Is Madras unique? see below
1) It is one of few cities in the world that has both Broadway and Esplanade.
2) First railway was talked about here in 1832 and a goods train ran from chindatripet to red hills for a pvt company then.
3)...
more... Second US consulate in India in 1794 (long before the word IT, silicon valley were discovered).
4) When rest of the India has south west monsoon, this city indulges in north east monsoon.
5) German ship Emden bombed Madras in 1914.
6) Some areas near high court and beach station were built by reclaimed land from sea.
7) It had one of the successful tram from 1895 to 1953.
8) Srinivasa Ramanujan, the mathematician worked in Madras port in 1912.
9) The great poet Bharathi lived and died in Madras in 1921.
10) India has two presidency college, one here and the other in Calcutta.
11) It was made a corporation on September 29, 1688 under a royal charter issued by King James II on December 30, 1687.
12) Not many are aware that it had earliest beach drive in theatre in India.
13) College of engineering, Guindy, one of the icons of Madras was started as school of survey in 1794.
14) Madras medical college that first started as a school in 1835 the same year Calcutta also had medical college.
15) India's oldest existing book store Higginbothams surviving successfully at 177th year despite people moving to mobile phone, online reading, etc.
16) One of the first industrial group Parry by Thomas Parry in 1788 is now part of Murugappa group which again an oldest group that started functioning from 1900. Parry's corner opp Burma bazar in George town is denoting this group.
17) Binny group is also another oldest one started by John Binny in 1797 which ran few industries. It also ran B and C mill until its closure in 1996. This group got affected by Arbuthnot financial crisis in 1906 and after independence lost its importance and almost perished.
18) Also I should add carnatic music. No other city in the world sees carnatic music conducted by so many sabhas like here in December with some dating back to 100+ years like Sri Parthasarathy swami sabha which was started in 1900.
