Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: Bizet's Carmen or the safety pin?

The safety pin came first, in 1849 (patented). Bizet's Carmen followed 26 years later, in 1875 (premiered).

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  1. Second1875

    Bizet's Carmen

    music · premiered

    Bizet's opera Carmen premiered in 1875; Bizet died three months later.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1849

    The safety pin

    invention · patented

    Walter Hunt patented the safety pin in 1849 and sold the rights for $400.

    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.