This page is for you to just relax and enjoy yourself with, and is a compilation of mostly Pennsylvania-related trivia gathered over the years by mostly trivial Pennsylvania Elk members.

And of course, since most of our Elk members here in Pennsylvania are out of order in some way to begin with, these little tidbits are not in any chronological order: or in any order, period!

However, Ray Bender and the Pennsylvania Elks Public Relations Committee would like to remind you that these trivia items are available as three separate pamphlets, each one a single sheet of paper folded in half. We can provide any Lodge with one or all three, and we'll print the Lodge name and any committee name on the top, then you simply file them and make copies as you need them.

They make nice little conversation pieces for dining rooms, and they can cut down on complaints by giving patrons something to discuss while waiting.

As always, your comments, criticisms, corrections or additions are welcome (yeah -- right!), so drop us a line when you can .. but if isn't PRAISE, we'll delete it! Heck, we only show the boss the GOOD stuff!

Pennsylvania had three U.S. Capitols: Philadelphia, Lancaster on Sept. 27, 1777, and York from Sept. 30, 1777, until July of 1778. In 1800, the U.S. Capitol was in Washington, D.C.

On Sept. 30, 1908, PGER John K. Tener of the Charleroi Lodge umpired a spirited baseball game between a team from Greensburg Lodge No. 511 and the Boston Red Sox, led by Cy Young; the Elks won by 2 - 0.

Born in County Tyrone, Ireland, John Kinley Tener was Pennsylvania's only foreign-born governor, serving from 1911 until 1915. During the same period Tener was also the National League President.

The U.S. Army's oldest active unit, the famed 28th Division of Pennsylvania, was founded by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1774.

On Sept. 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia from the Whitechapel foundry in England.

General George C. Marshall, a native of Uniontown, became the Army Chief-Of-Staff on Sept. 1, 1942, and on that day in 1928, the BSA placed road markers along U.S. Route 30 all across Pennsylvania.

At 12:01 AM on Oct. 1, 1940, the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened a 160 mile stretch from Carlisle to Irwin; with half a dozen of its tunnels and forty miles of road being built on the abandoned right-of-way of the South Pennsylvania Railroad.

On Nov. 1, 1937, the B.P.O.E. began a radio blitz aimed at safety on America's highways, a program that reduced fatalities by 27% during a thirteen week period.

On Dec. 1, 1889, Allen O. Myers, a member of the Columbus Lodge No. 37 in Ohio, named the first Sunday of December as our great Elk Memorial Day.

In 1814, Baltimore actor Ferdinand Durang, the son of John Durang of Lancaster, America's first native born actor, was the first to sing Francis Scott Key's poem to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven." The song became our National Anthem in 1931.

On Jan. 6, 1880, Thomas Hezikiah Mix, famous as cowboy star "Tom Mix," was born in Mix Run near Punxsutawney.

On Jan. 7, 1712, the first fine for speeding was given to reckless operators of carts in Philadelphia.

On Feb. 1, 1810, the city of Harrisburg was selected as the Capitol of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

On Feb. 12, 1871, Claude Goldie received a New York State Charter for the B.P.O.E.'s New York Lodge No. 1, and the first Grand Lodge meeting was called to order at 4:15 PM at 114-116 East 13th St. in New York City.

On Mar. 3, 1936, George G. Blaisdell of Bradford received U.S. Patent No. 2032695 for his "Zippo" lighter, named for the sound of the word "Zipper."

On Mar. 4, 1870, Bloomsburg, founded in 1802 by Ludwig Oyer, became the only "town" to ever be incorporated in Pennsylvania.

On April 1, 1918, a Pittsburgh resident, Robert Garland, conceived "Daylight Savings Time," and on April 8, 1923, Joseph Sabol of Duquesne became Pennsylvania's first Eagle Scout.

In 1937, Scottdale's Herb Morrison became the first man to broadcast coast-to-coast when he described the burning of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in NJ.

On June 3, 1885, the Erie Soldier's and Sailor's Home was approved by the Pennsylvania Legislature, and on June 16, 1904, the members of the San Diego, CA Lodge No. 168 performed the first Elks Flag Day Service.

Colonel John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.

On Aug. 23, 1892, Joshua Pusey of Lima, Pennsylvania, invented book matches.

On Aug. 22, 1984, the last Volkswagen "Rabbit" was assembled in New Stanton.

On June 13, 1778, the State Flag of Pennsylvania was designed by Caleb Lownes of Philadelphia, and on June 15, 1976, the Elks National Patriotism Week began with a plea from 16 year old Lori Cox of Scottsdale, AZ.

In 1967, the "Big Mac" was invented in Uniontown by a McDonald's franchise owner, James Delligatti; it was added to all stores in 1968.

On Dec. 17, 1777, the Continental Army began winter quarters at Valley Forge, and on the same date in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first powered airplane flight at Kill Devil Hills in NC.

The original "Pledge of Allegiance" appeared in print for the first time in the "Youth's Home Companion" Magazine in Boston on Sept. 8, 1892.

The U.S. Marine Corps was founded in the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia on Nov. 10, 1775; the first commissioned Marine was Captain Samuel Nicholas of Philadelphia.

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the "Gettysburg Address" in Gettysburg, and the 35 star American Flag from that site is at the West Virginia State Museum in Charleston, WV.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the first Pennsylvania resident to perish at Pearl Harbor was PFC George C. Leslie of Arnold in Westmoreland County.

On Feb. 8, 1908, Elk member Frank E. Herring, an affiliate of the South Bend, IN Lodge, proposed a national Mother's Day.

On Feb. 18, 1898, GER Meade D. Detwiler of Harrisburg Lodge No. 241 (Harrisburg didn't become Lodge No. 12 until 1904) secured the Elks first gavel, an ebony instrument made by "Jolly Cork" J. G. Wilton.

On March 24, 1898, Pennsylvania's first automobile was purchased by Robert Allison of Port Carbon.

