General Awareness · History
Historical Dates and Firsts
2,518 Questions
Historical dates and firsts questions test your memory of significant global milestones in sports, science, technology, and literature. These factual questions appear regularly in SSC, banking, and state PSC general awareness papers. Use these questions to quickly memorize important historical events and their exact years.
Inventions and launchesSports world firstsHistorical prize awardsTechnology milestones
Historical Dates and Firsts Questions
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Correct option is (2).
The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
The first electronic telephone exchange was commissioned in 1961 in the UK. This marked a significant advancement from manual switchboards to automated switching systems.
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1956 - DNA is made artificially
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1969 - The first single gene is isolated
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1970 - The first artificial gene
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1983 - The first artificial chromosome
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1998 – First draft of human genome is published
E
Correct answer
Explanation
The genome of the first multicelled animal, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, was sequenced, containing approximately 18,000 genes.
In 2000, the first draft of the human genome was announced and was published in 2001.
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1892-1902
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1882-1891
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1865-1882
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1903-1917
C
Correct answer
Explanation
The period between 1865-1882 is known as the golden era of microbiology because all the pioneering works of Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Lister etc. made the most important discoveries and laid the foundation of microbiology.
A
Correct answer
Explanation
IBM released the first IBM Personal Computer (PC 5150) on August 12, 1981. This launch marked a pivotal moment in computing history, helping establish personal computers as mainstream business and home devices.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
This question refers to the printograph, a historical photo printing technology. The exact introduction date of this specific technology in 1956 is highly specialized knowledge that may not be widely documented.
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21st July 1969
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23th July 1987
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12th August 1985
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24th October 1985
A
Correct answer
Explanation
The Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969 (UTC time), which was July 21, 1969 in some time zones including parts of the US. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
A
Correct answer
Explanation
The first automatic telephone exchange in India was established in 1913 in Mumbai (then Bombay). This marked a significant advancement in telecommunications technology during the colonial period.
A
Correct answer
Explanation
The Indian National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. This marked its first public performance before a large audience.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Sully Prudhomme (spelled as 'Sully Prud Home' in the question) was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, the inaugural year of Nobel Prizes. The question has a typo - 'Noble' should be 'Nobel'. 1901 marks the beginning of the Nobel Prize tradition.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Radio broadcasting in India began in 1927 with the establishment of radio clubs in Mumbai and Kolkata. The Indian State Broadcasting Service was later formed in 1930, which became All India Radio in 1936.
D
Correct answer
Explanation
The Winter Olympics came into being in 1924. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France from January 25 to February 5, 1924. The event was originally called 'International Winter Sports Week' before being retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympic Games. 16 nations participated in 6 sports.
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10th August 2008
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10th September 2008
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9th October 2008
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17th September 2008
B
Correct answer
Explanation
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN was first activated on September 10, 2008, marking the beginning of experiments to study particle physics and the origin of the universe. This date is historically significant in modern science.