1

Locomotive steam-engine for rail (Patent #1)

Image: National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Between 1790 and 1836, the United States granted 9,802 patents that were not awarded on their merits and didn’t have an identification number. The Patent Act of 1836, which established the official Patent Office, aimed to make the system more transparent. Among other reforms, it introduced a numbering system for easier identification.

This system started on July 13, 1836, and remains in effect today. United States Patent No. 1 was issued to John Ruggles —an inventor, attorney, and senator from Maine—for improvements in locomotive traction.

2

Anesthesia (Patent #4,848)

Image: National Library of Medicine

How did patients endure surgery before anesthesia? Before the discovery of an effective anesthetic, surgery was synonymous with excruciating pain. Many large hospitals placed their operating rooms in isolated and remote sections of the hospitals so patients’ screams couldn’t be heard. Alcohol, opium, and even hypnotism were tried as methods of pain relief, but these had little effect.

Fortunately, we no longer have to endure such experiences, thanks to a Boston dentist named William T. G. Morton, who—along with Charles T. Jackson—received the first United States patent for an anesthetic in November 1846.

3

Buoying vessels over shoals (Patent #6,469)

Image: invented by Abraham Lincoln. Issued by United States government Patent Office, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This may be the most unique patent ever issued by the United States Patent Office: it is the first and only U.S. patent granted to an inventor who later became president. Although at least three presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln—were inventors, Lincoln is the only one who formally applied for and received a patent .

In 1849, he was awarded Patent No. 6,469 for a flotation device designed to lift boats over shoals and other obstacles in the water. While the invention itself had little bearing on his election, Lincoln’s inventive mindset and mechanical curiosity served him well during his presidency. Although the device was never commercially produced, his appreciation for innovation helped shape the nation's future.

4

Beehive (Patent #9,300)

Image: Bianca Ackermann

Beekeeping arrived in America with the early settlers, and by the end of the 18th century, bee colonies were widespread. However, early efforts met with only partial success.

The first U.S. patent for a practical and effective movable-frame beehive—which revolutionized traditional methods of beekeeping—was granted to American apiarist, clergyman, and teacher Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth on October 5, 1852. His invention of the "bee space" laid the foundation for all modern beekeeping and hive management.

5

Elevator (Patent #31,128)

Image: Copie de gravure ancienne, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The New York skyline would look very different today had it not been for the invention of the elevator. The man responsible for the forerunner of the modern elevator was American industrialist Elisha Graves Otis , who, on January 15, 1861, received the first U.S. patent for a safety-type passenger elevator.

The concept of vertical travel was not new. However, the first successful passenger safety elevator was installed in 1857 by Otis in the E. V. Haughwout & Company building, a department store in Manhattan. Otis also held patents for other inventions, including railroad trucks and brakes, a steam plow, and a bake oven. But it was the elevator with its safety feature that brought him fame and his sons great fortune.

6

Lock (Patent #31,278)

Image: Parastoo Maleki

The idea of the lock probably stems from the time man first acquired goods he wanted to safeguard from others. However, the first commercially successful modern lock and key system was invented by American mechanical engineer and metalsmith Linus Yale Jr., who received a U.S. patent in 1861.

Yale developed several types of locks, including the Yale Double Treasury Bank Lock, created at the request of the U.S. government. These designs brought him nationwide recognition, but the invention that made him truly famous was the pin-tumbler cylinder lock . Yale died just a few years after receiving his patent. However, every lock and key produced by the Yale & Towne Lock Company since then has proudly carried the Yale name.

7

Barbed wire (Patent #157,124)

Image: Lexis Chadwick

In an age of video surveillance, barbed wire might seem obsolete. Yet it was crucial to the settlement of the American plains in the late 19th century—and it remains widely used around the world today .

On November 24, 1874, Joseph F. Glidden, a farmer from Illinois, received a U.S. patent for the first commercially successful barbed wire . While several earlier patents had been granted for wire fencing, it was Glidden’s design that proved durable, affordable, and easy to mass-produce—making it the dominant form of fencing on the frontier**.**

8

Air conditioner (Patent #808,897)

Image: Prasopchok

On those hot and humid days of summer, we should all be thankful for the work of Willis Haviland Carrier, often called the father of air conditioning. For his efforts, he received the first U.S. patent for a modern air conditioning system on January 2, 1906.

