Those crazy innovators: a multiple choice test.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 10:17PM

Every year, I dust off a book from my innovation bookshelf. These are typically great books that
have had more than their 15 minutes of fame but invariably get replaced by newer books.
Innovation feeds on novelty -- even if the core ideas of these older books are prescient and
applicable today. One of these book is 99% Inspiration by Bryan Mattimore. Bryan is cofounder of The Growth Engine: An Innovation Agency.

One of the chapters is a terrific

warm up exercise called those crazy inventors. Its a multiple choice test that gets you into the
diverse mind sets and habits of inventors and innovators.
Heres just a sampling.

1.

As part of his grooming regimen, Henry Ford would:

a) Add particles of sand to his toothpaste to increase its abrasive tartarremoving qualities.
b) Dye his hair with rusty water.
c) Keep the balls of his feet soft by applying a coating of his own saliva to
them nightly.

2.

Nikola Tesla, who invented the Alternating Current (AC) motor, once tried to
invent a device that:
a) Diagnosed peoples health by electronically reader their auras.
b) Elicited memories when applied to various parts of the head.
c) Photographed thoughts on the retina of the eye.

3.

George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera:

a) Was a supporter of the thirteenth month calendar.

b) Took a photograph of himself everyday from ages 31 to 72?
c) Invented a camera that when swallowed by cows took pictures in
each of their four stomachs.

4.

Vulcanized rubber inventor Charles Goodyear:

a) Considered making rubberized water beds for the ill.

b) Proposed that newspapers be printed in rubber.

c) Foresaw rubber parasols, rubber carpets, rubber blackboards, and

even rubber bank notes.
d) All of the above

5.

Hating unnecessary suffering, Rudolf Diesel once invented:

a) An ammonia bomb that would confuse the enemy instead of killing him.
b) An adhesive wire fence as an alternative to barbed wire.
c) A bog-creating mud plow to trap soldiers in the mud instead of shooting
them.
6.

Carrier got the idea for the air conditioner when he:
a) Took a steam bath at the Yale Club in New York City.
b) Bought a completely sealed Japanese terrarium.
c) Saw water condensing on the side of a glass.
d) Choked on a piece of ice

Since you can still find 99% Inspiration on Amazon and other booksellers, I wont share the
other six. Get it, its worth reading and keeping on your innovation bookshelf.

How well did you do?

1) B 2) C 3) A 4)D 5) A 6) C