Arts in the Olympics

At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, poetry was an official event.  Modern history's first written work to win an Olympic gold medal was "Ode to Sport," a prose poem by Georges Hohrod and M. Eschbach.  There were also medals in sculpture, painting, and music.  Hilariously, Hohrod and Eschbach did not exist; they were pseudonyms for Pierre de Coubertin, the man who founded the modern Olympics.  The 1948 London Olympics were the final artistic competitions at the games.

Pratibha Patil

Pratibha Patil was elected President of India in 2007, becoming the first woman president, and served until 2012.  Patil’s presidency was relatively quiet, but it was not without controversy, especially for her use of government funds. She was criticized for the large number of trips she took overseas, often accompanied by relatives.

Eratosthenes

The ancient Greek mathematician and geographer Eratosthenes is credited with making the first accurate estimation of the Earth's circumference. In the third century BC, he observed that at noon on the summer solstice, the sun was directly overhead at the city of Syene (present-day Aswan, Egypt). At the same time, in the city of Alexandria, he measured the angle of the sun's rays relative to the ground and found it to be about 7.2 degrees.  Using these observations, Eratosthenes was able to calculate the Earth's circumference by assuming that the sun's rays are parallel (which is not exactly true, but close enough for his purposes) and using simple geometry. His estimate was remarkably accurate, and modern measurements have shown that it was only about 15% too high.  He was also the first to calculate Earth's axial tilt, which also proved to have remarkable accuracy.  He created the first global projection of the world, incorporating parallels and meridians based on the available geographic knowledge of his era.   He is also known for the sieve of Eratosthenes.

First World Cup host

The first nation to host the World Cup was Uruguay, in 1930.  They won, Argentina was the runner up, and the USA took third place, its best finish to this day!  Go USA!

The first neon sign

The first neon sign was said to have been used in Paris in 1913 to make letters for Cinzano vermouth.  This is disputed.  Was it for a hairdresser?  Maybe a barber.

First NC-17 film

The first film to receive an NC-17 rating was the 1990 biopic drama Henry & June.

The Rolling Stones' first single

The Rolling Stones' first single was a cover of the 1961 Chuck Berry song "Come On," released on June 7, 1963.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade

The thing I learned today is that the first St. Patrick's Day parade in America was held in Boston, 1737. It was organized by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston.

Edward Brooke

The thing I learned today is that Edward Brooke was a Republican politician who served as Senator of Massachusetts from 1967-79.  He was the first African-American senator elected popularly, and the only to serve multiple terms.  Barbara Walters claimed in her memoir Audition that she had an affair with Brooke in the 1970s.

The origin of the term "rock and roll"

The thing I learned today is that Cleveland DJ Alan "Moondog" Freed is popularly credited with the introduction of the phrase "rock and roll" to refer to the popular music of the '50s.  He is thus known as "father of rock and roll."  It should be noted that the phrase predated Freed, but that he helped popularize it and applied it to the music itself.

The US Open prize money

The thing I learned today is that in 1973, the US Open tennis tournament became the first Grand Slam tournament to award equal prize money to men's and women's champions, $25,000 at the time.

The people who have walked on the moon

The thing I learned today is that twelve men have walked on the moon.  Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, followed immediately by Buzz Aldrin; this was on July 21, 1969.  The next two moon walkers were Pete Conrad and Alan Bean, who trod the dusty surface of Luna November 19 and 20, 1969, as part of the Apollo 12 mission.  And the fifth and sixth on the moon were Alan Shepherd and Edgar Mitchell, who walked the moon in February of 1971.  The last person to have walked on the moon (for now!) is Eugene Cernan, in 1972.  Here is a mnemonic: Arm All Conquering Bears; Sheep Might Scamper.

Imhotep was an engineer, architect, and physician who lived in the 26th century BC. He is credited as the first doctor and architect we known by name. He designed the Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in the world.

First Roger Moore James Bond

The first James Bond film to star Roger Moore is Live And Let Die, released in 1973.

First American to summit Mount Everest

On May 1, 1963, Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest, reaching the top along with Nawang Gombu after running out of oxygen.

first woman in space

The first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, blazed a trail for the many female space-goers who would follow. Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, was selected from more than 400 applicants to launch on the Vostok 6 mission on June 16, 1963.  She orbited the Earth 48 times, spent almost three days in space, is the only woman to have been on a solo space mission and is the last surviving Vostok program cosmonaut. Twenty-six years old at the time of her spaceflight, she remains the youngest woman to have flown in space under the international definition of 100 km altitude, and the youngest woman to fly in Earth orbit.

Maurice Garin

Maurice Garin, a chimney sweep, won the first Tour de France in 1903.

First PG-13 rated movie

The first film released with the rating PG-13 was the 1984 war fantasy Red Dawn.  Technically, the first film to be rated PG-13 was The Flamingo Kid, but Red Dawn came out first.

First Best Actress Oscar

The first Academy Award for Best Actress was won by Janet Gaynor in 1929. She was honored for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. The first Oscars ceremony was unique in that it allowed for multiple performances in different films to be recognized with a single award.

Vostok 1

Vostok 1 was the first human space flight, in 1961; Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth once during the two-hour mission.