Question 1

Flying disc history: Identify the year the Frisbee game/disc was introduced commercially.  Full question: When was the game Frisbee invented (commercial plastic disc popularization)?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Term: Frisbee (branded plastic flying disc). Concept / Approach Students tossed pie tins earlier, but the modern plastic disc took off when Wham-O marketed Walter Morrison's "Pluto Platter" and then branded it as the Frisbee in 1957. Option analysis 1957 — Correct; Wham-O's branded launch. 1948 — Morrison's early plastic prototypes (pre-Wham-O branding). 1966/1973 — Later milestones in disc sports, not the original commercial launch. Common pitfalls Confusing informal pie-tin tossing dates with the branded Frisbee product introduction. Final Answer 1957.

Question 2

Elevator history: Identify the year of the first passenger elevator installation.  Full question: When was the first elevator built (first passenger elevator put into service)?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Topic: Early elevator development and deployment. Concept / Timeline Elisha Otis famously demonstrated his safety elevator in 1853. The first passenger elevator installation entered service in the Haughwout Building, New York City, in 1857 — generally cited in GK as the first elevator "built" for regular use. Option analysis 1857 — Correct for first installed passenger elevator in regular service. 1853 — Public safety demonstration year, not the first installed passenger lift. 1880/1903 — Later advances (e.g., electric elevators), not the first installation. Final Answer 1857.

Question 3

Automotive history — bucket seat (1969): Identify the part-time race car driver credited with designing a bucket seat in 1969. Context: A Hollywood star and amateur racer filed a design for a motorsports-style bucket seat during that year. Choose th…

Accepted Answer

Given data The question asks who, as a part-time race car driver in 1969, is credited with a bucket seat design. Concept / Approach Trivia and patent-history sources commonly credit Steve McQueen with a 1969 bucket seat design (a design patent issued soon after). McQueen was both an actor and an amateur racer. Step-by-step reasoning • Among the listed names, only Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were well-known actor–racers.• The bucket seat design attribution for 1969 aligns with Steve McQueen rather than the others. Common pitfalls Confusing the broader invention of bucket seats (which predate 1969) with McQueen's specific design credited in that year. Final Answer Steve McQueen.

Question 4

Cosmology (general knowledge): Which physicist is commonly credited in quiz literature as being responsible for the Big Bang Theory? Note: Options include an answer often cited in GK even though multiple scientists contributed historically. Choose t…

Accepted Answer

Given data The prompt asks for the physicist credited (in common GK framing) with the Big Bang Theory. Concept / Approach While the modern hot Big Bang model draws on work by several scientists (notably Georges Lemaître), many GK sources credit George Gamow for developing and popularizing the theory and its nucleosynthesis implications. Step-by-step reasoning • Among the options, Gamow is the customary quiz answer.• Einstein did foundational relativity; Penrose worked on singularities; Michael Skube is not associated with cosmology. Common pitfalls Confusing historical origin (Lemaître) with the name typically expected in GK (Gamow). Final Answer George Gamow.

Question 5

Aviation and rotorcraft: What did Igor Sikorsky invent and pioneer in practical, modern form? Focus on his most famous contribution to powered flight technology. Choose the correct invention.

Accepted Answer

Given data We must identify Igor Sikorsky's key invention. Concept / Approach Igor Sikorsky is renowned for developing the practical helicopter, especially the single-main-rotor with tail-rotor layout (e.g., VS-300, R-4). Step-by-step reasoning Parachutes, jet engines, and rigid airships are associated with other inventors; Sikorsky's principal contribution is the helicopter. Final Answer Helicopter (practical single-rotor configuration).

Question 6

Toy and hobby history: Which toy was invented by Joshua Lionel Cowen around the year 1900? Consider his later company's signature product line in the U.S. Choose the correct toy.

Accepted Answer

Given data Identify the toy created by Joshua Lionel Cowen circa 1900. Concept / Approach Cowen founded Lionel and popularized electric toy trains, which became the company's hallmark products. Final Answer Electric toy trains.

Question 7

Telecommunications history: For what invention does the world owe Almon Strowger special thanks? Focus on his key contribution to automating telephone exchanges. Choose the correct description.

Accepted Answer

Given data We need Almon Strowger's core invention. Concept / Approach Strowger invented the automatic telephone exchange (the Strowger switch), replacing human operators and enabling direct dial telephony. Final Answer The automatic telephone exchange (Strowger switch).

Question 8

Medical history: Who invented the smallpox vaccine — the first successful vaccine in medical science? Identify the pioneering physician who developed vaccination using cowpox material. Choose the correct name.

Accepted Answer

Given data Select the inventor of the smallpox vaccine. Concept / Approach Edward Jenner pioneered vaccination in 1796 by using cowpox to confer immunity to smallpox. Why others are incorrect Pasteur: rabies vaccine; Koch: bacteriology (TB bacillus); Fleming: penicillin. Final Answer Edward Jenner.

Question 9

Benjamin Franklin — inventions: Which musical instrument did he invent among his many contributions? Context: The instrument uses glass bowls/discs and was popular in the 18th century. Choose the correct instrument.

Accepted Answer

Given data Name the musical instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin. Concept / Approach Franklin devised the glass harmonica (also called the armonica), employing rotating glass bowls to produce ethereal tones. Final Answer Glass harmonica (armonica).

Question 10

Amateur radio history: In which decade was the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) founded? Identify the decade of establishment based on the 1914 founding year. Choose the correct decade.

