FIRST IN INDIA

Earliest school of medicine known to humans: Ayurveda

● First Air Force in Asia to fly jets: Indian Air Force (1948)

● First Book in any Indian Language: It was printed in 1578 in Tamil.

● First Census in India: 1901

● First Cinema House in India: It was built by J.F.Madan in 1907 in Calcutta.

● First complete Technicolor film: Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)

● First Constitutional Amendment: 1950

● First country-wide agricultural census: 1970-71

● First English Newspaper in India: Bengal Gazette printed in 1790 by James Augustus in Calcutta.

● First Film Centre: Nandan. Located in Calcutta, it was inaugurated in September 1985.

● First Film with an all-female cast: Marathi Film Bindhast, directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni.

● First Five-Year Plan: Started in 1951

● First General Elections: They were held in 1952.

● First hydroelectric project in India: Shivasamudram, across the River Kaveri in 1902

● First Indian state to set up a women’s court: Andhra Pradesh

● First international co-production: Nala Damayanti (1921) made in collaboration with Italy.

● First Marine National Park: Jamnagar

● First Moonlit Animal House in Asia: Located in the Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad.

● First Navodaya School: Navegaon-Khairi in Nagpur

● First Postage Stamp: It was issued in India in 1852 at Karachi.

● First Printing Press: It was set up in Goa in 1556 by the Portuguese.

● First Railway Line: It was opened on April 16, 1853 between Bombay and Thane.

● First Rupee in India: It was minted during the reign of Sher Shah Suri in 1542.

● First ship built in India: Jala Usha built by Vishakapatnam Shipyard was commissioned in 1948.

● First silent feature film in India: Pundalik made in 1912 by N.G. Chitre and R.G. Torney. It was half British in its make.

● First solar crematorium: It is proposed to be set up in Valsad, Gujarat.

● First Solar Energy Centre: Gwalpahar, Gurgaon, Haryana

● First song-less film: JBH Wadia's Naujawan (1937).

● First south Indian film to be released in Korea: Tamil Film Muthu Maharaja (June, 2000)

● First Talkie Film: Alam Ara (1931)

● First Telefilm: Satyajit Ray's Sadgati (telecast on Doordarshan in April 1981)

● First Telegraph Line: It was laid between Calcutta and Agra in 1854. This line was 1280 km long. It was extended up to Lahore in 1857.

● First Telephone system: It was started in 1881 from Calcutta.

● First Television Reception Centre: Arvi, located in Maharashtra

● First veterinary college: Opened in Parel in Bombay in 1885. It is still in existence and is the oldest veterinary college in Asia.

● First Wind farm: Mandvi, Kutch in Gujarat

● Highest Airfield in the world: Thoise, Ladakh

● Highest road in India: Khardung La Pass

● India’s first Antartica expedition: January 11, 1982

● India’s first Satellite: Aryabhatta, April 19, 1975

● India's first colour film: Prabhat's Sairandhri, which was processed and printed in Germany in 1933.

● India's first fully indigenous silent feature film: Raja Harishchandra produced by Dada Saheb Phalke on May 3, 1913.

● India's first indigenously built missile destroyer: INS 'Delhi' (commissioned on November 15, 1997 at Mumbai).

● India's first indigenously built submarine: INS 'Shakti' (commissioned on February 7, 1992)

● India's first indigenously made colour film: Ardashir Irani’s Kisan Kanya made in 1937.

● India's first manufacturer of light bulbs and electrical equipment: Bengal Lamps, Calcutta (1933)

● India's First Oil well: Digboi (1890)

● India's first radio programme: This was broadcast privately with a 40w transmitter by the Madras Presidency Club Radio in 1924.

● India's largest inland lake: Lake Chilika, Orissa

● Largest circulated multi-edition daily in India: Roudramukhi Swar in Hindi (12,92,277 copies in 1997).

● Largest circulated periodical in India: Malayala Manorama (11,27,414 copies)

● Largest circulated single edition newspaper in India: Hindustan Times from Delhi (5,40,919 copies in 1997).

