First in World

VidyaarOctober 26, 2026098 views

100. Which Indian state elected the world’s first democratically elected communist government headed by E. M. S. Namboodiripad?

[SSC GD Constable, 30 April 2026, Shift 3]

(A) West Bengal
(B) Kerala
(C) Tripura
(D) Andhra Pradesh

Answer: (B) Kerala

Explanation: Kerala elected a Communist Party of India-led government in 1957, with E. M. S. Namboodiripad becoming Chief Minister. This landmark is frequently described in competitive exams as the first democratically elected communist government, distinguishing an electoral victory from revolutionary seizures of power.

99. Who launched a rocket equipped with a fully single-piece 3D-printed engine in 2024?

[SSC GD Constable, 9 May 2026, Shift 3]

(A) Agnikul
(B) SpaceX
(C) Blue Origin
(D) Skyroot Aerospace

Answer: (A) Agnikul

Explanation: Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos launched its Agnibaan SOrTeD technology demonstrator in May 2024. Its Agnilet engine was manufactured as a single 3D-printed piece, an innovation intended to simplify engine construction and reduce manufacturing steps in small launch vehicles.

98. The first residential university of the world, Nalanda, was founded under which Gupta ruler?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 24 March 2026, Shift 1]

(A) Skandagupta
(B) Samudragupta
(C) Chandragupta I
(D) Kumaragupta I

Answer: (D) Kumaragupta I

Explanation: Nalanda developed as an important Buddhist monastic and residential learning centre in present-day Bihar. Its early institutional history is conventionally associated with Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I in the fifth century CE, when the region supported scholarship and international intellectual exchange.

97. In which year was the Intel 4004, the world’s first commercial microprocessor, introduced?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 18 March 2026, Shift 3]

(A) 1960
(B) 1985
(C) 1971
(D) 1945

Explanation: Intel introduced the four-bit 4004 microprocessor in November 1971, originally for a family of calculators. It placed central processing capabilities onto a commercially available integrated-circuit chip and helped establish the foundations of the modern microprocessor industry.

96. In which year was the first men’s ICC T20 World Cup played?

[SSC MTS, 11 February 2026, Shift 1]

(A) 2007
(B) 2008
(C) 2012
(D) 2004

Answer: (A) 2007

Explanation: The inaugural men’s T20 World Cup was staged in South Africa in September 2007. India won the tournament under M. S. Dhoni, defeating Pakistan in the Johannesburg final. The edition established Twenty20 cricket as a major global championship format.

95. John McFall, selected as the first person with a physical disability for an ESA astronaut feasibility programme, belongs to which country?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 7 May 2026, Shift 2]

(A) United States
(B) Australia
(C) Canada
(D) United Kingdom

Answer: (D) United Kingdom

Explanation: John McFall is a British former Paralympic sprinter selected by the European Space Agency in 2022 for its parastronaut feasibility initiative. The project examines how astronauts with certain physical disabilities could safely participate in future human space missions.

94. Who became the first Indian senior world champion in speed skating, winning the 1,000 m sprint in September 2025?

[RRB Technician Grade III, 10 March 2026, Shift 2]

(A) Anish Raj
(B) Dhanush Babu
(C) Anandkumar Velkumar
(D) Krish Sharma

Answer: (C) Anandkumar Velkumar

Explanation: Anandkumar Velkumar captured a senior world title in the 1,000-metre sprint at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships. The achievement marked an important breakthrough for Indian roller sports at the highest international level, beyond junior competition results.

93. Who inaugurated India’s indigenously developed high-resolution weather forecasting systems in May 2025?

[DSSSB MTS, 24 April 2026, Shift 1]

(A) President Droupadi Murmu
(B) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
(C) Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh
(D) Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav

Answer: (C) Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh

Explanation: Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated advanced indigenous weather-forecasting systems under India’s Mission Mausam initiative. Such high-resolution tools support better forecasting of local rainfall, severe weather and hazards; the examination presented the achievement as a pioneering global forecasting development.

92. Which World Health Assembly session adopted the first WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 22 August 2025, Shift 3]

(A) 77th
(B) 76th
(C) 78th
(D) 79th

Answer: (C) 78th

Explanation: Member states adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement at the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2025. The agreement addresses future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with attention to cooperation and equitable access to health products during international emergencies.

91. Which country developed LignoSat, the world’s first wooden satellite, in 2024?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 19 November 2025, Shift 1]

(A) Japan
(B) Russia
(C) China
(D) Israel

Answer: (A) Japan

Explanation: LignoSat was developed in Japan through collaboration between Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry. Its wooden structure was designed to examine the performance of timber in space, including whether such materials could contribute to more sustainable small satellite manufacturing.

90. What is the name of the world’s first wooden satellite?

[MP Police Constable, 10 December 2025, Shift 2]

(A) AstraSat
(B) WooduSat
(C) LignoSat
(D) ArihantSat

Answer: (C) LignoSat

Explanation: LignoSat is an experimental Japanese nanosatellite built using wood for structural elements. Its development and 2024 launch drew attention to the possibility of employing renewable materials in spacecraft while testing the behaviour of wood in the harsh conditions of orbit.

89. Where and when was the first men’s Cricket World Cup held?

[MP Police Constable, 2 November 2025, Shift 1]

(A) England, 1975
(B) India, 1983
(C) Australia, 1987
(D) West Indies, 1979

Answer: (A) England, 1975

Explanation: England hosted the inaugural men’s Cricket World Cup in June 1975. Eight teams participated and the West Indies defeated Australia in the final at Lord’s. The competition was played in a sixty-over one-day format, rather than today’s fifty-over format.

