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On New Year's eve of 1884, Mr. William J. Hammer of Newark, N.J., invited his old classmates, the "Society of Seventy-Seven," to "an electrical dinner" at his home. From the things magazine blog: "The dinner took place in Hammer's gadget-filled residence ('The whole house was fitted throughout with electric bells, burglar alarms, fire alarms, telephones, electric cigar lighters, medical coils, phonographs, electric fans, thermostats, heat regulating devices, some seven musical instruments, operated by electricity, etc.') and the menu included "Electric Toast," "Wizard Pie," "Sheol Pudding," "Magnetic Cake," "Telegraph Cake," "Telephone Pie," and, best of all, "Ohm-made Electric Current Pie." More on that unusual dinner here. Via things magazine.