About This Quiz
You never forget your first ... or do you? Everyone remembers Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, but do you remember the name of the first human in space? Test your knowledge of 'firsts' in modern history with our quiz!Lindbergh was a former military pilot who vaulted to fame by making the New York to Paris flight. Admirers gave him the name, "Lucky Lindy."
Ferraro was Democrat presidential candidate Walter Mondale's running mate in 1980. They were crushed, however, by the Reagan-Bush ticket juggernaut.
Built for distance flying, it had only one engine and one seat. You can see the Spirit of St. Louis at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
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The young and progressive United States has not yet had a female president. Hillary Clinton was the first major-party nominee in 2016, but failed to win the election.
OK, this might not seem like modern history (especially to younger quiz takers) -- but by "modern," we mean the modern era, the last few hundred years or so. In other words, no questions on ancient Rome or the Pharaohs.
The Masters is played at the Augusta National Golf Club. The winner is awarded a green jacket (which remains his property, but has to be returned to be kept in a special room.)
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Bhutto came from a politically influential family -- and one often in conflict with rival political factions. Her father was hanged, and Bhutto herself was assassinated in 2007, after her service as prime minister.
The Grand Ole Opry is several things: a radio broadcast, a venue (the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee), and an exclusive club of top country-western performers. Induction into the Opry is pretty much every country act's dream.
Contrary to rumors, Yuri Gagarin never said "I don't see God" while he was in space. The misunderstanding might come from a speech made later by Kruschev, who said that Gagarin went into space and didn't see God, a statement made in support of official state secularism.
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The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. At that time, there were only summer games. Which brings us to ...
John D. Rockefeller was the first known billionaire (and it's hard to imagine an unknown one, given their lifestyle). He made his wealth in oil. In recent years, Bill Gates and Mexico's Carlos Slim have traded the title of World's Richest Billionaire.
Beryl Markham is sometimes credited with this, but she was only the first woman to make the flight. She was such a colorful figure -- a British-expatriate Kenyan, racehorse trainer, and adventurer -- that she overshadowed Mollison, though he's a dashing figure in his own right.
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Shelley began the novel as a teenager and finished it before she was 20 years old. Sidenote: Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the choices above, was Shelley's mother -- a feminist and writer in her own right.
This one's *really* not modern history. But we include it because it's rare for a woman to be the first person overall to do something, not the first woman (see Beryl Markham, above) -- which makes it notable that both the first novel and the first science-fiction novel were written by women. Murasaki, a Heian noblewoman, was the author of "The Tale of Genji," a long, multi-chapter story about an emperor's son and his many loves.
Four buildings have had the name "Madison Square Garden." The current one opened in 1968. It has hosted everything from national political conventions to Wrestlemania.
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New York or Los Angeles would make more sense -- but no, it was Pittsburgh. The theater's name was "The Nickelodeon," which inspired a number of "Nickelodeons" in other cities.
Walker, an African-American, was born Sarah Breedlove. She learned about hair care from her brothers, who were barbers, and made her fortune selling hair care products.
At the time, the U.S. Army was still segregated, so Flipper commanded an all-black unit. He became the first black leader of a "buffalo soldier" unit.
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John Adams was the second president of the United States. Washington, the first, oversaw the architectural planning of the White House, but never lived in it.
Morrison was perhaps referring to Clinton's impoverished childhood in rural Arkansas. Though others criticized the notion, Clinton has a high comfort level with African Americans, and moved his post-presidential office to Harlem, New York.
Thatcher was said to be more proud of being the first prime minister with a science degree than the first woman prime minister. Though Thatcher has a complicated legacy, it's likely she would have approved of early 2017's March for Science!
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The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece. The only competitors were men, and they usually competed naked -- which seems kind of dangerous and unsanitary. And at times, a bit unsightly.
The first winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France. While the summer games still have the edge in popularity (due to the fact that many hot, dry nations have little chance to compete in winter sports), the winter games offer very colorful, watchable sports like figure skating, slalom skiing, and snowboarding.
Yeltsin was a popular maverick during the fall of the USSR in late 1991. However, his rapid economic reforms, which gave rise to a ruling class of oligarchs, diminished his popularity. Yeltsin died in 2007.
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The competition was a humbler affair back then: The All England Lawn Tennis Championships. Nowadays, all eyes are on the gods and goddesses who make it to Centre Court.
Frank Robinson first managed the Cleveland Indians, then went on to helm the San Francisco Giants and the Montreal Expos. As a player, he wowed everyone by winning MVP honors in both the American and National Leagues.
Maris' record has since been broken by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. It should be noted that Babe Ruth held the previous record of 60 home runs in a season, and he did it on a tighter schedule: within a 154-game season, not 162.
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It was huge news when Sam came out before the NFL draft. However, he didn't go on to a notable career in the NFL. Sam played in a Canadian league and then had a stint on "Dancing With the Stars."
Many would vote for "Rocket 88," recorded by Ike Turner, which had a classic fuzzy-guitar sound, produced by stuffing newspaper into a torn amp. But music historians say it's an impossible question to answer. The division of music, back then, into black and white genres doesn't help.
Thats right. "Hound Dog" was first recorded by WIllie Mae Thornton, an African-American woman who performed in Harlem at the Apollo. Not only is she not commonly associated with "Hound Dog," she only received a flat fee of $500 for performing it.
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Cheryl James and Sandra Denton won for "None of Your Business" in 1993. They worked in the same Sears store before breaking into the male-dominated field of hip-hop.
McDaniel played Mammy in "Gone With the Wind."
The Oscars have a "Best Animated Feature" category, which probably reduces the chances of an animated movie being nominated for Best Picture. However, "Up" followed in "Beauty's" footsteps in 2009.
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To date, Bigelow is the only woman to win directing honors. Sidenote: Props to you if you recognized that all the movies listed above were directed by women. Kimberly Peirce directed "Boys Don't Cry" and "Stop Loss," while Mira Nair directed "Monsoon Wedding."
The Tournament of Roses parade was a good choice for the first color broadcast. After all, back then the CBS Evening News was hosted by older white men in gray suits. If it had been broadcast in color, would anyone have noticed?