What do a two-time Roman dictator, a big pile of chili atop a mound of spaghetti, and Proctor & Gamble have in common? The answer may surprise you.

First in 458 B.C.E. and then again in 439 B.C.E., Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was appointed dictator of the Roman Empire in order to save it from invading enemies. This meant that during his time in power, and in a political system made up of apparent equals, he alone stood above the masses.

He was appointed to this most powerful position in all the land because of his qualities of simplicity and virtue, both of which were highly prized among the Romans. Also, he was a military tough guy, the likes of which those famous residents of Rome had not seen in many years. And a tough guy was just what they needed while being invaded.

And though his title was "dictator," the role Cincinnatus played was quite different from what we in the 21st century think of when we hear that word. His was a kind rule, and his main responsibility, aside from his military duties, was to dictate the law by which his society was governed.

But what does this have to do with the "Queen City of the West?"

Fast-forward a few thousand years. Open your wallet and take out a single. See that guy with the powdered wig and the ruffle at his collar? According to some influential historians, George Washington was, once upon a time, America's version of Cincinnatus. The similarity between the two is surprisingly clear: Like Cincinnatus, Washington helped to win the war (in his case, freedom from Britain for the United States), and then wanted nothing more than to return home and live out the rest of his life as a private citizen. But the republic needed him, so he agreed and held the office of the president for two terms, after which he retired permanently.

In his honor, then, and in the honor of all who served so bravely in the Continental Army, the Society of the Cincinnati was founded. (Today, its members are both American and French. Remember, the French were exceptionally helpful in aiding the American war effort against the British.) The society's motto, "He gave up everything to serve the republic," is out of respect for the beliefs of both its Roman namesake and to its American inspiration.

Even today, Cincinnati is home to a significant number of descendants of revolutionary war soldiers. In fact, the name of the city was changed from Losantiville to Cincinnati in 1790 by the governor of the Northwest Territory, who was, in fact, the president of the Society of the Cincinnati.

And all that was just the beginning. Cincinnati has played a major role in the development of America's industrial and cultural life, and even today it is home to some of America's most important and powerful companies.

Cincinnati Firsts

• 1835 First bag of airmail lifted by a hot air balloon.
• First city in the United States to hold a municipal song festival--Saengerfest.
• First city in the United States to establish a Jewish hospital.
• First city in the United States to publish greeting cards--Gibson Greeting Card Company.
• First practical steam fire engine. First city to establish a municipal fire department and first firemen's pole.
• First city to establish a weather bureau.
• First professional baseball team--the Cincinnati Red Stockings, now known as the Cincinnati Reds.
• First city in the United States to establish a municipal university--University of Cincinnati. (Go Bearcats!)
• First city to hold annual industrial expositions.
• First city to establish a Jewish theological college--Hebrew Union College.
• First city in which a woman, Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, began and operated a large manufacturing operation--Rookwood Pottery.
• First and only city to build and own a major railroad.
• First concrete skyscraper built in the United States--the Ingalls Building.
• Daniel Carter Beard founded the Sons of Daniel Boone, later known as the Boy Scouts of America.
• First university to offer cooperative education--University of Cincinnati.
• First night baseball game played under lights.
• First heart-lung machine makes open heart surgery possible. Developed at Children's Hospital Medical Center.
• First city to have a licensed Public television station--WCET TV.

Sources:
(http://www.en.wikipedia.org)