id int64 0 18.9k | biography stringlengths 151 1.51k | qa listlengths 1 25 |
|---|---|---|
2,901 | The Universal Film Manufacturing Company was incorporated in New York on April 30, 1912. Laemmle, who emerged as president in July 1912, was the primary figure in the partnership with Dintenfass, Baumann, Kessel, Powers, Swanson, Horsley, and Brulatour. Eventually all would be bought out by Laemmle. The new Universal s... | [
{
"answer": "April 30, 1912",
"question": "On what date was the incorporation of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company?"
},
{
"answer": "New York",
"question": "In what state was the Universal Film Manufacturing Company incorporated?"
},
{
"answer": "Laemmle",
"question": "Who was... |
2,902 | On March 15, 1915,:8 Laemmle opened the world's largest motion picture production facility, Universal City Studios, on a 230-acre (0.9-km²) converted farm just over the Cahuenga Pass from Hollywood. Studio management became the third facet of Universal's operations, with the studio incorporated as a distinct subsidiary... | [
{
"answer": "March 15, 1915",
"question": "On what date did Universal City Studios open?"
},
{
"answer": "0.9",
"question": "In square kilometers, what was the size of Universal City Studios?"
},
{
"answer": "Cahuenga Pass",
"question": "What geographical feature separated Universal ... |
2,903 | In its early years Universal released three brands of feature films — Red Feather, low-budget programmers; Bluebird, more ambitious productions; and Jewel, their prestige motion pictures. Directors included Jack Conway, John Ford, Rex Ingram, Robert Z. Leonard, George Marshall and Lois Weber, one of the few women direc... | [
{
"answer": "low-budget programmers",
"question": "What sort of films were produced by Red Feather?"
},
{
"answer": "more ambitious productions",
"question": "What type of movies came out of Bluebird?"
},
{
"answer": "prestige motion pictures",
"question": "What motion pictures were ... |
2,905 | In 1926, Universal opened a production unit in Germany, Deutsche Universal-Film AG, under the direction of Joe Pasternak. This unit produced three to four films per year until 1936, migrating to Hungary and then Austria in the face of Hitler's increasing domination of central Europe. With the advent of sound, these pro... | [
{
"answer": "Deutsche Universal-Film AG",
"question": "What was the name of Universal's German production unit?"
},
{
"answer": "Joe Pasternak",
"question": "Who ran Universal's German production unit?"
},
{
"answer": "1926",
"question": "In what year did Deutsche Universal-Film AG o... |
2,906 | In the early years, Universal had a "clean picture" policy. However, by April 1927, Carl Laemmle considered this to be a mistake as "unclean pictures" from other studios were generating more profit while Universal was losing money. | [
{
"answer": "\"clean picture\"",
"question": "what was the policy that Universal followed in its early years?"
},
{
"answer": "April 1927",
"question": "By what month and year did Laemmle change his opinion on \"unclean pictures\"?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal was losing money",
"quest... |
2,907 | Universal owned the rights to the "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" character, although Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had created Oswald, and their films had enjoyed a successful theatrical run. After Charles Mintz had unsuccessfully demanded that Disney accept a lower fee for producing the property, Mintz produced the films with ... | [
{
"answer": "Ub Iwerks",
"question": "Along with Walt Disney, who created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal",
"question": "Who owned the rights to Oswald?"
},
{
"answer": "Charles Mintz",
"question": "Who produced an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit motion picture?"
},
{... |
2,908 | In 2006, after almost 80 years, NBC Universal sold all Walt Disney-produced Oswald cartoons, along with the rights to the character himself, back to Disney. In return, Disney released ABC sportscaster Al Michaels from his contract so he could work on NBC's Sunday night NFL football package. However, Universal retained ... | [
{
"answer": "Disney",
"question": "Who bought the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons in 2006?"
},
{
"answer": "NBC Universal",
"question": "Who was 2006 seller of the Oswald cartoons?"
},
{
"answer": "Al Michaels",
"question": "What notable figure worked as a sportscaster for ABC?"
}... |
2,909 | In 1928, Laemmle, Sr. made his son, Carl, Jr. head of Universal Pictures as a 21st birthday present. Universal already had a reputation for nepotism—at one time, 70 of Carl, Sr.'s relatives were supposedly on the payroll. Many of them were nephews, resulting in Carl, Sr. being known around the studios as "Uncle Carl." ... | [
{
"answer": "70",
"question": "How many of Carl Laemmle, Sr.'s relatives were working for Universal as of 1928?"
},
{
"answer": "Uncle Carl",
"question": "What was Carl Laemmle, Sr.'s nickname at Universal?"
},
{
"answer": "Ogden Nash",
"question": "What poet wrote a notable rhyme ab... |
2,910 | "Junior" Laemmle persuaded his father to bring Universal up to date. He bought and built theaters, converted the studio to sound production, and made several forays into high-quality production. His early efforts included the critically mauled part-talkie version of Edna Ferber's novel Show Boat (1929), the lavish musi... | [
{
"answer": "Junior",
"question": "What was Carl Laemmle Jr.'s nickname?"
},
{
"answer": "Show Boat",
"question": "What movie was based on an Edna Ferber novel?"
},
{
"answer": "1929",
"question": "In what year was the musical Broadway produced?"
},
{
"answer": "All Quiet on ... |
2,911 | Laemmle, Jr. created a niche for the studio, beginning a series of horror films which extended into the 1940s, affectionately dubbed Universal Horror. Among them are Frankenstein (1931), Dracula ( also in 1931), The Mummy (1932) and The Invisible Man (1933). Other Laemmle productions of this period include Imitation of... | [
{
"answer": "1931",
"question": "In what year did Universal make a film version of Dracula?"
},
{
"answer": "1933",
"question": "In what year was The Invisible Man made?"
},
{
"answer": "Imitation of Life",
"question": "What film was produced by Laemmle in 1934?"
},
{
"answer... |
2,912 | Universal's forays into high-quality production spelled the end of the Laemmle era at the studio. Taking on the task of modernizing and upgrading a film conglomerate in the depths of the depression was risky, and for a time Universal slipped into receivership. The theater chain was scrapped, but Carl, Jr. held fast to ... | [
{
"answer": "The theater chain",
"question": "What part of Universal's business was terminated while it was in bankruptcy?"
