Which came first? · Counterintuitive
Which came first: the ballpoint pen or the first Nobel Prizes?
The ballpoint pen came first, in 1888 (first patent). The first Nobel Prizes followed 13 years later, in 1901 (first awarded).
- First1888
The ballpoint pen
invention · first patentJohn J. Loud patented a ballpoint pen in 1888 to mark leather; it was too rough for writing on paper.
- Second1901
The first Nobel Prizes
award · first awardedThe first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after Alfred Nobel died.
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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.