Awards
*** A
Allingham - Henry ..... FIRST honorary lifetime member of the Royal Naval Association. Born in 1896 in East London he celebrated his 113th birthday on June 6th 2009 and was named the world's oldest man. He is one of only two surviving WW1 veterans in the UK and the last surviving founder member of the RAF
*** B
Babbage - Charles ..... born 1791 died 1871 ..... English mathematician who was awarded the FIRST gold medal of the Astronomical Society
Bailey Michael - Dr ..... FIRST person in the world to be awarded a doctorate in railway studies in 1999
Bardeen - John ..... born 1908 died 1991 ..... American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain. In 1972 he shared another Nobel Prize for Physics with Leon Cooper and John Schrieffer thereby making him the FIRST man to gain 2 such awards for the same field of study
Beeley - John ..... on 21st November 1941 he was was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the battalion attack on Sidi Rezegh Airport in Libya. He was a member of the King's Own Rifle Corps and was killed during the attack. He was the FIRST Manchester (UK) soldier of the Second World War to receive this award and in 2005 he was honoured with a plaque at the site of his school in Openshaw, Manchester
Behring - Emil Von ..... born 15th March 1854 ..... FIRST recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1901. He was a pioneer in immunology and discovered antitoxins for diphtheria and tetanus
Belafonte - Harry ..... the FIRST black entertainer to win an Emmy award
Bragg - Sir William Laurence ..... born 31st March 1890 died 1971 ..... with his father, Sir William Henry Bragg (1862-1942) they became the FIRST father-son partnership to share a Nobel Prize when they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915
Bunche - Ralph ..... born 7th August 1904 ..... UN mediator who won the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the FIRST black man to receive this award
*** C
Churchill - Winston ..... born 30th November 1874 died 24th January 1965 ..... the FIRST person ever to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. An English statesman, he was born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire and was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst and was Prime Minister of England during the Second World War when he led Britain against the Germans and the Italians. He was defeated in 1945 at the height of his wartime fame but became Prime Minister again in 1951 at the age of 77
Congreve - William La Touche ..... born 22nd March 1891 died 20th July 1916 ..... FIRST officer to have won three awards for gallantry when his widow received the VC, DSO and the MC from King George V on 1st November 1916. His citation quoted 'Acts Of Bravery: 6th to 20th July' during which ' by his personal example he inspired all those around him with confidence at critical periods of the operations'. He was also awarded the Légion d'Honneur
Connolly - John ..... FIRST non-American winner of the prestigious Shamus literary award
Cremer – Sir William ..... born 18th March 1838 ..... FIRST Englishman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1903. He was a strong advocate of British neutrality in the Franco-Prussian war and founded the Workmen’s Peace Association. He also edited the peace journal Arbiter from 1889
*** D
Dacre - Paul ….. FIRST recipient of the Special Award set up by the Press Gazette for lifetime achievement - 2008
Dodd - Ken ..... FIRST recipient of the British Comedy Society Living Legend Award
Dunant - Jean Henri ..... born 8th May 1828 ..... Swiss founder of the Red Cross and the FIRST recipient (jointly) of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901
*** F
Fermi - Enrico ….. born September 29th1901 died 1954 ….. Italian born American nuclear physicist who built the FIRST American nuclear reactor at Chicago in 1942 and was the FIRST Italian to win the Nobel Physics Prize outright in 1938
Freeman - Y Frank ….. winner of the FIRST Jean Hershalt Humanitarian Award which was established in 1956
Fry - Varian …. died 1967 ..... FIRST American to be honoured by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Heroes and Martyrs Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem - 1996
*** G
Grylls - Bear ..... at the age of 23 he was the youngest male climber to survive the ascent of Mt Everest. In the year 2000 he bought St Tudwal's Island West off the coast of Wales and became the FIRST person in the UK to receive a government Clear Skies grant to install his own wind generator to power his house
*** H
Hall - William ….. FIRST black man and FIRST Canadian sailor to be awarded the Victoria Cross which he earned in 1857 in the Relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny
Hanks - Tom ..... movie star who was the FIRST civilian to be awarded the US Navy's Distinguished Service Award which he received for his role in the film Private Ryan
Harrison - Andrew ..... FIRST ever winner of a prestigious award to the student with the highest mark in their final case study. In April 2003 he was given the Ian Wood Award by the North West and North Wales branch of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants. The award is named after the former deputy treasurer of Bolton (England) council and he presented it to Andrew