},
{
"answer": "production operations",
"question": "Along with distribution and studio operations, what part of Universal was retained by Carl Laemmle, Jr. during bankrupt... |
2,913 | The end for the Laemmles came with a lavish version of Show Boat (1936), a remake of its earlier 1929 part-talkie production, and produced as a high-quality, big-budget film rather than as a B-picture. The new film featured several stars from the Broadway stage version, which began production in late 1935, and unlike t... | [
{
"answer": "1936",
"question": "In what year was Universal's ill-fated film version of Show Boat released?"
},
{
"answer": "1929",
"question": "In what year had Universal previously made a version of Show Boat?"
},
{
"answer": "$750,000",
"question": "What was the amount of the prod... |
2,914 | Universal's 1936 Show Boat (released a little over a month later) became a critical and financial success, it was not enough to save the Laemmles' involvement with the studio. They were unceremoniously removed from the company they had founded. Because the Laemmles personally oversaw production, Show Boat was released ... | [
{
"answer": "J. Cheever Cowdin",
"question": "Who became president of Universal after the Standard Capital takeover?"
},
{
"answer": "Margaret Sullavan",
"question": "What notable female star left Universal after the Standard Capital takeover?"
},
{
"answer": "J. Cheever Cowdin",
"qu... |
2,915 | Meanwhile, producer Joe Pasternak, who had been successfully producing light musicals with young sopranos for Universal's German subsidiary, repeated his formula in America. Teenage singer Deanna Durbin starred in Pasternak's first American film, Three Smart Girls (1936). The film was a box-office hit and reputedly res... | [
{
"answer": "Joe Pasternak",
"question": "Who produced the film Three Smart Girls?"
},
{
"answer": "Deanna Durbin",
"question": "Who starred in the film Three Smart Girls?"
},
{
"answer": "1936",
"question": "In what year was Three Smart Girls made?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal... |
2,916 | When Pasternak stopped producing Durbin's pictures, and she outgrew her screen persona and pursued more dramatic roles, the studio signed 13-year-old Gloria Jean for her own series of Pasternak musicals from 1939; she went on to star with Bing Crosby, W. C. Fields, and Donald O'Connor. A popular Universal film of the l... | [
{
"answer": "13",
"question": "How old was Gloria Jean in 1939?"
},
{
"answer": "Bing Crosby",
"question": "Along with Donald O'Connor and Bing Crosby, with whom did Gloria Jean star?"
},
{
"answer": "James Stewart",
"question": "Who played Destry in Destry Rides Again?"
},
{
... |
2,917 | By the early 1940s, the company was concentrating on lower-budget productions that were the company's main staple: westerns, melodramas, serials and sequels to the studio's horror pictures, the latter now solely B pictures. The studio fostered many series: The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys action features and ser... | [
{
"answer": "1938–43",
"question": "During what period were the Little Tough Guys films produced?"
},
{
"answer": "1938–41",
"question": "Over what span were the Baby Sandy films made?"
},
{
"answer": "1938–42",
"question": "In what period did Universal produce Hugh Herbert comedies?... |
2,918 | Universal could seldom afford its own stable of stars, and often borrowed talent from other studios, or hired freelance actors. In addition to Stewart and Dietrich, Margaret Sullavan, and Bing Crosby were two of the major names that made a couple of pictures for Universal during this period. Some stars came from radio,... | [
{
"answer": "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello",
"question": "What two performers were known as the team Abbott and Costello?"
},
{
"answer": "Buck Privates",
"question": "What military comedy did Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in?"
},
{
"answer": "W. C. Fields",
"question": "Along with ... |
2,919 | During the war years Universal did have a co-production arrangement with producer Walter Wanger and his partner, director Fritz Lang, lending the studio some amount of prestige productions. Universal's core audience base was still found in the neighborhood movie theaters, and the studio continued to please the public w... | [
{
"answer": "Fritz Lang",
"question": "Who was the directorial partner of Walter Wanger?"
},
{
"answer": "1942–46",
"question": "In what period did Basil Rathbone star in a series of Sherlock Holmes films?"
},
{
"answer": "1943–45",
"question": "In what period did film versions of In... |
2,920 | As Universal's main product had always been low-budget film, it was one of the last major studios to have a contract with Technicolor. The studio did not make use of the three-strip Technicolor process until Arabian Nights (1942), starring Jon Hall and Maria Montez. The following year, Technicolor was also used in Univ... | [
{
"answer": "Arabian Nights",
"question": "What was the first Universal film to use the three-strip Technicolor process?"
},
{
"answer": "Maria Montez",
"question": "What actress starred in Arabian Nights?"
},
{
"answer": "Claude Rains",
"question": "Along with Nelson Eddy, who starr... |
2,921 | In 1945, the British entrepreneur J. Arthur Rank, hoping to expand his American presence, bought into a four-way merger with Universal, the independent company International Pictures, and producer Kenneth Young. The new combine, United World Pictures, was a failure and was dissolved within one year. Rank and Internatio... | [
{
"answer": "1945",
"question": "In what year was United World Pictures founded?"
},
{
"answer": "Kenneth Young",
"question": "What producer was involved in the founding of United World Pictures?"
},
{
"answer": "one year",
"question": "How long did United World Pictures last?"
},
... |
2,922 | Goetz set out an ambitious schedule. Universal-International became responsible for the American distribution of Rank's British productions, including such classics as David Lean's Great Expectations (1946) and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948). Broadening its scope further, Universal-International branched out into the... | [
{
"answer": "1948",
"question": "In what year was the Olivier version of Hamlet made?"
},
{
"answer": "David Lean",
"question": "Who directed 1946's Great Expectations?"
},
{
"answer": "Castle Films",
"question": "In 1947, what company did Universal buy a stake in?"
},
{
"ans... |
2,923 | The production arm of the studio still struggled. While there were to be a few hits like The Killers (1946) and The Naked City (1948), Universal-International's new theatrical films often met with disappointing response at the box office. By the late 1940s, Goetz was out, and the studio returned to low-budget films. Th... | [
{
"answer": "1946",
"question": "In what year was The Killers produced?"
},
{
"answer": "Francis",
"question": "What Universal-International film was about a talking mule?"
},
{
"answer": "1949",
"question": "In what year was Ma and Pa Kettle made?"
