1794 ..... FRANCE ..... the FIRST military use of a man-carrying balloon was by the French republican army at the Battle of Fleurus. Capitaine Coutelle was the aeronaut and observer

1857 ..... U.K ..... Queen Victoria presented the FIRST batch of Victoria Crosses to 62 sailors and soldiers who had fought in the recent campaign against the Russians in the Crimea. First in line was Commander Henry Raby and the FIRST North West born man to receive the award was Cheshire-born Private Anthony Palmer of the Grenadier Guards ( born 1819 in Congleton died 12th December 1892). He joined the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards at Cross Lane Barracks, Salford, in March 1839

1864 ..... U.K ..... the FIRST cafeteria in Britain opened in Bristol Market

1896 ..... U.S.A ..... Vitascope Hall, the world’s FIRST cinema, was opened in New Orleans by William T. Rock with seating for 500.  It was situated at the corner of Canal Street and Exchange Place. The FIRST British film to be released in America, Waves Off Dover, was shown along with others

1905 ...... U.K ..... the Automobile Association was FIRST formed by early motorists and in April 1906 the FIRST AA badges were issued

1913 ..... U.K ..... street collections in aid of Queen Alexandra Rose Day took place for the FIRST time. The inspiration came from a priest who had met the Queen in her native country Denmark. He had opened his home to orphans and handicapped children and in order to raise money to care for them he cut and sold his beautiful roses. When Alexandra married King Edward V111 she remembered the priest and so each year in June small pink artificial roses were sold in Britain to raise money for charities

1931 ...... U.K ..... Rubina Winifred Humphries became the FIRST woman bowler to take all 10 wickets for 0 runs when she played for Dalton Ladies v Woodfield SC at Huddersfield

1974 ..... U.S.A ..... the FIRST item sold with a bar code was a packet of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket, Troy, Ohio

1991..... U.K ..... the Methodists elected their FIRST woman President, the Rev. Kathleen Richardson from Huddersfield. She succeeded Rev. Ronald Hoar and was elected by 298-171 votes over another female candidate, Frances Young, who was Professor of Theology at Birmingham University. Mrs Richardson was ordained in 1979 and in 1987 became the FIRST woman to become a district chairman. She was also the FIRST woman church leader ever to be granted an audience by the Pope in Rome. As President of the Methodist Church she led 1,250,000 Methodists for a twelve month period and during that time travelled the length and breadth of England and also visited Nigeria, Kenya and Strasbourg

1995 ..... U.K ..... an all-girl choir sang in Norwich Cathedral for the FIRST time

2006 ..... U.K ..... Clarence House, London, revealed that Prince Charles had paid £3.3m in tax in 2005 - the FIRST time that such a figure has been disclosed

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