Air conditioning is a complex process that involves refrigeration, dehumidification, air purification, and circulation. Before Carrier’s invention, various individuals had worked on these individual components. But it was Carrier, an American engineer, who successfully integrated them —focusing on the crucial relationship between temperature and humidity.

9

Airplane (Patent #821,393)

Image: John T. Daniels, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with achieving the first controlled, manned flight in history. For their pioneering work, they received the first U.S. patent for an airplane, issued on May 22, 1906.

Many had been intrigued by the idea of human flight before them. However, it was the Wright brothers who succeeded in building, flying, and promoting the world's first successful airplane —an invention that revolutionized transportation.

10

Bakelite (Patent #942,809)

Image: Call Me Fred

The modern plastics industry wouldn’t exist without Belgian-American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland , who received the first U.S. patent for a thermosetting plastic in 1909. Before him, others had attempted to produce synthetic resins but were unsuccessful.

Baekeland corrected his predecessors’ mistakes. The result was the first thermosetting resin —one that, once set, would not soften under heat. Bakelite was the first in a long series of resins that shaped the U.S. economy, paving the way for materials such as cellophane, acetate, vinyl, Plexiglas, acrylic, Formica, and polyester.

11

Frozen food (Patent #1,773,080)

Image: United States Patent Office (Clarence Birdseye, inventor)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you know where the name Birds Eye Frozen Food comes from? From its inventor! In 1930, American entrepreneur Clarence Birdseye received the first U.S. patent for this type of product.

Food preservation has been a concern since the beginning of time. Techniques such as salting, pickling, smoking, curing, canning, and later inventions like the icebox and home refrigerator have all contributed to preserving food.

However, one of the most successful methods was developed and commercialized by Birdseye. His process involved quick-freezing meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit in convenient packages without altering their original taste. Birdseye’s name became a household word, and his innovation created a multibillion-dollar industry.

12

Instant photography (Patent #2,543,181)

Image: Missouri Historical Society, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When we think of instant photography, Polaroid is often the first name that comes to mind. But how much do we know about the man behind the company? American scientist, inventor, and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, Edwin Herbert Land , was granted the first U.S. patent for a one-step photographic process in 1951.

While on vacation with his family, Land conceived the idea for a camera and film that could produce an immediate photograph. In 1948, the first Polaroid Land Camera went on sale, though without much public approval. Polaroid continued to improve the Land Camera and, in 1965, introduced the affordable Swinger model , which became an immediate success. Throughout his life, Land was granted more than 533 patents, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

1

Jones Cream Soda

Image: Kevin Butz

Cream soda is a sweet soft drink, typically flavored with vanilla and inspired by the taste of an ice cream float . Many brands and variations can be found across America, and its roots can be traced to at least 150 years ago. Interestingly, Jones Cream Soda, which started in 1886, is not even the oldest one around.

This drink is available in both regular and diet options, and it's also one of the most popular mixers for alcoholic beverages. Cream soda is one of those drinks people associate with their childhood, and it's the perfect perfect pairing for ice cream.

2

Dr. Brown’s Root Beer

Image: David Trinks

Root beer is a sweet and classic American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree as the primary flavor . Root beer is usually alcohol and caffeine-free, sweet, and carbonated, with a thick, foamy head.

Dr. Brown's version of this classic soda is unbeatable, offering a harmonious blend of sugar and spice. It’s not just sweet—it boasts a distinct celery seed earthiness that keeps every sip interesting.

3

Olipop Lemon Lime

Image: Mariah Hewines

Lemon lime drinks have been around for a long time now (just ask Sprite or 7-Up), but Olipop manages to add a new twist to this old classic. This fizzy tonic boasts prebiotics, plant fiber, and botanicals, which not only taste great but also help your digestive health.

Olipop is also low in sugar, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in sweetness. It uses cassava root and other alternative sweeteners to maintain its delicious flavor.

4

Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water

Image: Nick Fewings

Tonic water is often considered a soda for adults due to its bitter taste. However, the brave ones who love this delicious beverage will find Fever-Tree’s Mediterranean Tonic Water has the perfect mix of bitterness for tonic water fans, but a balanced flavor that makes it appropriate for people who are just dipping their toe into the tonic water.

