Famous Trendsetters and Their Breakthroughs: Answers
Created | Updated Sep 9, 2012
If you've ever asked yourself, 'Who was the first person to. . . ?', this is for you.
The Post Quiz: Famous Trendsetters and Their Breakthroughs: Answers
Here are the startling answers:
- What did Robert Gibbon Johnson of Salem, New Jersey, do in public in 1820 that scandalised his neighbours? Ate a tomato. A whole basket of them, according to legend. He wanted people to know they weren't poisonous. Some people already knew that – Thomas Jefferson grew them at home.
- When Annette Kellerman of Australia was arrested on a Massachusetts beach in 1907, what was she wearing? A one-piece bathing suit. Scandalous, but soon popular. Ms Kellerman was considered a great beauty, as her proportions matched the Venus de Milo's. (Judge for yourselves.) She's also credited with inventing synchronised swimming. Yay, Annette!
- When George Washington was President, what breed was the First Dog? A foxhound. Though Mr Washington had 30 to choose from. He was a breeder.
- Where was the first recorded bicycle accident? (And what were the consequences?) Glasgow. Velocipedist Kirkpatrick Macmillan has been credited (?) with being the fellow who ran into a pedestrian in 1842. He was fined five shillings, which served him right.
- What was said in the world's first telephone conversation? 'Mr Watson, come here – I want to see you.' Said by Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, to his assistant Thomas Watson, in 1876. Next they invented the 999 call.
- What were the first words spoken by the first man in space, upon returning to Earth? 'I am a friend, comrades, a friend.' First, because the first man in space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Second, because he'd landed in a field and was scaring the local farmer folk. He added that, yes, he had come from space, and he needed to phone Moscow. Made sense. As to the first word uttered in space, we suspect it was Russian for 'Woof!' Laika, the first cosmonaut, wasn't big on the verbiage.
- What is Canadian cinema actress May Irwin famous for? (Hint: She did this in 1896.) The first screen kiss. It was filmed in Edison's studio. Hot stuff at the time: the second screen kiss was banned in cinemas. We just don't do things like that.
- 17th-century playwright and novelist Aphra Behn is famous as the first woman to earn a living by writing. But what was she doing in Antwerp in the 1660s? Working as a spy. We bet her adventures would have made good copy, but she'd probably signed the Official Secrets Act.
- Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first photo in 1826. Where did he point his camera? Out the window. It's hard to make out what he saw, but photography was born that day.
- Okay, full circle: it is a well-known fact that Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, liked potatoes. A LOT. What did he threaten to do to peasants who refused to grow this wonderful tuber? Cut off their noses. The king wasn't fooling around. When he said, 'Let them eat potatoes', he meant it.
If you enjoyed this excursion into the world of groundbreaking activities, tell your friends. We're here all week. (And archived after.)
