Fun Facts About Cincinnati

Known as The Queen City, Cincinnati has a lot to offer. It was the first to do a lot of things. Here are some fun, quirky facts about Cincinnati.

Fun fact: During the years of WWII, when Jewish people were fleeing Nazi Europe, they came here, but were a little worried when they heard that the city was predominantly German. Thinking the German residents of the city were going to be on the side of Adolf Hitler and the rest of his Nazi Party, the Jewish immigrants coming to the city were thankfully relieved when the German residents of the city welcomed them with open arms, kindness and love. And now, there are synagogues all across the city of Cincinnati and beyond. And also another quirky fact is the area of Cincinnati known as "Over-The-Rhine" was inspired by the German heritage of the city because The Rhine River is in Germany.

Here are some more fun facts. I won't list all of them; there are simply too many. That's why I've included the link above. So you can read all of the facts

1793. Cincinnati was the first city to publish a newspaper

1835. The first bag air mail to be lifted by a hot air balloon occurred right here in Cincinnati

1850. Cincinnati established its first Jewish hospital, called, literally, Jewish Hospital

1850. The Gibson Greeting Card Company is established, making Cincinnati the first in the nation to publish greeting cards

1856. Cincinnati's first fully paid, fully professional fire department is established. Included in that is the first steam-powered fire engine and first fireman's pole

1869. The first major league baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings or Cincinnati Reds, is created

1870. The University of Cincinnati is created, making Cincinnati the first city to create a municipal university

1870. Cincinnati was the first city to hold industrial expositions

1875. The Hebrew Union College is created and opened. Cincinnati was the first to establish a theological college solely focused on Judaism

1880. The first female owned and operated large manufacturer, Rookwood Pottery, is established. It was owned and operated by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer

1880. Cincinnati becomes the first city to build an own a railroad

1902. The first major concrete skyscraper is built right here in Cincinnati-The Ingalls Building

1906. The University of Cincinnati is the first university to offer cooperative education, better known as "co-op" or "work study programs", where you get your education and also work in the field you're interested in or going to school for

1935. Cincinnati plays the first night baseball game under the lights 

1952. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center sees its first heart-lung machine, making open heart surgery a possibility

1954. The first city to have a fully licensed public TV station, WCET TV

Famous Cincinnati Residents

Artists

Frank Duveneck. He was born in Covington in 1848, but his interesting style influenced a future generation of painters

Harriet Beecher Stowe. Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her book took her experiences of living in Cincinnati across from Kentucky, which was a Civil War border state

James Levine. A concert pianist and conductor. Made his debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at the tender age of 10 years old

John Henry Twachtman. An artist who studied under Frank Duveneck, John was born in 1853 right here in Cincinnati. He's considered a leader in the Impressionist art world

Thomas Worthington Whittredge. An artist who lived in Cincinnati, Whittredge was known for his paintings from the Hudson River School technique

Educators & Innovators

Albert Sabin. He was the one behind the discovery of the oral polio vaccine. His research was conducted at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation

Daniel Carter Beard. A resident of Covington, KY, he formed the Sons of Daniel Boone, which morphed into the Boy Scouts of America

Entertainment

Bootsy Collins. A legendary funk bassist in his own right, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Antonio "L.A." Reid. One of the co-founders of LaFace Records, he is from the neighborhood of Mt. Auburn and attended the college prep high school Hughes High School

Drew Lachey. Member of 90s boy band 98 Degrees. He attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-The-Rhine

Doris Day. Born in Cincinnati in 1924 under her birth name of Doris Van Kappelhoff

Roy Rogers. The famed "singing cowboy", was born in Cincinnati in 1911 under his birth name Leonard Franklin Slye

The Isley Brothers. An R&B group from Cincinnati, whose major hit was "Twist & Shout", which was later covered by The Beatles

Tyrone Power. Born in 1914 in Cincinnati under his birth name of Tyrone Edmund Power III, this actor was known for playing swashbuckling pirates or swordfighters or in romantic lead roles from the 1930s-1950s.