● Largest Nandi in India: Nandi of the Leepakshi Temple at Andhra Pradesh

● Largest Stupa in India: Mahachaitya Stupa, Amravati, Andhra Pradesh

● Oldest era in the world: Hindu Era

● Oldest para-military force in India: Assam Rifles (1835) in Shillong

● Only Place in the world where a Brahmat Temple is found: Pushkar in Rajasthan

● Shortest era in the world: Christian Era

● State with the highest % of Scheduled Castes to total population: Punjab (28.31% - 1991 Census)

● State with the highest% of Scheduled tribes to total population: Mizoram (94.75%)

● State with the largest number of Scheduled Castes: Uttar Pradesh (29.276 million - 1991 Census)

● State with the largest number of Scheduled Tribes: Madhya Pradesh (15.399 million - 1991 Census)

● State with the largest number of towns: Uttar Pradesh (704)

● State with the largest number of villages: Uttar Pradesh (1,12,803 - 1991 Census)

● State with the least number of towns: Nagaland (7)

● State with the lowest % of Scheduled tribes to total population: Uttar Pradesh (0.21%)

● State with the lowest number of Scheduled Castes: Mizoram (1000 - 1991 Census)

● State with the lowest number of Scheduled Tribes: Sikkim (91,000)

● State with the lowest number of villages: Goa (360 - 1991 Census)

● World's First University: Taxila (700 B.C.)

● World's highest STD/PCO facilities: Siachen glacier (established in November 1997)

● World's largest school: The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes City Montessori School in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, as the world's largest school with 23,000 students on its rolls.

● Youngest para-military force in India: Coast Guard (1978)

FIRST IN INDIA

● British Governor-General : Warren Hastings

● British Governor-General of Independent India : Lord Mountbatten

● Justice of India : Hiralal J. Kania

● Comander-in-Chief of Free India : General K. M. Cariappa

● Chief of Air Staff : Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst

● Indian Air Chief : Air Marshal S. Mukherjee

● Chief of Army Staff : General M. Rajendra Singh

● Chief of Naval Staff : Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari

● Consmonaut : Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma

● Emperor of Mughal Dynasty in India : Babar

● Field Marshal : SPFJ Manekshaw

● Governor-General of Indian Union : C. Rajgopalachari

● Indian to get an Oscar : Bhanu Athaiya

● Indian to Reach the South Pole : Col. I. K. Bajaj

● Indian ICS Officer : Satyendra Nath Tagore

● Indian Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council : Sir S. P. Sinha

● Indian Man to Swim Across the English Channel : Mihir Sen

● Indian Woman to Swim Across the English Channel : Miss Aarti Saha

● Indian Woman to Swim Across the Strait of Gibraltar : Aarti Pradhan

● Man to Climb Mount Everest : Sherpa Tenzing

● Man to Climb Mount Everest without Oxygen : Phu Dorjee

● Man to Climb Mount Everest twice : Nawang Gombu

● Muslim Woman to sit on the throne of Delhi : Razia Sultana

● Nobel Prize Winner : Rabindra Nath Tagore

● President of the Indian National Congress : W. C. Banerjee

● Woman President of the Indian National Congress : Annie Besant

● President to Die in Office : Dr. Zakir Hussain

● Prime Minister to Lose an Election : Indira Gandhi

● Prime Minister to Resign from Office : Morarji Desai

● Deputy Prime Minister : Vallabhbhai Patel

● Talkie Film : Alam Ara (1931)

● Test-tube Baby : Indira (Baby Harsha)

● Viceroy : Lord Canning

● Woman Central Minister : Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

● Woman Chief Minister of a State : Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani

● Woman Governor : Mrs. Sarojini Naidu

● Woman Minister : Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit

● Woman to Climb the Mt. Everest: Bachendri Pal

● Woman Prime Minister : Mrs. Indira Gandhi

● Woman Speaker of a State Assembly : Mrs. Shanno Devi

● Woman Airline Pilot : Durba Banerjee

● Woman to Win an Asiad Gold : Kamaljit Sandhu

● Woman Judge of the Supreme Court : Fathima Beevi

● Woman IPS Officer : Kiran Bedi

● Indian in the British Parliament: Dadabhai Naoroji

● Indian to win Miss Universe Title : Ms Sushmita Sen

● Indian Woman Congress President : Sarojini Naidu (1925)