},
{
"answer": "Abbott and... |
2,924 | In the 1950s, Universal-International resumed their series of Arabian Nights films, many starring Tony Curtis. The studio also had a success with monster and science fiction films produced by William Alland, with many directed by Jack Arnold. Other successes were the melodramas directed by Douglas Sirk and produced by ... | [
{
"answer": "Tony Curtis",
"question": "Who did many of Universal-International's Arabian Nights films feature?"
},
{
"answer": "William Alland",
"question": "Who notably produced monster and science fiction films for Universal?"
},
{
"answer": "Douglas Sirk",
"question": "What Unive... |
2,925 | Though Decca would continue to keep picture budgets lean, it was favored by changing circumstances in the film business, as other studios let their contract actors go in the wake of the 1948 U.S. vs. Paramount Pictures, et al. decision. Leading actors were increasingly free to work where and when they chose, and in 195... | [
{
"answer": "Lew Wasserman",
"question": "Who was a notable talent agent circa 1950?"
},
{
"answer": "James Stewart",
"question": "What star did Lew Wasserman represent?"
},
{
"answer": "James Stewart",
"question": "What actor featured in Winchester '73?"
},
{
"answer": "U.S.... |
2,926 | By the late 1950s, the motion picture business was again changing. The combination of the studio/theater-chain break-up and the rise of television saw the reduced audience size for cinema productions. The Music Corporation of America (MCA), then predominately a talent agency, had also become a powerful television produ... | [
{
"answer": "MCA",
"question": "What acronym was the Music Corporation of America known by?"
},
{
"answer": "Republic Studios",
"question": "Where did MCA's Revue Productions subsidiary rent space?"
},
{
"answer": "1.5",
"question": "In square kilometers, how large was the lot Univer... |
2,927 | The long-awaited takeover of Universal Pictures by MCA, Inc. happened in mid-1962 as part of the MCA-Decca Records merger. The company reverted in name to Universal Pictures. As a final gesture before leaving the talent agency business, virtually every MCA client was signed to a Universal contract. In 1964 MCA formed U... | [
{
"answer": "1962",
"question": "In what year did MCA take over Universal?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal City Studios, Inc.",
"question": "What company did MCA create in 1964?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal Television",
"question": "What new name was given to Revue Productions in 1966?"
}... |
2,928 | At this time, Hal B. Wallis, who had latterly worked as a major producer at Paramount, moved over to Universal, where he produced several films, among them a lavish version of Maxwell Anderson's Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), and the equally lavish Mary, Queen of Scots (1971). Though neither could claim to be a big ... | [
{
"answer": "Hal B. Wallis",
"question": "Who produced Anne of the Thousand Days?"
},
{
"answer": "Maxwell Anderson",
"question": "Who wrote the original work that the film version of Anne of the Thousand Days was based on?"
},
{
"answer": "1971",
"question": "In what year was the fi... |
2,930 | Anxious to expand the company's broadcast and cable presence, longtime MCA head Lew Wasserman sought a rich partner. He located Japanese electronics manufacturer Matsushita Electric (now known as Panasonic), which agreed to acquire MCA for $6.6 billion in 1990. Meanwhile, around this time, the production subsidiary was... | [
{
"answer": "Lew Wasserman",
"question": "Who was the head of MCA in 1990?"
},
{
"answer": "Panasonic",
"question": "What is the current name of the company that was called Matsushita Electric in 1990?"
},
{
"answer": "$6.6 billion",
"question": "How much did Matsushita Electric pay ... |
2,931 | Matsushita provided a cash infusion, but the clash of cultures was too great to overcome, and five years later Matsushita sold an 80% stake in MCA/Universal to Canadian drinks distributor Seagram for $5.7 billion. Seagram sold off its stake in DuPont to fund this expansion into the entertainment industry. Hoping to bui... | [
{
"answer": "80%",
"question": "What percentage of MCA/Universal did Matsushita Electric sell five years after acquiring the company?"
},
{
"answer": "Seagram",
"question": "To whom did Matsushita sell a large share of MCA/Universal?"
},
{
"answer": "$5.7 billion",
"question": "How m... |
2,932 | To raise money, Seagram head Edgar Bronfman Jr. sold Universal's television holdings, including cable network USA, to Barry Diller (these same properties would be bought back later at greatly inflated prices). In June 2000, Seagram was sold to French water utility and media company Vivendi, which owned StudioCanal; the... | [
{
"answer": "Edgar Bronfman Jr.",
"question": "Who was the head of Seagram?"
},
{
"answer": "Barry Diller",
"question": "Who bought the USA cable network from Seagram?"
},
{
"answer": "Vivendi",
"question": "Who bought Seagram in June 2000?"
},
{
"answer": "$40 million",
... |
2,933 | Burdened with debt, in 2004 Vivendi Universal sold 80% of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (including the studio and theme parks) to General Electric, parent of NBC. The resulting media super-conglomerate was renamed NBCUniversal, while Universal Studios Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. After that de... | [
{
"answer": "General Electric",
"question": "Who bought 80% of Vivendi Universal Entertainment in 2004?"
},
{
"answer": "20%",
"question": "What percentage of NBC Universal was owned by Vivendi until 2011?"
},
{
"answer": "Comcast",
"question": "Who bought 51% of NBC Universal in 201... |
2,935 | Universal's multi-year film financing deal with Elliott Management expired in 2013. In July 2013, Universal made an agreement with Legendary Pictures to market, co-finance, and distribute Legendary's films for five years starting in 2014, the year that Legendary's similar agreement with Warner Bros. expires. | [
{
"answer": "Elliott Management",
"question": "Universal's deal with what company ended in 2013?"
},
{
"answer": "Legendary Pictures",
"question": "With whom did Universal sign a marketing and distribution deal in July 2013?"
},
{
"answer": "five years",
"question": "How many years i... |
2,936 | In June 2014, Universal Partnerships took over licensing consumer products for NBC and Sprout with expectation that all licensing would eventually be centralized within NBCUniversal. In May 2015, Gramercy Pictures was revived by Focus Features as a genre label, that concentrated on action, sci-fi, and horror films. | [
{
"answer": "Gramercy Pictures",
"question": "What film studio was brought back in May 2015?"
},
{
"answer": "Focus Features",
"question": "What division of NBCUniversal revived Gramercy Pictures?"
},
{
"answer": "action, sci-fi, and horror",
"question": "What genre of films will Gra... |
2,937 | As of 2015, Universal is the only studio to have released three billion-dollar films in one year; this distinction was achieved in 2015 with Furious 7, Jurassic World and Minions. | [
{
"answer": "2015",
"question": "In what year did Universal release three billion-dollar films?"
