List of firsts in Southeast Asia

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The following is a list of firsts in Southeast Asia.

Architecture

The following are the first buildings of their type:

First philatelic museum in Southeast Asia - Singapore Philatelic Museum ( Singapore, 19 August 1995)^[1]

Education

The University of Santo Tomas was established in 1611, making it even older than Harvard University.

First university in Asia - University of Santo Tomas ( Philippines, 1611)^[2]
First English medium school in Southeast Asia - Penang Free School ( Malaysia, 1816)^[3]^[4]
First Asian and Southeast Asian to be admitted to Harvard University - Fe del Mundo ( Philippines, 1936) ^[5]^[6]

Energy

First wind power farm in the region - Bangui Wind Farm ( Philippines, 20 June 2005)^[7]
First nuclear power plant in the region - Bataan Nuclear Power Plant ( Philippines,1976)^[8]

Exploration

First Southeast Asian in space - Phạm Tuân ( Vietnam, 6 June 1980)^ ^[9]

Entertainment and media

Film

Awards

First Southeast Asian film to win Palme d'Or at Cannes - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives ( Thailand, 2013)^[10]
First Southeast Asian to win Best Actress at Cannes - Jaclyn Jose ( Philippines, 2016)^[11]
First Southeast Asian to win Best Director at Cannes - Brillante Mendoza ( Philippines, 2009)^[12]
First Southeast Asian to win Volpi Cup for Best Actor at Venice Film Festival - John Arcilla ( Philippines, 2021)^[13]

Journalism

First newspaper published in Southeast Asia - The Prince of Wales Island Gazette ( Malaysia, 1806)^[14]
First commercial television broadcast - Alto Broadcasting System ( Philippines, 23 October 1953)^[15]
First Southeast Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize - Carlos Rómulo ( Philippines, 1942)^[16]

Theater arts

First Southeast Asian to win a Tony for Best Actress - Lea Salonga ( Philippines, 1991)^[17]

Music

First Southeast Asian to win a Grammy - Larry Ramos ( Philippines, 1963)^[18]
First Southeast Asian act to be nominated at the Billboard Music Awards - SB19 ( Philippines, 2021)^[19]
First Southeast Asian act to top a Billboard Chart - SB19, Hot Trending Songs Chart ( Philippines, 2021)^[20]

Finance and commerce

First bank in Southeast Asia - El Banco Español Filipino de Isabel II (now Bank of the Philippine Islands) ( Philippines, 1 August 1851)^[21]
First beer brewery in Southeast Asia - La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel ( Philippines, 29 September 1890)^[22]

Literature

First Southeast Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature - Viet Thanh Nguyen ( Vietnam, 2016)

Medicine

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Politics and government

First President of UN General Assembly from Asia and Southeast Asia - Carlos P. Rómulo ( Philippines, 1949)^[23]
First elected female President in Asia and Southeast Asia - Maria Corazon Aquino ( Philippines, 1986)^[24]
First recipient of Nobel Peace Prize from Southeast Asia - Technically: Lê Đức Thọ ( Vietnam, 1973), Officially: Aung San Suu Kyi ( Myanmar, 1991)

Science and technology

First submarine assembled in Southeast Asia: KRI Alugoro (405) ( Indonesia, 2021)^[25]

Sports

Teófilo Yldefonso from the Philippines, the first Southeast Asian to win a medal at the Olympics.

Susi Susanti, of Indonesia, the first Olympic champion from Southeast Asia.

