History of Hospitality By paytonohara 776 BCE Olympic Games Began 1800 Urban mass Transit Begins in New York City, London, and Paris 1804 The first successful steam-powered locomotive became available 1804 The first roller coaster was unveiled in Paris 1807 Robert Fulton’s steam-powered Clermont made her maiden voyage up the Hudson River 1815 Scotsman John McAdams improved road construction with the use of broken stones covered with tar 1819 - The Savannah was the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic 1829 The Tremont House (1st modern hotel) opened in Boston 1853 The elevator was invented allowing the hotels to expand upward 1863 The first subway system opened in London 1869 The east and west coast of the United States were connected by the transcontinental railroad 1870 The first subway system opened in New York City 1870 The first steam-powered Carousel was introduced 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone 1880 Coney Island was opened in New York City and became the model for amusement parks 1885 The first cafeteria was opened in New York City 1890 Electric cars or trolleys came into their own 1890 The gasoline engine led to the beginning of the motor coach industry 1891 The first travelers’ checks were introduced by the American Express Company 1893 The first Stanley Cup playoffs were held 1896 The modern Olympic games returned 1902 The American Automobile Association was founded in Chicago (AAA 1903 World Series (baseball) were introduced Dec 17, 1903 The first airplane took flight at Kitty Hawk 1908 Henry Ford introduced the first Model T 1908 Ellsworth Statler opened the first hotel chain concept 1908 Passenger ship accommodations were more luxurious and only affordable for the very wealthy 1914 The first scheduled airplane flew with passengers 1914 World War I advanced aircraft design 1914 Car Rental began through National Car Rental 1914 Organized airline service developed in Europe 1926 Commercial Airlines started in the US 1929 The Great Depression Began Period: 1930 to 1935 Almost 85% of all hotels in the US went bankrupt 1931 The concept of a zoo using open areas and concealed surroundings to display animals was introduced 1938 Marineland opened an outdoor aquarium in St. Augustine, Florida 1938 Cunard Lines launched the Queen Elizabeth (the largest passenger ship to date) 1939 The first NCAA Basketball tournament was held 1939 World War II began in Europe 1940 Rockets were tested off the North Carolina Coast 1940 The automobile and the jet plane helped the hotel industry to rebound 1945 The first airline ticket was created 1945 Intercity bus travel increased rapidly 1946 Walter E. Avis opened the first airport rent-a-car 1947 United Airlines and American Airlines began coast to coast service in the United States 1951 IATA allowed transatlantic tourist fares in summer 1952 Congress created the National System of Interstate Highways 1953 Holiday Inn was launched in Memphis, Tennessee by Kemmons Wilson 1953 The first nonstop Transcontinental flight was made from Los Angeles to New York 1963 Holiday Inn installed the hotel industry’s first nationwide computerized reservation system 1967 The first Super Bowl was played 1969 The landing of the first man on the moon 1970 The use of credit cards was accepted in travel and entertainment arenas 1970 Pan American Airlines launched the first Jumbo Jet from New York to London with 352 passengers 1976 Travel became computerized 1977 The first personal computer reached the consumer market 1977 Alex Hailey’s book Roots was to have an influence on heritage travel 1980 Railroads began to decline 1980 Railroads began to decline Period: 1980 to 1986 The world’s cruise fleet doubled Period: 1980 to 1986 The world’s cruise fleet doubled 1983 EPCOT opened in Disney World Florida 1983 Disney World opened in Tokyo 1986 Tourism Bill of Rights and the Tourist Code 1989 English scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web 1990 Davis Cup (tennis) introduced 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act passed 1993 Web pages were developed 1993 Web pages were developed 1994 Microsoft established an accredited travel agency on the Internet 1994 Microsoft established an accredited travel agency on the Internet 1994 The Virtual Reality Modelling Language was first introduced 2000 95% of all US travel agencies were computerized 2000 Americans used personal cars for more than 80% of their vacation trips 2000 There were more than 800 million websites 2001 Dennis Tito was the first paid space tourist Sep 11, 2001 Attacks by terrorists changed travel and tourism forever 2002 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 passed in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks 2008 Self check-in at airports