Being the first person to accomplish something is generally an admirable thing: the first man on the moon (Neil Armstrong); the first Black major league baseball player (Jackie Robinson); and the first female Supreme Court Justice (Sandra Day O’Connor) are but a few examples of “firsts” which at least some Americans would recognize as memorable (registering at least 50% in the “man on the street” polls often conducted by late-night talk show hosts, because, let’s face it, there are many, many, many citizens in the U.S. who are neglectful of basic facts, and choose not to read, and live in a blissfully-ignorant bubble (note that I’ve steered clear of deploying the phrase, ‘Dumb as a rock,’ because that seems insensitive)).
The iconic photo pictured above captures Armstrong descending from the lunar module which landed on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 11 space mission (or, is a staged photo depicting the faked Moon landing, depending upon your level of conspiracy theory beliefs). I have two questions regarding this photo: the first question is: Who took this picture? Was a camera crew dispatched to the Moon’s surface prior to Armstrong’s steps down the ladder? (alright, babe, set up right over there - that’ll give us the best angle as Neil emerges - and, let’s set up the lights over here - we need to make the Moonlight appear as natural as possible, to catch the twinkle in his eye - c’mon, let’s try to do this in one take, the crew’s already on overtime); and the second question I have is: Couldn’t NASA have designed the steps so that Armstrong could descend while facing the camera? I know that we weren’t able to see his face, just a mirrored reflection, but, backing down in the shot appears to violate all standards of movie-making.
This filmed setup reminds me of every Christmas morning, when me and my three siblings were instructed to sit at the top of the stairs, while my dad assembled the massive, handheld, klieg-light structure attached to the movie camera, which he then used to blind us while we descended the stairs to experience the bounty provided by Santa Claus. But, at least my dad had us facing the camera as we traveled down the stairs.
We do remember those who were first, on a number of fronts, but the obscurity of those who were next in line reinforces the notion that being first is paramount, with the possible exception of Avis Car Rental, who pounded the promotional phrase, “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder,” successfully, for years.
Perhaps you know the answer to the question, Who was second? regarding the three examples highlighted above. If not, allow me to educate you. The second man to set foot on the Moon was Buzz Aldrin, only nineteen minutes after Armstrong backed down the stairs to the Moon’s surface. And, Larry Doby was the second Black baseball player (discounting a couple of players who had very brief stints back in the late 1800’s, two of whom were brothers, and played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884: Moses Fleetwood Walker and Weldy Walker), joining the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) later in 1947, a couple of months after Robinson’s historic beginning. And, finally, Ruth Bader Ginsburg followed Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, a dozen years after O’Connor’s appointment in 1981.
What other historic “firsts” can we explore. Here is a brief list I have compiled:
First Transatlantic Flight - Hah! You thought I was gonna’ say, Charles Lindbergh, didn’t you? So did I. Well, the fact of the matter is that two English pilots: John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, performed the feat in 1919, eight years before Lindbergh made his historic journey. Equipped with a sextant, coffee, and whisky, they completed the task in sixteen hours, crash-landing in an Irish bog, and bagging a large cash prize for their efforts. Lindbergh’s feat? The first solo transatlantic flight. Ah, a loophole. And, apparently “Lucky Lindy” was more skillful at conducting public relations efforts - perhaps because he was an American. I wonder if the preflight checks conducted by pilots today include: a sextant (check), coffee (check), and whisky (check). Perhaps Avis was onto something; Lindbergh is certainly better-remembered than Alcock and Brown.
First to Summit Mt. Everest - Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, were the first to ascend to the very top of Mt. Everest, in 1953. You’ve probably heard these names. I suspect you have not heard of the next team to achieve the summit, three years later: a Swiss-led team, including: Ernst Schmied, Jurg Marmet, Dolf Reist, and Hans Rudolf von Gunten. And, as usual, Americans lagged the field, inducting the first American Mt. Everest summiteer, Jim Whittaker, into the club, ten years after Hillary and Norgay achieved their feat,.
First to Reach the South Pole - Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen is generally considered to have been the first to reach the South Pole, in 1911, just five weeks before an expedition led by a Brit, Robert Falcon Scott. Scott and his team not only lagged behind Amundsen’s achievement, but the entire party apparently perished on the return to their base - being No. 2 clearly not the best outcome here.
First to Reach the North Pole - being first to this Pole was definitely fraught with greater intrigue than the other one - perhaps because the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, marked by ever-shifting sea ice. A U.S. explorer, Frederick Cook, claimed to have staked his claim there in 1908, but was unable to proffer convincing evidence. Robert Peary, a fellow American, also claimed to have reached the North Pole, a year later; his claim on the title held up for many years, but, even today that claim remains disputed. What can I tell you? Absent iPhone video evidence, we really can’t be sure of anything.
First to Run a Mile in Less than Four Minutes - Roger Bannister, an Englishman, recorded the feat in 1954, and two months later, Bannister and Australia’s John Landy, each finished in under four minutes, Bannister apparently beating Landy at the tape, as Landy looked back to see Bannister overtaking him. The words of the immortal Satchel Paige are appropriate here, I believe: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Honorable mention here goes to fellow Jayhawk, Jim Ryun, who became the first sub-four-minute, high-school miler.
First to Fly an Aircraft - The actual title attributed by Wikipedia is, “First sustained, controlled, powered heavier-than-air manned flight,” but I’m trying to save keystrokes here, and it is indeed credited to. . .drumroll, please - Wilbur and Orville Wright, in 1903. Second in line appears to be a Brazilian, Alberto Santos-Dumont (I know, I’ve never heard of him, either). Now, I should point out that Orville Wright’s flight lasted all of fifty-nine seconds, and covered 852 feet - Santos-Dumont’s flight was even shorter. Sometimes when I fly, I wish flights were still that duration. Orville didn’t have to deal with drunken passengers, surly flight attendants, or yowling infants. I’m not sure if he had a sextant, coffee, and whisky - that may have come later.
Some “firsts” are not all that desirable, including: “First Major League Baseball Team to Lose 120 Games in a Season” (the 1962 Mets); “First Automobile Named After The Owner’s Son” (Henry Ford’s “Edsel,” of course, is remembered, and not in a good way - I’m not able to locate a second example); and “First President to Deploy Voice-Activated Audio Recorders Throughout the White House” (Yep, you guessed it: Nixon. Presidents beginning with FDR utilized audio recordings in the White House to limited degrees, but Nixon was the first to install a voice-activated system, which captured virtually everything said throughout the White House - that strategy didn’t really work out for him, did it?)
Lasting legacies are typically enjoyed by those who are first; those who accomplish the same memorable things later on are usually forgotten to history. Just, you know, make sure there’s iPhone video evidence as you achieve your historic feat - otherwise, who’s going to believe you?