Inventions Trivia

220+ Best Inventions Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: April 8th, 2025

Discover the fascinating world of inventions with over 300 trivia questions and answers that will challenge your knowledge and make you see everyday objects in a whole new light!

General Inventions Trivia

Question: Who let the air out of the party and sent balloons sky‑high with the first powered airship?

Answer: Henri Giffard

Question: In 1960, what hair‑taming wizardry debuted to keep your ’do in check?

Answer: Hairspray

Question: In what year did science give us the transistor, the tiny rock star of electronics?

Answer: 1947

Question: Which DIY flight toy did Otto Skelton pioneer, turning humans into flying squirrels?

Answer: Hang glider

Question: What did Flymo’s hovercraft‑inspired gizmo mow down with futuristic flair?

Answer: Grass

Question: Who zapped the old‑school razor out of business with the 1928 electric shave?

Answer: Jacob Schick

Question: In which year did someone say, “Let’s stick an engine on a bicycle!”?

Answer: 1885

Question: Which snack‑loving moniker did Ignacio Anaya earn, thanks to his cheesy creation?

Answer: Nacho

Question: Which clicky sidekick did Douglas Engelbart unleash on the world?

Answer: Mouse

Question: Locked up in Newgate, what fresh idea did William Addis brush up on?

Answer: Toothbrush

Question: What dairy miracle did John Meyenberg can in 1884, AKA “Cow in the Can”?

Answer: Evaporated milk

Question: What “liberty bell” rings cha‑ching thanks to Charles Fey?

Answer: Slot machine

Question: Which mind‑bending pattern maker did David Brewster spin into being in 1816?

Answer: Kaleidoscope

Question: Which chug‑chug water beast did Robert Fulton pilot to glory in 1803?

Answer: Steamboat

Question: Which bubbly concoction did Angelo Mendez whip up to tickle your taste buds?

Answer: Kola Champagne

Question: Who saved us all from awkward button battles with the zipper?

Answer: Whitcomb L. Judson

Question: Who gave us the iconic flick‑and‑click flame with the Zippo lighter?

Answer: George G. Blaisdell

Question: Who made “Are you telling the truth?” a scientific question in 1921?

Answer: John Augustus Larson

Question: Which lifesaver for messy mistakes debuted after 1948?

Answer: Liquid paper

Question: What baa‑rilliant nursery rhyme did Edison immortalize on his first gramophone?

Answer: Mary Had a Little Lamb

Question: In which century did someone crank up the world’s first electrical generator?

Answer: 17th

Question: Who plotted the course for x’s and y’s with analytical geometry?

Answer: René Descartes

Question: Which revolutionary also packed a punch with Mexico’s first semi‑auto rifle?

Answer: Manuel Mondragon

Question: Whose name literally means “coloring flower” in Russian and gave us chromatography?

Answer: Mikhail Tsvet

Question: What mind‑bending instrument did Robert Moog dream up in 1970?

Answer: Musical synthesizer

Question: When did the toy that keeps coming back spin onto the scene?

Answer: 1928

Question: Who built the blueprint for Meccano, letting kids (and adults) engineer their dreams?

Answer: Frank Hornby

Question: Which art did Henry Fox Talbot pioneer before Instagram was even a twinkle in the internet’s eye?

Answer: Photography

Question: What curbside nemesis did Carl Magee introduce in 1935?

Answer: Parking meters

Question: Which gravity guru accidentally gave cats their own private door?

Answer: Isaac Newton

Question: Who let us carry a library in our pockets with the first MP3 player?

Answer: Nathan Schulhof

Question: Who made bread go pop and golden in 1919?

Answer: Charles Strite

Question: Who let us roll into the future on wheels in 1760?

Answer: John Joseph Merlin

Question: What morning crunch did Dr Kellogg serve up to start the day right?

Answer: Breakfast cereals

Question: What magical box lets you summon cash like a financial wizard?

Answer: ATM

Question: Who gave us the humble hero that saves wardrobes everywhere?

Answer: Walter Hunt

Question: Who made sure our beverages could break free with a twist?

Answer: William Painter

Question: Who blew up the idea of airbags to keep us safe in crashes?

Answer: Assen Jordanoff

Question: Which accounting twist‑and‑shout system did Luca Pacioli pen?

Answer: Double‑entry bookkeeping

Question: Who struck the match to light up our lives safely?

Answer: Johan Edvard Lundström

Question: Which decade did Laszlo Biro make ink flow smoother than butter?

