Achievements
*** A
Abertondo - Antonio ..... Argentinian who was the FIRST person to swim the English Channel non-stop in both directions - 1961
Almond - Gareth ..... the U.K's FIRST one-armed driving instructor after completing the demanding instructor course at a college in Stockport, Manchester. He is fully qualified to teach in manual and automatic vehicles which don't need to be modified, runs his own driving school Bulldog Spirit and teaches both the able-bodied and the disabled to drive
*** B
Balmat Jacques and Michel Paccard ..... in 1786 they were the FIRST to climb Mont Blanc
Banks - Mike ..... U.K ..... mountaineer, polar explorer, ex-Royal Marines Commando who, in 1958, made the FIRST ascent of the Himalayan giant, Rakaposhi ( 25,550 ft). The ascent was made during a blizzard and he ended up with frostbite
Bass - Dick ..... U.S.A ..... a wealthy Texan with limited climbing experience, in 1985 he paid to be guided to the top of Everest, thus becoming the FIRST person to reach the tallest peaks on all seven continents
Baumgartner - Felix ..... Austrian who was the FIRST man to cross the English Channel in an un-powered flight. On 31st July 2003 he jumped from a plane about 30,000 feet above Dover, England, and glided 22 miles at speeds of up to 220 mph until making a parachute landing at Cap Blanc-Nez near Calais in France
Blondin - Charles ..... born February 28th 1824 ..... in 1859 he became the FIRST man to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, 160 feet above the waterfall. He later performed variations on his feat
Blyth - Chay..... U.K ..... born 14th May 1940 ..... FIRST to cross the Atlantic from America to Ireland by rowing boat which he achieved in 1966 with John Ridgeway. In 1970 he became the FIRST person to sail alone and non-stop around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. In the same year he was made a CBE and the following year was voted Yachtsman of the Year. In 1978 he won the Round Britain Race and in 1981, with Rob James, the Two-Handed Transatlantic Race
Boanas - Graham ..... U.K ..... 6' 9" tall, on 13th August 2006 he became the FIRST man to walk across the River Mersey, Liverpool
Bonington - Christian John Storey ..... born 1934 ..... British mountaineer who took part in the FIRST ascent of Annapurna 11 in 1960, Nuptse in 1961 and the FIRST British ascent of the North Wall of the Eiger in 1962. He was also the world’s FIRST Internet press photographer and in 1998 made the FIRST ascent of the 22,000 ft western summit of Sepu Kangri in Eastern Tibet. In 1983 he made the FIRST British ascent of Mt Vinson in Antarctica
Borchgrevink - Carsten Egeberg ..... born 1864 died 1934 ..... Norwegian explorer who was a member of the FIRST party to set foot on the Antarctic continent in 1894 and the FIRST to winter there - 1898 - 99
Bourne - Nick ..... FIRST Briton to run the length of Africa. He ran the 6800 miles in 182 days
Boyton – Captain Paul ..... U.K ..... on April 11th 1875 he became the FIRST man to swim across the English Channel – four months before Capt. Matthew Webb. However, because he was assisted by a small sail attached to his foot and a paddle which he used as a rudder, it was Webb who was credited in the record books. Boyton also wore an inflatable life-saving suit. He set off from Boulogne, floated on his back and propelled himself with his hands
Bransfield -Edward ..... U.K ..... in January 1820 he became the FIRST man to see mainland Antarctica. A strait, mountain and island were named after him
Burke - Robert O'Hara ..... born 1820 died 1861 ..... Australian explorer who made the FIRST south-to-north crossing of Australia ( from Victoria to the Gulf of Carpentaria) with William Wills (1834-1861). Both died on the return journey
