Crisis Averted! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Adjustable alarm clock

In 1847, Antoine Redier patented the world's first alarm clock that was adjustable. Until then, mechanical alarm clocks only rang at certain times. In 1787, Levi Hutchins created an alarm clock that rang at 4:00AM; but it could not be programmed to go off at any other time of the day.

I will be forever grateful to Redier for allowing me to adjust my alarm clock to wake me up at different times on each day!

Answer: Briefs

I give thanks to Arthur Kneibler, who invented briefs in 1935. Briefs were first called "Jockey" by Coopers, Inc, who sold the first pair of briefs in Chicago in January of 1935.

Briefs are also often called "tighty-whiteys", and are known for the Y-shaped fly on the front. Briefs come in all sorts of patterns and colors, but the basic design still remains as how Arthur Kneibler made it.

Answer: Toothbrush

H. N. Wadsworth patented the toothbrush in 1857 in the United States, though the tool had been used long before that. Tooth-brushing devices had been found as early as 1600BC, and the first bristled brush was found in China from a time as early as circa 620.

The term "toothbrush" had not been used until 1690, however, though it wasn't until 1780 that William Addis mass-produced the bristled toothbrush in England. It took another 77 years before the toothbrush was actually patented, in 1857.

Answer: Bread-slicing machine

In 1912, Otto Frederick Rohwedder had a prototype for his bread-slicing invention, but it was destroyed in a fire. Fortunately, however, in 1928 he was able to perfect the device, allowing companies to pre-slice a loaf of bread before packaging it for sales. Two years later, in 1930, Wonder Bread became famous for selling their sliced bread worldwide. Many people are familiar with Wonder Bread's sliced bread; what they may not know is that it was only possible because of Rohwedder's wonderful bread-slicing invention.

Thanks to him, a crisis was averted, and I was not going to be late because of having to slice my own bread.

Answer: Carbonated water

John C. Pemberton invented the Coca-Cola formula way back in 1886, but carbonated water had been around for over a hundred years prior. It was in 1767 that Joseph Priestley discovered the process of infusing carbon dioxide into water, and noticed that it actually tasted good (whatever possessed him to try it I'm not so sure).

It wasn't much later that J. J. Schweppe used Priestley's idea to create carbonated mineral water. His company, Schweppes, was founded in 1783, and in 2013 still sells all sorts of carbonated beverages, including tonic water, the oldest carbonated beverage (created in 1771).

Answer: Toilet paper

Toilet paper has been around since the sixth century, though cleaning after answering nature's call has certainly been around a lot longer! Gayetty's toilet paper was invented in 1857, and advertised as a water closet necessity. In 1883, Seth Wheeler invented dispensers for toilet paper we know of today.

Answer: Disposable razor

Razors have dated back centuries; razor-like devices have been discovered from thousands of years ago. In 1880, the first safety razor was created. It may have minimized injuries, but this safety razor still needed to be stropped and honed (this sharpened the blade, and often had to be done by professionals).

It was in 1901, however, that King C. Gillette created the first disposable razor. This virtually removed the need for a barber at all when it came to removing facial hair. It was only thirty years later, in 1930, that the first electric razor was invented.

Answer: Benz Motorwagen

Karl Benz was given a patent in 1886 for what is widely considered the world's first automobile, the Benz Patent Motorwagen. The vehicle was made from 1886-1893. It was fairly expensive, however, and it was not until 1908 that Henry Ford created the first automobile that the middle class could actually afford. Fortunately for me, because of Karl Benz' automobile, and Henry Ford's mass production of this "horseless carriage", I was able to arrive to my appointment on time without having to walk 20 miles!

Answer: Granola bar

Fortunately for me, Stanley Mason created the granola bar for easy snacking while traveling. As one of his hundreds of inventions, I would humbly say the granola bar is his most convenient invention. The granola was invented in 1894, but it wasn't for nearly 100 years before the breakfast cereal became bar-shaped for easy eating. Though Mason is accepted as being the inventor of the granola bar, some like to argue that point. One man tried to prove himself as the inventor of the incredibly successful snack food by showing a blog entry from several years prior, in 1975, discussing the granola bar.

It may well be that this man had the idea of a bar, but Stanley Mason is still widely credited with having actually invented the easy breakfast-on-the-go.

Answer: Eyes

Gholam A. Peyman was granted the patent for LASIK in 1989. The device uses a laser and a microkeratome (invented much earlier in Bogota in the 1950s) to correct myopia and astigmatism and allowing patients to see much better than they could originally. The goal of LASIK is to remove the need for corrective lenses or contacts completely, improvising vision to perfect 20/20. Sometimes the vision can even be improved beyond perfect 20/20 vision. Some patients do not qualify for LASIK, however, and even those who successfully complete the surgery may need reading glasses in their later years. However, the benefits of LASIK can be life-changing and completely worth the reading glasses later on (at least, in my humble opinion).

And for those interested, LASIK stands for "Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis".