The following is taken from "Ilion 1852-1952." We thank the Mayor and other officials of Ilion for granting us permission to provide this information to our visitors.

Firsts for Ilion

"Ilion seems to be a healthy place for the development of genius..." Editorial comment. Ilion Citizen 12-31-1875

1. The Remington Armory is first in age, or oldest, of present day gun factories - 1816.

2. E. Remington and Sons was the first to use steel in the fabrication of gun barrels - Early 1820's.

3. E. Remington and Sons was first to manufacture by machinery and to export gun locks in America - 1846.

4. E. Remington and Sons was the first to manufacture and export military firearms. It and its successor, Remington Arms Inc., is also the first in the number of governments supplied; has manufactured the greatest number of patterns of firearms in the world; and has received the greatest number of firearms awards for excellence - 1846 to date.

5. E. Remington and Sons was first to drill gun barrels from a solid bar (Harpers Ferry musket); "then followed the drilling of small-bore barrels from solid steel, the drilling of double-barrel shot-guns from one piece of steel, the drilling of fluid steel and nickel steel barrel all done for the first time in this country at the Ilion shops. Harper's Ferry muskets - 1850.

6. E. Remington and Sons was first to manufacture self-cocking revolver - 1850's.

7. E. Remington and Sons was first to manufacture double action revolvers - 1856.

8. E. Remington and Sons, in 1857, claimed to be first in quality of barrels manufactured - 1857.

9. Remington Armory was first in number of gun barrels for muzzle and breech-loaders manufactured.

10. The first model of a Yale lock, opened with a flat key, was made in Ilion - about 1851.

11. The first machine for cutting, drying and packing matches by one operation was made in the Ilion plant - about 1854.

12. The first woman to have a desk job appointment in a federal government department was from Ilion, Miss Jane Douglass - 1862.

13. The first 100 velocipedes made in the United States were made at the Remington plant - about 1868.

14. The first successful propulsion of canal boats by steam was accomplished by E. Remington and Sons - 1870's.

15. Hoes, rakes and forks were first made by the rolling system at the Remington Agricultural Works - 1870.

16. E. Remington and Sons were the first to manufacture a commercially successful typewriter - 1873.

17. The model of James P. Lee's rifle, the first military rifle with bolt action, was made in Ilion. (Central Box Magazine) - 1870's.

18. The Rabbeth spindle for cotton machinery was invented and first made in the Remington plant - about 1878.

19. E. Remington and Sons introduced the first typewriter, model 2, writing both capital and small letters - 1878.

20. E. Remington and Sons was first to light by electricity, Schenectedy, home of General Electric. Parker Systems were also installed in Utica, Dolgeville, Cohoes, Oswego, Rome and other places - 1880's.

21. The first test for high power ammunition for firearms was made at Ilion - 1880's (?).

22. The hayd tedder was developed at the Remington Agriculture Works - About 1880.

23. The first Woman's Relief Corps in the State of New York was organized in Ilion - 1883.

24. The Ilion Citizen was the first newspaper in the world to be printed by electric power - 1884.

25. The Ilion Citizen was the first newspaper to be set mechanically - 1884.

26. The first Savage gun was made in Ilion - 1885.

27. The first Mauser gun was designed in Ilion - 1885.

28. The drop cabinet for typewriters was invented in the Ilion plant - 1886.

29. The Ilion Citizen was the first newspaper to be justified mechanically - 1893.

30. The Remington Standard Typewriter developed and introduced the first automatic ribbon reverse - 1896.

31. The Remington Standard Typewriter developed and introduced the first decimal tabulator - 1898.

32. The first 220 yard Straightway Race run indoors was run in the Typewriter plant - 1906.

33. The first move and donations toward the Baseball Hall of Fame was started in Ilion - 1917.

34. The first Treasury T award in New York State and the second in the nation for 10% or more pay roll deduction by 90% of the people employed was awarded to Ilion - 1943.

Other machines perfected and manufactured here include special sewing machines; the Naylor battery gun; a portable gun for throwing a life line into upper floors of a burning building, also between ship and shore; agricultural implements of original type or made in original ways; the Remington steam street car. For a more complete list, reference may be made to the "Remington Centennial Book 1816-1916."

Other "Firsts" which have been developed elsewhere but have been or are being manufactured in Ilion include:

35. The first visible typewriter, the Yetman Transmitting Typewriter, was brought to Ilion and manufactured for several years - 1890's - 1906.

Accounting Machine Firsts manufactured by Remington Rand include:

36. First Vertical Adding and Subtracting Typewriter Accounting machine - 1908.

37. First Visible Descriptive Vertical Adding and Subtracting machine - 1910.

38. First Cross Computing descriptive machine - 1914.

39. First Automatic Electric Carriage return on bookkeeping machine - 1924.

40. First Front Feed carriage - 1926.

41. First completely Electrified Descriptive Accounting machine - 1932.

42. First completely Electrified Automatic Balance Accounting machine - 1939.

Tabulating machine firsts include:

43. First Punch ever to combine automatic feed and touch method of operation - 1916.

44. First Tabulator ever to accumulate and print sub and grand totals - 1923.

45. First combined punch and typewriter - as the bookkeeping machine types, a card is automatically punched - 1925.

46. First Tabulator ever to print words as well as amounts - 1925.

47. First machine ever to translate punched holes into words as well as amounts and print them across the face of the card - 1930.

48. First Instantaneous Summary Card Punch - 1931.

49. First Automatic Verifying Machine - 1932.

50. First Alphabetical Tabulator with Instantaneous Summary Punch - 1933.

51. First Printing Multiplying Punch - 1935.

52. First Multi-Control Reproducing Punch - 1938.

53. First Posting Interpreter - 1942.

54. First Multi-Stage Selector - 1942.

55. First Interfiling Reproducing Punch - 1943.

56. First Collating Reproducer - 1947.

57. First Card-o-Matic Punch - 1952.

Acknowledgment is made to Mr. Crawford C. Loomis, Mr. S. H. Ensinger, and to the Remington Centennial Book 1816-1916 for help in compiling this list.

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