Firsts

[Charlotte]

For "Read a book tagged Religion " does a specific religion count or does it have to be "Religion"?

[Genevieve]

Charlotte wrote: "For "Read a book tagged Religion " does a specific religion count or does it have to be "Religion"?"

it can be tagged religion or it can be a speific religion

[Charlotte]

Genevieve wrote: "Charlotte wrote: "For "Read a book tagged Religion " does a specific religion count or does it have to be "Religion"?"

it can be tagged religion or it can be a speific religion"

Ok! Thanks!!

[Charlotte]

Completed!!

I'm in for Level 2: 11 - 15 firsts

Progress: 13/11+

TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
🥇 Read a book with water on the cover or where a character goes sailing or set in Spain.
The Kings of Clonmel John Flanagan 4/18/25 - water on the cover

2. Man’s First Flight
🥇 Read a book set in North Carolina or where the MC has a brother or a book published in December of any year.
Duel at Araluen John Flanagan 5/17/25 - Published 3. December 2018

3. The First Animation Film
🥇 Read a book set in France or a book that is tagged as history or where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.

4. The First Video Game
🥇Read a book where a character plays a video game or that is a second in a series or where a town relies on visitors.
The Burning Bridge John Flanagan 2/11/25 - second in the Rangers Apprentice series

5. The First Step on the Moon
🥇Read a book with a moon on the cover or published in July of any year or a character called Neil.
The Battle of Hackham Heath John Flanagan 6/1/25 - Moon

6. The First Smartphone
🥇Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together or a book published in 1992 or 1994 or where a character sends a fax.
Ember Rising S.D. Smith 6/16/25 - Ember Rising

7. First Vaccine
🥇 Read a book with a character called either Edward or James or with a character who is a doctor or where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain 2/3/25 - One of the MCs is named Edward

8. 1st Telegraph message
🥇Read a book set in Maryland or where a character is a judge or where a character messages someone.

9. First transatlantic flight
🥇 Read a book where a character is a pilot or with a character called Charles or Amelia or where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.

10. The first bicycle
🥇 Read a book set in Germany or with a bicycle on the cover or a book that has been translated into a lot of languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... (Doesn't have to be on this list).
The Ruins of Gorlan John Flanagan 1/23/25 - translated into lots of languages

11. First professional African-American baseball player
🥇Read a book with a character who is African-American or a book about baseball or set in New York.

12. First moving automobile assembly line
🥇Read a book set in Michigan or where a character goes to a park or with a car on the cover.

13. 1st Steam Engine
🥇Read a book where a character rides a train or a character called Thomas or Alexandria or where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.

14 First Radio
🥇Read a book where a character is a scientist or where a character listens to the radio or where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT.
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text Mary Shelley 4/4/25 - Victor Frankenstein (MC) is a scientist

15. First Stamp
🥇Read a book with a black cover or set in England or with an author called Penny or Victoria.
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte 2/25/25 - mostly black cover

16. First Television
🥇 Read a book where a character watches television or set in California or published in September of any year.
The Selection Kiera Cass 2/18/25 - They watch the news on TV.

17. First Email
🥇Read a book where a character reads or sends an email or a book that was published in the 1970s or where the authors first or last name begins with Q.

18. 1st Printing Press
🥇Read a book tagged Religion or where a character prints something or where the authors initials can be found in BIBLE.
The Last Archer S.D. Smith 6/24/25 - Tagged "Christian"

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
🥇Read a book set in December or published in 2018 or a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
The Elite Kiera Cass 3/10/25 - The Elite (T, E)

20. First Clock
🥇Read a book with a clock on the cover or set in Europe or 14th in a series.
The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning John Flanagan 5/8/25 - Set in medieval Europe

[Genevieve]

Well done Charlotte.

[Chrissie]

Update message #26 - finishing with 19

Duration: January 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025

Level 1: 5- 10 firsts
Level 2: 11 - 15 firsts
Level 3: 16 or more firsts.

Progress: 19

TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
✓ Read a book with water on the cover. Eine Liebesgeschichte voller Traurigkeit und Fehleinschätzungen by Chise Ogawa (25/01/14)

2. Man’s First Flight
✓ Read a book published in December of any year. (1.12.2021) Links by Natsuki Kizu (25/01/06)

3. The First Animation Film
✓ Read a book where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL. Christopher Isherwood - A Single Man (25/02/07)

4. The First Video Game
✓ Read a book that is a second in a series. Devils' Line 02 by Ryo Hanada (25/03/30)

5. The First Step on the Moon
✓ Read a book published in July of any year. (27.7.2018) 16 DER AUSTAUSCH - OSCAR WILDE by Jonas Maas (25/01/13)

6. The First Smartphone
✓ Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title. Todesurteil im Old Bailey by Anne Perry (25/02/11)

7. First Vaccine
✓ Read a book with a character who is a doctor. 18 FEINDBERUEHRUNG - OSCAR WIL by Jonas Maas (25/02/18)

8. 1st Telegraph message
✓ Read a book where a character messages someone. (yuki and itsuomi message each other) Ein Zeichen der Zuneigung 07 by Suu Morishita (25/01/10)

9. First transatlantic flight
✓ Read a book where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC. Albert Camus - Der Fall (25/01/13)

10. The first bicycle
✓ Read a book set in Germany. Otaku Stories: Aus dem Leben eines Manga- und Anime-Fans by Amir Yarahi (Kurono) (25/01/09)

11. First professional African-American baseball player
🥇Read a book with a character who is African-American or a book about baseball or set in New York.