88. Which country hosted the first Cricket World Cup in 1975?

[SSC Selection Post, Matriculation, 1 August 2025, Shift 3]

(A) India
(B) England
(C) Australia
(D) West Indies

Answer: (B) England

Explanation: The first men’s ODI Cricket World Cup was staged in England in 1975, when the competition was called the Prudential Cup. The West Indies emerged as inaugural champions. England’s existing grounds and cricket infrastructure made it the early host.

87. Which startup launched the QShield cryptography-management platform in April 2025?

[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 12 August 2025, Shift 3]

(A) AMu Labs
(B) SST Labs
(C) CCS Labs
(D) QNu Labs

Answer: (D) QNu Labs

Explanation: QNu Labs, an Indian quantum-security enterprise, announced QShield as a cryptography-management platform. The initiative was discussed in connection with the National Quantum Mission and the need to protect sensitive communications against emerging risks from future quantum computing.

86. Which location was announced for a pioneering high-altitude para-sports training centre in March 2025?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 12 June 2025, Shift 2]

(A) Auli, Uttarakhand
(B) Leh, Ladakh
(C) Kargil, Ladakh
(D) Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Answer: (B) Leh, Ladakh

Explanation: Leh in Ladakh was identified as the proposed site for a high-altitude para-sports centre. Training at altitude can support conditioning and endurance, while specialist infrastructure aims to help athletes preparing for major international para-sports championships and the Paralympics.

85. Who became the first male field athlete to win Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2025?

[RRB Group D, 26 December 2025, Shift 3]

(A) Armand Duplantis
(B) Jakob Ingebrigtsen
(C) Neeraj Chopra
(D) Max Verstappen

Answer: (A) Armand Duplantis

Explanation: Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis received the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award in 2025. His record-breaking performances and Olympic success highlighted the achievements of a field-event athlete in an award often associated with other sports.

84. Which badminton player became the first Thai man to reach the world No. 1 singles ranking in 2025?

[RRB Group D, 21 December 2025, Shift 3]

(A) Lakshya Sen
(B) Kodai Naraoka
(C) Loh Kean Yew
(D) Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Answer: (D) Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Explanation: Kunlavut Vitidsarn became the first male singles shuttler from Thailand to top the Badminton World Federation world rankings in 2025. His achievement reflects Thailand’s rising competitive standing in international badminton and his success against leading opponents.

83. Where was the first Kho Kho World Cup staged in January 2025?

[RRB Group D, 14 December 2025, Shift 3]

(A) New Delhi, India
(B) Dhaka, Bangladesh
(C) Kathmandu, Nepal
(D) Colombo, Sri Lanka

Answer: (A) New Delhi, India

Explanation: New Delhi hosted the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup in January 2025, with matches at the Indira Gandhi Arena. The tournament included men’s and women’s events and represented an effort to expand the traditional South Asian sport internationally.

82. Who became the first Indian to win gold at the World Athletics Championships?

[SSC GD Constable, 5 February 2025, Shift 1]

(A) Milkha Singh
(B) Neeraj Chopra
(C) P. T. Usha
(D) Anju Bobby George

Answer: (B) Neeraj Chopra

Explanation: Neeraj Chopra won the men’s javelin title at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. He became the first Indian athlete to earn a gold medal at that competition, following his historic Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.

81. Who was the first Indian to receive a Nobel Prize?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 22 November 2025, Shift 1]

(A) Amartya Sen
(B) Kailash Satyarthi
(C) Rabindranath Tagore
(D) Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar

Answer: (C) Rabindranath Tagore

Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry, particularly Gitanjali. His recognition made him the first Indian Nobel laureate and a landmark non-European recipient, bringing Bengali literary achievement to a worldwide audience.

80. In which year was the first World Happiness Report published?

[SSC Stenographer, 7 August 2025, Shift 1]

(A) 2012
(B) 2016
(C) 2010
(D) 2005

Answer: (A) 2012

Explanation: The inaugural World Happiness Report appeared in 2012, bringing attention to life evaluations and well-being as measures of social progress. Later editions developed comparative national rankings and analyses using survey responses alongside social and economic indicators.

79. Which country was the first to place Gross National Happiness above conventional economic growth as a national development philosophy?

[SSC Selection Post, Higher Secondary, 28 July 2025, Shift 2]

(A) India
(B) United States
(C) Bhutan
(D) China

Answer: (C) Bhutan

Explanation: Bhutan popularised Gross National Happiness under King Jigme Singye Wangchuck from the 1970s. Rather than assessing progress through output alone, the philosophy emphasises balanced development, environmental care, culture and good governance, alongside material well-being.

78. For which disease was the world’s first successful vaccine developed?

[CBSE Junior Assistant, 20 April 2025]

(A) Diphtheria
(B) Rabies
(C) Influenza
(D) Smallpox

Answer: (D) Smallpox

Explanation: Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine against smallpox in 1796 after investigating the protection associated with cowpox infection. This pioneering vaccination method helped establish immunology and contributed, over generations, to the global eradication of smallpox.

77. Which country elected the world’s first woman prime minister in the twentieth century?

[CBSE Junior Assistant, 20 April 2025]

(A) Sri Lanka
(B) New Zealand
(C) England
(D) Germany

Answer: (A) Sri Lanka

Explanation: Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, in July 1960. She was the first woman anywhere to head a government as prime minister, eventually serving three nonconsecutive terms in the office.

