Did you know that Australians were actually the first in the world to:<br/> put wine in cardboard casks<br/> explore both the Arctic and Antarctic by air<br/> invent a portable pacemaker<br/> manufacture and market the one - piece bathing suit<br/> develop the wire - guided missile?<br/>Australians are among the most outstanding innovators on the planet, leading the world in achievements across many fields such as sport, the arts, medicine, transport and exploration.<br/>Before Arthur Conan Doyle, Australia's own Mary Fortune was the first female author of detective fiction and one of the most prolific crime writers of the nineteenth century.<br/>The glowing fire of Australian opals would have probably remained unknown to the world gem market if it hadn't been for Tullie C. Wollaston.<br/>Kay Cottee was the first woman to complete a single - handed non - stop circumnavigation of the world by sea, and long before the successes of Mark Webber there was Sir Jack Brabham, the first person to win a Formula One World Championship in a car that he designed himself.<br/>Great Australian World Firsts tells the stories of thirty remarkable Australians, many of whom are long overdue for recognition, and will delight and inspire with insights into unique human achievement.<br/>