Which came first? · Tricky
Which came first: the first transcontinental railroad or the light bulb?
The first transcontinental railroad came first, in 1869 (completed). The light bulb followed 10 years later, in 1879 (Edison's bulb).
- First1869
The first transcontinental railroad
landmark · completedThe first railroad across the United States was finished in 1869 with a golden spike.
- Second1879
The light bulb
invention · Edison's bulbEdison's first long-lasting carbon-filament bulb glowed for over 13 hours in October 1879.
More pairs that fool people
- Which came first: the light bulb or the discovery of the Rosetta Stone?
- Which came first: the first transcontinental railroad or the death of Jules Verne?
- Which came first: American Express or the first transcontinental railroad?
- Which came first: the first transcontinental railroad or Opel?
- Which came first: the light bulb or Tower Bridge?
- Which came first: Basketball or Heinz?
- Which came first: the Eiffel Tower or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas?
- Which came first: Radium or the Suez Canal?
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.