12. First moving automobile assembly line
✓ Read a book set in Michigan. Racheopfer by Ethan Cross (25/02/28)

13. 1st Steam Engine
✓ Read a book where a character rides a train. When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao (25/01/06)

14. First Radio
✓ Read a book where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT. (ardglas) The Coast Road by Alan Murrin (25/02/02)

15. First Stamp
✓ Read a book set in England. (london) Wer mit den Toten spricht by A.K. Turner (25/01/27)

16. First Television
✓ Read a book set in California. L.A. Waves by Pengu (25/01/02)

17. First Email
✓ Read a book where a character reads or sends an email. Der Donnerstagsmordclub und die verirrte Kugel by Richard Osman (25/02/26)

18. 1st Printing Press
✓ Read a book tagged Religion. Ruhm und Verbrechen des Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum (25/06/16)

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
✓ Read a book published in 2018. (28.9.2018) 17 DER MAHARADSCHA DER NA - OS by Jonas Maas (25/01/14)

20. First Clock
✓ Read a book set in Europe. (yugoslavia) Mord im Orientexpress by Agatha Christie (25/02/11)

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Completed

13/15
Firsts
January 1, 2025- June 30, 2025

Level 2: 11 - 15 firsts

Each task can be done once.

TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Expedition, which sailed from Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain in 1519 and returned in 1522, after crossing the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
🥇 Read a book with water on the cover or where a character goes sailing or set in Spain.

2. Man’s First Flight
The Wright brothers are generally considered to have been the first to achieve sustained, controlled, powered flight on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers took turns flying four times, with the final flight lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet
🥇 Read a book set in North Carolina
Book Lovers by Emily Henry 20 January 2025 ★★★★★

3. The First Animation Film
Fantasmagorie is a 1908 French animated film by Émile Cohl. It is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation, and considered by film historians to be the first animated cartoon.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu 29 March 2025 ★★★★★ EMILE COHL


4. The First Video Game
October 18, 1958. William Higinbotham's "Tennis for Two" was introduced at Brookhaven National Laboratory's annual visitors days. Spacewar! is credited as the first widely available and influential computer game.
🥇Read a book that is a second in a series
Summer Reading #2 Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay 25 February 2025 ★★★★

5. The First Step on the Moon
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted by the United States from July 16 to July 24, 1969. It marked the first time that humans landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC.
🥇Read a book published in July of any year
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst 8 February 2025 ★★★★★ First published July 9, 2024


6. The First Smartphone
The SPC was the first touchscreen phone and included a calendar, address book, appointment scheduler, and stylus-compatible screen keyboards. It could also send and receive emails and faxes, and make and receive phone calls. IBM announced the SPC in 1992 and it went on sale in 1994. BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed it in the United States.
🥇Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner 29 April 2025 ★★★

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society

7. First Vaccine
Dr Edward Jenner created the world's first successful vaccine. He found out that people infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox. In May 1796, English physician Edward Jenner expands on this discovery and inoculates 8-year-old James Phipps with matter collected from a cowpox sore on the hand of a milkmaid.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
Enchanter Redeemed by Sharon Ashwood 5 January 2025 ★★★★


8. 1st Telegraph message
The first message sent over a telegraph was “What hath God wrought?” on May 24, 1844 by Samuel F. B. Morse to
Alfred Vail, Morse's assistant in Baltimore. It was transmitted from the Supreme Court room in Washington, D.C. to Baltimore.
🥇Read a book set in Maryland or where a character is a judge or where a character messages someone.

9. First transatlantic flight
American aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927. In 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas 11 January 2025 ★★★★★

10. The first bicycle
The first bicycle was called the Laufmaschine, which translates to "running machine" in German. It was also known as the "swiftwalker", "hobby horse", "draisine", and "velocipede". It was invented in 1817 by German Baron Karl von Drais
🥇 Read a book set in Germany or with a bicycle on the cover or a book that has been translated into a lot of languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... (Doesn't have to be on this list).

11. First professional African-American baseball player
Jackie Robinson is widely known as the first African American to play Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 20th century. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves.
🥇Read a book set in New York.
Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb 22 January 2025 ★★★★

12. First moving automobile assembly line
After much trial and error Henry Ford and his employees at the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant in Michigan introduced the first moving automobile assembly line in 1913.
🥇Read a book set in Michigan or where a character goes to a park or with a car on the cover.