Hayden - David - Corporal ….. in 2008 he was the FIRST air man to receive the Military Cross which was awarded for the courage he showed in racing to carry a dying friend away from a firefight in Iraq
Hicks - Sir John Richard ….. born 1904 died 1989 ..... FIRST British winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1972 which he shared with Kenneth Arrow
Hope- Bob ..... neé Lesley Townes Hope ..... born 26th May 1903- ….. English-born American who, when made an honorary U.S. Veteran, the title was the FIRST of its kind to be made. He was 94 years old at the time and the ceremony was attended by representatives of the military and veterans group
Howard - John ..... born 1726 died 1790 ..... prison reformer and social campaigner who was the FIRST civilian to be honoured with a cathedral statue - St Paul's Cathedral. One was also erected in Bedford and a further one in Kherson, the Ukranian city where he died
*** J
Jacka - Albert ..... Australia's FIRST VC winner of World War 1 was the FIRST to be awarded to a Commonwealth soldier. It was gained at Courtney's Post in Gallipoli on 20th May 1915 when he was a Corporal. On 6th August 1916, now a Lieutenant, he was awarded the MC
John - Elton ..... in July 2002 he received the FIRST ever honorary doctorate of music awarded by the Royal Academy of Music
*** K
Kipling - Rudyard ….. born December 30th 1865 died 1936 ….. English writer who was the FIRST Englishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907
*** L
Lewis - Harry Sinclair ..... born February 7th 1885 ..... the FIRST American recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature
Lloyd - Rev.Henry Morgan ….. born 9th June 1911died 2000 ….. FIRST Dean of Truro Cathedral who became the FIRST naval chaplain to win the DSO in the Second World War
Lucas - Charles ….. awarded the FIRST Victoria Cross in 1852 for bravery in the Crimean War when he threw a live shell, from the deck of his ship HMS Hecla, into the sea
Luthuli - Albert ..... FIRST ANC leader to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
*** M
Macphee - Donald ..... of Tobermory, Mull, Scotland, the FIRST Junior Officer to be awarded the DSC - 1943
Marconi - Guglielmo, Marchese ….. born April 25th 1874 died 20th July 1937 ….. Italian physicist and inventor who was the FIRST Italian to be awarded the Nobel Physics Prize in 1909 which he shared with Karl Ferdinand Braun
Merritt - Lt.Col.Charles Cecil Ingersoll - V.C ….. born 10th November 1908 ….. FIRST Canadian to be awarded the VC in the Second World War which he received for gallantry and inspired leadership during the disastrous raid on Dieppe in 1942
Michelson - Albert Abraham ….. born 19th December 1852 died 1931 ….. German-born American physicist and the FIRST American scientist to be awarded a Nobel Prize when he received the Physics Prize in 1907
Monroe - William Smith ( Bill) ..... born 13th September 1911 died 1996 ..... known as the 'father of Bluegrass Music' he won the FIRST Grammy Award given for Bluegrass music in 1989
Moss - Phil ..... Manchester band leader whose band was the FIRST provincial outfit to win the prestigious and much coveted Carl Alan Award for outstanding services to the Ballroom industry in 1968. They were presented with their statuette by Jack Hawkins at the Lyceum in London
*** N
Nakamure - Katsuhiro ..... FIRST Japanese chef to win a Michelin Star
Neat - Richard ….. the FIRST British chef to 'do the double' when he was awarded 2 Michelin stars . His restaurant Neat in Cannes, France was awarded a Michelin star in the year 2000
Nelson ….. in December 2004 he became the FIRST police dog to be honoured for bravery by the Greater Manchester Police Force when he received the Chief Constable's Commendation for outstanding courage by helping officers to arrest a man, even though he was injured after being stabbed in the nose
Norman - William ..... born 1832 died 13th March 1896 ..... FIRST person in the Royal Fusiliers regiment to be awarded the VC when decorated in 1857 by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, London, for taking two Russians prisoner while on lone sentry duty at a dangerous post in The White Horse Ravine. In 2002 it was found that he was buried in an unmarked grave in Weaste Cemetery, Salford, England, and his old regiment then planned a memorial to him
*** O
O'Neill - Eugene Gladstone ….. born 16th October 1888 died 1953 ….. major dramatist of the Irish community in America, he was the FIRST American playwright to be given the Nobel Prize for Literature- 1936
*** P
Pauling - Linus Carl ..... born February 28th 1901 ..... American scientist who was the FIRST to win 2 full Nobel Prizes - 1954 Chemistry and 1962 Peace
Pavlov - Ivan Petrovich ….. born 26th September 1849 died 1936…..Russian physiologist who was the FIRST Russian to receive a Nobel Prize in 1904 for physiology or medicine
Perry - Grayson ..... born 1960 ..... FIRST transvestite to win the Turner Award, arriving at the award ceremony in 2003 in his best frock with a bow in his hair. His chosen medium for his book was pottery.
