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Who was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations?
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Answer: Option C — Trygve Lie
Detailed Solution
Trygve Halvdan Lie (1896-1968), a Norwegian politician, was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served from 2 February 1946 until 10 November 1952. Before that, he had been Norway's foreign minister during the Second World War, when the Norwegian government was in exile in London.
During his term, the UN dealt with major crises such as the creation of Israel (1948), the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan (1947-48), and the Korean War (1950). His strong support for UN action in Korea angered the Soviet Union, which refused to recognise him. Facing this pressure, he resigned in 1952. He famously described the post of Secretary-General as "the most impossible job on this earth".
About the Secretary-General:
- The Secretary-General is the head of the UN Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the UN.
- They are appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council, for a five-year term that can be renewed.
- By an unwritten rule, they usually come from a country that is not one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
UN Secretaries-General so far:
- Trygve Lie (Norway), 1946-1952.
- Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), 1953-1961; he died in a plane crash in Africa and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously.
- U Thant (Burma/Myanmar), 1961-1971; the first Asian Secretary-General.
- Kurt Waldheim (Austria), 1972-1981.
- Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), 1982-1991.
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), 1992-1996; the first from Africa.
- Kofi Annan (Ghana), 1997-2006; Nobel Peace Prize 2001 (shared with the UN).
- Ban Ki-moon (South Korea), 2007-2016.
- António Guterres (Portugal), from 2017; his second term ends on 31 December 2026.
- No woman has yet held the post.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dag Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary-General.
- ✗U Thant was the third Secretary-General and the first from Asia.
- ✗Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General.
Quick tip
Remember: First UN Secretary-General = Trygve Lie (Norway, 1946-52); first Asian = U Thant (Burma); first African = Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt); current = António Guterres (from 2017).
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.