[King of Kensington]

Insulin was first used to treat diabetes in a human patient on this day in 1922.

 

[Johnny Au]

Pablum was invented in Toronto. In fact, Sick Kids received a royalty on sales of pablum until HJ Heinz bought the company in 2005.

 

[GKW]

What examples of features, ideas or projects (be they infrastructure, architectural, artistic, or other cultural) can someone point to and say that it was our city that first set a trend that spread to other cities later?

I don't think the OP was asking about Toronto inventions or scientific discoveries...

 

[wild goose chase]

I don't think the OP was asking about Toronto inventions or scientific discoveries...

I was thinking of city-related things at the start, though the scientific discoveries and inventions that were made in Toronto were also interesting to read about.

 

[Johnny Au]

Toki Pona is a constructed language with an intentionally minimalist vocabulary, which was invented by Sonja Lang of Toronto.

 

[torontologist]

Integrated subway/bus/streetcar stations. In the 70's, the TTC was considered very advanced in this respect.

 

[Humpday]

Sneezing into your sleeve?

 

[Humpday]

Retractable domed baseball stadiums. I don't think Montreal ever did figure out the retractable bit.

 

[Blacksheep]

What about EP Taylor's planned subdivisions at Don Mills Road from the 1950s (or maybe 1960s, I can't remember)? I took an urban planning course at Waterloo university about 10 years ago, and I remember the textbook having a whole section about how innovative that project was. That one and the subdivisions in Bramalea (although that's not in Toronto of course).