1. Polity and Constitution

1. President of India — Dr Rajendra Prasad (1950)
2. Vice-President of India — Dr S. Radhakrishnan (1952)
3. Prime Minister of India — Jawaharlal Nehru (1947)
4. Deputy Prime Minister — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1947)
5. Indian Governor-General — C. Rajagopalachari (1948)
6. Governor-General of British India (first) — Warren Hastings (GG of Bengal 1773) (1773)
7. Viceroy of India — Lord Canning (1858)
8. Chief Justice of India — H. J. Kania (1950)
9. Speaker of Lok Sabha — G. V. Mavalankar (1952)
10. Chief Election Commissioner — Sukumar Sen (1950)
11. Attorney General of India — M. C. Setalvad (1950)
12. Comptroller and Auditor General — V. Narahari Rao (1950)
13. Finance Commission Chair — K. C. Neogy (1951)
14. National Human Rights Commission Chair — Justice Ranganath Misra (1993)
15. Lokpal of India — Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose (2019)
16. President of Indian National Congress — Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee (1885)
17. Indian ICS officer — Satyendranath Tagore (1863)
18. Dalit President — K. R. Narayanan (1997)
19. Sikh Prime Minister — Manmohan Singh (2004)
20. Muslim President — Dr Zakir Husain (1967)
21. Tribal President (ST) — Droupadi Murmu (2022)

Exam note: Rajendra Prasad is the only President elected twice. Radhakrishnan was first Vice-President and later President. C. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General and the only Indian to hold that office.

Women in high office

22. Prime Minister — Indira Gandhi (1966)
23. President — Pratibha Patil (2007)
24. Governor of a state — Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh) (1947)
25. Chief Minister — Sucheta Kripalani (Uttar Pradesh) (1963)
26. Speaker of Lok Sabha — Meira Kumar (2009)
27. Judge of the Supreme Court — M. Fathima Beevi (1989)
28. Chief Justice of a High Court — Leila Seth (Himachal Pradesh) (1991)
29. Cabinet minister (Central) — Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (Health) (1947)
30. Railway Minister — Mamata Banerjee (2009)
31. External Affairs Minister (Cabinet) — Sushma Swaraj (2014)
32. Full-time Finance Minister — Nirmala Sitharaman (2019)
33. Full-time Defence Minister — Nirmala Sitharaman (2017)
34. UPSC Chairperson — Rose Millian Bathew (R. M. Bathew) (1992)
35. IAS officer (first woman to join IAS) — Anna Rajam Malhotra (1951)
36. IPS officer — Kiran Bedi (1972)
37. Ambassador of India — C. B. Muthamma (1954 batch / envoy 1970)
38. Lok Sabha MP (first sitting after 1952 general election among noted firsts) — Several; often cited: Renuka Ray & others in early Houses (1952)
39. President of INC — Annie Besant (1917); first Indian woman: Sarojini Naidu (1925) (1917 / 1925)

Trap: Indira Gandhi held additional charge of Finance and Defence at times. Questions that say “first full-time woman Finance / Defence Minister” want Nirmala Sitharaman. First woman INC President is Annie Besant; first Indian woman INC President is Sarojini Naidu.

2. Defence and security

40. Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army (Indian) — Gen. K. M. Cariappa (1949)
41. Chief of Air Staff (Indian) — Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee (1954)
42. Chief of Naval Staff (Indian) — Vice Admiral R. D. Katari (1958)
43. Field Marshal — S. H. F. J. Manekshaw (1973)
44. Marshal of the Air Force — Arjan Singh (2002)
45. Chief of Defence Staff — Gen. Bipin Rawat (2020)
46. Param Vir Chakra — Major Somnath Sharma (posthumous, 1947 war) (1950)
47. Woman to receive Ashoka Chakra — Neerja Bhanot (posthumous) (1987)
48. Woman to fly a fighter jet solo (IAF) — Avani Chaturvedi (MiG-21) (2018)
49. Women fighter pilots batch — Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh (2016 commissioned)
50. Woman Lieutenant General (AFMS) — Puneeta Arora (2004)
51. Defence Minister of independent India — Baldev Singh (1947)

Only two Field Marshals: Sam Manekshaw (1973) and K. M. Cariappa (honorary, 1986). Only one Marshal of the IAF: Arjan Singh. CDS was created in 2019; Rawat took charge in 2020.

