Scientists & Inventors Trivia

1. Who was the Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist known for his contributions to the fields of optics and mechanics, as well as his description of Saturn's rings?

From Quiz Dutch Scientists

Answer: Christiaan Huygens

Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was a prominent Dutch scientist and mathematician of the 17th century. He made significant contributions to various scientific disciplines, including mathematics, physics, and astronomy. Huygens is best known for his work in optics, where he developed the wave theory of light, proposing that light behaves as a wave rather than a particle. He also constructed the first accurate pendulum clock and discovered Saturn's moon, Titan. His work in mechanics included formulating the laws of motion and developing the concept of centrifugal force. His remarkable insights and discoveries played a crucial role in shaping our understanding of the natural world.

From Quiz German Grundlichkeit

Answer: Melitta Bentz

Melitta Bentz (née Amalie Auguste Melitta Liebscher, 1873-1950) was a housewife in the Dresden area. She desired to offer her family the best possible coffee, but she was not satisfied with the percolator nor with the early espresso machines, and using linen filters was not the solution either: these were too difficult to clean. So she experimented with some other materials, and came up with the paper coffee filter sachet. She patented her invention in 1908 and founded a company to produce these sachets. Despite some setbacks during both World Wars, the Melitta company thrived, and between 1908 and 1950 the net worth of the company fabulously grew. After Melitta's death, the company was run by her children and by their children afterwards. Frans Rombouts was a Flemish entrepreneur, founder of Rombouts Koffie company. Egbert Douwe was a Dutch grocer who founded the company Douwe Egberts, famous for its coffee brands. Henri Nestlé was a Swiss confectioner, one of the founders of the Nestlé group (with the Nescafé and Nespresso coffee brands).

From Quiz He Tested It On Himself

Answer: Stomach ulcers

Barry Marshall suspected that this bacteria was linked to stomach ulcers, but it would have been unethical to even ask to perform this test on another human. So Barry, being a man who did not suffer stomach ulcers, bypassed the ethics board by testing it on himself. He did indeed develop ulcers, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.

From Quiz Astounding Achievements in Engineering

Answer: Gustave Eiffel

Born in Dijon, France in 1832, Eiffel studied at the College of Art and Manufacturing in Paris. He specialized in metal construction. After a history of bridgework around Europe, he helped finish the Statue of Liberty in 1879. In 1887 he started building the Eiffel Tower for the upcoming Exposition in Paris in 1889. The Eiffel Tower has over 12,000 components and holds 2.5 million rivets. Amazingly, it was not only the biggest construction of its time but also handled wind pressure well. Eiffel studied meteorology until in his death in 1923.

From Quiz Playing with Fire

Answer: Chemist

Walker set up a pharmacy in his home town of Stockton-on-Tees. He had originally been taken on as an apprentice by the town's surgeon but found that he couldn't stomach the operations so he turned his hand to being a druggist. A sideline to the pharmacy was his manufacture of an explosive chemical for use in the percussion caps used in firearms. By accident he discovered that a concoction of antimony sulfide and potassium chlorate would ignite when rubbed on a rough surface. He then used his skills to incorporate a little sulphur to the mix, which would transfer that flame to a splinter of wood, and a little gum to hold it together to create the first match. He packaged them into little tins and sold them under the title of "Congreves" for the price of one shilling for fifty matches. Walker was not the first man to patent matches. That honour belongs to Samuel Jones who traded under the name of Lucifer matches but his lodgement of the patent came well after Walker's invention. Walker had been encouraged by a number of people to record a patent (among them Michael Faraday) but refused saying that this invention should be available to the people. Despite this he still managed to retire as a reasonably wealthy man. This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

From Quiz On the Shoulders of Giants

Answer: Christiaan Huygens

In spite of all his achievements, Christiaan Huygens isn't as well known as some of his contemporaries. Not only did he discover Titan and Saturn's rings, but he also invented the pendulum clock, wrote the first treatise on probability theory, and was the first person to propose the wave theory of light. Though Galileo was the first person to observe Saturn's rings, he did not see them clearly enough to know what they were.

From Quiz Left To Their Own Devices

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci

While all these men were left-handed, the great artist, sculptor and inventor who dreamed of parachutes and gliders (as well as helicopters and tanks) was da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci is most famous for his works as an artist, "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa" to name just two; but he spent quite a good amount of his time working on applications in the advancement of science and technology. Da Vinci left detailed sketches (enhanced by his artistic mastery) evidencing that he had envisioned many advances long before the technology to create the wonders actually existed. The first practical parachute is commonly associated with Sebastien Lenormand in 1783; but da Vinci actually conceived the idea of the parachute almost three hundred years earlier. Da Vinci made a sketch of his idea and described it thusly: "If a man have a tent made of linen of which the apertures (openings) have all been stopped up, and it be twelve braccia (about 23 feet) across and twelve in depth, he will be able to throw himself down from any great height without suffering any injury." As with most of da Vinci's designs, he was not able to build his parachute; however in 2000 Adrian Nichols constructed and tested a parachute of da Vinci's design. Despite the odds, da Vinci's design worked as intended and Nichols arrived safely on the ground, noting the design had a gentler ride than more modern parachutes. Da Vinci also designed a glider that showed a remarkable resemblance to the modern hang glider. Several "da Vinci" gliders have been built and though some minor adjustments in aerodynamics were needed the glider's worked using materials that were available to the 15th Century engineer. Speculation amongst scholars leads some to suggest that da Vinci built and tested his glider designs, but there is no credible scientific record to suggest this happened.

