New York State Inventions You Didn’t Know About [LIST]
I've lived in New York State my entire life and I went through this list, having used most if not all of these products with no clue they were invented not too far from here. How many of these did you know?
New York Upstate put together a list of 29 things you probably didn't know were invented in New York State. Some of the inventions are obvious, like the potato chip being invented in Saratoga or buffalo wings from Buffalo but I took some of the most surprising for you. You can read the whole list on their website.
- Jello: invented in Johnstown in 1889
- Dentist Chair: invented in Syracuse by Milton Waldo Hanchett in 1840
- Tuxedo: invented in Orange County in the 1880s
- Serrated Knife: invented by Syracuse resident Joseph Burns in 1919
- Curveball: research shows that William "Candy" Cummings began developing the pitch in 1864 while studying at the Falley Seminary in Fulton
- Club Sandwich: the exact origins are unclear but most believe it was developed in Saratoga Springs around the same time as the potato chip
- Air Conditioner: in Buffalo by Willis Carrier in 1902
- Modern Santa Claus: "According to the Albany Times-Union, Santa Claus originated in Albany and the first mention of ol' Saint Nick was published in the Van Rensselaer Manor Papers."
- Chicken Nuggets: first seen at the New York State Fair at Baker's Chicken Coop, invented by Cornell University professor Robert Baker in the 1950s.
- Little Trees Air Conditioners: in Watertown in 1952 by Julius Sämann