On Dec. 10, 1941, the Elks lost the Manila Lodge No. 761 to the Japanese invasion, and on Jan. 4, 1942, the Agana, Guam, Lodge No. 1281 was overrun; 489 Elk members and their families spent the remainder of the war in Japanese concentration camps.

On March 20, 1870, the first Lodge of Sorrows was held for Brothers George E. Farmer and John W. Glenn; on the same date in 1880, the founder of the B.P.O.E., Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian, passed away of pneumonia in Leadville, CO.

Easter Candy was invented on April 5, 1865, in Lancaster by Joseph Huber and Joseph Royer, with their apprentice, Milton S. Hershey.

On April 12, 1909, the first cherry trees used at the tidal basin in the Nation's capitol, were purchased from Hoopes Bros. & Thomas Co. in West Chester.

On April 12, 1933, Vera Jane Palmer, later known as Jayne Mansfield, was born in Pen Argyl.

On July 11, 1893, Thomas Edison used the world's first three wire electrical transmission system to light the City Hotel in Sunbury.

On June 6, 1944, Lt. Danny Brotheridge or the British Sixth Airborne, became the first Allied soldier to die in the invasion of France.

In 1923, the Green Bay Elks Lodge held a benefit to raise money for the Green Bay "Packers" Football Club.

On June 11, 1904, Harrisburg Lodge No. 241 reorganized as Lodge No. 12, a number formerly in use in California.

On June 8, 1868, the first B.P.O.E. fund-raiser was held at the Academy Of Music at 14th Avenue and Irving Place in NYC.

On Aug. 16, 1858, the world's first Trans-Atlantic cable message was sent by Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan at the Summer White House at the Bedford Springs Hotel in Bedford.

Stephen Banic, a coalminer from Greenville, was granted a patent for the first workable parachute on Aug. 25, 1914.

The geographic center of Pennsylvania is 2.5 miles southwest of Bellefonte.

Whitcomb L. Judson, a resident of Meadville, invented the modern day "zipper" on Oct. 5, 1891.

On Oct. 15, 1974, the nation's first "Ronald McDonald House," a project started by Philadelphia Eagle tight end Fred Hill, was opened.

"The Vacant Chair," a song written in 1861 in memory of Lt. John William Grout of the 15th Mass. Inf. by Henry Washburn, was adopted by the B.P.O.E. in 1868.

On Oct. 17, 1919, Dr. Frank Conrad began broadcasting music from his garage at what is now the former home of the Wilkinsburg Lodge No. 577.

On June 14, 1954, the words "under God" are added to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Erie has the only statue depicting George Washington in a British uniform.

On July 5, 1903, the present Elks emblem was adopted.

George Washington Bradley of Reading, pitching for St. Louis, tossed baseball's first perfect game against Boston on July 15, 1887.

On July 8, 1835, the Liberty Bell cracked while tolling for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

On July 10, 1797, the first American frigate, the USS UNITED STATES, was launched in Philadelphia.

On May 9, 1896, an Italian immigrant, Amedo Obic, opened a fruit stand in Wilkes-Barre; the future Planter's Peanut Company.

On May 22, 1782, the nation's first life insurance policy is sold in Philadelphia.

On April 2, 1876, Boston defeated Philadelphia in the first National League game.

William K. Harris of Philadelphia introduced America's first "Easter Lily."

On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln's body was borne from Ford's Theater by Privates Jacob J. Soles, William Sample, Jabez Griffith & John Corey; all of McKeesport.

On March 17, 1889, members of the Boston and Omaha Lodges bring the body of Charles A.S. Vivian to from Leadville, CO to Boston, MA where he is interred in the Elks Rest.

The founder of the Boy Scout's of America, William Boyce, was born in Plum Boro in Allegheny County.

On Feb. 20, 1844, a fire and waterproof paint was invented by Joseph Weisman in Philadelphia, and on the same day, Thomas and Ephriam Parker invented window glazing in Orangeville.

On Dec. 11, 1912, the Gulf Oil Co. opened America's first drive-in gas station on Baum Blvd. in Pittsburgh.

On Jan. 25, 1836, the Dunlap's Creek Bridge in Brownsville, America's first cast iron bridge, opened; it is still in everyday use on Brownsville's Market Street.

On Nov. 11, 1940, two protoype "Jeep" vehicles are delivered from Butler to Camp Holabird, MD for testing.

On Nov. 25, 1971, GER E. Gene Fournace began the "Student of the Month" and "Student of the Year" programs.

George Washington's Valley Forge wagonmaker, Mathias Ringle, is buried near Yockey's Meetinghouse in Bell Twp. in Westmoreland Co.

Lackawanna County, the last one created in Pennsylvania, was formed on Aug. 13, 1878; it means "river that forks" in Native American language.

On Aug. 1, 1873, Benjamin Mishler of Lancaster built a dwelling at 533 Prince St. in just 16 hours.

In 1923, the Peanut Butter Cup was invented for Milton S. Hershey by confectioner Harry B. Reese; the Hershey "Kiss" derives its name from the sound made by the machine that forms it.

On Aug. 8, 1928, the world's first TV demonstration was made at the East Pittsburgh plant of the Westinghouse Corp.

On Oct. 17, 1941, an invention of D.V. Beede of Carnegie Tech, the "penalty flag," replaces the "penalty horn" in football. The 15" square black & white checked flags were replaced with yellow flags in 1974.

On Oct. 5, 1947, Brother Harry S. Truman, a member of the Independence, MO Lodge, makes the first televised presidential address.

On Sept. 8, 1946, the Elks Memorial was rededicated in Chicago, and the man who pulled the American Flag aloft that day was Brother John "Jack" Bradley of Appleton, WI, one of the marines who raised the American Flag at Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima.

John Mills, the father of the "Mills Brothers" singing group, was born at 213 High St. in Bellefonte on Jan. 15, 1883.

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were born in Shenandoah in 1904 and 1905, and Band Leader Fred Waring, the inventor of the famous Waring Blender, was born in Tyrone.

