Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plenary address at the World Economic Forum Plenary in Davos will be the first by an Indian PM. Davos, however, has several firsts to its credit.The first Indian delegation at Davos was in 1986, led by then External Affairs Minister N D Tiwari.
In 1992, P V Narasimha Rao became the first Indian PM to participate in WEF, Davos. He would go on to represent India again in 1994 and remains the only Indian Head of Government to visit Davos twice.
The first time a sitting US President went to Davos was in 2000, when then President, Bill Clinton, in his last year as Head of State, took part in WEF. Prior to Clinton, Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush had addressed WEF via satellite.
China particpated for the first time at WEF in 1979 and since then, has never missed a summit. Incidentally, Deng Xiaoping, then paramount leader of China, declined to attend, sending a delegation instead. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the Opening Plenary address.
The idea for the reunification of Germany was first discussed at Davos by West Germany's Chancellor Helmut Kohl and East Germany's Prime Minister, Hans Modrow, with the former moving a proposal for the monetary union of the two countries within days, after WEF ended, on February 7. Eight months later, in October 1990, the two Germanys were united.
Nelson Mandela's first appearance outside South Africa was at WEF Davos, in 1992, alongside then South African President, F. W. de Klerk. The duo went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Pierre Werner, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, became the first Head of Government to be invited to WEF in 1972 - then known as the European Management Symposium. Werner is widely recognised as the father of the Euro, the single European currency.