What Happened First?
24 questionsTest your sense of chronology. Which event came first? Put history in order.
Which happened first: the American Civil War or World War I?
The correct answer is A. American Civil War (1861–1865)
Which happened first: the fall of the Berlin Wall or the first moon landing?
The correct answer is C. First moon landing (1969)
Which happened first: the French Revolution or the American Revolution?
The correct answer is A. American Revolution (1775–1783)
Which happened first: the invention of the printing press or the discovery of America by Columbus?
The correct answer is C. Printing press (c. 1440s, Gutenberg)
Which happened first: World War I or World War II?
The correct answer is B. World War I (1914–1918)
Which happened first: the signing of the Declaration of Independence or the Boston Tea Party?
The correct answer is A. Boston Tea Party (1773)
Which happened first: the invention of the telephone or the invention of the light bulb?
The correct answer is D. Telephone (1876, Bell)
Which happened first: the Russian Revolution or the outbreak of World War I?
The correct answer is A. Outbreak of World War I (1914)
Which happened first: the Wright brothers' first powered flight or the first Model T Ford?
The correct answer is D. Wright brothers' flight (1903)
Which happened first: the end of apartheid in South Africa or the fall of the Soviet Union?
The correct answer is C. Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)
Which happened first: the first successful heart transplant or the first moon landing?
The correct answer is A. First heart transplant (1967, Barnard)
Which happened first: the sinking of the Titanic or the start of World War I?
The correct answer is B. Sinking of the Titanic (1912)
Which happened first: the invention of the radio or the invention of the airplane?
The correct answer is C. Radio (Marconi's wireless, 1890s)
Which happened first: women gaining the right to vote in the U.S. or the stock market crash of 1929?
The correct answer is D. Women's suffrage in the U.S. (1920)
Which happened first: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln or the end of the Civil War?
The correct answer is C. End of the Civil War (April 1865)
Which happened first: the building of the Great Wall of China or the founding of Rome?
The correct answer is A. Founding of Rome (traditionally 753 BCE)
Which happened first: the invention of the steam engine (practical) or the American Declaration of Independence?
The correct answer is C. Practical steam engine (James Watt, 1760s)
Which happened first: the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species or the American Civil War?
The correct answer is C. On the Origin of Species (1859)
Which happened first: the first transatlantic telegraph cable or the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S.?
The correct answer is A. First transatlantic telegraph (1858)
Which happened first: the invention of the telephone or the invention of the phonograph?
The correct answer is D. Telephone (1876)
Which happened first: the first Olympic Games of the modern era or the invention of the automobile (Benz)?
The correct answer is A. Benz Patent-Motorwagen (1886)
Which happened first: the Eiffel Tower being completed or the Statue of Liberty being dedicated?
The correct answer is D. Statue of Liberty dedicated (1886)
Which happened first: the first successful penicillin treatment or the attack on Pearl Harbor?
The correct answer is A. First successful penicillin treatment (1941)
Which happened first: the first email sent or the first Apollo moon landing?
The correct answer is B. First Apollo moon landing (1969)
More from History Quizzes
20th Century Events
Test your knowledge of major 20th century events. Wars, space race, and world-changing moments.
Ancient Civilizations
Test your knowledge of ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, and other early civilizations.
Industrial Revolution
Test your knowledge of the Industrial Revolution. Inventions, factories, and social change.