Meet the Inventors: A to E Trivia Quiz

Answer: Adhesive tape

Drew was hired by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) to test sandpapers. In an effort to make sandpaper adhesive more affordable, he produced the first model of the scotch tape. Also, 3M went on to sell post-it notes in the 80's, thanks to pioneering and innovative minds like Richard Drew.

Answer: Air conditioner

Carrier was an electrical engineer who started out designing commercial heating systems. His invention evolved into modern cooling and climate control systems. Without it high-rise buildings, hospitals, and apartments would not be sustainable.

Answer: Broadcast radio

Fessenden took Marconi's radio and improved it. He believed that he could transmit human voices by continuously running carrier waves. Using his technology, David Sarnoff proposed an idea to Radio Corporation of America (RCA),
that turned radio into an entertainment medium in our society.

Answer: Blood bank

Drew first described blood preservation in his dissertation, "Banked Blood: A Study in Blood Preservation". He found a way to separate red blood cells from the plasma, hence, preserving blood longer. His invention saved the lives of thousands of World War II servicemen and servicewomen.

However, the term "blood bank" was coined by Bernard Fantus. The famous institution is the "Red Cross".

Answer: Compact disc

Russell's love for music inspired him to invent the Compact Disc (CD). He was frustrated with the limited audio quality of vinyl, as well as scratches and other damages. Eventually, the CD's larger storage capacity led to the demise of the floppy disk and cassette.

Answer: Cellular phone

Cooper was employed by Motorola, then a small presence in portable communications. In 1973, on a noisy Manhattan afternoon, he nonchalantly used the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to make a phone call. As of November 2007, the number of cell phone users were estimated to be 3.3 billion.

Answer: Dialysis machine

Kolff's first model consisted of at least 45 meters of sausage casing to contain and filter the patient's blood. The dialysis machine would filter blood through a semi-permeable membrane and purify it in a saline solution. He was a highly ethical person, as shown when he refused to patent his invention. Also, he spent more than twenty years championing issues such as prison reform and public education.

Answer: DNA profiling

Sir Alec was the first to notice that a tenth of a percent of our DNA was different. He came upon this realization whilst looking at an X-Ray of his laboratory technician's DNA. Since his invention, many rape and murder cases routinely used DNA profiling to identify the perpetrator.

Answer: Escalator

Jesse's first escalator was installed at Coney Island in 1896. It was approximately 2.1 meters tall and had around 75,000 visitors. Charles Seeberger coined the word escalator and the Otis Company modernized it.

Answer: Electric razor

Schick was very determined to promote his electric razor, as shown when he mortgaged his house to continue his work. The first electric razors sold for $25 and only 3,000 were produced. Schick believed that a person could live for 120 years by properly shaving everyday.