Lt. Colonel Francis "Gabby" Gabreski, a native of Oil City, was one of America's leading WW II "Aces" with 28 confirmed enemy kills

On Jan. 17, 1861, Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet in England.

On Dec. 22, 1822, Matthew Zahn of Lancaster documented the first use of a Christmas Tree in America, and the first known Christmas "Cookie" to be baked in the United States were made at Biglerville.

In 1968, Arnold Palmer was the first golfer to earn a million dollars.

In 1682, Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester Counties were formed by William Penn.

In 1956 the Leading Knight began giving the charge when delivering Flag to Esquire.

In 1963 the call up of Lodge was reduced from four raps to three raps, with three raps used previously as a signal to remove the blindfold.

In 1969 the Pledge Of Allegiance was moved from the Lodge closing to the Lodge opening ceremony, and the singing of "God Bless America" was approved as an optional substitute for the opening Ode.

In 1928 "Buddy," a German Shepherd trained in Switzerland, was the first working "Seeing Eye" Dog.

Grover Cleveland was the first president to have his voice recorded.

The first official Basketball Game played in Springfield, MA on Jan. 19, 1892,

London's "Big Ben" clock is named for the-then Commissioner of London Public Works, Sir Benjamin "Big Ben" Hall.

Wm. H. Taft began the custom of a President tossing out the first pitch on April 10, 1910; and when Taft stood up in the 7th inning, another custom was born!

In 1893, the Pittsburgh "Nationals" signed an unprotected Philadelphia player, Louie Bierbauer, and the Philly management declared this "an act of "Piracy." The nickname stuck!

In 1862, CPL Martin J. Hawkins of Mercer Co., serving in Co. A of the 33rd Ohio Inf., was awarded the Medal Of Honor for his part in the locomotive hijacking at Big Shanty, Ga. Hawkins' adventures were part of the movie, "The Great Locomotive Chase."

A "Dumb" Pennsylvania City Law in Tarentum says horses are not to be tied to parking meters, and in Pennsylvania a person is not eligible to become Governor if he or she has participated in a duel.

In 1911, the Bayless Paper Co. Dam burst in Potter Co., inundating Austin & Costello in Potter Co.: the B.P.O.E. sent $1000.00 to residents, and in 1916 sent $1000.00 to Erie to assist flood victims.

The Little Theater of Wilkes-Barre, at 537 North Main St., is the oldest continuous Little Theater in America.

During the War of 1812, Capt. John Gamble became the only Marine to ever command a naval vessel, and in 1837, Archibald Henderson became the first Marine officer to attain the rank of Brigadier General.

The 1973 UPI Pennsylvania All-State Football selections included Joe Montana of Ringgold.

In 1898, Arthur L. Banker owned the first auto in Pittsburgh, a "DeDion" he imported from France.

Aug. 18th, "Lithuanian Day," is the oldest continuous Ethnic Day in Pa.

In 1587, Virginia Dare was the first child born in the American colonies, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

Goin' fishin'? In Pa. you may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.

In 1928, PGER Charles H. Grakelow of the Phila. Lodge No. 2, was appointed to the first Elks National Foundation Committee.

In 1967 the B.P.O.E. placed a plaque at the USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL.

In 1909, Rose Cecil O'Neil of Wilkes-Barre introduced the famous "Kewpie" Doll in the Dec. issue of the Ladies Home Journal.

It was 1858 when the world's first mechanical washing machine was invented by Hamilton E. Smith of Philadelphia.

Type this: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is a sentence developed by Western Union to test equipment because it uses EVERY letter of the alphabet.

The highest point in Pennsylvania is not as high as the lowest point in Colorado!

"McClintock No. 1," near Titusville on Rt. 8 below Rouseville, was drilled in 1861 and is the oldest continuous operating oil well in the world.

On Dec. 24, 1944, 68 Pennsylvanians died when the "SS Leopoldville," a troop transport, was sunk off Cherbourg, France by a German U-Boat.

The "Jolly Corks," the beginning of the Elks, lasted from Nov. 25, 1867, to Feb. 15, 1868, and included their founder, Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian and E.M. Platt, F. Langhorne, William Carleton, William Sheppard, Richard R. Steirly, John T. Kent, H. Vandemark, H. Bosworth and M.G. Ashe.

In 1869, Henry John Heinz and L.C. Noble open a horseradish business in Sharpsburg, the forerunner of today's H.J. Heinz Co.

In Feb. of 1910, Pittsburgh's first Model T Ford was purchased Dr. John Lehner of South Side for $983.00.

On Jan. 2, 1893, the U.S Post Office issued the first adhesive commemorative stamp to honor the 1892 Columbian Expedition.

In 1832, Conrad Fey made America's first cattle trail from Bradford Co. to Tamaqua.

Pennsylvania settler Burkhardt Moses was in the "Boston Tea Party."

In 1846, Pennsylvania's first telegraph line, linking Harrisburg and Lancaster, was operated by James Reid and David Brooks.

In 1855, the famous "Ritz Cracker" began as the Brownsville "Water Cracker" and was purchased by the National Biscuit Company in 1926.

In 1859, Penn State began life as the "Farmers High School" on the land of Gen. James Irvin; Dr. Evan Pugh was the school's first President.

In 1972, the Hamilton Watch Co. of Lancaster made the world's first digital wristwatch; priced at $2000.

In 1874 the B.P.O.E. instituted the position of District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler.

The ice cream soda was invented in 1874 by Robert L. Green of Phila.

In 1891 the Elks adopted the present Chair Officer designations, and in 1896 the American Flag was added to the B.P.O.E. altar arrangement.

In 1918, the B.P.O.E. built America's first Veteran's "Reconstruction" Hospital of 700 beds in Mass., and in 1923 the Elks donated to Government.

In 1950, the one millionth Elk member was Raymond Cole of Bay City, Michigan Lodge No. 88.

In 1997, Carol Horton of Norristown was named "Best Candidate" in Grand Lodge Ritual Competition in Chicago, and in 1999, Harry Dean of Norristown was named All East Exalted Ruler at the Grand Lodge Ritual contest, with Patrice DeStefano in third place as Chaplain.

