List of Asian-American firsts

Asian-Americans are an ethnic group in the United States, denoting Americans of Asian descent. The phrase Asian-American was coined by Yuji Ichioka in 1968 during the founding of the Asian American Political Alliance,[1][2] and started to be used by the U.S. Census in 1980.[3]

Firsts by Asian-Americans in various fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for them is "breaking the color barrier".[4] One commonly cited example is that of Wataru Misaka, who became the first person of color,[5] and the first Asian-American, to be a National Basketball Association player (in 1947.)[6][7]

Arts and entertainment

Main article: Asian Americans in arts and entertainment

Academy Awards

• 1955: James Wong Howe becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, for The Rose Tattoo.[8]
• 1957: Miyoshi Umeki becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for Sayonara.
• 1984: Haing Somnang Ngor becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Killing Fields.[9]
• 1990: Steven Okazaki becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject), for Days of Waiting: The Life & Art Of Estelle Ishigo.
• 1997: Chris Tashima becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, for Visas and Virtue.
• 2019: Kazu Hiro becomes the first Asian-American to win the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, for Bombshell. This was his first win following his naturalization.

Fashion

• 2012: Alexander Wang becomes the first Asian-American creative director and head of a French haute couture house (Balenciaga).[10][11]

Film (aside from the Academy Awards)

• 1919-1961: Anna May Wong is considered to be the first major Asian-American film star in the world.[12]
• 2018: John Cho becomes the first Asian-American actor to headline a mainstream Hollywood thriller, Searching.[13][14]
• 2020: Awkwafina becomes the first Asian-American to win the Golden Globe Award for best actress in the musical or comedy category, for The Farewell. [15]

Literature (aside from the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes)

See also: List of Asian American writers

• 1928: Dhan Gopal Mukerji becomes the first Asian-American to win a Newbery Medal, for Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon.

Music

• 2010: Far East Movement becomes the first Asian-American music group to earn a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, for Like a G6.[16]

Pulitzer Prizes

• 1937: Gobind Behari Lal becomes the first Asian-American to win a Pulitzer Prize in Reporting[17]
• 1990: Sheryl WuDunn becomes the first Asian-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in Reporting.[18][19][20]

Television

• 1951: Anna May Wong becomes the first Asian-American to lead a U.S. television show, with her work on The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.[21]
• 2018: Aziz Ansari becomes the first Asian-American to win a Golden Globe for acting in television; specifically, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Master of None.[22][23][24]
• 2019: Bowen Yang becomes the first Asian-American cast member on Saturday Night Live.[25][26]

Theater

• 1972: Frank Chin becomes the first Asian-American to have a play produced on a major New York stage (the play is The Chickencoop Chinaman.)[27]

Other

• 2000: Angela Perez Baraquio Grey becomes the first Asian-American to win the Miss America (2001) pageant.[28]

Business and commerce

• 1986: Gerald Tsai becomes the first Asian-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company (The American Can Company; #140 on the 1986 list).[29]
• 2013: Kevin Tsujihara becomes the first Asian-American CEO of a major Hollywood studio (Warner Bros Entertainment).[30]

Dentistry

• 2002: Dr. Eugene Sekiguchi is elected as the first Asian-American president of the American Dental Association.[31][32]

Diplomacy

• 1989: Julia Chang Bloch becomes the first Asian-American U.S. ambassador, as US Ambassador to Nepal.

Education

• 1990: Chang-Lin Tien becomes the first Asian-American to lead a major American research university, as Chancellor of UC Berkeley.[33]
• 2009: Jim Yong Kim becomes the first Asian-American president of an Ivy League institution, as president of Dartmouth College.[34][35]

Journalism

• 1943: Ah Jook Ku becomes the first Asian-American reporter for the Associated Press.[36]
• 1993: Connie Chung becomes the first Asian-American to anchor one of America's major network newscasts (CBS Evening News).[37]

