SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The Quick Quirk Quiz
The Surprising Stories, Hidden History,
and Unusual Origins Behind Familiar Things
By Janet Spencer, Trivia Queen of the Universe
Royal Ruler of Useless Information
Master of Arcane Knowledge & Extraneous Lore
Keeper of Forgotten Facts & Startling Statistics
Published by Janet Spencer at Smashwords.com
Copyright 2009 Janet Spencer
Discover other works by Janet Spencer at
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
A New Color
A Synthetic Silk
A Slippery Substance
A New Raincoat
A Clean Shoe
A New Glue
The Right Way to Make Rubber
A New Rubber Company
Better Tires
A Reliable Source of Heat
A Sterile Dish
A Big Calculator
A Camera for the Common People
A More Affordable Camera
A Car Radio
A Transistor Radio
A Better Sound System
A New Computer
Wireless United
A Color TV Game Machine
A Very Large Number
A Sudden Fright
A New Screw
Experiments with Fish Oil
Oil of a Thousand Uses
A New, Improved Paint
Nine Kittens and a Flashlight
A Better Pen
In the mid-1800s malaria caused many deaths. The only remedy was quinine, painstakingly derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. After hearing a lecture on the difficulties of extracting quinine, a chemistry student named William Perkin decided to try to synthesize quinine. He started with aniline, made from distilling the indigo plant, because he thought the chemical structure was similar enough to quinine that he could alter it. After mixing in carbons and hydrogens, the result was a black sludge. Perkin threw it away, then washed his flasks out with water and alcohol but was interested to see that the sludge residue turned the water and alcohol purple. Experimenting further, Perkin extracted the substance that caused the color, and sent samples to a friend in the dye business. The purple substance was effective at dying cotton and silk. At the time, purple dye was obtained from mollusks and it took 12,000 mollusks to produce enough dye for a single dress and it was not color-fast. Only royalty could afford purple clothing. Perkin’s dye was permanent, cheap, and easy. It revolutionized the dye industry and sparked the birth of the synthetic chemical industry. Perkin became rich and famous for inventing what he called Aniline Purple. The dye was a hit in France, where they named it ‘malva’ for the mallow flower, which is the same color as the dye. Chemists later altered this French name slightly, giving the dye its common name. This name, slightly modified, came into the English language meaning ‘a shade of reddish-purple’. What is that color?
Answer: Mauve, from mauveine.
Wallace Carothers was a chemist for DuPont before World War II. He studied polymers, synthetics, and polyesters, trying to come up with a replacement for silk. America’s silk came from Japan, and trade relations were breaking down. One day fellow researcher Jullian Hill discovered that when he stirred a flask of warm soft synthetics with a rod, and then pulled the rod out of the flask, the material would stretch into long silky fibers. They decided to see how far these filaments would stretch. They took a blob into the hallway and stretched it out into strings the length of the hall. Amazingly, the fibers became stronger the longer they grew, the opposite of what they expected. They had accidentally discovered that the stress of being stretched causes the molecules to align in strong chains, a process now called cold-drawing. Using this process on other synthetic substances led to the discovery of a material that turned out to be not only a substitute for silk, but also found a million other uses. The raw material for this substance consists of coal, petroleum products, air, and water, which is formulated and run through the cold-drawing process. It won’t mildew, decay, or absorb moisture, and it’s impervious to greases and cleansers. In certain forms it has an amazing elasticity, making it perfect for use in ropes, parachutes, and clothing. A rope made of this material holds 50 percent more weight than a steel cable of the same diameter. Other uses include toothbrushes, guitar strings, and ski boots. What’s it called?
Answer: Nylon, a word they made up.
On April 6, 1938, chemist Dr. Roy Plunkett was experimenting with coolant gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners at the DuPont laboratories in New Jersey. From the freezer he removed a tank of experimental gas he'd been working with, called tetrafluoroethylene. He expected to find a container of very cold gas, but when he turned the valve to let some gas out, nothing happened. He weighed the tank, which showed it should be full of gas. He checked the valve, but it worked fine. Perplexed, he cut the tank in half to find out what happened to the gas. He was surprised to see the gas had congealed into a solid, waxy substance. Plunkett ran some tests. The new material was impervious to chemicals and heat; it did not absorb things and nothing absorbed it; it was colorless and odorless. Plunkett had accidentally discovered what is popularly known as the slipperiest substance on Earth, equivalent to two wet ice cubes rubbing against each other in a warm room. The molecules of the substance are some of the largest molecules known. Fifty years later Plunkett was inducted into the Inventor’s Hall of Fame. Today the product has hundreds of uses. It’s used on windshield wiper blades, it’s in fingernail polish, it forms a scratch-resistant coating on eyeglasses, it covers cookware, it protects fabrics, and it covers lightbulbs to make them shatterproof. The list is nearly endless. What is it commonly known as?
