This is the reference that identifies who did what for the first time. The book catalogs watershed events of technological, historical, and cultural importance, such as the first computer and the first women to serve in a regular army, as well as lesser innovations like the first garbage bag. Compiled by scholar Patrick Robertson, the well-researched yet fluently written reference challenges conventional wisdom, such as who was the first to cross the Atlantic (it wasn't Lindbergh) to the origin of Sudoku (Switzerland). Topics are arranged alphabetically for easy reference, beginning with the first advertisement (a German handbill to promote a bible in 1468) and concluding with the first zoo (The Jardin des Plantes, established in Paris, 1792). 569 pages. 9 1/2" H x 7 3/4" W x 1 3/4" D. (2 1/2 lbs.)