*** C
Campbell Sir Malcolm ..... U.K ..... born 11th March 1885 ..... FIRST holder of the world speed records in motor and speed-boat racing and the FIRST to exceed 300 mph on land when he reached a speed of 301.1291 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He was also the FIRST man to average 150 mph and 300 mph on land and the FIRST to average 140 mph on water. All his racing cars and speedboats were called Blue Bird
Cartier - Jacques ..... born 1491 died 1557 ..... French navigator who was the FIRST European to sail up the St Lawrence river in 1534
Cerro Torre .. FIRST undisputed attempt made in 1974 by Daniele Chiappa, Mario Conti, Casimiro Ferrari and Pino Negri
Chichester - Sir Frances Charles ..... born 1901 died 1972 ..... English adventurer and yachtsman who was the winner of the FIRST single-handed race in 1960 when he sailed in his boat Gypsy Moth 111 from Plymouth to New York in 40 days. In 1931 he had made the FIRST East - West crossing of the Tasman Sea in Gypsy Moth
Colligan - Steve .. the FIRST person to unicycle from Tibet to Nepal along the world's highest road - 2008. It took eighteen days to complete the 620 mile journey and was done to raise money for The Hilly Region Development Club based in Nepal
Cookson - Henry, Rupert Longsden & Rory Sweet ..... the FIRST people ever to reach the Pole of Inaccessibility in the Antarctic on foot - 2007
Cooper -Richard ..... U.K ..... FIRST person to windsurf around Great Britain 1999
Corbett - Rooke ..... U.K ..... FIRST man to top all the 2500 feet summits in Britain
*** D
Diaz - Bartholomew ..... in 1488 he was the FIRST European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, formerly named Cape of Storms
*** E
Edwards - Ted ..... U.K ..... FIRST adventurer to walk across Iceland
Erikson - Jon ..... U.S.A ..... in 1981 he became the FIRST person to swim the English Channel, three ways, without stopping
Evans - Chris and David Genders ..... U.K ..... in 2003 they became the first to cycle across Africa. They started in Cairo, Egypt and arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, after a journey of 6,600 miles in 100 days
*** F
Fiennes - Ranulph ..... with Charles Burton .... U.K ..... they became the FIRST men to reach both poles, circumnavigating the world on its polar axis in 1982. Fiennes - Ranulph ..... with Mike Stroud .... on 7th February 1993 they completed the FIRST unassisted polar journey across the Antarctic continent. In 1969 he led the FIRST hovercraft journey up the Nile and in 1970 parachuted onto the Briksdalsbre glacier in Norway and led the FIRST descent. In 2009 he became the FIRST British pensioner (aged 65 years) to climb Everest and was the FIRST man to cross two poles
Fuchs - Sir Vivian ..... U.K ..... born February 11th 1908 ..... the FIRST man to traverse the Antarctic
*** G
Gabelich - Gary ..... U.S.A ..... in 1970 in Blue Flame he became the FIRST person to travel faster than 621 mph on land
Garside - Robert ..... U.K ..... in 2003 he became the FIRST man to run around the world
Genghua - Yan .. FIRST Chinese to make a solo climb of Mount Everest. He went missing in a snowstorm and froze to death a day after reaching the top. His body was found in the year 2000
Green - Andy ..... U.K ..... in 1997 he became the FIRST person to travel faster than speed of sound on land when he set a new record of 763.035 mph in Thrust SSC, the FIRST supersonic car - Nevada Desert
*** H
Hadow - Pen ..... in May 2003 he became the FIRST person to trek solo and unsupported from Canada to the geographic North Pole. He left Canada in March and walked, crawled and swam the 478 miles over the shifting Arctic ice pack to reach his goal
Harrer - Heinrich ..... Austrian mountaineer who was the FIRST to climb the 13025' high Eiger - 1938