13. 1st Steam Engine
The first recorded steam engine was the aeolipile, invented by Heron of Alexandria in the 1st century AD. The first commercially successful steam engine was Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, invented in 1712.
🥇Read a book where a character rides a train.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean 18 January 2025★★


14 First Radio
Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing the first radio, though other scientists were also working on similar devices at the time. In 1896, Marconi was issued the first patent for a wireless telegraphy system in England.
🥇Read a book where a character is a scientist or where a character listens to the radio or where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT.

15. First Stamp
The world's first postage stamp was the Penny Black, which was issued in the United Kingdom on May 1, 1840. It had the profile of Queen Victoria, and cost one penny for half-ounce letters
🥇Read a book set in England.
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig 5 January 2025 ★★★★★

16. First Television
The first successful demonstration of electronic television was on September 7, 1927 in San Francisco by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Farnsworth's system used a beam of electrons to capture moving images, which were then converted into code and transmitted over radio waves. The first image transmitted was a simple line.
🥇 Read a book where a character watches television or set in California or published in September of any year.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison 16 March 2025 ★★★ - First published September 10, 2024

17. First Email
The first email was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, a programmer at Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Tomlinson sent the first email to himself, and it was likely the first line of letters on a keyboard, "QWERTYUIOP".
🥇Read a book where a character reads or sends an email or a book that was published in the 1970s or where the authors first or last name begins with Q.

18. 1st Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, invented the printing press around 1436. Gutenberg began using his printing press commercially in 1454 to produce thousands of indulgences for the Church. The following year, he printed the first book printed on a moveable type press in the West, the famous 42-line Bible.
🥇Read a book where the authors initials can be found in BIBLE.
Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz 22 June 2025 ★★★★

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
Colin O'Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted. O'Brady crossed Antarctica on December 26, 2018. He covered 932 miles in 52 days/
🥇Read a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Liu 12 January 2025 ★★★★★

20. First Clock
The first clocks were invented in ancient times by multiple cultures and were based on observations of the sun and moon. Mechanical clocks were invented in Europe in the 14th century CE. The first mechanical clocks were not very accurate, with only one hand and a leeway of 15 minutes on either side.
🥇Read a book with a clock on the cover or set in Europe or 14th in a series.

[LaurLa]

CHALLENGE COMPLETE - finished in May but forgot to update!
Firsts
January - June 2025

My Firsts Challenge (msg 41)

Books Read ❱❱ 20



☑️1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
🔺Read a book where a character goes sailing
🔺Undone ❱❱ 01.21 ★★★★

☑️2. Man’s First Flight
🔺Read a book where the MC has a brother
🔺Songs for Perri ❱❱ 01.04 ★★★

☑️3. The First Animation Film
🔺Read a book set in France
🔺Dark Angel ❱❱ 01.19 ★★★

☑️4. The First Video Game
🔺Read a book that is a second in a series
🔺Scrimmage Gone South ❱❱ 01.11 ★★★★

☑️5. The First Step on the Moon
🔺Read a book with a moon on the cover
🔺The Crawling Darkness ❱❱ 01.13 ★★★

☑️6. The First Smartphone
🔺Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title
🔺The Pucking Wrong Number ❱❱ 03.30 ★★★★

☑️7. First Vaccine
🔺Read a book where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX
🔺Undercover Love ❱❱ 02.20 ★★★★

☑️8. 1st Telegraph message
🔺Read a book where a character messages someone
🔺Avenged ❱❱ 01.23 ★★★★

☑️9. First transatlantic flight
🔺Read a book where a character is a pilot
🔺The Simple Wild ❱❱ 05.06 ★★★★

☑️10. The first bicycle
🔺Read a book that has been translated into a lot of languages
🔺The True Love Experiment ❱❱ 01.10 ★★★★★




☑️11. First professional African-American baseball player
🔺Read a book set in New York
🔺Grind ❱❱ 01.02 ★★★★

☑️12. First moving automobile assembly line
🔺Read a book where a character goes to a park
🔺Can't Buy Me Love ❱❱ 01.05 ★★★★

☑️13. 1st Steam Engine
🔺Read a book where a character rides a train
🔺Yield ❱❱ 01.15 ★★★★

☑️14 First Radio
🔺Read a book where a character is a scientist
🔺What Lies Behind ❱❱ 03.27 ★★★★

☑️15. First Stamp
🔺Read a book with an author called Penny or Victoria
🔺Bananapants ❱❱ 02.18 ★★★★

☑️16. First Television
🔺Read a book set in California
🔺My Liege of Dark Haven ❱❱ 01.18 ★★★★

☑️17. First Email
🔺Read a book where a character reads or sends an email
🔺Adverse Possession ❱❱ 04.09 ★★★★

☑️18. 1st Printing Press
🔺Read a book where a character prints something
🔺You Can Kill ❱❱ 01.18 ★★★★

☑️19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
🔺Read a book set in December
🔺Christmas in Destiny ❱❱ 01.07 ★★★★

☑️20. First Clock
🔺Read a book set in Europe
🔺Say Yes to the Marquess ❱❱ 03.15 ★★★★

[Susan]

Got all but one!

