GK (Historic First)

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1950. He was also the first Home Minister.

Justice M. Fathima Beevi was appointed to the Supreme Court of India in 1989, making her the first female judge of the apex court. She also became the first Muslim woman to be appointed to any of the higher judiciaries in India. The other options represent other prominent female judges who were appointed much later.

Kamaljeet Sandhu (spelled here as Kamaljit Sidhu) won the gold medal at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games in the 400 m race. She ran the distance in 57.3 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games. The other options are Indian athletes from much later generations.

Dr. Zakir Hussain was the third President of India and the first Muslim to hold the office, serving from 1967 until his death in 1969.

Nargis Dutt was the first actress to be honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 1958. She was a highly acclaimed actress of Hindi cinema, famous for her role in the Oscar-nominated film 'Mother India'. The other options are legendary actresses who received the award later or not at all.

Alam Ara, released in 1931, was the first Indian sound film (talkie). It was directed by Ardeshir Irani.

Morarji Desai (spelled here as Moraji Desai) was the first Prime Minister of India to resign from office, doing so in 1979 after his Janata Party coalition collapsed. He was also the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India. The other options either completed their terms or died in office.

Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the Grand Old Man of India, was the first Indian to be elected to the British House of Commons in 1892.

Qutub-ud-din Aibak was the founder of the Mamluk dynasty and the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was originally a slave of Muhammad Ghori, which is why his dynasty is known as the Slave or Mamluk dynasty. He began the construction of the Qutub Minar in Delhi, which was later completed by his successor Iltutmish.

Lord Canning served as the Governor-General of India during the 1857 revolt and became the first Viceroy of India following the Government of India Act 1858.

While Mikhail Gorbachev was the first and only official 'President of the Soviet Union' under that specific title, Vladimir Lenin was the founding leader and head of government of the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) established in 1922. In general knowledge contexts, Lenin is widely recognized as the first leader of the Soviet state. The other options were subsequent leaders of the Soviet Union.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman to be elected as the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1953.

Sun Yat-sen is considered the founding father of the Republic of China and served as its first provisional president in 1912.

India's first National War Memorial is located in New Delhi, inaugurated near India Gate to honor soldiers who died in conflicts.

Nawang Gombu was the first person to climb Mount Everest twice, achieving the feat in 1963 and 1965.

Reita Faria was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title, which she achieved in 1966.

The Bank of Hindustan, established in 1770 in Calcutta, is widely considered the first bank established in India under European management.

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection Gitanjali.

General K.M. Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, taking over from General Sir Roy Bucher in 1949.

Ian Wilmut led the team at the Roslin Institute that successfully cloned Dolly the sheep in 1996. This was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell.

The first experimental telephone line in India was established in 1851 in Kolkata (then Calcutta) by the British East India Company.

Zubeida Begum was the lead actress in Alam Ara, which was the first Indian sound film (talkie) released in 1931.