},
{
"answer": "Minions",
"question": "Along with Jurassic World and Furious 7, what billion-dollar film was released by Universal in 2015?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal is the only studio",
... |
2,938 | In the early 1950s, Universal set up its own distribution company in France, and in the late 1960s, the company also started a production company in Paris, Universal Productions France S.A., although sometimes credited by the name of the distribution company, Universal Pictures France. Except for the two first films it... | [
{
"answer": "Universal Productions France S.A.",
"question": "What was the name of the Universal production company based in Paris?"
},
{
"answer": "Universal Pictures France",
"question": "What was the name of Universal's French distribution company?"
},
{
"answer": "The Champagne Murde... |
2,939 | Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born[N 3] scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. | [
{
"answer": "telephone",
"question": "What is Bell most famous for inventing?"
},
{
"answer": "1922",
"question": "What year did Bell die?"
},
{
"answer": "practical",
"question": "What was special about his telephone?"
},
{
"answer": "Alexander Graham Bell",
"question": ... |
2,940 | Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded th... | [
{
"answer": "elocution and speech",
"question": "What were his relatives known for working on?"
},
{
"answer": "deaf",
"question": "What was interesting about his mother and wife?"
},
{
"answer": "1876",
"question": "What year did Bell get the patent for his telephone?"
},
{
... |
2,941 | Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of the National Geographic Society, he had a strong influence on the magazine while serving as the second president from January 7, 1898 u... | [
{
"answer": "33",
"question": "How many people started the National Geographic Society?"
},
{
"answer": "National Geographic Society",
"question": "Bell was the second president of what magazine?"
},
{
"answer": "hydrofoils",
"question": "What field did Bell later work in, apart from... |
2,942 | Alexander Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3, 1847. The family home was at 16 South Charlotte Street, and has a stone inscription marking it as Alexander Graham Bell's birthplace. He had two brothers: Melville James Bell (1845–70) and Edward Charles Bell (1848–67), both of whom would die of tuberculosis. ... | [
{
"answer": "Edinburgh",
"question": "What city was Bell born in?"
},
{
"answer": "stone",
"question": "What material marks Bells family home as his birthplace?"
},
{
"answer": "tuberculosis",
"question": "What disease did his two brothers die of?"
},
{
"answer": "10",
"... |
2,943 | As a child, young Bell displayed a natural curiosity about his world, resulting in gathering botanical specimens as well as experimenting even at an early age. His best friend was Ben Herdman, a neighbor whose family operated a flour mill, the scene of many forays. Young Bell asked what needed to be done at the mill. H... | [
{
"answer": "botanical specimens",
"question": "What sort of things did Bell collect as a child?"
},
{
"answer": "Ben Herdman",
"question": "Who was Bell's closest friend as a child?"
},
{
"answer": "flour",
"question": "What sort of mill did Bell's neighbors run?"
},
{
"answ... |
2,944 | From his early years, Bell showed a sensitive nature and a talent for art, poetry, and music that was encouraged by his mother. With no formal training, he mastered the piano and became the family's pianist. Despite being normally quiet and introspective, he reveled in mimicry and "voice tricks" akin to ventriloquism t... | [
{
"answer": "music",
"question": "Bell was gifted at art, poetry, and what?"
},
{
"answer": "piano",
"question": "What did Bell succeed at without being taught?"
},
{
"answer": "12",
"question": "How old was Bell when his mom started to go deaf?"
},
{
"answer": "forehead",
... |
2,945 | His family was long associated with the teaching of elocution: his grandfather, Alexander Bell, in London, his uncle in Dublin, and his father, in Edinburgh, were all elocutionists. His father published a variety of works on the subject, several of which are still well known, especially his The Standard Elocutionist (1... | [
{
"answer": "Dublin",
"question": "Where did Bell's uncle live?"
},
{
"answer": "The Standard Elocutionist",
"question": "What was Bell's father most famous for publishing?"
},
{
"answer": "pronunciation",
"question": "Bell learned to accurately read lips even without knowing what?"
... |
2,947 | His father encouraged Bell's interest in speech and, in 1863, took his sons to see a unique automaton, developed by Sir Charles Wheatstone based on the earlier work of Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen. The rudimentary "mechanical man" simulated a human voice. Bell was fascinated by the machine and after he obtained a copy o... | [
{
"answer": "1863",
"question": "In what year did Bell's father take him to see an automaton?"
},
{
"answer": "Sir Charles Wheatstone",
"question": "Who created the automaton Bell saw?"
},
{
"answer": "human voice",
"question": "What did the automaton mimic?"
},
{
"answer": "... |
2,948 | Intrigued by the results of the automaton, Bell continued to experiment with a live subject, the family's Skye Terrier, "Trouve". After he taught it to growl continuously, Bell would reach into its mouth and manipulate the dog's lips and vocal cords to produce a crude-sounding "Ow ah oo ga ma ma". With little convincin... | [
{
"answer": "Skye Terrier",
"question": "What living thing did Bell use in his research?"
},
{
"answer": "Trouve",
"question": "What was Bell's pet's name?"
},
{
"answer": "How are you grandma?",
"question": "What phrase did people believe Bell's dog could say?"
},
{
"answer"... |
2,949 | At the age of 19, he wrote a report on his work and sent it to philologist Alexander Ellis, a colleague of his father (who would later be portrayed as Professor Henry Higgins in Pygmalion). Ellis immediately wrote back indicating that the experiments were similar to existing work in Germany, and also lent Bell a copy o... | [
{
"answer": "Alexander Ellis",
"question": "Who did Bell get to read his work?"
},
{
"answer": "Germany",
"question": "What country was doing work similar to Bell's?"
},
{
"answer": "Hermann von Helmholtz",
"question": "Who wrote The Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for th... |
2,950 | Dismayed to find that groundbreaking work had already been undertaken by Helmholtz who had conveyed vowel sounds by means of a similar tuning fork "contraption", he pored over the German scientist's book. Working from his own erroneous mistranslation of a French edition, Bell fortuitously then made a deduction that wou... | [
{
"answer": "electrical",
"question": "By what means did Bell conclude vowel sounds could be made?"
},
{
"answer": "consonants",
"question": "What else besides vowels did Bell decide could be created?"