76. Which country became the world’s first industrial nation?

[DSSSB TGT Social Science, 7 November 2025, Shift 1]

(A) France
(B) Germany
(C) United States
(D) Britain

Answer: (D) Britain

Explanation: Britain industrialised first during the eighteenth-century Industrial Revolution. Coal, iron, mechanised textile production, investment and transport networks enabled factory-based manufacturing to expand. Industrialisation subsequently spread across Europe, North America and other regions.

75. In which year did India first win the Kabaddi World Cup?

[SSC JE Mechanical Engineering, 6 December 2025, Shift 2]

(A) 2004
(B) 2007
(C) 2010
(D) 2016

Answer: (A) 2004

Explanation: India won the inaugural 2004 Kabaddi World Cup, defeating Iran in the final. The title is associated with the international standard-style competition and should not be confused with later circle-style World Cup tournaments held under different formats.

74. Trygve Lie, the first UN Secretary-General, belonged to which country?

[CUET PG Political Science, 25 March 2025, Shift 1]

(A) Austria
(B) Sweden
(C) Norway
(D) Egypt

Answer: (C) Norway

Explanation: Trygve Lie of Norway was appointed the first Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1946. Serving during the organisation’s formative years, he helped establish the Secretariat and worked amid early Cold War disputes before being succeeded in 1953.

73. In which year was U Thant, the first Asian UN Secretary-General, appointed?

[UGC NET Political Science, 26 June 2025, Shift 2]

(A) 1959
(B) 1961
(C) 1963
(D) 1967

Answer: (B) 1961

Explanation: U Thant, a diplomat from Burma, now Myanmar, became acting UN Secretary-General in November 1961 after Dag Hammarskjöld’s death. His full appointment followed in 1962. He was the first Asian to lead the organisation’s Secretariat.

72. In which year was World Environment Day first celebrated?

[OSSSC Combined Recruitment Preliminary, 4 November 2025, Shift 3]

(A) 1992
(B) 1985
(C) 2003
(D) 1973

Answer: (D) 1973

Explanation: World Environment Day was established following the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm. Its first observance took place on 5 June 1973, beginning an annual international awareness campaign focused on environmental issues.

71. Arrange USA, Sri Lanka, Japan and India by the earliest dates used in the exam for their adoption of universal adult franchise.

[UPSC NDA-I GAT, 13 April 2025]

(A) USA, Sri Lanka, Japan, India
(B) Sri Lanka, Japan, India, USA
(C) USA, Japan, India, Sri Lanka
(D) Japan, India, USA, Sri Lanka

Answer: (A) USA, Sri Lanka, Japan, India

Explanation: The exam’s keyed sequence is USA, Sri Lanka, Japan and India. However, universal franchise has complex national histories: many early American voting restrictions persisted beyond 1920. The ordering reflects the paper’s conventional dates rather than an unqualified global suffrage comparison.

70. Which is described in the examination as the first programmable general-purpose computer in the world?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 4 July 2024, Shift 2]

(A) ENIAC
(B) Napier’s bones
(C) Pascaline
(D) Mark I

Answer: (A) ENIAC

Explanation: ENIAC was an early electronic, general-purpose, programmable digital computer developed in the United States during the 1940s. While earlier machines were programmable in different senses, ENIAC is conventionally recognised for its pioneering electronic general-purpose computing capabilities.

69. Which country hosted the first FIFA World Cup?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 3 July 2024, Shift 4]

(A) Italy
(B) Brazil
(C) Uruguay
(D) France

Answer: (C) Uruguay

Explanation: Uruguay hosted the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 and became its first champion, defeating Argentina in the final. The tournament featured thirteen national teams and established a global competition separate from football’s Olympic tournament.

68. Who became the first Indian wrestler to win a medal at a world championship?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 9 July 2024, Shift 3]

(A) K. D. Jadhav
(B) Udey Chand
(C) Dara Singh
(D) Malwa Singh

Answer: (B) Udey Chand

Explanation: Udey Chand won bronze at the 1961 World Wrestling Championships in Yokohama in the men’s freestyle 67-kilogram category. His achievement was India’s first medal at the wrestling world championships, distinct from earlier Indian Olympic wrestling medals.

67. Who was the first Indian woman to win an Under-20 World Wrestling Championship?

[SSC CGL Tier-I, 24 September 2024, Shift 3]

(A) Antim Panghal
(B) Priyanka Nayak
(C) Swati Sanjay
(D) Hina Khalifa

Answer: (A) Antim Panghal

Explanation: Antim Panghal won the women’s 53-kilogram gold medal at the Under-20 World Wrestling Championships in Sofia in 2022. She became the first Indian woman to win gold at that event, a major junior-level milestone in wrestling.

66. When and where did India win its first World Athletics Championships medal?

[SSC CGL Tier-I, 12 September 2024, Shift 3]

(A) 2003, Germany
(B) 2005, Finland
(C) 2007, Japan
(D) 2003, France

Answer: (D) 2003, France

Explanation: Anju Bobby George secured bronze in the women’s long jump at the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris, France. It was India’s first medal at the senior outdoor event and preceded Neeraj Chopra’s later gold medal.

65. Who was the first woman Nobel laureate and the only person awarded Nobels in two different natural sciences?

[WBPSC Miscellaneous 2023 Examination, held 15 September 2024]

(A) Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
(B) Barbara McClintock
(C) Marie Curie
(D) Rosalind Franklin

Answer: (C) Marie Curie

Explanation: Marie Curie shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics and later received the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She was the first woman Nobel laureate and remains renowned for receiving prizes in two different natural-science disciplines.

