Baltimore City is the first American city to install public gaslight. The innovation is born when Rembrandt Peale brings gaslight to his museum galleries in 1816. The Baltimore mayor and other dignitaries are so impressed with Peale’s gaslighting demonstration, they soon found a company in 1817 to light the streets as a means to lower crime. The ancestor of the present Baltimore Gas and Electric Company is born.
Johns Hopkins Hospital opens
Johns Hopkins Hospital opens in 1889, creating the first modern medical school. Local women donate funds, provided it agrees to admit women. The Hospital accepts African American patients in segregated wards. Many medical firsts follow.
