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Numerous professions today have undergone such drastic changes since their beginnings that their origins might be difficult to picture. For instance, it's hard to imagine that the first airline didn't even operate airplanes, the original gas station was actually a pharmacy, and funeral homes were the ones that managed the earliest ambulance services.
Many professions and trades have peculiar beginnings, often stemming from other industries. Some only gained clear definitions and structures long after their initial appearance, while in other cases, technological advancements brought about entirely new methods.
10. Funeral Homes Were in Charge of the First Ambulance Services
Funeral homes were responsible for launching the first ambulance services during the US Civil War, helping transport injured soldiers to hospitals. Initially, the ambulances were equipped with only a stretcher, a blanket, and a bottle of whiskey for anesthesia. Over time, improvements such as oxygen were added, and the crew also learned life-saving techniques, becoming the first paramedics.
The vehicles used as ambulances were actually hearses—the same ones employed by funeral homes to carry the deceased to cemeteries. These hearses were suitable since typical horse-drawn carriages weren’t long enough to accommodate patients lying down.
Interestingly, funeral homes weren’t truly focused on saving lives or even on the fees they charged. More than half of their clients didn't even pay. The main profit came from the death of the client, as the funeral home that operated the ambulance was usually the one to be chosen for the burial arrangements.
Funeral homes ceased offering ambulance services following the enactment of the Highway Safety Act in 1966. This law set new regulations on the types of vehicles that could serve as ambulances and required trained staff. Funeral homes couldn’t meet these standards, leading hospitals and other services to take over the role.
9. The First Gas Station Was Actually a Pharmacy
In early August 1888, Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz (who invented the first practical automobile), made history by completing the first road trip in a motorcar. She and her two sons drove from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother in Germany. The car she drove was the Patent-Motorwagen No. 3, built by her husband.
At the time, Karl Benz struggled to market his vehicle. When Bertha proposed making a road trip to promote it, he declined. Undaunted, Bertha and her sons set off without his permission. Karl only discovered their adventure when he received a letter from her saying she had left for her mother’s.
The vehicle experienced several breakdowns, but Bertha managed the repairs herself. Her biggest obstacle came when she ran out of fuel. She walked to a local pharmacy and bought Ligroin, a petroleum-based solvent used as fuel at the time. The pharmacy kept it in stock for cleaning purposes.
The pharmacy in Wiesloch, where Bertha purchased fuel, is considered the world’s first filling station. Following her trip, other pharmacies began selling Ligroin, and later gasoline, to car owners until proper gas stations were established. Bertha’s journey made headlines, helping to establish her husband’s car as a reliable mode of transportation.
8. The First Motels Were Surprisingly Opulent
Motels are typically more affordable than budget hotels, but the original motels were never designed to be low-cost. In fact, the first motels were essentially hotels with parking garages for automobile travelers. That’s how they got their name: 'motels' (motor hotels).
Arthur Heineman built the first motel in 1925. As cars became more common in the US, Heineman noticed that traditional hotels lacked sufficient parking for guests with vehicles. He decided to build the first motel in San Luis Obispo, located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and called it the Milestone Mo-Tel Inn.
The motel consisted of several bungalows with garages, providing accommodations for up to 160 guests. The price for a night’s stay was $1.25. Car owners parked their vehicles in the garages while they rested in nearby rooms. The motel even offered separate rooms for chauffeurs in case the guest had one.
Heineman invested $80,000 into constructing his motel, which featured amenities like central heating, showers, a bell tower, and other costly additions that would be unrecognizable in today’s motels. He had plans to establish a chain of 18 motels across California, but the onset of the Great Depression forced him to scale back his ambitions.
When the Great Depression ended, a wave of competitors emerged, eager to capture a share of the market. This sparked a series of price wars that quickly transformed motels into basic, budget accommodations, abandoning the luxurious amenities they once offered.
7. The First Airline in the World Operated Airships, Not Airplanes
Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (known as DELAG, or the 'German Airship Transportation Corporation Ltd.') was the world’s inaugural airline, founded on November 16, 1909, as a subsidiary of the Zeppelin Company, the famous German airship manufacturer. It’s no surprise that DELAG operated a fleet of airships rather than airplanes.
DELAG did not commence regular flights until 1919, when it began operating routes between Berlin and southern Germany. Prior to that, it offered scenic flights for tourists who wanted to experience a bird’s-eye view of the Earth.
The Zeppelin Company established DELAG to create a secondary source of revenue. Before that, the Zeppelin Company had primarily focused on selling its airships to the German military, but it was uncertain whether the military would purchase enough airships to keep the company profitable. DELAG continued to operate until 1935.
6. The World’s First Commercial Airline Flew Airboats Just 1.5 Meters (5 Ft) Above the Water
As we mentioned earlier, DELAG—the world’s first airline—did not offer regular commercial flights until 1919. This makes The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line, founded in 1913, the first airline to provide scheduled flights.
