History loves its blockbuster moments, but there are countless 10 historical firsts that never made the headlines. From glittering straws to the original LOL, these quirky milestones reveal how everyday inventions and oddball jokes have quietly shaped civilization.
Why These 10 Historical Firsts Matter
10 First Drinking Straw Was Made Of Gold
Straws aren’t typically associated with the birth of civilization, yet the most opulent version dates back to a 5,000‑year‑old tomb. Archaeologists uncovered a straw fashioned from gold and studded with lapis‑like stones, complete with a seal depicting its owner sipping from a jar.
This gilded tube belonged to a Sumerian who prized beer as a divine offering. Their brew was thick enough to require a straw, and the gold instrument signaled reverence for the god‑blessed libation.
So while modern plastic straws keep toddlers from spills, their ancient counterpart was a status symbol, proving that even the humblest tools can sparkle with prestige.
9 First Recorded Gay Couple Were Manicurists
According to Professor Greg Reeder, the earliest documented same‑sex partnership belongs to Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, two manicurists serving an Egyptian pharaoh.
They were interred together, faces touching as if about to kiss, and the tomb’s carvings contain puns hinting at a lifelong union, suggesting a bond deeper than mere friendship.
Critics point to a depiction of Niankhkhnum’s wife, but Reeder argues the image was deliberately defaced, implying the couple’s story was suppressed, perhaps because the truth emerged only later in life.
8 First Fart Joke Was Etched In Stone
The oldest recorded fart joke also holds the title of humanity’s first joke. Engraved on a Babylonian tablet, it reads: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.”
While earlier humor likely existed, this is the first instance where a person immortalized a flatulent quip in stone, ensuring future generations could share a chuckle.
Three centuries later, an Egyptian author penned the first non‑fart joke, advising a bored pharaoh to chase scantily‑clad women down the Nile—proof that humor evolved alongside civilization.
7 First Pregnancy Test Grew Crops With Urine
Ancient Egyptian physicians devised a pregnancy test by placing a woman’s urine onto bowls of barley and wheat seeds, then letting them sprout.
If barley sprouted first, the test indicated a girl; if wheat grew first, a boy; if nothing grew, the woman was not pregnant.
Modern research suggests this method could detect pregnancy with about 70 % accuracy, showing that even primitive diagnostics held surprising reliability.
6 First 20‑Sided Die Made In Ancient Egypt
Dungeons & Dragons players recognize the d20, but its ancestor emerged over two millennia earlier, carved from stone in Egypt.
The artifact bears Greek symbols on each face, mirroring the modern die’s design, suggesting it served a comparable purpose—perhaps gaming, divination, or record‑keeping.
While its exact function remains a mystery, the presence of numeric or alphabetic markings implies a sophisticated understanding of chance long before modern tabletop gaming.
5 First Vending Machine Dispensed Holy Water
Long before chocolate bars and soda, Hero of Alexandria engineered a vending device that released holy water upon receiving a coin.
The mechanism used the coin’s weight to press a platform, opening a valve that trickled sanctified water into a cup, providing pilgrims with on‑demand blessings.
These early dispensers were installed in temples across the Hellenistic world, offering a convenient, cash‑based way to access sacred fluid without priestly intermediation.
4 First Marketing Pun Was Found In Pompeii
Business puns have ancient roots. Excavations at Pompeii revealed a wine shop named Vesuvinum—a clever blend of Mount Vesuvius and the Latin word “vinum” (wine).
This playful branding demonstrates that marketers have long leveraged wordplay to capture attention, proving that a good pun is truly timeless.
3 First Selfie Was Also The First Portrait
In 1839, amateur chemist Robert Cornelius set up a camera in his family’s store to test the new daguerreotype process.
Lacking a model or a scenic backdrop, he simply positioned himself in the frame, held perfectly still for the minute‑long exposure, then closed the lens.
The resulting image, which he labeled the “first light picture ever,” is now celebrated as the world’s first selfie, marking a pivotal moment in photographic history.
2 First Child To Imitate An Airplane Was The First To See One
When the Wright brothers conducted their inaugural flight in 1904, a nearby family witnessed the spectacle, and their son instinctively flapped his arms and shouted engine noises.
His spontaneous imitation illustrates that the impulse to mimic aircraft is innate, making him the very first child to copy an airplane’s motion.
1 First Message Over The Internet Was ‘LOL’
On October 29, 1969, a team of researchers launched the inaugural ARPANET test, a precursor to the modern Internet.
Programming student Charley Kline attempted to send the word “LOGIN” to a distant computer, but after typing “L” and “O,” the system crashed.
After rebooting, he successfully transmitted the full message, and the first three characters ever typed online—“LOL”—became a timeless expression of digital amusement.
This serendipitous typo cemented “LOL” as the internet’s earliest shorthand for laughter, a legacy that persists in every chat room today.