Papal Fun Facts

In honor of the new pope, whatever your views on him, here are some Papal Facts. There's nothing earth shattering here, just some items I found interesting.

Firsts:
First Pope:
St. Peter, d. ca. 64. The first disciple called by Jesus; he is also credited with writing two Letters that appear in the New Testament. The first pope to be martyred and the first pope to be named a saint.

First African Pope:
St. Victor I, 189-198

First Pope to Abdicate:
St. Pontian, 230-235

First German Pope:
Gregory V, 972-999

First French Pope:
Sylvester II, 999-1003

First English Pope:
Adrian IV, 1154-1159 (Only English Pope)

First Spanish Pope:
Callistus III, 1455-1458

First to Resign:
St. Silverius, 536-537

First Pope to be a monk:
St. Gregory I (the Great), 590-604

First to be Assassinated:
John VIII. 872-882.

First to be Overthrown:
Leo V, 903. He was overthrown after less than two months in office.

First to Canonize a Saint:
John XV, 985-996. (St. Ulric in 993)

First Layman Elected Pope:
Benedict VIII, 1012-1024

First to Approve Torture:
Innocent IV, 1243-1254. He was first pope to approve the use of torture in the Inquisition to obtain evidence of heresy.

First Doctor to be elected Pope:
John XXI, 1276-1277. (only medical doctor to be pope)

First to Reside in the Vatican Palace:
Nicholas, 1277-1280

First Modern Era Pope:
Leo XIII, 1878-1903

First to Use Radio for Addresses:
Pius XI, 1922-1939

First to Travel Around the World by Airplane:
Paul VI, 1963-1978

First to take a double name:
John Paul I, 1978


Lasts:
Last Pope to be a Martyr
St. Martin I, 649-655

Last non-Cardinal to be elected Pope:
Urban VI, 1378-1389

Last Monk to be elected pope:
Gregory XVI, 1831-1846.

Longest Pontificate:
Pius IX, 1846-1878. His thirty-one year pontificate is the longest in history. He called the First Vatican Council, which defined papal infallibility and supremacy.
*The American Civil War and Darwin publishes Origin of the Species during this pope's reign.

Shortest Pontificate:
Urban VII, 1590. He died of malaria, one week after his election.

Other Notables:
Sixtus IV, 1471-1484. He built the Sistine Chapel.
Leo X, 1513-1521. The Protestant Reformation began during Leo's pontificate.
Clement VII, 1523-1534. Clement is the pope who refused to grant King Henry VIII a divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Paul IV, 1555-1559. He is the pope who created the Index of Forbidden Books.
Gregory XIII, 1572-1585. He adopted the Gregorian calendar, which is still in use today.
Pius VI, 1775-1799. He denounced the French Revolution and was later imprisoned by Napoleon.


The Benedicts:
Benedict I, 575-579
St. Benedict II, 684-685
Benedict III, 855-858
Benedict IV, 900-903
Benedict V, 964-966. At one point, King Otto deported Benedict and reinstated the previous pope, Leo VIII.
*Poland is Christianized beginning in 966
Benedict VI, 973-974
Benedict VII, 974-983. He increased the frequency of "ad limina visits." That practice still continues today, each diocesan bishops meets personally with the pope to discuss the state of the diocese.
Benedict VIII, 1012-1024. He was the first of three laymen who were consecutively elected to the papacy.
Benedict IX, 1032-1044
* Benedict X
Blessed Benedict XI, 1303-1304
Benedict XII, 1335-1342
Benedict XIII, 1724-1730
Benedict XIV, 1740-1758. He is the author of the first papal encyclical, The Duties of Bishops.
Benedict XV, 1914-1922. He is remembered as a peacemaker both within the Church and among the countries who participated in World War I.
Benedict XVI, 2005-

*For whatever reason, my source does not list Benedict X.