Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: H&M or The Lord of the Rings?

H&M came first, in 1947 (founded). The Lord of the Rings followed about 7 years later, in c. 1954 (first volume published).

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  1. First1947

    H&M

    company · founded

    H&M opened its first shop in Sweden in 1947, selling only women's clothes.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. Secondc. 1954

    The Lord of the Rings

    book · first volume published

    The Lord of the Rings came out in three volumes in 1954 and 1955.

    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.