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First bowler to take 10 wickets in a limited overs international

The earliest bowler to take all 10 wickets in an ICC international cricket match with limited overs was Mehboob Alam (Nepal) for Nepal against Mozambique in Jersey, UK, on 25 May 2008. The match was contested as part of the 2008 ICC World Cricket League Division V competition. The accomplishment has only happened professionally in two other instances, both in Test cricket with unlimited overs: once each by Jim Laker (UK) and Anil Kumble (India)

First boss battles in a FPS

Although the practice of throwing players up against powerful boss enemies soon became an FPS cliché, Wolfenstein 3D was the first title in the genre to make such battles an integral part of progress. Infamously, the game’s final boss was Adolf Hitler himself, sporting a mechanical suit of armour and twin Gatling guns! Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010

First British female MP

The first woman to be elected to the British House of Commons was Mme Constance Georgine Markievicz (n‚e Gore Booth). She was elected as member (Sinn Fein) for St Patrick’s Dublin on 28 December 1918 but did not take her seat. The first woman to take her seat was the Viscountess Astor (1879-1964) (n‚e Nancy Witcher Langhorne at Danville, Virginia, USA; formerly Mrs Robert Gould Shaw), who was elected Unionist member for the Sutton division of Plymouth, Devon on 28 November 1919 and took her Continue reading →

First broadcast use of Hawk-Eye technology

The Hawk-Eye technology, which tracks and predicts the path of a ball in flight using eight cameras placed around the edge of the playing field, has revolutionized the officiating of sports such as cricket and tennis. Operating at 500 frames per second, the system is accurate to within 3mm and has helped officials to make more informed decisions as to, for example, whether a ball has crossed a particular line. First developed by 26-year-old British mathematician Paul Dawkins in 1999, Hawk-Eye made its broadcast debut Continue reading →

First brothers to receive Oscar nominations for best actor

River Phoenix (USA, 23 August 1970­ – 31 October 1993) received an American Academy Award nomination (at the 1989 ceremony) for Best Actor ­at the age of 17 ­ for his role in Sidney Lumet’s (USA) Running on Empty (USA, 1988); his brother Joaquin (USA, b. 28 October 1974) received his nomination (at the 2006 ceremony) for Walk the Line (USA, 2005). Neither brother went on to win the coveted statue.

First capture of living giant squid

Famously elusive, the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) was finally captured alive for the first time when, in March 2002, an international scientific team led by marine biologist Dr Steve O’Shea announced that they had captured seven juvenile specimens off the coast of New Zealand. Measuring 9-13 mm (0.35-0.05 in), these tiny but highly significant individuals sadly did not survive long in captivity, but were briefly filmed there by the Discovery Channel while still alive. Although no adult specimen has survived capture, it is believed that Continue reading →