In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast uncovers the “firsts” that helped shape the nation—each one rooted in Philadelphia’s remarkable history. Each week, our host sits down with a special guest to explore one groundbreaking first, from the first professional basketball league and the nation’s first zoo, to the first public showing of a motion picture and beyond. Short, lively, and packed with fascinating stories, every episode connects these historic milestones to the present, showing how Philadelphia’s innovations continue to shape our everyday lives.
When we talk about the history of Philadelphia, we often begin with William Penn. But the story of the people who lived here begins thousands of years before Penn ever arrived. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Jeremy Johnson, Cultural Education Director for the Delaware Tribe of Indians, to explore the history, culture and traditions of the Lenape people, from their ancestral homelands in the Delaware Valley to the generations of displacement and adaptation that followed European colonization, and the resilience, identity and cultural traditions that continue today.
9 Oct 2026
First Penitentiary
What if one of America’s earliest attempts at prison reform helped create a system that would eventually become a cautionary tale about incarceration? Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Dr. Kerry Sautner, President and CEO of Eastern State Penitentiary, to explore the story behind America’s first true penitentiary, from its radical idea of solitary confinement as a path to rehabilitation, to the problems that emerged from that system, and the questions Eastern State’s history raises about incarceration in America today.
29 Sept 2026
First Ronald McDonald House
Families were driving hundreds of miles to Philadelphia so their kids could get treated, then sleeping in hospital waiting rooms because there was nowhere else to go. This episode tells the story of the first Ronald McDonald House, which opened in West Philadelphia in 1974 and has since been copied more than 390 times around the world. Host Marisa Magnatta is joined by Susan Campbell, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia - the original House, along with Philadelphia native Marnie Schneider, whose family was part of the Eagles community behind it, and who now serves on the board of a Ronald McDonald House in North Carolina.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
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