Firsts
January 1, 2025- June 30, 2025

Level 1: 5- 10 firsts
Level 2: 11 - 15 firsts
Level 3: 16 or more firsts.
Each task can be done once.

19/20

TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Expedition, which sailed from Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain in 1519 and returned in 1522, after crossing the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
🥇 Read a book with water on the cover or where a character goes sailing or set in Spain.
Safe in Her Bodyguard's Arms - Katherine Garbera (HRS #2281 - June 2024) (water) - Jan 10

2. Man’s First Flight
The Wright brothers are generally considered to have been the first to achieve sustained, controlled, powered flight on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers took turns flying four times, with the final flight lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet
🥇 Read a book set in North Carolina or where the MC has a brother or a book published in December of any year.
The Duke’s Man-At-Arms - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Dec 2024) (brother) - Jan 2

3. The First Animation Film
Fantasmagorie is a 1908 French animated film by Émile Cohl. It is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation, and considered by film historians to be the first animated cartoon.
🥇 Read a book set in France or a book that is tagged as history or where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
The Lyon and the Lass - Callie Hutton (Dragonblade - Jan 2025) (author initials) - Jan 13

4. The First Video Game
October 18, 1958. William Higinbotham's "Tennis for Two" was introduced at Brookhaven National Laboratory's annual visitors days. Spacewar! is credited as the first widely available and influential computer game.
🥇Read a book where a character plays a video game or that is a second in a series or where a town relies on visitors.
Christmas Bodyguard - Katherine Garbera (HRS #2297 - Oct 2024) (video game) - Jan 17

5. The First Step on the Moon
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted by the United States from July 16 to July 24, 1969. It marked the first time that humans landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC.
🥇Read a book with a moon on the cover or published in July of any year or a character called Neil.
Better Than Friends - Jill Shalvis (HarperCollins - Jan 2025) (Neil) - Jan 23




6. The First Smartphone
The SPC was the first touchscreen phone and included a calendar, address book, appointment scheduler, and stylus-compatible screen keyboards. It could also send and receive emails and faxes, and make and receive phone calls. IBM announced the SPC in 1992 and it went on sale in 1994. BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed it in the United States.
🥇Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together or a book published in 1992 or 1994 or where a character sends a fax.
Hawaiian Nights with the Best Man - Cara Colter (HR #4877- Nov 2023) (IBM) - Feb 17

7. First Vaccine
Dr Edward Jenner created the world's first successful vaccine. He found out that people infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox. In May 1796, English physician Edward Jenner expands on this discovery and inoculates 8-year-old James Phipps with matter collected from a cowpox sore on the hand of a milkmaid.
🥇 Read a book with a character called either Edward or James or with a character who is a doctor or where the author's initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
Hunted on the Bay - Amber Leigh Williams (HRS #2230 - May 2023) (James) - Jan 11

8. 1st Telegraph message
The first message sent over a telegraph was “What hath God wrought?” on May 24, 1844 by Samuel F. B. Morse to
Alfred Vail, Morse's assistant in Baltimore. It was transmitted from the Supreme Court room in Washington, D.C. to Baltimore.
🥇Read a book set in Maryland or where a character is a judge or where a character messages someone.
Love Letters from Her Cowboy - Sasha Summers (HSE #3075 - Jan 2025) (message/text) - Jan 5

9. First transatlantic flight
American aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927. In 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
🥇 Read a book where a character is a pilot or with a character called Charles or Amelia or where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.
Colton's K-9 Rescue - Colleen Thompson (HRS #2307 - Jan 2025) (author's initials) - Jan 2

10. The first bicycle
The first bicycle was called the Laufmaschine, which translates to "running machine" in German. It was also known as the "swiftwalker", "hobby horse", "draisine", and "velocipede". It was invented in 1817 by German Baron Karl von Drais
🥇 Read a book set in Germany or with a bicycle on the cover or a book that has been translated into a lot of languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... (Doesn't have to be on this list).


