"The little-known stories behind well-known inventions"

If it's July already, then it must be time for another invention quiz          By Paul Niemann

[JULY 6, 2006]  Every three months we bring you an invention quiz so you can test yourself on what you've learned in this column recently.

The answers are at the end. Grading is as follows: 9-10 correct = A; 8 correct = B; 7 correct = C; 6 or fewer correct = D; 5 or fewer correct = F.

Good luck, and no peeking!

1. The failed wallpaper cleaner that Noah McVicker and his dad, Joseph, reintroduced in 1951 as a kid's toy was:

1. Silly Putty
2. Crayola crayons
3. Play-Doh
4. None of the above

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2. The word "tarmac" comes from which foreign-born road builder and inventor?

1. Edward de Smedt
2. John Metcalfe, who was blind
3. John McAdam
4. None of the above

[Article]

3. Why was Elma Farnsworth known as the "Mother of Television?"

1. Because she was the first woman to appear on TV

2. Because her husband, Philo, was the person who invented TV

3. Both a. and b. above

4. None of the above

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4. The inventor who wrote the following winning entry to win a contest in 2000 for intentionally writing the worst opening sentence for a possible novel also invented which fad item?

"The heather-encrusted Headlands, veiled in fog as thick as smoke in a crowded pub, hunched precariously over the moors, their rocky elbows slipping off land's end, their bulbous, craggy noses thrust into the thick foam of the North Sea like bearded old men falling asleep in their pints."

1. The Wacky Wallwalker
2. The Impeachment card game
3. The Pet Rock
4. None of the above

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5. The inventor of intermittent windshield wipers is...

1. Ford Motor Company
2. General Motors
3. Robert Kearns
4. None of the above

[Article]

6. Stanley Weston invented G.I. Joe in 1964. Which toy company did he license it to?

1. Mattel
2. Parker Brothers
3. Hassenfeld Brothers Company
4. None of the above

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7. Helen Keller's family doctor referred the Kellers to a Scottish immigrant and inventor who taught speech to the deaf in Boston. Who was he?

1. John Baird, who was the first person to broadcast live images across the Atlantic Ocean
2. Elijah McCoy, for whom "the real McCoy" is named
3. Alexander Graham Bell
4. None of the above

[Article]

8. Bill Lear, who co-invented the world's first car radio and also designed the Lear jet and the eight-track tape player, was born in which Midwestern city?

1. Quincy, Ill.
2. Chicago, Ill.
3. Hannibal, Mo.
4. None of the above

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9. This is a fill-in-the-blank question. Jacques Cousteau invented scuba gear. What does the acronym SCUBA stand for?

_________________________________

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10. What is the significance of 18th-century inventors Francis Hopkinson and George Clymer?

1. They were both born in Europe.
2. They were both left-handed.
3. They both signed the Declaration of Independence.
4. None of the above

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Answers

1. c. Play-Doh; 2. c. John McAdam (this is where the word "tarmac" comes from); 3. c. Both a. and b. above; 4. c. The Pet Rock (the inventor's name is Gary Dahl); 5. c. Robert Kearns; 6. c. Hassenfeld Brothers Company, which later changed its name to Hasbro; 7. c. Alexander Graham Bell; 8. c. Hannibal, Mo.; 9. Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus; 10. c. They both signed the Declaration of Independence.

The correct answer to each question except No. 9 is "c."

[Paul Niemann]

Paul Niemann may be reached at [e-mail].

Copyright Paul Niemann 2006

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