Answer: Teflon.
Bill was one of the researchers working in the DuPont lab when Teflon was invented. He continued to experiment with it, inventing many new uses. However, the DuPont Teflon team was disbanded in 1957 and went to work on other projects. Bill begged his bosses to let him continue to work with Teflon, but was turned down. He took Teflon home with him, experimented with it in his basement after work, and established his own company. His son Bob joined him, and in 1969 they discovered that Teflon would stretch if it was heated and then pulled slowly. They wanted to stretch it into a fabric, but time after time – while heating it and pulling it slowly – they failed. Finally in frustration, Bob heated it and then yanked it. That was the secret. Teflon, when heated and stretched quickly, forms fabric. Normally raincoats are made out of two layers: the outer layer is polyester or nylon, and the inner layer is polyurethane. Bill and Bob found that when sheets of this new Teflon fabric were inserted between the two layers, the raincoat was porous enough to breathe, but tight enough to be waterproof. After perfecting the formula, they had a new fabric that was superior for outerwear. They were granted a patent in 1976, the product line hit the market in 1989, and Bob was inducted into the Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 2006. The name of the fabric is based on Bill and Bob’s last name. What’s it called?
Answer: Gore-Tex, named for Bill & Bob Gore.
A Clean Shoe
When Patsy Sherman was in school, she took an aptitude test for girls, which said she should be a housewife. She asked to take the aptitude test for boys; it said she should be a chemist, so she studied chemistry in college. When she graduated in 1952, she got a job with 3M in Minnesota. She was assigned to develop a synthetic rubber that would stand up to regular contact with jet fuels, which caused the existing rubber hoses to disintegrate. One day a bottle of a synthetic latex fell to the floor, splattering an assistant’s tennis shoes with a milky substance. They tried to wipe it off. Soap, water, alcohol, and other solvents all just rolled off. The compound didn’t change the canvas shoe, and as the days passed, the shoe became dirtier and dirtier, except for the spots where the chemical had landed, which remained white and clean. Investigating, Patsy and her partner Sam Smith dipped fabric in the compound. The chemical surrounded each fiber in the fabric with an invisible fluorochemical shield which was impervious to water, oils, and dirt. Patsy was hired full-time to work with Sam to develop a marketable version. It took them three years to come up with the product, which went on the market in 1956. It sold out within days and became one of 3M’s most profitable products, funding their development into a global industry. What’s it called?
Answer: Scotchgard, to match the Scotch tape they were already manufacturing.
A New Glue
Harry Coover was a researcher working for Kodak Research Labs in 1942. He was trying to develop a clear plastic gunsight for use during World War II. Working with a type of acrylic, he discovered a substance called cyanoacrylate, which wasn’t useful for gunsights because it stuck to everything and made a mess, so he set the discovery aside. In 1951 he was trying to find a tough acrylate polymer for jet canopies, and he began to do further experiments with cyanoacrylates. One day a fellow researcher, ironically named Dr. Fred Joyner, spread a film of ethyl cyanoacrylate between two prisms of a refractometer in order to see if it would refract light. When constructing jet canopies, it’s important to know how light acts when traveling through the material. It didn’t refract light, and the two men discovered it was impossible to pry the prisms apart again. They feared they’d be in trouble for ruining the expensive equipment, but the company realized the potential in the new adhesive. Coover received a patent for ‘Alcohol-Catalyzed Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Compositions’. The glue went on the market in 1958 under the name ‘Eastman Compound #910’ because you could count from one to ten and by the time you got to ‘nine…ten’ it would be bonded. Coover appeared on the quiz show I’ve Got a Secret where he lifted host Gary Moore completely off the floor using a single drop of the glue. Today it’s estimated that 90 percent of American homes have at least one tube of it. What’s it called today?
Answer: Super Glue.
