First in India and the World Notes for Competitive Exams

Questions on "firsts" are among the most common static general knowledge questions in SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, railway (RRB NTPC, Group D), bank, defence and state PCS exams. UPSC Prelims rarely asks a direct "who was the first" question, but these facts often form part of statements in history, polity and science questions, and they are useful for essays and interviews. This note collects the most frequently asked firsts in India and the world in clear tables, grouped by theme, so that you can revise them quickly and remember them through context rather than rote memory.

Quick Facts at a Glance

• First President of India: Dr Rajendra Prasad.
• First Prime Minister of India: Jawaharlal Nehru.
• First woman Prime Minister of India: Indira Gandhi.
• First Indian Nobel laureate: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913).
• First Indian in space: Rakesh Sharma (1984).

1. Firsts in Indian Polity and Governance

2. First Indian Women Achievers

3. Firsts in Awards and Honours

• First Bharat Ratna recipients (1954): C. Rajagopalachari, Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Dr C. V. Raman.
• First foreigner to receive the Bharat Ratna: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987). Nelson Mandela received it in 1990.
• First Indian Nobel laureate: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913), for Gitanjali.
• First Indian to win a Nobel Prize in science: C. V. Raman (Physics, 1930), for the Raman Effect.
• First Indian to win an Oscar: Bhanu Athaiya (Costume Design, Gandhi, 1983).
• First Jnanpith Award: G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam, 1965).
• First Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Devika Rani (1969).
• First Param Vir Chakra: Major Somnath Sharma (1947, posthumous).

4. Firsts in Science, Space and Technology

• First Indian satellite: Aryabhata (1975), launched by the Soviet Union.
• First Indian in space: Rakesh Sharma (1984), aboard Soyuz T-11.
• First indigenous launch of a satellite: Rohini RS-1 on SLV-3 (1980).
• India's first lunar mission: Chandrayaan-1 (2008), which helped confirm water molecules on the Moon.
• First country to reach Mars orbit in its first attempt: India, with Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission, 2014).
• First soft landing near the lunar south pole: India's Chandrayaan-3 (August 2023).
• First nuclear test in India: Pokhran, 1974 ("Smiling Buddha").
• First nuclear reactor in India and Asia: Apsara (1956).

5. Firsts in Sports

• First individual Olympic gold medal for India: Abhinav Bindra (shooting, Beijing 2008).
• First Olympic gold in athletics (track and field) for India: Neeraj Chopra (javelin, Tokyo 2020, held in 2021).
• First Indian Test cricket captain: C. K. Nayudu (1932).
• First Cricket World Cup win for India: 1983, under Kapil Dev.
• First Indian to win a chess world championship: Viswanathan Anand (2000), also India's first chess Grandmaster (1988).
• First Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal: P. V. Sindhu (badminton, Rio 2016).

6. Firsts in Indian History and Infrastructure

• First passenger train in India: Bombay (Bori Bunder) to Thane, 16 April 1853.
• First Governor-General of Bengal: Warren Hastings (1773).
• First Governor-General of India: Lord William Bentinck (1833).
• First Viceroy of India: Lord Canning (1858).
• First general election in independent India: 1951–52.
• First newspaper in India: Bengal Gazette (Hicky's Gazette), 1780.
• First Indian to qualify for the ICS: Satyendranath Tagore (1863).
• First metro rail in India: Kolkata (1984).

7. Firsts in the World

How to Remember Firsts

• Group by theme: polity, women, awards, science, sports, world.
• Link with events: Remember Rakesh Sharma's flight as part of a joint Indo-Soviet mission in 1984, and Hillary and Tenzing's Everest climb on 29 May 1953, news of which reached London on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
• Use stories: Tagore's Nobel for Gitanjali or C. V. Raman's discovery of light scattering are easier to recall than isolated names.
• Revise weekly: These are pure memory facts, so short and frequent revision works best.

8. Why "Firsts" Matter Beyond Exams

Many of these firsts mark turning points in India's journey as a nation. Sarojini Naidu becoming the first woman Governor and Sucheta Kripalani the first woman Chief Minister showed that women could lead at the highest levels soon after independence. Justice Fathima Beevi's appointment to the Supreme Court in 1989 opened the door for more women in the higher judiciary. In science, C. V. Raman's Nobel Prize in 1930 proved that world-class research was possible in colonial India with modest equipment, and it inspired generations of Indian scientists. The Aryabhata satellite in 1975 began a space programme that later reached the Moon and Mars at a fraction of the cost of other nations.

For UPSC aspirants, these examples are valuable in the Essay paper, GS Paper 1 (role of women, post-independence consolidation), GS Paper 3 (science and technology achievements) and the interview, where linking a fact to its larger meaning shows depth of understanding.

9. Recent Milestones Worth Knowing

• Chandrayaan-3 (2023): India became the first country to achieve a soft landing near the Moon's south polar region and the fourth country overall to soft-land on the Moon.
• Aditya-L1 (launched 2023): India's first dedicated solar observatory mission, placed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1.
• Droupadi Murmu (2022): became the first person from a Scheduled Tribe to hold the office of President of India, and the second woman President.
• Neeraj Chopra: won India's first Olympic gold medal in athletics (javelin) at Tokyo 2020 and later became World Champion in 2023.

Recent firsts are often asked in current affairs sections, so keep adding new milestones to this list as you read the news. When you note a new "first", also write one line on why it matters; this habit turns a memory fact into a useful example for answer writing.

Practice Questions

1. Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India? Answer: Sukumar Sen.
2. Which was India's first satellite? Answer: Aryabhata (1975).
3. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize in Physics? Answer: C. V. Raman (1930).
4. Who was the first woman Chief Minister in India? Answer: Sucheta Kripalani (Uttar Pradesh).
5. Where were the first modern Olympic Games held? Answer: Athens, 1896.

Exam Tip: Watch for "First Indian" vs "First Indian-Origin"

Examiners sometimes test the difference between an Indian citizen and a person of Indian origin. Kalpana Chawla, for example, was born in India but flew to space as an American astronaut, so she is described as the first Indian-born woman in space. Similarly, several Nobel laureates of Indian origin, such as Har Gobind Khorana and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, were citizens of other countries when they won. Read the wording of the question carefully before choosing your answer.

Related Notes

• Awards and Honours Notes
• Sports General Knowledge Notes
• Governor-Generals and Viceroys of India Notes
• ISRO and Space Technology Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the first President of India?

Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India.

Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?

Indira Gandhi was the first woman Prime Minister of India.

Who was the first woman President of India?

Pratibha Patil was the first woman President of India.

Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?

Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Who was the first Indian in space?

Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 in 1984.

Who was the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest?

Bachendri Pal, in 1984.

Who received the first Bharat Ratna?

In 1954, the first Bharat Ratna awards went to C. Rajagopalachari, Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Dr C. V. Raman.

Who was the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India?

Justice M. Fathima Beevi.

Who won India's first individual Olympic gold medal?

Abhinav Bindra, in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Who was the first person in space?

Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union, in 1961.

Who was the world's first woman Prime Minister?

Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, in 1960.

When did the first passenger train run in India?

On 16 April 1853, between Bombay and Thane.