Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: Melbourne or the stethoscope?

The stethoscope came first, in 1816 (invented). Melbourne followed 19 years later, in 1835 (founded).

  1. Second1835

    Melbourne

    city · founded

    Melbourne was founded in 1835 by settlers from Tasmania and named in 1837 after the British prime minister, Viscount Melbourne.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. First1816

    The stethoscope

    invention · invented

    René Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816, starting with a tightly rolled tube of paper.

    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.