Inventions by Country: Who Invented What
30 cards covering where the world's inventions really come from — from paper and gunpowder to Wi-Fi and the MP3. Each card names an invention; the answer gives the country, plus the inventor and year. Includes the ones almost everyone gets wrong: the croissant, the bicycle, the vending machine, and the light bulb.
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Cards in this deck
#1
Q:The printing press
- A:Germany — Johannes Gutenberg, 1440s
#2
Q:Paper
- A:China — Cai Lun, around 105 AD
#3
Q:Gunpowder
- A:China — 9th century, Tang dynasty alchemists
#4
Q:Paper money
- A:China — Song dynasty, 11th century
#5
Q:The sauna
- A:Finland — over 2,000 years old
#6
Q:Instant noodles
- A:Japan — Momofuku Ando, 1958
#7
Q:Karaoke
- A:Japan — Daisuke Inoue, 1971
#8
Q:LEGO bricks
- A:Denmark — Ole Kirk Christiansen, 1958
#9
Q:The Rubik's Cube
- A:Hungary — Ernő Rubik, 1974
#10
Q:The ballpoint pen
- A:Hungary — László Bíró, 1938
#11
Q:Dynamite
- A:Sweden — Alfred Nobel, 1867
#12
Q:Penicillin
- A:United Kingdom — Alexander Fleming, 1928
#13
Q:The X-ray
- A:Germany — Wilhelm Röntgen, 1895
#14
Q:Insulin
- A:Canada — Banting and Best, 1921
#15
Q:The croissant
- A:Austria — the Viennese kipferl
#16
Q:Velcro
- A:Switzerland — George de Mestral
#17
Q:The bicycle
- A:Germany — Karl Drais, 1817
#18
Q:The diesel engine
- A:Germany — Rudolf Diesel, 1892
#19
Q:The three-point seat belt
- A:Sweden — Volvo, Nils Bohlin, 1959
#20
Q:The shipping container
- A:United States — Malcom McLean, 1956
#21
Q:The microwave oven
- A:United States — Percy Spencer, 1945
#22
Q:The computer mouse
- A:United States — Douglas Engelbart, 1964
#23
Q:Stainless steel
- A:United Kingdom — Harry Brearley, 1913
#24
Q:The fax machine
- A:United Kingdom — Alexander Bain, 1843
#25
Q:The cash machine
- A:United Kingdom — Barclays, London, 1967
#26
Q:Wi-Fi
- A:Australia — CSIRO, 1992
#27
Q:Bluetooth
- A:Sweden — Ericsson, 1994
#28
Q:The MP3
- A:Germany — the Fraunhofer Institute, 1990s
#29
Q:The vending machine
- A:Egypt — Hero of Alexandria, 1st century
#30
Q:The light bulb
- A:United Kingdom — Joseph Swan, 1878