The airline operated regular flights between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, using a two-seat airboat known as the Lark of Duluth. An airboat is a type of airplane that takes off and lands on water. The Lark of Duluth had room for only two people: the pilot in one seat and one or two passengers squeezed into the other. The plane itself flew just 1.5 meters (5 ft) above the water.
The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line’s inaugural flight took place on January 1, 1914, with Abram C. Pheil, former mayor of St. Petersburg, as the first passenger. Pheil won his seat by bidding $400 in an auction, and later passengers paid $5 for a one-way trip.
The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line proved successful by completing the 29-kilometer (18 mi) journey in just 23 minutes. At the time, steamships required two hours to cover the same distance, trains took between 4 to 12 hours, and cars needed around 20 hours. Unfortunately, the airboat service was short-lived and ceased operations in 1914.
5. Barbershops Were Also Used as Operating Rooms
Barbers once also served as surgeons until just a few centuries ago. The two professions were so intertwined that they shared a single association called the Company of Barber-Surgeons, which operated from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Barbers treated ailments like syphilis, which doctors of the time avoided, and performed tooth extractions, essentially making them dentists as well.
Many barbers practiced bloodletting, a now-debunked and outdated practice where blood was drained from a person to cure illnesses. Some believe this is why barbers are associated with red-and-white poles outside their shops: the red symbolizes blood and the white represents bandages. However, this explanation is debated.
We do know that barbers used to promote their bloodletting services by displaying bowls of blood in their shop windows. This practice made some surgeons uncomfortable, and they fought to distance themselves from barbers. Their efforts succeeded in 1745 when the Company of Barber-Surgeons was officially split.
4. The First Newspapers Were Actually Books
Newspapers have evolved over time, originating as pamphlets, corantos, and newsbooks. These early forms laid the foundation for modern newspapers, with newsbooks being the closest ancestors. They were collections of multiple news pamphlets bound together into small books, published like regular books, and even featured title pages.
Unlike today's newspapers, which cover a wide range of topics, newsbooks and pamphlets typically focused on single events, such as battles, disasters, and celebrations. The first publication that resembled a modern newspaper was created by Johann Carolus and sold in Strasbourg, Germany, in September 1605.
Carolus named his publication Relation aller Furnemmen und gedenckwurdigen Historien. Like its predecessors, it was a newsbook, but it included a variety of news stories. Carolus’s weekly newspaper spanned 4–6 pages.
3. Priests and Medicine Men Were the First Barbers
Barbering has been around for over 6,000 years, with priests and medicine men taking on the additional task of hair cutting. During this time, people believed that spirits could enter the body through the head, making haircuts a part of a spiritual ritual.
People would often grow their hair long to invite good spirits into their bodies. They then performed elaborate religious ceremonies where the hair was cut to trap the good spirits in and keep the bad ones out. This belief faded during the ancient Egyptian Empire when shaving heads became common for cleanliness due to the heat and sweating.
2. The First Psychiatric Hospitals Were Private Businesses
The early psychiatric hospitals, often known as lunatic asylums, were privately owned, profit-driven businesses. These institutions were run by unscrupulous entrepreneurs who prioritized money over patient care, subjecting those under their care to poor conditions, often worse than those of prisons.
Before the establishment of the first lunatic asylums, mentally ill individuals were often cared for by their families at home. Managing their condition was no simple task, and many families found some relief when private, for-profit lunatic asylums began to emerge in the 1600s.
The operators of these early asylums used harsh and primitive methods on their patients. They restrained them with irons and used brutal techniques, similar to those applied to rebellious horses, to keep them in control. Although some churches ran more humane, nonprofit lunatic asylums, they couldn't accommodate enough patients. As a result, most families resorted to sending their mentally ill relatives to these for-profit institutions.
These for-profit asylums began to decline in the 1790s as more humane facilities appeared. They eventually went out of business when the government took over by establishing public lunatic asylums in the 1800s. These institutions were later renamed psychiatric hospitals.
1. The First Movie Was Only 2.11 Seconds Long
While we expect our movies to run for around two hours today, the first movie was an astonishing 2.11 seconds long. No mistake—just 2.11 seconds. Titled Roundhay Garden Scene, this brief film was created by French inventor Louis Le Prince in 1888.
Roundhay Garden Scene is a short video showing Louis’s son, Adolphe, along with several friends and family members, casually strolling through a garden. Louis Le Prince filmed this while experimenting with a new video camera he had invented.
To clarify, an earlier piece of footage called The Horse In Motion was made in 1878—10 years prior to Louis Le Prince's creation. However, The Horse In Motion is not considered a true film as it was produced using multiple photo cameras that were synchronized to capture images of a horse galloping. These photos were then combined into a single video.