Olympic Games

First Southeast Asian to win a medal at the Olympics - Teófilo Yldefonso, swimming bronze ( Philippines, 8 August 1928)^[26]
First Southeast Asian Olympic champion - Susi Susanti, badminton gold ( Indonesia, 4 August 1992)
First Southeast Asian country to participate at the Summer Olympics - The Philippines, 5 July 1924
First Southeast Asian country to participate at the Winter Olympics - The Philippines, 3 February 1972^[27]
First Southeast Asian to win a gold medal at the men's gymnastics of the Olympics - Carlos Yulo ( Philippines, 3 August 2024)^[28]

World Championships

First male Artistic Gymnastics World Champion from Southeast Asia - Carlos Yulo, floor exercise ( Philippines, 2019)^[29]

Others

First professional basketball league in Asia and Southeast Asia - Philippine Basketball Association ( Philippines, 9 April 1975)^[30]
First Southeast Asian country to host the Asian Games - The Philippines, 1 May 1954
First Southeast Asian country to host the Youth Olympic Games - Singapore, 14 August 2010^[31]

Transportation

First airport in Asia - Don Mueng International Airport ( Thailand, 1914)^[32]
First Rapid transit system in Southeast Asia - Manila Light Rail Transit ( Philippines, 1984)

References

^ "Singapore Philatelic Museum". ASEF culture360. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "University of Santo Tomas". Times Higher Education (THE). 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
^ Basyir, Mohamed. "Penang Free School celebrates 200 years | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
^ Bernama (22 October 2016). "Penang Free School retains its name, officially".
^ del Mundo was also the first ever woman to be admitted to Harvard University.
^ "Inside the life of Fe Del Mundo, Harvard medical school's first female student". The Independent. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
^ "Southeast Asia's first wind farm launched". wwf.panda.org. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia: A Bridge Too Far?". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Why are ASEAN nations joining the space race? | ASEAN Today". www.aseantoday.com. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ Trip, Culture (13 June 2012). "'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives': the First Southeast Asian Cannes Winner". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Cannes 2016: Jaclyn Jose wins best actress for 'Ma' Rosa'". cnn. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Brillante Mendoza gets a well-deserved MET retrospective". Inquirer Lifestyle. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ Cruz, Marinel (2021-09-13). "John Arcilla gets job done, wins best actor in Venice Film Festival". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ Lewis, Su Lin (2016-07-19). Cities in Motion: Urban Life and Cosmopolitanism in Southeast Asia, 1920–1940 (1 ed.). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781316257937.005. ISBN 978-1-316-25793-7.
^ Davinci, Maru (March 1, 2022). "Philippines marks centennial anniversary of broadcasting". ABS-CBN News.
^ ""Carlos P. Romulo." The Pulitzer Prizes". pulitzer.org. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
^ Lee, Ashley (2015-11-24). "Asian Actors Onstage: Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo Sound Off on Broadway Representation, Cultural Perceptions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "First Asian / Filipino American to win Grammy Award - Larry Ramos - 1962". MYX Global. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "SB19 makes history as the first Filipino act nominated in Billboard Music Awards". Manila Bulletin. 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
^ McIntyre, Hugh. "SB19 Becomes The First Act To Replace BTS At No. 1 On Billboard's Newest Chart". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
^ Colayco, Maria Teresa (2011). Enlightened Stewardship. Bank of the Philippine Islands. ISBN 978-9710579112.
^ "San Miguel Corporation". Sanmiguel.com.ph. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
^ "Past Presidents | General Assembly of the United Nations". www.un.org. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ Ph. D., History; J. D., University of Washington School of Law; B. A., History. "Women in Power in Asia - Female Heads of State or Government". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Indonesia Commissions First Submarine Assembled in Southeast Asia". www.csis.org. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
^ "PH's first Olympic medalist Teofilo Yldefonso: An officer and a sportsman". l!fe • The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
^ "Martinez, 3 countries and the Winter Olympics". Rappler. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "Big day for small countries: Saint Lucia, Dominica and more make history at Paris 2024 | NBC Olympics". www.nbcolympics.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
^ "Carlos Yulo claims PH's historic world championship gold". Rappler. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
^ "Remembering the last time the Philippines played Olympic basketball". ESPN.com. 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
^ "History of YOG". www.insidethegames.biz. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
^ "Midnight Initiation for Suvarnabhumi". Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.

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