Some of the world's best inventions began as accidents, failures or something else entirely. The Sole claims he'd have invented them all, the Apple thinks Wi-Fi grows on trees, and the Wiper invented forgetting. Your move.
Inventions Quiz: 10 Questions Most People Get Wrong
All the questions in this quiz
Hosting? Here they are. Answers are in the quiz above, or grab the printable pack.
- What melted in Percy Spencer's pocket and led to the microwave oven?
- What was bubble wrap originally meant to be?
- What gave George de Mestral the idea for Velcro?
- Who patented the windscreen wiper in 1903?
- What was Play-Doh originally sold as?
- What did the world's first webcam watch?
- What was the first recorded computer 'bug' in 1947?
- The Australian research behind Wi-Fi grew out of which field?
- Bubble wrap's first big customer used it to protect what?
- What happened to the original US patent for the fire hydrant?
Sources
- Percy Spencer (Lemelson-MIT)
- The Accidental Invention of Bubble Wrap (Smithsonian)
- How Did a Walk in the Woods Lead to the Invention of VELCRO? (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
- Mary Anderson (Lemelson-MIT)
- Kutol Products Company (Wikipedia)
- The First Webcam Points at the Trojan Room Coffee Pot (History of Information)
- World's First Computer Bug (National Geographic Education)
- Wi-Fi (National Museum of Australia)
- The Time Every Patent in the U.S. Went Up in Smoke (Mental Floss)
Fact-checked 31 Oct 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it in public.