The Right Way to Make Rubber
In 1834 a man named Charles became interested in rubber. Rubber shoes, raincoats, and hoses were being manufactured for the first time, but rubber became sticky when hot and brittle when cold. It also smelled bad. Charles experimented for years while he struggled to support his large family. Finally he discovered that nitric acid reduced the stickiness. Then a rubber shoe manufacturer mentioned that sulfur also reduced the stickiness. Together they experimented with sulfur and nitric acid, and began turning out improved rubber articles. The government ordered 150 rubber mailbags. Unfortunately, the bags stretched, and were returned. They went broke, but Charles continued experimenting on his own. In 1839 Charles accidentally dropped some rubber on a hot stove, and the result was different than any rubber he had ever seen. When cold, it remained flexible. When hot, it didn't get sticky. He knew he had unlocked the secret. Finally merchants financed his experiments, and Charles discovered that the rubber must be mixed with pure, dry sulfur; heated slowly with steam under pressure; and left at 270 degrees Fahrenheit for four to six hours. Soon hundreds of things were made of rubber, but Charles never had a mind for business and never realized much profit off his discovery. He died deeply in debt in 1860. Later a manufacturer adopted Charles’ last name as its company name to honor him, although he was never connected to it. Today that billion-dollar company is the world’s largest rubber and tire manufacturer. What’s it called?
Answer: Goodyear.
A New Rubber Company
Benjamin’s mother gave her son the first name of Benjamin and the middle name of Franklin. After the Civil War, he went into the oil business and later bought out a New York rubber company. However, numerous other rubber companies in the area provided such stiff competition that the business floundered. The citizens of Akron, Ohio, convinced him to set up a new factory in their town, raising enough capital to get him started. In Akron, he was the only rubber company west of the Allegheny Mountains, and the market for the Midwest was wide open. He established a licensing agreement with Charles Goodyear, and named his new business after himself. Benjamin had once seen a friend’s home burn to the ground in the middle of winter because the leather fire hoses used by firemen were frozen, cracked, and useless. The first product he began manufacturing was rubber fire hoses that wouldn’t crack. Then he added garden hoses. When Benjamin died in 1888 at the age of 46, his son took over. Pneumatic tires (containing air instead of being made of solid rubber) had recently been invented, and they began to manufacture bicycle tires and tires for the emerging automobile and aviation industries. Benjamin’s company became the largest rubber manufacturer in the world, most well-known for its automobile tires. What’s it called?
Answer: B.F. Goodrich
Better Tires
In France in 1886, a family’s rubber manufacturing firm was failing, but the founder’s nephews, Edouard and Andre, were determined to save it. One day a bicyclist came in whose bike sported two recently invented pneumatic tires, which contain air instead of being solid rubber. Pneumatic tires gave a smooth ride, but they punctured. This bike had a flat, and the biker asked the brothers to fix it. They discovered that the tire was glued to the rim. It took hours to remove, but they eventually repaired it, replaced it, took it for a test drive – and it went flat again. There had to be a better way. They subsequently invented detachable tires that could be easily removed from the rim. Then they outfitted bicycle racer Charles Terront with their tires, and showed him how to repair a flat. During a bicycle race in 1891, Terront’s tire was punctured. Bystanders despaired, but he repaired the flat in a few minutes and went on to win the race. The resulting publicity boosted the family rubber firm immensely. Next the brothers decided to work the same miracle for automobile rubber tires. At that time, car tires were wooden wheels with a metal rim. The burgeoning automobile industry embraced their detachable tires and they became one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world. Their company logo of a pile of tires shaped like a rotund man, trademarked in 1898, is one of the oldest and most recognizable logos in the nation. The company is named after the French family’s last name. What is it?
Answer: Michelin, who now produces B. F. Goodrich tires.
A Reliable Source of Heat
Robert, born in Germany in 1811, became a noted chemist. He was often frustrated because many experiments required a precise source of heat. The only burners available created flames that smoked excessively, flickered constantly, and offered little heat intensity. In 1852 the University of Heidelberg offered him a position, promising to build him a new lab. The city of Heidelberg had just acquired a gas works, and gas lights were being installed. Robert accepted the job on the condition that they have his new lab outfitted with gas not only for lighting but also for running the heating apparatus he needed. Next Robert asked the university mechanic, Peter Desaga, to design a new kind of burner. The problem with the existing burners was that when the gas came out of the burner, it mixed with air at the point of combustion, but there was no way to control the mix of air and gas. Robert asked Peter to construct a burner out of a pipe which had a valve at the bottom that could be opened or closed to adjust the amount of air that entered the pipe. The air mixed with the gas inside the pipe, and the flame was lit at the top. The innovation of being able to adjust the ratio of air and gas prior to combustion provided a flame that was steady, sootless, and intense. It was the forerunner of the gas stove and the gas furnace. Named after him, Robert’s invention is still used in schools and labs around the world today. Name it.
Answer: Bunsen burner.
