The first recorded sport was wrestling in ancient Mesopotamia.

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 BCE.

The first written rules of sport were for chariot racing in Rome.

The first professional athlete was Theagenes of Thasos, a boxer.

The first team sport ever played? Polo in Persia around 600 BCE.

The first indoor sports arena was built in ancient Rome.

The first spectator sport was gladiator combat.

The first documented ball game was in ancient Mesoamerica.

The first Olympic champion was Coroebus of Elis.

The first sport played in space? A bit of golf on the Moon!

The first football match with modern rules was in 1863 in England.

The first international cricket match was Canada vs. USA in 1844.

The first basketball game was played in 1891 in Springfield, USA.

The first ice hockey game was played in Montreal in 1875.

The first rugby match was in 1823 in England.

The first women's football match took place in 1895.

The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, 1846.

The first volleyball match was in 1895 in Massachusetts.

The first recorded netball game was played in 1895.

The first FIFA World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930.

The first official marathon was in the 1896 Olympics.

The first man to break the 4-minute mile was Roger Bannister in 1954.

The first woman to run a marathon was Kathrine Switzer in 1967.

The first pole vault record was set in 1850.

The first high jump over 8 feet was by Javier Sotomayor.

The first Olympic gold in athletics went to James Connolly (USA).

The first decathlon Olympic winner was Jim Thorpe in 1912.

The first blind runner to finish a marathon was Henry Wanyoike.

The first amputee sprinter in the Olympics was Oscar Pistorius.

The first parkour competition happened in 2009.

The first modern Olympics were in Athens, 1896.

The first female Olympians competed in 1900.

The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924.

The first country to host Olympics twice was France.

The first African to win Olympic gold was Abebe Bikila, barefoot!

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, 1960.

The first female Paralympic gold winner was Margaret Maughan.

The first transgender Olympian was Laurel Hubbard in 2021.

The first Olympic torch relay began in 1936.

The first refugee Olympic team debuted in Rio 2016.

The first man to lift 500kg in deadlift: Eddie Hall.

The first Ironman triathlon was in Hawaii, 1978.

The first woman to complete an ultra-marathon: Eleanor Adams.

The first 24-hour run record was set in 1888.

The first man to bench 1,000 pounds: Gene Rychlak.

The first strongest man contest was in 1977.

The first CrossFit Games were held in 2007.

The first person to climb all 14 8000m peaks was Reinhold Messner.

The first solo Antarctica crossing was by Colin O’Brady.

The first person to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days: Richard Donovan.

The first tennis match was played in France in the 12th century.

The first Wimbledon tournament was held in 1877.

The first woman to win Grand Slam: Maureen Connolly.

The first golf club was founded in Scotland in 1744.

The first perfect 300 bowling game on TV was in 1967.

The first billiards tournament happened in 1873.

The first chess tournament was in London, 1851.

The first esports tournament was held at Stanford in 1972.

The first speedcubing world record was set in 1982.

The first female chess grandmaster: Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978.

The first horse race on record was in ancient Babylon.

The first Formula 1 Grand Prix was in 1950.

The first Tour de France was in 1903.

The first woman to race the Indy 500: Janet Guthrie.

The first Dakar Rally was held in 1979.

The first camel race was in the UAE in 1971.

The first person to swim the English Channel: Matthew Webb.

The first hot air balloon race was in 1906.

The first jet ski championship was in 1973.

The first drone racing world championship was in 2016.

The first yoga competition was held in India in the 1980s.

The first dance sport world championship: 1936.

The first gymnastics routine was in ancient Greece.

The first parkour run through a city was David Belle’s.

The first synchronized swimming event was in Canada.

The first competitive cheerleading squad was in 1898.

The first aerial silks competition was in 2010.

The first slackline crossing of a canyon: 1983.

The first pole sport world championships were in 2012.

The first breakdancing battle in the Olympics will be Paris 2024.

The first man to break the sound barrier on land: Andy Green.

The first human to free dive beyond 100 meters: Tanya Streeter.

The first to climb Everest: Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay.

The first fastest around the world on a bike: Mark Beaumont.

The first to walk across the U.S. barefoot: Noah Coughlan.

The first record holder for pushups in an hour: Charles Servizio.

The first longest plank held: Daniel Scali – 9 hrs!

The first longest free solo climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan.

The first swimmer to circle Manhattan Island: Greta Andersen.

The first to walk tightrope over Niagara Falls: Nik Wallenda.

The first televised sports event was a baseball game in 1939.

The first sports radio broadcast was in 1921.

The first woman sportscaster was Jane Chastain in 1963.

The first sports video game: Pong, 1972.

The first Olympic Games with social media was London 2012.

The first e-Olympics was held virtually in 2021.

The first athlete to earn $1 million in a year: Arnold Palmer.

The first shoe endorsement deal was with Michael Jordan.

The first Paralympian on a cereal box: Tatyana McFadden.

The first sports NFT collection? NBA Top Shot in 2020.

The first human to reach 100 world records: Ashrita Furman.

The first Olympic gold medal to be made from recycled electronics was in Tokyo 2020.