In 1907, GER Henry A. Melvin suggested acceptance of the Elks Flag Day Ritual, written in part by William M. Hargest of Harrisburg Lodge No. 12, and in 1911 Flag Day Ritual became a mandatory observance.

In 1916 the present Elks National Home was dedicated in Bedford, Virginia.

The Elks Magazine began publication in 1922 with PGERs John K. Tener and J. Edgar Masters of Charleroi Lodge No. 494 on the Magazine Committee.

In 1934 the Elks National Foundation "Most Valuable Student Program" was begun, and in 1938, Carl Stotz formed America's first Little League in Williamsport.

In 1959 the 50 star Flag design was accepted by congress. The Flag was designed as a High School Project by Robert Heft in Napoleon Ohio in 1958; earning Heft a B+ .

The first successful macadam Turnpike in America was opened in 1794 and ran 62 miles from Phila. to Lancaster.

In 1887, America's first Golf Club opened at Foxburg, Pa. and is still in operation.

In 1999 a Medal Of Honor Recipient's Memorial was dedicated in Indianapolis over the Memorial Day Weekend.

On March 14, 1812, America's first "War Bonds" were authorized.

During WW II, there were 1,250,000 Pennsylvanians, that's one eighth of the state's population, serving in WW II, and Pennsylvania has more Medal of Honor recipients than any other state in the Union.

Jonathan Letterman of Canonsburg devised the treatment of wounded in combat during the Civil War.

On May 2, 1954, Stan Musial of Donora, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, hit 5 homers in one doubleheader.

In 1970 the "Hoop Shoot" became an Oregon Elks state program, and in 1972 was introduced nationwide. In 1976, GER George B. Klein dedicated Elks Hoop Shoot Plaque at Basketball Hall Of Fame.

In 1911, the first transcontinental flight was made by Pittsburgh native Calbraith Percy Rodgers.

On May 31, 1889, the tragic Johnstown Flood killed 2000 people, and the B.P.O.E. began its tradition of helping American citizens with a donation of thousands of dollars for relief.

In Sept. of 1963, under the direction of James Ebersberger, a member of the Latrobe Lodge, the Pennsylvania Elks Home Service Nurses Program began with one Nurse.

The first Elks Lodge in Pennsylvania was Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 on Feb. 18, 1871 (Defunct on Mar. 19, 1972) and the last one instituted was Phil-Mont Lodge No. 2345 on May 28, 1966 (Defunct on Jan. 6, 1976)

On April 10, 1944, a "G.I. Canteen" was opened on the B. & O. mainline at Connellsville, serving over 600,000 servicemen and women when it closed on May 10, 1946.

On April 24, 1902, the "NEIL" auto was built in Tyrone, and that same date in 1914, Greenville coalminer Stephen Banic was granted a patent for a workable parachute, while April 24, 1945 was the date Paris was liberated by Allies.

The plastic shockproof handle on hand tools was invented by Old Forge Tools in New Wilmington, Lawrence Co.

On Dec. 21, 1913, the first crossword puzzle, by Arthur Wynne, was published in the New York "World" and on that date in 1941, Lt. Boyd "Buzz" Wagner of Johnstown became America's first WW II Air Ace over Vagan Island in the Philippines. Dec. 21, 1945, brought the death of America's top Air Ace, Maj. Richard Ira Bong, while testing our first jet fighter, a P-80, over Burbank, CA.

On Feb. 1, 1919, Punxsutawney High School grad, Lloyd Jordan, received Pitt's first Basketball Scholarship.

On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 1861, Col. Bernard John Dowling Irwin earned America's first Medal Of Honor in action at Apache Pass, Arizona.

Bugler Oliver W. Norton of the 83rd Pa. Vols played the first rendition of "TAPS" on July 2, 1862, at Malvern Hill, Virginia.

On Aug. 31, 1903, the first "Nickelodeon" movie was "The Great Train Robbery," produced and directed by Edward Stanton Porter of Connellsville.

A Pennsylvania law is still on the books that says a housewife may not hide dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.

On Dec. 13, 1759, Michael Hillegas opened America's first music in Philadelphia.

On May 2, 1905, America's first such organization, the Pennsylvania State Police, was formed.

On Sept. 9, 1776, the words "United States" replaced "United Colonies" on Government Documents.

In 1767, America's first scientific Observatory was opened in Philadelphia by surveyor David Rittenhouse.

In 1768, Cottonseed Oil developed by Dr. William Otto in Bethlehem.

In 1769, "Baron" Henry William Steigel opened a glass factory at Manheim.

In 1886, the "TUXEDO" made it's first appearance at the Autumn Ball at the Tuxedo Club in New York.

In 1802, the term "Keystone State" was coined at a Jefferson victory rally as the keystone in the federal union."

Mauch Chunk, in Carbon Co., was renamed for Jim Thorpe in 1954.

The statue of Robert Fulton, a native of Lancaster Co., represents Pennsylvania in Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

"Chiclets" chewing gum, named for the Chicle Tree, was invented by Louis W. Mahle of Ambler.

On Aug. 30, 1903, Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Murdock completed America's first transcontinental auto trip in a Packard.

In 1867, Gustave A. Dentzel built the nation's first Carousel in Philadelphia.

In 1861, John P. Charlton of Philadelphia invented America's first postcard.

On Aug. 23, 1785, the Mason-Dixon Line was named as the official border between Pennsylvania and (West) Virginia.

In 1800, William Young of Phila. made the first shoes in America designed for right and left feet.

In 1836 the first railroad "Sleeping Car," named the "Chambersburg," was placed in service between Harrisburg and Chambersburg on the Cumberland Valley Railroad, and the first "Dining Car" was introduced on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore RR.

In 1858, a Philadelphia resident, Hyman L. Lipman, patented the pencil eraser.

