List of firsts in Southeast Asia

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The following is a list of firsts in Southeast Asia.

## Architecture

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The following are the first buildings of their type:

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

## Beauty Pageants

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* First international beauty pageant titleholder from Southeast Asia - Gemma Cruz-Araneta ( Philippines, 14 August 1964)
* First Muslim to win an international beauty pageant from Southeast Asia - Kevin Lilliana ( ( Indonesia, 14 NOvember 2017)
* First Southeast Asia Country to own an international beauty pageant - ( Philippines, 2001)

## Education

[edit]

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

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* 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

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

## Entertainment and media

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### Film

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#### Awards

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* 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

[edit]

* 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

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

### Music

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* 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

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* 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

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

## Medicine

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This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2021)

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## Politics and government

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* 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

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

## Sports

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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

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* 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

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

### Others

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* 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

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* 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

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1. ^ "Singapore Philatelic Museum". ASEF culture360. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
2. ^ "University of Santo Tomas". Times Higher Education (THE). 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
3. ^ Basyir, Mohamed. "Penang Free School celebrates 200 years | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
4. ^ Bernama (22 October 2016). "Penang Free School retains its name, officially".
5. ^ del Mundo was also the first ever woman to be admitted to Harvard University.
6. ^ "Inside the life of Fe Del Mundo, Harvard medical school's first female student". The Independent. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
7. ^ "Southeast Asia's first wind farm launched". wwf.panda.org. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
8. ^ "Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia: A Bridge Too Far?". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
9. ^ "Why are ASEAN nations joining the space race? | ASEAN Today". www.aseantoday.com. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
10. ^ 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.
11. ^ "Cannes 2016: Jaclyn Jose wins best actress for 'Ma' Rosa'". cnn. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
12. ^ "Brillante Mendoza gets a well-deserved MET retrospective". Inquirer Lifestyle. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
13. ^ Cruz, Marinel (2021-09-13). "John Arcilla gets job done, wins best actor in Venice Film Festival". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
14. ^ 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.
15. ^ Davinci, Maru (March 1, 2022). "Philippines marks centennial anniversary of broadcasting". ABS-CBN News.
16. ^ ""Carlos P. Romulo." The Pulitzer Prizes". pulitzer.org. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
17. ^ 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.
18. ^ "First Asian / Filipino American to win Grammy Award - Larry Ramos - 1962". MYX Global. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
19. ^ "SB19 makes history as the first Filipino act nominated in Billboard Music Awards". Manila Bulletin. 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
20. ^ McIntyre, Hugh. "SB19 Becomes The First Act To Replace BTS At No. 1 On Billboard's Newest Chart". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
21. ^ Colayco, Maria Teresa (2011). Enlightened Stewardship. Bank of the Philippine Islands. ISBN 978-9710579112.
22. ^ "San Miguel Corporation". Sanmiguel.com.ph. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
23. ^ "Past Presidents | General Assembly of the United Nations". www.un.org. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
24. ^ 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.
25. ^ "Indonesia Commissions First Submarine Assembled in Southeast Asia". www.csis.org. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
26. ^ "PH's first Olympic medalist Teofilo Yldefonso: An officer and a sportsman". l!fe • The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
27. ^ "Martinez, 3 countries and the Winter Olympics". Rappler. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
28. ^ "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.
29. ^ "Carlos Yulo claims PH's historic world championship gold". Rappler. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
30. ^ "Remembering the last time the Philippines played Olympic basketball". ESPN.com. 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
31. ^ "History of YOG". www.insidethegames.biz. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
32. ^ "Midnight Initiation for Suvarnabhumi". Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.