Everyone loves a good story, especially when it comes to history! Many famous events have happened throughout time, and each of them has a unique first. These extraordinary moments shaped our world in surprising ways, whether it’s the first person to walk on the moon or the first woman to run for President. Learning about these “firsts” can be fun and fascinating, revealing how people have pushed boundaries and achieved greatness.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at some incredible famous firsts trivia that will make you think and maybe even impress your friends. From athletes breaking records to inventors changing the way we live, each of these milestones tells us something special about human creativity and courage. Get ready for interesting facts that highlight why these firsts matter and how they inspire people everywhere. You might even learn something new that gets you excited about history!
Famous Firsts Trivia
Trailblazers in Space
1. Who was the first human to travel into space? (Answer: Yuri Gagarin)
2. What was the first spacecraft to land on the Moon? (Answer: Apollo 11)
3. Who was the first woman in space? (Answer: Valentina Tereshkova)
4. What was the name of the first artificial satellite? (Answer: Sputnik 1)
5. Who was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth? (Answer: John Glenn)
6. What year did the first Moon landing occur? (Answer: 1969)
7. Who was the first black astronaut in space? (Answer: Guion S. Bluford Jr.)
8. What was the first space station launched by the United States? (Answer: Skylab)
9. Who was the first person to walk on the Moon? (Answer: Neil Armstrong)
10. What was the first privately funded spacecraft to reach orbit? (Answer: SpaceX’s Falcon 1)
Groundbreaking Explorers
1. Who was the first person to reach the South Pole? (Answer: Roald Amundsen)
2. Who was the first European to discover Hawaii? (Answer: Captain James Cook)
3. What was the name of the first successful expedition to summit Mount Everest? (Answer: 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay)
4. Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean? (Answer: Amelia Earhart)
5. Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe? (Answer: Ferdinand Magellan)
6. Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole? (Answer: Robert Peary)
7. Who was the first woman to summit Mount Everest? (Answer: Junko Tabei)
8. What year did Christopher Columbus first sail to the New World? (Answer: 1492)
9. Who was the first person to travel around the world by bicycle? (Answer: Thomas Stevens)
10. Who was the first person to dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench? (Answer: Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard)
Remarkable Innovations
1. Who invented the first practical telephone? (Answer: Alexander Graham Bell)
2. What was the first commercially successful transatlantic cable? (Answer: The Atlantic Telegraph Company)
3. Who was the first person to patent the light bulb? (Answer: Thomas Edison)
4. What was the first type of modern computer? (Answer: ENIAC)
5. Who created the first vaccine against smallpox? (Answer: Edward Jenner)
6. What was the first product ever scanned with a barcode? (Answer: Wrigley’s chewing gum)
7. Who invented the first successful airplane? (Answer: Wright Brothers)
8. What is known as the first video game ever made? (Answer: Pong)
9. Who was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize? (Answer: Marie Curie)
10. What was the first city to install electric streetlights? (Answer: Wabash, Indiana)
Courageous Steps in Politics
1. Who was the first woman to run for President of the United States? (Answer: Victoria Woodhull)
2. Who was the first African American President of the United States? (Answer: Barack Obama)
3. Who was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? (Answer: Margaret Thatcher)
4. Who was the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress? (Answer: Shirley Chisholm)
5. Who was the first woman to vote in the United States? (Answer: Wyoming Territory in 1869)
6. Who was the first man to appear on the cover of Time magazine? (Answer: Charles Lindbergh)
7. Who was the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives? (Answer: Nancy Pelosi)
8. Who was the first Native American woman elected to Congress? (Answer: Sharice Davids)
9. Who was the first Latino to be elected to the U.S. Presidency? (Answer: N/A – As of October 2023, no Latino has been elected president)
10. Who was the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court? (Answer: Sandra Day O’Connor)
Icons of Sports
1. Who was the first player to hit 600 home runs in Major League Baseball? (Answer: Babe Ruth)
2. Who was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal? (Answer: Hélène de Pourtalès)
3. Who was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal? (Answer: Haitian-born Haitian-American
)
4. Who was the first to break the four-minute mile? (Answer: Roger Bannister)
5. Who was the first female boxer to win a televised fight? (Answer: Christy Martin)
6. Who was the first female athlete to earn over $1 million in a single year? (Answer: Martina Navratilova)
7. Who was the first person to win the Nobel Prize for sports? (Answer: N/A – no Nobel Prize for sports)
8. Who was the first person to achieve a Grand Slam in tennis? (Answer: Don Budge)
9. Who was the first black head coach in the NFL? (Answer: Fritz Pollard)
10. Who was the first team to win the Super Bowl? (Answer: Green Bay Packers)
Groundbreaking Literature and Arts
1. Who was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize? (Answer: Edith Wharton)
2. Who was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction? (Answer: Gwendolyn Brooks)
3. Who was the first writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature? (Answer: Sully Prudhomme)
4. What was the title of the first novel ever published? (Answer: Don Quixote)
5. Who was the first female artist to win the Tate Modern’s Turner Prize? (Answer: Rachel Whiteread)
6. Who was the first female American author to sell a million copies? (Answer: Harriet Beecher Stowe)
7. Who was the first person to create a comic strip? (Answer: Richard F. Outcault)
8. Who was the first African American artist to have a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100? (Answer: Ray Charles)
9. Who was the first woman to receive an Academy Award? (Answer: Janet Gaynor)
10. Who was the first person to publish a best-selling novel in the electronic format? (Answer: Stephen King)
Scientific Breakthroughs of Firsts
1. Who was the first scientist to propose the heliocentric model of the solar system? (Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus)
2. Who was the first person to discover penicillin? (Answer: Alexander Fleming)
3. Who was the first person to identify DNA? (Answer: James Watson and Francis Crick)
4. Who was the first scientist to develop the law of gravity? (Answer: Isaac Newton)
5. Who was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States? (Answer: Elizabeth Blackwell)
6. Who was the first person to isolate radium? (Answer: Marie Curie)
7. Who developed the first polio vaccine? (Answer: Jonas Salk)
8. Who was the first scientist to identify the structure of the sugar molecule? (Answer: Emil Fischer)
9. Who was the first person to split the atom? (Answer: Ernest Rutherford)
10. Who was the first scientist to formulate the periodic law? (Answer: Dmitri Mendeleev)
Final Thoughts
Exploring famous firsts teaches us about the milestones that shape our world. Whether it’s in space exploration or groundbreaking achievements in science and sports, these remarkable events inspire us to push boundaries. We can celebrate the courage of trailblazers who opened doors for others. Firsts remind us of the journey humankind has taken and encourage us to keep seeking progress and innovation. With so many fascinating areas to delve into, why not explore more topics to enrich your knowledge? You can learn more about the journeys of amazing pairs in famous couples or discover the fun dynamics of famous duos.