},
{
"answer": "German",
"question": "What language was Bell happy he couldn't rea... |
2,951 | In 1865, when the Bell family moved to London, Bell returned to Weston House as an assistant master and, in his spare hours, continued experiments on sound using a minimum of laboratory equipment. Bell concentrated on experimenting with electricity to convey sound and later installed a telegraph wire from his room in S... | [
{
"answer": "1865",
"question": "In what year did the Bell's move to London?"
},
{
"answer": "Weston House",
"question": "Where did Bell go in work in 1865?"
},
{
"answer": "Somerset College",
"question": "What building was Bell in?"
},
{
"answer": "A.G. Bell",
"question"... |
2,952 | Helping his father in Visible Speech demonstrations and lectures brought Bell to Susanna E. Hull's private school for the deaf in South Kensington, London. His first two pupils were "deaf mute" girls who made remarkable progress under his tutelage. While his older brother seemed to achieve success on many fronts includ... | [
{
"answer": "South Kensington",
"question": "What city is Susanna E. Hull located in?"
},
{
"answer": "deaf",
"question": "What sort of student attended Susanna E. Hull?"
},
{
"answer": "Melville",
"question": "Who died in 1870?"
},
{
"answer": "Newfoundland",
"question":... |
2,953 | In 1870, at age 23, Bell, his brother's widow, Caroline (Margaret Ottaway), and his parents travelled on the SS Nestorian to Canada. After landing at Quebec City the Bells transferred to another steamer to Montreal and then boarded a train to Paris, Ontario, to stay with the Reverend Thomas Henderson, a family friend. ... | [
{
"answer": "23",
"question": "How old was Bell when he went to Canada?"
},
{
"answer": "SS Nestorian",
"question": "What boat did Bell travel on?"
},
{
"answer": "Quebec City",
"question": "In what Canadian city did Bell first arrive?"
},
{
"answer": "Paris",
"question":... |
2,954 | At the homestead, Bell set up his own workshop in the converted carriage house near to what he called his "dreaming place", a large hollow nestled in trees at the back of the property above the river. Despite his frail condition upon arriving in Canada, Bell found the climate and environs to his liking, and rapidly imp... | [
{
"answer": "carriage house",
"question": "What building did Bell use as a workshop?"
},
{
"answer": "dreaming place",
"question": "What did Bell call his special spot in the back of the property?"
},
{
"answer": "Mohawk",
"question": "What Native American language did Bell learn?"
... |
2,955 | After setting up his workshop, Bell continued experiments based on Helmholtz's work with electricity and sound. He also modified a melodeon (a type of pump organ) so that it could transmit its music electrically over a distance. Once the family was settled in, both Bell and his father made plans to establish a teaching... | [
{
"answer": "melodeon",
"question": "What did Bell rework to send music?"
},
{
"answer": "pump organ",
"question": "What is a melodeon a kind of?"
},
{
"answer": "1871",
"question": "When did Bell go to Montreal?"
},
{
"answer": "father",
"question": "Who went with Bell t... |
2,956 | Bell's father was invited by Sarah Fuller, principal of the Boston School for Deaf Mutes (which continues today as the public Horace Mann School for the Deaf), in Boston, Massachusetts, to introduce the Visible Speech System by providing training for Fuller's instructors, but he declined the post in favor of his son. T... | [
{
"answer": "Sarah Fuller",
"question": "Who ran the Boston School for Deaf Mutes?"
},
{
"answer": "the public Horace Mann School for the Deaf",
"question": "What name does the Boston School for Deaf Mutes go by now?"
},
{
"answer": "April",
"question": "What month did Bell go to Bos... |
2,957 | Returning home to Brantford after six months abroad, Bell continued his experiments with his "harmonic telegraph".[N 12] The basic concept behind his device was that messages could be sent through a single wire if each message was transmitted at a different pitch, but work on both the transmitter and receiver was neede... | [
{
"answer": "1",
"question": "How many wires did Bell send a signal through?"
},
{
"answer": "pitch",
"question": "For his system to work, Bell had to change what about each code?"
},
{
"answer": "receiver",
"question": "Bell needed to fix both the transmitter and what?"
},
{
... |
2,958 | Unsure of his future, he first contemplated returning to London to complete his studies, but decided to return to Boston as a teacher. His father helped him set up his private practice by contacting Gardiner Greene Hubbard, the president of the Clarke School for the Deaf for a recommendation. Teaching his father's syst... | [
{
"answer": "Boston",
"question": "What city did Bell decide to return to?"
},
{
"answer": "1872",
"question": "In what year did Bell open his own school?"
},
{
"answer": "30",
"question": "How many people were in Bell's first class?"
},
{
"answer": "Helen Keller",
"quest... |
2,959 | Several influential people of the time, including Bell, viewed deafness as something that should be eradicated, and also believed that with resources and effort they could teach the deaf to speak and avoid the use of sign language, thus enabling their integration within the wider society from which many were often bein... | [
{
"answer": "sign language",
"question": "Bell's goal was to instruct the deaf to speak and not use what?"
},
{
"answer": "tied behind their backs",
"question": "What would happen so some children's hands in schools?"
},
{
"answer": "negative",
"question": "In what light to many pro-... |
2,960 | In the following year, Bell became professor of Vocal Physiology and Elocution at the Boston University School of Oratory. During this period, he alternated between Boston and Brantford, spending summers in his Canadian home. At Boston University, Bell was "swept up" by the excitement engendered by the many scientists ... | [
{
"answer": "Boston University School of Oratory.",
"question": "With what school did Bell get his next teaching job?"
},
{
"answer": "Vocal Physiology and Elocution",
"question": "What was Bell's discipline?"
},
{
"answer": "experiments",
"question": "What did Bell do late at night?... |
2,961 | Deciding to give up his lucrative private Boston practice, Bell retained only two students, six-year-old "Georgie" Sanders, deaf from birth, and 15-year-old Mabel Hubbard. Each pupil would play an important role in the next developments. George's father, Thomas Sanders, a wealthy businessman, offered Bell a place to st... | [
{
"answer": "Mabel Hubbard",
"question": "Bell's two remaining students were \"Georgie\" Sanders and who?"
},
{
"answer": "Thomas Sanders",
"question": "What was Georgie's father's name?"
},
{
"answer": "scarlet fever",
"question": "What disease made Mabel deaf?"