In addition to that traditional quinine flavor, this tonic is infused with rosemary and lemon thyme , adding a layer of complexity to its taste.

5

Cheerwine

Image: sq lim

Named for its color and taste, Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soft drink with a mildly sweet flavor with strong cherry notes, most notably black cherry . It is burgundy-colored and has an unusually high degree of carbonation compared to other soft drinks.

Cheerwine is widely available throughout the southeastern United States, from Maryland to Florida, but it is best known and beloved in the Carolinas.

6

Sangrita Blast Mountain Dew

Image: Ashley Kirk

As the "Limited Edition" tag implies, this product was only available for a limited time, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression. Sangrita Blast, a Citrus Punch-flavored Mountain Dew with a maroon hue, was available at Taco Bell restaurants from 2013 to 2017. It was also released in cans and bottles in 2015 for a short period.

7

Cactus Cooler

Image: Thomas Verbruggen

Cactus Cooler is an orange-pineapple-flavored soft drink sold primarily in Southern California and the surrounding Southwestern region. The orange flavor is very present, with the pineapple appearing a bit behind but adding a layer of complexity to the overall flavor.

This soda has no caffeine, making it a safe product for anyone who gets the jitters from caffeine-infused beverages.

8

United Sodas Toasted Coconut

Image: Jonas Dücker

The words "healthy" and "soda" are not usually heard together but this is one of those occasions. United Sodas is a healthy soda brand that offers products with a lightly carbonated fizz and low sugar content.

Their Toasted Coconut flavor stands out with its distinctive coconut taste. Each can contains fewer than 30 calories, has no artificial ingredients, and is organically sweetened —making it the perfect alternative for health-conscious soda lovers.

9

Boylan Creme Soda

Image: Gourmet Lenz

Even if we started this list with a cream soda, we couldn’t leave out Boylan’s version. This glass-bottled beverage has a rich vanilla flavor and a robust amount of carbonation that make it very easy to drink.

While many cream sodas can be overly sweet, Boylan’s is refreshing, complex, and downright delicious. The use of cane sugar gives it a crisp, clean flavor all the way to the last drop.

10

Moxie

Image: Tom Paolini

The last entry on our list is a bitter and herbal soda named Moxie. It originated in Maine in the late 1800s as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food." It is flavored with gentian root, sassafras, wintergreen, and other herbs.

Though still somewhat unique to the Northeast, Moxie has become more widely available in specialty and larger grocery stores since Coca-Cola acquired the brand in 2018. Have you ever seen it?

1

First presidential candidate: Victoria Woodhull

Image: Daria Kraplak

In 1870, a publisher and stockbroker on Wall Street, Victoria Woodhull, stepped up to do something no woman had ever done before. In a letter to the New York Herald, she announced her intention to run for president of the United States. Some laughed, others scoffed, but Woodhull never flinched.

Her message was revolutionary for its time: equal rights for women, fair pay for workers, and an end to hypocrisy in politics. No electoral votes went her way, but that wasn’t the point. By daring to run, she opened the door for future generations and secured her place as the first woman bold enough to chase the presidency, long before the law recognized her right to vote.

2

First member of Congress: Jeannette Rankin

Image: C. T. Chapman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1916, Montana elected a woman to Congress for the first time. Jeannette Rankin was a suffragist who had already helped secure voting rights for women in her state before most of the nation even dreamed of it. When she arrived at the Capitol to take her seat, the gallery overflowed with onlookers buzzing with curiosity and disbelief. Rankin, calm and resolute, didn’t shout to be heard; she spoke with the steady conviction of someone who knew she belonged. Her presence proved that a woman’s reasoning could command the same respect as any man’s voice, and once heard, it could never again be silenced.

3

First U.S. senator: Hattie Caraway

Image: Stephen Walker

She started out almost unnoticed. In 1931, when Arkansas senator Thaddeus Caraway died, his widow, Hattie, was appointed to fill his seat, a move many assumed was merely symbolic. But Hattie had no interest in being a placeholder. The following year, she launched her own campaign, traveling dusty southern roads and shaking hands with quiet confidence.