64. Who was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest?

[WBPSC Miscellaneous 2023 Examination, held 15 September 2024]

(A) Bachendri Pal
(B) Sudipta Sengupta
(C) Junko Tabei
(D) Melissa Arnot

Answer: (C) Junko Tabei

Explanation: Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei reached Everest’s summit on 16 May 1975, becoming the first woman to do so. She later completed the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peaks of all seven continents.

63. Who was the first woman to travel into space?

[Indian Navy INCET, 3 February 2024, Set 3]

(A) Valentina Tereshkova
(B) Tamara Press
(C) Sally Ride
(D) Nadia Comăneci

Answer: (A) Valentina Tereshkova

Explanation: Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on 16 June 1963. She flew solo aboard Vostok 6 and completed forty-eight Earth orbits, several decades before female astronauts became more common.

62. Which company developed Sophia, commonly described as the first robot granted citizenship?

[UP Police Assistant Operator, 2 February 2024, Shift 1]

(A) UBTech Robotics
(B) Yitu Technology
(C) Hanson Robotics
(D) SpaceX

Answer: (C) Hanson Robotics

Explanation: Sophia was created by Hanson Robotics and made headlines when Saudi Arabia announced citizenship for the humanoid robot in 2017. This was a symbolic publicity milestone rather than evidence that robots have citizenship rights equivalent to human beings.

61. Which country first proposed a dedicated tax on agricultural emissions as part of its 2050 climate goals?

[APPSC Group-I Prelims, 17 March 2024, Paper II]

(A) New Zealand
(B) Mexico
(C) Brazil
(D) Argentina

Answer: (A) New Zealand

Explanation: New Zealand proposed a system to price greenhouse-gas emissions from agricultural production, including methane from livestock. The proposal sought to align a major economic sector with national emissions targets, although policy details and subsequent political decisions changed.

60. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman to lead the WTO, belongs to which country?

[RPF SI CBT-I, 12 December 2024, Shift 2]

(A) Nigeria
(B) South Africa
(C) Algeria
(D) Sudan

Answer: (A) Nigeria

Explanation: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and former finance minister, began serving as World Trade Organization Director-General in March 2021. She became both the organisation’s first woman head and its first African Director-General.

59. Statement A: Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon in 1969. Statement B: Kalpana Chawla set a longest-woman-spaceflight record in 2007. Which is correct?

[CTET Paper-I, 14 December 2024, Shift 2]

(A) Both statements are false
(B) A is true; B is false
(C) A is false; B is true
(D) Both statements are true

Answer: (B) A is true; B is false

Explanation: Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969. Kalpana Chawla died in the Columbia disaster in 2003, so she could not have set any spaceflight record in 2007.

58. Which mission was expected to bring an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station for the first time?

[RRB ALP CBT-I, 29 November 2024, Shift 2]

(A) Axiom-4
(B) Taxsci-4
(C) VenSpac-4
(D) Spacoon-4

Answer: (A) Axiom-4

Explanation: Axiom Mission 4 was arranged to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station. The mission represented a major step in India’s human spaceflight experience following Rakesh Sharma’s Soviet-assisted orbital flight in 1984.

57. In which year was the first international Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro?

[Punjab Police Constable, 8 August 2024, Shift 1]

(A) 1992
(B) 1978
(C) 1964
(D) 1956

Answer: (A) 1992

Explanation: The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, known as the Rio Earth Summit, helped establish Agenda 21 and important environmental principles. It brought together governments to address sustainable development and global environmental cooperation.

56. Who was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature?

[UP Police Constable Re-Examination, 24 August 2024, Shift 1]

(A) Sarojini Naidu
(B) C. V. Raman
(C) Rabindranath Tagore
(D) Mother Teresa

Answer: (C) Rabindranath Tagore

Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Indian Nobel laureate. His Gitanjali poems received international recognition and helped introduce Bengali literary traditions to readers worldwide.

55. In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 4 August 2023, Shift 4]

(A) 1900
(B) 1984
(C) 1896
(D) 1898

Answer: (C) 1896

Explanation: The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in April 1896 under the newly established International Olympic Committee. They revived the ancient Olympic tradition and included nine sports, with participation from athletes representing several countries.

54. Which country hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896?

[SSC MTS, 14 June 2023, Shift 3]

(A) Egypt
(B) Japan
(C) Greece
(D) Italy

Answer: (C) Greece

Explanation: Greece hosted the 1896 modern Olympic Games in Athens, historically linked to the ancient Greek sporting festival. The event was organised through the modern Olympic movement led by Pierre de Coubertin and inaugurated a recurring international sporting competition.

53. Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to win how many World Championship medals?

[SSC MTS, 13 September 2023, Shift 1]

(A) Six
(B) Five
(C) Two
(D) Three

Answer: (C) Two

Explanation: Vinesh Phogat won bronze at the 2019 and 2022 World Wrestling Championships, making her the first Indian woman wrestler to earn two medals at the senior event. The awards came in different championship editions and demonstrated sustained elite performance.

52. Which country did India defeat to win the inaugural Women’s Under-19 T20 Cricket World Cup in 2023?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 2 August 2023, Shift 4]

(A) Australia
(B) South Africa
(C) Sri Lanka
(D) England

Answer: (D) England

Explanation: India beat England in the final of the first ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2023. The competition was staged in South Africa and introduced a global championship platform for emerging women cricketers under nineteen years of age.

51. Who became the first human to walk on the Moon?

[MP Police Constable, 19 August 2023, Shift 2]

(A) Neil Armstrong
(B) Rakesh Sharma
(C) Edwin Aldrin
(D) Kalpana Chawla

Answer: (A) Neil Armstrong

Explanation: Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the lunar surface during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. Buzz Aldrin followed him, while Michael Collins remained aboard the command module in lunar orbit.

