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Quizzes > History

20th-Century Inventions and Inventors Quiz

Quick, free invention trivia to test your knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Klara SchmidtzUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art silhouettes of light bulb rocket airplane car computer on coral background, quiz about 20th century inventions

This quiz helps you test your knowledge of 20th-century inventions and the inventors behind them. See how everyday tech evolved, learn quick facts, and spot the names who changed the century. Keep exploring with our inventions trivia and broader 20th century history trivia, or dive into a decade with 1950s trivia.

Who successfully conducted the first powered, controlled airplane flight in 1903?
Gustave Whitehead
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Samuel Pierpont Langley
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first sustained, controlled, powered flight on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their Flyer I aircraft flew for 12 seconds over 120 feet, marking the start of powered aviation. This achievement is well documented in aviation history. .
What antibiotic did Alexander Fleming discover in 1928?
Erythromycin
Penicillin
Tetracycline
Streptomycin
Alexander Fleming observed that Penicillium notatum mold killed bacteria in his lab, leading to the discovery of penicillin. This antibiotic became the first widely used treatment for bacterial infections and revolutionized medicine. Its impact earned Fleming a Nobel Prize in 1945. .
Which device, introduced by Martin Cooper in 1973, revolutionized mobile communication?
Cell phone
Walkie-talkie
Pager
Smartphone
In 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first public handheld cellular phone call using the DynaTAC prototype. This landmark event laid the foundation for modern mobile communications. It demonstrated that portable, wireless voice calls were possible. .
What microprocessor did Intel release in 1971, ushering in the age of personal computing?
Intel 386
Intel 8080
Motorola 6800
Intel 4004
The Intel 4004, released in November 1971, was the first commercial microprocessor. It contained 2,300 transistors and was originally designed for calculators. Its introduction marked the beginning of programmable silicon chips. .
Which invention, first demonstrated by Theodore Maiman in 1960, produces coherent light?
Laser
X-ray
LED
Microwave
In 1960 Theodore Maiman built the first operational laser using a synthetic ruby crystal. A laser amplifies light to produce a narrow, coherent beam used in medicine, communications, and manufacturing. It was a breakthrough in photonics. .
Which technology, first broadcast commercially in the 1930s, brought moving images into homes?
Radio
Cinema
Television
Phonograph
Commercial television broadcasts began in the 1930s in several countries, providing both video and audio signals directly into households. It transformed entertainment and news dissemination. Early pioneers included the BBC and RCA. .
What does GPS stand for?
Geostationary Positioning Satellite
Global Positioning System
Global Photographic System
Ground Positioning Service
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a satellite-based navigation system developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. It became fully operational in 1995 and provides real-time location data globally. It revolutionized navigation for civilian and military use. .
What was the precursor to the internet, created as a project by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1969?
BITNET
ARPANET
TELNET
USENET
ARPANET, funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was the first packet-switching network. It went online in 1969 and laid the foundations for the modern Internet. It connected universities and research labs across the United States. .
Which invention by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley in 1947 revolutionized electronics?
Vacuum tube
Integrated circuit
Field-effect transistor
Transistor
The transistor, developed at Bell Labs in 1947, replaced bulky vacuum tubes and enabled smaller, more reliable electronic devices. It earned its inventors the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956. Transistors are fundamental to all modern electronics. .
Who is credited with inventing the turbojet engine in the 1930s?
Sir Charles Parsons
Hans von Ohain
Samuel Pierpont Langley
Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle filed the first patent for a turbojet engine in 1930 and built a working prototype by 1937 in the UK. Hans von Ohain independently developed a similar concept in Germany. Whittle's design powered the first British jet aircraft. .
What medical imaging technology, developed in the 1970s, uses magnetic fields and radio waves to visualize internal organs?
CT scan
Ultrasound
MRI
PET scan
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of soft tissues. It was first demonstrated clinically in the late 1970s. MRI is essential for diagnosing conditions like tumors and neurological disorders. .
Which biotechnology breakthrough in 1978 enabled the mass production of human insulin?
Recombinant DNA technology
Polymerase chain reaction
CRISPR-Cas9
Monoclonal antibody production
Recombinant DNA technology allowed scientists to insert the human insulin gene into bacteria, enabling large-scale insulin production by Genentech in 1978. This method revolutionized treatment for diabetes patients. It marked the first commercial biotech product. .
What feature, introduced on credit cards in 1960, enabled electronic data storage and processing?
Smart chip
Magnetic stripe
Hologram
Signature panel
IBM engineer Forrest Parry invented the magnetic stripe in 1960, which stored data by magnetizing tiny iron-based particles on a band. This technology automated credit card transactions and identification. It remains in use globally. .
Which synthetic fiber, invented by Stephanie Kwolek in 1965, is known for its high tensile strength?
Kevlar
Polyester
Spandex
Nylon
Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont discovered Kevlar in 1965 while researching lightweight fibers. Kevlar is five times stronger than steel by weight and is used in body armor, tires, and aerospace. Its unique molecular structure gives it exceptional durability. .
Who developed the first successful inactivated polio vaccine in the 1950s?
Albert Sabin
Thomas Francis Jr.
Jonas Salk
Maurice Hilleman
Jonas Salk introduced the first inactivated (killed) polio vaccine in 1955 after large-scale trials. It drastically reduced polio incidence in vaccinated populations. Albert Sabin later developed the oral polio vaccine. .
Who invented the first photocopier, known as the xerographic copier, in 1938?
Chester Carlson
Herbert Hoover
George Eastman
Thomas Edison
Chester Carlson invented xerography in 1938, creating a process to copy images using electrostatic charges and dry powder. The technology led to the first commercial Xerox machines in the 1950s. It transformed office work worldwide. .
Which invention did Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments introduce in 1958 that paved the way for modern electronics?
Microprocessor
Silicon transistor
Integrated circuit
Magnetic core memory
Jack Kilby demonstrated the first working integrated circuit on September 12, 1958, combining multiple electronic components on a single silicon chip. This breakthrough won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000. Integrated circuits are fundamental to all modern electronic devices. .
Who is known as the 'father of fiber optics' for transmitting light through glass fibers in the 1950s?
Charles Kao
Narinder Singh Kapany
Alexander Graham Bell
John Tyndall
Narinder Singh Kapany demonstrated the transmission of light through bent glass fibers in 1954, coining the term 'fiber optics.' His work laid the foundation for modern telecommunications and internet infrastructure. Charles Kao later improved transmission losses. .
What was the name of the first artificial heart implanted in a human patient in 1982?
TAH-t
AbioCor
Jarvik-2000
Jarvik-7
The Jarvik-7, designed by Robert Jarvik and Willem Kolff, was implanted in patient Barney Clark on December 2, 1982. It was the first permanent artificial heart used in human transplantation. The device functioned as a bridge to transplant but had limited lifespan. .
Which engineer created the first digital camera prototype in 1975 at Eastman Kodak?
Alan Kay
Ansel Adams
Edwin Land
Steven Sasson
Steven Sasson, an electrical engineer at Kodak, built the first digital camera in 1975 using a CCD sensor and recorded black-and-white images to a cassette tape. It took 23 seconds to capture a single frame. This invention foreshadowed today's digital imaging. .
What was the crucial material used in the first practical solar cell developed at Bell Labs in 1954?
Cadmium telluride
Copper indium
Silicon
Gallium arsenide
Researchers at Bell Labs created the first efficient photovoltaic cell in 1954 using crystalline silicon. It achieved about 6% energy conversion efficiency. This breakthrough launched solar power research and development worldwide. .
Which scientific instrument, invented by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer in 1981, allows imaging surfaces at the atomic level?
Atomic force microscope
Electron microscope
Confocal microscope
Scanning tunneling microscope
The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) uses quantum tunneling between a sharp tip and surface atoms to produce atomic-scale images. Invented at IBM Zurich in 1981, it won its inventors the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. STM opened nanotechnology research. .
Who led the team that developed the first operational radar system in the 1930s?
Christian Hülsmeyer
Robert Watson-Watt
Heinrich Hertz
Albert Einstein
Sir Robert Watson-Watt, a Scottish physicist, demonstrated the first practical radar system in 1935 for detecting aircraft. His work led to the development of radar networks that were crucial in World War II. Radar technology transformed air defense and navigation. .
Which 20th-century invention by Polaroid, introduced in 1948, allowed instant photography?
Folder camera
Instant camera
Digital camera
SLR camera
Edwin Land's Polaroid Land Camera Model 95, released in 1948, produced self-developing photographs in about one minute. The integrated film pack contained both the negative and developing chemicals. It created a new market for instant imaging. .
Who invented the World Wide Web in 1989, revolutionizing global information sharing?
Tim Berners-Lee
Vint Cerf
Bill Gates
Tim Cook
Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist at CERN, proposed and implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server in 1989. His invention of HTML, URL, and HTTP laid the groundwork for the modern web. It transformed how information is shared worldwide. .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Recall Major Inventions -

