Inventions and discovery: 45 trivia questions with sources
The set links household devices, communications, transport, medicine, materials, laboratory tools, computing, navigation, industrial processes, and the people who developed them.
45 questions · 13 easy, 17 medium, 15 hard · 45 with a source link
Suggested round splits
5 ways to break this category into rounds. The printed sheet keeps the whole list in one run, so split it while you plan rather than while you host.
Communication and recorded information
Printing, telegraphy, telephones, sound recording, typewriters, and the web.
Transport and navigation
Flight, compasses, elevators, chronometers, gyroscopes, traffic signals, and vehicle safety.
Medicine and laboratory work
Vaccination, imaging, antibiotics, pasteurization, burners, and gene editing.
Materials and manufacturing
Rubber, plastics, hook-and-loop fasteners, packaging, chips, fertilizers, and industrial chemistry.
Energy, forces, and measurement
Steam, solar cells, hydraulics, thermoses, seismographs, barometers, and radio technology.
All 45 questions with answers
45 carry a pinned source revision
Who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web?
Berners-LeeChecked against:
Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (born 8 June 1955), also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, HTML, the URL system, and HTTP.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee?oldid=1364264098Which invention lets people see distant objects in space?
A telescopeChecked against:
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescope?oldid=1352125963What household machine keeps food cold?
A refrigeratorChecked against:
A refrigerator, commonly shortened to fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so that its inside is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator?oldid=1362715767Which brothers built and flew the first successful powered airplane?
The Wright brothersChecked against:
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers?oldid=1363216710What did Alexander Graham Bell receive the first U.S. patent for in 1876?
The telephoneChecked against:
His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices, which eventually culminated in his being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell?oldid=1366001031Which invention uses a needle to show magnetic north?
CompassChecked against:
This type of compass uses a separate magnetized needle inside a rotating capsule, an orienting "box" or gate for aligning the needle with magnetic north, a transparent base containing map orienting lines, and a bezel (outer dial) marked in degrees or other units of angular measurement.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass?oldid=1362279305#DesignWhat machine did Johannes Gutenberg improve for mass-producing books?
Movable-type printing pressChecked against:
Johannes Gutenberg developed the movable-type printing press around 1440, combining four technologies that had each matured by the mid-fifteenth century: the screw press, movable type, the codex book format, and mechanized paper production.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press?oldid=1364130523#HistoryWhich device turns sunlight directly into electricity?
A solar cellChecked against:
A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by using the photovoltaic effect.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell?oldid=1361196839What technology was Percy Spencer’s microwave oven based on?
British radar technologyChecked against:
He based it on British radar technology which had been developed before and during World War II.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven?oldid=1365212135What did Louis Braille create for readers who are blind?
A tactile writing systemChecked against:
French: [bʁaj] ⓘ) is a tactile writing system used by blind or visually impaired people.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille?oldid=1363763862What process inscribes and recreates sound waves?
Sound recording and reproductionChecked against:
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction?oldid=1365449655What safety device inflates during a car crash?
An airbagChecked against:
An airbag or supplemental inflatable restraint is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag?oldid=1354934129Who demonstrated in 1796 that cowpox infection conferred immunity against smallpox?
Edward JennerChecked against:
In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox virus.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_vaccine?oldid=1362191119What did the first practical steam engines pump out of mines?
WaterChecked against:
In 1606 Jerónimo de Ayanz y Beaumont patented his invention of the first steam-powered water pump for draining mines.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_engine?oldid=1364866925Which office invention fastens papers with a small bent wire?
A paper clipChecked against:
A paper clip (or paperclip) is a tool used to hold sheets of paper together, usually made of steel wire bent to a looped shape (though some are covered in plastic).
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_clip?oldid=1356536849What is point-to-point distance communication by electric signals over wire?
Electrical telegraphyChecked against:
Electrical telegraphy is point-to-point distance communicating via sending electric signals over wire, a system primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_telegraph?oldid=1365702343What was Velcro inspired by in nature?
Burs of burdockChecked against:
He took a close look at the burs of burdock that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velcro?oldid=1365770566#HistoryWho produced and detected the radiation now known as X-rays?
Wilhelm Conrad RöntgenChecked against:
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923) was a German experimental physicist who produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays (known as Röntgen rays in many languages).
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_R%C3%B6ntgen?oldid=1358692749What did the invention of the bar code make faster at store checkouts?
Automate supermarket checkout systemsChecked against:
Barcodes became commercially successful after they were adopted to automate supermarket checkout systems, a task for which they have become almost universal.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode?oldid=1365928510Why was the safety elevator important to skyscrapers?
A safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable failsChecked against:
In 1853, he invented a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Otis?oldid=1365889810What links a keyboard, a ribbon, and a carriage return?
A typewriterChecked against:
Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectively against the paper with a type element.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter?oldid=1365428254How did penicillin first reveal itself to Alexander Fleming?
The mould killed the bacteriaChecked against:
In the contaminated plate the bacteria around the mould did not grow, while those farther away grew normally, meaning that the mould killed the bacteria.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_penicillin?oldid=1364421317#BackgroundWho invented the phonograph in 1877?
Thomas EdisonChecked against:
The phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison; Alexander Graham Bell 's Volta Laboratory made several improvements in the 1880s and introduced the graphophone, including the use of wax-coated cardboard cylinders and a cutting stylus that moved from side to side in a helical groove around the record.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph?oldid=1364939187What is the purpose of a seismograph?
