Nigel Mansell (UK) made history by becoming the first rookie to win the IndyCar championship, in 1993. Mansell was also the 1992 Formula One World Driving Champion, making him the first driver ever to win both titles in consecutive seasons.

The first Ocean Four to row the Atlantic West to East from USA land to land, from Liberty Island, New York, USA to Port Pendennis Marina, Falmouth, UK, was the crew of James Robert Hanssen: Brad Vickers, Dylan Le Valley, Greg Spooner, Jordan Hanssen (all USA), between 10 June – 20 August 2006, in a time of 71 days 3 hr 22 min 35 sec. Editorial: please note the standard syntax and route name for rowing (in the correct order, with no commas and certain Continue reading →

Surgeons from the University of Louisville performed the first self-contained mechanical heart implant on an unnamed American patient at the Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, on 2 July 2001. The artificial heart is known as the AbioCor and is made from a metal and plastic motorized hydraulic pump. The clinical team performing the implant was lead by University of Louisville surgeons Laman A. Gray, Jr., M.D., and Robert D. Dowling, M.D. The surgery lasted seven hours and involved a team of 14 nurses, perfusionists, physician Continue reading →

On 5 January 2008, Alicia Keys became the first solo singer to replace themselves at the top of the US R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, when her single ‘Like You’ll Never See Me Again’ dethroned her previous release ‘No One’ at No.1.

The world’s first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, erected in 1884-1885. The so-called “Father of the Skyscraper” towered all of 10 stories with its peak at 138 feet, miniature by today’s standards but gargantuan at that time. The architect, Major William LeBaron Jenney, incorporated a steel frame that supported not only the walls but the great weight of the entire building. The exterior, however, was made of brick. This technique spawned a new type of construction referred to as the “Chicago Skeleton.” Continue reading →

On 15 September 2007, Garth Brooks’ (USA) track ‘More Than A Memory’ became the first record to ever enter the US Country chart at No.1 in its first week.

Vilija and Vatalija Tamulevicius (Lithuania) (b.30 July 1987), were born sharing a skull and the vasculiture of the brain – a caniopagus connection. Dr. Alexander Konovalov (Russia), separated the girls on 6 July 1989, but their bodies rejected the artificial skulls and so the girls were taken to Texas, Dallas, USA, where Dr. Kenneth E. Salyer (USA), rebuilt their skulls . Previous to this, every head separation had resulted in either brain damage or death to at least one of the twins – the sisters Continue reading →

The earliest recorded successful testing on of a high-powered microwave (HPM) weapon on electronic equipment occurred in April 1999 under the observation of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center of San Antonio, Texas, USA. HPMs discharge a powerful energy pulse that destroys any electronics within its 300-m (984-ft) range, the aim being maximum disruption to any military or civilian power and electrical systems. The ‘e-bomb’ is still under development, as some of the unintended side-effects include the distruption of hospital equipment, pace-makers and any Continue reading →

Joseph Murray (USA, 1 April 1919 – 26 November 2012) performed the first successful kidney transplant on 23 December 1954 at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, USA. The donor and recipient were Ronald and Richard Herrick who, because they were identical twins with identical genetic make-ups, did not face the issue of rejection by the recipient’s immune system. Joseph Murray received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 for his work in human organ transplantation.

The earliest test on an aerial mock-target for a laser weapon occurred in November 1973, when a 100 kW carbon dioxide laser destroyed a 3.6-m (12-ft) airborne drone above the Sandia Optical Test Range of Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA.