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Timeline Of Historic Inventions

Subjects : trivia, history
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Burial






2. Movable type in Ancient China - The first record of a movable type system is in the Dream Pool Essays written in 1088 - which attributed the invention of the movable type to Bi Sheng. In the 15th century - Johannes Gutenberg independently invented th






3. Noria in Roman Empire






4. Pendentive dome (Hagia Sophia) in Constantinople - Eastern Roman Empire






5. Canal lock (possibly pound lock) in Ancient Suez Canal under Ptolemy II (283






6. The electric light bulb was first patented in England by 1878 by Joseph Swan after having experimented since about 1850. Thomas Edison in the U.S. was working on improving the bulb patented by Swan and was granted a U.S. patent in 1879.






7. The pattern-tracing lathe (actually more like a shaper) is completed by Thomas Blanchard for the U.S. Ordnance Dept. The lathe could copy symmetrical shapes and was used for making gun stocks - and later - ax handles. The lathe's patent was in force






8. Mariner's compass (wet compass) in Ancient China - The earliest recorded use of magnetized needle for navigational purposes at sea is found in Zhu Yu's book Pingzhou Table Talks of 1119 (written from 1111 to 1117). The typical Chinese navigational co






9. Jacquard loom (loom controlled by punched card) - Joseph Marie Jacquard






10. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the alcohol thermometer.






11. Paddle wheel boat (in De rebus bellicis) in Roman Empire






12. S






13. Floating dock in Venice - Venetian Republic






14. Three-masted ship (mizzen - on Syracusia) under Hiero II of Syracuse - Sicily






15. Pointed arch bridge (Karamagara Bridge) in Cappadocia - Eastern Roman Empire






16. Friction Match - John Walker






17. High pressure steam engine - Richard Trevithick and Oliver Evans - independently






18. Sakia gear in Hellenistic Egypt






19. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the alcohol thermometer.






20. Three-masted ship (mizzen - on Syracusia) under Hiero II of Syracuse - Sicily






21. DVD is an optical disc storage format - invented and developed by Philips - Sony - Toshiba - and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.






22. Segmental arch bridge (e.g. Pont-Saint-Martin or Ponte San Lorenzo) in Italy - Roman Republic






23. Bow






24. Banknote in Tang Dynasty China - The banknote was first developed in China during the Tang and Song dynasties - starting in the 7th century. Its roots were in merchant receipts of deposit during the Tang Dynasty (618






25. Paddle wheel boat (in De rebus bellicis) in Roman Empire






26. Waterway connecting two seas (Ancient Suez Canal) by Greek engineers under Ptolemy II (283






27. Multiple arch buttress dam (Esparragalejo Dam) in Hispania - Roman Empire






28. Crane in Ancient Greece






29. Pottery






30. The pattern-tracing lathe (actually more like a shaper) is completed by Thomas Blanchard for the U.S. Ordnance Dept. The lathe could copy symmetrical shapes and was used for making gun stocks - and later - ax handles. The lathe's patent was in force






31. The tank was invented by Ernest Swinton - although the British Royal Commission on Awards recognised a South Australian named Lance de Mole who had submitted a proposal to the British War Office - for a 'chain-rail vehicle which could be easily stee






32. James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny.






33. Paper in Ancient China - Although it is recorded that the Han Dynasty (202 BC






34. Waterway connecting two seas (Ancient Suez Canal) by Greek engineers under Ptolemy II (283






35. Gunpowder in Ancient China - Gunpowder was - according to prevailing academic consensus - discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality. Evidence of gunpowder's first use in China comes from the Five Dynas






36. Watermill (grain mill) by Greek engineers in Eastern Mediterranean (see also List of ancient watermills)






37. Crank and connecting rod (Hierapolis sawmill) in Asia Minor - Roman Empire






38. Parachute (with frame) in Renaissance Italy






39. High pressure steam engine - Richard Trevithick and Oliver Evans - independently






40. Multiple arch buttress dam (Esparragalejo Dam) in Hispania - Roman Empire






41. The tank was invented by Ernest Swinton - although the British Royal Commission on Awards recognised a South Australian named Lance de Mole who had submitted a proposal to the British War Office - for a 'chain-rail vehicle which could be easily stee






42. Arc lamp - Humphry Davy (exact date unclear; not practical as a light source until generators)






43. Parachute (with frame) in Renaissance Italy






44. Flute in Germany






45. World Wide Web by a British national in Geneva - Switzerland - The World Wide Web was first proposed on March 1989 by English engineer and computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee - now the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium. The project was pub






46. First use of nuclear power to produce electricity for households in Arco - Idaho






47. Sakia gear in Hellenistic Egypt






48. Fore-and-aft rig (spritsail) in Ancient Greece






49. Wind power in an open air stream is thus proportional to the third power of the wind speed; the available power increases eightfold when the wind speed doubles. Wind turbines for grid electricity therefore need to be especially efficient at greater w






50. Buttress dam in Roman Empire