10

11. First professional African-American baseball player
Jackie Robinson is widely known as the first African American to play Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 20th century. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves.
🥇Read a book with a character who is African-American or a book about baseball or set in New York.
A Gilded Age Christmas - Amanda McCabe, Lauri Robinson (HH #1757 - Nov 2023) (New York) - Feb 2

12. First moving automobile assembly line
After much trial and error Henry Ford and his employees at the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant in Michigan introduced the first moving automobile assembly line in 1913.
🥇Read a book set in Michigan or where a character goes to a park or with a car on the cover.
The Imperfect Lyon - Aviva Orr (Dragonblade - Jan 2025) (park) - Jan 7

13. 1st Steam Engine
The first recorded steam engine was the aeolipile, invented by Heron of Alexandria in the 1st century AD. The first commercially successful steam engine was Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, invented in 1712.
🥇Read a book where a character rides a train or a character called Thomas or Alexandria or where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.
The Major and the Scandalous Widow - Sarah Mallory (HH #1651- Oct 2023) (author initials) - Jan 12

14 First Radio
Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing the first radio, though other scientists were also working on similar devices at the time. In 1896, Marconi was issued the first patent for a wireless telegraphy system in England.
🥇Read a book where a character is a scientist or where a character listens to the radio or where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT.
River Wild - B.J. Daniels (HQN - Jan 2025) (radio) - Jan 6

15. First Stamp
The world's first postage stamp was the Penny Black, which was issued in the United Kingdom on May 1, 1840. It had the profile of Queen Victoria, and cost one penny for half-ounce letters
🥇Read a book with a black cover or set in England or with an author called Penny or Victoria.
The Duke's Guide to Fake Courtship - Jade Lee (HH #1841 - Feb 2025) (England) - Jan 21




16. First Television
The first successful demonstration of electronic television was on September 7, 1927 in San Francisco by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Farnsworth's system used a beam of electrons to capture moving images, which were then converted into code and transmitted over radio waves. The first image transmitted was a simple line.
🥇 Read a book where a character watches television or set in California or published in September of any year.
Murder at the Alaskan Lodge - Karen Whiddon (HRS #2280 -June 2024) (television) - Jan 8

17. First Email
The first email was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, a programmer at Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Tomlinson sent the first email to himself, and it was likely the first line of letters on a keyboard, "QWERTYUIOP".
🥇Read a book where a character reads or sends an email or a book that was published in the 1970s or where the author's first or last name begins with Q.
Big Sky Bachelor - Joanna Sims (HSE #3077 - Feb 2025) (email) - Jan 16

18. 1st Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, invented the printing press around 1436. Gutenberg began using his printing press commercially in 1454 to produce thousands of indulgences for the Church. The following year, he printed the first book printed on a moveable type press in the West, the famous 42-line Bible.
🥇Read a book tagged Religion or where a character prints something or where the author's initials can be found in BIBLE.
Hunting the Amish Witness - Dana R. Lynn (LIS #1190 - Aug 2025) (religion) - June 16

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
Colin O'Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted. O'Brady crossed Antarctica on December 26, 2018. He covered 932 miles in 52 days/
🥇Read a book set in December or published in 2018 or a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
Wyoming Christmas Conspiracy - Juno Rushdan (HI #2260 - Jan 2025) (December) - Jan 25

20. First Clock
The first clocks were invented in ancient times by multiple cultures and were based on observations of the sun and moon. Mechanical clocks were invented in Europe in the 14th century CE. The first mechanical clocks were not very accurate, with only one hand and a leeway of 15 minutes on either side.
🥇Read a book with a clock on the cover or set in Europe or 14th in a series.
21 Days with the Lyon - Shana Galen (Dragonblade - Feb 2025) (Europe/England) - Feb 8

[Vanessa]

FINISHED!

Firsts
January 1, 2025-June 30, 2025

Level 3: 16+
READ: 20/16

TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
🥇 Read a book where a character goes sailing.
Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall 2/13/25
Title character's body washes up after sailing!

2. Man’s First Flight
🥇 Read a book where the MC has a brother.
The Island by Natasha Preston 3/9/25
Paisley has a brother named Blaine

3. The First Animation Film
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
CM The Donor by Clare Mackintosh 1/2/25

4. The First Video Game
🥇 Read a book where a character plays a video game.
Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker 6/16/25
pg 56 - Cath "turn[s] on her game console to start playing some shooting game, full volume."

5. The First Step on the Moon
🥇 Read a book published in July of any year.
The Patient by Jasper DeWitt 4/10/25
Published July 7, 2020

6. The First Smartphone
🥇 Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together.
IBM BlueBuried Muffins by Lyndsey Cole 3/11/25

7. First Vaccine
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
SM Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine 3/18/25

8. 1st Telegraph message
🥇 Read a book where a character messages someone.
Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum 5/24/25
Charlotte texts Nellie

9. First transatlantic flight
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.
NI Run on Red by Noelle W. Ihli 1/7/25

10. The first bicycle
🥇 Read a book that has been translated into a lot of languages.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai 5/6/25
Goodreads shows 22 different language editions.

11. First professional African-American baseball player
🥇 Read a book set in New York.
Manhunt by James Patterson 1/5/2025
Set in New York

12. First moving automobile assembly line
🥇 Read a book set in Michigan.
My Murder by Katie Williams 2/5/25
Set in Michigan

13. 1st Steam Engine
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.
TA No Exit by Taylor Adams 2/28/25

14 First Radio
🥇 Read a book where a character is a scientist.
Rabbit Heart by Alyssa Wong 5/10/25
Narrator is a scientist

15. First Stamp
🥇 Read a book set in England.
Mrs Delgado by Mike Bartlett 5/24/25 
Set in England

16. First Television
🥇 Read a book where a character watches television.
The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson 6/2/25
pg 46 "I watch TV to keep my idioms and collouquialisms up to date."

