Liverpool Firsts

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Liverpool and Merseyside is famous for many reasons, the Beatles, football, the Grand National and the docks for example, but the area has given the world so much more. Below is selection of Merseyside's 'firsts' and a mere crumb from the region's slice of world achievement and history.

Firsts Forum

We have a new discussion Forum dedicated to Mersey Firsts. So if you know of a first we haven't covered or want to discuss one of the following, get posting.

UK Firsts

• Dixie Dean (Everton FC). With 82 goals scored in one season (1927-28 season), Mr Dean has the all time goal scoring record in top flight football.
• Largest Children's Hospital. Alder Hey Hospital, Eaton Road is the largest in Europe, as well as boasting the longest mural in the world.
• Albert Dock, Liverpool. The largest group of grade one listed buildings in the country
• First Pub. Located on the Dock Road, the pub was opened in 1875 so dockers could eat and drink near the workplace (not alcohol though).
• Guide Dogs. The UK's first Guide dog training centre was opened in Wallasey in 1931.
• Canals. The Sankey Canal was the first artificial inland waterway built in the UK since Roman times.
• First Lending Library in Europe. The Lyceum building in Bold Street (now Life Bar) was the first lending library in Europe when it began its operations in 1757.
• Radio Merseyside. Has more listeners than any other local radio station in the whole of the county.
• Televised Sport. Liverpool FC were the first ever team to be televised on BBC's Match of the Day.
• Football. A derby game between Liverpool & Everton in the 1920's was the first ever football match where the both sides came out on to the pitch together.
• The Football Pools. Both Littlewoods and Vernons come from the city of Liverpool.
• First Seaman's Charity. First opened in 1679 to build almshouses.
• Rugby. Liverpool Rugby club is the oldest in the world.
• Scrap Metal?. The port of Liverpool exports more scrap metal overseas than ay other port in the UK

World Firsts

• Wurlitzer Organ. The Wurlitzer organ was first invented by a man from the Birkenhead but he lost all claims to its design when he visited the US company Wurlitzer.
• Discovery of Diabetes. Discovered by Dr Matthew Dobson of Harrington Street, Liverpool in 1776.
• First Ever Passenger Railway. Was born in 1830 between Liverpool and Manchester
• School of Tropical Medicine. The worlds first was opened in 1898 and was successful in discovering that Malaria could be passed on by the bite of the Mosquito.
• Boy Scouts. Birkenhead was the home of the first ever scouts group way back in 1908.
• Atlantic Telegraph. Liverpool carried out and financed the first ever Atlantic telegraph cable in 1886 by Great Eastern and chief engineer Cyrus Field.
• Underwriting. Liverpool boasts the first form of underwriting in the world with the 'Liverpool Underwriters Association' being the worlds first.
• Workhouse. Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, housed the biggest of its kind housing 5000 poor.
• Meccano. Model Trains and the Dinky Toy were invented by Frank Hornby between 1863-1937 and have since been celebrated young boys the world over.
• First Animal Welfare. Opened in 1809 the organisation soon expanded to become in part the RSPCA.
• Lifeboat Service. The world's first ever lifeboat service was created in Formby in the year 1776.
• The First Dock. Opened in 1719 to help co-ordinate water based traffic.
• Clock Faces. The Liver Building has the biggest clock faces in the world.
• First Chemist/Drug Store. Chemist/drugstore are adopted names for the 'dispensary', which the first was opened in 1778 in Princes Street, Liverpool.
• China Town. Liverpool houses the oldest Chinatown in Europe.