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About This Quiz
The British Commonwealth, now known as the Commonwealth of Nations, is a gold mine of inventors, whose inventions have changed the world in more ways than one. Find out more about who made what in this Commonwealth Inventions Quiz!
Charles Babbage was a British mathematician and a scientist whose idea was to come up with something that could, well, do his job. Today we use the modern versions of his machine to buy things online, look at social media, and make spreadsheets. What was Babbage's baby?
telegraph
television
computer
Charles Babbage was the first to think of a programmable solving machine - a computer. It's a sure bet he never thought you could use one to order takeout.
cinematographe
When you're in the boxing ring, the boxer's corner can get slippery. What invention from the Bahamas gets rid of all that slippery stuff?
non-stick medical gel
special shoes
corner mat
Bahamian inventor Moses Daxon came up with the idea that's similar to a bathroom mat. It's a boxing ring corner mat to prevent boxers from slipping.
non-slip powder
CAT scans are relatively common hospital procedures, and they were developed by South African Allan Cormack and Brit Godfrey Hounsfield. What exactly do CAT scans do?
they take temperature readings
they show your internal organs
It's a high-tech version of an X-ray machine. CAT (computerized axial tomography) scan machines can see you in slices. It takes a lot of X-ray photographs, and then assembles them into a 3D image of your internal organs.
they listen for sounds inside you
they check your blood levels
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Everyone uses this online invention to find things on the Internet. What did Barbados native Alan Emtage create that started this multi-billion dollar industry?
photo library
blogs
search engines
Alan Emtage created Archie, which is considered the first search engine on the Internet. It was an archive search engine, from which companies like Google have made a lot of money.
grocery platform
Bungee jumping is a relatively new sport and hobby, taken from a traditional practice in Vanuatu. New Zealander AJ Hackett saw it being done ​and decided it was a great and scary thing to do. What are springy bungee cords made of?
steel cable
polyester thread
recycled cloth
elastic bands
Bungee jumping in its original form was about picking the right vine rope, and jumping off a wooden structure. These days, the elastic bungee cord makes sure you have an experience you can bounce away from.
Everyone loves customizing their phones. A man from Belize is credited with this audio invention that you can customize to know who is calling you. What was this invention?
screen light flashing
caller ID
ringtones
Belizean inventor Andre Gray is credited with the invention of mobile ringtones and ringbacks. He is still a very active inventor.
vibrating buzzer
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What do you call the short-range versions of mobile communication that​ mall cops and policemen use?
walkie talkies
Walkie talkies were first developed by Canadian Donald Hings. They are basically two-way radios.
ham radios
microphones
digicams
Botswana has had its fair share of telephone scams. What is the Botswanan invention that helps prevent people from using phones without their consent?
fingerprint-reading phones
Pule Mmolotsi, who is from Botswana, specializes in biometric studies. His specialty helped him to develop a fingerprint system for phone identification.
voice-ID lock
numerical lock phone
face-cam phone
Clothes are an ancient invention, and some people argue that the best are made from cotton. In what Eastern country was cotton clothing invented?
Russia
China
Korea
India
India cultivated cotton in ancient times. Once they had the raw material, it was easy to make clothes.
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Virgin coconut oil is now a multi-purpose product famous across the world. What Fijian invention helps us get more of it?
coconut picker
oil purifier
artificial coconut oil
coconut oil press
Jim Bandy helped develop a Fijian machine that can press 150 coconuts in 30 minutes. That's a lot of oil.
Computer memory is a status symbol, in that the more you have of it, the more your geek cred goes up. What sort of computer memory was developed in Malaysia that you can put in your pocket or key chain?
mini notebooks
flash drives
USB flash drives, or as some call them, pen drives, have a confusing history. Most people point to Malaysian Pua Khein -Seng as the father of the technology that lets us put our personal files in our pockets.
iPhones
laptop hard drives
What Canadian invention made pants so easy to get into and out of?
belts
zipper
Canadian electrical engineer Gideon Sundback was an unlikely inventor for the first modern-day zipper. Invented in 1913, it was an improvement from all others before it.
underwear
garters
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Inventions aren't just machines, they can also be animal breeds. Dr. Lecky of Jamaica created the Jamaica Hope. What invention of his made people jump over the moon?
a better farm dog
a larger chicken
a new pig breed
a species of cow
Dr. Lecky bred a cow that was perfect for Jamaica. It was small, disease-resistant, and could produce a lot of milk.
The Internet is the single biggest cultural game-changer in history. We can communicate with it, find entertainment in it, or send each other funny selfies with it. What British invention is the spidery network that links all of it?
e-mail
wi-fi
world wide web
The World Wide Web was first conceived by British scientist Tm Berners-Lee. He didn't patent it, though.
modems
When it comes to sci-fi, one of the favorite fantasies is being able to fly on your own, without an airplane. What did New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin blast out of science fiction into science fact?
anti-gravity belt
jet pack
Glenn Martin has developed a one-man jet pack, called, of course, the Martin Jetpack. It can be flown with or without a person in it.
teleporter
personal hovercraft
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Rumors make the world go 'round. What invention by a Scottish-born scientist first made rumors go long distance, from mouth to ear?
telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. This invention is still a baseline technology, as landlines are now the ultimate backup.
radio
television
world wide web
What does the Singaporean motion-capture device Touch+ want to replace in your PC setup?
the keyboard
the mouse
Singaporean company Ractiv's Touch+ is a brainchild of Darren Lim. The idea is to have a device that tracks movements on any surface to help you use your PC, rather than use a mouse.
the monitor
the speakers
Vacuum cleaners are a part of every household. What did Brit James Dyson do to his version of the vacuum cleaner?
removed the bag
Dyson noticed that the vacuum cleaner he bought wasn't doing the "suck" part of its job very well, thanks to a clogged bag. So, he made one that didn't need to use a bag. Less really is more.
added more bags
made bags dispensable
made them out of breathable cloth
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We know radar guns are used for finding out if highway drivers are being naughty. Competition-minded South African Henri Johnson figured it could be used to track other objects. What did his type of radar gun track?
runners
swimmers
boats
sports balls
Henri Johnson knew that sports fans would dearly love to know all the stats of their idols. He made a gun to measure the speed of balls and other similar objects used in sports.