    List and describe the major inventions in the 20th century, highlighting their key features and purposes.

  2. Identify Pioneering Innovators -

    Match each major invention of the 20th century to its inventor to understand the minds behind these breakthroughs.

  3. Sequence Innovations Chronologically -

    Arrange significant inventions in order of their introduction to see how technology evolved throughout the century.

  4. Analyze Technological Impact -

    Evaluate how each major invention shaped modern society, from communication to entertainment.

  5. Test Your Trivia Skills -

    Challenge yourself with 20th century trivia questions and track your score to measure your knowledge of key inventions.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Wireless Revolution: The Radio -

    Guglielmo Marconi's 1901 transatlantic wireless signal paved the way for audio broadcasting by 1906, transforming global communication (Smithsonian Institution). Mnemonic "RADIO" ("Reach Audio Data Instantly Overwaves") helps you recall its impact on long-distance sound transmission.

  2. First Powered Flight: The Airplane -

    In 1903, the Wright brothers achieved sustained, controlled flight using a 12-horsepower engine, demonstrating lift governed by the formula L=Cl×½ϝv²S (NASA). To remember Bernoulli's principle behind lift, think "Fast Air, Less Pressure, Up You Go."

  3. Antibiotic Breakthrough: Penicillin -

    Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, the first true antibiotic that reduced bacterial infection mortality rates dramatically (NIH). Use "Fleming's Mold Freed Millions" as a memory phrase for how this fungus-derived drug revolutionized medicine.

  4. Semiconductor Revolution: The Transistor -

    Bell Labs' 1947 invention of the transistor replaced bulky vacuum tubes, enabling modern electronics and spawning Moore's Law (IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices). Recall NPN and PNP junctions with the phrase "Negative Positives, Now Power!" to cement semiconductor basics.

  5. Global Connectivity: The Internet -

    Starting with ARPANET in 1969 and standardized TCP/IP in 1983, the Internet transformed information sharing into a global, decentralized network (Internet Society). Remember "ARPA Connects All" to link the Department of Defense's early network to today's online world.

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