In 1945, what food item melted in a Raytheon engineer's pocket while he stood near an active radar set, sparking the invention of the microwave oven?

General Knowledge

What existing communication system inspired Norman Woodland to design the barcode's pattern of bars?

The barcode was inspired by Morse code. Inventor Norman Woodland thought: dots and dashes could become wide and narrow bars.

General Knowledge

Which company employed the engineer whose radar research accidentally led to the invention of the microwave oven in 1945?

The microwave oven was invented by accident when a Raytheon engineer's chocolate bar melted near a radar machine in 1945.

General Knowledge

What kind of adhesive was Spencer Silver originally trying to develop in 1968 when he instead created the weak, reusable formula behind Post-it Notes?

Post-it notes were created as a failed adhesive experiment, and the inventor nearly threw them away before recognizing their market potential.

General Knowledge

What property of honey allows it to remain edible for thousands of years without refrigeration or preservatives?

Honey never spoils. Archaeologists found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still perfectly edible.

General Knowledge

Which element, symbol Au, is named after the Latin word for the city of Rome's most enduring metal trade?

All the gold ever mined in human history would fit into a cube roughly 21 meters on each side — about the size of a four-story building.

General Knowledge

Which historical figure lived closer in time to the 1969 Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

Cleopatra lived closer to the moon landing (1969) than to the building of the Great Pyramid—a 2,500-year time gap.