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Quiz about Nobody Does It Better
Quiz about Nobody Does It Better

Nobody Does It Better Trivia Quiz


Who does it better than anyone else? Inventors, of course! So welcome to my quiz on inventors and inventions.

A multiple-choice quiz by heatherlois. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
heatherlois
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
339,725
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
436
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. In 1780 William Addis of England produced the first mass-produced toothbrush based on a prototype he developed whilst in jail. He died in 1808, a very rich man, and left the business to his eldest son. What name has his original company acquired? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What was invented, completely by accident, by Roy Plunkett in 1938? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 in Georgia, USA. What affliction did the inventor, Pemberton, have which eventually led him to the formula for Coca-Cola? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1938, chemist Franz Greiter invented one of the first sunscreens. Called Gletscher Crème, what sun factor (SPF) did this sunscreen have?

Answer: (A number between 1 and 20)
Question 5 of 10
5. Next time you're holding a cup of hot coffee in one hand and shopping bags in the other, take a moment to thank Swiss/American inventor Theophilus Van Kannel for his innovative invention. What do we have to thank him for exactly? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In 1937 "Esquire" magazine said this about this product: that it would exclude "The Possibility of Unintentional and Embarrassing Disarray." What was the "Esquire" article referring to exactly?

Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This very wealthy lady, Josephine Garis Cochran, apparently once exclaimed, "If nobody else is going to invent a ____, I'll do it myself!" She went on to invent this product, which won the highest award at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. What was it she invented?

Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. When British merchant Peter Durand patented the metal can in 1810, he overlooked the fact that there was nothing to open it with - and it would be another forty-odd years before someone invented a can opener?


Question 9 of 10
9. This poor man - Albert J Parkhouse, didn't make a cent from his hastily-made invention. Instead, his employer, based in Jackson, Michigan took out a patent on his idea and made a fortune. Thanks to Albert though, what can we now do? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. While this inventor was trying to search for ideal battery components, a colleague said to him: 'Isn't it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work you have done, you haven't been able to get any results?" The inventor smiled happily and replied, "Results? Why man, I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that won't work!" Who is the inventor in question? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1780 William Addis of England produced the first mass-produced toothbrush based on a prototype he developed whilst in jail. He died in 1808, a very rich man, and left the business to his eldest son. What name has his original company acquired?

Answer: Wisdom Toothbrushes

William Addis was jailed in 1770 for causing a riot. Whilst in jail he decided that the then current method for cleaning teeth (rubbing a rag with soot and salt onto the teeth) wasn't terribly efficient and so spent time creating a 'bristle' brush. He took a small animal bone and then put some holes in it.

After that he obtained some bristles, tied them into tufts and threaded the tufts through the holes. When he left jail he set up a manufacturing factory and started mass production of his invention.
2. What was invented, completely by accident, by Roy Plunkett in 1938?

Answer: Teflon

Teflon, or PTFE, was in fact, accidentally invented. The story goes that Mr Plunkett worked for Kinetic Chemicals in New Jersey. He was actually conducting an experiment to try and make a CFC refrigerant. When the container he was using acted differently to his expectations, he sawed it open to see what had happened.

Inside, he was surprised to find a waxy, white material which seemed particularly slippery; and suddenly, a way to cook without things sticking was born. (Not that Teflon or anything else is going to help my cooking very much - but thank you anyway, Mr Plunkett!)
3. Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 in Georgia, USA. What affliction did the inventor, Pemberton, have which eventually led him to the formula for Coca-Cola?

Answer: He was addicted to morphine

John Pemberton was wounded in the Battle of Columbia and, as a result of this, he became addicted to morphine. It was when he was searching for a cure for this addiction that he came up with French Wine Coca, which contained coca wines and the kola nut. Though this was successful, temperance legislation, which prohibited the use of alcohol, forced Pemberton to come up with a non-alcoholic version of his French Wine Coca.