On Feb. 16, 1868, the "Jolly Cork" members voting for "The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes" were C.A.S. Vivian, R.R. Steirly, M.G. Ash, H. Vandemark, H. Bosworth, Frank Langhorne and E.W. Platt. Voting for the name "Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks" were W.F. MacDonald, G.W. Thompson, T.G. Riggs, W. Carleton, W. Sheppard, G. Guy, H. Dougherty and W.L. Bowron. The name "ELKS" was chosen by a committee viewing an Elk head at Barnum's Museum.

In 1876, "Root Beer" was introduced by a Phila. Druggist, Charles E. Hires; it was named "Root Beer" instead of "Root Tea," by Rev. Dr. Russell Conwell of Temple University.

Bingo, originated in Pittsburgh in 1920, was played at carnivals by its inventor, Hugh J. Ward who secured a copyright and wrote rules in 1933.

On June 12, 1939, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, NY, with a 53 year member of the Carnegie Elks Lodge, Honus Wagner, among the first players inducted.

On March 17, 1936, Pittsburgh's "St. Patrick's Day" flood victims received $127,186.63 from the B.P.O.E.

On Nov. 12, 1887, Penn State University won the first "official" football game against Bucknell, 54-0.

In 1927 the Woolrich Co., in Clinton Co., made the first Golf "Knickers."

On Dec. 19, 1959, America's last Civil War Veteran, Walter Williams, a member of the CSA, died at 117 in Houston, Texas.

In 1750, Jacob Yoder invented the flatboat in Lancaster County.

On Nov. 23, 1867, Charles Vivian, Richard Steirly, Cool Burgess, Henry Vandemark & Hugh Dougherty played the first game of "Jolly Corks" at Sandy Spencer's Bar at Broadway & Fulton in New York City.

In 1946, Richard James of Phila. demonstrated the "Slinky" in Gimbels; it's now made in Hollidaysburg, Pa.

In 1682, Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester Counties formed by William Penn.

in 1952 the delegates to the Grand Lodge Convention in New York City voted to discontinue the use of a blindfold for the Initiation Ritual.

On April 24, 1767, the "Prince of Parthia," by Thomas Godfrey, was the first professional play performed in America, at the Southwark Theater in Philadelphia.

On April 24, 1861, "Turner's Rifles," an 80 man company, became the first Pgh. Soldiers in combat in the Civil War.

On April 24, 1944, Medal of Honor recipient Charles "Commando" Kelly, returned to his home in Pgh. The Oakdale Army Base is named for him.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Seaman 2nd Warren H. McCutcheon, age 17, of Gridley, CA was the first American Serviceman to die at Pearl Harbor.

In 1911, the anchor for the USS Arizona was cast at Chester; the 19,585 pound anchor is on permanent display at Pearl Harbor.

On Dec. 7, 1942, the USS New Jersey was launched at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the USS Wisconsin and USS Antietam were built there in 1943.

On Aug. 24, 1869, the Waffle Iron was patented by Cornelius Swarthout.

In 1931, "Monopoly" was invented in Philadelphia by Charles B. Darrow, and the last dependent of a Revolutionary War veteran died in 1911.

On June 30, 1957, the first WAVE was sworn into the REGULAR Navy.

In 1927, Dorothy Lieb Harrison Wood Eustis of Radnor, Pa., began the "Seeing Eye Dog" Program in Austria.

The modern U.S. Navy Submarine Service was officially started on October 12, 1900, with the commissioning of the "USS HOLLAND" designated as SS-1.

On March 9, 1970, the Brook Trout was named as Pennsylvania's official fish.

In 1682 the first marriage performed in Pennsylvania joined Priscilla Allen and Thomas Smith.

In 1689, the first public school in America, the William Penn Charter School, opened in Philadelphia.

In 1690, the first paper mill in America opened near Germantown, and William Rittenhouse made America's first watermark.

In 1700, America's first pipe organs were installed by the Episcopal Church in Port Royal, and the Gloria Dei Church in Philadelphia.

In 1895 the BPOE was incorporated nationally.

In 1919, a York County State Senator, Henry E. Lanius, totally blind, sponsored the Pennsylvania's first Special Education Bill.

From 1950 to 1952 the members of the B.P.O.E. supplied 600,000 pints of blood for GI's in Korea.

In 1959, the Knox Mine near Port Griffith in Wilkes-Barre, was flooded by the Susquehanna River and ended deep mining in the area.

In 1918, the B.P.O.E. financed and equipped Army Base Hospital No. 41, staffed by the faculty and alumni of The University of Virginia, and Hospital No. 46, which was formed at the University of Oregon. The first to arrive in combat, all costs were borne by our Order and these were the forerunner of the "MASH" Army units.

In 1861, Julius Sturgis opened America's first Pretzel Bakery in Lititz, Pa.

LST 750, built by Dravo Corp. at Corapolis, Pa., was paid for by donations from school children in Allegheny County, Pa. The vessel was sunk by enemy planes on Dec. 18, 1944, in Leyte, PI.

In 1952, the Elks discontinued the use of a blindfold during the Initiation Ritual, and in 1972, GER Francis M. Smith proclaimed November as the first Elks "National Veterans Rembrance Month."

In 1726, the Log College in Bucks Co. was the first college established in the middle colonies.

In 1731, Benjamin Franklin started America's first circulating library in Philadelphia.

In 1732, America's oldest sporting club, the Schuylkill Fishing Co. or "The Fish House Club" was formed in Philadelphia.

In 1741 America's first symphony orchestra was created in Bethlehem, Pa.

In 1793 Philadelphia used the street numbering system with odd addresses on one side and even on the other.

In 1903 the original Elks National Home was dedicated in Bedford, Va.

In 1863 we began our custom of sending flowers for a funeral with the death of Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. As a show of respect for his ability, southern mourners covered Jackson's casket with flowers as it lay in state.

The "Eisenhower Interstate System" that we use requires that one mile in every five must be straight to be used as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Didjaknow that the name" Wendy" was made up for the book “Peter Pan!”

The "Wizard Of Oz" used the letters from a file cabinet, O - Z.