},
{
"answer... |
2,962 | By 1874, Bell's initial work on the harmonic telegraph had entered a formative stage, with progress made both at his new Boston "laboratory" (a rented facility) and at his family home in Canada a big success.[N 14] While working that summer in Brantford, Bell experimented with a "phonautograph", a pen-like machine that... | [
{
"answer": "smoked glass",
"question": "On what material did the phonautograph operate?"
},
{
"answer": "metal",
"question": "What kind of reed did Bell want to play with?"
},
{
"answer": "sound",
"question": "What did Bell believe the reeds would turn the signal into?"
},
{
... |
2,963 | In 1874, telegraph message traffic was rapidly expanding and in the words of Western Union President William Orton, had become "the nervous system of commerce". Orton had contracted with inventors Thomas Edison and Elisha Gray to find a way to send multiple telegraph messages on each telegraph line to avoid the great c... | [
{
"answer": "Western Union",
"question": "What business was William Orton in charge of?"
},
{
"answer": "nervous system",
"question": "In 1874 the telegraph was known as the what of commerce?"
},
{
"answer": "cost",
"question": "What was the primary motivation for not building new te... |
2,964 | In March 1875, Bell and Pollok visited the famous scientist Joseph Henry, who was then director of the Smithsonian Institution, and asked Henry's advice on the electrical multi-reed apparatus that Bell hoped would transmit the human voice by telegraph. Henry replied that Bell had "the germ of a great invention". When B... | [
{
"answer": "Joseph Henry",
"question": "Who did Bell go to see in 1875?"
},
{
"answer": "Joseph Henry",
"question": "Who ran the Smithsonian in 1875?"
},
{
"answer": "Get it!",
"question": "What was Henry's reply to Bell's statement that he lacked information to complete his telegra... |
2,965 | With financial support from Sanders and Hubbard, Bell hired Thomas Watson as his assistant,[N 15] and the two of them experimented with acoustic telegraphy. On June 2, 1875, Watson accidentally plucked one of the reeds and Bell, at the receiving end of the wire, heard the overtones of the reed; overtones that would be ... | [
{
"answer": "Thomas Watson",
"question": "Who did Bell take on to work with him?"
},
{
"answer": "June 2",
"question": "What month and day did Watson and Bell have a breakthrough?"
},
{
"answer": "1",
"question": "How many reeds did Bell conclude he needed?"
},
{
"answer": "g... |
2,966 | In 1875, Bell developed an acoustic telegraph and drew up a patent application for it. Since he had agreed to share U.S. profits with his investors Gardiner Hubbard and Thomas Sanders, Bell requested that an associate in Ontario, George Brown, attempt to patent it in Britain, instructing his lawyers to apply for a pate... | [
{
"answer": "U.S. profits",
"question": "What did Bell promise to split with his financers?"
},
{
"answer": "Britain",
"question": "In what country other than the U.S. did Bell try to patent his telegraph?"
},
{
"answer": "Britain",
"question": "Which country did Bell first try to ge... |
2,967 | Meanwhile, Elisha Gray was also experimenting with acoustic telegraphy and thought of a way to transmit speech using a water transmitter. On February 14, 1876, Gray filed a caveat with the U.S. Patent Office for a telephone design that used a water transmitter. That same morning, Bell's lawyer filed Bell's application ... | [
{
"answer": "water",
"question": "What material did Elisha Gray use to convey sound?"
},
{
"answer": "February 14, 1876",
"question": "On what date did Gray and Bell both put in for a patent?"
},
{
"answer": "February 26",
"question": "On what day did Bell get to Washington?"
},
... |
2,968 | Bell's patent 174,465, was issued to Bell on March 7, 1876, by the U.S. Patent Office. Bell's patent covered "the method of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically ... by causing electrical undulations, similar in form to the vibrations of the air accompanying the said vocal or other soun... | [
{
"answer": "174,465",
"question": "What number is Bell's patent?"
},
{
"answer": "March 7, 1876",
"question": "On what date did Bell get his patent?"
},
{
"answer": "apparatus",
"question": "Bell's patent was for the method and what for transmitting vocal and other sounds telegraphi... |
2,969 | On March 10, 1876, three days after his patent was issued, Bell succeeded in getting his telephone to work, using a liquid transmitter similar to Gray's design. Vibration of the diaphragm caused a needle to vibrate in the water, varying the electrical resistance in the circuit. When Bell spoke the famous sentence "Mr. ... | [
{
"answer": "liquid",
"question": "What kind of transmitter did Bell put in his telephone?"
},
{
"answer": "Mr. Watson",
"question": "How did Bell refer to his partner in his well known line?"
},
{
"answer": "electrical resistance",
"question": "What did the vibrations cause to chang... |
2,970 | Although Bell was, and still is, accused of stealing the telephone from Gray, Bell used Gray's water transmitter design only after Bell's patent had been granted, and only as a proof of concept scientific experiment, to prove to his own satisfaction that intelligible "articulate speech" (Bell's words) could be electric... | [
{
"answer": "proof of concept",
"question": "Bell implemented Gray's design as a what?"
},
{
"answer": "March",
"question": "Bell stopped using the liquid-based method after what month?"
},
{
"answer": "commercial use",
"question": "Bell used his own design in all public demonstratio... |
2,971 | The question of priority for the variable resistance feature of the telephone was raised by the examiner before he approved Bell's patent application. He told Bell that his claim for the variable resistance feature was also described in Gray's caveat. Bell pointed to a variable resistance device in Bell's previous appl... | [
{
"answer": "variable resistance",
"question": "What part of the telephone was investigated by the patent officer?"
},
{
"answer": "February 25, 1875",
"question": "When did Bell put in his prior patent?"
},
{
"answer": "mercury",
"question": "What liquid did Bell use in his first ap... |
2,972 | The patent examiner, Zenas Fisk Wilber, later stated in an affidavit that he was an alcoholic who was much in debt to Bell's lawyer, Marcellus Bailey, with whom he had served in the Civil War. He claimed he showed Gray's patent caveat to Bailey. Wilber also claimed (after Bell arrived in Washington D.C. from Boston) th... | [
{
"answer": "Zenas Fisk Wilber",
"question": "Who declared himself an alcoholic?"
},
{
"answer": "Civil War",
"question": "In what war did Wilber and Bailey fight together?"
