The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast uncovers the “firsts” that helped shape the nation—each one rooted in Philadelphia’s remarkable history. Each week, our host sits down with a special guest to explore one groundbreaking first, from the first professional basketball league and the nation’s first zoo, to the first public showing of a motion picture and beyond. Short, lively, and packed with fascinating stories, every episode connects these historic milestones to the present, showing how Philadelphia’s innovations continue to shape our everyday lives.

The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 33 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast, a arts show with 33 episodes published.

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  Episode #34

  First Selfie

  Aug 24, 202623 min

  Every day, thousands of people stand in front of Philadelphia's historic markers, taking a photo of themselves without a second thought. The first person to do it sat perfectly still for fifteen minutes in a backyard on 8th Street – and he wasn't making art, he was running an experiment. This episode traces how Robert Cornelius, a lamp manufacturer with a chemistry habit, took the first photographic self-portrait in America and accidentally started something we're all still doing. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Dr. Erin Pauwels, art historian at Temple's Tyler School of Art and Architecture.

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  Episode #33

  First U.S. Mint

  Aug 17, 202619 min

  A brand-new country had a Constitution, a president, and a capital city, but no money of its own. This episode tells the story of the first United States Mint, built in Philadelphia in 1792. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by John Kraljevich, Director of Numismatic Americana at Stack's Bowers Galleries and one of the country's leading specialists in early American coins and medals.

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  Episode #32

  First Zoo in America

  Aug 10, 202621 min

  This episode tells the story of how a Philadelphia physician, inspired by a single visit to the London Zoo, spent fifteen years – and outlasted a Civil War – to give America its very first zoo. Marisa Magnatta is joined by Dani Hogan, conservation educator and Director of Mission Integration at the Philadelphia Zoo, who helps bring the Zoo's animals and science to the public and has represented it in a national coalition of zoos, aquariums, and museums.

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  Episode #31

  First Scientific Society of Natural History

  Aug 3, 202622 min

  This episode tells the origin story of the Academy of Natural Sciences – the oldest natural science research institution in America, and the place that helped turn “scientist” from an eccentric pastime into a real calling. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Amber Redfield, naturalist, paleontologist, and educator for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

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  Episode #30

  First Art School & Museum in America

  Jul 27, 202621 min

  This episode tells the story of the first art school and museum in America - now known as Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Marisa Magnatta is joined by Leah Triplett, Curator of Contemporary Art at PAFA and co-curator of A Nation of Artists, the landmark new exhibition celebrating American art as the country turns 250.

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