Answer: 1930s

Question: Which tooth fixer also spun sugary clouds for our delight?

Answer: Dentist

Question: Which European nationality first gave us the fountain pen?

Answer: Romanian

Question: Which unique ID did Ivan Vucetic give us for “just being yourself”?

Answer: Fingerprinting

Question: What tire‑trapping fiend did Frank Marugg unleash on illegally parked cars?

Answer: Wheel clamp

Question: Which pen boldly wrote where no pen had written before?

Answer: The Space Pen

Question: Who got stuck on the idea of Velcro after examining burrs?

Answer: Georges de Mestral

Question: Which stealthy sea beast did Rickover power with the atom?

Answer: Nuclear submarine

Question: Which stripe on your credit card carries all the magic?

Answer: Magnetic strip

Question: Which stretchy superhero‑suit material did Joseph Shivers create?

Answer: Spandex

Question: Which sprayable marvel first hissed onto shelves in the 1940s?

Answer: 40s

Question: Which cyclone‑powered gadget made James Dyson a household name?

Answer: Vacuum cleaner

Question: What pit‑protecting potion did Jules Montenier bottle up?

Answer: Deodorant

Question: Which sky‑reading gauge did Torricelli invent to predict storms?

Answer: Barometer

Question: Which potent painkiller did Serturner unearth from the poppy?

Answer: Morphine

Question: Which chilly Aussie made it possible to keep food frosty all year?

Answer: James Harrison

Question: Which magical footwear would Dorothy envy for finding your way, no yellow brick road needed?

Answer: GPS shoes

Question: Who cracked the code to make aluminum a mass‑market metal?

Answer: Charles Hall

Question: Which click‑happy companion did Douglas Engelbart gift to our desktops?

Answer: Mouse

Question: Who made diamonds from scratch in the lab?

Answer: Tracy Hall

Question: Who kept your tea piping hot with the vacuum flask?

Answer: James Dewar

Question: Which everyday writing surface did Cai Lun roll out in ancient China?

Answer: Paper

Question: Which flexible film did George Eastman patent to kickstart Hollywood?

Answer: Roll film

Question: In what year did Kodak make photography pocket‑sized?

Answer: 1888

Question: Which stretch superstar fabric did Joseph Shivers spin up?

Answer: Spandex

Question: Who created diamonds under the lab lights?

Answer: Tracy Hall

Inventors in History Trivia

Question: Which nation added the dash of genius to our dot‑dash language?

Answer: American

Question: What invisible shield earned Sir Robert Watson‑Watt his knighthood during WWII?

Answer: Radar

Question: In the name of Luis E. Miramotes, what does that mysterious ‘E’ whisper?

Answer: Ernesto

Question: What nursery rhyme did Edison drop a needle on first, long before TikTok existed?

Answer: Mary Had a Little Lamb

Question: Which math magician waved the analytical‑geometry wand?

Answer: René Descartes

Question: Which Mexican revolutionary moonlighter built Mexico’s first semi‑auto rifle?

Answer: Manuel Mondragon

Question: Whose name literally means “coloring flower” in Russian and painted the world of science?

Answer: Mikhail Tsvet

Question: Which sonic sorcerer conjured electronic melodies in 1970?

Answer: Musical synthesizer

Question: Who dreamt up Meccano so kids could play mini‑Iron‑Man engineers?

Answer: Frank Hornby

Question: Which 19th‑century shutterbug invented photography before Instagram filters?

Answer: Henry Fox Talbot

Question: Which gravity guru accidentally let cats swipe through walls?

Answer: Isaac Newton

Question: Who crammed your entire mixtape into your pocket first?

Answer: Nathan Schulhof

Question: Who made breakfast pop up like magic in 1919?

Answer: Charles Strite

Question: Which cereal czar made mornings crunchier than a TikTok breakfast hack?

Answer: Breakfast Cereals

Question: What magic box lets you summon cash like a financial wizard?

Answer: ATM

Question: Who pinned down wardrobe malfunctions in the 1840s?

Answer: Walter Hunt

Question: Who cracked open bottles with one heroic twist?

Answer: William Painter

Question: Which monk doubled the fun by inventing double‑entry bookkeeping?

Answer: Double Entry

Question: Who struck the match that lit up safety worldwide?

Answer: Safety match

Question: Which journalist invented the pen that never quits rolling?

Answer: 1930s

Question: Which sugar‑spinning doc made cotton candy a dentist‑approved delight?