3. Science, space and technology

52. Satellite of India — Aryabhata (launched from USSR) (1975)
53. Satellite launched from Indian soil — Rohini RS-1 on SLV-3 (Sriharikota) (1980)
54. Nuclear reactor — Apsara, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay (1956)
55. Nuclear explosion / test — Pokhran-I, “Smiling Buddha” (18 May 1974)
56. Pokhran-II tests — Operation Shakti (May 1998)
57. Indian in space — Rakesh Sharma (Soyuz T-11) (1984)
58. Indian-origin woman in space — Kalpana Chawla (NASA, Columbia) (1997)
59. Moon mission — Chandrayaan-1 (2008)
60. Mars mission / first Asian nation at Mars in first attempt — Mangalyaan (MOM) (2013–14)
61. Soft landing near lunar south pole — Chandrayaan-3 (Vikram / Pragyan) (2023)
62. Solar mission — Aditya-L1 (2023)
63. Human spaceflight programme name — Gaganyaan (ongoing)
64. Supercomputer — PARAM 8000 (C-DAC, Pune) (1991)
65. Indigenous computer (early) — TIFRAC (Tata Institute) (1960)
66. Hydroelectric plant — Sidrapong, Darjeeling (1897)
67. GM crop commercially released — Bt cotton (2002)
68. IISc Bangalore founder — J. N. Tata (Institute opened 1909) (1909)

Sharma’s line from space — “Saare Jahan Se Achha” — is sometimes asked. Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-born American astronaut; Sunita Williams is Indian-origin. Gaganyaan will make the first Indian in space on an Indian vehicle when it flies.

4. Economy, banks and infrastructure

69. Census of India (complete modern) — 1872 (non-synchronous); 1881 first synchronous (1872 / 1881)
70. Railway (passenger) — Bombay to Thane (16 Apr 1853)
71. Telegraph line — Kolkata–Diamond Harbour (1850–51)
72. Postal stamp (India) — Scinde Dawk; then lithographed issues (1852 / 1854)
73. Newspaper in India (English) — Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, Calcutta (1780)
74. Hindi daily (often cited) — Udant Martand (weekly, Calcutta) (1826)
75. Reserve Bank of India — Established (1935)
76. First Indian Governor of RBI — C. D. Deshmukh (1943)
77. Nationalisation of RBI — 1949
78. Imperial Bank becomes SBI — 1955
79. Bank nationalisation (14 banks) — 19 Jul 1969
80. Second dose of bank nationalisation — 6 banks (1980)
81. Planning Commission — 1950
82. NITI Aayog (replaced Planning Commission) — 2015
83. Five-Year Plan — First Plan (Harrod–Domar) (1951–56)
84. Linguistic state — Andhra State (from Madras) (1953)
85. Woman Chairperson of SBI — Arundhati Bhattacharya (2013)

