Family & Kids
Test your knowledge of Teen Trivia (Ages 13-15): Famous Inventors and Their Inventions with a free trivia word search from thewordfind.com. Read each clue, work out the answer, then find it hidden in the letter grid — every puzzle is freshly generated, so no two plays are ever quite the same. Don't know an answer? Tap the hint button in-game to reveal the first letter, or just scan the grid — every answer is hiding in there somewhere. Between the clues and the full answer key below, this topic doubles as a quick study guide — good for a trivia night, a classroom quiz, or just picking up something new about Teen Trivia (Ages 13-15): Famous Inventors and Their Inventions along the way.
Play This Puzzle →A few sample clues
This American engineer co-invented the integrated circuit, or microchip, in 1958.
_ _ _ _ _
This German inventor's mid-15th-century printing press with movable type transformed how books were made.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This Russian-American engineer developed an early electronic television camera tube in the 1920s.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This engineer, who worked on NASA projects, accidentally invented a powerful water-blasting toy while designing a new kind of heat pump.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
This American businessman invented an airtight plastic food-storage container that still bears his name.
_ _ _ _ _ _
All 97 questions in this topic, with answers — use it to study, or just browse. Every actual play of the puzzle only pulls a random handful of these into one game, so knowing them all here won't spoil which ones show up or where they're hidden in the grid. Play it here.
This American engineer built one of the first commercially successful steamboats, launched on the Hudson River in 1807.
FULTONThis American businessman founded a cereal company after recovering at the same sanitarium that inspired the Kellogg brothers.
POSTThis American entrepreneur made photography affordable for the masses by founding a company known for its roll-film cameras.
EASTMANThis German mathematician built on earlier mechanical calculators to create a machine that could also multiply and divide.
LEIBNIZThis American newspaper editor invented the modern typewriter, arranging its keys in the QWERTY layout still used today.
SHOLESThis American minister and dietary reformer lent his name to a whole-wheat cracker he promoted in the 1830s.
GRAHAMThis Italian inventor sent the first transatlantic radio signal in 1901.
MARCONIThis American inventor patented a revolving-cylinder firearm design in 1836 that let a gun fire multiple shots without reloading.
COLTThis American physicist co-invented the integrated circuit and later co-founded a major microprocessor company.
NOYCEThis American industrialist didn't invent the automobile, but he revolutionized its production with the moving assembly line.
FORDThis American chemist invented a super-strong synthetic fiber used in bulletproof vests while researching lightweight tire materials.
KWOLEKThis Serbian-American engineer developed the alternating-current system that still powers homes today.
TESLAThis American inventor discovered the process of vulcanizing rubber, making it far more durable, in 1839.
GOODYEARThis American businessman popularized the disposable-blade safety razor in the early 1900s.
GILLETTEThis Swedish astronomer proposed a temperature scale in 1742 that places water's freezing and boiling points 100 degrees apart.
CELSIUSThis American dressmaker patented an improved ironing board in 1892, shaped to fit sleeves more easily.
BOONEThis American inventor built the first practical mechanical dishwasher, unveiling it at the 1893 World's Fair.
COCHRANEThis American insurance salesman patented a reliable fountain pen in 1884 after a leaky one ruined an important contract.
WATERMANThis American inventor demonstrated the first computer mouse in a famous 1968 presentation now nicknamed 'The Mother of All Demos.'
ENGELBARTThis American chemist developed an inexpensive way to synthesize cortisone and other steroid drugs from soybeans.
JULIANThis Hungarian-Argentine journalist invented a pen that used a rolling ball instead of a fountain nib.
BIROThis Swiss engineer invented a hook-and-loop fastener after studying burrs stuck to his dog's fur.
MESTRALThis Swedish chemist invented dynamite in 1867, making explosives far safer to handle and transport.
NOBELThis American inventor created a waterproof, reusable diaper cover in the 1940s, paving the way for later disposable diapers.
DONOVANThis German engineer built what's widely considered the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.
BENZThis American industrialist invented a safety device that stopped elevators from falling if their cable snapped.
OTISThis English physician developed the world's first vaccine, protecting against smallpox, in 1796.
JENNERThis Scottish scientist discovered penicillin in 1928 after noticing mold had killed bacteria in a petri dish.
FLEMINGThis American inventor's mechanical reaper sped up wheat harvesting and transformed 19th-century farming.
MCCORMICKThis American physicist invented the dry-copying process that led to the modern photocopier.
CARLSONThis British engineer patented an early jet engine design in the 1930s.
WHITTLEThis French mathematician built one of the first mechanical calculators as a teenager to help his tax-collector father.
PASCALAn engineer named '_ _ _ _ _' Armstrong invented FM radio in the early 1930s, dramatically reducing static compared to AM signals.
EDWINThis French chemist developed a heat-treatment process that kills harmful bacteria in milk and other beverages.
PASTEURThis Scottish-born inventor patented the telephone in 1876 and later founded a major telephone company.
BELLThis German-American merchant, working with tailor Jacob Davis, patented riveted blue denim work pants in 1873.
STRAUSSThis American inventor's 1793 cotton gin sped up the removal of seeds from cotton fibers.
WHITNEYThis American engineer personally designed the Apple II computer, working alongside a more famous co-founder.
WOZNIAKThis Scottish engineer's improvements to the steam engine in the 1760s and 70s helped power the Industrial Revolution.
WATTThis American inventor patented a machine that folded and glued flat-bottomed paper bags in the 1870s.
