English Speaking Inventors Trivia Quiz

Answer: Canada

The garbage bag was invented by Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen in Winnipeg in 1950. The patent was bought by Union Carbide, who sold the bags under the name Glad. All of us who had the job of taking out the trash were "Glad" that they did, as the work of carrying heavy cans to the curb got a whole lot lighter, and there was nothing to bring back to the shed later that day.

Answer: United States

The paint roller was invented around 1940 in Toronto by Norman Breakey, but he died before being able to patent his invention and profit from it. The first paint roller patent was held by American Richard Croxton Adams. The question was who filed the first patent, not who was possibly the original inventor.

Answer: Canada

It was created in 1884 by Canadian pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson, who likened the consistency of his product to that of butter, lard or ointment. This invention eventually led to the invention of peanut butter.

Answer: Australia

Arthur James Arnot (1865-1946) patented the world's first electric drill on 20 August 1889 while working for the Union Electric Company in Melbourne. He designed it primarily to drill rock and to dig coal. He was born in Scotland and moved to Australia in 1889.

Answer: Canada

Many improvements have been made to the original system, but it was invented by a CBC Hockey Night In Canada producer by the name of George Retzlaff. Anyone claiming to have invented the process was simply making an improvement on the original. We have all benefited, whether it be sports, parades, and any event where multiple cameras are used.

Answer: United Kingdom

Edwin Beard Budding came up with the idea of using the force required to push the unit along with using gears to spin a cutting wheel. The machine needed an additional line in front to allow a second person to help move the cutter along. For larger areas, horses were used, and development proceeded through steam power to gas powered, to electric, batteries, and self propelled, multi-headed units for 100 acres of golf course. All to make grass look nice.

Answer: Canada

The first electric wheelchair was developed by one of Canada's most accomplished inventors, George Klein, in 1953. The Ontario-born inventor worked at the National Research Council from 1929-1969, where he developed the electric wheelchair, aircraft skis, the M29 Weasel army snowmobile/ATV, the microsurgical staple gun, the ZEEP (Zero Energy Experimental Pile) nuclear reactor, a scientific language for snow and other feats of mechanical engineering.

He was pulled out of retirement to consult on Canadarm, described by the Canadian Space Agency as "Canada's most famous robotic and technological achievement."

Answer: United Kingdom

Practically every light requires an on/off switch, but I am only dealing with the common garden variety house light. There are billions of these switches, with hundreds of improvements since the first one was patented by John Henry Holmes, a Quaker from Newcastle.

There were issues, like arcing, which cut its service life dramatically. That was overcome by John when he created "Quick Break Technology" which is still in use today. What it means is that the contacts are not slow to connect or disengage so as to not be close enough long enough to arc. Brilliant.

Answer: Canada

Anyone who knows anything about the history of basketball, knows basketball was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian. However, despite being born in Ontario and educated at McGill University, he didn't invent it in Canada. Rather, he invented the sport while working as a physical education instructor at a YMCA in Massachusetts in 1891.

He originally used peach baskets as a goal, but every score required an assistant to climb a ladder to remove the ball. To speed things up, he cut out the bottom of the basket.

He came up with the rulebook the following year. He eventually moved to Kansas, where he became the University of Kansas's first basketball coach. The game has progressed a long way from the original, non-contact game to where bumps and shoving are the norm.

Answer: Canada

In October 1920, Canadian Frederick Banting concluded that the research of others proved that insulin came from the "islets of Langerhans" in the pancreas. His work with his research assistant George Best, with the help of other specialists, created a product that was pure and safe. One of the first recipients was the daughter of the U.S. Secretary of State, Elizabeth Hughes, who received over 42,000 insulin shots in her lifetime.

In an effort to keep drug companies from monopolizing their discovery, Banting, Best, and their collaborators took out a patent which made millions, but not for them.

They sold it to the University of Toronto for $1.00. The money earned paid for more research. The arrangement was congratulated in 1923 as "a step forward in medical ethics", and again in the 2010-19 decade.

This is not what you see today.