d.DodoHistoryCURIOSITY HAS A PLACE HERE
FREE PLAY · HISTORY HEAD-TO-HEAD

Which came first?
Connect the dates.

Two events, one decision. Look for historical connections, choose the earlier turning point and discover how both fit into the wider timeline.

How to play ↓
5 rounds · ChronologyNo accountNo timer
✦ Free guest play♧ Source-linked explanations◎ Keyboard alternatives↗ 10 dated events
YOUR LITTLE RITUAL

One small discovery. Every day.

Complete today’s globe challenge or daily mix. Every score counts. Your daily record stays on this device. Resets at 00:00 UTC.

Open today’s daily mix →
LOOK. THINK. DISCOVER.

How to play Which came first?

01

Compare the events

Read both descriptions. Look for evidence about the people, scientific developments or conservation history involved.

02

Choose the earlier one

Select either event, then lock the answer. The year is deliberately hidden until the reveal.

03

Connect the dates

See both documented years and follow their sources. Learn the sequence, not just which button was correct.

THE RULES, UP FRONT

How scoring works

Five pairs per expedition. Choosing the earlier event earns 1,000 points; choosing the later one earns zero. The current bank has distinct event years, so no tie answer is required. There is no timer.

MORE THAN A SCORE

What you’ll discover

Make connections between scientific publications, conservation laws and documented wildlife events. Distinguish a broad historical process from the particular dated milestone the question compares.

A few clues for your first game

  • Estimate a decade for each event before choosing.
  • Use one familiar event as an anchor when the other is unfamiliar.
  • Read both years after the reveal, even after a correct guess.
BEFORE YOUR FIRST DISCOVERY

Questions about this game

Do I have to type exact dates?

No. You only choose which event happened earlier. For exact-year estimation, try A moment in time.

Can two events have the same year?

The current reviewed event bank uses distinct years. If tied years are added later, the game will need an explicit tie option and revised rules.

Are these the same questions every time?

The bank contains ten events and 45 possible pairs. Seeded expeditions choose and order those pairs reproducibly; this is not yet an unlimited archive.

Ready to follow your curiosity?

5 rounds · Chronology. Free guest play, with no time pressure.

KEEP THE DISCOVERIES COMING
A moment in time

Read a natural-history dispatch. Find its year on the timeline.

Explore the game →The daily expedition

A shape, a species, a habitat and a journey through time. One shared daily set.

Explore the game →Find my world

Read the adaptations. Find the habitat where they make sense.

Explore the game →

Explore beyond the game

Continue with DodoHistory’s animal directory and free learning tools. Each existing tool has its own permanent page.

Animal directoryAnimal size comparisonDinosaur time overlap toolUnit converterAll games

Source-checked games · sources checked October 31, 2026; independent expert review not claimed. Finite question banks rotate and eventually repeat. Modern coastlines are navigation references, not ancient continental reconstructions. Read sources and play rules.

PLAY WITH CURIOSITY

The evidence behind the fun.

Eight game mechanics plus a daily remix. Every answer has an explanation and source. The 82 question records and country targets rotate and eventually repeat; they are source-checked on October 31, 2026, not independently expert reviewed.

Country shapes are generalized modern Natural Earth boundaries (public domain). Distances and directions in Shape of the world are to representative country coordinates, not border distances. Hot & cold Earth uses nearest accepted land boundaries with a 40 km tolerance. It is a geographic puzzle, not an animal range map.

Scoring: up to 1,000 per round. Shape and hot/cold: 1,000 on attempt one, then minus 150 per extra attempt, up to six guesses. Species: minus 200 per extra clue; a wrong committed answer gets zero. Year: 1,000 × exp(−absolute year error / 30), rounded. Habitat and chronology: 1,000 correct, zero otherwise. Memory: 5,000 minus 150 per move beyond five, floored at zero. All rules appear before committing.

Use touch, mouse or keyboard. Globe movement is optional; a 2D map, place selector and coordinate form are available. Reduced motion disables reveal movement. Sound is off; there are no autoplay effects or speed bonuses.

Challenge links reproduce the same question set and order on compatible game versions. They are local, unranked and not tamper-proof. Share the link to invite someone to play the same set on DodoHistory.

Natural Earth · Public domain · Representative country coordinates · mledoze/countries · ODbL 1.0 · Adapted coordinate data · Three.js · MIT. Photographs used here retain the individual licenses listed in each reveal; historical reconstructions are labeled.
YOUR PERSONAL FIELD NOTES

Little discoveries add up.

Saved only on this device. These are personal play records, not a global leaderboard.

Reset these saved games?

This clears the game library’s current expedition, personal records and shared daily streak on this device. It does not change the original globe game or your tools or animal collections.

Leave this expedition?

Your progress stays on this device when browser storage is available.