In 1854, the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co. was formed to drill for oil in Cherrytree Twp. in Venango Co.; its investors included Actor John Wilkes Booth.

In 1953 the first Democratic female Judge in Pa. was Anne X. Alpern of Pgh.

The last Mexican War dependent died in 1962.

On April 17, 1933, Johnny Roventini made his first "Call for Philip Morris" on radio.

On April 18, 1945, Admiral Yamamoto's plane was shot down by P-38's of the 339th Fighter Squadron piloted by Capt. Tom Lanphier & Lt. Rex Barber.

On April 18, 1945, famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by enemy fire on the island of Ie Shima near Iwo Jima.

On April 18, 1906, the great San Francisco Earthquake took place and the B.P.O.E. beat the U.S. Government in setting up a tent city for refugees.

On Aug. 31, 1895, the first Pro Football game resulted in Latrobe defeating Jeannette by 12 to 0 in Latrobe, Pa. Players were paid $10.00 plus expenses.

On Aug. 31, 1949 the Grand Army of the Republic held its final meeting in Indianapolis, attended by 6 of the 16 surviving Civil War Veterans.

On Dec. 16, 1944, the "Battle of the Bulge" began.

In 1919, the use of the "Eleven O'clock Toast" on occasions where non-Elks were present was given official Grand Lodge permission.

Reverend "Deacon" Dan Towler of Donora was leading rusher four years in a row with the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950's.

The "Twinkie," invented in 1930, was named for the city's "Twinkle Toe Shoes."

On Feb. 23, 1945, Joe Rosenthal's famous American Flag raising on Mt. Suribachi included Marine Sgt. Michael Strank, 26, of Franklin, Pa. Sgt. Strank died on Mar. 1, 1945 at Nishi Ridge on Iwo Jima.

On Feb. 23, 1954, Dr. Jonas Salk began Anti-Polio inoculations in Pgh. Schools.

On Sept. 24, 1862, Col. Thomas Scott, Pres. of the Penna. RR, arranged for the Resolution for the Emancipation Proclamation to be adopted during a secret meeting of 17 Northern Governors at the "Logan House" Hotel in Altoona.

During WW II, 201 American Nurses lost their lives in the service of their country

On April 12, 1945, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a member of the Poughkeepsie, NY, Lodge No. 275, died at Warm Springs, Georgia.

On Nov. 18, 1883, U.S. Standard Time began at noon to replace fifty-six separate time zones then in use in America.

On June 14, 1949, President Harry S. Truman, a member of the Kansas City, MO Lodge No. 26, signed Public Law 203 designating June 14th as Flag Day in America. Flag Day has been a mandatory Lodge activity since 1911.

Sarah Tyson Rorer, born in 1849 in Richboro, Bucks Co., was America's first Dietit
ian.

On May 13, 1938, Armistice Day was recognized as a Federal Holiday, and was changed to Veteran's Day in 1954.

On March 30, 1842, Ether was used for first time in a surgical procedure.

Agricultural experts claim that the richest farm land in America is Lancaster County.

On June 24, 1938, a 500 ton Meteorite hit Pittsburgh.

In 1827 a long, thin, tapered cigar called a "Stogie," short for Conestoga driver, was invented by George W. Black in Washington, Pa.

The first T-Rail made for the railroads was cast in Danville, Pa.

On May 11, 1911, the act authorizing Connellsville to be the first city in Fayette County was signed by Gov. John K. Tener, PGER.

On April 22, 1864. "In God We Trust" appeared on U.S. Coins for the first time, and on this date in 1823, R.J. Tyers patented inline "Roller Skates."

The first toilet ever seen on television was on “Leave It To Beaver”.

On Aug. 3, 1998, five year old Matthew Stewart of Washington Indiana became the youngest golfer to score a hole-in-one, acing an 86 yard, par 3 hole with a driver.

The Kendall Oil Co. of Bradford was the first corporation to have their logo placed on a Zippo Lighter.

On Dec. 23, 1823, ""T'was the night before Christmas," written by Clement C. Moore, appeared anonymously as "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in the Troy, New York, "Sentinel."

The name "Vaudeville" is taken from the many songs written in Vaux de Ville, France.

During WW II, the Dravo Corp. on Neville Island, at Coraopolis, Pa, built the first LST for the Navy, and built a total of 335 ships; one every week!

LST 1 was launched in the Ohio River at Neville Island, Coraopolis, Pa., on September 7, 1942.

On April 8, 1893, America's first College Basketball game was played between the Geneva College "Covies" and the New Brighton YMCA at Beaver Falls.

The "Hotel Bedford," now the Elks National Home in Bedford VA, was purchased for $12,500.00 in 1902.

On March 18, 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state.

On May 26, 1969, the Lodge Esquire's instructions on procedure was moved from the end of the initiation ceremony to its present position following the Obligation.

On May 26, 1988, the U.S. Brig "Niagara," based at Erie, was named as Pennsylvania's official "Flagship."

On Nov. 26, 1888, Charles Hall & Vining Davis produced America's first Aluminum ingot on Smallman St. in Pittsburgh; the forerunner of the Alcoa Corp.

On Sept. 18, 1947, the U.S. Air Force became a separate Branch of the Service.

On Oct. 1, 1864, John S. Staples of Illinois was paid $500.00 to as Abraham Lincoln's substitute in the Union Army.

The first known clockmaker in America was Abel Cottey of Phila.

In 1774 a nine-foot-high clock was ordered by Joseph Potts from David Rittenhouse of Norristown, and it was given the name "Grandfather" Clock in 1875 in a song written by a Philadelphia Songwriter, Henry Clay Work.

In 1904, Dr. David Strickler invented the Banana Split at Strickler's Drug Store on Ligonier St. in Latrobe.

The U.S. Navy Corpsmen was begun on June 17, 1898.

In 1972 the Veteran's Administration Volunteer Service requested that the Elks start a local, state & national Veterans Arts & Crafts Competition.

America's first 49-star Flag was made at the Army Quartermaster Depot in Philadelphia, and hangs in the Alaska State Museum.

