Which came first? · Counterintuitive

Which came first: Newton's Principia or St Petersburg?

Newton's Principia came first, in 1687 (published). St Petersburg followed 16 years later, in 1703 (founded).

  1. First1687

    Newton's Principia

    book · published

    Newton's Principia, with his laws of motion and gravity, was published in 1687.

    Checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata

  2. Second1703

    St Petersburg

    city · founded

    Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703 on marshland.

    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.