Below is a list of events that occurred first in Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester firsts
1776 – July 14, the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Massachusetts by Isaiah Thomas in Worcester. 1840 – The monkey wrench was invented by Loring Coes of the Coes Knife Company. 1847 – The first commercial valentine card was mass-produced in Worcester by Esther Howland.Valentine Exhibition- Origins of the Valentine 1848 – Worcester blacksmith Albert Tolman is said to have invented the rickshaw for a missionary traveling to South America. (There are, however, numerous other theories about the origin of the rickshaw.) 1850 – October 23 and 24, the National Women's Rights Convention was first held in Worcester. 1855 – Worcester resident Joshua C. Stoddard invented the steam calliope. 1867 – Candy Cummings is reputed to have thrown the first ever curveball pitch in Worcester while playing for the Brooklyn Stars. 1880 – June 12, Lee Richmond of the Worcester Worcesters pitched the first perfect game in Major League Baseball history. 1892 – The founding meeting of the American Psychological Association was held at Clark University. 1895 – Worcester resident Henry Perky became the first to mass-produce shredded wheat. 1902 – Albert A. Michelson, chairman of Clark University's Physics Department, was named America's first Nobel Prize winner for his experiments relating to his calculation of the speed of light.Albert Abraham Michelson 1852-1931 1914 – Dr. Robert H. Goddard of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's class of 1908 and later Clark University patented the first liquid fuel rocket. 1963 – Harvey Ball designed the world famous Smiley face. 2010 – The David Clark Company designed and built a pressure suit for Felix Baumgartner's world-record skydive attempt.
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