50. In which year was the first World Malaria Day observed?

[MP Forest Guard and Jail Prahari, 5 June 2023, Shift 3]

(A) 2004
(B) 2008
(C) 2002
(D) 2013

Answer: (B) 2008

Explanation: World Malaria Day was first observed on 25 April 2008 after its designation by the World Health Assembly. The international observance focuses attention on preventing malaria, expanding access to diagnosis and treatment, and supporting sustained disease-control programmes.

49. India deployed the world’s first all-woman formed police unit to a UN peacekeeping mission in which country?

[UPSC CDS General Knowledge, 16 April 2023]

(A) Liberia
(B) Sudan
(C) Burundi
(D) Croatia

Answer: (A) Liberia

Explanation: India deployed an all-female formed police unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia in 2007. The deployment was a first in UN peacekeeping, demonstrating women’s active participation in international security operations and inspiring recruitment efforts elsewhere.

48. Who was the first woman of Indian origin to travel into space?

[SSC CHSL Tier-I 2022 cycle, 15 March 2023, Shift 2]

(A) Nagin Cox
(B) Yogita Shah
(C) Kalpana Chawla
(D) Sirisha Bandla

Answer: (C) Kalpana Chawla

Explanation: Kalpana Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin to enter space in 1997 on NASA’s STS-87 mission aboard Columbia. The astronaut and engineer later flew on STS-107 and died when Columbia broke apart during re-entry in 2003.

47. During which month and year did Neil Armstrong first land on the Moon?

[Rajasthan 3rd Grade Teacher, 25 February 2023, Shift 2]

(A) July 1970
(B) September 1970
(C) July 1969
(D) September 1969

Answer: (C) July 1969

Explanation: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in July 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin reaching the lunar surface. Armstrong took humanity’s first steps there; the mission became a defining achievement of the twentieth-century space race.

46. In March 2022, who became the first woman cricketer to appear in six Cricket World Cups?

[RRB Group D, 12 September 2022, Shift 2]

(A) Jhulan Goswami
(B) Harmanpreet Kaur
(C) Smriti Mandhana
(D) Mithali Raj

Answer: (D) Mithali Raj

Explanation: Mithali Raj played in six editions of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, beginning in 2000 and continuing through 2022. This extraordinary longevity reflected her sustained role in India’s batting order and international women’s cricket.

45. In February 2022 India became the first national team to play how many men’s ODIs?

[RRB Group D, 23 August 2022, Shift 1]

(A) 900
(B) 1,000
(C) 800
(D) 1,100

Answer: (B) 1,000

Explanation: India became the first men’s cricket team to play 1,000 One Day Internationals when it faced the West Indies in Ahmedabad on 6 February 2022. The milestone reflects the volume and development of international limited-overs cricket.

44. Which country was the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender?

[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 17 June 2022, Shift 3]

(A) El Salvador
(B) Albania
(C) Jamaica
(D) Uzbekistan

Answer: (A) El Salvador

Explanation: El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, becoming the first country to do so. The experiment aimed to encourage digital payments and financial inclusion, although implementation faced technological, economic and regulatory challenges.

43. Which government became the first to announce that its operations were completely paperless?

[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 14 June 2022, Shift 1]

(A) Moscow
(B) Berlin
(C) New York
(D) Dubai

Answer: (D) Dubai

Explanation: Dubai announced in 2021 that its government had achieved the objectives of its Paperless Strategy. The initiative digitised government documents and transactions across departments, aiming to reduce paper consumption, administrative costs and processing time.

42. Which country first approved the sale of cultivated chicken meat in December 2020?

[SSC CGL 2021 Tier-I, held 12 April 2022, Shift 2]

(A) Singapore
(B) Taiwan
(C) Vietnam
(D) Japan

Answer: (A) Singapore

Explanation: Singapore became the first government to authorise commercial sale of cultivated meat when regulators approved a chicken product developed by Eat Just in December 2020. Cultivated meat grows animal cells in controlled conditions rather than raising animals for slaughter.

41. Who became the first Indian woman to reach 10,000 runs across international cricket formats in March 2021?

[SSC CHSL 2021, held 7 June 2022, Shift 1]

(A) Harleen Deol
(B) Smriti Mandhana
(C) Mithali Raj
(D) Poonam Yadav

Answer: (C) Mithali Raj

Explanation: Mithali Raj passed 10,000 international runs across formats in March 2021, the first Indian woman to do so. Globally, Charlotte Edwards had reached the milestone earlier. Raj’s achievement reflected a long international career in multiple cricket formats.

40. Name the first woman to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

[JKSSB Sub-Inspector, 19 December 2022, Shift 1]

(A) Elinor Ostrom
(B) Marie Curie
(C) Bertha von Suttner
(D) Malala Yousafzai

Answer: (A) Elinor Ostrom

Explanation: Elinor Ostrom became the first female recipient of the economics prize in 2009, sharing it with Oliver Williamson. Her research challenged assumptions that commonly held resources must inevitably be depleted, highlighting successful community-based systems of governance.

39. Who was the first woman to become prime minister of any country?

[Odisha Police SI, 9 July 2022, Paper II]

(A) Sirimavo Bandaranaike
(B) Golda Meir
(C) Isabel Perón
(D) Indira Gandhi

Answer: (A) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Explanation: Sirimavo Bandaranaike assumed office as Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1960. She was the first woman to hold the prime ministership of a sovereign country, preceding Indira Gandhi in India and Margaret Thatcher in Britain.