On July 27, 1976, Ray Brennan was the first person to died "Legionnaire's Disease."

In 1804, the "Shrapnel" shell was invented by a British Army Officer, Lt. Henry Shrapnel.

In April of 1865, the Hon. Alexander H. Cofforth, a Somerset Congressman, was a Pall Bearer for Abraham Lincoln.

The phrase “Rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law forbidding a husband to beat their wives with anything wider than his thumb.

On Aug. 22, 1902, Teddy Roosevelt became the first President to use an automobile.

On Dec. 6, 1884, a 3,300 pound marble cap completed the 555 Washington Monument.

During WW II, the American Bridge Co. in Ambridge, Beaver County, Pa., built a total of 911 ships for the U. S. Navy.

The Schulmerich Bell Co. in Sellersville, Pa., is one of only four hand-bell makers in the world.

In Allentown, Pa., a law bans men from becoming aroused in public.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to become a physician in the United States, and in 1866, Mary Walker became the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor; for her work as a Civil War surgeon.

In 1872, Victoria Woodhall became the first woman to run for President of the U.S.A. and in 1899, Mrs. John Howell Phillips of Chicago became the first licensed female driver in the U.S.

In 1910, Alice Wells was sworn in as the first policewoman in America.

On Dec. 1, 1893, the B.P.O.E. banned Sunday meetings on a resolution made at the 1892 Grand Lodge Session by Percy G. Williams of Brooklyn Lodge No. 22.

On Dec. 1, 1940, Ida May Fuller of Vermont receives the nation's first Social Security check in the amount of $22.54.

On Feb. 28, 1940, Pitt beat Fordham by 57-37 at Madison Square Garden in the nation's first televised Collegiate Basketball Game.

In 1895, Volleyball, a combination of Tennis and Handball, was invented in Holyoke, Mass. by YMCA director William G. Morgan.

At the Grand Lodge Session of 1946, the word "God" replaced the words "a believer in the existence of a Supreme Being."

On July 4, 1976, the Bicentennial rededication of the Elks Memorial in Chicago was chaired by Grand Secretary Homer Huhn, Jr. of Mt. Pleasant Lodge No. 868

In France on July 4, 1917, Col. Charles E. Stanton, a staff member for Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, a life-long Elk, utters the famous words "Lafayette, we are here!"

From 1896 to 1902, Edward S. Orris of Meadville Lodge No. 219 served as Grand Treasurer.

On March 12, 1912, the Girl Scouts of America was founded in Atlanta, Ga. by Juliette Low, using her niece, Daisy Gordon, and 10 other young ladies.

On July 4, 1864, Mrs. Sophie Keller Hall & Miss Emma Hunter met at the Lutheran Cemetery in Boalsburg; the forerunner of Memorial Day.

On May 9, 1961, the Grand Lodge Session created the "Americanism Committee."

On May 9, 1886, John Stythe Pemberton, an Atlanta Pharmacist, invented the flavor recipe for Coca Cola.

On Jan. 17, 1874, 4-year-old Charley Ross of Germantown was the first picture of a missing child to be used in America!

On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the "GI BILL."

Sept. 16, 1940: Selective Service begins.

In May of 2000, 12 year old Mario Castro of Brooklyn, NY, became the 100 millionth Boy Scout.

May 21, 2000: Major League record set when half a dozen Grand Slam homers are hit in one day.

On May 19, 1906, the Federated Boys Clubs, ancestor of the Boys Clubs of America, was organized.

Thornsberry Bailey Brown, born May 29, 1826, was the first Union soldier --- and the first soldier on either side --- killed in the Civil War. He was shot by a Confederate picket at Fetterman, West Virginia, on May 22, 1861. He is buried in the Grafton, WV, National Cemetery.

Henry Lawson Wyatt of the First North Carolina Volunteers, became the first Confederate soldier to die in the Civil War. Born in Richmond, Virginia, on February 12, 1842, he died on June 10, 1861, at the Battle of Bethel Church, near Yorktown, Virginia.

Francis Lincoln Souther, of the Massachusetts Volunteers, was the first Union sodier to die at Bethel Church on June 10, 1861. He was born in Massachusetts on May 27, 1836.

The last Union Army veteran, Albert Woolson of Duluth, MN, died on August 2, 1956 at the age of 109.

The last Confederate Army soldier to die was 112 year old John Salling of Kingsport, TN, who died on March 16, 1958.

On July 10, 1862, the "USS Monongahela" was launched in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Gunboat "USS Kittanning" was launched on Oct. 1, 1861, at Philadelphia, Pa.

On February 13, 1861, before the Civil War began, U.S. Army Surgeon Bernard J. D. Irwin performed the first heroic act for which the Medal of Honor would be awarded.

On May 24, 1861, at the Marshall House Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, Private Francis Edwin Brownell of Co. A. of the 11th New York Infantry performed the first action of the Civil War to merit the Medal of Honor.

On June 26, 1861, John Williams, a Captain of the Maintop aboard the U.S.S. Pawnee, became the first member of the U. S. Navy to merit the Medal of Honor.

On May 12, 1862, Corporal John Mackie's bravery at Drewery's Bluuf, Va. made him the first U. S. Marine to earn the Medal of Honor.

On Septenber 27, 1942, Douglas Munro, a native of Canada, became the first, and only, U. S. Coast Guard member to earn the medal of Honor, doing so at Guadalcanal.

On January 23, 1967, in Vietnam, Bernard Francis Fisher became the first U. S. Air Force member to earn the Medal of Honor. John Levitow is the only U.S.A.F. enlisted man to receive the award.

The first man to WEAR the Congressional Medal of Honor was Jacob Parrott, a participant on the Union raid to Big Shanty, Georgia, during the Civil War.

The first Pennsylvanian to earn the Medal of Honor was Corporal Martin Hawkins of Mercer County, a member of Andrew's Raid at Big Shanty, Georgia, with Jacob Parrott.