Presidents

Benjamin Harrison. The 23rd president to the US, was born in the city of North Bend in 1833

Ulysses S. Grant. A Civil War General and the 18th president of the US, was born in the city of Point Pleasant in 1822

William Howard Taft. The 27th president of the US, was born in the city of Cincinnati in 1857

Sports

Anthony Munoz. A former Cincinnati Bengals player who is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Eddie Arcaro. A horse jockey who ran the Kentucky Derby 5 times and the Triple Crown winner one time

Roger Staubach. Member of the Dallas Cowboys football team, he attended Catholic all boys high school Purcell High School in Cincinnati

Pete Rose. A member of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, his career averaged 4,256 hits

Food

Cincinnati-style chili. Consisting of spaghetti, chili, cheese, there are additions that can be made on to this. Combining black beans and onions and oyster crackers, you can have what is called a 3 way, 4 way or 5 way. In the city of Cincinnati, there are more than 140 chili restaurants, including Gold Star Chili and Skyline. It's known as Greek-style chili because the founder of Skyline is Greek

Ice cream. The major local ice creamery is Graeter's. Opened and founded in 1870 by Louis C. Graeter, he was innovative at the time for opening an ice cream shop using the French Pot method of making ice cream, which makes for a very thick, almost concrete-like consistency for ice cream. In addition to ice cream, the company known now as Graeter's serves handmade chocolate desserts, baked goods at all of its Ohio and Northern Kentucky locations. Three grandchildren and three great grandsons of Louis Graeter still use the over one century old plant on Reading Road in Cincinnati, using the time-tested methods and recipes

Barbecue. There are tons of barbecue places in Cincinnati, both local and major. The major one is Montgomery Inn. Known as "The Boathouse" to tons of locals, Montgomery Inn is the major place to get ribs, wings, chicken and more, covered in their iconic barbecue sauce. This place does online orders and catering at www.montgomeryinn.com.

Goetta. A German food, consisting of oats, pork, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, this breakfast meat became popular when waves of German residents chose to make Cincinnati their home, and also bring a little of their home with them. The local company Glier's Goetta makes this product and around 99% of Cincinnati consumes this product on a regular basis. There's even a festival called Goettafest that people use to try out recipes including this famous meat

Cincinnati Movies

-Unfortunately, not all of these movies broke the box office. A lot of them ended up being duds at the box office. They didn't score too high on sales. They tend to fall into the "independent" film category. There are some films that filmed in Cincinnati that, thankfully, did do good and were successful. Here are some of the movies that have included parts of Cincinnati and/or Northern Kentucky in their films since 1987

Eight Men Out (1987)

-Summary: This film tells the story of the Chicago White Sox agreeing to intentionally lose in the 1919 World Series, leading to the famed Black Sox scandal

Fresh Horses (1987)

-Summary: When a college student from Cincinnati, Ohio breaks off his engagement to his wealthy fiancee, he falls in love with a girl from Kentucky, who claims she is 20. He later finds out she is already married and only 16

Rain Man (1988)

-Summary: A selfish L.A. businessman learns that his estranged father left money to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio he never knew about. He takes his brother on a trip with the hopes of getting the money

Tango & Cash (1989)

-Filming was not done in Cincinnati. It was done in Ohio, yes. But not Cincinnati. The only location in Ohio that was used is the Ohio State Reformatory aka Mansfield Reformatory. It was used as the prison both Detectives Ray Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) go to.

-Summary: Two rival L.A. detectives, Ray Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) are framed for a crime they didn't commit. Normally, they are like oil and water. They don't get along. When they are framed for a crime they didn't commit, they become fire and gasoline. They must work together to clear their names

An Innocent Man (1989)

-Summary: An airport mechanic is mistaken for a drug dealer by two corrupt cops. When he's released from prison, he goes after the two police officers

City of Hope (1990)

-Summary: A tale with multiple viewpoints centering around an old apartment block about to have a date with a wrecking ball

A Rage in Harlem (1990)

-Summary: Unaware she's being pursued by the remaining member's of her boyfriend's gang, a woman runs to Harlem after stealing a trunkful of gold after a shootout

Little Man Tate (1990)

-Summary: A single mother with an exceptionally smart child struggles to raise him on her own and also allow every opportunity to showcase his talents

The Public Eye (1991)

-Summary: A paparazzo gets the scoop of a lifetime in the early 1940s. He is given an assignment from a club owner to track down a mysterious gangster, which leads him to the dark underworld

