Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: Kongō Gumi, the oldest company or the Mongol Empire?

Kongō Gumi, the oldest company came first, in AD 578 (founded). The Mongol Empire followed 628 years later, in 1206 (founded).

  1. FirstAD 578

    Kongō Gumi, the oldest company

    company · founded

    Kongō Gumi was founded in 578 by a temple carpenter; the Kongō family ran it for over 1,400 years, until 2006.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. Second1206

    The Mongol Empire

    country · founded

    Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire in 1206.

    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.