Question 1

Which country accidentally invented the microwave oven in 1945 when an engineer named Percy Spencer noticed that a radar device had melted a chocolate bar in his pocket during testing?

Accepted Answer

United States. Percy Spencer, an American engineer at Raytheon, discovered microwave cooking accidentally in 1945 when radar magnetron waves melted a chocolate bar in his pocket; Raytheon patented the microwave oven the same year.

Question 2

Which tech company's headquarters features a 175-acre campus called 'the Spaceship' — a circular glass building with no external doors on the outside ring — designed by Sir Norman Foster and completed in 2017?

Accepted Answer

Apple. Apple Park in Cupertino, California, officially opened in 2017. The main building, Apple Park Visitor Center aside, is a massive ring with over 12,000 employees and no external ground-floor doors to the outside world.

Question 3

In computing, what is the name of the principle stating that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years, a prediction that guided the semiconductor industry for over five decades?

Accepted Answer

Moore's Law. Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, made this observation in 1965. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy as chipmakers used it as a target, though the pace has slowed considerably since the 2010s.

Question 4

Which 1970s rock band named themselves after a character in a Herman Hesse novel, going on to sell over 100 million records and pioneering the 'arena rock' sound?

Accepted Answer

Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf took their name directly from Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel about a man torn between his human and wolf natures. Their song 'Born to Be Wild' also coined the term 'heavy metal' in a lyric.

Question 5

Which country banned the sale of chewing gum to the general public in 1992 and only partially lifted the ban in 2004 for therapeutic gum sold in pharmacies?

Accepted Answer

Singapore. Singapore banned chewing gum in 1992 after gum was found repeatedly stuck in MRT train door sensors, causing costly delays. The ban was partially relaxed in 2004 under a trade deal with the U.S., allowing pharmacists to sell nicotine and dental gum.

May 17, 2026 Trivia

1. Which country accidentally invented the microwave oven in 1945 when an engineer named Percy Spencer noticed that a radar device had melted a chocolate bar in his pocket during testing?

2. Which tech company's headquarters features a 175-acre campus called 'the Spaceship' — a circular glass building with no external doors on the outside ring — designed by Sir Norman Foster and completed in 2017?

3. In computing, what is the name of the principle stating that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years, a prediction that guided the semiconductor industry for over five decades?

4. Which 1970s rock band named themselves after a character in a Herman Hesse novel, going on to sell over 100 million records and pioneering the 'arena rock' sound?

5. Which country banned the sale of chewing gum to the general public in 1992 and only partially lifted the ban in 2004 for therapeutic gum sold in pharmacies?