SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The first flight lasted only 12 seconds. Who invented the machine that performed this first flight? Bonus points if you can name one of the forces that make flight possible.
The Wright Brothers
(Bonus: lift, thrust, gravity, and/or drag)
The wheel is one of the oldest inventions. If a wheel has a diameter of 10 inches, what is its circumference? (Use π ≈ 3.14; 2πr)
31.4 inches
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440. Before the printing press, how were books most commonly made?
Written by hand (by monks or scribes)
What invention, created by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, made it possible to mass produce books for the first time?
The printing press
Galileo improved the telescope in 1609 by inventing the reflecting telescope. Which field of science was revolutionized by the telescope?
Astronomy (also Navigation)
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and stands 330 meters tall. How many years ago was it built?
136 years ago (2025 − 1889)
The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney dramatically increased cotton production in the South. What tragic social consequence did this cause?
It increased the demand for enslaved people to pick the cotton
The word "telephone" comes from two Greek root words. What do "tele" and "phone" mean?
Tele = far/distant, phone = sound/voice
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. What form of energy carries your voice through a phone call?
Sound waves (converted to electrical signals)
A factory assembly line can produce 240 cars in an 8-hour shift. How many cars does it produce per hour?
30 cars per hour
The Industrial Revolution began in what country in the mid-1700s before spreading to the rest of the world?
Great Britain (England)
Samuel Morse developed Morse code to send messages over long distances. What invention used Morse code to send these messages?
The telegraph
Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the practical lightbulb. What form of energy does a lightbulb convert electricity into?
Light and heat
Samuel Morse invented Morse code in 1837. If a message has 5 words and each word averages 4 letters, how many total letters need to be encoded?
20 letters (5 × 4)
Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, but revolutionized how it was made. What manufacturing method did he popularize that made cars affordable for everyday people?
The moving assembly line
The invention of the internet changed communication forever. What does the acronym "WWW" stand for in a web address?
World Wide Web
Using material from cowpox spores, the first successful vaccine was developed in 1796 by Edward Jenner. What disease did this vaccine protect against?
Smallpox
The first steam engine could pump water at a rate of 12 gallons per minute. How many gallons would it pump in 2.5 hours?
1,800 gallons (12 × 150 minutes)
Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867 and later felt guilty about how it was used. What did he establish with his fortune to honor positive contributions to humanity?
The Nobel Prizes
When the printing press was invented, books became widely available for the first time. What major historical movement in Europe was fueled in part by the spread of new ideas through printed books?
The Renaissance (also accept: The Protestant Reformation)