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General knowledge · 12 questions
British inventions and discoveries quiz
Who invented what, and when? Some answers might surprise you.
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Who invented the World Wide Web?
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- 1. Who invented the World Wide Web?
- A. Alan Turing
- B. Tim Berners-Lee (answer)
- C. Charles Babbage
- D. Ada Lovelace
He proposed it in 1989 while working at CERN. - 2. Who discovered penicillin in 1928?
- A. Joseph Lister
- B. Edward Jenner
- C. Alexander Fleming (answer)
- D. Francis Crick
He noticed mould killing bacteria in a petri dish. - 3. Edwin Budding invented which garden tool in 1830?
- A. Lawnmower (answer)
- B. Hosepipe
- C. Wheelbarrow
- D. Strimmer
His design was inspired by a cloth-trimming machine. - 4. Which Scottish inventor is credited with the first working television demonstration?
- A. Alexander Graham Bell
- B. John Logie Baird (answer)
- C. James Watt
- D. Robert Watson-Watt
He demonstrated it in London in 1926. - 5. Which British engineer designed the first steam locomotive to run on rails?
- A. Richard Trevithick (answer)
- B. George Stephenson
- C. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- D. Thomas Newcomen
Trevithick's locomotive ran in 1804 in Wales. - 6. The jet engine was developed in Britain by whom?
- A. Frank Whittle (answer)
- B. Barnes Wallis
- C. Christopher Cockerell
- D. Henry Royce
Whittle patented his design in 1930. - 7. Christopher Cockerell invented which vehicle?
- A. Helicopter
- B. Hovercraft (answer)
- C. Submarine
- D. Monorail
The first hovercraft crossed the Channel in 1959. - 8. Which item did Percy Shaw invent after seeing a cat's eyes on a dark road?
- A. Reflective road studs (answer)
- B. Headlights
- C. Traffic lights
- D. Speed cameras
Cat's eyes were patented in 1934. - 9. The first adhesive postage stamp, issued in 1840, was called what?
- A. Penny Black (answer)
- B. Twopenny Blue
- C. Royal Red
- D. Victoria Gold
It shows a profile of Queen Victoria. - 10. Which British scientist described the laws of motion and gravity?
- A. Robert Hooke
- B. Isaac Newton (answer)
- C. Michael Faraday
- D. Edmond Halley
His Principia was published in 1687. - 11. Who built the first computer-like 'Difference Engine' designs?
- A. Charles Babbage (answer)
- B. Alan Turing
- C. Tommy Flowers
- D. George Boole
Babbage designed it in the 1820s. - 12. Michael Faraday is best known for pioneering work on what?
- A. Vaccines
- B. Electromagnetism (answer)
- C. Evolution
- D. Radioactivity
His work made electric motors and generators possible.
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