The City of Buffalo is the oldest historical core municipality, with many of our housing predating 1940. As such, it comes as no surprise that the Queen City has plenty of rich history to share! There are certain facts that most everyone knows about the 716: we invented the chicken wing, we get a lot of snow, and our sports teams have an infuriating knack for missing out on playoff games. Here are 9 things you probably didn't know about the history of Buffalo. Enjoy!
1. The Statler Hotel was the first in the world to have bathing areas and running water in each room.
You know what they say about cleanliness!
2. The first man executed by electric chair was a Buffalo native.
He was sentenced for the murder of his wife.
3. The Ellicott Square building was once the largest office building in the world.
This beauty of a Buffalo building was constructed in 1896.
4. When the British burned down the City of Buffalo in 1813, only three buildings were left standing.
One of which was the city jail.
5. There have been over 200 movies filmed in or near Buffalo.
Some of the latest include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, The Purge, and an upcoming film, Clover.
6. The Buffalo Bills were never supposed to be based out of Buffalo.
Ralph Wilson initially wanted his team to play in Miami. There definitely wouldn't have been any snowy scenes like this had that been the case!
7. Buffalo once had more millionaires per capita than any other city.
Hence our famous Millionaire's Row!
8. The only building in the United States with more columns than the Albright-Knox Art Gallery is the Capitol Building.
No wonder it's one of the most beautiful buildings in Buffalo!
9. The first implantable cardiac pacemaker was invented in a barn workshop near Buffalo.
Which of these fun facts did you already know about Buffalo? Do you have any other excellent tidbits of trivia to share? We'd love to hear about them in the comments!
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