Several trades and professions we know today look nothing like their original incarnations. In fact, many have morphed so dramatically that their early days would be almost unrecognizable. Could you imagine that the world’s first airline never flew a plane? That the earliest fuel stop was actually a pharmacy? Or that funeral directors once ran the first ambulance services?
10 trades professions: A Quick Overview
10 Funeral Homes Operated The First Ambulance Services
During the American Civil War, funeral establishments stepped in to provide the earliest ambulance operations, ferrying wounded soldiers to field hospitals. Those primitive ambulances were essentially hearses equipped with a stretcher, a blanket, and a bottle of whiskey serving as crude anesthesia. Over time, oxygen tanks were added, and the staff learned basic lifesaving techniques, effectively becoming the first paramedics.
The vehicles were, in fact, the same horse‑drawn hearses used to transport corpses to cemeteries. These larger carriages were necessary because ordinary horse‑drawn wagons were too short to allow a patient to lie flat.
Interestingly, funeral houses weren’t primarily motivated by saving lives or even charging hefty fees. More than half of the families they served never paid for the transport. The real profit lay in the subsequent burial services, as the funeral home that delivered the ambulance was most likely to be hired for the interment.
The practice ended after Congress enacted the Highway Safety Act of 1966, which imposed strict standards on ambulance design and mandated trained medical personnel. Funeral homes could not meet the new regulations, so they ceded the business to hospitals and dedicated ambulance companies.
9 The First Gas Station Was A Pharmacy
In August 1888, Bertha Benz, wife of automobile pioneer Karl Benz, embarked on the inaugural long‑distance motor‑car journey, traveling from Mannheim to Pforzheim with her two sons. She piloted the Patent‑Motorwagen No. 3, the vehicle her husband had built.
Karl was initially reluctant to market the car, and when Bertha suggested a publicity trip, he refused. Undeterred, she set off without his permission, only informing him later via a letter. The journey was riddled with breakdowns, which Bertha skillfully repaired herself.
The biggest hurdle appeared when she ran out of fuel. She walked to a local pharmacy in Wiesloch and bought Ligroin—a petroleum solvent used for cleaning at the time—that served as the car’s fuel. This pharmacy is now recognized as the world’s first filling station. Soon after, other pharmacies stocked Ligroin and later gasoline, supplying motorists until purpose‑built gas stations emerged.
8 The First Motels Were Unbelievably Luxurious
Motels are often associated with budget lodging, but the very first ones were opulent hotel‑like complexes built around automobile parking. Arthur Heineman, noticing that conventional hotels lacked adequate parking for the newly popular car, erected the Milestone Mo‑Tel Inn in 1925 near San Luis Obispo, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The establishment featured a series of bungalows, each with its own garage, allowing up to 160 guests overall. A night’s stay cost $1.25, and owners could park their cars right beside their rooms. Separate quarters were also provided for chauffeurs, should travelers employ one.
Heineman invested $80,000—a fortune at the time—to equip the motel with central heating, private showers, a bell tower, and other upscale amenities that would be foreign to today’s roadside inns. He envisioned a chain of 18 such motels across California, but the Great Depression curtailed his expansion plans.
When the economy recovered, competitors entered the market, sparking price wars that quickly transformed motels into the economical, no‑frills accommodations familiar to modern travelers.
7 The World’s First Airline Used A Fleet Of Airships
Deutsche Luftschiffahrts‑Aktiengesellschaft, better known as DELAG, holds the distinction of being the globe’s inaugural airline. Founded on November 16, 1909 as a subsidiary of the Zeppelin Company, DELAG’s fleet consisted exclusively of rigid airships rather than airplanes.
Although DELAG did not commence scheduled passenger service until 1919—offering routes between Berlin and southern Germany—it had earlier operated sightseeing tours for the public eager to experience high‑altitude travel.
The parent Zeppelin firm created DELAG to generate an additional revenue stream, fearing that military contracts alone might not sustain the company. DELAG continued operating until 1935, when changing market conditions led to its dissolution.
6 The World’s First Commercial Airline Used Airboats That Flew 1.5 Meters (5 Ft) Above The Water
While DELAG pioneered airline operations, it did not provide regular commercial flights until after World War I. The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line, launched in 1913, claims the title of the first scheduled commercial airline.
