First In India

Goldingham sets Madras time

Astronomer John Goldingham of the Madras Observatory fixed Madras time at 5 hours 21 minutes ahead of Greenwich.

Great Trigonometrical Survey begins at Madras

Measuring a baseline close to Madras, William Lambton set the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in motion.

Serfoji II sets up a Devanagari press at Thanjavur

At Thanjavur, Serfoji II founded the Nava Vidya Kalasala press, the first in South India to print Devanagari.

Tirukkural appears in print for the first time

The first known printed edition of the Tirukkural was produced in 1812, together with the Naladiyar.

Madras Eye Infirmary established

The Madras Eye Infirmary, now the Egmore Eye Hospital, was founded and is regarded as the oldest eye hospital in Asia.

Madras Medical College founded

A medical school was opened in Madras that grew into Madras Medical College, one of the oldest in Asia.

Red Hill Railway carries granite to Madras

Built by Arthur Cotton as an early experiment, the Red Hill Railway hauled granite from Red Hills into Madras for road works.

Parry's sugar factory at Nellikuppam

The firm founded by Thomas Parry set up a sugar plant at Nellikuppam, described as the first in India.

First train in South India, Royapuram to Wallajah Road

The Madras Railway opened South India's first railway line, from Royapuram in Madras to Wallajah Road near Arcot.

University of Madras founded

An act of the Legislative Council incorporated the University of Madras, among the first three modern universities in India.

Robert Bruce Foote finds Palaeolithic tool at Pallavaram

Geologist Robert Bruce Foote discovered a Palaeolithic hand axe at Pallavaram near Madras, the first conclusive find of its kind in India.

The Madras Mail newspaper founded

Charles Lawson and Henry Cornish started The Madras Mail, an English-language evening daily that was published until 1981.

First women students admitted to Madras Medical College

Mary Scharlieb and three other women entered Madras Medical College in 1875, among the first women to study medicine in India.

T. Muthuswamy Iyer becomes first Indian judge of Madras High Court

T. Muthuswamy Iyer became the first Indian to be appointed a judge of the Madras High Court, a decision that caused controversy at the time.

Sarah Tucker College opens in Palayamkottai

In 1895 the Sarah Tucker High School at Palayamkottai became a college, the earliest women's college in South India.

Electric trams begin in Madras

The Madras Electric Tramways began service, the first electric tram system in India.

Muthulakshmi Reddy graduates from Madras Medical College

Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College in 1907, graduated in 1912 and became one of India's first women doctors.

Pamban railway bridge opens

The Pamban Bridge, India's first sea bridge, opened, linking Rameswaram on Pamban Island to the mainland by rail.

Keechaka Vadham, the first South Indian film

R. Nataraja Mudaliar's silent film Keechaka Vadham, the first film made in South India, was released in 1917 or 1918.

Madras grants voting rights to women

The Madras Legislative Council resolved to extend the franchise to women, among the first provinces in British India to do so.

First May Day celebration in India

Singaravelar organised the first May Day celebration in India at Madras and launched the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.

Muthulakshmi Reddy becomes first woman legislator in India

Doctor and reformer Muthulakshmi Reddy was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council, becoming the first woman legislator in British India.

Madras Service Commission set up

Created by a Madras law, the Madras Service Commission was India's first provincial public service commission and the predecessor of TNPSC.

Madras aerodrome and Madras Flying Club begin operations

The Madras Flying Club came into existence and the Madras aerodrome, ancestor of Chennai airport, was commissioned.

C. V. Raman wins the Nobel Prize in Physics

C. V. Raman, a physicist born in Tiruchirappalli, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for research on light scattering.

Kalidas, the first Tamil talkie, released

Released in 1931, H. M. Reddy's Kalidas was the first Tamil film with sound and opened the era of Tamil talkies.

G. D. Naidu builds India's first indigenous electric motor

Coimbatore inventor G. D. Naidu, working with D. Balasundaram, developed India's first indigenous electric motor.

Subramania Bharati's works nationalised

The Madras government nationalised the writings of poet Subramania Bharati, the first such step for any poet in India.

India's first Test cricket victory at Chepauk

At Chepauk in Madras, India defeated England by an innings and 8 runs, winning a Test for the first time in its 25th match.

Rajaji and C. V. Raman among first Bharat Ratna recipients

C. Rajagopalachari and the physicist C. V. Raman, both from Tamil Nadu, were among the three first recipients of the Bharat Ratna.

First Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil

R. P. Sethu Pillai received the first Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil for his essay collection Tamil Inbam.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras founded

Classes started at IIT Madras in Guindy, the third IIT, which was set up with West German help.

Sivaji Ganesan wins Best Actor at Afro-Asian Film Festival

For Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Sivaji Ganesan was named Best Actor at Cairo's Afro-Asian Film Festival, the first such win by an Indian actor.

Manuel Aaron becomes India's first International Master

Madras chess player Manuel Aaron became the first Indian to earn the FIDE title of International Master.

M. S. Subbulakshmi sings at the United Nations

On UN Day 1966, Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi sang at the United Nations General Assembly, the first Indian to do so.

Reactor Research Centre set up at Kalpakkam

An order by Vikram Sarabhai set up the Reactor Research Centre at Kalpakkam, which later became the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.

MGR wins the Bharat Award for Best Actor

M. G. Ramachandran won the national Best Actor (Bharat) award for Rickshawkaran, the first South Indian actor to receive it.

Akilan becomes the first Tamil writer to win the Jnanpith

Novelist Akilan received the Jnanpith Award for his novel Chithirappavai, the first for a Tamil writer.

Television arrives in Madras with Doordarshan Kendra

Doordarshan began television broadcasts from Madras, the first TV station in South India.

Apollo Hospitals founded in Madras

Prathap C. Reddy founded Apollo Hospitals in Madras, India's first corporate healthcare provider.

Sunil Gavaskar scores record 236 not out at Madras

In the sixth Test against the West Indies at Madras, Sunil Gavaskar scored 236 not out, his 30th Test century and then the highest Test score by an Indian.

First unit of Madras Atomic Power Station reaches full power

At Kalpakkam, MAPS-1, the first nuclear power reactor India built largely on its own, reached full-power operation.

Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam reaches criticality

India's Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam reached first criticality, making India the seventh nation able to build and run a breeder reactor.

First HIV cases in India detected in Madras

India's first documented HIV infections were found among sex workers in Madras by microbiologist Suniti Solomon and her student Sellappan Nirmala.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve established, India's first

India's first biosphere reserve was created from the Nilgiri hills and nearby forests, stretching across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

India and Australia play the tied Test at Madras

The India-Australia Test at Chepauk ended in a tie, only the second tied Test in cricket history.

Viswanathan Anand becomes India's first grandmaster

Chess player Viswanathan Anand of Madras became India's first grandmaster.

Chennai MRTS opens, India's first elevated railway

India's first elevated urban railway came into service when the opening section of Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System, linking Beach and Chepauk, began running.

M. S. Subbulakshmi becomes the first musician awarded the Bharat Ratna

Madurai-born Carnatic singer M. S. Subbulakshmi was the first musician to be given the Bharat Ratna, the country's top civilian award.

Viswanathan Anand wins the FIDE World Chess Championship

Chennai's Viswanathan Anand defeated Alexei Shirov in Tehran to become FIDE World Chess Champion, the first Indian world chess champion.

Tamil declared a classical language

The Government of India declared Tamil the first classical language of India.

Narain Karthikeyan becomes India's first Formula One driver

Coimbatore-born Narain Karthikeyan made his Formula One debut with Jordan at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix.

Sharath Kamal wins India's first Commonwealth table tennis gold

Chennai's Achanta Sharath Kamal beat William Henzell in the men's singles final at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Viswanathan Anand becomes undisputed world chess champion

Chennai-born grandmaster Viswanathan Anand won the World Chess Championship tournament in Mexico City without losing a game.

Transgender Welfare Board, first in India

Tamil Nadu set up India's first welfare board for transgender persons under the Social Welfare department.

Bhavani Devi becomes India's first Olympic fencer

At Tokyo 2020, C. A. Bhavani Devi of Chennai became the first fencer from India to qualify for and take part in the Olympics.

44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram

India hosted the Chess Olympiad for the first time, at Mamallapuram near Chennai, with Tamil Nadu organising it at short notice.

India's first slender loris sanctuary notified at Kadavur

Tamil Nadu notified about 118 square km of forest at Kadavur as India's first sanctuary for the slender loris.

New Pamban rail bridge opens

India's first vertical lift sea bridge, linking Rameswaram island to the mainland, replaced the 1914 Pamban Bridge.