Author: Colin Dunkle

Number 2: Number two on ten things that come from Buffalo is pacemakers. “Wilson Greatbach invented the first implantable pacemaker while tinkering in his barn in 1958,” according to onlyinyourstate.com The device has been approved upon throughout the years and is an option for those with cardiac issues. “In an attempt to record the sound of a heartbeat, Dr. Wilson Greatbatch inadvertently created something far more crucial—a device that emitted electricity pulses to the heart. It was this discovery that led to the implantable cardiac pacemaker and distinguished Greatbatch as having created one of the most significant inventions of the…

Number 3: Number three on ten things that come from Buffalo is chicken wings, which may not be a surprise for many Buffalonians. “The first plate of wings was served in 1964 at a family-owned establishment in Buffalo called the Anchor Bar. The wings were the brainchild of Teressa Bellissimo, who covered them in her own special sauce and served them with a side of blue cheese and celery because that’s what she had available,” according to Time Magazine. At the time of their creation, Dominic Bellissimo was working at his mother’s restaurant and asked her to make his friends…

Swift Rails is an alternative transport company that specializes in railway transport systems based in Buffalo. The company started a few years after Kevin Neumaier, CEO of Swift Rails, spoke about alternative transport at the UN Climate meeting in Copenhagen. “In 2014, we realized we could build something that could have a big impact on the world,” Neumaier said. His main idea was a more efficient form of transportation that would reduce traffic congestion, lower vehicle emissions, and be easily accessible to anyone. The project’s sustainable roots were inspired by Neumaier’s background in environmental engineering through his time at Ecology…

Number 4: Number four on ten things that come from Buffalo is steam-powered grain elevators. Dart’s Elevator was the first steam-powered grain elevator and it was built by Joseph Dart and Robert Dunbar in 1842. “The Dart Elevator burned in 1863 and was rebuilt immediately as the Bennett Elevator”, according to the Buffalo History Gazette. “By 1899 Buffalo had about 52 grain elevators including four floaters and transfer towers and developed into the third largest port in the world in terms of tonnage. It was Dart’s innovation that spearheaded this revolution of progress in Buffalo from a small village in…

Number 5: Number five on ten things that come from Buffalo is daycare centers. “Buffalo is home to the first daycare center in the United States, which was started for working mothers in 1881,” according to onlyinyourstate.com The Fitch Creche daycare was founded by Maria Maltby Love on Swan Street. According to the Buffalo History Gazette, “Ms. Love founded the Fitch Crèche, after a trip to France where she became aware of the plight of children of working mothers. The building was a dry goods store that was owned by Benjamin Fitch, a native Buffalonian who donated this building for…

Overwinter Coffee opened its newest location at 814 Elmwood St. from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 11. The new location is Overwinter’s second shop and a goal for the company that has finally come to fruition. The location’s initial opening was set for earlier this year in March or April but was delayed for a few months. Overwinter has come far from its original business model of online coffee sale and large orders. The company eventually started its first cafe at 9 Genesee St. and expanded with the new store. “We ended up giving it a shot…

Number 6: Number six on ten things that come from Buffalo is jet planes. “The first American jet engine plane was built in secrecy by Bell Aircraft on Main Street in what is now the Tri-Main Center,”according to onlyinyourstate.com The plane designed by Bell Aircraft was a twin engine jet called the Bell XP-59A. The plane’s development was a secret because it was designed during World War II for the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Navy. According to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, “did not see combat but it did give the U. S.…

Number 7: Number seven on ten things that come from Buffalo is skin grafts. “A doctor from Buffalo is credited with completing the first successful skin graft on a patient with a severe leg injury in 1854,”according to onlyinyourstate.com The doctor was Frank Hastings Hamilton who performed this surgery at Sisters Hospital. Hamilton also helped found the University at Buffalo’s medical department in 1846. The school has a club named after him called the Frank Hastings Hamilton Surgical Society. According to University at Buffalo’s Department of Orthopaedics website, “Franklin Hastings Hamilton, MD (1813–1886), one of the school’s founders and its…

Number 8: Number eight on ten things that come from Buffalo is railroad suspension bridges. “Buffalo was the birthplace of the first railroad suspension bridge in the world, which spanned over 825 feet across the Niagara Gorge,”according to onlyinyourstate.com The Niagara Gorge suspension bridge was built in 1852 and stayed in operation until 1897. According to niagarafallstourism.com, the bridge was built, “by John Roebling over the Niagara River at Niagara Falls between Canada and the United States. Work on this bridge began in 1852 and was completed in 1855.The new bridge accommodated trains, carriages and individuals. It was 250 metres…

Number 9: The next thing that came from Buffalo is the Ball jar—the mass-produced Mason jar—originally used to can and store fresh made sauces and other foods. Beyond its original purpose, the Ball jar is now used to make any number of things, including “oil lanterns, soap dispensers, terrariums, drinking glasses, speakers, vases, planters, and snow globes.” The Mason jar is named after John Landis Mason who introduced a ribbed neck and a screw-on cap to “heat-based canning” jars that brought to the canning process a reliable airtight seal. Mass production in the early 20th century is what made Mason…