Heroes of their time: 4 firsts in Eurovision Song Contest history

The Eurovision Song Contest has been entertaining audiences across Europe for more than 60 years.

The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in 1956. Since then, much has changed: many more countries taking part, new rules, new voting systems, bigger stages and more shows with two semi-finals.

This blog looks at some Eurovision Song Contest firsts, with stories from across the decades Eurovision has taken place.

Jetty Paerl: the first Eurovision singer

Dutch singer Jetty Paerl was the first singer on stage at the Eurovision Song Contest. When she stepped onto the stage, she probably didn't know the history she was making.

The Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 was a much smaller event than it is now. It was mainly a show for radio, though was filmed for those who owned televisions. Only 7 countries took part, compared to around 40 these days.

The Contest had come about as a way to improve and showcase new radio and telecommunications technologies. Inspired by the Italian San Remo song competition, the idea was that friendly competition between countries, broadcasters and artists would help to heal wounds and bring together a continent that just over a decade previously had been torn apart by war.

That war had played a large role in Jetty Paerl's life.

Born in 1921 in Amsterdam, by 1956, she was a popular singer. At the outbreak of World War II, she escaped to the United Kingdom where she volunteered with the Dutch army's Voluntary Women's Auxiliary Corps.

In London, she became involved with Radio Oranje, which broadcast news and entertainment shows from London to the Netherlands, then occupied by Nazi Germany. After the war, it emerged that many of her Jewish family in Amsterdam had not survived the war.

During her wartime broadcasts, she became known as 'Jetty from Radio Oranje', a name that stayed with her into the 1950s when she performed regularly on the radio.

Her Eurovision song De Vogels Van Holland ('The Birds of Holland') was written by Annie M.G. Schmidt, a well-known Dutch author. 

In 1956, each country sent two songs to the Contest. The singer of the second tune from the Netherlands was Corry Brokken. The following year, she went on to win the Contest, held in Frankfurt, with the song Net Als Toen.

Another difference in the 1956 Eurovision is that we only know the winner - the other positions were not announced. Switzerland took the prize - the song Refrain was sung by Lys Assia, the first Eurovision winner.

Anneke Grönloh: Eurovision's first Asian performer

Dutch singer Anneke Grönloh was the first Asian performer to take part in the Contest. Grönloh, who was born in Indonesia, moved to the Netherlands with her family after World War II. Her singing career started in the late 1950s, having won a talent competition.

She represented the Netherlands in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest. Her song Jij bent mijn leven ('You are my life') placed joint 10th with the Belgian entry.

Milly Scott: the first black performer in Eurovision

Two years later, Milly Scott was the first black singer to perform in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Milly Scott was born in 1933 in the Netherlands to a Surinamese family. By the 1960s, she had built a successful jazz career. In 1965, she had her own TV show which led to her taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest the following year.

She took part in the 1966 Contest in Luxembourg with her song Fernando en Filippo which placed 15th (out of 18 entries). 

Great Garlic Girls: Eurovision's first drag performer

Today, Eurovision is known for being celebrated by LGBTQ+ audiences. Through the 2000s and beyond, an increasing number of drag performers took part in Eurovision (including Slovenia in 2002, Denmark in 2007) with Conchita Wurst winning the Contest in 2014.

This was not always the case. The first drag performer on stage in Eurovision was in 1986. Jonny Nymoen, a performer from the troupe Great Garlic Girls, was a backing dancer for Norway's entry Romeo sung by Ketil Stokkan.