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Brainlag

Which came first?

Inventions, discoveries and landmarks, two at a time.

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How it works

Two inventions, discoveries, buildings, space launches or first performances: pick the one that came first, then watch both slide onto a timeline with their years. Starter keeps them centuries apart; Expert brings them within a few years. Put four in order is the hardest test. Play on your own, pass the device round two to eight players or teams, or host on one big screen.

  1. Choose who is playing: Solo, Pass the device, or Host screen.
  2. Choose Pick the earlier or Put four in order, and a level.
  3. Tap the one that came first, or press 1 or 2. In Put four in order, tap them earliest first; Undo takes the last one back.
  4. After each answer, the timeline shows both years.
  5. Missed pairs come back in later rounds until they stick.

Tips

  • Dates before 1500 are shown with c. (about): they are historians' best estimates.
  • An invention's year is when it was first made or shown to work, not when most people had one.
  • Building years are when building began or ended, so close pairs are never asked.

FAQ

Where do the dates come from?
From Wikidata, the open database behind Wikipedia, checked by a person. Where sources disagree by more than a few years, the item is left out. The years elements were discovered are checked against PubChem too.
Why are there no battles or wars?
The quiz sticks to things people made, found or performed, so it suits every age and nobody's history is a game.
Why BC and AD?
They are the labels most UK readers know. 2560 BC is about 4,600 years ago.
Are scores saved?
Solo best scores and pairs to revisit are saved in this browser on this device. Party games keep no scores after you leave.

Sources

  • DatesWikidata (CC0): the year each thing was invented, discovered, found, built, launched or first performed. Each one was checked by a person, and dates that sources disagree on by more than a few years are left out. Old dates are shown as c. (about).As of 21 October 2026
  • ElementsYears of discovery checked against PubChem (National Library of Medicine), public domain.As of 21 October 2026

Full credits are on the credits page.