Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: the death of Beethoven or the stethoscope?

The stethoscope came first, in 1816 (invented). The death of Beethoven followed 11 years later, in 1827.

  1. Second1827

    The death of Beethoven

    person · dies

    Beethoven died in 1827, after composing some of his greatest works while deaf.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1816

    The stethoscope

    invention · invented

    René Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816, starting with a tightly rolled tube of paper.

    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.