This inventions quiz looks at the bright ideas that changed everyday life, from paper and the printing press to the telephone, the steam engine, early flight and the World Wide Web. There are a few surprises too, including an Australian invention that flies on almost every plane. Each answer comes with a quick backstory on the inventor, the year and why it mattered.
Inventions rarely appear out of nowhere. Most build on earlier ideas, and many were developed by several people at once, which is why credit for a breakthrough is sometimes hotly debated. Patents became a way to settle those claims. The first US patent was issued on July 31, 1790, to Samuel Hopkins for a process for making potash, and it was signed by President George Washington. Abraham Lincoln is the only president to hold a patent, for a device to lift boats over shallow water.
Inventions trivia is fun because it connects everyday objects to the people and moments that created them. The things you use without a second thought, from light switches to the device you're reading this on, all started as someone's experiment, often after many failures.
When a question stumps you, think about timing. Ask what technology existed when an invention appeared and what problem it solved. Inventions tend to cluster around eras like the Industrial Revolution or the electronics boom of the 20th century, and certain countries and cities became hotbeds of innovation. Matching an invention to its era and place will often point you toward the right name.