Which came first? · Tricky
Which came first: the light bulb or the discovery of the Rosetta Stone?
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone came first, in 1799. The light bulb followed 80 years later, in 1879 (Edison's bulb).
- Second1879
The light bulb
invention · Edison's bulbEdison's first long-lasting carbon-filament bulb glowed for over 13 hours in October 1879.
- First1799
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone
discovery · foundFrench soldiers found the Rosetta Stone in 1799; it became the key to reading hieroglyphs.
More pairs that fool people
- Which came first: Anne of Green Gables or the discovery of the Rosetta Stone?
- Which came first: the first transcontinental railroad or the light bulb?
- Which came first: the discovery of the Rosetta Stone or The Star-Spangled Banner?
- Which came first: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony or the discovery of the Rosetta Stone?
- Which came first: the light bulb or Tower Bridge?
- Which came first: On the Origin of Species or the platypus?
- Which came first: Moby-Dick or the platypus?
- Which came first: the end of the Holy Roman Empire or the platypus?
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.