Lost in Yonkers (1992)

-Summary: Two boys are sent to live with their child-mined aunt in Yonkers, New York in the summer of 1942

Airborne (1993)

-Summary: Mitchell Goosen is a California born and bred surfer who has to spend six months in Ohio with family. He takes up with the local skateboarding and roller blading kids

Milk Money (1993)

-Summary: A group of boys become friends with a prostitute whose name is V and she ends up falling in love with the father of one of the boys

The Mighty (1997)

-Summary: Two young boys, because of their disabilities and bad home lives, become paired together, despite being social outcasts. They become fast friends

In Too Deep (1998)

-Summary: A police cadet right out of the academy gets his first case. Working undercover as a cop in Cincinnati. He works his way up from small cases to a huge case-getting close to a vicious crime boss

Traffic (2000)

-Summary: A judge is given the task to try and stop the increasing war on drugs, only to find out his own daughter is an addict. While two DEA agents protect an informant, the wife of an incarcerated drug dealer tries to carry on with business as usual

Summer Catch (2000)

-Summary: A rich girl with a family summer home on Cape Cod has a fling with a local boy whose only dream is to enter the world of major league baseball

Seabiscuit (2003)

-Summary: Based on a true story, it tells of a Depression-era racehorse whose wins at various derbies not only uplifted its team but the nation

Mr. 3000 (2004)

-Summary: An aging baseball star whose nickname was "Mr. 3000" finds out years after he retired that he didn't actually reach 3,000 hits. At age 47, he's come back to reach that goal

Elizabethtown (2005)

-Summary: A businessman with a failed product comes home to Kentucky for his father's funeral and meets a flight attendant who seems too good to be true

Jimmy and Judy (2006)

-Summary: Two youths, misunderstood and on the run from the law, start documenting everything with a digital camera

The Ides of March (2011)

-Summary: During his time on the presidential campaign trail, a young staffer learns all about dirty politics while helping a new presidential candidate

7 Below (2012)

-Summary: A group of strangers enters an old house that acts like a time warp to take them to a catastrophic event that occurred exactly 100 years ago

The Christmas Spirit (2013)

-Summary: While in a coma, a woman realizes her spirit is still active. She actively tries to convince people in her town to change their minds about this new real estate development

Carol (2014)

-Summary: In 1950s New York, an aspiring photographer engages in an illicit but intimate relationship with an older woman

Miles Ahead (2014)

-Summary: Based on a true story, this film explores the life and times of legendary musician Miles Davis

Marauders (2016)

-Summary: After a large scale bank heist, all the evidence points to the bank manager and the high-level clients. When the FBI is called in, the investigation proves there is more at play as the heists rage on

Gotti (2016)

-Summary: Based on a true story, this film explores the life and times of former Gambino family boss John Gotti and his son, John Gotti Jr.

Goat (2016)

-Summary: After recovering from a near deadly assault, a 19 year old enrolls in university and pledges the same exact fraternity with his brother. The hazing rituals will test him and his brother in ways they could never have imagined

The Killing of the Sacred Deer (2017)

-Summary: Steven, a good hearted surgeon, to forced to make a sacrifice after his life begins falling apart when the boy he agreed to look after begins exhibiting sinister behavior

My Days of Mercy (2017)

-Summary: The daughter of a death row convict falls for a man whose family is on the opposite side of her family's political cause

The Old Man & The Gun (2018)

-Summary: Based on a true story, this film tells the story of Forrest Tucker, a San Quentin inmate who escapes at age 70 and commits a string of heists that evaded authorities and amazed the public

The Public (2018)

-Summary: A simple civil disobedience flares up into a police standoff when homeless citizens of Cincinnati take over the public library to simply seek shelter from the cold

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2018)

-Summary: The life and times of serial killer Ted Bundy, as seen from the perspective of his long time girlfriend Liz, who ignored the truth about him for years

Dark Waters (2019)

-Summary: A defense attorney takes on a massive case involving a chemical company and exposes the history behind pollution

Bones and All (2021)

-Summary: A young woman goes on a journey throughout America when she encounters a young drifter. Their paths eventually lead back to their dark pasts and to a point where they must determine if their love can survive