38. Identify the first self-governing country to enfranchise women in parliamentary elections and the year.

[MP Police Constable, 16 January 2022, Shift 1]

(A) United States, 1852
(B) France, 1892
(C) Australia, 1863
(D) New Zealand, 1893

Answer: (D) New Zealand, 1893

Explanation: New Zealand extended parliamentary voting rights to women in September 1893, the first self-governing country to do so on a national basis. Women could vote but could not stand for election to its Parliament until later reforms.

37. The first living creature to orbit Earth was which type of animal?

[NPCIL Stenographer and Assistant Grade I, 2022 Prelims Paper I]

(A) Dog
(B) Monkey
(C) Rabbit
(D) Human

Answer: (A) Dog

Explanation: Laika, a dog, travelled aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 in November 1957, becoming the first animal to orbit Earth. Earlier organisms had reached space on suborbital missions, and Laika did not survive the orbital flight.

36. Which pioneering online information-retrieval system was widely used internationally?

[MP SET Library and Information Science, 2022]

(A) DuckDuckGo
(B) Google
(C) DIALOG
(D) EBSCO

Answer: (C) DIALOG

Explanation: DIALOG grew from information-retrieval research initiated in the 1960s and became a major early commercial online database-search service. It enabled institutions to query remote bibliographic information well before the public World Wide Web emerged.

35. Who became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the BWF World Championships in December 2021?

[SSC Scientific Assistant CS/IT, 16 December 2022, Shift 3]

(A) Kidambi Srikanth
(B) H. S. Prannoy
(C) Ajay Jayaram
(D) B. Sai Praneeth

Answer: (A) Kidambi Srikanth

Explanation: Kidambi Srikanth finished runner-up at the 2021 BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain, becoming the first Indian man to win a singles silver at the event. He lost the final to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

34. The first modern Olympic Games opened on 6 April 1896 in which city?

[SSC GD Constable, 7 December 2021, Shift 1]

(A) Amsterdam
(B) London
(C) Los Angeles
(D) Athens

Answer: (D) Athens

Explanation: Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in April 1896, reviving an ancient Greek sporting tradition. The International Olympic Committee oversaw the competition, which included disciplines such as athletics, gymnastics, swimming and wrestling.

33. Who was appointed the first chief executive officer of the WHO Foundation in December 2020?

[SSC GD Constable, 3 December 2021, Shift 1]

(A) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
(B) Randeep Guleria
(C) Melinda Gates
(D) Anil Soni

Answer: (D) Anil Soni

Explanation: Anil Soni was appointed the inaugural chief executive officer of the independent WHO Foundation and began the role in January 2021. The foundation supports the World Health Organization’s public-health mission by mobilising philanthropic resources and partnerships.

32. The first Secretary-General of the United Nations belonged to which country?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 5 April 2021, Shift 2]

(A) Norway
(B) Sweden
(C) Finland
(D) Portugal

Answer: (A) Norway

Explanation: Norwegian politician and diplomat Trygve Lie became the United Nations’ first Secretary-General in 1946. His tenure coincided with the institution’s foundation and the emergence of Cold War tensions, shaping early UN administrative practices.

31. Who was the first United Nations Secretary-General from Africa?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 7 April 2021, Shift 2]

(A) Dag Hammarskjöld
(B) Winston Churchill
(C) Boutros Boutros-Ghali
(D) Kurt Waldheim

Answer: (C) Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Explanation: Egyptian diplomat Boutros Boutros-Ghali served as UN Secretary-General from 1992 to 1996, becoming the first African and the first Arab holder of the office. He succeeded Javier Pérez de Cuéllar during a period of major peacekeeping challenges.

30. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, appointed the first woman Director-General of the WTO in 2021, came from which country?

[UPPSC Combined State Examination, 24 October 2021, Paper I]

(A) Nigeria
(B) South Africa
(C) Kenya
(D) Ethiopia

Answer: (A) Nigeria

Explanation: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian economist and former finance minister. She assumed leadership of the World Trade Organization in March 2021, becoming its first female Director-General and its first African chief.

29. Which country launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite?

[SSC MTS 2020, held 18 October 2021, Shift 3]

(A) France
(B) USSR
(C) Germany
(D) United States

Answer: (B) USSR

Explanation: The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957, placing the first human-made satellite into Earth orbit. Its radio signals were received worldwide, initiating the space age and intensifying scientific rivalry during the Cold War.

28. Which country became the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX initiative?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 5 April 2021, Shift 1]

(A) Bhutan
(B) Ghana
(C) Nigeria
(D) Sudan

Answer: (B) Ghana

Explanation: Ghana received the first internationally delivered COVAX vaccine shipment on 24 February 2021. The initiative sought to improve equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in lower-income countries, through coordinated procurement and distribution.

27. Who was the first cricketer to hit 500 sixes in international cricket?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 1 April 2021, Shift 2]

(A) Virat Kohli
(B) Rohit Sharma
(C) Chris Gayle
(D) M. S. Dhoni

Answer: (C) Chris Gayle

Explanation: West Indies batter Chris Gayle became the first player to surpass 500 sixes across international cricket formats. Known for his powerful hitting, Gayle established major batting records in limited-overs and Twenty20 cricket.

26. Who was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title?

[SSC CHSL 2020, held 12 August 2021, Shift 1]

(A) Priyanka Chopra
(B) Diana Hayden
(C) Aishwarya Rai
(D) Reita Faria

Answer: (D) Reita Faria

Explanation: Reita Faria won the Miss World pageant in 1966, becoming the first Indian and first Asian winner. She later trained as a physician and remained a pioneering figure in the history of international beauty pageants.

