List of Firsts in India | General Test Preparation for CUET - CUET Commerce PDF Download

List of Important First in India 

S.I. No.

First in India

Name

1

First British to Visit India

Thomas Roe

2

First Chinese pilgrim to Visit India

Fa-Hien/Faxian

3

First Indian to reach Antarctica

Lt. Ram Charan

4

First Judge in International Court of Justice

Dr. Nagender Singh

5

First Muslim President of the Indian National Congress

Badruddin Tayyabji

6

First Post Office Opened in India

Kolkata(1727)

7

First Wax statue of a Living Indian

Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussaud’s in 1939

8

India’s First Lok Sabha Member to be elected with a record maximum number of votes

P.V. Narasimha Rao

9

India’s First Open University

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University

10

India’s First University

Nalanda University

11

India’s first man in Space

Rakesh Sharma

12

The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Ganesh Vasudeva Mavalankar

13

The first and last Muslim woman ruler of India

Razia Sultan

14

The first and the last Indian to be Governor-General of free India

C. Rajagopalachari

15

The first British Governor-General of Bengal

Lord Warren Hastings (1774-1885)

16

The first British Governor-General of India

Lord William Bentinck (1833-1835)

17

The first British Viceroy of India

Lord Canning

18

The first Chief Election Commissioner

Sukumar Sen

19

The first Chief Justice of Supreme Court

Justice Hiralal J. Kania

20

The first Chief of Army Staff

Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji

21

The first Education Minister

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

22

The first Field Marshal of India

S.H.F. Manekshaw

23

The first Governor-General of free India

Lord Mountbatten

24

The first Home Minister of India

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

25

The first Indian Air Chief Marshal

S. Mukherjee

26

The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of India

General Cariappa

27

The first Indian Member of the Viceroy’s executive council

S.P. Sinha

28

The first Indian Naval Chief

Vice-Admiral R.D. Katari

29

The first Indian Pilot

J.R.D. Tata (1929)

30

The first Indian to cross English Channel

Mihir Sen

31

The first Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics

C.V. Raman

32

The first Indian to join the Indian Civil Services

Satyendra Nath Tagore

33

The first Indian to receive Bharat Ratna award

Dr. Radhakrishnan

34

The first Indian to win Nobel Prize

Rabindranath Tagore

35

The first Judge of International Court of Justice

Dr. Nagendra Singh

36

The first lady to become Miss World

Rita Faria

37

The first man who introduced printing press in India

James Hicky

38

The first Muslim President of India

Dr. Zakir Hussain

39

The first Muslim President of Indian National Congress

Badruddin Tayyabji

40

The first Muslim President of Indian Republic

Dr. Zakir Hussain

41

The first person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize in Medicine

Hargovind Khurana

42

The first person to get Param Vir Chakra

Major Somnath Sharma

43

The first person to reach Mt. Everest without oxygen

Sherpa Anga Dorjee

44

The first Person to receive Jnanpith award

Sri Shankar Kurup

45

The first person to receive Magsaysay Award

Acharya Vinoba Bhave

46

The first person to receive Nobel Prize in Economics

Amartya Sen

47

The first person to receive Stalin Prize

Saifuddin Kitchlu

48

The first person to resign from the Central Cabinet

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

49

The first President of India who died while in office

Dr. Zakir Hussain

50

The first President of Indian National Congress

W.C. Banerjee

51

The first President of Indian Republic

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

52

The first Prime Minister of free India

Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru

53

The first Prime Minister of India who did not face the Parliament

Charan Singh

54

The first Prime Minister of India who resigned without completing the full term

Morarji Desai

55

The first Vice-President of India

Dr. Radhakrishnan

56

The first woman Air Vice Marshal

P. Bandopadhyaya

57

The first woman Airline Pilot

Durba Banerjee

58

The first woman Ambassador

Miss C.B. Muthamma

59

The first woman Asian Games Gold Medal Winner

Kamlijit Sandhu

60

The first woman Chairman of Union Public Service Commission

Roze Millian Bethew

61

The first woman chairperson of Indian Airlines

Sushma Chawla

62

The first woman Chief Justice of High Court

Mrs. Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh High Court)

63

The first woman Chief Minister of an Indian State

Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani

64

The first woman Director General of Police

Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya

65

The first woman Governor of a state in free India

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu

66

The first woman Graduates

Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu, 1883

67

The first woman Honours Graduate

Kamini Roy, 1886

68

The first woman IPS officer

Mrs. Kiran Bedi

69

The first woman Judge

Anna Chandy (She became judge in a district court in 1937)