KNIGHTThis American inventor developed a system of dots and dashes used to send messages over the telegraph.
MORSEThis American statesman, famous for his kite experiment in a thunderstorm, invented the lightning rod and bifocal glasses.
FRANKLINThese two Ohio bicycle-shop brothers achieved the first sustained, powered airplane flight in 1903.
WRIGHTThis French weaver invented a loom in 1804 controlled by punched cards, an early ancestor of computer programming.
JACQUARDThis American virologist developed one of the first effective vaccines against polio in the 1950s.
SALKThe inventor of electronic television was named '_ _ _ _ _' Farnsworth.
PHILOThis American physicist launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926.
GODDARDThis English physicist developed an incandescent lightbulb around the same time as Edison, sparking a legal dispute.
SWANThis American engineer designed the first modern air conditioning system in 1902 to control humidity at a printing plant.
CARRIERThis Polish-French scientist, along with her husband, discovered radium and pioneered research into radioactivity.
CURIEThis British surgeon pioneered the use of antiseptic techniques in operating rooms during the 1860s, sharply reducing infections.
LISTERThis Hollywood actress co-invented a radio frequency-hopping system in World War II that later inspired Wi-Fi technology.
LAMARRA Dutch eyeglass maker named '_ _ _ _' is often credited with building one of the first practical telescopes in 1608.
HANSThe World Wide Web was invented in 1989 by a British computer scientist named '_ _ _' Berners-Lee.
TIMThis American entrepreneur invented a self-wringing mop after growing tired of cleaning up broken glass with an old-fashioned one.
MANGANOThis American engineer invented the microwave oven in the 1940s after a candy bar melted in his pocket near radar equipment.
SPENCERThis Canadian-American engineer invented an automatic lubricator that let steam engines run long stretches without stopping.
MCCOYThis self-taught engineer patented a portable refrigeration unit that helped preserve food and medicine during World War II.
JONESOften called the father of computing, this English mathematician designed an early mechanical calculator called the Difference Engine.
BABBAGEThis American doctor and his brother accidentally invented a flaked breakfast cereal while experimenting with boiled wheat dough.
KELLOGGBorn in Suriname, an inventor named '_ _ _' Matzeliger built a machine in 1883 that could shape 700 pairs of shoes a day.
JANThis German engineer patented a compression-ignition engine in the 1890s that now bears his name.
DIESELThis African American inventor improved the carbon filament used in lightbulbs, making them longer-lasting and cheaper to produce.
LATIMERThis Russian-American engineer built the first mass-produced helicopter.
SIKORSKYThis English mathematician wrote what's considered the first computer algorithm, meant for Babbage's Analytical Engine.
LOVELACEThis French chef developed a method of preserving food in sealed glass jars, laying the groundwork for canning.
APPERTThis American businessman improved on earlier sewing-machine designs and built a manufacturing empire around them.
SINGERThis American inventor patented an early hand-operated windshield wiper in 1903.
ANDERSONThis American industrialist designed a luxurious railroad sleeping car that made long train journeys far more comfortable.
PULLMANThis American entrepreneur co-founded Apple and later helped popularize the iPod and iPhone.
JOBSThis American scientist invented an instant-film camera that developed photographs within minutes, launching a famous camera brand.
LANDThis American innkeeper accidentally invented a popular cookie in the 1930s when a chopped chocolate bar didn't fully melt into her dough.
WAKEFIELDThis American inventor patented one of the first practical sewing machines in 1846.
HOWEThis German engineer patented a rotating-disk scanning device in 1884 that became an early building block of television.
NIPKOWThis American engineer co-founded an arcade game company and helped launch the video-game industry in the early 1970s.
BUSHNELLThis American scientist developed hundreds of new uses for the peanut and sweet potato to help struggling Southern farmers.
CARVERThis English engineer developed an inexpensive process for mass-producing steel from molten iron in the 1850s.
BESSEMERThis American pharmacist invented a carbonated soft drink in 1886 that was originally sold as a tonic at soda fountains.
PEMBERTONThis American computer scientist and Navy rear admiral invented the first compiler, a program that translates code.
HOPPERThis early steam locomotive, built by George and Robert Stephenson in 1829, helped launch the railway age.
ROCKETThis African American inventor patented an early traffic signal and a safety hood that became a precursor to the gas mask.
MORGANThis French artist developed one of the first practical photographic processes, announced to the public in 1839.
DAGUERREThis German physicist discovered a type of invisible ray in 1895 that could photograph the bones inside a living hand.
ROENTGENThis prolific American inventor held over 1,000 patents, including ones for the phonograph and a practical lightbulb.
EDISONBorn Sarah Breedlove, this entrepreneur's hair-care line made her one of America's first self-made female millionaires.
WALKERThis British merchant patented the use of tin-coated cans for preserving food shortly after a French chef pioneered sealed jars.
DURANDThis Scottish engineer gave the first public demonstration of a working television system in 1926, using mechanical scanning discs.
BAIRDBlinded as a child, this Frenchman invented a system of raised dots that lets blind people read by touch.
BRAILLEThis American blacksmith developed a polished steel plow in 1837 that could slice through the sticky prairie soil of the Midwest.
DEEREThis American confectioner developed affordable milk-chocolate bars using mass-production methods in the late 1800s.
HERSHEYThis Italian astronomer significantly improved the telescope's design and used it to discover four of Jupiter's moons.
GALILEOAn American inventor named '_ _ _ _ _ _' Hollerith built a punched-card tabulating machine used for the 1890 U.S. census.
HERMAN