Hempleman-Adams - David ….. U.K ..... FIRST person to complete the Explorers Grand Slam in 1998 when he conquered the North and South Poles and scaled the highest mountain in each of seven continents. FIRST person to fly solo over the Arctic Ocean in May 2000, as well as smashing the British solo ballooning duration record of 13 hours . In 2003 he became the FIRST person walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole
Herbert - Wally .. FIRST person to walk across the top of the world when he made his epic journey from Alaska to Spitsbergen via the North Pole, the longest sustained journey in the history of polar exploration
Hillary - Edmund ….. born July 20th 1919 died 2008 ….. New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who, with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, became the FIRST to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 29th May 1953. On 3rd January 1958 along with a New Zealand expeditionary party he became one of the FIRST people to reach the South Pole on a tracked vehicle. He was also the FIRST to climb Mt Herschel
Hilton-Barber Miles ….. FIRST blind person to walk a third of the way to the South Pole
Hinkes - Alan .. in 1999 he was the FIRST Briton to climb 11 of the world's 14 highest mountains i.e. (mountains more than 8000 metres) when he reached the 8587m summit of Kangchenjunga on the border of India and Nepal. He was only the 13th mountaineer ever to achieve the feat. He has now conquered all 14 peaks
Hornbein - Tom & Willi Unsoeld ..... on May 22nd 1963 they became the FIRST climbers to reach the summit of Everest via the rugged West Ridge route, an ascent considered as one of the great feats in mountaineering
Howard - Mike ..... U.K ..... Manchester airline pilot who was the FIRST person to walk a tightrope between two hot air balloons, 4000 feet above the ground, blindfolded - Bristol Balloon fiesta - 2004
Hutton - William ….. FIRST man to walk Hadrian's Wall - both ways. The year was 1801 and he was aged 78 years at the time
*** J
Jackson - Horatio Nelson ..... in 1903 he was the FIRST person to cross the USA by car driving a Winton
Jenatzy - Camille .. Belgium ..... in 1899 he was the FIRST person to travel faster than 62 mph and the FIRST to travel faster than one mile per minute - on land
*** K
Kagge - Erling ..... Norwegian who was the FIRST person to reach the South Pole solo on foot - 7th January 1993
Keogh - Ross .. in 1999 he became the FIRST person ever to abseil down the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand)
Knox-Johnston - Robin ….. U.K ..... born March 17th 1939 .. FIRST to sail non-stop around the world single-handed when he sailed his yacht Suhaili into Falmouth after 313 days and won the Sunday Times Golden Globe Trophy - 22nd April 1969
*** L
Lacedelli - Lino & Achille Compagnoni .. members of the Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio in 1954 which was the FIRST to conquer K2
Lawrence - T.E. ( of Arabia) (Thomas Edward) ..... born 1888 died 1935 ….. Anglo-Irish soldier and Arabist, born in Tremadoc in North Wales who was the FIRST person to navigate the underground Trill Mill Stream in Oxford in a punt
Leach - Bobby ..... U.K ..... in 1911 he was the FIRST man to go over Niagara Falls and survive - he used a steel barrel
Lussier - Jean Albert ..... CANADA ..... in 1928 he was the FIRST person to go over the Niagara Falls in a steel and rubber sphere
*** M
Macartney-Snape - Tim & Greg Mortimer ..... in 1984 they became the FIRST Australians to reach the summit of Everest and at the same time became the FIRST mountaineers to climb the North Face without oxygen
Marty - Christian .. in 1981 he became the FIRST Frenchman to windsurf across the Atlantic. The 2400 mile journey took 37 days. He died in the Concorde crash in July 2000
McGettigan - Eddie .. U.K ..... in June 2000 he became the FIRST person to swim the 41 miles from Ireland to Wales. It took him 29 hours and 20 minutes
