Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: the Boston Tea Party or The Encyclopaedia Britannica?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica came first, in 1768 (first published). The Boston Tea Party followed 5 years later, in 1773.

  1. Second1773

    The Boston Tea Party

    event · happened

    Protesters dumped about 340 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in December 1773.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1768

    The Encyclopaedia Britannica

    book · first published

    The Encyclopaedia Britannica first came out in Edinburgh in 1768, sold in weekly parts.

    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.