Do You Know About The Famous Firsts? Here Are Some Facts For You

If you love adventure, then you must know the tales of Christopher Colombus, Vasco da Gama, or Ferdinand Magellan.

Vasco da Gama was the first person to reach India, while Colombus accidentally reached the coast of America. Ferdinand Magellan is known in human history for being the first person ever to circumnavigate the globe on his boat.

This is only the tip of the iceberg for famous firsts, however. There are many noteworthy events that have secured peoples' spots in history.

For instance, do you know who reached the south pole for the very first time? His name was Roald Amundsen, a polar explorer from Norway.

History is a record of those landmark things that happen for the first time. From the discovery of the light bulb to the first selfie, each of these things accounts for one 'famous first'.

So, if you are a history buff, you are sure to like this article, but if you are not, you should still give it a read!

Why? Well, because here you might come across some of the most unique and fun facts about the world's most celebrated firsts!

If you are interested to know more mind-blowing facts, then why not read about the first woman to fly around the world or about famous people from New York state?

Famous Firsts In American History

Among the famous firsts of America, there are exciting firsts about sports, adventure, arts, science and more.

Do you know about David Glasgow for instance? He secured his place in American history for being the first admiral in the Navy, an incident that took place in 1866. What about the first college in America?

That would be the world-famous Harvard! Harvard was established in 1636. While it is the first-ever college to be established, Oberlin College in Ohio became the first college to begin a co-education degree in 1833.

Among the famous firsts of the educational system, the first public school in America was established in Boston in 1635. It was the Boston Latin School. America is also among the famous firsts for issuing the first postage stamps in 1847.

America has a history of social movements, which account for numerous exciting firsts. The Civil Rights Act became the first milestone to prohibit any form of public discrimination, be it racial or gender-based. Among the political firsts, the election of George Washington was a first. He became the first-ever American president to win an election with a unanimous vote.

He also appointed the first American supreme court justice. Do you know who it was? It was the legendary John Jay.

In 2001, America witnessed the first-ever space tourist. His name is Dennis Tito and he is a prominent billionaire. He funded the entire trip on his own. Similarly, the year 2007 witnessed another milestone event when Bobby Jindal was elected as the governor of Louisiana. It was the first time in American history that an Indian-American secured this position.

Famous Black American Firsts

Famous black American firsts include the election of president Barack Obama, PhD degrees being awarded to Eva B. Dykes and Sadie Tanner, Vanessa Williams securing the title of Miss America, and many more.

The history of black Americans in America is rich with many famous firsts. The most prominent of which is the election of Barack Obama as the country's president.

In 2008, the country witnessed its first-ever black American president, and he was also the first-ever candidate to be nominated for presidentship from a major political party in America.

Similarly, it was Condoleezza Rice, the first woman of African-American origin, who secured the position of Secretary of the State. She was the second woman to bag this position and was preceded by Madeleine Albright (she came during the tenure of President Bill Clinton), who was also the representative of America in the United Nations.

In the sector of art and literature, William W. Brown became the first male black-American novelist in 1853, while Harriett Wilson secured her position for being the first female black-American novelist in 1859.

Charles Gordone was the first black American to win the Pulitzer Prize in the 'drama' category in 1970. He won the prize by depicting a black hustler poet in his popular play, 'No Place To Be Somebody'.

The Nobel Prize in the category of literature was won by Toni Morrison in 1993, who became the foremost black American woman to do so!

The year 2021 witnessed a unique first in the history of black America when Kamala Harris became the vice president of this country. She, too, is a woman of African-American origin and attended a historically black university, Howard University.

She is the first female, along with the first South-Asian, and first black vice president of the country. The 21st century also witnessed America's first-ever black-American billionaire, Robert Johnson. He owes this status to the booming sale of BET or Black Entertainment Television (a popular cable station).

In the categories of sports and science too, there are many prominent firsts. The year 1999 saw the first black-American chess grandmaster, Maurice Ashley.