17. First Email
🥇 Read a book where the authors first or last name begins with Q.
Q Anything Resembling Love by S. Qiouyi Lu 6/30/25

18. 1st Printing Press
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in BIBLE.
BB The Beasts of the Earth, the Madness of Men by Brooke Bolander 2/28/25

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
🥇 Read a book set in December.
The Christmas Guest by Peter  Swanson 2/15/25
Set during Christmas

20. First Clock
🥇 Read a book set in Europe.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins 2/2/25
Set in Orvieto, Italy

[Barbara ★]

Firsts

Duration: January 1 - June 30, 2024
Level 3: 16 or more firsts

READ: 43/16+

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
✔ 🥇 Read a book with water on the cover
Where the Drowned Girls Go - Seanan McGuire 3/7

✔ 🥇 where a character goes sailing
Hidden Dragon - Genevieve Jack (MCs sail to a Greek island) 1/17

2. Man’s First Flight
✔ 🥇 Read a book set in North Carolina
Come Shell or High Water - Molly MacRae 2/26
✔ 🥇where the MC has a brother
Kiss Hard - Nalini Singh (hero has 3 brothers) 1/7
✔ 🥇 a book published in December of any year.
The House on Blackstone Moor - Carole Gill (pub Dec 17, 2010) 4/11

3. The First Animation Film
✔ 🥇where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
Be Still My Heart - Emily McIntire & Sav R. Miller 2/26

4. The First Video Game
✔ 🥇that is a second in a series 2
Blood & Fury - Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland 3/3
✔ 🥇where a town relies on visitors.
Catch Me If You Candy - Ellie Alexander 2/15

5. The First Step on the Moon
✔ 🥇Read a book with a moon on the cover
As Dead As A Vampire - April Fernsby 4/26

✔ 🥇published in July of any year
The Icehouse - J.J. Richards (pub July 8, 2023) 4/30
✔ 🥇a character called Neil.
The Tees Valley Killings - C.J. Grayson (Neil McMahon) 1/30

6. The First Smartphone
✔ 🥇Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff - Darci Hannah 3/14

7. First Vaccine
✔ 🥇 Read a book with a character called either Edward or James
Flipped for Murder - Maddie Day (James Shermer) 6/21
✔ 🥇 with a character who is a doctor
Windy City Dragon - Genevieve Jack (hero) 1/2
✔ 🥇 where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
Aftermarket Afterlife - Seanan McGuire 2/18

8. 1st Telegraph message
✔ 🥇 where a character messages someone.
Manhattan Dragon - Genevieve Jack (hero texts heroine) 1/11

9. First transatlantic flight
✔ 🥇 Read a book where a character is a pilot
The Tiger’s Heart - Marissa Dobson (Adam) 3/30
✔ 🥇 where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.
Curse the Day - Annabel Chase 4/6

10. The first bicycle
✔ 🥇 with a bicycle on the cover
Murder at a Cape Bookstore - Maddie Day 3/4


11. First professional African-American baseball player
✔ 🥇Read a book with a character who is African-American
Candy Slain Murder - Maddie Day (Dana) 1/30
✔ 🥇set in New York.
Murder Marks the Page - Karen Rose Smith 3/8

12. First moving automobile assembly line
✔ 🥇Read a book set in Michigan
Inspection - Josh Malerman 4/1
✔ 🥇 where a character goes to a park
A Very Bad Thing - J.T. Ellison (Devon) 2/14

13. 1st Steam Engine
✔ 🥇Read a book where a character rides a train
The House on Blackstone Moor - Carole Gill (Rose) 4/11
✔ 🥇 a character called Thomas or Alexandria
Charmed Bones - Carolyn Haines )Thomas Erkwell) 5/15
✔ 🥇where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.
Deadly Animals - Marie Tierney 2/14

14 First Radio
✔ 🥇Read a book where a character is a scientist
The Last Outpost - Hannah Ross (MC, environmental scientist) 1/6
✔ 🥇where a character listens to the radio
Already Gone - Diane Benefiel (heroine) 1/18
✔ 🥇where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT.
Autopsy of a Fairytale - Nicole Scarano 2/1

15. First Stamp
✔ 🥇Read a book with a black cover
I'll Be Waiting - Kelley Armstrong 3/9

✔ 🥇set in England
The Dragon of Cecil Court - Genevieve Jack 1/16
✔ 🥇 with an author called Penny or Victoria.
Chapter and Curse - Elizabeth Penney 6/20