70

The first woman judge in Supreme Court

Mrs. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi

71

The first woman Judge in Supreme Court of India

Kumari Justice M. Fathima Beevi

72

The first woman Lawyer

Cornelia Sorabjee

73

The first woman Lieutenant General

Puneeta Arora

74

The first woman Minister in a Government

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

75

The first woman Olympic medal Winner

Karnam Malleswari, 2000

76

The first woman pilot in Indian Air Force

Harita Kaur Dayal

77

The first woman President of Indian National Congress

Mrs. Annie Besant

78

The first woman President of United Nations General Assembly

Mrs. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit

79

The first woman Prime Minister

Mrs. Indira Gandhi

80

The first woman Speaker of a State Assembly

Shanno Devi

81

The first woman to climb Mount Everest

Bachhendri Pal

82

The first woman to climb Mount Everest twice

Santosh Yadav

83

The first woman to cross English Channel

Aarti Saha

84

The first woman to receive Ashoka Chakra

Nirja Bhanot

85

The first woman to receive Bharat Ratna

Mrs. Indira Gandhi

86

The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award

Ashapurna Devi

87

The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award

Ashpurna Devi

88

The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize

Mother Teresa

First in India: Politics

First in India

Name

First President of India

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

First Prime Minister of India

Jawaharlal Nehru

First Vice President of India

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

First Female President of India

Pratibha Patil

First Female Prime Minister of India

Indira Gandhi

First and last Indian Governor General of Independent India

C. Rajgopalachari

First and last Muslim woman ruler of India (Before Independence)

Razia Sultan

First British Governor General of Bengal

Lord Warren Hastings

First British Governor General of India

Lord William Bentinck

First British Viceroy of India

Lord Canning

First Cabinet Secretary of India

N.P. Pillai

First Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India

Ranganath Misra

First Chief Election Commissioner of India

Sukumar Sen

First Chief Justice of India

H. J. Kania

First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Justice Hirala J. Kania

First Dalit President of India

K.R. Narayana

First Education Minister of India

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

First Female Chief Justice of India

Leila Seth

First Female Chief Minister of a State

Sucheta Kripalani

First Female Governor of India

Sarojini Naidu

First Female Minister of External Affairs

Sushma Swaraj

First Finance Minister of India

R.K. Shanmukham Chetty

First Foreign Secretary of India

K.P.S Menon

First General Election in India

1951-1952

First Governor-General of Independent India

Lord Mountbatten

First Home Minister of India

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel

First Indian Member of the Viceroy’s executive council

S.P. Sinha

First Indian Prime Minister who did not face the Parliament

Charan Singh

First Indian Prime Minister who resigned without completing the full term

Morarji Desai

First Lok Sabha Member with the highest number of Votes

P.V. Narasimha Rao

First Minister of Information and Broadcasting

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

First Muslim President of India

Zakir Hussain

First Muslim President of the Indian National Congress

Badruddin Tayyabji

First person to resign from the Central Cabinet

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

First President of India who died during his tenure

Dr. Zakir Hussain

First President of Indian National Congress

W.C. Banerjee

First Speaker of Lok Sabha

Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar

First Transgender Mayer of India

Madhu Bai Kinnar

First Viceroy of India

Lord Canning

First woman Minister in a Government

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

First woman President of the Indian National Congress

Mrs. Annie Besant

First woman President of the United Nations General Assembly

Mrs. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit

First woman Speaker of a State Assembly

Shanno Devi

First In India: Science

First in India

Name

First Computer developed in India

TIFRAC

First Female Doctor in India

Rukhmabai Bhimrao Raut

First female mining engineer in India

Chandrani Prasad Verma

First Genetically Modified (GM) food product in India

Bt. Eggplant Hybrid [Banned]

First Hydroelectric Plant

Sidrapong (Darjeeling)

First Indian appointed in the World Health Organization (WHO) as the Deputy Director-general of Programmes (DDP)

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan

First Indian in Space

Rakesh Sharma

First Indian Pilot in India

J.R.D. Tata

First Indian to develop an Airplane

Shivkar Bapuji Talpade

First moon mission of India

Chandrayan-1 (2008-2009)

First Nuclear Plant in India

Tarapur Atomic Power Plant-1

First Nuclear Reactor in India

Apsara (Located in Maharashtra)

First satellite earth station in India for domestic communications

Secunderabad

First Satellite of India

Aryabhatta

First Space Shuttle launched in India

RLV-TD, 2016

First successful indigenous launch vehicle

SLV-3

First successful nuclear test in India

Operation Smiling Buddha, 18th May 1974

First to pass the Indian Medical Service (IMS) Examination

Surjo Kumar Chakroborty

First woman to go to space from India

Kalpana Chawla

First in India: Defence

First in India

Name

First Chief of Army Staff

Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji

First Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army of Independent India