This he did, blending a base syrup with carbonated water. Once it was made, he carried a jug down the street to the Jacobs pharmacy and asked them to taste it.

They did, pronounced it 'excellent' and promptly placed it on sale for 5 cents.
4. In 1938, chemist Franz Greiter invented one of the first sunscreens. Called Gletscher Crème, what sun factor (SPF) did this sunscreen have?

Answer: Two

Yep, believe it or not, the SPF factor was a mere 2! Maybe the sun wasn't as hot in 1938?
5. Next time you're holding a cup of hot coffee in one hand and shopping bags in the other, take a moment to thank Swiss/American inventor Theophilus Van Kannel for his innovative invention. What do we have to thank him for exactly?

Answer: The revolving door

Theophilus Van Kannel, born in 1841, invented the revolving door in 1888. He was awarded the John Scott Medal by Philadelphia for the 'usefulness' of his invention. A very worthy award IMHO.
6. In 1937 "Esquire" magazine said this about this product: that it would exclude "The Possibility of Unintentional and Embarrassing Disarray." What was the "Esquire" article referring to exactly?

Answer: A zipper

It is generally accepted that Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-American electrical engineer invented the modern day zipper. Interestingly, in the beginning, his zippers were only really used on boots and tobacco pouches - it took another twenty years before they caught on in the fashion industry and even then didn't achieve wide acceptance until WWII when they were used on trousers, skirts and dresses.
7. This very wealthy lady, Josephine Garis Cochran, apparently once exclaimed, "If nobody else is going to invent a ____, I'll do it myself!" She went on to invent this product, which won the highest award at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. What was it she invented?

Answer: A dishwasher

She invented the dishwasher (and I get down on my knees and thank her for that!). The story goes that the lady in question held lots of dinner parties, and had plenty of servants, however, she was disturbed at how many chips her dishes were receiving and how long it took to wash up.

She started by making a dishwasher for her household and before long friends were asking for them too. Hotels and restaurants began hearing about the new device, and the rest, as they say, is history....
8. When British merchant Peter Durand patented the metal can in 1810, he overlooked the fact that there was nothing to open it with - and it would be another forty-odd years before someone invented a can opener?

Answer: True

Whilst the can obviously revolutionised the preserving of foodstuffs, they certainly weren't easy to handle: the can itself often weighed more than the food within; some were made with lead seals which lead to lead poisoning, and the things required persistence and ingenuity to get open - in fact, the instructions on cans at one time read: 'Cut round the top near the outer edge with a chisel and hammer'! Frustrated soldiers even reportedly used their bayonettes to get cans open. Luckily, in the 1850's dedicated can openers hit the market and life all became a bit easier...
9. This poor man - Albert J Parkhouse, didn't make a cent from his hastily-made invention. Instead, his employer, based in Jackson, Michigan took out a patent on his idea and made a fortune. Thanks to Albert though, what can we now do?

Answer: Hang things up

Albert Parkhouse invented coat hangers. The story goes that he went into work and couldn't find a spare peg to hang his coat on. As he worked at the Timberlake Wire and Novelty company, he simply picked up two pieces of wire, bent them and then twisted a hook in the top.

Then he hung his coat on the wire proceeded into work. The company loved the idea, and took out the patent. (In those days, you could apparently take your employee's ideas as your own). Luckily, the laws protect us these days ...
10. While this inventor was trying to search for ideal battery components, a colleague said to him: 'Isn't it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work you have done, you haven't been able to get any results?" The inventor smiled happily and replied, "Results? Why man, I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that won't work!" Who is the inventor in question?

Answer: Thomas Edison

I love this quote because of Edison's attitude - he hadn't failed - he'd simply been successful in knowing what didn't work! Edison did crack the ideal battery formula in the end - after three years and nine thousand-odd experiments. Oh, and he held an astounding 1,093 patents. (Makes me feel I should get out there and invent something!)
Source: Author heatherlois

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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