Greatest British Inventions: Part Two Quiz / Test | Sci / Tech

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Sometimes an idea takes a long time to perfect. What did British scientist Harry Brearley develop in 1913 that had first been suggested almost a century before?

Answer: Mass-produced stainless steel

French metallurgist Pierre Berthier came up with the idea of a corrosion-resistant iron-chromium alloy in 1821. It was not until 1913 that Harry Brearley developed a way of mass-producing items.

Stainless steel went on to be used in a wide range of settings. It is prized for its resistance to corrosion, strength, and appearance. Stainless steel is an iron and chromium alloy. Other metals can be used with the iron, but the product must contain at least 10.5% chromium.

By the way, aluminium cricket bats have been produced and tried - and banned under international rules.

2. In 1856 the British scientist Henry Bessemer made a breakthrough that could probably be regarded as one of the most important of the Industrial Revolution. What did his 'Bessemer Process' achieve?

Answer: Turned pig iron into steel

Iron has long been known about and was important to the newly industrialising countries of the 19th Century. But steel is stronger and better.

For 200 years after Bessemer, steel has been the material to turn to for strength, reliability, and adaptability. It remains important, although newer products that are lighter and stronger are taking over, particularly in the aviation and automotive industries.

3. "Raining, yes it's raining These old blues are gaining..." Which Briton invented the waterproof coat that bears his name 200 years later?

Answer: Charles Mackintosh

Charles Mackintosh was a Scottish chemist who developed a way in 1823 of using rubber to make clothing waterproof. The rubber was placed inside the cloth in a process known as vulcanisation.

Incidentally, you would probably stay warm and dry in a Duffel coat. They were invented in 1850 by another Briton, John Partridge.

4. Before 1837, means of quick communication were few. What was it that Charles Wheatstone and William Cook demonstrated that was to change all that?

Answer: Telegraph system

Wheatstone and Cook created a five needle system in an electric machine. In that same decade in the USA, Samuel Morse developed his eponymous code that enabled intelligible signals to be sent.

5. As long ago as 450BC, the Aztecs were consuming chocolate products in South America. But it was not until 1847 that a Briton created the first chocolate bar as we know it. Who was he?

Answer: Joseph Fry

The company founded by Joseph Fry, J S Fry and Sons, created a way of mixing cocoa powder, sugar and cocoa to make the bars we know today.

For much of its history, chocolate was a drink. Then in 1828 a Dutch chemist found a way of making powdered chocolate and that set the path for solid chocolate. Fry discovered that he could make a mouldable chocolate paste by adding melted cacao butter back into powdered chocolate.

By 2019, the consumption of chocolate was worldwide. The sweetest-toothed country was Switzerland - home to many fine chocolates, of course. The top six chocolate-consuming countries were all in Europe, Russia was seventh and the USA eighth. While the Swiss were recorded as eating 8.8kg per person in 2019, the Chinese were way off the mark, consuming just 0.1kg.

All four people in the answers were noted for their involvement in chocolate manufacturing.

6. What invention by the Briton Captain George William Manby in 1819 can be seen to this day in schools, factories, and offices?

Answer: Portable fire extinguisher

Let us not forget Ambrose Godfrey. who produced the first fire extinguisher in 1723, but it did not really work.

Captain George William Manby, on the other hand, produced one that did work and could be carried from point to point where it would be needed. It comprised a 13.6-litre cylinder of potassium carbonate driven onto the flames by compressed air.

7. In 1934, a British inventor called Percy Shaw came up with an idea that was to become a life saver the world over. Knowing the answer might reflect well on you. What did he invent?

Answer: Cats' eyes on road

Shaw noticed that the eyes of a cat 'shone' when light hit them after dark. He came up with a small device that could be planted into roadways to mark off different lanes.

His inventions made Shaw a relatively wealthy man - and also benefitted the British Inland Revenue which taxed him heavily: reportedly he paid over 80 per cent income tax.

8. In 1967 the Briton John Shepard-Baron introduced the world to an innovation that was to revolutionise the world of finance, although bank tellers may have had mixed feelings. What was it?

Answer: Automated Teller Machine (ATM)

The Automated Teller Machine was first installed at a Barclay's Bank branch in London. Like some other inventions, ATM became widely used for all machines of the kind. It is a registered trademark of Barclay's Bank.

While these types of cash dispensers - often called 'Hole In The Wall Machines' - spread the world over, it was largely at the expense of living, breathing, human tellers. With the need for actually going into a bank reduced, the number of branches has dwindled.

9. If it was not for a British computer researcher, you would not be reading these words today. Who is credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web in 1990?

Answer: Tim Berners-Lee

Sir Tim Berners Lee, as he later became, was working as a consultant with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, when he developed HyperText Transfer Protocol to allow various scientists and researchers to communicate with each other through computers. The system came into operation in 1990.

Berners-Lee also developed the first web browser. He was later to say that he regretted introducing the two forward slashes (//) into web site addresses.

10. In 1830, the Briton Edwin Budding invented a new tool that was to take the back-breaking effort out of a domestic chore. What was it?

Answer: The lawnmower

Before Budding patented his lawnmower, grass was cut using scythes. (Or sheep, if you had a big lawn.)

The early lawnmowers needed human push power. They have come a long way since then, now mowers can be powered by battery, direct electric cables, and petrol engines. This quiz author has been left green with envy at a neighbour's robot mower that cuts the grass with no human intervention needed.

Meanwhile in Germany (at the time this quiz was written) using noisy power-driven lawnmowers on a Sunday was illegal. And a very sensible law too!

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Greatest British Inventions: Part Two Quiz

In this quiz we continue to look at the creations of British inventors that have changed our world.

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