Against all odds, she won, becoming the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. Dubbed "Silent Hattie" for her reserved manner, she wasn’t known for fiery speeches or flashy gestures. Through persistence and integrity, she proved that results, not rhetoric, are what truly echo in the chambers of power.

4

First woman mayor: Susanna Salter

Image: LSE Library

This is the story of a prank going sideways. In 1887, a group of men in a tiny Kansas town slipped the name of 27-year-old Susanna Salter onto the mayoral ballot in Argonia, confident that voters would laugh her off. To their dismay, when the ballots were counted, Salter had won.

Overnight, she became the first woman mayor in U.S. history. Far from feeling overwhelmed, Salter handled her duties with grace and sharp practicality, earning the respect of the same townsmen who tried to embarrass her. By the end of her term, she’d turned a bad joke into a precedent.

5

First state governor: Nellie Tayloe Ross

Image: Roman Manshin

Wyoming’s nickname, the Equality State, seems well deserved. When voters chose Nellie Tayloe Ross as governor in 1925, the nation watched as a woman stepped into a role no one of her gender had ever held before. She wasn’t the fiery campaign type; her strength came from quiet precision and an unwavering sense of duty.

Ross believed that leadership meant doing the work well, not making noise about it. Her calm authority and financial prudence won over even the most skeptical. Years later, as the first female director of the U.S. Mint, she literally shaped the nation’s currency, an apt legacy for a woman who always knew the worth of patience, persistence, and steady hands.

6

First cabinet member: Frances Perkins

Image: The New York Public Library

At the beginning of the 1930s, when breadlines stretched around city blocks and hope felt like a luxury, a female labor leader and consumer advocate came to the rescue. President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw in Frances Perkins not just a reformer, but a force of nature. As Secretary of Labor —and first woman ever to hold a Cabinet post—Perkins walked into the men-filled halls of power and quietly redrew the map of American work.

She championed fair wages, safer conditions, and limits on child labor, all while helping craft the Social Security system that still anchors millions of lives today. Decades later, her influence lingers in every pay stub, every pension, and every law that insists work should come with dignity.

7

First Supreme Court justice: Sandra Day O’Connor

Image: Stephanie Rhee

It’s hard to picture the dusty plains of Arizona leading to the marble halls of the Supreme Court, yet that’s exactly where Sandra Day O’Connor’s story began. Raised on a remote cattle ranch miles from the nearest town, she learned the value of hard work, clear thinking, and a level head. All these qualities would serve her well when, in 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated her as the first woman justice in U.S. history.

O’Connor brought that same frontier pragmatism to Washington, preferring reason over rhetoric and humor over ego. "I’m just trying to do the right thing, one case at a time," she once said. For a quarter century, her voice became the Court’s steady center, proving that fairness stretches farther than politics.

8

First U.S. Secretary of State: Madeleine K. Albright

Image: sohail shaikh

Madeleine Albright, born in Czechoslovakia and raised on the idea that words alone could shape nations, found a clever way to make hers sparkle beyond her famous brooches. She could easily become a spider when negotiations grew tense, and a gentle dove when peace was within reach.

Albright believed diplomacy could be both art and strategy. When she became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State in 1997, she blended intellect with unmistakable flair, commanding global respect. She showed that courage, conviction, and strength can coexist with a warm personality occasionally sparkling from a lapel.

9

First major party’s presidential nominee: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Image: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It took nearly a century and a half after Victoria Woodhull’s daring run for president before another woman would stand beneath the spotlights of a major party convention. In 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton walked onto the stage with the spirit of the suffragists who had paved her path.

That night meant history was catching up. Smiling at the crowd, she declared, "We’ve reached a milestone, but we still have glass to break." Whether she won or lost mattered less than the fact that she stood there at all. Clinton’s campaign turned a dream whispered for generations into something tangible.

10

First elected vice president: Kamala Harris

Image: Manny Becerra

Fast-forward to 2020. A California senator steps up to the microphone, smiles, and thanks "the women who paved the way." Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrants, a former prosecutor, and now the first woman ever elected Vice President of the United States.

Her voice carried the weight of generations who’d been told to wait their turn. Echoing the suffragists who once marched so she could stand there, Harris reminded America that progress is a relay, not a sprint. Her message rang clear and timeless: dream boldly, even when the trail ahead is foggy.