What do salt water taffy, guide dogs for the blind, and golf tees have in common? They all got their start in New Jersey, of course! Now you can learn about the origins of these and hundreds of other products, events, and inventions in this entertaining, informative look at a wide spectrum of "firsts" accomplished by New Jersey residents. New Jersey Firsts will make you realize just how much we all have to thank New Jersey for!

Elizabeth, New Jersey is a city of firsts: first English-speaking colony in the state, first state capital, first home of Princeton University, and the site of the first shots fired after the Declaration of Independence. This impressive history is bolstered by the town's production of the first U.S. Navy submarine, Singer sewing machine, and ice cream soda, but these triumphs should not overshadow the hardships endured along the way. With no precedent to guide the way, the industrious people of Elizabeth built traditions rather than uphold them, and for nearly 340 years this community has forged its own path against the landscape without losing its small-town flavor. Elizabeth: The First Capital of New Jersey is the uplifting record of the people who settled land and built homes, many of which are still populated by their descendants. Tales of the sacrifices of a rich colonial history lead seamlessly into stories about the Singer Sewing Machine Company, which changed the face of the city's commerce, and the Morris Turnpike and Central Railroad that form the heart of the transportation industry to which Elizabeth owes much of its economic well being. Presented in both lucid word and striking image, Elizabeth: The First Capital of New Jersey depicts the people, places, and events that secured Elizabeth's well deserved place in the history of America. The hard-working citizens who had the foresight to develop a diverse economic, religious, and cultural base for the "City of Churches" are memorialized in this new volume.

Devastated when her best friend moves away, sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling feels isolated at school and at home, as she struggles to deal with her father's obsession with her track meets, her boy-crazy peers, and her own nonexistent love life.

This lively romp through history, from the primitive past to the present day, provides a lens by which to view American history through lively prose and more than 25 illustrations.

The classic book about Ocean City's founding and history is now available as a newly re-designed hardcover, with all the fascinating photos and text of the popular original. The roots of this unique seaside community are explored in stories and historical photographs in 21 chapters. Author Tim Cain examines Ocean City's past -- the religious founding of the town; the Boardwalk, and the Music Pier; the resort's glamorous royal family -- Princess Grace and the Kellys; the lifeguarding tradition; shipwrecks, coastal storms, and the Sindia; Ocean City's famous moments, firsts, and facts, and much more.

Many Americans are familiar with Thomas Edison's "invention factory" in Menlo Park, where he patented the phonograph, the light bulb and more than one thousand other items. Yet many other ideas have grown in the Garden State, too. New Jerseyans brought sound and music to movies and built the very first drive-in theater. In addition to the first cultivated blueberry, tasty treats like ice cream cones and M&Ms are also Jersey natives. Iconic aspects of American life, like the batting cage, catcher's mask and even professional baseball itself, started in New Jersey. Life would be a lot harder without the vacuum cleaner, plastic and Band-Aids, and many important advances in medicine and surgery were also developed here. Join author Linda Barth as she explores groundbreaking, useful, fun and even silly inventions and their New Jersey roots.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Garden State can now be found in one place. This encyclopaedia contains a wealth of information from New Jersey's prehistory to the present covering architecture, arts, biographies, commerce, arts, municipalities and much more.

Uses primary source documents to provide an in-depth look into the history of the colony of New Jersey and includes a timeline, glossary, and primary source image list.