Accepted Answer

Given data ARRL was founded in 1914. Concept / Approach A founding year of 1914 falls in the 1910s decade. Step-by-step calculation Decade check: 1910–1919 → includes 1914 ⇒ answer is 1910s. Final Answer 1910s.

Question 11

Sound recording technology: Who invented the phonograph, the first device to record and reproduce sound? Focus on the inventor associated with the 1877 breakthrough. Choose the correct name.

Accepted Answer

Given data Select the inventor of the phonograph (1877). Concept / Approach Thomas A. Edison introduced the phonograph in 1877, enabling recording and playback of sound. Why others are incorrect Bell improved phonographs later; Berliner invented the gramophone (flat disc records); Marconi pioneered radio. Final Answer Thomas A. Edison.

Question 12

Vacuum tube era: In which decade were the first successful and vacuum tubes invented? Recall that the diode (Fleming) and triode (de Forest) appeared just a few years apart in the early 20th century. Choose the correct decade.

Accepted Answer

Given data The first successful diode vacuum tube (Fleming) and triode (de Forest) are being dated by decade. Concept / Approach Fleming's diode was demonstrated in 1904; Lee de Forest's triode (Audion) followed in 1906. Both events lie within the same decade. Step-by-step calculation Years 1904 and 1906 → fall in the 1900–1909 interval ⇒ decade = 1900s. Common pitfalls Confusing the triode's widespread commercialization (later) with the decade of first invention. Final Answer 1900s.

Question 13

Electric battery: Identify the inventor credited with creating the first true battery (voltaic pile).  Full question: The electric battery—who is credited with inventing it?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Target: Name the inventor of the first practical electric battery. Concept / Approach The first true battery was the voltaic pile, demonstrated by Alessandro Volta in 1800. It produced steady direct current from stacked pairs of dissimilar metals separated by electrolyte-soaked material. Why others are incorrect Luigi Galvani observed animal electricity; Faraday later explained electromagnetic induction; Ampère developed electrodynamics—none invented the first battery. Common pitfalls Confusing Galvani's bioelectric experiments with Volta's engineered chemical cell. Final Answer Alessandro Volta.

Question 14

George Pullman: Identify the invention most associated with his name in railway history.  Full question: What did George Pullman invent?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Person: George Pullman. Domain: Rail transport. Concept / Approach Pullman designed and popularized the luxury sleeping railway car, transforming long-distance passenger comfort and service in the late 19th century. Option notes Refrigerated cars were led by Gustavus Swift; the safety elevator by Elisha Otis; diesel-electrics emerged much later via multiple firms. Final Answer Sleeping railway car (Pullman car).

Question 15

Henry Bessemer: Identify his landmark metallurgical innovation.  Full question: What did Henry Bessemer invent?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Person: Henry Bessemer. Field: Metallurgy/industrial processes. Concept / Approach Bessemer introduced the Bessemer process—blowing air through molten iron to oxidize impurities—enabling large-scale, cheaper steel production. Option notes Open-hearth is Siemens–Martin; the spinning jenny is James Hargreaves; cotton gin is Eli Whitney. Final Answer Bessemer process (converter) for making steel.

Question 16

Jet engine: Identify the first person to patent a turbojet engine.  Full question: Who was the first person to patent the jet engine?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Focus: First patent for a turbojet engine. Reasoning Royal Air Force officer Frank Whittle filed and received a UK patent for a turbojet in 1930. Hans von Ohain independently developed a working turbojet later in Germany, but Whittle's was the first patent. Common pitfalls Conflating first patent (Whittle) with first flight of a jet-powered aircraft in Germany (Ohain's Heinkel He 178). Final Answer Frank Whittle.

Question 17

Breakfast cereal history: Identify who first made corn flakes.  Full question: CORN FLAKES — Who made them first?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Story & timeline In the 1890s at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, John Harvey Kellogg and his brother Will Keith Kellogg developed toasted corn flakes, which W. K. Kellogg later commercialized (Kellogg Company founded 1906). Why others are incorrect C. W. Post made competing cereals (e.g., Grape-Nuts). Nestlé/Post family were not originators of corn flakes. Final Answer The Kellogg brothers (John Harvey Kellogg and Will Keith Kellogg).

Question 18

Bifocal lenses: Identify the inventor popularly credited with their creation.  Full question: Who invented the bifocal lens?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Device: Bifocal spectacles (distance + near segments). Concept / Approach Benjamin Franklin is widely credited with inventing bifocals in the late 18th century to avoid switching between glasses for near and far vision. Final Answer Benjamin Franklin.

Question 19

Reflecting road studs (cat's eyes): Identify the real-world observation that inspired their invention.  Full question: What inspired the invention of reflecting road lights?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Background Inventor: Percy Shaw (UK), 1930s. Product: Reflecting road studs—popularly called cat's eyes. Concept / Approach Shaw reportedly got the idea after noticing how a cat's eyes reflected headlights, guiding his driving at night—leading to the retroreflective road-stud design. Final Answer The reflection from a cat's eyes in car headlights.

Question 20

Lawn mower: Identify the year of the first invention.  Full question: When was the first lawn mower invented?  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Device: Lawn mower. Reasoning Engineer Edwin Budding patented the first mechanical lawn mower in 1830 in England, adapting a cloth-shearing mechanism to cut grass with a rotating cylinder of blades. Final Answer 1830 (Edwin Budding, UK).

Inventions Questions