FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Well this is a First
Quiz about Well this is a First

Well, this is a First Trivia Quiz


You know many famous firsts and who did them, but how much do you know about these weird and sometimes not so great firsts?

A multiple-choice quiz by geowhiz. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. People Trivia
  6. »
  7. In Common
  8. »
  9. Achievements

Author
geowhiz
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
379,270
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
725
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 66 (8/10), Fiona112233 (7/10), Guest 104 (6/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Walter Arnold is the proud recipient of this ignominious first. Arnold, of Kent, UK, was given the first ever of these in 1896, for which he was fined one shilling after being caught by a policeman on a bicycle. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Thomas Selfridge, a lieutenant in the United States Army was the unfortunate victim of this first. Selfridge died while being given a demonstration of this new technology, becoming its first victim. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. There are many people born on the land that now belongs to the United States today, but who was the first person born in the American colonies to British parents? She was born in what is now North Carolina, despite her name. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Richard Lawrence may not be as famous as John Hinckley, Jr. or others, but he has the distinction of being the first to do what in 1835? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. While robots taking over the world may be far off in our future and best left to film, Robert Williams would probably agree they pose a great threat. Williams became the first human to be killed by a robot when he was hit in the head by a mechanical arm at his job. Where was it that he worked? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The first known one of these occurred, not in France as you may think, but in Ancient Egypt in 1152 BC. The bosses must have been confused on what was happening, indeed records show they had no idea! Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Robert Cornelius is the ultimate hipster, doing this more than 150 years before it was "cool". What did this lamp manufacturer, amateur chemist, and metallurgist do in 1839, the earliest known instance? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Just two months after the Camden and Amboy railroad replaced horse drawn carriages along its line, it experienced the first known train derailment. John Quincy Adams, a former US president at the time was onboard, as was this man, who, after being injured in the accident, vowed to never ride by train again, but ironically became a railroad magnate. Who was this man who helped found a namesake university? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Barney and Betty Hill were the first to have their claims of this widely publicized, whether you believe their story or not is a different thing entirely. What did they claim happened on a drive back to their New Hampshire home? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Swimming pools and baths have been around since at least the third millennium BC, with the first known swimming pool (by archaeological evidence) being built in modern day Pakistan. The first swimming pool may be disputed, but this addition to the pool is not. What did Gaius Maecenas add to the swimming pool for the first time in the 1st century BC? Hint





Most Recent Scores
Oct 14 2024 : Guest 66: 8/10
Oct 13 2024 : Fiona112233: 7/10
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 104: 6/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Walter Arnold is the proud recipient of this ignominious first. Arnold, of Kent, UK, was given the first ever of these in 1896, for which he was fined one shilling after being caught by a policeman on a bicycle.

Answer: Speeding ticket

Walter Arnold was a car manufacturer who built cars based on the Benz, which he also imported. He was caught going four times the speed limit, a whopping 8mph in a 2mph zone. He was also caught without a flag bearer walking in front of the car, and he was chased down by a constable on a bike!
2. Thomas Selfridge, a lieutenant in the United States Army was the unfortunate victim of this first. Selfridge died while being given a demonstration of this new technology, becoming its first victim.

Answer: Powered airplane

He was flying alongside Orville Wright in Fort Myer, Virginia on a demonstration for the airplane's usefulness to the military. The two completed four loops of the fort before something went wrong and a propeller shattered. Orville Wright glided the plane to a landing, but Selfridge became the first death in flight.
3. There are many people born on the land that now belongs to the United States today, but who was the first person born in the American colonies to British parents? She was born in what is now North Carolina, despite her name.

Answer: Virginia Dare

Virginia Dare was the first person born to British parents in the American colonies. She unfortunately disappeared with the rest of the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island, North Carolina, and it is not known what happened to her, but has come to symbolize many things for current Americans.
4. Richard Lawrence may not be as famous as John Hinckley, Jr. or others, but he has the distinction of being the first to do what in 1835?

