Inventions Through the Ages Trivia Quiz

Answer: Otto Rohwedder

Otto Frederick Rohwedder (1880-1960) of Davenport, Iowa invented the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use. He built a prototype as early as 1912, but the machine was destroyed by a fire. It wasn't until 1928 that Rohwedder's invention was used by the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri to slice and sell uniform pieces of bread...leading to the saying "the greatest thing since sliced bread".
Gutenberg (died in 1468) was responsible for the printing press.
Rontgen or Roentgen (1845-1923) discovered X-rays.
Bunsen (1811-1899) discovered caesium and rubidium and the Bunsen burner.

Answer: The modern barcode

On October 20, 1949, Woodland and Silver applied for a patent for what they described as relating "to the art of article classification...through the medium of identifying patterns". In October 1952 their patent was granted, but the barcode was not commercialized until 1966.

In 1967, RCA installed the first scanning system at a Kroger store in Cincinnati, and the first product to use the device was Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

Answer: Percy Spencer

Did you know that the microwave oven was invented by accident? Percy Spencer (1894-1969) was a self-taught engineer who was working in a lab in 1945 testing magnetrons, i.e., high-powered vacuum tubes inside radars. The candy bar in his pocket melted, and the microwave was born.

In 1961 the "RadaRange" was produced, but it was as large as a refrigerator, took twenty minutes to warm up and was extremely expensive; it was a commercial failure. However, after several changes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 1997 over 90% of US households owned a microwave. Anderson - window wipers; Butts - Scrabble; Carlson - xerography.

Answer: Karl Benz

Karl Benz (1844-1929) was a German engineer who, in 1885, designed and built the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. In 1879 he received a patent for his engine; in 1886 Benz was granted a patent for his first automobile. Along with his wife, Bertha, Karl founded the automobile manufacturing company known as Mercedes-Benz. Contemporaries of Benz, i.e., Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, were working on similar inventions, but Benz got there first.

Answer: The potato chip or crisp

George Crum (@1832-1914) was a Native American/African American chef and restaurant owner at Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York. French fries were quite popular at the time but, in 1853, a patron complained that the fries were too thick and difficult to cut with a fork. Crum made a thinner batch but the customer was still dissatisfied.

In order to annoy the fussy consumer, Crum made a new batch which was too thin to eat with a fork and, voila, the potato chip (or crisp, in the UK) was born. The Bandaid creator was Earle Dickson. Richard Drew invented Scotch tape for 3M, and 11 year old Frank Epperson gave us the popsicle.

Answer: China

The compass, gunpowder, paper and printing (woodblock and movable type) are often called 'The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China". In addition to these world-changing inventions, the Chinese were known as the first makers of alcohol, dating back as early as the Xia Dynasty from 2000 BC to 1600 BC.

A Chinese monk and mathematician developed the mechanical clock during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Tea was first drunk around 2,737 BC; silk was used in clothing and paper as far back as 3,630 BC. Other inventions include smelting, porcelain, kites and umbrellas (right, Rihanna?).

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

Yes, it was that kite-flying statesman and inventor Ben Franklin (1706-1790) who is credited with the invention of bifocals ('a sight for sore eyes'). Although there is no actual proof that he invented these spectacles (with the upper half for distance and the lower half for reading), there is no doubt that he was the first to be seen wearing them. Franklin also started the first circulating library in 1731, and proposed the idea of daylight savings time in 1784.
Edison - light bulb; Tesla - alternating current electrical system; Goddard - the real rocket man.

Answer: Disposable diapers

Valerie Hunter-Gordon was a British homemaker who created 'Paddi', a two-part disposable diaper or nappy in 1947. It consisted of a disposable pad worn inside of an adjustable plastic garment with snaps. She was granted a patent in the UK in October 1949, and the product became commercially successful beginning in the 1950s, leading to the great war of Pampers vs. Huggies, several decades later.

It seems Hunter-Gordon came by her inventiveness naturally, in that her grandfather was Dr. Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, an electrical genius credited with bringing light to thousands with the creation of the country's first high-voltage power station.

Answer: Australia

The term 'selfie' meaning a photograph one takes of themselves was, contrary to popular opinion, not created by the Kardashians. The word 'selfie' was, in fact, listed as the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2013. The dictionary gives the word an Australian origin.

It's first known use was on September 13, 2002 by Nathan Hope when he used the term to describe a photograph of himself taken while he was drunk at a 21st birthday party. He had tripped and he described the injuries shown in the picture, while saying "And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie".

The first actual selfie is claimed by cameraman Lester Wisbrod in 1981.

Answer: Alan MacMasters

Alan MacMasters (1865-1927), a Scottish scientist and inventor, is credited with inventing the first electric bread toaster in 1893. The toaster was called 'The Eclipse' and involved passing electrical current through wires which heated and toasted the bread.

However, the hot iron used had a tendency to melt and the red-hot melted iron set nearby items on fire. After working out the kinks, and with the greater availability of electricity, the device was redesigned in the 1920s by Charles Strite, to become the modern toaster. James invented the 'Slinky' in 1943. Land developed the Polaroid camera (1937). Morgan created the gas mask and the traffic signal.