5. Sports

86. Olympic medal associated with India (athletics) — Norman Pritchard, Paris (2 silvers) (1900)
87. Olympic medal after Independence (individual) — Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, wrestling bronze, Helsinki (1952)
88. Olympic team gold — Men’s hockey, Amsterdam (captain Jaipal Singh Munda) (1928)
89. Individual Olympic gold — Abhinav Bindra, 10 m air rifle, Beijing (2008)
90. Individual Olympic silver (post-1947, shooting) — Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Athens (2004)
91. Woman Olympic medal — Karnam Malleswari, weightlifting bronze, Sydney (2000)
92. Woman Olympic silver — P. V. Sindhu, badminton, Rio (2016)
93. Woman Olympic bronze (wrestling) — Sakshi Malik, Rio (2016)
94. Woman Olympic bronze (badminton) — Saina Nehwal, London (2012)
95. Woman Olympic bronze (boxing) — M. C. Mary Kom, London (2012)
96. Olympic athletics gold — Neeraj Chopra, javelin, Tokyo (2021)
97. Hockey World Cup — India, hosted in Bombay (1975)
98. Cricket World Cup (ODI) — Kapil Dev’s team, Lord’s (1983)
99. T20 World Cup — M. S. Dhoni’s team (2007)
100. Test century by an Indian — Lala Amarnath (1933)
101. Chess World Champion (undisputed era often cited) — Viswanathan Anand (2000 / 2007)
102. Indian chess Grandmaster — Viswanathan Anand (1988)
103. Asian Games hosted in India — New Delhi (1951)
104. Woman Asian Games gold (athletics) — Kamaljeet Sandhu, 400 m (1970)
105. Paralympic gold — Murlikant Petkar, swimming (1972)
106. Woman Paralympic gold (recent landmark) — Avani Lekhara, shooting, Tokyo (2021)
107. Grand Slam title (men’s doubles) — Mahesh Bhupathi (1997)
108. Grand Slam mixed / doubles (women) — Sania Mirza (2009 onwards)

Wording is everything. “First Olympic medal by an Indian after Independence” = K. D. Jadhav. “First individual Olympic gold” = Bindra. “First Olympic gold for India” can mean hockey 1928. Pritchard’s medals are credited to India in IOC tables

109. Nobel Prize (Indian / from British India) — Rabindranath Tagore, Literature (Gitanjali) (1913)
110. Nobel Prize in Physics — C. V. Raman (1930)
111. Nobel Prize in Medicine (Indian-origin) — Har Gobind Khorana (1968)
112. Nobel Peace Prize (Indian citizen / resident) — Mother Teresa (1979)
113. Nobel Prize in Economics — Amartya Sen (1998)
114. Bharat Ratna (first recipients) — C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C. V. Raman (1954)
115. Woman Bharat Ratna — Indira Gandhi (1971)
116. Bharat Ratna to a sportsperson — Sachin Tendulkar (2014)
117. Jnanpith Award — G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam) (1965)
118. Woman Jnanpith — Ashapurna Devi (1976)
119. Oscar for an Indian — Bhanu Athaiya, costume design, Gandhi (1983)
120. Oscar for a film (India official / Satyajit Ray honorary) — Ray: Honorary Oscar (1992)
121. Booker Prize (Indian writer) — Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (1997)
122. Magsaysay Award (Indian, early) — Vinoba Bhave (1958) among early Indians (1958)

Tagore was the first Asian Nobel laureate. Mother Teresa was an Indian citizen by then. Questions sometimes distinguish “first Indian-origin Nobel in science” (Khorana / Raman depending on wording).

7. Education, press, culture and society

123. University (modern) — University of Calcutta (also Bombay & Madras same year) (1857)
124. IIT — IIT Kharagpur (1951)
125. IIM — IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad (1961)
126. Woman graduates (Calcutta University) — Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu (1883)
127. Indian woman doctor (western medicine, often cited) — Anandibai Joshi (degree USA 1886); Kadambini Ganguly practised in India (1886 / 1886–87)
128. Woman teacher (modern school for girls) — Savitribai Phule, Pune (1848)
129. Talkie film in India — Alam Ara (Ardeshir Irani) (1931)
130. Bengali talkie — Jamai Shashthi / later full features; Dena Paona often cited 1931 (1931)
131. Indian woman to climb Everest — Bachendri Pal (1984)
132. Summit of Everest (Tenzing with Hillary) — Tenzing Norgay & Edmund Hillary (29 May 1953)
133. Miss World from India — Reita Faria (1966)
134. Miss Universe from India — Sushmita Sen (1994)
135. Woman to swim the English Channel (India) — Arati Saha (1959)