A jet boat is one that doesn't use a naked propeller, making it safer to use in shallow water ​or places with a lot of aquatic life. From which Tolkien-loving country did the inventor, William Hamilton, hail?
New Zealand
William Hamilton dreamed of having a high-power boat that he could use in New Zealand rivers. So, he made the jet-propelled boat to address all the issues with river boating.
Mexico
Canada
South Africa
India is well known for many health practices, including one where people massage your head with oil to make you feel better. What modern product we use today to massage into our heads was created in India?
olive oil
lotion
shampoo
In India, it was first known as champo, a massage oil for use on the head. Now, it's shampoo, which is liquid soap for hair and the scalp.
ash
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Which northern Commonwealth country famous for its mix of English and French culture is the point of origin for the Wonderbra?
United Kingdom
Canada
Canadian Moses Nadler, founder of the Canadian Lady Corset Company, was the one who made sure that perkiness would be prevalent for Wonderbra users.
Ireland
Scotland
When you're on the bike trail, it's a good idea to keep your phone powered up. What does Tanzanian Bernard Kiwia's invention do for bikers?
measures travel distance
measures speed
GPS tracker
charges the phone
Bernard Kiwia has developed phone chargers that work off the bicycle's wheel.
What invention created in India can keep your sleeves and shirts closed, and your collars flat to your shirt?
pins
buttons
Buttons were first used as ornaments. They later became a tool for fastening clothes.
velcro
zipper
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3D printing can change the world, and now, here comes a 3D printing pen, so people can make their ideas literally solid. In what small, high-tech Commonwealth country was a UV light version of it developed?
Sierra Leone
Sri Lanka
Singapore
Singapore company CreoPop has come out with a pen that can harden the plastic "paste" coming out of it with UV light. It's perfect for starting kids on 3D production.
Solomon Islands
Getting tickets for a concert or a sports event used to be a chore, as you had to physically go to the shop or venue to buy a ticket. And if they ran out, well, that was it. What did South African Percy Tucker invent that electronically changed the way we buy our front-row seats?
telephone reservations
event posters
computerized ticketing
Computerized ticketing may not sound like a big invention, but think about it: it not only makes attending events easier, but it also works for travel bookings, and even shop sale reservations!
scheduled ticket releases
Fences are not only used for housing divisions or agricultural borders, but also for security. A New Zealander, Bill Gallagher, upped the ante of security by reinventing the ordinary fence. What did he invent?
water fence
wooden fence
metal-spiked fence
electrical fence
Gallagher thought of inventing electrical fences to have an extra zap of security, whether to keep animals in or bad people out. It’s now a required installation in high-security prisons and other similar facilities.
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Diabetes is one of the common lifestyle diseases today. Dr. Frederick Banting, a Canadian from Ontario, shared a Nobel for his work for a chemical drug that could control blood sugar? What drug was it?
bile
insulin
Insulin is the drug that can help diabetics convert sugar properly in their system.
plasma
saliva
Clanasol, which was created in Jamaica, was developed to treat glaucoma, an eye disease. In what form can this medicine be administered?
tablet
eye drop
Professor Manley West from Jamaica was concerned that people in his own country were going blind from glaucoma. He developed Canasol to give them a treatment option.
injection
salve
As long as working from home isn't normalized, and we still need people in service-oriented jobs, mass transport will have its place in our society. What transport vehicle that could follow only one path did British engineer Richard Trevithick invent?
steam locomotive
Brit mining engineer Richard Trevithick invented the steam locomotive to carry cargo - originally meant for minerals such as iron. Of course, a steam locomotive can carry anything, really.
taxi
bus
truck
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South Africa is probably in one of the sunnier places in the world. What type of power generation did Vivian Albert invent a cheaper version of?
nuclear power
tidal power
solar power
South African physicist Vivian Albert was able to invent a cheaper solar power system that used really thin metal films, rather than the traditional solar cells. It's made solar power much cheaper in South Africa.
steam power
What Canadian elastic plastic invention helps you keep your home clean as long as you're willing to put all your garbage in these, and take them out?
cardboard boxes
garbage bag
The modern garbage bag is designed to be disposable, and cheap. They were first used in places like hospitals. They were invented by Canadians Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen.
tin cans
rake
Fitness is now a part of modern culture. What fitness routine started out as a training technique for a Kiwi marathon runner?
weightlifting
calisthenics
swimming
jogging
Arthur Lydiard was a marathon runner and athletics coach who found out he wasn't as fit as he wanted to be. So, he invented jogging, and the world of fitness changed forever.
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This spread, which goes well with jelly in a sandwich, was created in Canada. What is it?
avocado spread
vegetable oil puree
peanut butter
Peanut butter was created by Canadian Marcellus Gilmore Edson. It was originally for people who had problems chewing.
coconut oil spread
When women travel, they usually have to carry shoes for all occasions. What Bahamian invention can put all the occasions in one?
slip-on shoe covers
Bahamian Gwendlyn Rolle learned from her years in fashion. It's simple: one shoe, and you can clothe it in different colors with slip-on covers.
add-on heels
formal rubber shoes
no-dirt shoes
You Got:
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