Kodandera Madappa Cariappa

First Cosmonaut of India

Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma

First Defence Minister of India

Baldev Singh Chokkar

First Female Jawan in the Indian Army

Shanti Tigga

First Field Marshal of India

Sam Manekshaw

First Indian Chief of the Air Force of Independent India

Subroto Mukherjee

First Indian Naval Chief

Vice-Admiral R.D. Katari

First Indian Woman to Fly a Fighter Aircraft Solo

IAF Officer Avani Chaturvedi

First Recipient of the Param Vir Chakra

Major Somnath Sharma

First woman Air Vice Marshal

P. Bandopadhyaya

First woman Airline Pilot

Durba Banerjee

First woman in the Indian Army Conferred with the Sword of Honour Prize

Divya Ajith Kumar

First woman Lieutenant General

Puneeta Arora

First woman pilot in the Indian Air Force

Harita Kaur Dayal

First in India: Sports

First in India

Names

First Asian Games in India

New Delhi, 1951

First Indian Chess Grandmaster

Viswanathan Anand

First Olympic Medal for India

KD Jadhav

First Indian to receive Gold Medal at Olympics

Abhinav Bindra

First Indian Woman Badminton Player to win a medal in Olympics

Saina Nehwal

First Indian Woman to win a medal in Wrestling

Sakshi Malik

First Indian Woman to win in Olympics

Karnam Malleswari (2000)

First Indian Woman to win Silver in Olympics

P.V. Sindhu

First Paralympics Gold Medal

Murlikant Petkar (Swimming) in 1974

First Team Medal at Olympics

Field Hockey, Gold Medal

First time Indians win Cricket World Cup

1983

First woman Asian Games Gold Medal Winner

Kamlijit Sandhu

First Woman to be awarded the Padma Shri

Arati Saha

First in India: Awards

First in India

Name

First Bharat Ratna Award

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

First Indian Nobel Laureate

Rabindranath Tagore

First Indian to get Ashok Chakra

Rakesh Sharma (Astronaut)

First Indian to get Jnanpith Award

G. Shankar Kurup

First Indian to receive an Oscar Award

Bhanu Athaiya

First Indian to receive Magsaysay Award

Acharya Vinoba Bhave

First Indian to receive Nobel Prize in Economics

Amartya Sen

First Indian to receive Nobel Prize in Medicine

Hargovind Khurana

First Indian to receive Nobel Prize in Physics

C.V Raman

First Indian to receive Paramvir Chakra

Major Somnath Sharma

First Indian to receive Stalin Prize

Saifuddin Kitchlu

First Scientist to get Nobel Prize

C.V. Raman

First Sportsperson to get Padma Shri

Balbir Singh Dosanjh

First Transgender to get Padma Shri

Narthaki Nataraj

First Woman to get Ashok Chakra

Nirja Bhanot

First Woman to get Bharat Ratna Award

Indira Gandhi

First woman to receive Jnanpith Award

Ashapoorna Devi

The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize

Mother Teresa

First in India: Architecture

First in India

Name

First temple constructed from a single rock

Kailasa temple at Ellora

First Indian temple with many interconnected structures

Brihadeeswarar Temple, Tamil Nadu

First church in India

St. Thomas Church, Palayoor

First dam in India

Kallanai Dam

First mosque in India

Cheraman Juma Mosque in Methala

First in India: Entertainment and Other Fields

First in India

Name

First Newspaper in India

The Bengal Gazette, 1780

First silent movie in India

Raja Harishchandra

First female entrepreneur in India

Kalpana Saroj

First IAS officer of India

Satyendranath Tagore

First woman IPS officer in India

Kiran Bedi

First Hindi newspaper in India

Udant Martand (30 May 1826)

First woman to climb Mount Everest

Bachhendri Pal

First Temple built with Single Rock

Kailasa Temple at Ellora

First Dam in India

Kallanai Dam

First Church in India

St. Thomas Church, Palayoor

First Mosque in India

Cheraman Juma Mosque, Methala

First Indian to reach Antarctica

Lt. Ram Charan

First Indian temple with Interconnected Structures

Brihadeeswarar Temple (Tamil Nadu)

First British to Visit India

Thomas Roe

First Chinese Pilgrim to Visit India

Fa-Hien

First Indian Judge in International Court of Justice

Dr. Nagender Singh

First Post Office Opened in India

Kolkata (1727)

First Wax statue of a Living Indian

Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussaud’s in 1939

India’s First Open University

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University

India’s First University

Nalanda University

First Indian to cross the English Channel

Mihir Sen

First Judge of the International Court of Justice

Dr. Nagendra Singh

First lady to become Miss World

Rita Faria

First man who introduced the printing press in India

James Hicky

First person to reach Mt. Everest without oxygen

Sherpa Anga Dorjee

First woman Ambassador

Miss C.B. Muthamma

First woman Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission

Roze Millian Bethew

First woman chairperson of Indian Airlines

Sushma Chawla

First woman Chief Justice of the High Court

Mrs. Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh High Court)

First woman Director General of Police

Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya

First woman Graduates

Kadambini Ganguly & Chandramukhi Basu, 1883

First woman Honours Graduate

Kamini Roy, 1886

First woman Judge

Anna Chandy (District Court Judge in 1937)

First woman judge in Supreme Court

Mrs. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi

First woman Lawyer

Cornelia Sorabjee

First woman to climb Mount Everest twice

Santosh Yadav

First woman to cross the English Channel

Aarti Saha

First RBI Governor of India

Sir Osborne Smith