8. West Bengal and eastern India (State PSC + UPSC)

136. Indian Nobel laureate (Literature) — Bengali — Rabindranath Tagore (1913)
137. President of INC (first session, Bombay; Bengali) — W. C. Bonnerjee (1885)
138. Indian ICS — Satyendranath Tagore (1863)
139. English newspaper in India — Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, Calcutta (1780)
140. Hydroelectric plant in India — Sidrapong, Darjeeling (1897)
141. IIT — IIT Kharagpur (1951)
142. IIM (one of the first two) — IIM Calcutta (1961)
143. Woman graduates of Calcutta University — Kadambini Ganguly, Chandramukhi Basu (1883)
144. Woman CM of West Bengal — Mamata Banerjee (2011)
145. Railway Minister (woman) from Bengal politics — Mamata Banerjee (2009)
146. Oscar-related cinema (Ray honorary) — Satyajit Ray (1992)
147. Jnanpith in Bengali (first woman Jnanpith is Bengali) — Ashapurna Devi (1976)
148. First sitting of Constituent Assembly — New Delhi; many Bengal members including B. C. Roy later CM (1946)

9. Rapid revision — male / female pairs

149. President — First man: Rajendra Prasad; First woman: Pratibha Patil
150. Prime Minister — First man: Jawaharlal Nehru; First woman: Indira Gandhi
151. Governor of a state — First man: — (many); First woman: Sarojini Naidu
152. Chief Minister — First man: —; First woman: Sucheta Kripalani
153. Supreme Court judge — First man: H. J. Kania (CJI); First woman: M. Fathima Beevi
154. Lok Sabha Speaker — First man: G. V. Mavalankar; First woman: Meira Kumar
155. Space — First man: Rakesh Sharma; First woman: Kalpana Chawla
156. Everest (Indian woman / Indian summit) — First man: Tenzing Norgay (1953); First woman: Bachendri Pal (1984)
157. Nobel (citizen / India-linked) — First man: Tagore; First woman: Mother Teresa
158. Bharat Ratna — First man: Three in 1954; First woman: Indira Gandhi
159. Olympic individual gold — First man: Abhinav Bindra; First woman: — (none yet as of mid-2020s)
160. Olympic medal (woman) — First man: —; First woman: Karnam Malleswari
161. IAS / IPS — First man: Satyendranath Tagore (ICS); First woman: Anna R. Malhotra / Kiran Bedi

10. Practice MCQs

Choose the correct answer. Keys are immediately below each block of five.