},
{
"answer": "$100",
"question": "How much did Wilber say Bell gave him in order to look at Gray's paperwork... |
2,973 | Continuing his experiments in Brantford, Bell brought home a working model of his telephone. On August 3, 1876, from the telegraph office in Mount Pleasant five miles (eight km) away from Brantford, Bell sent a tentative telegram indicating that he was ready. With curious onlookers packed into the office as witnesses, ... | [
{
"answer": "Mount Pleasant",
"question": "From what city did Bell send his first message?"
},
{
"answer": "fences",
"question": "Bell sent messages over wires hooked onto telegraph lines and what?"
},
{
"answer": "reading and singing",
"question": "What did the group at the Bells ho... |
2,974 | Bell and his partners, Hubbard and Sanders, offered to sell the patent outright to Western Union for $100,000. The president of Western Union balked, countering that the telephone was nothing but a toy. Two years later, he told colleagues that if he could get the patent for $25 million he would consider it a bargain. B... | [
{
"answer": "$100,000",
"question": "How much did Bell et al. try to sell his patent for?"
},
{
"answer": "Western Union",
"question": "Who did Bell et al. try to sell his patent to?"
},
{
"answer": "a toy",
"question": "What did the President think the telephone was, such that he re... |
2,975 | Bell began a series of public demonstrations and lectures to introduce the new invention to the scientific community as well as the general public. A short time later, his demonstration of an early telephone prototype at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia brought the telephone to international attention. In... | [
{
"answer": "Philadelphia",
"question": "In what city was the 1876 Centennial Exposition?"
},
{
"answer": "Emperor Pedro II",
"question": "What important person saw the telephone at the Centennial Exposition?"
},
{
"answer": "Brazil",
"question": "Pedro II was the Emperor of what Cou... |
2,976 | The Bell Telephone Company was created in 1877, and by 1886, more than 150,000 people in the U.S. owned telephones. Bell Company engineers made numerous other improvements to the telephone, which emerged as one of the most successful products ever. In 1879, the Bell company acquired Edison's patents for the carbon micr... | [
{
"answer": "1877",
"question": "In what year was the Bell Telephone Company founded?"
},
{
"answer": "150,000",
"question": "How many people in the United States had a telephone by 1886?"
},
{
"answer": "1879",
"question": "In what year did Bell get some of Edison's patents?"
},
... |
2,977 | In January 1915, Bell made the first ceremonial transcontinental telephone call. Calling from the AT&T head office at 15 Dey Street in New York City, Bell was heard by Thomas Watson at 333 Grant Avenue in San Francisco. The New York Times reported: | [
{
"answer": "January 1915",
"question": "In what month and year did Bell telephone across the country?"
},
{
"answer": "AT&T",
"question": "What company office did Bell make the original cross country phone call from?"
},
{
"answer": "New York",
"question": "What city did Bell make t... |
2,978 | As is sometimes common in scientific discoveries, simultaneous developments can occur, as evidenced by a number of inventors who were at work on the telephone. Over a period of 18 years, the Bell Telephone Company faced 587 court challenges to its patents, including five that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, but none wa... | [
{
"answer": "18",
"question": "During how many years did the Bell Company battle lawsuits?"
},
{
"answer": "587",
"question": "How many times were Bell's patents contested?"
},
{
"answer": "5",
"question": "How many of the court cases wound up at the Supreme Court?"
},
{
"ans... |
2,979 | On January 13, 1887, the U,S. Government moved to annul the patent issued to Bell on the grounds of fraud and misrepresentation. After a series of decisions and reversals, the Bell company won a decision in the Supreme Court, though a couple of the original claims from the lower court cases were left undecided. By the ... | [
{
"answer": "misrepresentation",
"question": "In 1887 the US Government wanted to undo Bell's patent due to fraud and what?"
},
{
"answer": "Supreme Court",
"question": "The US Government lost the bid to overturn Bell's patent in what court?"
},
{
"answer": "9",
"question": "How many... |
2,981 | The value of the Bell patent was acknowledged throughout the world, and patent applications were made in most major countries, but when Bell had delayed the German patent application, the electrical firm of Siemens & Halske (S&H) managed to set up a rival manufacturer of Bell telephones under their own patent. The Siem... | [
{
"answer": "royalties",
"question": "Because of their patent, what didn't Siemens & Halske have to give Bell?"
},
{
"answer": "Brussels",
"question": "What was the home city for the International Bell Telephone Company?"
},
{
"answer": "1880",
"question": "In what year was the Inter... |
2,982 | On July 11, 1877, a few days after the Bell Telephone Company was established, Bell married Mabel Hubbard (1857–1923) at the Hubbard estate in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His wedding present to his bride was to turn over 1,487 of his 1,497 shares in the newly formed Bell Telephone Company. Shortly thereafter, the newlywe... | [
{
"answer": "Mabel Hubbard",
"question": "Who did Bell marry in 1877?"
},
{
"answer": "4",
"question": "How many children did Bell and Mabel have?"
},
{
"answer": "Europe",
"question": "Where did Bell and his wife go on their honeymoon?"
},
{
"answer": "lectures",
"questi... |
2,983 | The Bell family home was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, until 1880 when Bell's father-in-law bought a house in Washington, D.C., and later in 1882 bought a home in the same city for Bell's family, so that they could be with him while he attended to the numerous court cases involving patent disputes. | [
{
"answer": "1880",
"question": "In what year did Mabel's father move to Washington D.C.?"
},
{
"answer": "1882",
"question": "In what year did Bell acquire a house in D.C.?"
},
{
"answer": "Cambridge, Massachusetts",
"question": "Where did Bell and Mabel live before 1880?"
},
{
... |
2,984 | Bell was a British subject throughout his early life in Scotland and later in Canada until 1882, when he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 1915, he characterized his status as: "I am not one of those hyphenated Americans who claim allegiance to two countries." Despite this declaration, Bell has been... | [
{
"answer": "1882",
"question": "In what year did Bell officially become an American?"
},
{
"answer": "British",
"question": "What was Bell's original nationality?"
},
{
"answer": "Canada",
"question": "Besides the US and UK, what other country claims Bell as a citizen?"
},
{
... |
2,986 | Until the end of his life, Bell and his family would alternate between the two homes, but Beinn Bhreagh would, over the next 30 years, become more than a summer home as Bell became so absorbed in his experiments that his annual stays lengthened. Both Mabel and Bell became immersed in the Baddeck community and were acce... | [
{
"answer": "Beinn Bhreagh",
"question": "Where did the Bells live when the Halifax Explosion happened?"
