DNA sequencing milestone Updated 2025-07-16
Most of these are going to be Whole-genome sequencing of some model organism:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_genome_sequencing#History lists them all. Basically th big "firsts" all happened in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Human Genome Project Updated 2025-07-16
As mentioned by Craig Venter in 100 Greatest Discoveries by the Discovery Channel (2004-2005), the main outcomes of the project were:
Important predecessors:
Human mtDNA Updated 2025-07-16
This was the first large part of the genome that was sequenced, in 1981: Cambridge Reference Sequence. Presumably they picked it because it is short and does not undergo crossover.
About 16.6 kbp:
TODO: many places say "exactly" 16,569, it seems that variable number tandem repeat are either rare or don't occur!