141:
term "famous first" can be misleading; they are more accurately termed "notable;" hence the term "notable last" was chosen for the study of lasts, rather than "famous lasts." The term "famous last" could have not only a similarly misleading connotation, but also be potentially confused with the cautionary words of advice, "famous last words", often uttered sarcastically when an undertaking or prediction is made. Recognition of "firsts" has received more attention given the importance our society places on innovation, ingenuity and discovery. Thus, "firsts" are easier to research and authenticate. A "last", on the other hand, frequently is difficult to track down, as there is not an analogous historical record. A few small trivia books have compiled a limited number of "lasts" (particularly two small
British works by Christopher Slee and a generalized work by trivia compiler Charles Panati). These are works that include general "lasts," not only "notable lasts" as defined in the first substantial work on "notable lasts" called
109:
broad international treatment. The smaller trivia books on "lasts" by
Christopher Slee (cited below) have a treatment that is almost exclusively limited to the United Kingdom. Examples of "Notable Last Facts" include the last surviving participant or witness to a historic event, the last work produced by a major artist, author, performer or musician, or perhaps the last remaining example of a once-prevalent style or object, such as a type of architecture, or a make or model of an automobile, motorcycle, or airplane. Notable lasts are often used a finite demarcations of social, artistic and historical eras or periods. They also serve, often unintentionally, to mark advances, failures and change. In other fields of study, a notable last can be used to assist in dating objects, buildings and artifacts by helping to establish a
169:, or generally last surviving members of any type of formal, professional or cultural group. These are often brought to public attention at the time of death in an obituary or news story; frequently the facts that a person is a "last" of a group is the only obvious reason that their obituary or death notice would get national or international attention—a cultural phenomenon that underscores the interest in last. When such events occur they are often tagged with the phrase "end of an era". In terms of objects, last examples of architecture or building use or building architect are one potential criterion for inclusion in a State and
126:"Lasts" only became an area of study once the area of "firsts" (generally referred to as "Famous Firsts") was well established for decades. Today there are dozens of books that have been published about specific areas using the now established term, "famous first..." "Famous Firsts" are often heralded as news stories and may be documented with patents and even with celebrations. "Firsts" have been recorded for a long time and are a widely documented area of study, most particularly in the core library reference work
117:
relative to the date of the notable last event. A distinction is made between a simple "last" (which includes the last time something happened that will likely happen again—such as the last time there was an unassisted triple play in baseball or the last time it snowed in
September in New York City)
140:
in 1933. Kane was the first to provide a comprehensive collation of "famous firsts." To this day, with each subsequent edition released (now in its 7th edition), "Kane's" remains H.W. Wilson's largest-selling single volume reference work. Many of Kane's entries are actually rather obscure, so the
108:
Although that work mainly details
American culture (TV, Radio, Sports are almost completely American examples), and to a lesser extent with European culture (in Art, Music and Transportation for example), some sections (Nations, Wars, Slavery, Voting, and Era & Empires for example) do have a
24:
118:
and a "notable last" (which are limited to concrete endings; thus not possible or highly improbable to ever happen again—such as a deceased composer's last work or the last act in a specific war that has ended).
173:. Museums will often display last examples of particular objects, the last known work of a noted artist, or the stuffed remains of the last example of a species that has reached
329:
253:
170:
372:
408:
333:
358:"Corsinet: Unusual, unique, and uncommon facts about a diversity of subjects: The End: Famous Endings, the Last of Things"
249:
224:
150:
190:
234:
146:
17:
Notable Last Facts: A Compendium of
Endings, Conclusions, Terminations and Final Events Throughout History
365:
Notable Last Facts: A Compendium of
Endings, Conclusions, Terminations and Final Events Throughout History
258:
162:
62:
413:
240:
418:
137:
308:
214:
133:
128:
114:
110:
368:
204:
186:
166:
102:
34:
283:
279:
244:
220:
199:
261:, the last surviving member of the group that tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944
210:
402:
230:
105:
in 2004 and was the first relatively comprehensive collection of important lasts.
23:
195:
294:
174:
52:
301:
289:
357:
388:, Huntington, England: Chameleon Publishing Ltd, 1990. (Out of Print)
363:
153:
publication
Booklist as 2005's "best addition to the trivia shelf".
