Science and Technology: Inventions, Biology & Discoveries

Marie Curie (note spelling error in option as 'Marrie') was the first person and first scientist to win two Nobel Prizes: Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911. Neither Newton nor Einstein won two Nobel Prizes. This is a foundational fact in Nobel Prize history.

Sabeer Bhatia, along with Jack Smith, founded Hotmail in 1996. It was one of the first webmail services and allowed users to access email from anywhere with internet connectivity. Microsoft acquired Hotmail in 1997 for approximately $400 million.

Dr. Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first practical mobile phone call on April 3, 1973, using a prototype of the DynaTAC phone. He called Joel Engel at Bell Labs to demonstrate the achievement. While Nathan Stubblefield and George Sweigert worked on wireless communication, Cooper's invention was the first true handheld mobile phone that led to commercial products.

The term 'googol' (which inspired the name Google) was coined by Milton Sirotta, but it was popularized in the book 'Mathematics and the Imagination' by Edward Kasner and James Newman.

Alexander Parkes invented Parkesine in 1862, considered the first man-made plastic. This early plastic was made from cellulose treated with nitric acid. While Leo Baekeland later invented Bakelite (the first fully synthetic plastic) and Wesley Hyatt developed celluloid, Parkes was the pioneer of plastic materials. William Henry is not associated with plastic invention.

Francis Robbins Upton invented the first electric fire alarm system in 1890. His system used telegraph technology to automatically signal fires to a central station. While BRK Electronics is a modern smoke alarm manufacturer and Philip W. Pratt patented an early heat-sensing device, Upton's electric alarm system was the foundation for modern fire alarm networks.

Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian journalist, invented the modern ballpoint pen in the 1930s, patenting it in 1938. His design used a tiny ball that rolled to distribute ink, solving earlier problems with ink flow. While John J. Loud patented an early marking pen, it was Biro's practical design that became successful. 'Biro' is still used as a synonym for ballpoint pen in many countries.

Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline in 1642, considered one of the first mechanical calculators. It could perform addition and subtraction using geared wheels. While William Oughtred invented the slide rule earlier, Pascal's device was an early calculating machine. Newton and Einstein were physicists, not known for calculator inventions, and 'Einsten' appears to be a typo.

Jacob Davis, a tailor, and Levi Strauss, a dry goods merchant, patented blue jeans in 1873. They added copper rivets to reinforce stress points, creating durable work pants for miners. The Michaux brothers are associated with bicycles, Walter Camp with American football, and William Morgan with volleyball. Levi Strauss & Co. continues to be synonymous with jeans today.

N. J. Conte, a French scientist, invented the modern pencil lead in 1795 by mixing graphite with clay. This created pencils of varying hardness that didn't break easily, revolutionizing writing instruments. While pencils existed earlier, Conte's process made them practical and widely accessible. Galileo and Huygens were astronomers, and John Strognofe is not associated with pencil invention.