A principle where people are served or given priority in the exact order they arrive or apply. The earliest person to request something gets it before anyone else.
This phrase originated in medieval England around the 14th century, initially used in contexts like mill operations where grain was ground in arrival order. It became widely adopted in commerce and public services as populations grew and fair distribution systems became necessary.
This seemingly simple phrase embodies one of humanity's most fundamental concepts of fairness - temporal priority. It's so universally understood that it appears in legal documents, business policies, and even computer science algorithms that manage resource allocation.
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