Answer: Dentist

Question: Which European nation first claimed the fountain pen?

Answer: Romanian

Question: Who inked their legacy on crime scenes with fingerprinting?

Answer: Fingerprinting

Question: What tire‑trapping fiend did Frank Marugg unleash on illegally parked cars?

Answer: Wheel Clamp

Question: Who penned zero‑gravity tales with the Space Pen?

Answer: The Space Pen

Question: Which Swiss engineer got hooked on burrs and invented Velcro?

Answer: Velcro

Question: Which admiral powered subs with atom‑smarts?

Answer: Nuclear Submarine

Question: Which plastic pioneer added magnetic stripes to your credit card?

Answer: Magnetic Strip

Question: Who made stretchy legends that hugged like a superhero’s suit?

Answer: Spandex

Question: Which decade hissed into existence with spray‑can magic?

Answer: 40s

Question: Which inventor sucked up dust with cyclone flair?

Answer: Vacuum cleaner

Question: Who bottled freshness to keep us smelling like we just left the spa?

Answer: Deodorant

Question: Which Italian’s tube foretold storms before weather apps?

Answer: Barometer

Question: Who discovered nature’s ultimate chill pill from poppies?

Answer: Morphine

Question: Which Aussie chilled our food for good?

Answer: James Harrison

Question: Which magical footwear would Dorothy envy for navigation?

Answer: GPS Shoes

Question: Who cooked up aluminum in a lab cauldron?

Answer: Charles Hall

Question: Which click‑loving guru gave us the mouse?

Answer: The Mouse

Question: Who made diamonds sparkle in labs, no mines needed?

Answer: Tracy Hall

Question: Who bottled warmth in a vacuum to keep your tea hot?

Answer: James Dewar

Question: Who rolled out sheets for scribes in ancient China?

Answer: Paper

Question: Who wrapped motion pictures in flexible film?

Answer: Roll film

Question: In what year did Kodak put snapshots in everyone’s pocket?

Answer: 1888

Question: Which stretch superstar did Joseph Shivers spin up to hug your curves?

Answer: Spandex

Question: Who created diamonds under the lab lights, dazzling scientists?

Answer: Tracy Hall

Pivotal Inventions Trivia

Question: What OG plastic first slipped into our lives like a shape‑shifting wizard?

Answer: Celluloid

Question: Which fiery lab sidekick did Robert Bunsen ignite to make chemistry go “boom”?

Answer: Bunsen burner

Question: Where did those sleek slatted sun‑shades for your windows first get their big idea?

Answer: Japan

Question: What boxy marvel did George Eastman snap into being long before selfies were a thing?

Answer: Box Camera

Question: Who lit up our nights and TikTok dreams with the original light bulb?

Answer: Thomas Edison

Question: Who first whipped kitchens into a culinary frenzy with the original Kenwood mixer?

Answer: Ken Wood

Question: Which airwave pioneer in 1901 turned the world into one big wireless concert?

Answer: Guglielmo Marconi

Question: Which country first minted the idea of pre‑paid phone credits on a little plastic card?

Answer: Italy

Question: What pedal‑powered upgrade did 1839 cyclists thank for saving their hamstrings?

Answer: Pedals

Question: Who rang in the era of “Can you hear me now?” with the first telephone?

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

Question: What foot‑hugging invention did John Logie Baird debut to rescue toes from sweaty drama?

Answer: Socks to prevent sweaty feet

Question: Invented in Japan, what time‑telling wonder is a Wadokei?

Answer: Watch

Question: In 1589, what throne‑room necessity did John Harington flush into history?

Answer: Toilet

Question: Which tiny eye‑opener did Hans Jansen craft so scientists could zoom into the micro‑verse?

Answer: Microscope

Question: Which 1679 kitchen sidekick made soups simmer and stews sing?

Answer: Pressure cooker

Question: What colorful marker did Pentel unleash so your notes could pop like neon?

Answer: Felt tips

Question: Which snippy tool did Leonardo da Vinci slice into our lives?

Answer: Scissors

Question: Who dreamed up the ZX80, ZX81, and Spectrum, giving us our first home‑computer vibes?

Answer: Clive Sinclair

Question: Which dynamic duo gave your ride the grip to roam with their Michelin magic?

Answer: Tyres

Question: What tape did Edison invent to tick off the stock market like a Wall Street wizard?

Answer: Ticker tape

Question: Which cheesy snack first oozed out of El Moderno’s kitchen?

