Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: the first jet plane or the discovery of the Terracotta Army?

The first jet plane came first, in 1939 (first flight). The discovery of the Terracotta Army followed about 35 years later, in c. 1974.

  1. First1939

    The first jet plane

    aircraft · first flight

    The first jet plane, the Heinkel He 178, flew in August 1939, only days before Germany invaded Poland.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. Secondc. 1974

    The discovery of the Terracotta Army

    discovery · found

    Farmers digging a well in 1974 found the Terracotta Army, made for China's first emperor.

    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.