Hand me a Kleenex Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aspirin

It was introduced to the market under the trademark AspirinŽ in the year 1899, but is actually acetylsalicylic acid.--from aspirin.com.

Answer: Band Aid

I guess we all know the story to this one. BAND-AIDŽ is a registered trademark of JOHNSON & JOHNSON and still remains the #1 adhesive bandage in America.

Answer: Escalator

Otis Elevator Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, is the world's largest manufacturer, installer, and servicer of elevators, escalators, moving walkways and other horizontal transportation systems.--from www.otis.com

Answer: Granola

According to foodreference.com, granola has a long history in the Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist churches. Ministers over the years advocated healthy living, and developed Graham Crackers, and a substance called Granula. One Adventist, Dr. Kellogg (yes, THAT Kellogg) developed a breakfast cereal called "Granula," but was sued by the copyright holder, so he changed the name to "Granola." While the cereal never became a success, the health foods his company developed were collectively said to contain granola, and the word stuck for any food that contained various ground grains and nuts.

Answer: Heroin

The Bayer Company in November 1898, "presented the drug to the Congress of German Naturalists and Physicians, claiming it was 10 times more effective as a cough medicine than codeine, but had only a tenth of its toxic effects. It was also more effective than morphine as a painkiller.

It was safe. It wasn't habit-forming." These claims were sincere, as the addictiveness of morphine and the tuberculosis epidemic had pharmacists scrambling for a non-addictive cough suppressant and painkiller. By 1902, however, reports were surfacing of heroin addicts, and in 1919, Bayer stopped making heroin altogether. For more on the fascinating history of this drug and the man that first manufactured it, go to http://opioids.com/heroin/heroinhistory.html

Answer: Jello

"In 1845, the industrialist, inventor and philanthropist Peter Cooper, of Tom Thumb engine and Cooper Union fame, obtained the first patent for a gelatin dessert....[however, it wasn't until] 1897 that Pearle B. Wait, a carpenter and cough medicine manufacturer from LeRoy, New York, developed a fruit-flavored version of Cooper's gelatin.

His wife, May Davis Wait, named it JELL-O."--from Jell-O.com

Answer: Linoleum

"Linoleum was invented in England in 1863 by Frederick Walton who coined the name linoleum from the Latin name, linum, which means flax, and oleum, which means oil."--from www.flaxcouncil.ca

Answer: Saran

According to dow.com (the manufacturers of Saran Wrap), "the unique molecular composition of Saran is like a complex maze--it is tough for most molecules to get into Saran, and those that do can't find their way out very easily." This makes it such a good protector for food! They also know many of their products have become eponyms, and have them listed by Dow Tradename AND by Generic Product Name.

Answer: Tabloid

According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, it comes "from tabloid journalism, from Tabloid, trademark for a drug or chemical in condensed form."

Answer: Zipper

The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language, "Registered in 1925, zipper was originally a B.F. Goodrich trademark for overshoes with fasteners. A Goodrich executive is said to have slid the fastener up and down on the boot and exclaimed, Zip 'er up, echoing the sound made by this clever device...[As zippers also came in vogue] B.F. Goodrich sued to protect its trademark but was allowed to retain proprietary rights only over Zipper Boots."