The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast

This episode tells the origin story of the Academy of Natural Sciences – the oldest natural science research institution in America, and the place that helped turn “scientist” from an eccentric pastime into a real calling. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Amber Redfield, naturalist, paleontologist, and educator for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

This episode tells the story of the first art school and museum in America - now known as Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Marisa Magnatta is joined by Leah Triplett, Curator of Contemporary Art at PAFA and co-curator of A Nation of Artists, the landmark new exhibition celebrating American art as the country turns 250.

Not every great invention comes from a moment of confidence. This one came from a rattled soda vendor trying not to get upstaged. This episode traces how Robert Green, showing up at the Franklin Institute's 1874 anniversary exhibition with second-hand equipment and the threat of a much flashier rival looming over him, stumbled into an idea that became one of America's best-loved treats: the ice cream soda. Marisa Magnatta is joined by Eric Berley, co-founder of The Franklin Fountain, Philadelphia's old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain built to keep this exact history alive.

Marisa Magnatta is joined by the Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball, John Thorn, to talk about America’s first baseball team, The Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia, and how it planted the roots of America’s favorite pastime.

Before there was a national economy, someone had to figure out how to pay for one. This episode tells the story of the First Bank of the United States, born right here in Philadelphia in 1791, and how a fierce fight over this bank set the terms of a constitutional debate we're still having today. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Dr. Peter C. Earle, Senior Director of Research at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), an economist and financial markets expert with over 30 years of experience.

Before there was freedom of the press, someone had to make the paper. This episode tells the story of William Rittenhouse, the immigrant who built America's first paper mill in Germantown in 1690, and why that mill wasn't just an industrial first, but the foundation of free speech in the colonies. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Professor Joseph M. Adelman, a historian of early American media, communication, and politics.

Most people think Stonewall was where the LGBTQ+ rights movement began, but Philadelphia got there first. This episode tells the story of the first Annual Reminder Demonstration, a series of Independence Day protests held at Independence Hall years before Stonewall, and how a simple act of holding hands helped ignite the modern Pride movement. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Rue Landau, Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large, civil rights attorney, and the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Philadelphia City Council.

This episode tells the story of how thirteen fractured colonies — each with their own militias, customs, and loyalties — were forged into a single fighting force: the Continental Army. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Matthew Skic, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, whose award-winning curatorial work on the Revolutionary War brings the look, feel, and human drama of America's first army vividly to life.

Marisa sits down with Betsy Ross herself to dig into the story of the first American flag, the remarkable woman behind it, and why her story still resonates nearly 250 years later.

This episode tells the story of the strange, smoke-belching invention that changed transportation forever: the first successful steamboat for passengers and freight, launched on the Delaware River by an almost-forgotten inventor named John Fitch. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Mike Madeja, whose work bringing maritime history to life offers a unique window into the ambition, risk-taking, and river culture that shaped early America.