From Quiz Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Answer: Guglielmo

Guglielmo Marconi was born in Italy in 1874, the second son of his Italian and Irish parents. The airport in his home town Bologna is named after him, and is one of the busiest in the world.

From Quiz Something New

Answer: Tim Berners-Lee

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is an Oxford educated engineer who first proposed his idea for the World Wide Web in 1989 while he worked at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the many honours bestowed upon him, he was named "One of the 100 Great Minds of the Century" by 'Time' magazine in 1999 and subsequently knighted for his services to the global development of the internet by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.

From Quiz Interesting Times

Answer: Percy Spencer

In 1945, Percy Spencer was building magnetrons for radar sets for the company Raytheon. While he was working with them he noticed that the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. The radar had put off microwaves that melted the chocolate bar. After he realized what he had done he had some interesting times testing the microwave's power. He found out that if you boxed the waves in, the temperature of whatever was in the box would rise rapidly. He filed for a U.S. patent on October 8 and the microwave oven was tested in a Boston restaurant. A couple of years later the first ever microwave was built by Raytheon. It was 5' 11" and weighed 750 pounds and was sold for $5,000.

From Quiz I Wonder Who Invented That...

Answer: Mihalis Lazaridis

The well-known "BlackBerry" was invented by Turkish-Canadian Mihalis Lazaridis. One of the richest Canadians, he is also the co-CEO of "Research In Motion", a Canadian-based communications business which he co-owns and operates. Harry Potter is series of novels written by J.K Rowling. Abraham Gesner developed and patented a process for making kerosene, a substance which The Arabs are thought to have been using since the 9th century. Samuel McKeen invented the odometer.

From Quiz In the Realm of Nobel Laureates

Answer: Dr. Donald Glaser

Gerty and Carl Cori came from St. Louis, Missouri. They received half the award and the Board gave the other half to the Argentinean, Houssay. The Coris discovered how glycogen is catalytically converted.

From Quiz People of The Final Frontier

Answer: Extreme

Goddard was the first person in the world to launch a liquid-fueled rocket. He did this in 1926, but was so nervous about someone stealing his ideas that he did not even reveal this fact for 10 years! In his paper, "A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes", he was able to pen down just about all of the needed information on math and physical theory that the science of Rocketry would ever need.

From Quiz Down the Ladder: Scientists and Inventors

Answer: Seaborg

Among many other very significant contributions, Seaborg participated in the discovery of 9 more elements, including americium, berkelium, einsteinium, and seaborgium!

From Quiz Biographies of Chemists

Answer: Fritz Haber

Fritz Haber was born in 1868 in Prussia and won the Nobel Prize in Chemisty for the Born-Haber process in 1918.

From Quiz Innovations, Inventions and Other Novelties

Answer: they knew how to ride and fight on horseback during a battle

Elephants was what Hannibal used. As to the Hyksos they took control over the capital Memphis in Egypt in 1674 BC, and founded the fifteenth dynasty (1674-1567 BC). Practically nothing remains of their monuments, but the Hyksos came to have a lasting influence on Egyptian military technique, as horses and chariots were introduced. See i-cias.com e.o hyksos.htm

From Quiz Who?

Answer: John Flamsteed

King Charles II of England ordered the construction of the Greenwich Observatory in the 1670s. The first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, had to pay for his own equipment, however. There's always a catch.

From Quiz Pioneers in Medicine

Answer: Elizabeth Blackwell

Ms. Blackwell enrolled in Geneva College in Upstate New York and graduated at the top of her class. She was refused staff privileges at all hospitals. Thus, she set up her private practice in New York City and specialized in the care of women and children

From Quiz Dutch Scientists

Answer: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) was a Dutch scientist and is widely regarded as the "Father of Microbiology". He is best known for his groundbreaking work in developing and improving the microscope, which enabled him to make extraordinary observations of microorganisms. He documented his findings, describing and illustrating various microscopic organisms he observed in samples of water, bacteria, and other substances. His discoveries, including bacteria, sperm cells, and single-celled organisms, revolutionized the field of microscopy and laid the foundation for the study of microbiology. His observations and his ingenious microscope designs made significant contributions to our understanding of the microscopic world.

