Ten List | Hamilton Firsts

1. Canada’s first sewage treatment plant was developed in 1898 in Hamilton. By 1913, Hamilton had the largest sewage treatment system in North America.

2. June 11, 1925 saw the first traffic lights in Canada go into operation at the Delta; where King and Main connect near Gage Park.

3. McMaster University became home to the first privately owned nuclear reactor in Canada in 1959.

4. Hamilton laid claim to the first public water drinking fountains in Canada in 1914.

5. In 1878, Hamilton became home to the first telephone exchange in the British Commonwealth.

6. The first matches in the country were made by Hamilton’s Green family in the early 1830’s.

7. Lifesavers (the candy) were invented by the Beechnut Company of Hamilton in 1933.

8. Westinghouse in Hamilton was the first company to manufacture electric air cleaners in 1944.

9. Solomon Robinson, John Robinson and John Lewison produced the first ice cream cone in Canada at the King Street factory in 1908.

10. The Lister Block (first built in 1886, rebuilt in 1924 and restored again in 2012) was Canada’s first indoor commercial mall.

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