A continuous record of ground motionChecked against:
Both types provide a continuous record of ground motion; this record distinguishes them from seismoscopes, which merely indicate that motion has occurred, perhaps with some simple measure of how large it was.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seismometer?oldid=1351431406#NomenclatureWhich engineer’s improved engine used a separate condenser to save fuel?
WattChecked against:
Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt?oldid=1364471942At sea, which navigation problem did the marine chronometer help sailors solve?
Calculating longitudeChecked against:
Until the mid-1750s, accurate navigation at sea out of sight of land was an unsolved problem due to the difficulty in calculating longitude.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_chronometer?oldid=1347030045#HistoryWhich material did Charles Goodyear make more useful through vulcanization?
RubberChecked against:
On 21 November 1843, British inventor, Thomas Hancock took out a patent for the vulcanization of rubber using sulfur, eight weeks before Charles Goodyear did the same in the US (30 January 1844).
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanization?oldid=1355226272#HistoryENIAC could electronically solve which broad class of problems?
A large class of numerical problemsChecked against:
ENIAC was Turing-complete and able to solve "a large class of numerical problems" through reprogramming.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC?oldid=1365289299Which physicist shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for discovering radioactivity?
Henri BecquerelChecked against:
Antoine Henri Becquerel (15 December 1852 – 25 August 1908) was a French experimental physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie for his discovery of radioactivity.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Becquerel?oldid=1361409560How does a gyroscope help a vehicle navigate?
Measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocityChecked against:
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος gŷros 'round' and σκοπέω skopéō 'to look') is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroscope?oldid=1360681379What was the original purpose of bubble wrap?
WallpaperChecked against:
Fielding and Chavannes sealed two shower curtains together, creating a smattering of air bubbles, which they originally tried to sell as wallpaper.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Wrap_(brand)?oldid=1272843340#HistoryWhich laboratory tool did Robert Bunsen help popularize for heating?
A Bunsen burnerChecked against:
A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunsen_burner?oldid=1310422827What makes the gap in a thermos slow heat transfer?
Partially evacuated of airChecked against:
The gap between the two flasks is partially evacuated of air, creating a near- vacuum which significantly reduces heat transfer by conduction or convection.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_flask?oldid=1356376168What kind of traffic signal did Garrett Morgan design?
A manually operated traffic signalChecked against:
Morgan designed a manually operated traffic signal with moving arms featuring "stop" and "go" signs, which could be placed on a post at traffic intersections.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrett_Morgan?oldid=1361168428#Traffic_signalWhat did Ada Lovelace describe for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine?
The algorithm in Note GChecked against:
Though Babbage's personal notes from 1837 to 1840 contain the first programs for the engine, the algorithm in Note G is often called the first published computer program.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace?oldid=1360639004#First_published_computer_programWhich process uses light to make detailed patterns on computer chips?
PhotolithographyChecked against:
Photolithography (also known as optical lithography) is a process that involves using light to transfer a pattern onto a photoresist layer deposited on a sample, typically a silicon wafer.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photolithography?oldid=1360556521What was the first synthetic plastic called?
BakeliteChecked against:
Bakelite (/ ˈ b eɪ k ə l aɪ t / BAY -kə-lyte) was the first plastic made from synthetic components.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite?oldid=1365791986Who developed the pasteurization process named after him?
Louis PasteurChecked against:
Pasteurization is named after French microbiologist Louis Pasteur, whose research in the 1860s demonstrated that thermal processing would deactivate unwanted microorganisms in wine.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization?oldid=1365836055What principle allows a hydraulic press to multiply force?
Pascal's principleChecked against:
Pascal's principle underlies the operation of the hydraulic press.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_law?oldid=1363145553#ApplicationsWhich invention did Hedy Lamarr co-design using frequency hopping?
A radio guidance system for Allied torpedoesChecked against:
At the beginning of World War II, along with composer George Antheil, Lamarr co-invented a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of radio jamming by the Axis powers.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr?oldid=1365774365How does a catalytic converter reduce harmful car exhaust?
By catalyzing a redox reactionChecked against:
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device which converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter?oldid=1365087910Which two inventors independently created the first AC commutator-free polyphase induction motors?
Galileo Ferraris and Nikola TeslaChecked against:
The first AC commutator-free polyphase induction motors were independently invented by Galileo Ferraris and Nikola Tesla, a working motor model having been demonstrated by the former in 1885 and by the latter in 1887.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_motor?oldid=1357672203#HistoryWhat does CRISPR-Cas9 allow scientists to change with high precision?
The genomes of living organismsChecked against:
CRISPR gene editing (/ ˈ k r ɪ s p ə r /; pronounced like "crisper"; an abbreviation for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats") is a genetic engineering technique in molecular biology by which the genomes of living organisms may be modified.
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR_gene_editing?oldid=1363447485Which device made by Evangelista Torricelli measures atmospheric pressure?
The barometerChecked against:
Evangelista Torricelli is usually credited with inventing the barometer in 1643, although the historian W. E. Knowles Middleton suggests the more likely date is 1644 (when Torricelli first reported his experiments; the 1643 date was only suggested after his death).
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer?oldid=1365704103#HistoryWhy did the Haber-Bosch process transform agriculture?
Increase the productivity of agricultural landChecked against:
In combination with advances in breeding, herbicides, and pesticides, these fertilizers have helped to increase the productivity of agricultural land:
Source: Wikipedia, pinned revisionPrint source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process?oldid=1352979226#Economic_and_environmental_aspects