A List of Firsts for the First

It's the first week of 2017!!Hope you are well and warm.


Have you ever thought about other firsts? Check these out:


Aerosol can              1926, Norway
*Where would we be without spray everything, and especially cheese in a can??

Air Conditioning               1911, USA
*Thank you, Mr. Carrier, for not making us suffer through 100-degree, 110% humidity.

Aluminum                  1866, USA
*Without aluminum, we'd be drinking pop out of ... sippy cups??
Coca-Cola                1886, USA.
*Did you know that, originally, it actually had cocaine in it? Yikes.

Plastic                         1855, England
Antibiotics                     1887, France
*Without them, we'd die of paper cuts and skinned knees.
Electric washing machine   1906, USA
*And that put an end to raw skin from scrubbing clothes on a washboard.
Radio     1873, England

Movies with sound         1926, USA

Refrigerator            1850
*Where we keep the snacks for watching TV.

Television                  1923, USA
Telephone               1876, USA
*And they had no idea the phone would morph into a little computer with some kind of magnet that makes it impossible for people to put it down.

Typewriter            1867, USA
*People used to have to learn on this: Because it was all there was. And it was called typing, not keyboarding.

Bicycles        1816, Germany
Motorcycles           1884, England
Assembly line for manufacturing   1913,  USA

Ballpoint pen              1944, Argentina
Rocketship             1926, USA
Aluminum  1866, USA
Scotch tape        1929, USA
Defibrillator       1932, USA
Bar Codes            1970, USA
Calculator (Slide rule)  1614, Scotland
Camera               1888, USA
Makeup       app 4000 BC, Egypt

The Pill (Oral contraceptive) 1951, USA
Frozen food             1924, USA
Train           1804, England
Microwave oven       1947, USA

Zippers              1891, USA
Internet         1989, England

It's only Day 3 of 2017... Let's make it great!!

2016: Do We Just Hit Delete?

It's been a rough year by many accounts. Racial problems, natural disasters, car and train crashes, a country in upheaval over the presidential election. But, what if we search for the good in this year?

• The first ever flower grown in space happened: An orange Zinnia:

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/first-flower-grown-in-space-stations-veggie-facility

• Tigers, Manatees, and Pandas have been increasing in population and are going strong.

•  The decision has been made: Harriet Tubman will be the first female pictured on paper money in the US; she'll be on the $20 bill.

 

• Heart disease deaths are down by 70% in the US.
• The Bucket Challenge of 2015 raised enough money for researchers to locate the gene that causes ALS. This will be a huge help in finding a cure.

• Summer Olympics in Rio!!

• People in India broke a world record by planting more than 50 million trees in a 24 hour period in July 2016: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/07/india-plants-50-million-trees-uttar-pradesh-reforestation/  

• New babies joined our world: There are about 350,000 children born each day, every year, in the world. Each of them (like each of us) can potentially be of help to the world: Will one of them cure a fatal disease? Find a way to achieve peace in the world? Invent new technology that will revolutionize how we live?
• However you felt about the Presidential election, it was held peacefully, and the transition to the new president in January will go off as it always does. This is not true of every country in the world. The fact that people are free to express themselves about the election is also not something that's possible in every country. We can still be proud of that.
• There were birthdays, weddings, and holidays celebrated as there are every year. Friends and families gathered to grill, dance, play games, and enjoy one another's company. Don't forget these things when you think the year was a waste.
• There were loved ones reunited after years apart; family members discovered and met, old friends resolved their differences and renewed their friendships. 
• And when tragedies occurred, people rallied to help. You may have lost a loved one yourself, but most likely there were family and friends that came together to help soften the blow.
• Plenty of caring people still exist in the world: doctors, nurses, veterinarians, social workers, teachers, those taking on causes to fight for: there are heroes, if you look for them
• Those who serve in our armed forces: these are folks to be thankful for all year around. 

If you're reading this, then you have the gift of sight and the knowledge of reading. Are you reading it on your phone? Be aware there are many people who have none of those perks. I venture to guess you are warm and well-fed and have a home where you sleep, unconcerned about your safety. All of these are very good things.


So before we toss 2016 out and slam the door on it, let's keep in mind it wasn't all bad. And 2017 will be even better!