement to "Cincinnati" in honor of theSociety of the Cincinnati , of which he was president. The society gets its name fromCincinnatus , the Roman general and dictator, who saved the city ofRome from destruction and then quietly retired to his farm. The society honored the ideal of return to civilian life by military officers following the Revolution rather than imposing military rule. To this day, Cincinnati in particular, and Ohio in general, is home to a disproportionately large number of descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers who were granted lands in the state. Cincinnati's connection with Rome still exists today through its nickname of "The City of Seven Hills" [http://www.cincinnati.com/local/atoz/upsanddowns.html] (a phrase commonly associated with Rome) and the town twinning program ofSister Cities International .Civil War
During the Civil War, a series of six artillery batteries were built along the Ohio River to protect the city. Only one,
Battery Hooper , now theJames A. Ramage Civil War Museum inFort Wright, Kentucky is open to the public.'Porkopolis' and other nicknames
In 1802, Cincinnati was chartered as a village, and in 1819, it was incorporated as a city. The introduction of steam navigation on the Ohio River in 1811 and the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal helped the city grow to 115,000 citizens by 1850. The nickname Porkopolis was coined around 1835, when Cincinnati was the country's chief hog packing center, and herds of pigs traveled the streets. Called the "Queen of the West" by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (although this nickname was first used by a local newspaper in 1819), Cincinnati was an important stop on theUnderground Railroad , which helped slaves escape from the South.Cincinnati also is known as the "City of Seven Hills." The seven hills are fully described in the June, 1853 edition of the "West American Review", "Article III--Cincinnati: Its Relations to the West and South." The hills form a crescent from the east bank of the Ohio River to the west bank: Mount Adams, Walnut Hills, Mount Auburn, Vine Street Hill, Fairmount, Mount Harrison, and College Hill.
Cincinnati was the site of many historical beginnings. In 1850 it was the first city in the United States to establish a
Jewish Hospital . It is where America's [http://www.cincyfiremuseum.com/history.html first municipal fire department] was established in 1853. Established in 1867, the Cincinnati Red Stockings (a.k.a. theCincinnati Reds ) became the world's first professional (all paid, no amateurs) baseball team in 1869. In 1935, major league baseball's first night game was played atCrosley Field . Cincinnati was the first to build and own a major railroad in 1880. In 1902, the world's first re-inforced concrete skyscraper was built, theIngalls Building . "TheSons of Daniel Boone ", a forerunner to theBoy Scouts of America , began in Cincinnati in 1905. Because of the city's rich German heritage, the pre-prohibition era allowed Cincinnati to become a national forerunner in the [http://www.citybeat.com/2004-04-28/socincinnati.shtml brewing industry.] During experimentation for six years (until 1939), Cincinnati's AM radio station,WLW was the first to broadcast at 500,000 watts. In 1943, King Records (and its subsidiary,Queen Records ) was founded, and went on to record early music by artists who became highly successful and influential in Country,R&B , and Rock.WCET-TV was the first licensed public television station, established in 1954. [http://www.cetconnect.org/50/index.asp#documents] Cincinnati is home to radio'sWEBN 102.7 FM, the longest-running album-oriented rock station in the United States, first airing in 1967. In 1976, theCincinnati Stock Exchange became the nation's first all-electronic trading market.Comparisons
As a pioneer-era city, it compared with Pittsburgh and Nashville. As a "
Riverboat " andcanal -era city, it compared with Louisville, St. Louis, and New Orleans. As an immigrant, industrial city it compared with Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Cleveland,Chicago , and Detroit.Because of its river setting and extensive park system, many commentators have remarked on Cincinnati's beauty, including Winston Churchill, who called it "the most beautiful of America's inland cities." The city's picturesque skyline was used as a backdrop for the fictional city of Monticello on the
soap opera "The Edge of Night ", one of the many soap operas sponsored by Cincinnati soap-makerProcter & Gamble . In fact,Procter & Gamble created the genre of the "soap opera" when it helped launch theMa Perkins radio program in 1933. Cincinnati was also featured inRain Man and many icons of the city are identifiable in the movie including thePompilio's restaurant that is still in business.In August 1966, Cincinnati rock-music fans had the privilege of seeing
The Beatles perform at a large outdoor venue atCrosley Field . This was during the British group's final concert tour of the United States and Canada.On May 28, 1977, a suburban nightclub in
Southgate, Kentucky burned, taking the lives of 165 persons. TheBeverly Hills Supper Club fire remains the third-deadliest fire at a nightclub in American history.On December 3, 1979, eleven people were killed in a rush for "festival seating" before a concert by
The Who at Riverfront Coliseum (nowU.S. Bank Arena ). As a result, "festival seating" was banned for a time in many concert venues around the US, and at city venues until 2004.Firsts
Cincinnati has been a pioneer city in many respects, including:
* 1796 - First city in theNorthwest Territory to print a book, engraved by William Maxwell
* 1835 - First bag of airmail, which was lifted by a hot air balloon [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1849 - First city in the U.S. to hold a municipal song festival named Saengerfest [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1850 - First city in the U.S. to establish a Jewish hospital [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1850 - First city in the U.S. to publish greeting cards with the Gibson Greeting Card Company [ [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1853 - First practical steam fire engine. First city to establish a municipal fire department and first fire pole. [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1868 - First city west ofNew York City to have a company that used a steam poweredprinting press (Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. ).
* 1869 - First weather bureau.
* 1869 - First professional baseball team - the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
* 1870 - First municipal university - theUniversity of Cincinnati .
* 1870 - First city to hold annual industrial expositions. [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1875 - First city to establish a Jewish theological college,Hebrew Union College . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1880 - First city in which a woman,Maria Longworth Nichols Storer , began and operated a large manufacturing operation,Rookwood Pottery . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1880 - First and only city to build and own a major railroad. [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1902 - Firstreinforced concrete skyscraper - theIngalls Building . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1905 -Daniel Carter Beard founded theSons of Daniel Boone , later known as theBoy Scouts of America . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1906 - First university to offer cooperative education,University of Cincinnati . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1935 - FirstMajor League Baseball night game. [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1952 - First heart-lung machine- makes open heart surgery possible. Developed atCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]
* 1954 - First licensed public television station - [http://www.cetconnect.org/50/index.asp#documents WCET] . [http://www.gccc.com/pdf/living/firsts.pdf]See also
*
Ohio in the Civil War
*Allen Temple AME Church (Cincinnati, Ohio) References
* [http://www.cincyusa.com/delegates/firsts.asp?sec=del&cat=fact Cincinnati Firsts] . "Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau".
* [http://www.weather.gov/pa/history/timeline.php Evolution of the National Weather Service] . 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration".External links
* [http://www.cincinnati.com/local/atoz/upsanddowns.html Cincinnati News]
* [http://www.filsonhistorical.org The Filson Historical Society]
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