Thinking Outside the Box Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lightbulb

Thomas Alva Edison filed over a thousand patents during the course of his lifetime. He is best known for inventing the lightbulb, the phonograph and an early movie camera. One of his famous quotes is "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration".

Answer: Telephone

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell moved to Canada with his family when he was in his early 20s. It was here in Ontario that he invented the telephone receiving a patent for his invention in 1876. He went on to co-found AT&T which at its peak was one of the world's largest telephone companies. Decibel, a unit of sound measurement, is named after him.

Answer: Dynamite

Swedish engineer and chemist, Alfred Nobel held over 300 patents. One of his most famous inventions is dynamite, a wide scale explosive. This invention earned him the unflattering sobriquet of "Merchant of Death". In an attempt to leave a more positive legacy, he bequeathed most of his wealth to establish the Nobel Prize.

These ended up becoming one of the most prestigious in the categories in which they are awarded.

Answer: Microwave

Percy Spencer was an American physicist. He noted the power of electromagnetic waves when he happened to stand in front of an active radar set and it caused a candy bar he had to melt. It led him to investigate this phenomena more closely and ultimately resulted in him inventing the microwave oven.

Answer: Air conditioner

Willis Carrier was an American engineer. In 1902, he created the first air conditioning system to help a New York publishing company tackle the impact of humidity on the papers and print quality. He continued to work on improving the system he created and was ultimately granted a US Patent in 1906.

Answer: Printing press

Johannes Gutenberg is credited with starting the Printing Revolution in Europe in the 15th century. He invented the first movable-type printing press. This laid the foundations for the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment by bringing books and education to the masses. The Gutenberg Bible was the first mass produced book using the new printing press.

Answer: Swivel chair

Thomas Jefferson is famous as the principal author of the American Declaration of Independence and the country's third president. What is less well known is that he was also a prolific inventor. The ubiquitous swivel office chair was created by Jefferson by modifying an English style Windsor chair.

Other inventions include a modified plow with an iron mould board for downhill plowing, a macaroni machine to make pasta, and an improved version of the dumbwaiter - a small elevator to carry food.

Answer: Video game console

Ralph Baer is known as the "Father of Video Games" for his contribution to this mode of entertainment. Born in Germany, he arrived in America along with his family during World War II. He qualified as an engineer and while working in this field, he first came up with the idea of playing games on a television screen.

This led to him developing the first prototype of a home video game console.

Answer: Radio

Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian electrical engineer. Born into an aristocratic family, he was homeschooled by a series of private tutors. He was later allowed to attend classes at the University of Bologna, through his association with Augusto Righi, a physicist at the university. Marconi eventually developed a wireless telegraph system that used radio-waves.

This invention became the radio, one of the key ways to spread information quickly to a vast segment of the population, before the television was developed. Marconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909, which he shared with Karl Ferdinand Braun, for his work on the radio (wireless telegraphy).

Answer: Airplane

Orville and Wilbur Wright owned a bicycle sale and repaid shop but their real interest lay in researching developments in flight and aeronautics. They keenly followed various inventions in gliders and unmanned aircrafts. This ultimately led them to build the world's first motor powered aircraft. Their first successful flight was tested at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina in the US.