Not On Your Nelly Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Before the Renaissance, spreading education and knowledge was a large problem. Books had to be written by hand and in many areas of the world, most of the knowledge was passed on orally. Which German inventor solved this problem c. 1440 by inventing the first printing press by movable type?

Answer: Johannes Gutenberg

The first printing press using movable type (instead of carved woodblocks) was set up c. 1440 in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg (1395-1468), who was born in Mainz, Germany. Later on Caxton introduced it in England in 1476. This invention made it possible to produce books in large numbers.

The Bible and many other religious and classical books were printed and made available all over Europe. It brought about a new awakening in Europe. A copy of the "Gutenberg Bible" is now a highly prized collector's item.

2. This scientist was the first to observe the moons orbiting Jupiter and the sunspots. He supported the idea that the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun, causing tides, day and night. He also challenged Aristotle, saying that objects fall with an equal acceleration independent of their mass. Who was this much disbelieved scientist?

Answer: Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian scientist who dwelled in physics, astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. Among the satellites of Jupiter, he discovered Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. He also invented the thermometer and described the properties of inertia. He had to face much opposition for his inventions and had to publicly admit that his teachings were wrong. He lost his eyesight in 1638 and had to spend his final days under house arrest. He has been called "The Father of Modern Science" by many individuals, Albert Einstein being one of them.

In 2009, Kim Stanley Robinson authored a science fiction novel entitled "Galileo's dream", which also gives us an insight into the life of this genius.

3. Before the discovery of anaesthetics, surgery on a conscious human being was a nightmare for everyone. Which doctor solved this problem in 1847 by discovering the anaesthetic properties of chloroform?

Answer: James Simpson

Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) is widely remembered in the field of medicine for being the first person to discover the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and putting it to general use. It replaced the earlier use of ether. He was born in Bathgate, West Lothian and was the youngest among the seven siblings.

He entered the Edinburgh University at the young age of 14 and later returned to the same university as the Professor of Midwifery (Obstetrics). He was also appointed physician to Queen Victoria.

The day of his funeral was declared a Scottish holiday, which extended up to banks and stock markets.

4. When this gentleman proposed the idea that microorganisms were responsible for various diseases, it was hard to believe him. However, he went on to develop vaccines for rabies and anthrax, proving to everyone that he was not a crazy scientist. Which French scientist am I referring to?

Answer: Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur, who lived from 1822 to 1895, studied both humanities and sciences. He was the Professor of Chemistry at Strasbourg. His microbiological research included experiments that demonstrated the involvement of micro-organisms in fermentation and the fact that bacteria causes milk to turn sour.

The common process of preserving milk, pasteurization, derives its name from him. He had a very famous quote, which, if translated in English states that "In the field of observation, chance favours only the prepared mind".

5. The discovery of the X-ray had most of the world's population in shock, as it was quite uncanny to see only the bones of the hand when the entire hand was photographed. Which German scientist discovered the X-ray?

Answer: Wilhelm Roentgen

Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923) is known most widely for having discovered X-rays, which made him the first person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1901). His education was completed in the University of Zurich, and he later served as a lecturer (1874) and a professor of physics (1876-1878) in the University of Strasbourg. His decision to join that University may have been influenced due to his Professor August Kundt.

Roentgen didn't patent his discoveries as he wanted the whole mankind to benefit from them. The house in which he was born in 1845 is now known as the Deutsches R�ntgen-Museum. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) honoured him in 2004 by naming the 111th element of the Periodic Table as roentgenium.

6. The invention of the telephone was shocking to many people who couldn't comprehend the fact that voices can be heard from an inanimate object. Which scientist brought this fascinating device to life, and patented it in the year 1876 for discovering an apparatus that could transmit voices or other sounds telegraphically?

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) made his first successful transmission of clear speech on March 10, 1876, when he called for his assistant Thomas Watson over the phone. Bell's first public demonstration of the device was at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in the year 1876.

The Brazilian Emperor, Pedro II was at the same exhibition and picked up the receiver on a thought, only to hear Bell reciting the famous quote of the "Hamlet", "To be, or not to be". In response to that shock he exclaimed, "My God, it talks!".

7. When the thermos flask was introduced in the year 1892, it was beyond the imagination of human beings that a hot/cold substance can be kept in that state for elongated periods of time. The alternative name of the thermos flask is derived from the name of its inventor. Which inventor was responsible for creating the thermos flask?

Answer: James Dewar

James Dewar (1842-1923) was a physicist and chemist from Scotland. He was the youngest among his siblings. Despite losing his parents at the young age of fifteen, this genius went on to the University of Edinburgh and in 1875 he became a professor at the Cambridge University.

His works on the liquefaction of gases and temperatures approaching absolute zero were commendable. He also dwelled in organic chemistry and discovered various formulas of benzene. It is humorous to note that he didn't propose the formula bicyclo[2.2.0]hexa-2,5-diene to represent the structure of benzene, yet it is sometimes known by the name "Dewar benzene".

8. In 1903, two brothers performed an experiment in Kitty Hawk which revolutionized the transport industry. It was hard to believe that the long standing dream of human beings to achieve flight was going to be reality. Which brothers am I referring to?

Answer: Wilbur and Orville Wright

Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948) used to run a bicycle shop and a printing press in Dayton, Ohio. This knowledge doubtless helped them in building their models for aeroplanes, although that interest most probably from the helicopter toys of their childhood.

Their experiments on aeronautics began in the year 1899. They needed an area with strong, regular winds and sand for soft landing of their plane, which made Kitty Hawk in North Carolina an ideal place for their experiments.

At 10:35 a.m. on December 1903, Orville Wright's flight in the "Flyer", which lasted for 12 seconds and reached a height of 120 feet above the ground, was the first flight in the human history by a heavier-than-air aircraft.

9. In 1915, a German scientist proposed the idea of Continental Drift, the super continent Pangaea and the super ocean Panthalassa. He went on to say that later the continent of Pangaea split into two halves, Laurasia and Gondwanaland, separated by the Tethys Sea. Although originally ridiculed by his fellow scientists, we know today that he was correct. What is his name?

Answer: Alfred Wegener

The scientists started to agree on Wegener's (1880-1930) theory only in the early 1950s as the newly discovered oceanographic data supported it. Wegener's idea of Continental Drift took shape when he realised that the shape of many landmasses and continents (most notably that of Africa and South America) seem to fit into each other like a jigsaw puzzle, and the fact that similar plant fossils were found in polar and equatorial regions.

In 1930, Tuzo Wilson of Toronto University first coined the term "Plate Tectonics", based on Wegener's idea.

10. In 25th July 1978, the research by two British scientists performed an unbelievable task; the in-vitro fertilisation method, developed by them, managed to give birth to the world's first test-tube baby. One of the developers of this technique was Dr. Patrick Steptoe. Who was the other one?

Answer: Robert Edwards

The world's first test-tube baby was named Louise Joy Brown. She weighed 2.608 kilograms on birth. Her sister, Natalie Joy Brown was also brought to life by the in-vitro fertilisation method and she holds the record for being the first test-tube baby in the world to give birth through a natural process. It should be noted that despite being called a "test-tube baby", Louise was actually fertilised in a Petri-dish.

Robert Edwards (1925-2013) received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for his works. Patrick Steptoe (1913-1988) missed out on the honours as the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.

Source: Author remote9

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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That is what the people must have thought when someone told them about these discoveries. They seemed unbelievable, yet existed. See if you can recognize the scientists who created them, and made our life a lot easier.

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