16. First Television
✔ 🥇 Read a book where a character watches television
Blood Orchids - Toby Neal 1/4
(he went in and hit the remote for the TV), p78
✔ 🥇 set in California
The Paper Caper - Kate Carlisle 3/12
✔ 🥇 published in September of any year.
Brimstone Bound - Helen Harper (pub Sept 3, 2020) 2/2

17. First Email
✔ 🥇Read a book where a character reads or sends an email
Promise Not to Tell - Jayne Ann Krentz (Anson) 1/26
✔ 🥇where the authors first or last name begins with Q.
Mischief in New Orleans - Lucy Quinn 4/23

18. 1st Printing Press
✔ 🥇where a character prints something
Improbably Yours - Kerry Anne King (MC prints her boarding pass) 5/7
✔ 🥇 where the authors initials can be found in BIBLE.
Heavenly Bodies - Imani Erriu 6/13

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
✔ 🥇Read a book set in December
The Crash - Freida McFadden 3/11
✔ 🥇a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear - Seanan McGuire 5/9

20. First Clock
✔ 🥇Read a book with a clock on the cover
A Midnight Puzzle - Gigi Pandian 6/15

✔ 🥇set in Europe
Kilt Trip - Alexandra Kiley (Scotland) 2/14

CHALLENGE COMPLETE

[Amber]

Completed

Firsts
January 1, 2025- June 30, 2025

Level 3: 16 or more firsts.


TASKS

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Expedition, which sailed from Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain in 1519 and returned in 1522, after crossing the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
🥇 Read a book with water on the cover
The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave 02.24.25

2. Man’s First Flight
The Wright brothers are generally considered to have been the first to achieve sustained, controlled, powered flight on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers took turns flying four times, with the final flight lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet
🥇 Read a book where the MC has a brother
Death of a Country Fried Redneck by Lee Hollis 02.14.25 (MC's brother is Randy)

3. The First Animation Film
Fantasmagorie is a 1908 French animated film by Émile Cohl. It is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation, and considered by film historians to be the first animated cartoon.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 01.09.25

4. The First Video Game
October 18, 1958. William Higinbotham's "Tennis for Two" was introduced at Brookhaven National Laboratory's annual visitors days. Spacewar! is credited as the first widely available and influential computer game.
🥇Read a book that is a second in a series
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose 02.03.25

5. The First Step on the Moon
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted by the United States from July 16 to July 24, 1969. It marked the first time that humans landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC.
🥇Read a book with a moon on the cover
Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette 04.18.25

6. The First Smartphone
The SPC was the first touchscreen phone and included a calendar, address book, appointment scheduler, and stylus-compatible screen keyboards. It could also send and receive emails and faxes, and make and receive phone calls. IBM announced the SPC in 1992 and it went on sale in 1994. BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed it in the United States.
🥇Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig 03.24.25

7. First Vaccine
Dr Edward Jenner created the world's first successful vaccine. He found out that people infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox. In May 1796, English physician Edward Jenner expands on this discovery and inoculates 8-year-old James Phipps with matter collected from a cowpox sore on the hand of a milkmaid.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.
The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton 01.23.25

8. 1st Telegraph message
The first message sent over a telegraph was “What hath God wrought?” on May 24, 1844 by Samuel F. B. Morse to
Alfred Vail, Morse's assistant in Baltimore. It was transmitted from the Supreme Court room in Washington, D.C. to Baltimore.
🥇Read a book set in Maryland or where a character is a judge or where a character messages someone.

9. First transatlantic flight
American aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927. In 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
🥇 Read a book where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.
Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent 03.26.25

10. The first bicycle
The first bicycle was called the Laufmaschine, which translates to "running machine" in German. It was also known as the "swiftwalker", "hobby horse", "draisine", and "velocipede". It was invented in 1817 by German Baron Karl von Drais
🥇 Read a book with a bicycle on the cover
A Bicycle Built for Murder by Kate Kingsbury 01.24.25

11. First professional African-American baseball player
Jackie Robinson is widely known as the first African American to play Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 20th century. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves.
🥇Read a book set in New York.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks 03.05.25

12. First moving automobile assembly line
After much trial and error Henry Ford and his employees at the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant in Michigan introduced the first moving automobile assembly line in 1913.
🥇Read a book set in Michigan or where a character goes to a park or with a car on the cover.

