Who Did That? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Invented Something

Benjamin Franklin lived in the 18th Century (1706-1790) and was much more than just an inventor. He had many accomplishments in his life, including being one of the drafters of the United States Declaration of Independence, and acting as an ambassador of the U.S. to other countries.

Franklin was also a scientist and inventor, and amongst his most famous inventions are the lightning rod, bifocal eyeglasses, swim fins, and the Franklin stove.

Answer: Invented Something

Alfred Nobel lived in the 19th Century (1833-1896) and is perhaps more famous for his legacy of establishing the Nobel Prize that recognizes "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind."

Nobel was a Swedish chemist and engineer who developed a safer and more stable alternative to nitroglycerin as an explosive... known as dynamite. He patented his invention in 1867.

Answer: Invented Something

Konrad Zuse lived in the 20th Century (1910-1995) and was a German engineer, scientist and inventor. He invented the first program-controlled computer in the 1930s (the Z1), and the first fully functional programmable computer in 1941. He also developed the first higher-level programming language, which he even used to design the first computer chess program.

Can you imagine how much change he saw in the world of computing before he passed away in 1995!

Answer: Wrote Symphonies

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in the 18th Century (1756-1791), and while he only lived to the age of 35, he was a very prolific composer and a renowned musician.

Mozart grew up in Austria as a child prodigy, performing for royal courts at the age of four, and even writing his first music at the age of five. He wrote for many styles of (Classical) music and for different instruments and ensembles, and that long list also included 41 symphonies.

Answer: Wrote Symphonies

Johannes Brahms lived in the 19th Century (1833-1897). He was a German by birth, but lived most of his life in Austria. Not only was he a great composer, but he was also a virtuoso pianist, and often premiered his own music.

Brahms composed during the Romantic period of Western classical music, and he wrote four symphonies along with many other works for orchestra and smaller chamber ensembles and solo instruments.

Answer: Wrote Symphonies

Aaron Copland lived in the 20th Century (1900-1990). He wrote around 100 works over his life, and his music was considered by many to be the "American sound." Throughout his life, music composition underwent many exploratory changes (Modernism), and Copland participated in that groundbreaking community.

Copland wrote three numbered symphonies, although he also had a few other works that alluded to being symphonic in nature (like "Dance Symphony" and "Symphony for Organ and Orchestra").

Answer: Led a Country

George Washington lived in the 18th Century (1732-1799). He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, leading as a military general before becoming the first President of the USA.

Hailing from Virginia, Washington first entered politics as a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses, serving from 1758 until 1775. During that time, he was also sent as a Delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress (1774-5) before taking on the job of the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

George Washington's term as President of the newly-formed United States of America lasted from 1789 until 1797.

Answer: Led a Country

Benito Juarez lived in the 19th Century (1806-1872). He was the first indigenous head of state in the Americas (post-colonial).

Juarez was born in Oaxaca as a member of the Zapotec indigenous peoples. Despite being raised in poverty, Juarez received a strong education and first took office with the Oaxaca city council in 1831. He became a lawyer and a judge before entering State politics, eventually becoming the Governor of Oaxaca. In 1858, he was elected as the 26th President of Mexico, where he served until his death in 1872.

Answer: Led a Country

Indira Gandhi lived in the 20th Century (1917-1984). She was India's third Prime Minister, and the first woman elected to the position.

Gandhi's father was Jawaharlal Nehru, who was India's FIRST Prime Minister. As his daughter, Gandhi was part of Nehru's staff during his tenure. In 1966, Gandhi was elected to the leadership of the Indian National Congress party, taking over the role of Prime Minister in the process. She stayed in the job for nearly 20 years over four terms until she was shot and killed by two of her bodyguards on October 31st, 1984.

Answer: Wrote a Famous Novel

Horace Walpole lived in the 18th Century (1717-1797). He was a writer, politician, and art historian, as well as being a member of the English nobility (the 4th Earl of Orford). He also happened to be the youngest son of England's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

Amongst Walpole's writings was his 1764 novel "The Castle of Otranto," which is considered to be the very first novel in the Gothic horror genre. In addition to this significant work, he also wrote many letters (published in 84 volumes) and his impact on the art world was recognized by the establishment of the Walpole Society in 1911 to promote the study of the history of British Art.

Answer: Wrote a Famous Novel

Louisa May Alcott lived in the 19th Century (1832-1888). She was born in Pennsylvania and grew up with the influence of family friends Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julia Ward Howe, and Margaret Fuller.

Alcott's most famous novel was her 1868 story "Little Women," along with the follow-up stories "Little Men" (1871) and "Jo's Boys" (1886) that completed the series. "Little Women" has been adapted many times for both stage and screen.

Answer: Wrote a Famous Novel

Roald Dahl lived in the 20th Century (1916-1990). He was not only a writer, but also a military man, becoming an ace fighter pilot during WWII, and rising to the rank of Acting Wing Commander.

Dahl wrote 19 novels, as well as many short stories, poems, and non-fiction writing. His most well-known works are those he wrote for children, including "James and the Giant Peach" (1961), "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (1964), and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (1970), to name just a few.

Answer: Was an Explorer

James Cook lived in the 18th Century (1728-1779). He began his life on the seas as a teenager, joining the British merchant navy and becoming a ship's captain before joining the Royal navy at the age of 26.

Cook made a name for himself during the Seven Years War, and earned the chance to lead his first expedition during the age of colonial exploration, which lasted from 1768 until 1771, reaching Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia in the course of sailing completely around the globe. His second expedition went from 1772 until 1775 as he sought proof of the existence of a great southern land (Antarctica). His last expedition (1776 to 1779) saw him map much of the coast of the Pacific Northwest before his journey ended prematurely in Hawaii, when he was killed in a clash with the native Hawaiians.

Answer: Was an Explorer

James Clark Ross lived in the 19th Century (1800-1862). His seafaring life began at a young age as he joined his uncle's ship as a 12-year-old boy, participating in the Napoleonic Wars.

Ross participated in many expeditions during his life, both in the Arctic searching for the Northwest Passage, and to the Antarctic as part of Admiral Perry's expeditions, and as the leader of his own. His efforts and accomplishments were rewarded by many locations bearing his name, from waterways to islands to a mountain, and even one of the moon's craters! His name is also attached to a species of seal and to a seagull.

Answer: Was an Explorer

Alan Shepard lived in the 20th Century (1923-1998). He was born in New Hampshire, and could trace his ancestry to the Mayflower, which arrived in the New World in 1620. Before joining NASA, Shepard served with the U.S. Navy during WWII, as a naval aviator.

Shepard was among the first group of men recruited to the newly formed NASA in 1959, and became the first American into space in 1961 (and the second person to do so, following Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union). Ten years later (in 1971), Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission, becoming the 5th man to walk on the moon.