Answer: Nachos

Question: Which little lifesaver did Walter Hunt pin down to keep your outfits intact?

Answer: Safety pin

Question: What pair of puffed‑up siblings first lifted us skyward?

Answer: Hot air balloon

Question: Which dessert wizard cooked up instant custard for our impatient sweet tooths?

Answer: Instant custard

Question: Who lit up dark roads with reflective dots that make cats jealous?

Answer: Cat’s eyes

Question: Which visionary gave us crystal‑clear sight without frames in the 1880s?

Answer: Contact lenses

Question: Who spun six‑shooter action into history with his rapid‑fire revolver?

Answer: Revolver

Question: Who mixed up your batter and your morning routine with the Kenwood food processor?

Answer: Ken Wood

Question: Which 19th‑century genius lit miners’ way with a safer glow?

Answer: Safety lamp

Question: Who vulcanized rubber so your car could stick like Spider‑Man to the road?

Answer: Charles Goodyear

Question: Who printed ideas into existence with the OG Gutenberg press?

Answer: Printing press

Question: What snappy gadget did Edwin H. Land gift us in 1947 to capture life in an instant?

Answer: Polaroid Camera

Question: What stitch‑making marvel did Isaac Singer sew into our wardrobes?

Answer: Sewing

Question: Which transatlantic duo each sparked the lightbulb revolution?

Answer: Lightbulb

Famous Inventors Trivia

Question: What nifty foot‑hugging gadget did John Logie Baird invent to stop your toes from hosting a sweaty sock party?

Answer: Socks to prevent sweaty feet

Question: Which Japanese time‑turner tells you when it’s officially sushi o’clock?

Answer: Watch

Question: Which royal throne did Sir John Harington gift us in 1589 so we could do our business like true monarchs?

Answer: Toilet

Question: Which mini magnifying marvel did Hans Jansen cook up so you could Sherlock‑your‑way into the world of germs?

Answer: Microscope

Question: What rainbow scribble wand did Pentel unleash to make your notes pop like a neon disco?

Answer: Felt tips

Question: Which Renaissance genius sliced through paper with the first snip‑snap tool?

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci

Question: Which British brainiac powered up your childhood gaming with the ZX80, ZX81, and Spectrum?

Answer: Clive Sinclair

Question: Which dynamic duo gave cars their slick rolling kicks?

Answer: Tyres

Question: Which Tex‑Mex pioneer first layered chips, cheese, and “¡Olé!” to birth nachos?

Answer: El Moderno

Question: Which tiny lifesaver did Walter Hunt pin down to save your wardrobe from catastrophe?

Answer: Safety pin

Question: Which sibling duo let humans soar like Pixar’s Up characters?

Answer: Hot air balloon

Question: Which dessert wizard conjured instant custard to satisfy sweet cravings faster than Netflix buffering?

Answer: Instant custard

Question: Which road sparkle did Percy Shaw invent so night drivers could follow the cat’s glowing gaze?

Answer: Cats eyes

Question: Which visionary crafted clear contact wonders so you could ditch bulky frames?

Answer: Contact lenses

Question: Who spun the six‑shooter legend that made cowboys’ hearts race?

Answer: Revolver

Question: Which kitchen hero lent his name to the mixer that whips batter into a frenzy?

Answer: Ken Wood

Question: Which culinary genius also blended up the food processor that’s always in your kitchen?

Answer: Ken Wood

Question: Which glowing beacon did Humphry Davy forge to keep miners safe from explosive gas clouds?

Answer: Safety lamp

Question: Who vulcanized rubber into superhero‑strength soles hotter than Tony Stark’s suit?

Answer: Charles Goodyear

Question: Which print powerhouse churned out ideas faster than viral cat videos?

Answer: Printing press

Question: Which instant‑photo sorcerer gave us the Polaroid camera to shake, snap, and show?

Answer: Polaroid camera

Question: Which stitch wizard did Singer gift us so we could sew like superhero tailors?

Answer: Sewing

Question: Which bright idea did Swan and Edison race to light up both sides of the pond?

Answer: Lightbulb

Question: Which tech wizard snatched your frizz and styled your locks with the Airwrap?

Answer: Dyson

Question: Which gravity guru peered into the cosmos with a mirror to invent the reflecting telescope?

Answer: Isaac Newton

Question: Which radio rebel first sent Morse code through the airwaves?

Answer: Guglielmo Marconi

Question: Which instant‑moment magician snapped Polaroids before selfies were cool?

