7. Buckets Were Necessary in Firefighting for About 150 Years

Photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photography Office

Beginning in 1648 with the passage of the Fire Ordinance, buckets were the cutting edge tool in firefighting technology. Okay, maybe not cutting edge, but they were the primary means available to fire fighters. According to legend, the fire departments went as far as to exclude males and females from standing in the same bucket-passing line, should one get distracted by the opposite sex. Additionally, the buckets were mainly fashioned of leather by shoemakers.