Thursday, June 21, 2012

Firsts

Yuri Gargarin, first man in space, 1961.

André-Jacques Garnerin, first parachute jump, 1791, (from a balloon.)

Queen Victoria, first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace, 1837.

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, first actual British Prime Minister, 1905. (That's when the title was first "officially" recognized by Edward VII. The title was used starting in the latter 19th century. Before that, various titles were used for the position.)

Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet, first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tighrope, 1859. (Actually, he walked across the Niagara River Gorge, considerably below the falls, near where the present-day Rainbow Bridge is.) But he was more spectacular than anyone: he did it several times; he did it pushing a wheelbarrow; he did it blindfolded; he did it in a sack; he did it carrying a man on his back; he balanced on a chair with only one chair leg on the wire.

Jules Leotard, first flying trapeze circus act, 1859.

Matthew Webb, first known person to swim across the English Channel, 1875. Drowned in 1883 while attempting swim across the whirlpools and rapids down-river from Niagara Falls.

Queen Isabella of Spain, first woman's image to appear on a U.S. postage stamp, 1893.

Ferenc Szisz, winner of the first Grand Prix, held in Le Mans, 1906. The Romanian drove a Renault.

First time Scotland won the World Cup: Bwahahahahahahahahah. Right. No, wait. That's the wrong attitude. Let me think of a first. Ok: First time Scotland qualified for World Cup was 1950 (but refused to play.) Scotland actually qualified a lot:

In 1954
In 1958
In 1974
In 1978
In 1982
In 1986
In 1990
In 1998

First player of a Scotland team to score a goal at a World Cup? Jimmy Murray of the Hearts (1958 in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia.)



4 comments:

  1. You mentioned Jimmy Murray! I love you!

    Walpole was the first to be called 'Prime Minister.' This was an insult used by opponents chiding him for being too important. It hung around unofficially until Eddie put his women aside to be King.

    But Jimmy Murray!

    Did Blondin not put a man in the wheelbarrow also? Some man. Is he not buried in Kensal Green, or is that Houdini?

    Jimmy Murray!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm afraid I don't know where Blondin and his wheelbarrow are buried. Houdini died in Detroit and is buried in Queens. If one of them was buried in London, I'd guess Blondin, then.

      Delete
  2. "Buried in Queens", hahahahahaaaaaa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lots of people have been buried in Queens. Some for a very long time.

      Delete

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