In 2002 Vonetta Flowers bagged the position of first female black American to become an Olympic gold medalist in the winter games. In the field of science, the first black American woman astronaut was Mae Jemison, who gained this accolade in 1992.

Famous Firsts In Aviation

Famous firsts in aviation include many milestone events across the globe, including the first-ever balloon flight, the invention of the first flight, and many more.

The history of aviation has many prominent firsts. The year 1783 marks the year when the first balloon took flight. This hot-air balloon was the creation of two paper manufacturers, Jacques E. Montgolfier and his partner Joseph Michael. The travelers in this first balloon were a rooster, a sheep, and a duck!

We all know who the first person, or rather persons, were to invent the first flights, right? It was the Wright brothers in the year 1903 in North Carolina.

The brothers tossed a coin to decide who would fly test their plane and it was Orville who won the toss to be the tester of their magical invention! On the same note, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to complete a solo flight over the mighty Atlantic.

This was a non-stop flight, which he continued for 33.5 hours. He created history indeed.

The year 1908 unfortunately marked the first flight casualty when Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S Army passed away during a flight demonstration. It was later found that a propeller failure was the cause of this incident.

Two years later, in 1910, Raymonde de la Roche, who was a Baroness, created history by receiving a flight license. She became the first woman to achieve this milestone.

The first world-round flight took place several years later, in 1924. This journey took place over 175 days.

Initially, four airplanes started the circumnavigation of the globe, but in the end, only two could pull it off. These two planes were named 'Chicago' and 'New Orleans'.

These planes took only 74 stops in their entire journey. A similar journey was taken up by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan in 1986. They also took a flight around the globe, but it was the first-ever non-stop flight.

They took this flight without any halts or refueling and continued their journey for 216 hours. The first woman to complete a solo trip across the Atlantic Ocean was Amelia Earhart and she completed this journey in the year 1928.

The '30s secured their place in aviation history when the first helicopter was built in 1936. The initial prototype was designed by Heinrich Focke, who was a German engineer.

Famous Firsts For Women Around The World

Famous firsts for women around the globe include many landmark incidents, including the nomination of Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate, and movements to grant women the right to vote. Oprah Winfrey also became the first woman in history to launch and produce a talk show of her own.

Multiple women across the globe have created history with their landmark achievements and secured their position in the list of first women. American history is a witness to such unique events.

In the year 1848, Seneca Falls marked a renowned event when it played host to the first convention of Women Rights, with more than 200 women participating in it. The following year also cemented its place in history with a landmark event, when Elizabeth Blackwell earned her medical degree.

She was the first woman in the entirety of America to receive such a renowned degree.

The year 1878 marked a historical event when Susan Anthony initiated a bill to provide women the right to vote. This bill was way ahead of its time, and as a result, women were not granted their right to vote.

This right came much later, in the '20s. Louisa Ann Swain was the first woman who got a chance to cast her vote in a general election.

The year 1916 marked a significant event that revolutionized the lives of women. In this year, Margaret Sanger opened the world's first birth control clinic and gave the liberty to women to take charge of their own bodies.

Frances Perkins, who was appointed as the Secretary of Labor by President Franklin Roosevelt, was the first woman elected from a presidential cabinet.

You might be intrigued to know that she was also a renowned architect of the famous New Deal.

Even World War II witnessed many heroic women with their landmark first events. The most renowned of them all was probably Rosie the Riveter, who was a representation of all the women who worked in numerous defense industries and shipyards during the war.

In the year 1948, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman elected for the candidateship of Vice President, and she was running with Walter Mondale. Sadly, she was defeated by Ronald Reagan, who later became the President.

The year 1981 saw its first woman supreme court justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. President Ronald Reagan appointed her.

After her appointment to the post by President Ronald Reagan, she served for almost two decades, from 1981-2006.

In America, the year 1969 saw the rise of Shirley Chisholm when she became the first woman of an African-American origin to run for presidentship from the famous Democratic Party. Hillary Clinton also created history in 2016 for being the first woman backed by a major party to be nominated for presidentship.

