History of Cincinnati

Cincinnati was founded in 1788 by John Cleves Symmes and Colonel Robert Patterson. In 1789, Fort Washington, named in honour of George Washington, was built to protect the Northwest Territory.

The birth of a new city

In 1790, Arthur St Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory and the president of the Society of the Cincinnati, changed the name of the settlement to Cincinnati. The society got its name from Cincinnatus, the Roman general who saved Rome from ruin and then quietly withdrew to his farm. The society honoured the ideal of returning to civilian life following a revolution, rather than imposing military rule.

In 1802, Cincinnati was licenced as a village, and in 1819, it became a city. The introduction of steam on the Ohio River and the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal helped the city grow to a population of 115,000 by 1850. Cincinnati was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape from the South.

A city of Firsts

In 1850, Cincinnati became the first city in the United States to establish a Jewish Hospital. It is also where, in 1853, America's first public fire department was established. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the world's first professional baseball team.

Then later, in 1902, the world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper, the Ingalls Building, was built. The Sons of Daniel Boone, a precursor to the Boy Scouts of America, began in Cincinnati in 1905, and WCET-TV was the country’s first licenced public television station, established in 1954.

The Great Depression

Cincinnati survived the Great Depression better than most American cities, largely due to a revival of inexpensive river trade, and downtown Cincinnati was given a face lift in the 1920s.

The city suffered a set-back in 1937, when it was hit by one of the worst floods in the nation's history. The city took a long time to recover and with the onset of war, Cincinnati unveiled a complete urban renewal plan which was to modernise the inner city.

Modern day Cincinnati

The city has continued to grow, seeing a new stadium being built in the 1970s and further revitalisation of the entire city. Today, Cincinnati is a modern and well-maintained city which is popular with tourists, and it offers a number of attractions and historic sights.