Can You Match the Famous Invention or Discovery to the Scientist?



By: Annette

5 Min Quiz

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About This Quiz

Are you a discovery nerd? Do you fancy yourself an amateur inventor? Take this quiz to find out how many inventors and discoverers you can match to their inventions.

There's an old saying, "necessity is the mother of invention," which means that we tend to find solutions to problems that need answers. From the invention of the wheel making it easier to move things from place to place to the invention of the windshield wiper making it easier to see on rainy, muddy days to the invention of the stoplight reducing the incidence of traffic accidents, inventions have been helping us make the world safer and get things done since the beginning of time. And they keep on coming. The US Patent and Trademark Office employs more than 12,000 people to handle the nearly 150,000 granted patents each year.

So, if you know that Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper blade and that Garrett Morgan invented the three-way traffic signal, then you might be ready to take this quiz. Hey, let's be real, none of us really knows who exactly invented the wheel. We do know of some of the inventive individuals who have made improvements on it, though.

Get started with this quiz.


The invention of the first practical airplane is attributed to the Wright brothers. Kitty Hawk isn't a person, but the place where the Wrights flew.


Electric lamp

The electric lamp was invented by Thomas Alva Edison, of course - or at least by someone on his team. He was a U.S. inventor, and he introduced the lamp in 1879.



Joseph Lister is the famous inventor of antiseptic. He invented it in England in 1867. Listerine, anyone?


"The father of the atom bomb"

Julius Robert Oppenheimer headed the team that developed the atom bomb. The discovery was made in 1945 in the U.S.


First gasoline automobile

You probably recognize the name Karl Benz. He invented the gasoline-powered automobile in 1885 in Germany.



Claude-Etienne Minie was a French inventor responsible for the bullet for the muzzle-loading rifle. He invented it in 1849.


Car radio

The car radio is attributed to both William Lear and Elmer Wavering. It's come a long way since the early days.


Diesel engine

Well, that was an easy one! The diesel engine was invented by Rudolph Diesel of Germany. It was patented in 1892.


AC electric motor

Nikola Tesla was the famous inventor of the AC electric motor. Tesla's invention came out of the U.S. in 1888.


Talking pictures

Warner Bros. is famously responsible for the invention of talking pictures, or talkies. The first movie with sound effects was "Don Juan," in 1926, but the first true talkie was "The Jazz Singer," in 1927.


Frozen food

Clarence Birdseye is famous for inventing frozen food. Today, the Birdseye brand is still one of the most popular frozen food companies.



The laser was invented by Dr. Thomas H. Townes of the United States. The invention was introduced in 1960.


Machine gun

Richard Gatling is the famous inventor of the machine gun. It was an American invention that appeared in 1861.


Liquid-based microphone

Alexander Graham Bell is famous for many inventions, and the liquid-based microphone is just one of them. Phones need mics, after all.


The nightclub was invented in _____ .

The nightclub was invented in France, of course. The first nightclub, Le Bai des Anglais, was opened in Paris, France, in 1843.


Paper was invented in ______ .

Paper was invented in China in 100 BC. Cai Lun, a eunuch during the Eastern Han Dynasty, invented paper from various materials.


Pyramids were invented in ______ .

The pyramid was invented in Egypt, of course! The first step pyramid was constructed about 4,700 years ago.


Electric razor

The invention of the electric razor took place in 1930. It was thanks to U.S. inventor Jacob Schick.


The "father of modern rocketry"

American Robert H Goddard is responsible for the invention of the rocket engine in 1926. He is considered the father of modern rocket propulsion.


Where were sea-going ships invented?

Sea-going ships were invented in Egypt in 2500 BC. These ships traversed the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.


Steamships were invented in _____ .

The steamship was invented in France by J.C. Perier. It first sailed down the Seine in 1775.


The first skyscraper

Chicago was the place where the first skyscraper was erected. It was designed by William Le Baron Jenney and completed in 1885.


The submarine was invented in ______ .

The submarine was invented by David Bushnell of Saybrook, CT. The invention took place in 1776!



The tank was invented by British inventor Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton. It was built in 1914.



The telephone was famously invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. The first exchange took place in Boston, Massachusetts.


Caterpillar tractor

Benjamin Holt is the American inventor responsible for the Caterpillar tractor. It was invented in the late 1800s



The typewriter was invented by Peter Mitterhofer of Austria. The invention was introduced in 1864.


Writing was invented in _____ .

Writing was first invented in Sumeria in 3400 BC. This would be present-day Iraq.


Which of these did Benjamin Franklin invent?

These were all inventions of Benjamin Franklin! He also discovered the Law of Conservation of Electric Charge.



Pasteurization was invented by Louis Pasteur, of course! The process was patented in 1862.



X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen. He was a physics professor, and he received the Nobel Prize in 1901.



Trick question - Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity. Pierre and Marie Curie did a great deal of research on the phenomenon. All three won the Nobel Prize.



The invention of aspirin is attributed to Dr. Felix Hoffmann of Germany. He invented it in the late 1800s.


Bunsen burner

The Bunsen burner was invented by Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen, of course. He invented it in Germany in 1858.


Where was the mortar cannon invented?

The first iron mortar cannon was invented in Germany in 1320. Earlier cannons were invented in China.


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