Born in Cincinnati:
Innovations, Icons, & Incredible Firsts BY AMELIA ROESSLER A s America celebrates its 250th birth- day this year, there’s no better time to recognize the innovations, traditions, salaried and proud of it was a distinction later used to separate the team from under-the- table schemers and gate-receipt commu- nards who had preceded them. Kroger: Kroger began in 1883, when Barney Kroger invested his life savings of $372 to open a grocery store in downtown
and cultural contributions born right here in Cincinnati and Ohio. From world-changing inventions and iconic brands to historic firsts and unforgettable fun facts, Cincinnati and the Buckeye State have played an important role in shaping America’s story.
Cincinnati. In 1901, Kroger established the country’s first in-house grocery bakery, fundamentally changing how Americans bought bread. Magic 8 Ball: The concept of the Magic 8 Ball was originally developed by Albert Carter, who was inspired by a “spirit writing” fortune-telling device used by his mother, a local Cincinnati clairvoyant and successful
Play-Doh: The iconic modeling compound actually started out as a very practical household cleaning product in the 1930s when the Cincinnati-based Kutol Product Company invented the dough-like substance to clean the soot and coal residue that gathered on household wallpaper. It shifted to a toy in the 1950s after WWII as homes switched to cleaner heating.
Cincinnati First professional baseball team:
Pro baseball began in Cincinnati in 1869 with the Cincinnati Red Stockings making their debut. The admission that the Stockings were
14 JULY 2026 | CINCINNATIFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM
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