13. 1st Steam Engine
The first recorded steam engine was the aeolipile, invented by Heron of Alexandria in the 1st century AD. The first commercially successful steam engine was Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, invented in 1712.
🥇Read a book where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 03.15.25

14 First Radio
Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing the first radio, though other scientists were also working on similar devices at the time. In 1896, Marconi was issued the first patent for a wireless telegraphy system in England.
🥇Read a book where a character is a scientist
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood 02.17.25

15. First Stamp
The world's first postage stamp was the Penny Black, which was issued in the United Kingdom on May 1, 1840. It had the profile of Queen Victoria, and cost one penny for half-ounce letters
🥇Read a book with a black cover
The Rescuer: One Firefighter's Story of Courage, Darkness, and the Relentless Love That Saved Him by Jason Sautel 02.23.25

16. First Television
The first successful demonstration of electronic television was on September 7, 1927 in San Francisco by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Farnsworth's system used a beam of electrons to capture moving images, which were then converted into code and transmitted over radio waves. The first image transmitted was a simple line.
🥇 Read a book set in California
This Pen for Hire by Laura Levine 03.04.25

17. First Email
The first email was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, a programmer at Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Tomlinson sent the first email to himself, and it was likely the first line of letters on a keyboard, "QWERTYUIOP".
🥇Read a book where a character reads
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson 01.23.25

18. 1st Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, invented the printing press around 1436. Gutenberg began using his printing press commercially in 1454 to produce thousands of indulgences for the Church. The following year, he printed the first book printed on a moveable type press in the West, the famous 42-line Bible.
🥇Read a book tagged Religion
Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel Held Evans 01.02.25

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
Colin O'Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted. O'Brady crossed Antarctica on December 26, 2018. He covered 932 miles in 52 days/
🥇Read a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
American Royals by Katharine McGee 01.29.25

20. First Clock
The first clocks were invented in ancient times by multiple cultures and were based on observations of the sun and moon. Mechanical clocks were invented in Europe in the 14th century CE. The first mechanical clocks were not very accurate, with only one hand and a leeway of 15 minutes on either side.
🥇Read a book set in Europe
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods 01.06.25 (set in Ireland)

[Genevieve]

Well done Chrissie, Christina (AKA Babbling), LaurLa, Susan, Vanessa, Barbara, and Amber

[Trish]

I'm 25 days late, but I'm done. This summer was tough with everything we had going on. It was one of the busiest summers ever.

10/10 Read

Firsts
January 1, 2025- June 30, 2025
Level 1: 5- 10 firsts
Level 2: 11 - 15 firsts
Level 3: 16 or more firsts.
Each task can be done once.

1. The First Circumnavigation of the Globe
Read a book with water on the cover or where a character goes sailing or set in Spain.
by Andrew M. Greeley - 2/27

2. Man’s First Flight
Read a book set in North Carolina or where the MC has a brother or a book published in December of any year.
Turbulent by T.L. Payne (MC has a brother) 1/30

3. The First Animation Film
Read a book set in France or a book that is tagged as history or where the authors initials can be found in EMILE COHL.
The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron 2/11

4. The First Video Game
Read a book where a character plays a video game or that is a second in a series or where a town relies on visitors.

5. The First Step on the Moon
Read a book with a moon on the cover or published in July of any year or a character called Neil.
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson (Moon on cover) - 2/20

6. The First Smartphone
Read a book where the letters IBM can be found anywhere in the title they don't have to be together or a book published in 1992 or 1994 or where a character sends a fax.

7. First Vaccine
Read a book with a character called either Edward or James or with a character who is a doctor or where the authors initials can be found in SMALLPOX.

8. 1st Telegraph message
Read a book set in Maryland or where a character is a judge or where a character messages someone.

9. First transatlantic flight
Read a book where a character is a pilot or with a character called Charles or Amelia or where the authors initials can be found in ATLANTIC.

10. The first bicycle
Read a book set in Germany or with a bicycle on the cover or a book that has been translated into a lot of languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... (Doesn't have to be on this list).
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Tranlations) - 7/25

11. First professional African-American baseball player
Read a book with a character who is African-American or a book about baseball or set in New York.

12. First moving automobile assembly line
Read a book set in Michigan or where a character goes to a park or with a car on the cover.
The Liar by Nora Roberts (Character goes to Park) 5/3

13. 1st Steam Engine
Read a book where a character rides a train or a character called Thomas or Alexandria or where the authors initials can be found in STEAM.

14 First Radio
Read a book where a character is a scientist or where a character listens to the radio or where the first letter of the book location can be found in PATENT.
Lisey's Story LARGE PRINT by Stephen King (Character listens to radio) 2/7

15. First Stamp
Read a book with a black cover or set in England or with an author called Penny or Victoria.
The Hostage Bride by Jane Feather (Set in England) 2/14

16. First Television
Read a book where a character watches television or set in California or published in September of any year.

17. First Email
Read a book where a character reads or sends an email or a book that was published in the 1970s or where the authors first or last name begins with Q.

18. 1st Printing Press
Read a book tagged Religion or where a character prints something or where the authors initials can be found in BIBLE.

19. First Person to Cross the Antarctic Circle
Read a book set in December or published in 2018 or a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.
Irish Eyes by Andrew M. Greeley (title found in ANTARCTIC CIRCLE) 1/27

20. First Clock
Read a book with a clock on the cover or set in Europe or 14th in a series.
The Forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters (Set in Europe) 2/9

[Genevieve]

Well done Trish.