Most people think of Philadelphia as the place where the principles of freedom on which our nation was founded were first set down on paper. But the City of Brotherly Love can boast of a long tradition of "firsts," in every area of daily life, over the past three centuries. Where would we be without hospitals, volunteer fire departments, and public libraries--not to mention inventions like the lightning rod, bifocals, and the computer? From the conventional to the unusual, and from the earliest date of the city's settlement to the present, Philly Firsts celebrates the ingenuity, creativity, and perseverance of the denizens of this great city.