Answer: Attempt to assassinate the US President

Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate Andrew Jackson, the sitting president of the United States while he was attending a funeral of a South Carolina congressman. His pistol misfired twice from point blank range, however, and Jackson beat him mercilessly with his cane.
5. While robots taking over the world may be far off in our future and best left to film, Robert Williams would probably agree they pose a great threat. Williams became the first human to be killed by a robot when he was hit in the head by a mechanical arm at his job. Where was it that he worked?

Answer: Ford Motor Company

Robert Williams died on January 25, 1979 at a Ford Motor Company plant, killed by a robotic arm. His family successfully sued, and they won a settlement of over 10 million US dollars.
6. The first known one of these occurred, not in France as you may think, but in Ancient Egypt in 1152 BC. The bosses must have been confused on what was happening, indeed records show they had no idea!

Answer: Labour strike

Under Ramses III, the Artisans of the Royal Necropolis (burial pyramids) in Deir el-Medina stopped work over their wages. They lay down their tools and refused to work because they had not been paid the amount of rations they were due, and their payments in the past months had frequently been delayed.

The supervisors of the project consulted with the local elders who sided with the laborers. They could not, however, give out the full owed grain rations, but they provided the laborers with some of their allotment, which, coupled with a promise for future punctual payments convinced them to get back to work.

The pharaoh ended up hiring workers to deliver food and materials to the workers on time. It ended up being a real success, and was repeated later in Egypt.
7. Robert Cornelius is the ultimate hipster, doing this more than 150 years before it was "cool". What did this lamp manufacturer, amateur chemist, and metallurgist do in 1839, the earliest known instance?

Answer: Take a selfie

Robert Cornelius was an amateur photographer because of his knowledge on lighting, chemistry, and metal. He worked mainly in silver plating and polishing, and was commissioned to create a daguerreotype, which piqued his interest in photography. His "selfie" was one of the first photographs ever taken and he opened on of the first photography studios, although once it became popular he gave it up and returned to gas and lighting, realizing he could make more money there.
8. Just two months after the Camden and Amboy railroad replaced horse drawn carriages along its line, it experienced the first known train derailment. John Quincy Adams, a former US president at the time was onboard, as was this man, who, after being injured in the accident, vowed to never ride by train again, but ironically became a railroad magnate. Who was this man who helped found a namesake university?

Answer: Cornelius Vanderbillt

The accident occurred near Highstown, New Jersey in 1833. Part of the train caught on fire and an axle broke and one of the carriages overturned. John Quincy Adams was in the carriage in front and was unharmed, but future railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt was riding in the carriage that overturned and was injured.

This accident was also one of the earliest deadly railroad accidents.
9. Barney and Betty Hill were the first to have their claims of this widely publicized, whether you believe their story or not is a different thing entirely. What did they claim happened on a drive back to their New Hampshire home?

Answer: Abducted by Aliens

Betty and Barney Hill claimed to have been abducted by aliens in 1961, in the first publicised account of an alien abduction. Claims of alien abductions probably started as a result of humans figuring out space travel, and the couple got on board quickly. Their claims were widely analyzed by myriad organizations and agencies, but remain dubious at best.
10. Swimming pools and baths have been around since at least the third millennium BC, with the first known swimming pool (by archaeological evidence) being built in modern day Pakistan. The first swimming pool may be disputed, but this addition to the pool is not. What did Gaius Maecenas add to the swimming pool for the first time in the 1st century BC?

Answer: Heating system

It is a little surprising that in the first century BC the Romans were able to build a heated pool but Gaius Maecenas was the first to invent the heated pool. Those crazy Romans!
Source: Author geowhiz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Commission #40:

This is what you're looking for, right? The fortieth Commission? This is where authors from the Lounge received titles containing the phrase 'This is...'. This Commission launched in January 2016.

  1. Just What Do You Think This Is? Easier
  2. This is the Army, Mr. Jones Average
  3. Well, this is a First Average
  4. This Is a Scam Average
  5. This is Magnificent! Average
  6. This is Your Captain Speaking Average
  7. This Is Not A Game! Average
  8. So This Is Heaven? Average
  9. This is Togo Average
  10. This Is a True Story Easier
  11. This is Real Food Average
  12. This is Not America Average

Also part of quiz list
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us