Apple currently relies on relatively ancient Core 2 duo processors for the MacBook Air, apparently to maintain compatibility with the Nvidia graphics processor Apple favored for the current generation of the device.

FORBES: New MacBook Air Said To Be On The Way

Relatively new diseases like AIDS get most of the attention, but ancient killers once thought to be under control are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America: malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis (also known as dum-dum fever).

FORBES: A Cure for Neglect

Back in 2002, Agrawal and two of his graduate students attained hero status by solving a math problem that folks had been working on since the ancient Greeks: How to tell for sure if a number is prime relatively quickly, without having to check all possible factors of the number.

FORBES: Now, It's The Slow Roasting Of An HP Mathematician

The crater floor is made of relatively new volcanic rock, formed by lava flows that would have covered any evidence of ancient bodies of water.

CNN: Mars rovers working overtime

Relatively new countries, however vast, are unlikely to be credited with as many "firsts" as ancient civilizations like China or little ol' Europe, so Mr. Robertson has provided a separate listing for the first American example under most entries.

WSJ: Book Review: Robertson's Book of Firsts