Which came first? · Tricky
Which came first: the birth of Alexander the Great or the Battle of Thermopylae?
The Battle of Thermopylae came first, in 480 BC (fought). The birth of Alexander the Great followed 124 years later, in 356 BC.
- Second356 BC
The birth of Alexander the Great
person · bornAlexander the Great was born in 356 BC and ruled an empire stretching to India by the age of 30.
- First480 BC
The Battle of Thermopylae
event · foughtAt Thermopylae in 480 BC, a small Greek force led by 300 Spartans held off the Persian army for days.
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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.