DEMOGRAPHIC / RHODE ISLAND FIRSTS

The first law against slavery in North America (1652)

The nation’s oldest tavern building (1673)

The oldest surviving synagogue in North America (1763)

The nation’s first circus (1774)

The first polo game played in the U.S. (1876)

The first torpedo boat ever built (1887)

The nation’s first auto race (1895)

The nation’s first open golf tournament (1895)

The first national lawn tennis championships (1899)

The nation’s first discount department store (Ann and Hope)

The nation’s first state-owned airport (T.F. Green Airport)

The nation’s oldest carousel in Watch Hill

The first American bred horse of the colonial era (Narragansett Pacer)