Charleston is one of America’s most historic cities and is often referred to as a living museum. Even the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian has a special exhibit featuring the Holy City. Among other things, Charleston is famous for many “firsts”.

Here are a few.

America's first:
First European settlement – 1526

First slave revolt – November 1526
First American-built ship to cross the Atlantic – 1563 
First public library – November 16, 1700
First professional female artist – 1707 
First opera performed – February 18, 1735 
First fire insurance company – February 3, 1736 
First building constructed solely for use as a theater – February 12, 1736 
First systematic, scientific recording of weather information – April 1737 
First major slave insurrection – September 9, 1739 
First musical society – 1762 
First cotton exported to England – 1764 
First public museum – January 1773 
First black Baptist Church – 1773 
Oldest municipal Chamber of Commerce in continuous operation – December 9, 1773 
First business publication – July 30, 1774 
First independent government in the colonies – March 1776 
First major naval battle of the Revolutionary War – June 28, 1776 
First treaty between two US states – May 20, 1777 
First eminent architect born in America – 1781 
First golf club – September 29, 1786 
First cotton mill – 1789 
First ice transported commercially – 1799 
First tea planted – 1802 
First fireproof building – 1823 
First Reform Jewish Congregation – November 21, 1824 
First regularly scheduled rail passenger service – December 25, 1830 
First municipal college – 1836 
First trial in a worker's compensation lawsuit – July 1838 
First building to be used solely as a college library – May 6, 1840 
First patent for a mechanical refrigerator – May 6, 1851 
First state to secede – December 20, 1860 
First shot fired in the Civil War – January 9, 1861 
First black Civil War regiment – November 1862 
First black to earn a Medal of Honor – July 18, 1863 
First submarine to sink a ship in battle – February 17, 1864 
First black state supreme court associate justice – February 1, 1870 
First commercial tea farm – 1890 
First totally electric textile plant – 1893 
First textile school established in a college – 1899 
First rivetless cargo ship – February 1930 
First Historical Zoning Ordinance – Oct 13, 1931 
First US senator elected by write-in vote – November 2, 1954 
First Independent Flag of the Colonies - 1775 
First Golf Course - 1786 
First Music Store - 1819 
First Female Pirate 
First Fire proof Building 
First Landscaped Gardens 
First Drug Store 
First Artificial Ice