Which came first? · Counterintuitive
Which came first: the smallpox vaccine or the death of Thomas Jefferson?
The smallpox vaccine came first, in 1798 (published). The death of Thomas Jefferson followed 28 years later, in 1826.
- First1798
The smallpox vaccine
medicine · publishedEdward Jenner published his smallpox vaccine in 1798; "vaccine" comes from the Latin word for cow.
- Second1826
The death of Thomas Jefferson
person · diesThomas Jefferson died on 4 July 1826, the same day as John Adams.
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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.