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British inventions and discoveries quiz

Who invented what, and when? Some answers might surprise you.

Free to use with your own team, courtesy of WorkplaceHero - workplacehero.co.uk

Question sheet

1. Who invented the World Wide Web?
- A. Alan Turing
- B. Tim Berners-Lee
- C. Charles Babbage
- D. Ada Lovelace
2. Who discovered penicillin in 1928?
- A. Joseph Lister
- B. Edward Jenner
- C. Alexander Fleming
- D. Francis Crick
3. Edwin Budding invented which garden tool in 1830?
- A. Lawnmower
- B. Hosepipe
- C. Wheelbarrow
- D. Strimmer
4. Which Scottish inventor is credited with the first working television demonstration?
- A. Alexander Graham Bell
- B. John Logie Baird
- C. James Watt
- D. Robert Watson-Watt
5. Which British engineer designed the first steam locomotive to run on rails?
- A. Richard Trevithick
- B. George Stephenson
- C. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- D. Thomas Newcomen
6. The jet engine was developed in Britain by whom?
- A. Frank Whittle
- B. Barnes Wallis
- C. Christopher Cockerell
- D. Henry Royce
7. Christopher Cockerell invented which vehicle?
- A. Helicopter
- B. Hovercraft
- C. Submarine
- D. Monorail
8. Which item did Percy Shaw invent after seeing a cat's eyes on a dark road?
- A. Reflective road studs
- B. Headlights
- C. Traffic lights
- D. Speed cameras
9. The first adhesive postage stamp, issued in 1840, was called what?
- A. Penny Black
- B. Twopenny Blue
- C. Royal Red
- D. Victoria Gold
10. Which British scientist described the laws of motion and gravity?
- A. Robert Hooke
- B. Isaac Newton
- C. Michael Faraday
- D. Edmond Halley
11. Who built the first computer-like 'Difference Engine' designs?
- A. Charles Babbage
- B. Alan Turing
- C. Tommy Flowers
- D. George Boole
12. Michael Faraday is best known for pioneering work on what?
- A. Vaccines
- B. Electromagnetism
- C. Evolution
- D. Radioactivity

Answer sheet (for the quizmaster)

1. B - Tim Berners-Lee
He proposed it in 1989 while working at CERN.
2. C - Alexander Fleming
He noticed mould killing bacteria in a petri dish.
3. A - Lawnmower
His design was inspired by a cloth-trimming machine.
4. B - John Logie Baird
He demonstrated it in London in 1926.
5. A - Richard Trevithick
Trevithick's locomotive ran in 1804 in Wales.
6. A - Frank Whittle
Whittle patented his design in 1930.
7. B - Hovercraft
The first hovercraft crossed the Channel in 1959.
8. A - Reflective road studs
Cat's eyes were patented in 1934.
9. A - Penny Black
It shows a profile of Queen Victoria.
10. B - Isaac Newton
His Principia was published in 1687.
11. A - Charles Babbage
Babbage designed it in the 1820s.
12. B - Electromagnetism
His work made electric motors and generators possible.