A Sterile Dish
In the late 1880s German scientist Robert Koch suspected that specific bacteria strains caused specific diseases. He set out to prove this, which meant he needed to grow many different types of bacteria strains. Culturing them, and keeping them from becoming contaminated, was a difficult challenge. Then an assistant named Fanny Hesse discovered that bacteria would thrive if grown on a gelatinous derivative of seaweed called agar, but when bacteria grew on agar in a test tube, it was difficult to see what was going on, and when bacteria grew on agar in a dish under a bell jar, it frequently became contaminated. Then a research assistant named Richard invented a simple solution to the problem. When agar was placed in a small flat glass dish, and a slightly larger glass was inverted over the top of it, bacteria cultures could grow without being contaminated while still being both visible and accessible. This easy answer allowed scientific research to progress at an accelerated rate. Richard went on to make many other contributions to the infant field of microbiology, publishing over 150 papers on the topic. Koch received a Nobel Prize for his work with tuberculosis. Koch’s research, augmented by Richard’s dish design, led to the eradication of cholera and anthrax. Today Richard is remembered because the little glass dish he invented, still routinely used in scientific experiments worldwide, carries his last name. What was Richard’s last name?
Answer: Petri.
A Big Calculator
Herman Hollerith worked for the Census in 1880, compiling statistics. Back then, it took eight years to tabulate the census information, and the census was taken every ten years. Hollerith knew there must be a better way. One day he took a train trip. The railroad had been plagued with robbers who posed as passengers. To catch the culprits, the engineers kept track of everybody on board. They had a card for every person on board, and would punch holes in it to record descriptions of the passengers: punch here for light hair; there for dark hair. Punch out A, B, or C for blue eyes, brown eyes, or green eyes. Based on this idea, Hollerith began working to invent an electric tabulating machine, which he patented in 1889. Wherever there was a hole in a card, an electrical connection would be made and an automatic counter would register it. Herman was hired to tabulate the 1890 census and it took him and 30 assistants only six weeks to compile the information. He sold his company for a few million dollars in 1910, but he never liked the new company and he refused to buy any stock in it. Perhaps he came to regret that, for if Herman had invested $200,000 in that business in 1910, it would have been worth about a billion dollars by 1970. The new company is now one of the world’s largest corporations, now mostly involved in information technology. What’s its name?
Answer: International Business Machines, or IBM.
A Camera for the Common People
George’s hobby was photography. He was going on vacation and he wanted to take pictures. The problem was that it was the 1880s, the camera weighed 30 pounds, and it took hours to produce a single photo. George decided to find a better way. It took him three years. First he invented a dry glass plate instead of the wet glass plate; this simplified the process. Next he invented a way to put the emulsion on paper instead of glass. This was a miraculous improvement, but professional photographers wouldn’t use it because you could see the grain of the paper through the photo, and glass was still superior. So George began to market it to the amateur photographer. In 1888 his camera cost $25 at a time when a new suit cost $15, so sales were slow. That’s when he discovered cellulose. With cellulose film, the quality was sharp, the camera was small, and the price was cheap. By 1896 he’d sold around 100,000 cameras. However, in 1900 he introduced a camera priced at $1 which was so simple even a child could take pictures. It was a sensation. George decided the name of his company had to be short, simple to spell, easy to pronounce, and impossible to confuse with anything else. He came up with a nonsense name that fits all these qualifications. What’s the company called? (Bonus points for George’s last name and triple bonus points for the name of the $1 camera.)
Answer: Kodak, George Eastman, and the Brownie.
A More Affordable Camera
In 1932 Germany released a new camera called the Leica. Billed as the best camera on earth, it caused a sensation in Japan. However, it sold for 420 yen at a time when 70 yen per month was considered high pay. At the time, a man named Goro Yoshida had a job repairing motion picture cameras and projectors in Tokyo. He often traveled to China to buy parts he needed. One day a trader in Shanghai asked him, “Why do you come to China for camera parts? Your country builds battleships and airplanes; why can’t you build cameras?” Prompted by this question, Yoshida went home and disassembled a Leica camera, examining it carefully. He found it was made of ordinary materials, and he couldn’t understand why something made of brass, aluminum, and rubber should be so expensive. So he went into business with the intention of inventing an affordable 35 millimeter camera. By 1934 he had a prototype, and they were offered for sale in 1935 at half the price of a Leica. Yoshida named the camera and the company Kwanon, after the Buddhist goddess of mercy. That name was simplified in spelling when the camera was released to an English-speaking world. It’s pronounced almost the same, but the English pronunciation of the word means ‘a code of laws’ or ‘a set of fundamental principles’. Today Yoshida’s company is a multinational corporation that specializes in optical equipment, copiers, and computer printers. What’s it called?
Answer: Canon.