QUIZ Humans have been toying with technology for centuries from the first tools used by cave dwellers to the latest gadgets Decide whether the following facts are technologically true or fundamentally false Keep track of your answers on a separate sheet of paper TRUE FALSE THE FACTS 1 The first bicycle had no pedals 2 The first mobile phones were too heavy to carry around 3 The screen on the first television set was more than 78 inches 2 m wide 4 The first flush toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper in 1861 5 It took eight hours to take the world’s first photograph 6 The world’s fastest train floats above the tracks 7 The first helicopter design was sketched by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century Chapter One TERRIFIC TECHNOLOGY
Penicillin Was Discovered by Accident 1 THE FIRST BICYCLE HAD NO PEDALS TRUE One of the first bicycles was invented in 1790 It was made from wood but had no steering or pedals The rider sat astride it and moved by pushing their feet along the ground In 1817 Karl Drais improved it with his running bicycle which could be steered A blacksmith named Kirkpatrick MacMillan added pedals in 1839 The design was further improved later that century by the addition of a chain and pneumatic air-filled tires which led to the bicycle becoming safer and very popular 2 THE FIRST MOBILE PHONES WERE TOO HEAVY TO CARRY AROUND TRUE The first mobile phone call was made in 1973 but it was almost a decade before the first handsets went on sale Early handsets looked like a phone stuck on a car battery They were very heavy and had a talk time of just 20 minutes In 1983 the brick handset was launched It got its name because it was as big as a brick and only a little lighter It cost so much that few people could afford it 3 THE SCREEN ON THE FIRST TELEVISION SET WAS MORE THAN 78 INCHES 2 M WIDE FALSE John Logie Baird first demonstrated his televisor machine in 1926 The screen was not huge In fact it was so small that only one person could see the picture at a time and the image was very weak At that point sound could not be transmitted at the same time as the picture
TERRIFIC TECHNOLOGY 4 THE FIRST FLUSH TOILET WAS INVENTED BY THOMAS CRAPPER IN 1861 FALSE Many people wrongly believe that a man named Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet In fact its design has been refined over centuries by numerous people Toilets with a very simple flush system have been found in the ruins of the palace at Knossos Crete dating from 4,000 years ago In 1596 Sir John Harrington built one for Queen Elizabeth I of England The waste was flushed away through a trapdoor that opened directly into a cesspool The smell was so awful that it didn’t catch on In 1820 Albert Giblin patented his design for the flush toilet but it was 37 years before the first toilet paper was sold to go with it
