Less than a minute after Apollo 12 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, on 14 November 1969, the spacecraft suffered severe electrical anomalies, including the loss of the fuel cells that provided power to the command module, leaving it on battery power alone, and also the ‘8 ball’ attitude indicator. Mission control and the crew were able to overcome these and stay on course for Earth orbit. It was determined that Apollo 12 had been struck twice by lighting at 36 and 52 seconds Continue reading →

Paul McCartney (UK) became the first artist to broadcast live to space when he sent a ‘wake up call’ to the International Space Station from his Anaheim concert on 12 November 2005.

In July 1997, Professor Charles Fisher led a team of scientists from Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA in a mini-submarine down 548 m (1,800 ft) to the Gulf of Mexico’s ocean floor. Here they observed mushroom-shaped mounds of yellow and white methane ice (gas hydrates), 1.8-2.4 m (6-8 ft) across. Until now, these mounds were assumed to be too noxious to support any form of animal life. However, Fisher’s team discovered large numbers of a hitherto unknown species of pink, flat-bodied polychaete worm thriving upon Continue reading →

The earliest monster truck backflip successfully performed in a scored competition was accomplished by Cam McQueen (Canada) at the Jacksonville Monster Jam in Jacksonville, Florida, USA on 27 February 2010. The Monster Jam series is a motorsport event tour series whose season traditionally runs from January to March. It is sanctioned by the United States Hot Rod Association (USA), with the Monster Jam World Finals held each year in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Champions have been crowned in the “Racing” and “Freestyle” disciplines each year Continue reading →

The first national pinball championship was the “Big Whiffle Tournament” ­- whiffle being considered the first pinball machine ­- was held between 24 and 26 May 1935 in the Futuristic Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, and attracted hundreds of pinball players from all across the USA. It featured 200 whiffle pinball tables and promised $1,000 (£520) in prizes (including a “fine bedroom suite”). The event was conducted as a charity fundraiser for the Badger State Advancement Association of the Blind, and certain whiffles were adapted Continue reading →

The shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald (USA) ­ the man accused of killing US President John F. Kennedy ­ by Jack Ruby (USA) on 24 November 1963 was broadcast live on national television and is the first known human killing seen live on TV.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (USA) and wide receiver Marvin Harrison (USA) are the first quarterback-wide receiver tandem to combine for 10,000 yards, gaining 10,542 yards through the 2005 NFL season.

In 2006, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (USA) was named as a finalist in America’s prestigious National Book Award in the category of Young People’s Literature. This was the first time in the award’s 57 years that a graphic novel had been nominated. Although it failed to win, American Born Chinese went on to be the best-selling graphic novel of the year on Amazon.com. Alternative title: First graphic novel shortlisted for a national award.

The first time gold medals were awarded to Olympic champions was during the 1904 Olympic Games held in St. Louis, USA. Prior to this, gold had been considered too expensive, so the winner of an event had received a silver medal and the runner-up a bronze, while there was no medal at all for third place. The last time gold medals were made from solid gold was at the Stockholm Games in 1912, following which the medals were cast in silver and coated in 6 Continue reading →

The first time that artificial snow was used at an Olympics was in 1980 at the XIII Winter games held in Lake Placid, New York, USA. Machines were used to produce the snow, ensuring the games took place during an exceptionally dry winter in Lake Placid.