In this day in age, there have been plenty of “firsts” in history. In fact, thanks to the past, it’s hard to be the first person to do just about anything these days. Because of these people, the world has advanced in such incredible ways, but it’s important to remember where we’ve come from. Check out this list of famous firsts that have helped shape the world we live in today.This is the very first computer that was developed by Steve Wozniak and shown to the public by Steve Jobs. Paul Terrell was the only person to buy the computer, and just a few days later, Jobs walked into Terrell’s store and made the very first deal that Apple had ever made.
On March 15, 1985, there was only one domain registered: symbolics.com. Even after a year there were only dozens of domains registered. Kind of makes you wish you could go back to the ’80s and register some more!
The first person to ever send a text was British engineer Neil Papworth. He sent “Merry Christmas” on December 3, 1992. Papworth was working on a project for Vodafone. The person who received the text was Vodafone executive Richard Jarvis but he couldn’t reply. We don’t have a pic of the text but here’s Papworth.
Before 1946, seeing a woman in a bikini was considered taboo. The creator of the very first bikini was designer Louis Reard. It was publicly displayed and worn by dancer Michelle Bernardini in Paris on July 5, 1946. She is holding the tiny box that the bikini can fit into.
In 1941, the El Rancho Casino in Las Vegas installed the first neon sign in Las Vegas, forever changing the marketing game in the process. Can you even imagine the Vegas Strip without any neon?
French photographer Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first photograph ever back in 1826. Niépce used a process known as heliography, setting his camera to an 8-hour exposure over a pewter plate covered with asphalt. He wiped off the areas with asphalt that weren’t hardened by the sun to reveal the photo.
In fact, the USSR actually launched the very first satellite into outer space. In 1957, Sputnik 1 was launched by the former Soviet Union, and ever since then, humans have continued the search for the unknown.
In 1940, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their very first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. While they initially sold barbecue, it wasn’t long before they reopened with French friends, orange juice, hamburgers, and Coca-Cola.
In 1973, Martin Cooper, an engineer at Motorola, invented the very first cell phone. The phone, which weighed more than two lbs, took 10 hours to charge. Unfortunately, the cell phone only held a charge for half an hour.
That was until 1937 when she became the first woman in Washington to be given a license to drive a motorcycle. Despite the fact that she was too young, Sally passed the test several times, fought tooth and nail, and eventually received her license!
In 1901, at the age of 63, Annie engaged in the greatest stunt of her life. Becoming the first person to do it, Annie jumped inside of a barrel and went over the Niagara Falls. She even lived to tell the tale!
In 1931, the very first Christmas tree was brought to Rockefeller Center. While it’s decorated more elaborately today, the original decorations included toys, cranberries, and cans.
Seeing how Louis Daguerre was messing around with photography, Robert Cornelius figured that he could do it, too! Not only did Cornelius take the first selfie ever, but he also took the first distinct human portrait in the history of the world.
In 2015, AbioMed created the first completely artificial heart, known as AbioCor. The heart, which functions on a rechargeable energy source, has already been tested on 15 people. For some reason, though, the company stopped making it soon after its release.
While messing around in his garage in 1896, Ford actually designed and created the very first motorized vehicle. Using gasoline and four bike tires, Ford became so successful that he opened the doors of his own company in 1903.
William Jennings was curious as to whether or not lightning really had a zig-zag form. Determined to find out the truth, he was able to get the very first picture of lightning on film on September 2, 1882.
Color pictures are the norm today, but when James Clerk Maxwell was alive, they didn’t exist. So, while performing experiments with tri-color technologies, Maxwell was able to take this first color photo ever. This tartan ribbon was photographed by Maxwell in 1861