25. Which country won the first men’s ICC T20 World Cup in 2007?

[SSC CHSL 2020, held 15 April 2021, Shift 3]

(A) Pakistan
(B) Bangladesh
(C) Sri Lanka
(D) India

Answer: (D) India

Explanation: India won the inaugural men’s Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, defeating Pakistan by five runs in the final. The tournament helped elevate the international popularity of the shortest established format of international cricket.

24. Which country is credited in the examination with first making and adopting a modern written national constitution?

[ACC 125 CGAT, August 2021]

(A) Great Britain
(B) France
(C) United States of America
(D) India

Answer: (C) United States of America

Explanation: The United States Constitution was drafted in 1787 and entered into force in 1789. It is a foundational example of a durable codified national constitution, though older constitutional instruments and earlier written governmental frameworks also existed.

23. Who was the first woman to climb Mount Everest successfully from the Kangshung Face?

[REET Level I, 2021]

(A) Bachendri Pal
(B) Santosh Yadav
(C) Premlata Agrawal
(D) Arunima Sinha

Answer: (B) Santosh Yadav

Explanation: Santosh Yadav became the first woman to summit Mount Everest twice, in 1992 and 1993, and is associated with a pioneering ascent by the difficult Kangshung Face. Her expeditions marked a major achievement in women’s high-altitude mountaineering.

22. What is surgeon Christiaan Barnard known for accomplishing first?

[SSC CGL, 9 March 2020, Shift 3]

(A) Publishing logarithm tables
(B) Delivering the first IVF baby
(C) Performing the first human-to-human heart transplant
(D) Cloning the first mammal

Answer: (C) Performing the first human-to-human heart transplant

Explanation: South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard led the first successful human-to-human heart transplant operation in Cape Town in December 1967. The recipient, Louis Washkansky, survived the surgery but died eighteen days later from complications.

21. Scientists in which country created a 3D-printed heart using human tissue in April 2019?

[SSC CGL, 4 March 2020, Shift 1]

(A) Ethiopia
(B) Israel
(C) Kenya
(D) Croatia

Answer: (B) Israel

Explanation: Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel reported producing a small experimental 3D-printed heart containing human cells and blood vessels in 2019. It was a research prototype, not a transplant-ready organ capable of functioning in a patient.

20. Who became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest?

[SSC CGL, 5 March 2020, Shift 2]

(A) Premlata Agarwal
(B) Arunima Sinha
(C) Anshu Jamsenpa
(D) Poorna Malavath

Answer: (B) Arunima Sinha

Explanation: Arunima Sinha reached the summit of Mount Everest in May 2013, becoming the first female amputee to do so. A former volleyball player, she continued mountaineering despite losing a leg, and subsequently climbed several other major peaks.

19. Which company manufactured the first commercial microprocessor, the 4004?

[SSC CHSL, 17 March 2020, Shift 2]

(A) Intel Corporation
(B) ENOcean
(C) NVIDIA Corporation
(D) PLX Devices

Answer: (A) Intel Corporation

Explanation: Intel introduced the 4004 microprocessor in November 1971. Designed originally for calculator applications, it was a commercially available four-bit microprocessor that placed central processing functions on a single integrated circuit.

18. In which country was ENIAC, the pioneering programmable general-purpose electronic computer, developed?

[SSC CHSL, 21 October 2020, Shift 1]

(A) United Kingdom
(B) China
(C) Japan
(D) United States of America

Answer: (D) United States of America

Explanation: ENIAC was constructed at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States during the 1940s. The machine used vacuum tubes for electronic calculation and contributed significantly to the emergence of general-purpose computing after the Second World War.

17. Who was both Sri Lanka’s first woman prime minister and the first woman prime minister worldwide?

[SSC CGL, 10 June 2019, Shift 3]

(A) Chandrika Kumaratunga
(B) Sirimavo Bandaranaike
(C) Rosy Senanayake
(D) Upeksha Swarnamali

Answer: (B) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Explanation: Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1960 and served three separate terms. Her appointment was a worldwide political milestone because no woman had previously held the office of prime minister of a sovereign state.

16. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1903?

[SSC CHSL, 9 July 2019, Shift 1]

(A) Marie Curie
(B) Jane Addams
(C) Alva Myrdal
(D) Jody Williams

Answer: (A) Marie Curie

Explanation: Marie Curie shared the 1903 Physics Nobel with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for research on radiation. She was the first female Nobel laureate and received a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.

15. Who developed the first vaccine against smallpox?

[SSC CGL, 11 June 2019, Shift 2]

(A) John Hunter
(B) Alexander Fleming
(C) Louis Pasteur
(D) Edward Jenner

Answer: (D) Edward Jenner

Explanation: Edward Jenner tested his cowpox-based method of preventing smallpox in 1796. His work initiated the scientific practice of vaccination; later public-health campaigns expanded immunisation until the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1980.

14. Which was the first unmanned spacecraft to reach the Moon’s surface?

[APPSC Group-II Prelims, 5 May 2019, Paper II]

(A) Luna 2
(B) Ranger 4
(C) Surveyor 4
(D) Chang’e 1

Answer: (A) Luna 2

Explanation: The Soviet Luna 2 probe reached the Moon in September 1959, becoming the first human-made object to contact another celestial body. It was an impact mission, not a controlled soft landing, which came later in lunar exploration.

