THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Which state was the first to adopt Christmas? 10 US state "firsts"!

Image: Luke Michael

Do you remember the first time you rode a bike? What about the first time you went to a zoo? Maybe you have memories of your first family trip or your first day of school. There is always a first time for everything, even for those things that feel like they have been around forever. The history of the United States also has its own "firsts." Today, we're remembering 10 historic firsts for our country, state by state!

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The rise of cell phones has allowed us to store and securely organize contact numbers. But in the pre-smartphone era, phone books were the solution. Remember those? They were these large volumes containing names, addresses, and phone numbers of the city residents.

Although today it may seem surreal that anyone in the city can have your information, back in the day, they were highly useful tools. And the first state to have one was Connecticut.

The very first phone book was a cardboard published in 1878 in New Haven, Connecticut. This pioneer edition listed only 50 individuals, businesses, and offices equipped with telephones.

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Today, we take electric street lighting for granted, but there was a first time for it, too. Electric urban lighting made its debut towards the end of the 19th century. Before that, the streets were either in darkness or lit by oil lamps.

Although there had been other demonstrations of electric illumination before, the real change came in 1880, when Wabash, Indiana, became the first U.S. city to be mostly illuminated by electricity. Of course, the event surprised residents and filled the newspapers with the bright news.

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Can you imagine the world without airplanes? Well, it was like that for a long time. In the old days, people traveled only by land or sea, and the idea of flying the skies was reserved for dreamers.

Luckily for everyone, things changed at the beginning of the 20th century when the Wright brothers put their aircraft to work in 1903. They made the first successful flight in North Carolina, and the rest is history!

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In the nation's early days, presidential inaugurations weren't like they are today. They didn't even happen in the same place as they do now.

George Washington, the first president of the United States, delivered his first address in 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City. At the time, the Big Apple was the capital of the country, holding the title until 1790 when it passed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Finally, the last move was in 1800, making Washington, D.C., the definitive site of the nation's capital, where it stands today.

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Christmas is that magical time when people worldwide come together for family festivities. But that wasn't always the case in the United States.

Alabama was a pioneer, becoming the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836. That's a long time ago, right? The last state took its time to join: It wasn't until 1907, 71 years later, that Oklahoma became the final state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday.

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Skyscrapers dominate the skyline of every major city today. Although these imposing structures are still fascinating, we've become used to them being part of the city.

But there was also a time for the first skyscraper. The Home Insurance Building came to revolutionize the heights of Chicago, Illinois, in 1885. There are no exact or definitive definitions of what constitutes a skyscraper per se, but the Home Insurance Building claims to be the world's first one. Congrats to Illinois!

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Today's instant messages would seem the dream of madmen in 1844, when Morse sent the first telegraph message from Washington D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland, making the Old Line State the first to receive one.

Before the telegraph, communication took weeks or months to reach its destination, slowing down all interactions and operations.

Morse's telegraph message read, "What hath God wrought?" and forever changed the world.

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Wherever you go, you'll probably find a McDonald's nearby. It's a global phenomenon! Burgers, fries, and Happy Meals become a staple in the daily life of America. But 80-odd years ago, before 1940, things were very different.

The first McDonald's opened as a drive-in in 1940 by brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Eight years later, this spot evolved into a fully developed restaurant, and its growth since then is history.

If you ever get the chance to travel back in time, going to 1939 isn't the best option, as you wouldn't be able to enjoy a delicious Big Mac.

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In 1950, Sam Walton, the visionary behind Walmart, purchased and launched his inaugural store in Oklahoma. However, the Walmart we know today was yet to be born.

The first lucky state to have a Walmart was Arkansas. The Walmart chain began in 1962 as a modest store in the city of Rogers. No one could have expected the huge and fast growth that awaited.

By 1968, Walmart had set its roots in Oklahoma, and by the 1980s, it had spread throughout the southern United States as well.

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Saving the best for last, Mississippi has an amazing achievement. The Magnolia State holds the title of being the place of the world's first lung transplant. This historic event happened in 1963 when Dr. James D. Hardy accomplished the feat, propelling scientific progress and improving human health.

Such an event occurred only 61 years ago! That demonstrates the incredible speed at which technology and human knowledge advance, making human life better and better.

Feeling elated?

Have you got the right words to express happiness? Here are 10 ways!

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Who doesn’t want to be happy? Isn’t that what our journey through life is all about? We’re always after that soothing feeling of happiness, which comes in many forms. Proof of that is the many ways we’ve got to express joy in our language, one more colorful than the other. You can be like a dog with two tails, over the moon, or happy as a clam, but there’s no doubt you’re feeling happy and gleeful. In this article, we’ll see 10 different ways to express joy, are you ready?

