1871 The first Private Postal Delivery Service
1877 The first professional training of nurses
1880’s The first rugby touring teams
1880 The first drive in bar
1882 The first city in the Southern Hemisphere to install electric street lighting on 2 September 1882. The Electric lights of Kimberley came on before those of London.
1883 The first Stock Exchange in South Africa.
1883 The first loose collar joints (wrought iron pipes) used.
1883 The first attempt to navigate the Vaal River
1883 The first industrial strike
1883 The first SA Permanent Building Society meeting and constitution.
1887 The first hospital chapel
1888 The first Professional meeting of nurses.
1889 The first modal village for employees.
1889 The first hotel with electricity.
1889 The first international rugby tournament in South Africa.
1889 The first meeting of newly constituted ruby board.
1889 The first president of the SA Rugby Board.
1889 The first to win the Rugby Currie Cup.
1889 The first to win the Cricket Currie Cup
1889 The first bowler to master the over arm off break.
1890 The first camera club.
1890 The first century in Currie Cup cricket.
1890 The first Cricket Association constituted.
1890 The first training college for Salvation Army officers.
1890 The first Seventh Day Adventist Church.
1891 The first in the world: State Registration of Nurses.
1891 The first matron of the new Kimberley Hospital: Henrietta Stockdale.
1891 The first touch judges introduces in rugby.
1892 The first international exhibition.
1892 The first electric tram
1892 The first Rugby Currie Cup Tournament.
1892 The first mayoral conference.
1892 The first registered nurse.
1893 The first medical Conference.
1894 The first registered nurse midwifery teacher.
1896 The first School of Mines in South Africa.
1897 The first successful Rinderpest serum developed by Dr R Koch.
1903 The first institute for part time technical instruction for apprentice.
? The first city in South Africa to switch on an automatic telephone exchange.
1904 The first city or town to manufacture compressed bricks and terracotta ornaments
1904 The first conference of the newly constituted Poultry Association.
1908 The first use of the word “Africana” meaning things pertaining to Africa only.
190? The first betram dyer of the Kimberley public library.
1911 The first public flight in the first South African built aircraft.
1912 First Woman trained as a pilot.
1913 The first flying school
1913 The first airplane accident.
1913 The first airplane purchased by the South African Government.
1913 The first ten pilots in the South Africa Defence Force.
1913 The first pilots in the South African Aviation Corps.
1926 The first industrial Council.
1928 The first diamond cutting factory.
1929 The first woman to play tennis without stockings at Wimbledon.
1931 The first official airport safety regulations.
1931 The first airport to install lighting equipment.
1931 The first night landing by a pilot.
1931 The first airport to offer 24 hour services.
1932 The first Municipal rest house an aero dome in Africa.
1934 The first National Air Rally.
1936 The first South African museums Conference.
1936 The first South Africa museums Association constituted.
1940 The first female municipal traffic wardens.
1954 The first State School for paraplegics.
1954 The first state school for physically disabled.
1965 The first twelve year old to hold a world record in the World.
1967 The first commando training unit.
1967 The first nation wide direct dialling telephones.
1969 The first Woman judge: Miss Justice Leonora van de Heever.
1976 The first housing scheme, Ipopeng in Galeshewe, for black employ.
1977 The first remote controlled ore trains in underground operations.
1980 The first South African to be elected to the world swimming hall of fame – Karen Muir
1983 First elected black town council: Galeshewe in South Africa. (30/11/1983)
1983 The First coloured priest to become a Bishop
1983 The first manufacture of self propelled overhead irrigation pivots in South Africa.
1992 The First City council to amalgamate all group areas.
