Inventions
Some everyday objects have surprisingly long histories. Guess the numbers behind inventions, then read how the question defines a milestone before debating who got there first.
50 available questions in English
Play this categoryIn what year did Alexander Graham Bell receive his famous US telephone patent?
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1876
In what year did Alexander Graham Bell receive his famous US telephone patent?
The patent of 1876 became central to the commercial story of the telephone.
In what year was Edison granted his first US phonograph patent?
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1878
In what year was Edison granted his first US phonograph patent?
The patent granted in 1878 covered a machine that could record and reproduce sound.
In what year did the Wright brothers make their powered flights at Kitty Hawk?
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1903
In what year did the Wright brothers make their powered flights at Kitty Hawk?
The flights of 1903 used a machine the brothers had developed through years of experiments.
In what year was Sputnik 1 launched?
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1957
In what year was Sputnik 1 launched?
The launch in 1957 put a radio beacon into orbit and opened the space age.
In what year was the point-contact transistor successfully demonstrated at Bell Labs?
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1947
In what year was the point-contact transistor successfully demonstrated at Bell Labs?
The demonstration in 1947 helped open a path from bulky valves to compact electronics.
In what year did Ray Tomlinson send his early network email using the at sign?
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1971
In what year did Ray Tomlinson send his early network email using the at sign?
Tomlinson’s work in 1971 gave the at sign a new job separating user and host.
In what year did Tim Berners-Lee submit his original Web proposal at CERN?
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1989
In what year did Tim Berners-Lee submit his original Web proposal at CERN?
The proposal of 1989 aimed to connect information that was scattered across different systems.
In what year did Apple unveil the original iPhone?
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2007
In what year did Apple unveil the original iPhone?
The unveiling in 2007 put a large touch interface at the center of a phone’s design.
In what year did Apple launch the original Macintosh?
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1984
In what year did Apple launch the original Macintosh?
The Macintosh of 1984 brought a mouse-driven graphical interface to a much wider audience.
In what year was the original Kodak camera introduced?
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1888
In what year was the original Kodak camera introduced?
The camera introduced in 1888 made taking pictures simpler by shifting processing work away from users.
In what year did Sony release the original Walkman in Japan?
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1979
In what year did Sony release the original Walkman in Japan?
The player released in 1979 helped turn recorded music into something people carried through daily life.
In what year did commercial audio CDs and compatible players launch in Japan?
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1982
In what year did commercial audio CDs and compatible players launch in Japan?
The launch in 1982 brought digital music into a new physical format.
In what year did DVD players and discs launch commercially in Japan?
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1996
In what year did DVD players and discs launch commercially in Japan?
The launch in 1996 began a shift from rewinding tapes to choosing scenes from a menu.
In what year did IBM introduce its original Personal Computer?
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1981
In what year did IBM introduce its original Personal Computer?
The computer introduced in 1981 helped establish a widely copied personal-computing platform.
In what year was ENIAC publicly unveiled?
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1946
In what year was ENIAC publicly unveiled?
The public unveiling in 1946 revealed a room-sized electronic machine for rapid calculation.
In what year did Ford introduce the Model T?
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1908
In what year did Ford introduce the Model T?
The car introduced in 1908 became closely associated with affordable mass motoring.
How many vacuum tubes did ENIAC contain?
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17,468
How many vacuum tubes did ENIAC contain?
Its 17,468 vacuum tubes made electronic calculation possible on a room-filling scale.
How many words of fixed memory did the Block II Apollo Guidance Computer have?
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36,864
How many words of fixed memory did the Block II Apollo Guidance Computer have?
The 36,864 words of fixed memory held programs woven into core-rope hardware.
What is the diameter of a standard full-size CD, in millimeters?
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120 mm
What is the diameter of a standard full-size CD, in millimeters?
The 120 mm-millimeter disc became a familiar shape in music, software and home computing.
How many exposures came preloaded in the original Kodak camera introduced in 1888?
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100
How many exposures came preloaded in the original Kodak camera introduced in 1888?
After the 100 exposures, owners sent the whole camera away for processing and reloading.
How many bits are used for each channel sample on a standard audio CD?
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16
How many bits are used for each channel sample on a standard audio CD?
The 16 bits per sample encode many possible levels for the sound wave.
How many audio channels does a standard stereo audio CD use?
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2
How many audio channels does a standard stereo audio CD use?
The 2 channels let recordings place sounds between the left and right speakers.
How many samples does each audio CD channel contain for each second of sound?
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44,100
How many samples does each audio CD channel contain for each second of sound?
The 44,100 samples per second capture changes too quick for human eyes to follow.
How many buttons were on the mouse in Douglas Engelbart’s 1968 public demonstration?
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3
How many buttons were on the mouse in Douglas Engelbart’s 1968 public demonstration?
The 3-button mouse was part of a demonstration that also showed collaborative computing.
How many pixels are in the original monochrome Game Boy screen?
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23,040
How many pixels are in the original monochrome Game Boy screen?
Its 23,040 pixels carried entire adventures in a pocket-sized screen.
How many shades could the original monochrome Game Boy display?