The Oakmont Country Club is the first golf course in the nation named as a National Historic Landmark.

The first World Series game ever played at night was at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in 1971.

John Walson invented the first cable vision in Mahanoy City in 1948.

Pennsylvania is the first state to display their website address on a vehicle license plate.

America's first televised political convention was the Republican Convention in Philadelphia in 1948.

The PSFS Building in Philadelphia was the first building in America to have full air-conditioning, back in 1932.

Invented in France in 1955 by George de Mestral, VELCRO comes from the French words VELour or velvet, and CROchet for hooks.

Our WW II "Flak" is the abbreviation for the German "Flugabwehrkanone," or anti-aircraft cannon. The shells were preset to burst at a certain height and disburse shards of metal.

The "Ack Ack" gun of WW II fame comes from the German, "Acht" for 8 -- or 8.8 cm cannon; that's about 3.5".

Berwick, Pa. is home to Berwick Industries, the largest manufacturer of decorative and patriotic ribbons in the world.

Daniel F. Bakeman of Freedom, NY, was the last veteran of the Revolutionary War when he passed away on April 5, 1969 at the age of 109. The last surviving widow of a Revolutionary War soldier was Catherine (Esther) S. Damon who died on Nov. 11, 1906 at the age of 92, and the final dependent of a Revolutionary War soldier was Phoebe M. Palmeter who passed away at age 90 on April 25, 1911.

On May 13, 1905, in Dunn Brook, NY, Hiram Cronk, the last soldier of the War of 1812, died at the age of 105. The last War of 1812 widow was Carolina King, who died on June 28, 1936 at an unknown age. The last War of 1812 dependent, Esther A. H. Morgan, died on March 12, 1946 at the age of 89.

Our Mexican War lasted from 1846 to 1848, but the last Mexican War veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died at age 98 on Sept. 3, 1929. Lena James Theobald, the last widow of a Mexican War veteran, died on June 20, 1963 at the age of 89. The last dependent of a Mexican War veteran was Jesse G. Biven, who died at the age of 94 on Nov. 1, 1962.

The last surviving Indian Wars veteran was Fredrak Fraske, who passed away at the age of 101 on June 18, 1973.

America's last Spanish America War veteran was Nathan E. Cook, who died on Sept. 10, 1992 at the age of 106.

Eighteen year old Anna Williams, a Philadelphia, Pa. schoolteacher, posed for the famous Morgan Silver Dollar, and lost her job as a result.

PGER John K. Tener of the Charleroi Elks Lodge, was a right handed pitcher with the Chicago White Stockings in 1888 and 1889.

Frank Gasparro, who designed and engraved the highly-detailed reverse of the Lincoln Memorial Penny in 1959, was a resident of Haverford, Pa.

Herbert S. Kirk, a native of New Castle, Pa., was the last WW I Navy Pilot. He passed away on Oct. 3, 2001, at the age of 106.

The longest combat Bombing Mission in history was on October 10, 2001, when a B-2 from Whiteman AFB flew to Kabul, Afghanistan and back in 44 hours.

On October 10, 2001, Ronald Reagan became the longest lived President in U. S. History, exceeding the life-span of John Adams.

One of the five American Flags that hung in the Presidential Box at Ford's Theater is hanging in the Pike County, Pa. Historical Society in Milford. The flag, used to cradle Lincoln's head, carries the bloodstains to this day, and is reported to have been the flag that John Wilkes Booth caught his foot on as he lept from the box.

Born on Dec. 8, 1888, Jeannette Lavelle was the first child born in the newly formed town of Jeannette, PA. The first male baby was John W. Kuntz, born on Dec. 17, 1888.

On October 23, 1861, Chief Justice Stephen J, Field of California sent the first transcontintental telegraph message to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC.

On October 23, 1940, the standard work week of 40 hours was begun.

Joe Nacchio, a baker employed by the Federal Baking Company in Phildelphia, PA, made the world's largest pretzel. It weighed in at 40 pounds, and was five feet across.

Max C. Floto, a Charter Member of the Connellsville, Pa. American Legion Post in 1919, is acknowledged as the "father" of America's "Veteran's Day."

In 1951, Pennsylvania officially allowed the sale of colored margerine in stores.

President Abraham Lincoln's Death Mask is on display at the Soldiers and Sailors Hall in the Oakland Section of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Private Richard Montgomery, a member of the 155th Pennsylvania Volunteers, was the last Union enlisted man to died the fighting in Virginia during the Civil War.

The last of the original 1940 Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Booths, Exit 15 at Blue Mountain, is preserved at the Smithsonian.

On March 18, 1960, the USS SPIKEFISH (SS-404) became the first U. S. submarine to record 10,000 dives.

The Indiana Limestone collonades on the exterior of the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa. are the largest such building columns in the world.

On Feb. 10, 1944, Army Nurse Mary Roberts Wilson became the first female to earn the Silver Star during action at Anzio, Italy.

Pvt. William Patrick Bane, a member of the Ringgold Cavalry (later the 22nd PA Cav.) from Washington County, PA, was the tallest known man in the Civil War at seven feet, two and one half inches.

The wreck of the PRR "RED ARROW" on Feb. 18, 1947, near Altoona, Pa. was one of the nation's worst train wrecks; 47 dead and 131 injured.

Eliot Ness, the leader of the "Untouchables," died on May 16, 1957, at his home in Coudersport, PA.

The last land engagement of the Civil War was Palmito Ranch, Texas on May 12 - 13, 1865; over a month after Lee's surrender at Appamatox, Virginia.

On Jan. 19, 2002, inspired by a cartoon showing Teddy Roosevelt refusing to shoot a trapped bear while hunting, Brooklyn candy store owner Morris Michtom made the first "Teddy Bear."

On Friday, Oct. 11, 1940, the "SS CITY OF RAYVILLE" was sunk by a German mine off Cape Otway in Bass Strait, Australia; the first U. S. merchant vessel sunk in World War II.

(Return to the Pennsylvania Elks Home Page)

Visit Pennsylvania. We love it and you will too!