McNamara - Garrett & Kealii Mamala ..... Hawaiian surfing champions who caught a wave on top of the planet and became the FIRST people ever to ride a tsunami made by an ice wall collapsing in the Arctic. For about a minute they skimmed along in a hail of rock and ice
Messner - Reinhold .. Italian who was the FIRST man to conquer Everest without bottled oxygen. In 1986 he became the FIRST person to have reached the summit of all fourteen of the world's peaks above 8000 metres
Metzger - Mike ..... U.S.A ..... set a world record in May 2006 when he became the FIRST motorcyclist to complete a back flip over the fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Mills - Dean .. in 2004 he became the FIRST student at Cheadle Hulme College (Manchester, UK) to take his exams in Braille and achieved a clutch of A grades in English Literature and double science, Bs in German and history and c in mathematics
Moss - Gerard ….. Swiss-born Brazilian pilot who was the FIRST person to circumnavigate the world in a motorised glider - 2001. He left Rio de Janeiro, travelled 35,000 kms, touched down in 30 countries and landed back in Rio
*** O
Oakes - Joe ….. FIRST person to swim from Russia (Big Diomede island) to Alaska (Little Diomede island)
Oba - Mitsuro ….. completed the FIRST solo walk across the Arctic Ocean in 1997 after failing in three earlier attempts. In 1995 he had lost all of his toes to frostbite. His journey of 1075 miles began on Russia's Komsomolets Island and ended at Resolute in Northern Canada
*** P
Parnell - Ian .. British mountaineer who with his team made the FIRST successful climb of the South West ridge of the 7555 metre high Annapurna 111 in the Himalayas
Peacock - Stuart .. U.K ..... Warrington man who became the FIRST Briton to conquer the North Ridge route of Everest for a second time - May 2006. He had climbed Everest for the first time in 2002
Peary - Robert Edwin ….. born 6th May 1856 died 1920 .. American naval commander and explorer who was the FIRST man to reach the North Pole on 6th April 1909
Petkovich - Jeffrey & Peter de Bernardi ..... in 1989 they were the FIRST people to go over Niagara Falls together ( in a metal container)
Peyron - Stιphane ..... FRANCE ..... FIRST transatlantic crossing by sailboard from La Rochelle to New York taking 47 days - 1987
Pittar - James ….. Australian blind long distance swimmer who has a number of remarkable achievements to his name - in 1998 he became the FIRST blind person to swim 22 km from the Australian mainland to Rottnest Island 22km offshore and has swum there every year since - later in the year he was the FIRST blind person to swim the English Channel from England to France in 13 hours 50 minutes, a feat recognised by The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation - in 1999 he became the FIRST blind person to swim around Manhattan Island in New York and did the 44km in 7 hours 53 minutes - in the year 2000 he became not just the FIRST blind person, but the FIRST person to swim the treacherous 26 km swim from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket Island in America - in 2002 he was the FIRST blind person to swim from Europe to Africa when he swam the 21km from Spain to Morocco and in 2003 became the FIRST blind person to swim a return swim out to and around "The Rock" at Alcatraz in San Francisco. James also rows for Australia in the blind rowing championships, tandem skydives and white water rafts in The Grand Canyon USA and in New Zealand. ( All this information was sent to me by Phil Anderson of Australia for which I thank him and with whom I agree that James is indeed quite an achiever)
Powell - Major John Wesley ..... U.S.A ..... with a party of nine men he made the FIRST successful boat trip down the Colorado river in America in 1869
Pratt - Jonathan ..... the FIRST Briton to climb the world's 5 highest mountains - Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, ( Other two ?)
