Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo claims to be America's first such institution. It was chartered in 1859 but did not open to the public until 1874. Likewise, supporters of Chicago's Lincoln Park have insisted that it was the first. They point to the donation of a pair of swans in 1868 to back their claim. But Chicago had no director for its zoo until 1888. New York's Central Park Zoo is also in the running. That destination opened as a menagerie in 1864 and slowly transformed itself into a full-fledged zoo.