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1607 .. U.S.A ..... the FIRST English settlement in the USA was begun at Jamestown, Virginia by Captain John Smith
1680 .. U.K ..... the FIRST fire insurance company opened in London
1907 .. U.K ..... the FIRST Isle of Man motorcycle TT Race was held and was won by Charlie Collier on a Matchless at a speed of 38.20 mph
1909 .. U.K ..... Ethel Ayres Purdie became the FIRST woman admitted to any body of accountants in the UK
1913 .. U.K ..... the FIRST four-engined aeroplane, the Sikorsky Grand, was flown by Igor Sikorsky whose name is most closely associated with helicopters. The aeroplane was a Russian built passenger transport plane, had 8 seats, an enclosed cockpit and an in-flight lavatory. During WW 1 he made a fortune building bombers for the Russian army
1949 .. U.K ..... Britains FIRST jet bomber, the Canberra, was given its FIRST test flight at Warton in Lancashire and was flown by Wing Cdr R P Beaumont
1950 .. U.K ..... the FIRST world motor racing championship race, the British Grand Prix, was held at Silverstone. Winner was Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo
1957..... U.K ..... the FIRST regular school programme on television began on BBC
1995 ..... Alison Hargreaves became the FIRST woman to climb Everest alone
1997 .. U.K ..... former war correspondent Martin Bell was sworn in as the FIRST independent MP in 52 years. He had unseated Tory Neil Hamilton at Knutsford in Cheshire, turning a 22,000 Tory majority into a lead of 11,077 for himself
2004 ..... U.K ..... Oxfam launched the U.K's FIRST chain of fair-trade coffee shops and have plans to open 20 more outlets over the next three years
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