Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: Italy or Moby-Dick?

Moby-Dick came first, in 1851 (published). Italy followed 10 years later, in 1861 (unified).

  1. Second1861

    Italy

    country · unified

    Italy became one kingdom in 1861; Rome only joined it in 1870.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1851

    Moby-Dick

    book · published

    Moby-Dick sold poorly when it came out in 1851.

    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.