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1759 ..... U.K ..... the British Museum was FIRST opened to house the treasures and collections bequeathed to the nation by various eminent men. Although open to the general public, access often depended on who you were and who you knew. Permission had to be given by the librarian and only 10 people per hour were allowed in

1797 ..... U.K ..... the world’s FIRST top hat was worn in London by John Hetherington who was arrested for “wearing a structure calculated to frighten timid people”   

1870 ..... U.K ..... Britain's FIRST woman doctor, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, passed the final exam of the Medical Faculty of the Sorbonne and became a fully qualified MD. It was the final victory in a ten year battle against the medical hierarchy, the Royal College of Surgeons, the examining boards and her fellow students. She qualified after finding out that the Charter of the Society of Apothecaries made it illegal for them to exclude her

1880 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST telephone directory was published by the London Telephone Company 

1912 ..... ITALY ..... Italian aircraft dropped the FIRST ever propaganda leaflets during the Italo-Turkish war ..... and ..... U.K ..... the FIRST sickness benefits (10s), unemployment benefits (7s)  and maternity benefits (30s) were introduced in Britain  

1927 ..... U.K ..... BBC Radio gave its FIRST live commentary of a rugby match - the first international from Twickenham between England and Wales. England won 11-9  

1950 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST trolley bus ran in Manchester - the 210 on the Piccadilly to Gee Cross route 

1962 ..... U.K ..... the centigrade or Celsius scale was FIRST used in the British Meteorological Office weather forecasts 

1967 ..... U.S A ..... the Green Bay Packers won the FIRST Super Bowl in front of 62,000 at the Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

1985 ..... U.K ..... 15 year old Stacey Hillyard became the FIRST woman to compile a century break in a competitive snooker match

2004 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST digital postage stamps, SmartStamps, were launched by the Royal Mail. They could be bought on the Internet and printed directly onto envelopes from a desktop computer and  be personalised if required

2007..... ANTARCTICA ..... ITV News became the FIRST to broadcast live from Antarctica when it reported on climate change

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