Pisanu - Andrew ..... the U.K's FIRST-ever Busker Idol 2004 and won the chance to live rent free for a year in the world's most famous street performing location - London's Covent Garden
Prettyjohns - Col. Sgt. John ….. in November 1854 he became the FIRST Royal Marine to be awarded the Victoria Cross which was awarded for saving comrades at the Battle of Inkerman
Prudhomme - René Francois Armand Sully ….. born 16th March 1839 ….. recipient of the FIRST Nobel Prize for Literature in 1901
*** R
Raby - Henry - Commander ..... U.K ..... the FIRST man ever to wear the Victoria Cross when Queen Victoria literally pinned the medal to his chest, piercing the skin as she did so. (see June 26th 1857)
Raman – Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata ….. born 7th November 1888 died 1970 ….. Indian physicist who was the FIRST Indian scientist to win a Nobel Prize when he was awarded the Physics prize in 1930 for important discoveries in connection with the diffusion of light ( the Raman effect)
Ramsay – Sir William ….. born 2nd October 1852 died 1916 ….. Scottish chemist, born in Glasgow who became the FIRST British scientist to receive the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1904
Ransome - Arthur ..... FIRST recipient of the Carnegie medal
Rayleigh -John William Strutt, 3rd Baron ….. born 12th December 1842 died 1919 ….. English physicist who was the FIRST Englishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics – 1904
Robinson - William Leefe ….. born 14th July 1895 ….. RFC Pilot who was awarded the FIRST Victoria Cross to be won in England
Röntgen - Wilhelm Conrad Von ..... born 1845 ... in Prussia, he became the recipient of the FIRST Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901 for his discovery of the Röntgen ray, or X-Ray
*** S
Shone - Jake ..... in July 2002 he became the FIRST male graduate from one of the country's top childcare colleges when he qualified with a prestigious diploma in childcare and education at the 101 year old Princess Christian College in Fallowfield, Manchester
Shrapnel - Norman ..... born October 5th 1912 died February 1st 2004 ..... journalist and parliamentary sketch writer who won the FIRST Political Writer of the Year award in 1969
Sinclair - Air Vice Marshall Sir Lawrence...GC KCB CBE DSO ..... the then Wing-Commander Sinclair was the FIRST RAF officer to be decorated by the King in person when awarded the George Cross for rescuing an airman from his burning plane knowing that it had two 250lb bombs on board
Smith - William ….. born 23rd March 1769 died 1839 ….. English civil engineer who published the FIRST geological maps of England and Wales from 1815. In 1831 he was awarded the FIRST Wollaston medal
*** T
Trautmann - Bert ..... in 1956 he became the FIRST goalkeeper to win the Footballer of the Year Award
Travel Counsellors - Bolton ...... FIRST company in the UK to be given the Queen's Award for Enterprise. They were also the FIRST firm in the country to equip its consultants with laptop computers so that they could advise customers in their homes and workplaces
*** U
Upton - Sean - Warrant Officer ..... the FIRST to be awarded the Elizabeth Cross, a new bravery award, which was presented to his widow Karen in August 2009 at Catterick Garrison. The cross is made of silver and has his name engraved on the back. Warrant Officer Upton was killed in the war in Afghanistan
*** W
Wallis - Michael ..... author of Route 66 : The Mother Road and winner of the FIRST Steinbeck Award and the FIRST inductee of the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall Of Fame
Woodcock – Lance Corporal Thomas ….. Wigan’s FIRST Victoria Cross winner which was awarded for his bravery and determination in defending a post on the Western Front for 96 hours before rescuing a colleague and carrying him to safety. He was killed shortly before his 30th birthday on March 27th 1918 and was buried in the British military cemetery at Douchy-les-Ayette in France. He was a member of the Regiment of the Irish Guards
*** Y
Yeats - William Butler ..... born 13th June 1865 died 28th January 1939 ..... FIRST Irishman to win a Nobel Prize (1923) and was among the FIRST Irish poets to draw upon the ancient literary tradition of Celtic Ireland for new purposes
Yunus - Mohamed ..... born 1940 ..... in October 2006 he became the FIRST Bangladeshi to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He pioneered the Microcredit policy which gave small loans to poor people to help them become self-employed
*** Z
Zanuck Darryl Francis ….. born 1902 died 1979 ..... American film producer who was the winner of the FIRST Thalberg Award which was established in 1937 in honour of Irving G Thalberg