13. Which spacecraft carried the first successful human spaceflight?

[APPSC Forest Beat Officer Prelims, 2019]

(A) Vostok 1
(B) Apollo 11
(C) Challenger
(D) Shenzhou 5

Answer: (A) Vostok 1

Explanation: The Soviet Vostok 1 spacecraft carried Yuri Gagarin into orbit on 12 April 1961. Its flight lasted about 108 minutes and made Gagarin the first human in space, a landmark in the early space age.

12. Which country issued the world’s first green Islamic bond, or green sukuk?

[SSC CHSL, 24 March 2018, Shift 2]

(A) Indonesia
(B) Malaysia
(C) Saudi Arabia
(D) Iraq

Answer: (B) Malaysia

Explanation: Malaysia pioneered green sukuk financing in 2017, blending Islamic finance structures with funding for environmentally beneficial projects. Such bonds follow Sharia-compliant investment principles while directing proceeds toward eligible renewable-energy and sustainability activities.

11. Which country launched a pioneering commercial direct-air carbon capture plant in 2017?

[SSC CHSL, 22 March 2018, Shift 3]

(A) China
(B) Italy
(C) Japan
(D) Iceland

Answer: (D) Iceland

Explanation: Iceland hosted pioneering direct-air carbon capture demonstrations associated with Climeworks and the CarbFix mineralisation approach. The process captures carbon dioxide from ambient air and can store it underground by converting it into stable minerals.

10. In which year did Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reach Mount Everest’s summit?

[SSC CHSL, 28 March 2018, Shift 3]

(A) 1898
(B) 1953
(C) 1957
(D) 1969

Answer: (B) 1953

Explanation: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa climber, reached Mount Everest’s summit on 29 May 1953. Their ascent, during a British expedition, became the first widely confirmed successful summit of the mountain.

9. What was the name of the world’s first supercomputer, as conventionally identified in computer history?

[SSC CGL, 16 August 2017, Shift 2]

(A) CDC 6600
(B) USENET
(C) Commodore VIC-20
(D) PARAM 10000

Answer: (A) CDC 6600

Explanation: The Control Data Corporation 6600, designed under Seymour Cray and introduced in 1964, is widely regarded as the first supercomputer. Its high-speed architecture dramatically exceeded contemporary general-purpose machines and established a benchmark for scientific computing.

8. Who invented and experimentally demonstrated an early electric tram?

[SSC CGL, 18 August 2017, Shift 1]

(A) James Cook
(B) William Harvey
(C) Fyodor Pirotsky
(D) Robert Boyle

Answer: (C) Fyodor Pirotsky

Explanation: Engineer Fyodor Pirotsky experimented with electric traction for trams in the Russian Empire during the late nineteenth century. His early electric tram demonstrations anticipated the widespread introduction of electrically powered urban rail transport.

7. Who is credited with co-discovering insulin?

[SSC CGL, 23 August 2017, Shift 3]

(A) Alexander Fleming
(B) Frederick Banting
(C) James Watt
(D) F. G. Hopkins

Answer: (B) Frederick Banting

Explanation: Frederick Banting and Charles Best played central roles in the discovery of insulin in 1921, working with John Macleod and James Collip. The discovery transformed diabetes treatment, making effective replacement therapy possible for many patients.

6. Who made the first intelligible telephone call?

[MP Police Sub-Inspector, 8 September 2016, Shift 2]

(A) Queen Victoria
(B) Guglielmo Marconi
(C) Winston Churchill
(D) Alexander Graham Bell

Answer: (D) Alexander Graham Bell

Explanation: Alexander Graham Bell made a famous intelligible telephone call to his assistant Thomas Watson on 10 March 1876. His experimental device transmitted speech electrically and became an important milestone in the development of telecommunications.

5. Who was the first woman to climb Mount Everest?

[MPPSC State Services General Studies, 2016]

(A) Junko Tabei
(B) Caroline Mikkelsen
(C) Valentina Tereshkova
(D) None of these

Answer: (A) Junko Tabei

Explanation: Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest in May 1975. She later became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits and supported environmental initiatives relating to mountain expeditions.

4. Who was the first woman to become prime minister of a country?

[PSPCL Junior Engineer Electrical, 2015]

(A) Benazir Bhutto
(B) Indira Gandhi
(C) Margaret Thatcher
(D) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Answer: (D) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Explanation: Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon became the first woman prime minister in 1960. She entered government leadership following the assassination of her husband, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, and later completed additional terms as head of government.

3. Name the first female prime minister in world history.

[WBPSC Food Sub-Inspector, 2014]

(A) Sirimavo Bandaranaike
(B) Margaret Thatcher
(C) Indira Gandhi
(D) Khaleda Zia

Answer: (A) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Explanation: Sirimavo Bandaranaike assumed the premiership of Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, in July 1960. She preceded other prominent female prime ministers, including India’s Indira Gandhi and Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, marking a first in modern governmental leadership.

2. Which country was the first to launch an official nationwide family-planning programme?

[UPPSC Civil Services Preliminary, 2012, Paper I]

(A) Brazil
(B) United States
(C) India
(D) China

Answer: (C) India

Explanation: India launched a national family-planning programme in 1952, the first official programme of its kind at a national level. Its goals included improving reproductive health and moderating population growth, with approaches evolving over subsequent decades.

1. Where was the republican system described in the exam as the world’s first established in the sixth century BCE?

[46th BPSC Preliminary Examination, 2004]

(A) Vaishali
(B) Athens
(C) Sparta
(D) Pataliputra

Answer: (A) Vaishali

Explanation: Vaishali, associated with the Licchavis and the Vajji confederacy, is traditionally described in Indian general-knowledge examinations as an early republic. Historians distinguish its oligarchic institutions from modern representative democracy and debate claims about an absolute worldwide first.