● Woman President of UN General Assembly : Vijayalakshmi Pandit (1953)

● Woman to Win the Nobel Prize : Mother Teresa (1979)

● Woman to become ‘Miss World : Reeta Faria

● Speaker, Lok Sabha : G. V. Manavalankar (1952-57)

● Chairman Rajya Sabha : S. V. Krishnamoorthy (1952)

● Indian to Pass ICS : Surendra Nath Banerji (1869)

● Indian Pilot : JRD Tata (1929)

● To Reach Antarctica : Lt. Ram Charan (1960)

● Vernacular Daily : Kolkata (1727)

● Telegraph Line Installed : Calcutta to Diamond Harber (1853)

● Silent Movie : Raja Harish Chandra by Dada Saheb Phalke (1913)

● Coloured Cinemascope Film : Pyar ki Pyas (1961)

● Satellite launched : Aryabhatta (1975)

● Indigenously built satellite : Aryabhatta (1975)

● Atomic device exploded at : Pokharan in Rajasthan (1974)

● Large-scale Nuclear Reactor : Apsara (1956)

● Indigenously designed and built missile : Prithvi (1988)

● Member of the Dalit Community to become the President of India : K. R. Narayanan

● DNA typing forensic Laboratory set-up at : Kolkata

● Electric Train started between : Ludhiana and New Delhi

● Science City was inaugurated in : Kolkata

● Actress of Indian Cinema : Kamalabai Gokhale

● Woman Pilot of IAF : Harita Deol

● Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Power Station was established at : Mathania (Rajasthan)

● Indian writer to win the Booker Prize : Arundhati Roy

● Musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna : M. S. Subbulakshmi

● Indian Woman to go into Space : Kalpana Chawla

● Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board : Nikhil Chakravarthy

● Indian Institution to be awarded Gandhi Peace Prize : Ramakrishna Mission

● Solar city is developed at : Anandpur Sahib

● Woman to win an Olympic medal : Karnam Malleswari

● Woman Foreign Secretary of India : Chokila Iyer

● Indian to win World Billiards Trophy : Wilson Jones

● Indian Grand Master (in Chess) : Vishwanathan Anand

● Chinese pilgrim to visit India : Fahien

● European invader on India soil : Alexender, the great

● Indian to win World Chess Championship : Vishwanathan Anand

● Women Air Vice Marshal : P. Bandopadhyaya

● Lady Cadet of Indian Army : Priya Jhingan

● First Indian to win a medal in the world Athletic Championship : Anju B. George (2003)

● Triple Century Maker in Test Cricket : Virendra Sahwag (2004)

● Hitter of 5 Double Centuries : Rahul Dravid (2004)

● Woman DGP : Kanchan Chaudhury

● Medal winner in Olympic Games : Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore (2004)

● Asian Tennis Champion, WTA champion, Third round winner in Grand Slam Tournament, Grand slam tournament winner Match winner in U.S. open, Youngest awardee of Padamshree : Sania Mirza

● Formula-1 Car Racer : Narayan Kartikeyan

● Indian to be awarded ‘Srilanka Ratn’ : N. Ram

● Woman Commanded the annual passing out parade : Wahida Prizm (2006)

● Five hundred wicket taker in Test cricket: Anil Kumble (2006)

● To the ski to the North Pole : Ajeet Bajaj (2006)

● First Air Chief to to Sky dive : Air Chief S. P. Tyagi (2006)

● First Indian Woman to win a Badminton Grand Prix : Saina Nehwal (2006)

● First President to make sortie in a combat aircraft : Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2006)

● First Women President : Pratibha Patil (2007)

● First Indian to win Gold Medal in Olympics in individual Event : Abhinav Bindra (2008)

● First Woman Pilot of Fighter Plane : Suman Sharma

● World Cup (Jr.) Badminton, Indonesian Open Winner (Woman) : Saina Nehwal (2009)

● Woman Speaker Lok Sabha : Ms. Meira Kumar (2009)

● Two Oscar Award Winner : A. R. Rehman (2009)

● Khel Ratna, Arjun and Dronacharya Award : P. Gopi Chand (2009)

● Indian Woman to reach the South Pole : Reena Kaushal (2009)