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There is a great variety of idioms to express happiness, and what sets each of them apart is the intensity of the feeling. Let’s begin our list with one that describes feelings of extreme happiness or satisfaction, that’s what you feel when you’re on cloud nine.

Now, why nine? There is more than one theory around it, but the most likely is that "cloud nine" refers to an actual classification of the clouds by the U.S. Weather Bureau, where cloud nine was one of the highest clouds. The veracity of this story is debated, but, in any case, the feeling in the expression is quite clear: happiness levels are all the way up there!

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Even if it has changed a lot, happiness is a basic feeling and has been so forever. Considering this, it’s no surprise that a nursery rhyme from the 16th century gave us one expression to describe this.

To be "over the moon" means to be incredibly pleased or delighted about something. This phrase became popular after the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," where the cow jumps over the moon, an impossible feat! It’s used to describe the kind of happiness that makes you feel like you could leap across the sky. And we truly feel that at times, don’t we?

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If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now: Happiness and altitude are inherently connected! "On top of the world" is yet another expression that describes what you feel when you are elated and in high spirits.

When you’re "on top of the world," you feel invincible, as if nothing can bring you down. Have you ever been on top of a mountain? A city is lying right under you, you look down at everything below with a sense of accomplishment and joy.

It’s used to describe the elation that comes with success and even if its origin is not entirely clear, it’s been used for decades!

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In this expression, altitude is only one aspect, religion is the other. The figure of Heaven takes us to a place up there with the God that rules our beliefs. The expression has been around ever since the 1800s and is not exclusive to a particular religion.

To be "in seventh heaven" is to be in a state of perfect happiness, as if you’re floating in paradise. This phrase has roots in ancient religious beliefs, where the seventh heaven was considered the highest, most blissful level of heaven. It’s a way of saying you’re as happy as you can be, living in your own personal utopia. Quite romantic, don’t you think?

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Spring is indeed a joyful time. Flowers bloom, the days are longer, the warm weather combines with the mild wind, and the general feeling that something good is coming our way is always there. How not to feel full of the joys of spring?

When you are "full of the joys of spring," you’re brimming with energy and happiness, much like the lively season itself. This phrase is perfect for describing the burst of positivity and enthusiasm that comes with a good mood. Whether it’s the weather or just life’s little pleasures, being full of the joys of spring is a wonderful way to feel.

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It’s no news: man’s best friends use their tails to express happiness. How cute is it to see our fluffy friends wagging frantically at the sight of a treat or the leash getting ready for a stroll? There’s no topping that feeling for them. Well, there could be a way, maybe if they could wave two instead of the one tail, right?

That’s what the expression describes, the feeling that the ecstasy cannot be any higher, any better, any deeper. To be "like a dog with two tails" means to be extremely happy, so happy that if you had two tails, you’d wag them both!

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Camping is a very popular activity all over the US, especially for kids. Who as a parent didn’t send their kids to a summer camp? Who, as a kid, didn’t look forward to that bus taking them to the camp every summer? Well, one could say, those were happy campers.

A "happy camper" is someone who’s content, satisfied, and generally in a good mood, no matter the situation. The American Slang Dictionary theorizes that the expression comes from the idea that a camper, enjoying the great outdoors, is cheerful and easygoing. It’s a simple, lighthearted way to express that you’re feeling good and have no complaints. Are you a happy camper?

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Can anyone measure how happy clams are feeling? We certainly don’t believe so, yet this is a very popular expression. Let’s see why.

To be "happy as a clam" means to be perfectly content and at ease. One could say the simile originates from thinking that a clam that’s safely hidden away in its shell is extremely happy.

Linguists believe the phrase comes from a longer version that goes "happy as a clam at high tide," when clams are harder to find and disturb. It’s a cozy, comfortable kind of happiness, where everything feels safe. Now it makes more sense, don’t you think?

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Idiomatic expressions are created in all sorts of ways. The simplest of them, are usually created organically. There’s no complex twist in their form or meaning. That is the case for this expression.

It is quite straightforward: When you’re "grinning from ear to ear," you’re so happy that your smile stretches as wide as it can go. It is the kind of happiness that shows on your face for everyone to see. The downside? It is impossible to hide too! But then again, who would want to hide their happiness?

Image: Todd Cravens

We don’t know about you, but we’ve never been able to see a whale and immediately state they were feeling ecstatic. They don’t precisely portray the image of happiness. So how did this expression become so popular?

First, let’s talk about the meaning: To "have a whale of a time" means to enjoy yourself immensely, to feel delighted, big time! Big as a whale? Possibly.

This expression has been around since the late 19th century and the whale metaphor has to do with how much you’re enjoying yourself. It’s not just about having a good time, it’s having the best time you could have!