The list of first women with milestone achievements would remain incomplete without the mention of Sarah Palin, who became the first female nominee for the post of Vice President from the Republican Party. Women of America have also secured their firsts in science.

Do you know that Marie Curie is the first person ever to have won not one but two Nobel Prizes for her fantastic contribution to science? She even became the first woman who received Nobel prizes for two subjects; chemistry and physics.

Around the globe, there are many other women who have created history with their achievements. In 1905, Bertha von Suttner became the first woman to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize as a novelist.

Valentina Tereshkova, in the year 1963, became the first woman to reach space, while Junko Tabei created history in 1975 for being the first woman who climbed the lofty Mount Everest.

Did You Know...

Now that you know some of the most celebrated first-time occurrences, here are a few more fun and curious facts for you.

The first person ever who reached both the poles was Roald Amundsen. He reached the south pole in the year 1911, while he traveled to the north pole in the year 1926.

Did you know that there is a person in history who was recorded to fly faster than sound? Chuck Yeager is the first person known to fly faster than the speed of sound, with a speed of 670 mph (1079 kph)!

Do you know who ran the first-ever marathon? According to the legends, it was a Greek messenger named Pheidippides.

In 490 BCE, he ran to Athens from Marathon Battle to make the historic declaration that Greece was the winner of the battle. Unfortunately, he collapsed after the message was delivered.

The concept of mass production was quite alien before 1440. In Germany, Johannes Gutenberg became the inventor of the first printing press of the world and introduced the concept. After five years, the first significant book, the Gutenberg Bible, was printed.

The first woman to have received a license for motorcycle driving in Washington was Sally Halterman. She received her license in 1937.

In the field of science, there are many other noteworthy firsts. For instance, the discovery of nuclear fission was made by German, Otto Hahn. The first antibiotic discoverer was the celebrated biologist Alexander Fleming. He discovered penicillin for the first time, which was loaded with antibiotic properties.

Do you know the name of the first wearable clock? The name of this clock was Nuremberg Egg, and Peter Hemlein was its designer. This clock was designed in the year 1509.

Apart from these interesting, noteworthy firsts, there are many fun firsts too! For example, one involves when the first Christmas tree decorations were used.

This tradition started in Manhattan in the year 1931. Manhattan's Rockefeller Center saw its first-ever Christmas tree decor with lots of toys, cans, and cranberries! After this, it became a tradition to decorate the tree every year.

The first-ever selfie is believed to have been taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839 and he took this picture in the back of his family's store. Speaking of selfies, do you know who posted or uploaded the first-ever personal picture? This trend of uploading personal pictures on social media was done by a girl band named Les Horribles Cernettes.

For the lovers of dance, there are some fun facts about the first flash mob. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the first such event took place in 2003 in New York.

The next one is for the lovers of music and is about the first song to be created in English. It is a song named 'Summer Is Icumen In'.

The lyrics of the song don't make much sense in this day and age because it was created as early as the 13th century and language has changed considerably since then.

For those who love playing video games, do you know when the first game was played on a giant screen? It was in the year 1947, and the creators of this amusement game were Estle R. Mann and Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr.

Today we see a lot of skyscrapers in towns and cities, some of which go on and on until they reach the sky but do you know when the first skyscraper was built? It was in the year 1884 when Chicago saw the first skyscraper in history.

This building went on for 10 stories, and it was a building for home insurance.

Today we also see a lot of national parks and sanctuaries that are set up for protecting the rich wildlife resource of the Earth. The first of such national parks came in 1872 in the USA and was Yellowstone National Park which was the setting for the recent adorable Netflix show 'Sweet Tooth'.

For navigation, we can not imagine our lives without Google Maps, can we?

However, road maps were designed for the first time during the reign of a Roman Emperor. His name was Augustus Caesar, and it took him almost 20 years to build the first map.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Do You Know About The Famous firsts? Here Are Some Facts For You, then why not take a look at first continental congress for kids or famous people from Djibouti?