Unsung Heroes that time has forgotten: Part I Quiz

Answer: Alexander Parkes

Alexander Parkes (1813-1890) was an English metallurgist and inventor. In 1862 he developed Parkesine which was made from cellulose treated with nitric acid and a solvent. This became known as the first man-made plastic. In 2005 Alexander Parkes was inducted into the American Plastics Academy's Hall of Fame.

Answer: Clara Barton

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was a hospital nurse during the American Civil War (1861-1865). During a visit to Geneva, Switzerland in 1869 she was introduced to the Red Cross and Dr. Louis Appia, one of the original co-founders of the Red Cross. She began working on a project to introduce the Red Cross in the United States. Clara Barton became the first President of the American branch of the society in 1881.

Answer: Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) was an English chemist who developed an understanding of molecule structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. It was her work on the X-ray diffraction studies that led to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Some years later James Watson and Aaron Klug (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1982) both felt that Rosiland Franklin should have been shared the Nobel Prize of 1962 for her pioneering of DNA.

Answer: Alan Turing

Alan Turing (1912-1954) was an English computer scientist, mathematician, cryptanalysis and theoretical biologist. In 1936 he invented the Turing Machine which was a mathematical model of computations that defined an abstract machine. It was Turing's involvement at Bletchley Park during WWII that he provided the thinking that lead to the design of the machines that would break the codes of the German naval machine, the Enigma.

It is believed his work with others at Bletchley Park shortened the war by two years and saved millions of lives from further tragedy.

Answer: René Laennec

René Laennec (1781-1826) was a French physician. While working at the Hôpital Necker, a teaching hospital in Paris, he invented the stethoscope in 1816. He pioneered the use of the stethoscope in diagnosing various chest conditions. The original stethoscope used by Laennec was made of wood and brass.

It was quite different than the modern stethoscope that we know today but his method led the way for the use of the stethoscope in medicine.

Answer: Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement and in 1872 ran for President of the United States. Together with her sister they were the first women to run a brokerage firm on Wall Street. She was the candidate in 1872 for the Equal Rights Party.

She received no electoral votes in the 1872 election even though she had been unlawfully placed in prison during the elections.

Answer: Adolph Rickenbacker

Adolph Rickenbacker (1886-1976) was a Swiss-American electrical engineer. In 1932 together with George Beauchamp and Paul Barth they founded the National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker guitars. They produced the first cast aluminium versions of the lap steel guitar.

The instrument was officially known as the Rickenbacker Electro A-22 but was called by its nickname "the frying pan" because of the circular body and long neck.

Answer: Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was a Serbian-American inventor, futurist, electrical and mechanical engineer and physicist. It is through his work and contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system that he is best known.

His significant designs included the induction motor, rotating magnetic field, Tesla coil and the radio remote control vehicle (torpedo).

Answer: Ignaz Semmelweis

Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was a Hungarian physician. While working at the Vienna General Hospital in 1847, proposed the idea of washing hands in a chlorinated lime solution. His procedures cut the mortality rate down considerably in wards that were dealing with puerperal fever (known as childbed fever). His methods were the pioneer of antiseptic procedures.

Answer: Max Yasgur

Max Yasgur (1919-1973) was an American farmer who allowed his dairy farm in Bethel, New York to be used for the Woodstock Musical and Art Fair in August 1969. He faced numerous problems from neighbouring townspeople and farmers and had many threats to burn him out.

He rented a wet field for $10,000 because it did not produce the hay required for his stock. After the festival he was no longer welcome at the local stores but he never regretted his decision to go ahead with the festival. His property sustained considerable damage and he did receive a $50,000 pay-out to repair his farm and buildings.

He did not rent the property out in 1970 as asked, for he basically wanted to go back to being a dairy farmer.