The carrier shuttled passengers across Tampa Bay using the two‑seat “Lark of Duluth,” an airboat that took off and landed on water, maintaining an altitude of merely 1.5 meters (about five feet) above the surface. The pilot occupied one seat, while one or two passengers cramped into the other.
The inaugural flight occurred on January 1, 1914, carrying former St. Petersburg mayor Abram C. Pheil, who secured the ticket by winning a $400 auction. Subsequent travelers paid $5 per trip.
This service dramatically cut travel time: the 29‑kilometre (18‑mile) crossing took just 23 minutes, compared with two hours by steamship, four to twelve hours by train, and roughly twenty hours by automobile. Despite its success, the line folded later that same year.
5 Barbershops Doubled As Operating Rooms
Until the 18th century, barbers also performed surgical procedures, operating under the joint guild known as the Company of Barber‑Surgeons. They handled ailments that physicians shunned, such as syphilis, and even extracted teeth—functions that today we associate with dentistry.
Bloodletting, a now‑discredited practice intended to purge disease, was a staple service offered by many barbers. Some historians suggest this is why modern barbers display the iconic red‑and‑white pole: the red symbolizing blood, the white representing bandages—though the theory remains debated.Barbers frequently advertised their bloodletting by leaving bowls of fresh blood in their shop windows, a vivid reminder of their medical role. Over time, surgeons grew uneasy sharing the profession and lobbied for separation. In 1745, the guild finally split, allowing surgeons to form an independent body.
4 The First Newspapers Were Books
Before the familiar daily broadsheet, news circulated in pamphlets, corantos, and especially newsbooks—small volumes that bound together multiple pamphlets. These newsbooks resembled ordinary books, complete with title pages, and were printed and sold like any other publication.
Early newsbooks typically focused on single events—battles, disasters, or celebrations—rather than offering a roundup of diverse stories. The earliest recognized newspaper, however, was produced by Johann Carolus in Strasbourg, Germany, and began distribution in September 1605.
Carolus titled his weekly paper “Relation aller Furnemmen und gedenckwurdigen Historien.” Unlike its predecessors, this publication covered a broader range of topics, spanning four to six pages per issue, establishing the template for modern journalism.
3 The First Movie Was Only 2.11 Seconds Long
Today’s feature films routinely run two hours or more, but the inaugural motion picture lasted a mere 2.11 seconds. That brief clip, titled Roundhay Garden Scene, was captured in 1888 by French inventor Louis Le Prince.
The film simply shows Le Prince’s son Adolphe, along with a few friends and relatives, strolling through a garden. Le Prince created the footage while testing a new camera he had designed.
It’s worth noting that an earlier visual experiment, “The Horse In Motion,” was produced in 1878—a full decade before Le Prince’s work. However, that earlier effort consisted of a series of photographs taken with multiple cameras and later assembled into a moving sequence, and thus is not considered a true film.
2 The First Psychiatric Hospitals Were Private Businesses
Early mental‑health institutions, known then as lunatic asylums, began as for‑profit enterprises run by unscrupulous owners who cared more about revenue than patient welfare. Conditions were often as grim as prisons, with patients subjected to harsh treatments.
Before these private asylums appeared, families typically cared for mentally ill relatives at home. The first private facilities emerged in the 1600s, offering a grim but convenient alternative for overwhelmed families.
Operators employed brutal methods—iron restraints and horse‑like whipping—to control patients, mirroring the treatment of obstinate livestock. While some churches ran modest, nonprofit asylums, they could not accommodate the growing demand, leaving many families with no choice but the profit‑driven establishments.
The tide turned in the late 18th century as more humane, publicly funded lunatic asylums began to appear. By the 1800s, government‑built institutions replaced the private outfits, eventually evolving into the modern psychiatric hospitals we know today.
1 Priests And Medicine Men Were The First Barbers
Barbering traces its roots back over 6,000 years, originating with priests and healers who performed hair‑cutting as part of religious rites. Ancient peoples believed that spirits entered the body through the scalp, so a haircut was a sacred act meant to trap benevolent spirits and expel malevolent ones.
Individuals would allow their hair to grow long, inviting “good” spirits, then partake in elaborate ceremonies where the hair was trimmed, symbolically locking those spirits in place. This practice gradually faded during Egypt’s ancient era, when regular shaving became common to maintain cleanliness in the hot climate.