Originator or Imitator? An Informal Quiz

Being first doesn’t guarantee long term success for the company that originated a product or business model. Sometimes it’s the imitator and not the originator that succeeds over the long haul.

What Chain Originated the Supermarket in America?
Was it one of the big three, Albertson’s, Safeway or Kroger? Maybe it was Piggly Wiggly or some chain you’ve never heard of.

If you guessed Piggly Wiggly you’d be close (they were the second chain). The first true supermarket in the United States was the King Kullen grocery company, founded by Michael J. Cullen on August 4, 1930. When Cullen died in 1936, there were 17 stores in operation around New York City.

Source: Food Marketing Institute (www.fmi.org)

What was America’s First Hamburger Chain?
Did McDonald’s spark the hamburger craze in America? How about Wendy’s? Burger King, perhaps? Don’t be too quick to pick, you might be surprised.

The advent of the automobile drove the spread of the hamburger across the American landscape. The White Castle burger chain first got sizzling in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 under the supervision of Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram. By 1930 there were more than 100 restaurants, all serving the exact same burger.

Source: National Public Radio (www.npr.org)

What was the First Commercial Personal Computer in the US?
Apple Computer and IBM slugged it out for PC supremacy in the early 1980s, with IBM eventually ceding its share of the business to the likes of Gateway and Dell. But which was first, Apple or IBM? Or neither?

Most people would guess either Apple or IBM, but the true chip pioneer was a little known device called the Altair 8800 designed by engineer Ed Roberts in 1974 and featured on the cover of Popular Electronics magazine in January of 1975. The day the magazine came out, five people called Roberts about the computer; at the end of the week he was getting 30 calls a day. He based his personal computer on new, inexpensive microprocessors from Intel, and sold it to electronics hobbyists for around $500. Roberts expected to sell about 800 machines a year but interest waned and the Altair 8800 (named after a fictional planet from an episode of Start Trek) soon became relegated to history.

Source: Public Broadcasting System (pbs.org)

What was the First Department Store Chain?
Recent mergers in the department store sector have spelled the end of many venerable chains. Names like Macy’s, Kaufmann’s, Bloomingdale’s, Lazarus, May Company, and Marshall Fields have been around since the 19th century. Was one of those the first department store chain?

The first retail chain in America was actually the discount “five and dime” chain operated by F.W. Woolworth in the mid 19th century. As far as larger stores go, Macy’s can claim the title of first department store chain. Founder RH Macy started a “dry goods” store in New York City in 1858. Following the now-defunct A.T. Stewart store, Macy expanded his business to become one of New York’s biggest retailers, soon followed by stores such as B. Altman, Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdale’s, among others. Macy’s was one of the first department store chains to open branch stores, and with it’s recent acquisitions is on track to become the largest department store chain in America.

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)

What was the First Cola Drink?
This should be easy. It’s either Coke or Pepsi, right? Or could it be Dr. Pepper? Royal Crown, maybe?

Soft drink historians claim that the first cola-flavored beverage was introduced to America in 1881, although no name is attributed to the beverage. In 1885 Charles Aderton invented "Dr Pepper" in Waco, Texas. Whether Dr. Pepper is actually a cola may be debatable, but Dr. John S. Pemberton invented "Coca-Cola" in Atlanta, Georgia in 1886. Pepsi-Cola, which was invented by Caleb Bradham, wasn’t introduced until 1898.

Source: About.com