Fostering Team Spirit with 47 Famous Firsts Trivia Questions

June 19, 2023
Men holding up their hands in team spirit

There are so many discoveries, inventions, and cultural phenomenons that we take for granted in our day-to-day lives. This article isn't just a trivia game, it's a fun way to bring your team closer together. We've gathered cool facts and figures from history and technology. These two areas have lots of lessons to teach us, and we think that learning about them can help us understand how the world has changed over time.

We have put together 47 trivia questions about famous firsts. These questions cover a range of topics and times, and they're sure to get your team thinking and talking. No matter how much you know about trivia, we're sure you'll find these questions interesting. So, gather your team and get ready for a fun journey through the past. This trivia game is a great way to build team spirit. Let's get started!

Christopher Columbus discovering America

History

Trivia Question # 1: In what year did Vasco de Gama become the first European to reach India by sea? (Answer: 1498)

Trivia Question # 2: What Portuguese explorer was the first to circumvent the globe by boat? (Answer: Ferdinand Magellan)

Trivia Question # 3: What country is credited as being the first to develop a paper making process? (Answer: China)

Trivia Question # 4: In what year did Roald Amundsen become the first person to reach the South Pole? (Answer: 1911)

Trivia Question # 5: Who was the first female Prime Minister of Britain? (Answer: Margaret Thatcher)

Trivia Question # 6: Amelia Earhart was the first woman to complete a transatlantic flight in 1932 - where did she take off from and land? (Answer: Newfoundland to Ireland)

Trivia Question # 7: In what year was Mt. Everest climbed for the first time? (Answer: 1953)

Trivia Question # 8: What was the first European country to enact a law abolishing slavery in 1542? (Answer: Spain)

Trivia Question # 9: John Jay was the first person to become what in 1789? (Answer: US Supreme Court chief justice)

Trivia Question # 10: In what year did Sandra Day O’Connor become the first female US Supreme Court Justice? (Answer: 1981)

Trivia Question # 11: Who was the first person to travel to space? (Answer: Yuri Gagarin)

Trivia Question # 12: The first woman went to space in 1963 - what country was she from? (Answer: Russia)

Trivia Question # 13: In what year did the first person walk on the moon? (Answer: 1969)

Trivia Question # 14: Who was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the US? (Answer: Elizabeth Blackwell)

Trivia Question # 15: Who became the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in 1911? (Answer: Marie Curie)

Trivia Question # 16: What was the first major book mass-printed in Europe? (Answer: The Gutenberg Bible)

Man looking at the invention of the light bulb
Find Online Trivia Events
See how our hosted online trivia events are the perfect team building activity!

Technology

Trivia Question # 17: What was the first video game - developed in 1958 - called? (Answer: Tennis for Two)

Trivia Question # 18: Who was the first person to see the Moon’s surface through a telescope? (Answer: Galileo Galilei)

Trivia Question # 19: In what city was the first skyscraper built? (Answer: Chicago)

Trivia Question # 20: When was the first clock developed? (Answer: 1656)

Trivia Question # 21: In what year did the first humans fly in a hot air balloon? (Answer: 1783)

Trivia Question # 22: In what US state did the Wright Brothers complete the first human-powered flight? (Answer: North Carolina)

Trivia Question # 23: In 1947, who was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound? (Answer: Chuck Yaeger)

Trivia Question # 24: Who was the first holder of a US patent? (Answer: Samuel Hopkins)

Trivia Question # 25: In what country was the first battery developed by Alessandro Volta? (Answer: Italy)

Trivia Question # 26: In what year did Samuel Morse send the first telegraph message? (Answer: 1836)

Trivia Question # 27: Who developed the first electronic communication between two computers? (Answer: Ray Tomlinson)

Trivia Question # 28: In what country did Johannes Gutenberg invent the first printing press? (Answer: Germany)

Trivia Question # 29: When was the first smartphone launched by Apple? (Answer: 2007)

Trivia Question # 30: Who developed the first Diesel engine in 1892? (Answer: Rudolf Diesel)

Trivia Question # 31: Who invented the first telescope in 1668? (Answer: Sir Isaac Newton)

Graham Bell and the telephone

Miscellaneous

Trivia Question # 32: In what year did Greece first introduce the concepts of Democracy on a significant scale? (Answer: 508 BC)

Trivia Question # 33: Who was the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer prize for literature? (Answer: Edith Wharton)

Trivia Question # 34: Who wrote the first bill to explicitly allow religious freedom in the west? (Answer: Thomas Jefferson)

Trivia Question # 35: In what year did Joseph Gayletty invent the first toilet paper? (Answer: 1857)

Trivia Question # 36: Who invented the first telephone in 1876? (Answer: Alexander Graham Bell)

Trivia Question # 37: In what year was the first Earth Day celebrated? (Answer: 1970)

Trivia Question # 38: What cities did the World’s first major inter-city railway connect? (Answer: Liverpool to Manchester)

Trivia Question # 39: What was the name of the first movie with spoken dialogue, made in 1927? (Answer: The Jazz Singer)

Trivia Question # 40: In what year did Jacopo Peri write the world’s first Opera? (Answer: 1597)

Trivia Question # 41: Who was the first baseball player to hit 50 home runs in a season? (Answer: Babe Ruth)

Trivia Question # 42: Who was the first Tour de France winner? (Answer: Maurice Garin)

Trivia Question # 43: Who was the winner of the first Women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984? (Answer: Joan Benoit)

Trivia Question # 44: The first person to run a sub-two hour marathon - Eliud Kipchoge - is from what country? (Answer: Kenya)

Trivia Question # 45: Who discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic, in 1929? (Answer: Alexander Fleming)

Trivia Question # 46: Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine to protect against what disease? (Answer: Smallpox)

Trivia Question # 47: In what year did Robert Cornelius take the first documented selfie? (Answer: 1839)

Group of people smiling and taking selfie photo

Conclusion

As we wrap up our exciting journey into the world of famous firsts, we hope that this trivia has not only expanded your knowledge but also contributed to strengthening the bonds within your team. The value of team building activities like this one is immense - they inspire cooperation, encourage open communication, and make for a lot of fun along the way. 

Remember, the beauty of trivia lies not only in finding the right answers but also in the stimulating conversations that stem from these questions. If you liked these trivia questions, check out 49 Tech Trivia Questions to Test Your Team’s Knowledge and 48 US Trivia Questions for Team Building for more fun questions!


Related Articles:

48 Geography Trivia Questions To Challenge Your Co-Workers' Know-How

48 U.S. History Trivia Questions for Team Building

Join our mailing list and get updates on new online team classes, team building events, and special promotions.

Learn More