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4
How many shades could the original monochrome Game Boy display?
Artists used only 4 shades to suggest depth, texture and movement.
How many lettered action buttons are on the original rectangular NES controller?
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2
How many lettered action buttons are on the original rectangular NES controller?
The 2 lettered buttons gave designers a compact vocabulary for many kinds of action.
How many exterior faces does a standard Rubik’s Cube have?
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6
How many exterior faces does a standard Rubik’s Cube have?
Its 6 faces share edge and corner pieces, so every turn affects several colors.
How many movable encryption rotors did the military Enigma I use at once?
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3
How many movable encryption rotors did the military Enigma I use at once?
The 3 moving rotors changed the electrical path as an operator typed.
How many colored square facelets cover a standard Rubik’s Cube?
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54
How many colored square facelets cover a standard Rubik’s Cube?
The 54 colored squares look independent, but many move together on shared pieces.
How many keys are on a conventional phone dialing keypad, including star and hash?
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12
How many keys are on a conventional phone dialing keypad, including star and hash?
The 12 keys combine digits with symbols that opened up automated phone services.
How many letter keys are in the top alphabetic row of a standard US QWERTY keyboard?
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10
How many letter keys are in the top alphabetic row of a standard US QWERTY keyboard?
The 10 letters in that row begin with the sequence that gives QWERTY its name.
How many process ink colors does conventional CMYK printing use?
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4
How many process ink colors does conventional CMYK printing use?
The 4 process inks combine in tiny dots to create the impression of many more colors.
How many basic signal lengths does International Morse code use?
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2
How many basic signal lengths does International Morse code use?
Just 2 signal lengths build an alphabet that can travel as sound, light or radio.
How many keys are in the conventional full-size US ANSI Windows keyboard layout?
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104
How many keys are in the conventional full-size US ANSI Windows keyboard layout?
The 104-key layout includes a numeric keypad and dedicated navigation keys.
How many lettered action buttons were on the original Sega Mega Drive controller?
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3
How many lettered action buttons were on the original Sega Mega Drive controller?
The original 3 lettered buttons became closely associated with the console’s game design.
How many contact positions does a fully specified USB Type-C connector have?
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24
How many contact positions does a fully specified USB Type-C connector have?
The 24 contact positions help support a reversible design and several signal roles.
How many blades did each wooden propeller of the Wright Flyer flown in 1903 have?
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2
How many blades did each wooden propeller of the Wright Flyer flown in 1903 have?
Each propeller had 2 blades shaped through the brothers’ experiments with airflow.
How many frames are projected each second at the conventional sound-film cinema rate?
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24
How many frames are projected each second at the conventional sound-film cinema rate?
The 24 frames each second create smooth-enough motion from a stream of still pictures.
How many separate viewpoint images does a conventional stereoscope combine?
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2
How many separate viewpoint images does a conventional stereoscope combine?
The 2 images imitate the slightly different views received by our eyes.
How many spatial axes does a conventional Cartesian printer use to build solid objects?
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3
How many spatial axes does a conventional Cartesian printer use to build solid objects?
The 3 axes move the tool and object through width, depth and height.
What minimum number of satellites gives a standard GPS fix with position and clock offset?
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4
What minimum number of satellites gives a standard GPS fix with position and clock offset?
The 4 satellite signals allow the receiver to solve its clock error along with its location.
How long is a geostationary satellite’s orbit, rounded to the nearest minute?
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1,436 min
How long is a geostationary satellite’s orbit, rounded to the nearest minute?
The roughly 1,436 min-minute orbit keeps the satellite above the same equatorial longitude.
How long was Sputnik 1’s initial orbit, rounded to the nearest minute?
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96 min
How long was Sputnik 1’s initial orbit, rounded to the nearest minute?
Sputnik initially circled Earth in about 96 min minutes, sending its radio beeps along the way.
How many hexagonal segments form the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror?
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18
How many hexagonal segments form the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror?
The 18 mirror segments folded for launch and were aligned after deployment.
What is the diameter of Hubble’s primary mirror, in centimeters?
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240 cm
What is the diameter of Hubble’s primary mirror, in centimeters?
The 240 cm-centimeter mirror collects light above most of Earth’s distorting atmosphere.
How tall was the complete Saturn V and Apollo launch stack, rounded to the nearest meter?
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111 m
How tall was the complete Saturn V and Apollo launch stack, rounded to the nearest meter?
The approximately 111 m-meter stack towered over the launch pad.
How many main rocket stages did Saturn V have, excluding the Apollo spacecraft?
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3
How many main rocket stages did Saturn V have, excluding the Apollo spacecraft?
The 3 stages were discarded in sequence as the rocket climbed and accelerated.
How many astronauts rode in the Apollo Lunar Module for a standard Moon landing?
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2
How many astronauts rode in the Apollo Lunar Module for a standard Moon landing?
The 2 astronauts stood in the cabin rather than sitting in conventional seats.
How many solid rocket boosters were attached to a Space Shuttle at launch?
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2
How many solid rocket boosters were attached to a Space Shuttle at launch?
The 2 boosters separated early in flight and descended under parachutes.
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