149:
by
William B. Brahms in 2005. Brahms' work was recognized by the
274:
268:
264:
395:, Enfield, England: Guinness Publishing, 1994. (Out of Print)
379:
Extraordinary
Endings of Practically Everything and Everybody
330:"Thylacine - Thylacinus cynocephalus: More Movies - ARKive"
207:, the last surviving veteran of the Mexican–American War
297:, the last surviving piece of the Polish Crown Jewels
101:
is a book published by the
American librarian/writer
86:
78:
68:
58:
48:
40:
30:
8:
122:History of the study of "firsts" and "lasts"
16:
381:, New York, New York: Harper and Row, 1989.
22:
15:
161:Most commonly documented lasts include a
321:
7:
243:, the last surviving veteran of the
189:, the last surviving veteran of the
171:National Register of Historic Places
273:Mauritius dodo, the last surviving
14:
198:, the last surviving veteran of
252:, the last surviving signer of
1:
288:Benjamin, the last surviving
250:Charles Carroll of Carrollton
225:Confederate States of America
157:Frequently documented "lasts"
151:American Library Association
386:The Chameleon Book of Lasts
254:Declaration of Independence
181:Notable examples of "lasts"
165:of a war, last speakers of
435:
393:The Guinness Book of Lasts
307:January 2, 1971, the last
147:Reference Desk Press, Inc.
21:
227:(U.S.) Civil War veteran
304:plays in his final game
409:2004 non-fiction books
311:on American television
259:Philipp von Boeselager
163:last surviving veteran
282:, the last surviving
233:, the last surviving
223:, the last surviving
213:, the last surviving
136:, first published by
235:Spanish–American War
138:H. W. Wilson Company
63:Reference Desk Press
391:Slee, Christopher,
384:Slee, Christopher,
309:tobacco advertising
18:
267:, the last of the
143:Notable Last Facts
134:Joseph Nathan Kane
129:Famous First Facts
115:terminus post quem
111:terminus ante quem
98:Notable Last Facts
377:Panati, Charles,
205:Owen Thomas Edgar
191:Revolutionary War
187:Daniel F. Bakeman
167:extinct languages
103:William B. Brahms
94:
93:
35:William B. Brahms
426:
362:Brahms, William
345:
344:
342:
341:
332:. Archived from
326:
284:passenger pigeon
70:Publication date
26:
19:
434:
433:
429:
428:
427:
425:
424:
423:
399:
398:
354:
349:
348:
339:
337:
328:
327:
323:
318:
245:Second Boer War
221:John B. Salling
200:The War of 1812
183:
159:
124:
79:Media type
71:
12:
11:
5:
432:
430:
422:
421:
416:
411:
401:
400:
397:
396:
389:
382:
375:
360:
353:
352:External links
350:
347:
346:
320:
319:
317:
314:
313:
312:
305:
300:May 30, 1935,
298:
292:
286:
277:
271:
262:
256:
247:
238:
228:
218:
211:Albert Woolson
208:
202:
193:
182:
179:
158:
155:
123:
120:
92:
91:
88:
84:
83:
80:
76:
75:
72:
69:
66:
65:
60:
56:
55:
50:
46:
45:
42:
38:
37:
32:
28:
27:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
431:
420:
417:
415:
412:
410:
407:
406:
404:
394:
390:
387:
383:
380:
376:
374:
373:0-9765325-0-6
370:
367:
366:
361:
359:
356:
355:
351:
336:on 2005-11-23
335:
331:
325:
322:
315:
310:
306:
303:
299:
296:
293:
291:
287:
285:
281:
278:
276:
272:
270:
266:
263:
260:
257:
255:
251:
248:
246:
242:
239:
236:
232:
229:
226:
222:
219:
216:
212:
209:
206:
203:
201:
197:
194:
192:
188:
185:
184:
180:
178:
176:
172:
168:
164:
156:
154:
152:
148:
145:published by
144:
139:
135:
131:
130:
121:
119:
116:
112:
106:
104:
100:
99:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
67:
64:
61:
57:
54:
51:
47:
43:
39:
36:
33:
29:
25:
20:
414:Trivia books
392:
385:
378:
364:
338:. Retrieved
334:the original
324:
231:Jones Morgan
160:
142:
127:
125:
107:
97:
96:
95:
419:Last events
241:George Ives
196:Hiram Cronk
403:Categories
340:2005-09-11
316:References
295:Szczerbiec
175:extinction
53:Nonfiction
302:Babe Ruth
290:thylacine
215:Civil War
59:Publisher
41:Language
237:veteran
217:veteran
44:English
371:
280:Martha
31:Author
113:or a
87:Pages
82:Print
49:Genre
369:ISBN
275:dodo
269:Yahi
265:Ishi
74:2004
132:by
90:848
405::
177:.
343:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.