| General Knowledge – First Things First |
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| 21 |
Who designed the first flyover? When and where was it built? |
| Ans: |
Holborn Viaduct was the world’s first flyover, connecting Holborn with Newgate Street, avoiding a deep dip in the road. It was built across the Fleet Valley to get rid of the steep Holborn and Snow Hills. It was built between 1863 and 1869 and opened by Queen Victoria in 1869. Nearby is the City Thames link station, a replacement for the former Holborn Terminus of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway. It cost over two million pound sterling to complete and was opened by Queen Victoria. |
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| 22 |
Who was the first female astronaut? |
| Ans: |
Valentina Tereshkova (USSR) was the first female astronaut. As a 25-year-old cosmonaut, Valentina spent 71 hours in orbit on the Soviet Vostok in 1963. The cosmonaut, who recently turned 70, expressed her desire to travel to Mars some day. |
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| 23 |
Who was the world’s first woman President? |
| Ans: |
The world’s first woman President was Marma Estela ‘Isabel’ Martinez Cartas de Peron of Argentina. She was the President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. After her husband President Juan Peron died in office, Isabel served as President from July 1, 1974 to March 24, 1976. The world’s first elected woman President was Vigdis Finnbogadsttir of Iceland, between 1980 and 1996. |
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| 24 |
Who is credited with having the highest IQ? |
| Ans: |
Marilyn vos Savant is an American magazine columnist, author, lecturer and playwright who rose to fame through her listing in the Guinness Book of World Records under the Highest IQ category, with a score of 228. She wrote for a column called Ask Marilyn in a magazine in which she answers questions from readers on a variety of subjects. |
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| 25 |
Who broke the sound barrier? |
| Ans: |
Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. He flew a plane faster than the velocity of the sun and broke the sound barrier which caused explosive vibrations over the atmosphere. |
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| 26 |
Who is the second Asian after Rabindranath Tagore to win the Nobel Prize for Literature? |
| Ans: |
Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1888-1970) of Israel shared the 1966 Nobel Prize for Literature with Nelly Leonie Sachs (1891-1970), a German-Swedish poet. This was 53 years after Tagore won the prize in 1913. The first Asian after Tagore to win it solo was Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972), a Japanese novelist, in 1968. |
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| 27 |
Who was the first man in Hindu mythology? |
| Ans: |
According to the Matsya Purana, sage Manu was the first man (and the first human) created by God. In the above Purana it was mentioned that Lord Brahma created, using his divine powers, the Goddess Shatrupa (as Saraswati was first called) and out of the union of Brahma and Shatrupa was born Manu. Manu obtained through long penance his wife Ananti. The rest of the human race originated from Manu and Ananti. Details about the children of Manu and Ananti are found in the Bhagavata Purana. Manu is also considered to be the author of the ancient Sanskrit code of law, Manu Smriti, which was the summary of a discourse given by Manu to several rishis. The English noun man and the sanskrit verb mun, meaning to think, are supposed to have evolved from the word Manu. Rigveda has a different account of the origin of the human race, which was born from the five children (four male, and one female) of Lord Prajapati, as Brahma was earlier called. Of the two versions, the Matsya Purana is more popular and complete. |
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| 28 |
Who is the first woman judge of the Supreme Court? |
| Ans: |
In the June 3 edition, it’s been incorrectly mentioned that Justice Ruma Pal continues to hold office. Justice Ruma Pal retired in June 2006. She came closest to being the Chief Justice of India had she not retired. |
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| 29 |
Who was the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India? |
| Ans: |
Justice Fathima Beevi was the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India whose tenure lasted from October 6 1989 to April 29, 1992. The second was Justice Sujata V Manohar, from November 8, 1994 to August 27, 1999. The third was Justice Ruma Pal who became a Supreme Court judge in 2000 and continues to hold office. However, no female judge has yet been appointed as Chief Justice of India. |
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