Judiciary and politics

See also: List of Asian American jurists

• 1946: Wing F. Ong becomes the first Asian-American to be elected to a state legislative body in the United States, in the Arizona House of Representatives.[38][39][40][41]
• 1957: Dalip Singh Saund becomes the first Asian-American elected to the United States Congress, as a Representative for California's 29th district.
• 1964: Hiram Fong, a Republican, becomes the first Asian-American candidate for U.S. president.[42][43]
• 1971: Norman Mineta becomes the first Asian-American mayor of a major city (San Jose, CA) in the United States.[44]A
• 1971: Herbert Choy becomes the first Asian-American U.S. federal court judge, appointed to the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit.[45]
• 1972: Patsy Mink becomes the first Asian-American Democratic candidate for U.S. president.[46]
• 1974: George Ariyoshi becomes the first Asian-American governor of a U.S. state.[47]
• 1984: Joy Cherian becomes the first Asian-American Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• 2002: Kenneth P. Moritsugu becomes the first Asian-American Surgeon General.
• 2010: Daniel Inouye becomes the first Asian-American President pro tempore of the United States Senate, making him the highest-ranking Asian-American politician in American history.
• 2015: Yumi Hogan becomes the first Asian-American First Lady of Maryland.[48]

Military

• 1944: Kurt Lee becomes the first Asian-American officer in the Marine Corps.[49]
• 1959: Gordon Chung-Hoon becomes the first Asian-American flag officer in the United States Navy.[50][51]
• 2015: Harry Harris Jr. becomes the first Asian-American to command the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).[52][53]
• 2020: JoAnne S. Bass becomes the first Asian-American to hold the senior enlisted position in the U.S. Air Force,[54] as the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force.[55][56]

Religion

• 1999: Angela Warnick Buchdahl[57] becomes the first Asian-American to be ordained as a cantor upon being ordained by HUC-JIR, an American seminary for Reform Judaism.[58]
• 2001: Angela Warnick Buchdahl[57] becomes the first Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi upon being ordained by HUC-JIR, an American seminary for Reform Judaism.[58]
• 2002: Ignatius Wang becomes the first Asian-American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.[59]

Science and technology

Main article: Asian Americans in science and technology

Aerospace and aviation

See also: List of Asian astronauts

• 1985: Ellison Onizuka becomes the first Asian-American in space, as an astronaut on the space shuttle Discovery.[60][61]

Mathematics

• 1982: Shing-Tung Yau becomes the first Asian-American to be awarded the Fields Medal.[62]

Nobel Prizes

• 1957: Chen-Ning Yang and Tsung-dao Lee become the first Asian-Americans to win any Nobel prize when they share the Nobel Prize in Physics.[63]

Sports

Main article: Asian Americans in sports

Baseball

• 1956: Bobby Balcena becomes the first Asian-American to play in Major League Baseball, playing two games for the Cincinnati Redlegs.[64]

Basketball

Asian American point guard Wataru Misaka broke basketball's color barrier as the first non-white player to play in the NBA in 1947.

• 1947: Wataru Misaka becomes the first Asian-American to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[7]
• 2008: Erik Spoelstra becomes the first Asian-American head coach of the National Basketball Association (for the Miami Heat). He is the first Asian-American head coach in any of the four major North American sports leagues.[65][66]
• 2019: Jeremy Lin becomes the first Asian-American NBA Champion.[67]

Figure skating

• 1985: Tiffany Chin becomes the first Asian-American U.S. Figure Skating national champion.[68]

Football (Gridiron football)

• 1927: Walter Achiu becomes the first Asian American to play in the National Football League when he plays for the now defunct Dayton Triangles of the NFL.[69]
• 1962: Roman Gabriel becomes the first Asian-American NFL quarterback.[70]

Olympics

• 1948: Victoria Manalo Draves wins gold in platform and springboard diving in the 1948 Olympics, becoming the first Asian-American to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympics.[71]

Tennis

• 1989: Michael Chang becomes the first Asian-American winner of a Grand Slam tennis tournament in men's singles, winning the French Open.

See also

• List of Asian Americans
• List of Asian American jurists
• List of Asian-American writers

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