Answer: Edwin H. Land

Question: Which prolific inventor gave us the phonograph, light bulb, and mic for shower concerts?

Answer: Thomas Edison

Question: Who penned the smoothest spy‑worthy ballpoint pen that never ran dry?

Answer: Laszlo Biro

Question: Which heartbeat hacker delivered the first pacemaker to keep hearts in rhythm?

Answer: Wilson Greatbatch

Question: Who sketched the mechanical brain that kickstarted the computer revolution?

Answer: Charles Babbage

Question: Which snack‑loving scientist discovered the microwave when his candy bar melted mid‑experiment?

Answer: Percy Spencer

Question: Which agricultural rockstar drilled seeds in perfect rows so farmers could drop beats like DJs?

Answer: Jethro Tull

Invention Dates Trivia

Question: When did someone hit “Send” on the world’s first SMS and forever change “LOL” culture?

Answer: 1992

Question: Which year did Uber first rev up its digital carriages and disrupt your commute?

Answer: 2009

Question: In what year did daredevils first whisper “Let’s go under the waves!” and build the maiden submarine?

Answer: 1620

Question: When did someone look at wood and think “Let’s make it bendy!” inventing plywood?

Answer: 3500 BC

Question: What year did semiconductors sneak into gadgets and kick off the tech takeover?

Answer: 1947

Question: Which year did Netflix cue the binge‑watch bonanza that ruined our sleep schedules?

Answer: 1997

Question: Which family name unlocked a security revolution with the pin tumbler lock?

Answer: Yale

Question: When did Brits first flash shiny plastic to buy a cuppa with credit cards?

Answer: 1966

Question: The Spinning Jenny put which fluffy crop on the fast track to factory fame?

Answer: Cotton

Question: Which country gave us X‑rays so we could finally see through walls (and pizza boxes)?

Answer: Germany

Question: In which decade did buzzing camera drones first buzz into the skies?

Answer: 1990s

Question: Who first Photoshop’d our selfies into perfection back in 1990?

Answer: Adobe

Question: Which city dimmed the lights and lit up the silver screen with the first cinema showings?

Answer: Paris

Question: When did vaping go from sci‑fi fantasy to pocket‑sized e‑cig reality?

Answer: 2006

Question: What was the Penny ___ that stamped its mark on every envelope in the 1940s?

Answer: Black

Question: Who turned up the heat on temperature scales and made 100° a big deal?

Answer: Celsius

Question: Which audio‑spinning genius also gave us the phonograph for epic shower concerts?

Answer: Thomas Edison

Question: Which company gave your hair the royal treatment with the Airwrap styler?

Answer: Dyson

Question: When did Apple first pop the Macintosh out of its magical computing hat?

Answer: 1980s

Miscellaneous Inventions Trivia

Question: Which century did someone think, “I need a pen that won’t leak on my shirt,” and gift us the ballpoint?

Answer: 19th

Question: What’s the great‑great‑grandparent of your Instagram filter, capturing moments long before selfies?

Answer: Photograph

Question: When did we first strap a diesel engine to a train and chug into the future?

Answer: 1912

Question: Which spin‑cycle sibling predated tumble dryers and made laundry day feel like a medieval workout?

Answer: Mangle

Question: Which letter‑swapping showstopper did Alfred Mosher Butts drop in 1941 to keep us battling over triple‑word scores?

Answer: Scrabble

Question: Where did humans first decide, “Let’s light up the sky with exploding rainbows”?

Answer: China

Question: In which century did someone press “spray” and invent the aerosol can, forever changing deodorant ads?

Answer: 20th

Question: What mechanical brain did Charles Babbage blueprint to give us a sneak peek at modern computers?

Answer: Computer

Question: In what year did Babbage kick off the mechanical computing era and make mathematicians swoon?

Answer: 1822

Question: Which kitchen gadget started life as the Magnetron before nuking last night’s pizza?

Answer: Microwave

Question: Which dot‑dash dance did Samuel F. B. Morse invent to send flirty telegrams across the wires?

Answer: Morse Code

Question: Which fizzy pick‑me‑up did Charles Leiper Grigg bottle up to go “un‑down”?

Answer: 7 Up

Question: Who first wired the world with beeps and boops before we had emojis?

Answer: Samuel F. B. Morse

Question: Which lock inventor shares his last name with a top Ivy League college?

Answer: Yale

Question: Which inventor gave us the phonograph so we could jam to Edison’s greatest hits?

Answer: Thomas Edison