Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: the birth of Florence Nightingale or the planet Neptune?

The birth of Florence Nightingale came first, in 1820. The planet Neptune followed 26 years later, in 1846 (discovered).

  1. First1820

    The birth of Florence Nightingale

    person · born

    Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 in Florence, and named after the city.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. Second1846

    The planet Neptune

    planet · discovered

    Neptune was found in 1846 after mathematicians worked out where it had to be.

    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.