1. Who was the first President of India?
   A. Dr S. Radhakrishnan B. Dr Rajendra Prasad C. Dr Zakir Husain D. V. V. Giri
   Answer: B. Dr Rajendra Prasad (1950).
2. The first Indian Governor-General of independent India was:
   A. Lord Mountbatten B. Lord Canning C. C. Rajagopalachari D. Dr Rajendra Prasad
   Answer: C. C. Rajagopalachari (1948). Mountbatten was the first GG of independent India, but not Indian.
3. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
   A. Pratibha Patil B. Indira Gandhi C. Sushma Swaraj D. Sucheta Kripalani
   Answer: B. Indira Gandhi (1966).
4. The first woman Governor of an Indian state was:
   A. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit B. Sarojini Naidu C. Sucheta Kripalani D. Padmaja Naidu
   Answer: B. Sarojini Naidu, Uttar Pradesh, 1947.
5. Who was the first Chief Justice of India?
   A. M. Patanjali Sastri B. P. B. Gajendragadkar C. H. J. Kania D. B. N. Rau
   Answer: C. H. J. Kania (1950).
6. India’s first satellite was:
   A. Rohini B. INSAT-1A C. Aryabhata D. Bhaskara
   Answer: C. Aryabhata, 1975, launched from the USSR.
7. The first Indian in space was:
   A. Rakesh Sharma B. Kalpana Chawla C. Ravish Malhotra D. Sunita Williams
   Answer: A. Rakesh Sharma, 1984.
8. Smiling Buddha refers to:
   A. Chandrayaan-1 B. Pokhran-I (1974) C. Pokhran-II (1998) D. Apsara reactor
   Answer: B. The 18 May 1974 nuclear test at Pokhran.
9. Sidrapong is famous as India’s first:
   A. Oil field B. Nuclear reactor C. Hydroelectric plant D. Steel plant
   Answer: C. Hydroelectric plant, Darjeeling, 1897.
10. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
    A. K. D. Jadhav B. Abhinav Bindra C. Rajyavardhan Rathore D. Neeraj Chopra
    Answer: B. Abhinav Bindra, Beijing 2008.
11. The first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal was:
    A. P. T. Usha B. Saina Nehwal C. Karnam Malleswari D. Mary Kom
    Answer: C. Karnam Malleswari, Sydney 2000.
12. India’s first individual Olympic medal after Independence was won by:
    A. Norman Pritchard B. Dhyan Chand C. K. D. Jadhav D. Milkha Singh
    Answer: C. K. D. Jadhav, wrestling bronze, 1952.
13. Who was the first woman IPS officer of India?
    A. Kiran Bedi B. Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya C. C. B. Muthamma D. Anna Rajam Malhotra
    Answer: A. Kiran Bedi, 1972 batch.
14. The first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India was:
    A. Leila Seth B. M. Fathima Beevi C. Ruma Pal D. Indu Malhotra
    Answer: B. Justice M. Fathima Beevi, 1989.
15. Who among the following was the first Field Marshal of India?
    A. K. M. Cariappa B. K. S. Thimayya C. Sam Manekshaw D. Bipin Rawat
    Answer: C. Sam Manekshaw, 1973. Cariappa was made Field Marshal later, in 1986.
16. The first Chief of Defence Staff of India was:
    A. General Bipin Rawat B. General Manoj Mukund Naravane C. Admiral Karambir Singh D. Air Chief Marshal B. S. Dhanoa
    Answer: A. General Bipin Rawat, 2020.
17. Who was the first Indian Nobel laureate?
    A. C. V. Raman B. Rabindranath Tagore C. Mother Teresa D. Amartya Sen
    Answer: B. Rabindranath Tagore, 1913.
18. The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna (1954) did NOT include:
    A. C. Rajagopalachari B. S. Radhakrishnan C. C. V. Raman D. Jawaharlal Nehru
    Answer: D. Nehru received it in 1955.
19. India’s first passenger railway ran between:
    A. Calcutta and Hooghly B. Bombay and Thane C. Madras and Arcot D. Delhi and Meerut
    Answer: B. Bombay–Thane, 16 April 1853.
20. Who was the first woman Chief Minister of an Indian state?
    A. Nandini Satpathy B. Sucheta Kripalani C. Shashikala Kakodkar D. J. Jayalalithaa
    Answer: B. Sucheta Kripalani, Uttar Pradesh, 1963.
21. The first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was:
    A. Santosh Yadav B. Premlata Agarwal C. Bachendri Pal D. Arunima Sinha
    Answer: C. Bachendri Pal, 1984.
22. PARAM 8000 is remembered as India’s first:
    A. Satellite B. Supercomputer C. Nuclear submarine D. Fighter aircraft
    Answer: B. Supercomputer, C-DAC Pune, 1991.
23. Who was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
    A. G. V. Mavalankar B. M. A. Ayyangar C. Hukam Singh D. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
    Answer: A. G. V. Mavalankar.
24. The first linguistic state of independent India was:
    A. Gujarat B. Andhra State C. Kerala D. Maharashtra
    Answer: B. Andhra State, 1953.
25. Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?
    A. Mother Teresa B. Indira Gandhi C. M. S. Subbulakshmi D. Lata Mangeshkar
    Answer: B. Indira Gandhi, 1971.

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