From Quiz He Tested It On Himself

Answer: A rocket sled

More accurately, the Americans wanted to know what the effects of sudden deceleration would be, such as when a pilot ejected from a fast moving plane. John Paul Stapp was strapped to a chair on a rocket sled. The sled was accelerated, and then run into water to quickly stop it. Stapp went multiple times, suffering greater injuries each time, including blackouts, concussions, broken bones, and nearly having his eyes fly out of his skull.

From Quiz Playing with Fire

Answer: Edward Craven Walker

While a patron in an English pub in the 1940s, Edward Craven Walker saw a device made from an egg-timer that inspired the lava lamp. It took him over a decade to develop the lamp as we know it. There is a secret mixture of substances in the glass but wax is a main part. When the lamp is off and cold, the substance in the bottom of the lamp is a solid, like a lump. Once the lamp is turned on and it heats, the lump begins to melt and expand. It floats to the top of the globe. As it goes higher and away from the heat it begins to cool and descend. This is a constant flow while the lamp is on. Walker was a naturist. Under the pseudonym Michael Keatering, he directed a naturist film that was the first for public release in the UK. The film was titled "Travelling Light" in 1959, when nudity was a no-no in Britain! This question was created by Phoenix Rising member jaknginger.

From Quiz On the Shoulders of Giants

Answer: Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur made a number of contributions to the prevention of disease and his discoveries provided evidence for the existence of germs. During his lifetime (1822-1895) the idea of germs being responsible for illness was still only a theory. Along with his vaccinations for rabies and anthrax, his methods of pasteurization and fermentation have improved the longevity and saved the lives of countless individuals.

From Quiz Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Answer: Height of the antenna transmitting the signal

Marconi's Law states that "for simple vertical sending and receiving antennas of equal height, the maximum working telegraphic distance varied as the square of the height of the antenna". H is the height of the antenna, and D is the distance, in metres, that the signal will reach. c is a constant and the larger the value of c, the greater the distance at which the radio transmission can be detected by a receiver.

From Quiz The Study of Life

Answer: Jacques Cousteau

Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) was one of the world's foremost authorities on oceanography. This French naval officer, photographer, and conservationist, who helped invent SCUBA, made numerous movies and wrote several novels. He co-authored "The Silent World" in 1953, which was made into an Academy Award-winning documentary film in 1956. Cousteau and his studies opened up the wonders of the undersea world to those on the terrestrial world, who were, by and large, ignorant of what was going on in the aquatic part of the planet.

From Quiz He Has High Hopes

Answer: Telephone

Born on 3rd March 1847, Alexander Graham Bell is most famously known as the inventor of the first practical telephone, although many ideas and inventions similar to the telephone had happened before. He controversially gained a patent for his work after he and another man, named Elisha Gray, sent an application for a patent at roughly the same time. On 10th March 1876, Bell made the first official telephone call to his assistant five miles away. The words he spoke were "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you". He passed away from complications from diabetes on 2nd August 1922. The hand-held mobile phone (or cell phone) was first demonstrated by Dr Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973.

From Quiz Something New

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

The world owes a great debt to Benjamin Franklin. He was a self-taught scientist, inventor, ambassador and stateman, and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. He died in 1790 at the age of 84 having lived a life that most of us could only dream about.

From Quiz Pioneers of Flight

Answer: His father Daedalus

Deiphobus was the brother of Paris and married Helen of Troy after he died. Daedalus, whose name means "Skillfully Wrought", built, among other things, the Labyrinth of King Minos of Crete. Daedalus was imprisoned so he could not reveal the secret of the Labyrinth so he fashioned wings of wax and feathers and escaped with his son Icarus. Minos searched for Daedalus by travelling from city to city and challenging people to run a thread through a spiral seashell. When he reached Camicus, where Daedalus was living, the King Cocalus called Daedalus. He tied the string to an ant which, lured by a drop of honey at one end, pulled the thread through. Minos then demanded Daedalus be handed over. Cocalus managed to convince Minos to take a bath first, where Cocalus' daughters, or in some versions Daedalus himself, poured boiling water on Minos and killed him.

From Quiz I Wonder Who Invented That...

Answer: Harry Coover

Harry Coover invented superglue, the glue that bonds instantly. The superglue was developed during the Vietnam War when it was used as a healing agent which prevented heavy bleeding and infections. In 2004, Harry Coover was inducted into the "National Inventors Hall of Fame". Some other famous inventors who gained induction include: Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) and Eli Whitney (cotton gin). Marion Donovan invented the disposable diaper. Richard Drew invented the scotch tape. Arthur Wayne invented the crossword puzzle.

From Quiz In the Realm of Nobel Laureates

Answer: Physics

The reporters at the press conference in 1960 for Dr. Donald Glaser, an American, enjoyed the fun. His trip to Stockholm had doubled for a honeymoon, and jesting reporters had enquired of Mrs. Glaser, "Did you know he was going to get the Nobel Prize - is that why you married him?"

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