Which came first? · Tricky

Which came first: the birth of Albert Einstein or the Smithsonian?

The Smithsonian came first, in 1846 (founded). The birth of Albert Einstein followed 33 years later, in 1879.

  1. Second1879

    The birth of Albert Einstein

    person · born

    Albert Einstein was born in Ulm in March 1879; his 1921 Nobel Prize was for the law of the photoelectric effect.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1846

    The Smithsonian

    museum · founded

    The Smithsonian was founded in 1846 with money British scientist James Smithson left to the United States.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

All which-came-first pairs · About Older Than You Think · Quiz games

Years from Wikidata, each checked against the item’s English Wikipedia article on 2026-10-18. A year stands for what its label says: a founding, a first patent, a premiere.