Pugh - Lewis Gordon ..... in 2007 he became the FIRST person to swim at the geographic North Pole where the water temperature is - 1.8C. He is the only person to have completed a swim in each of the five oceans of the world and made the North Pole swim in an area that should be frozen over, to demonstrate the devastating impact of climate change
*** R
Rehim - Lt Abdel ..... EGYPT ..... won the FIRST cross-Channel swimming race - 1950
Ridgway - John .. U.K ..... in 1970-71 he became the FIRST person to sail non-stop westwards around the world, against the prevailing wind. He was later awarded the CBE
Rigolly - Louis .. France ..... in 1904 he was the FIRST person to travel faster than 100 mph when he achieved a speed of 103.55 mph - on land
Robertson - Reverend Archibald E .. FIRST person to climb all 283 Munros when he reached his last summit near Glencoe in 1901. Munros are Scottish mountains more than 3000 feet high and were catalogued by Sir Hugh Munro, a Victorian businessman. In 1891 he published Table of Heights Over 3000 Feet which listed 283 main summits. An extra one was added in 1997. He died in 1919 having climbed all but two of the peaks on his list
Roche - Stephen .. born 28th November 1959 .. FIRST Irishman to win the Tour de France ( 1987)
*** S
Samuelson - George and Frank Harpo ..... U.K ..... in 1896 they were the FIRST men to row across the Atlantic. The trip took 56 days
Saunders - Ben ..... U.K ..... FIRST man to ski to the North Pole
Scott - Robert Falcon Captain .. born 6th June 1868 died 1912 .. along with four others, Wilson, Oates, Bowers and Evans, he was the FIRST Englishman to reach the South Pole - 17th January 1912. All died on the return journey
Scott - Doug .. FIRST Briton to reach the summit of Everest
Scott - Wendell .. FIRST black stock-car racer ever to win a Nascar Grand National race
Shand Kydd Bill .. FIRST paraplegic to make a parachute jump - 1999
Shekhdar - Jim .. FIRST person to row single-handed across the Pacific Ocean March 2001 - and told the story of his epic journey in his book Bold Man Of The Sea
Sheppard - Tom ..... led the FIRST coast-to-coast crossing of the Sahara for which he received the Royal geographical Society's Ness Award
Shipton - Eric ..... born 1907 died 1977 ..... English mountaineer who was the FIRST to climb Mont Trancιs in Southern Chile in 1963
Simpson - Joe ..... in 1985, with Simon Yates, made the FIRST ascent of the west face of the 20853 foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes and in 1992 with Mal Duff made the FIRST ascent of the east face of the 20,298 foot Pachermo in Nepal
Slocum - Joshua .. born 1844 died c 1910 ...... Canadian born American mariner who completed the FIRST solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1898. The 46,000 mile trip began in 1895 from Newport, Rhode Island and took 3 years 2 months. In November 1909 he set out on another journey but was not heard of again
Stewart - Herbert .. born 24th July 1910 died 2000 .. winner of the FIRST Tall Ships Race in 1956. He was master of the ketch Moyana
*** T
Templar Films South Georgia ..... U.K ..... expedition made up of three kayakers (2 men and 1 woman) who became the FIRST Britons to circumnavigate the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. The 420 mile marathon was completed in 13 days and was led by former SAS soldier and diver Pete Bray
Thomas - Eustace .. Mancunian engineer who first wired Rylands Library in Manchester (UK) for electricity. He was also one of Britain's most forceful mountaineers and was the FIRST Englishman to climb all the 4,000 metre peaks in the Alps. A past-president of Manchester's Rucksack Club, he held fell-running records and also invented the Thomas Stretcher for mountain rescue
*** V
Vaughan- Nick .. in 1998 he became the FIRST man to run the length of Africa
Venables - Stephen .. FIRST Briton to climb Everest without oxygen
Vilane - Sibusiso .. Swazi game ranger who was the FIRST black man to reach the top of Mount Everest
*** W
Walston - Oliver .. from Thriplow, Herts, FIRST Englishman to sail through the Northeast Passage, which runs along the top of Russia from Norway to the Bering Straits
Webb - Matthew .. U.K ..... born 18th January 1848 died 1883 .. the FIRST person to swim the English Channel. He was born in Dawley, Shropshire and swam from Dover to Calais on the 24th/25th August 1875 in 21 3/4 hours. He drowned whilst attempting to swim the Niagara rapids
Weihenmayer - Eric ..... the FIRST blind man to reach the top of Everest - 2001
Whymper - Edward .. born 27th April 1840 died 1911 .. FIRST person to scale the Matterhorn in 1865 which was among several other unscaled peaks in the Alps which he climbed between 1860 and 1869
*** Y
Yeats ..... ridden by jockey Johnny Murtagh, in June 2009 he became the FIRST horse to win the Gold Cup at Ascot four times