},
{
"answer": "December 6, 1917",
"question": "On what day did the Halifax Explosion happen?"
},
{
"answer": "Beinn Bhreagh",
"question": "Which of their two homes did the Bells ... |
2,987 | Although Alexander Graham Bell is most often associated with the invention of the telephone, his interests were extremely varied. According to one of his biographers, Charlotte Gray, Bell's work ranged "unfettered across the scientific landscape" and he often went to bed voraciously reading the Encyclopædia Britannica,... | [
{
"answer": "Encyclopædia Britannica",
"question": "What series of books does Gray say Bell would go to sleep reading?"
},
{
"answer": "18",
"question": "How many solo patents did Bell get?"
},
{
"answer": "12",
"question": "How many patents did Bell co-author?"
}
] |
2,988 | Bell worked extensively in medical research and invented techniques for teaching speech to the deaf. During his Volta Laboratory period, Bell and his associates considered impressing a magnetic field on a record as a means of reproducing sound. Although the trio briefly experimented with the concept, they could not dev... | [
{
"answer": "Volta",
"question": "What famous lab did Bell spend time working for?"
},
{
"answer": "magnetic",
"question": "What type of energy did Bell investigate at the Volta Laboratory?"
},
{
"answer": "tape recorder",
"question": "The magnetic field is part of what sort of recor... |
2,989 | Bell's own home used a primitive form of air conditioning, in which fans blew currents of air across great blocks of ice. He also anticipated modern concerns with fuel shortages and industrial pollution. Methane gas, he reasoned, could be produced from the waste of farms and factories. At his Canadian estate in Nova Sc... | [
{
"answer": "ice",
"question": "What form of water played a part in Bell's home cooling system?"
},
{
"answer": "Methane gas",
"question": "What did Bell think could be collected from farm and factory byproduct?"
},
{
"answer": "composting",
"question": "What kind of toilet did Bell ... |
2,990 | Bell and his assistant Charles Sumner Tainter jointly invented a wireless telephone, named a photophone, which allowed for the transmission of both sounds and normal human conversations on a beam of light. Both men later became full associates in the Volta Laboratory Association. | [
{
"answer": "photophone",
"question": "What did Bell call his cord-free phone?"
},
{
"answer": "Charles Sumner Tainter",
"question": "Who did Bell invent the cord-free phone with?"
},
{
"answer": "light",
"question": "What did Bell's cord-free phone use to transmit messages?"
},
... |
2,991 | On June 21, 1880, Bell's assistant transmitted a wireless voice telephone message a considerable distance, from the roof of the Franklin School in Washington, D.C., to Bell at the window of his laboratory, some 213 metres (700 ft) away, 19 years before the first voice radio transmissions. | [
{
"answer": "June 21, 1880",
"question": "Bell and his assistant first used their photophone on what date?"
},
{
"answer": "700",
"question": "How many feet did the first photophone message travel?"
},
{
"answer": "Franklin School",
"question": "From what building was the first photo... |
2,992 | Bell believed the photophone's principles were his life's "greatest achievement", telling a reporter shortly before his death that the photophone was "the greatest invention [I have] ever made, greater than the telephone". The photophone was a precursor to the fiber-optic communication systems which achieved popular wo... | [
{
"answer": "The photophone",
"question": "What did Bell call the best thing he ever made?"
},
{
"answer": "telephone",
"question": "Bell thought the photophone was better than what famous invention?"
},
{
"answer": "fiber-optic communication",
"question": "What modern technology tak... |
2,993 | Bell is also credited with developing one of the early versions of a metal detector in 1881. The device was quickly put together in an attempt to find the bullet in the body of U.S. President James Garfield. According to some accounts, the metal detector worked flawlessly in tests but did not find the assassin's bullet... | [
{
"answer": "metal detector",
"question": "What did Bell create in 1881?"
},
{
"answer": "bullet",
"question": "What was in James Garfield that they wanted to get out?"
},
{
"answer": "metal bed frame",
"question": "What did Bell think was wrong with the bed, which prevented his mach... |
2,994 | Bell's own detailed account, presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1882, differs in several particulars from most of the many and varied versions now in circulation, most notably by concluding that extraneous metal was not to blame for failure to locate the bullet. Perplexed by the pec... | [
{
"answer": "Science",
"question": "Bell gave his story about trying to find the bullet to the American Association for the Advancement of what?"
},
{
"answer": "Executive Mansion",
"question": "Where did Bell go the day after trying to find the bullet?"
},
{
"answer": "horse-hair",
... |
2,995 | The March 1906 Scientific American article by American pioneer William E. Meacham explained the basic principle of hydrofoils and hydroplanes. Bell considered the invention of the hydroplane as a very significant achievement. Based on information gained from that article he began to sketch concepts of what is now calle... | [
{
"answer": "William E. Meacham",
"question": "Who wrote the paper laying out hydrofoils and hydroplanes?"
},
{
"answer": "American",
"question": "What nationality was Meacham?"
},
{
"answer": "hydrofoil boat",
"question": "What did Bell start drawing after reading the article?"
},... |
2,997 | In 1898, Bell experimented with tetrahedral box kites and wings constructed of multiple compound tetrahedral kites covered in maroon silk.[N 23] The tetrahedral wings were named Cygnet I, II and III, and were flown both unmanned and manned (Cygnet I crashed during a flight carrying Selfridge) in the period from 1907–19... | [
{
"answer": "maroon",
"question": "What color silk covered Bell's kites?"
},
{
"answer": "Selfridge",
"question": "Who was on Cygnet I when it crashed?"
},
{
"answer": "1912",
"question": "Bell's kits were flown from 1907 to what year?"
},
{
"answer": "3",
"question": "Ho... |
2,998 | Bell was a supporter of aerospace engineering research through the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), officially formed at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, in October 1907 at the suggestion of his wife Mabel and with her financial support after the sale of some of her real estate. The AEA was headed by Bell and the founding mem... | [
{
"answer": "Aerial Experiment Association",
"question": "What organization did Bell set up due to his interest in aerospace?"
},
{
"answer": "1907",
"question": "When was the AEA founded?"
},
{
"answer": "Glenn H. Curtiss",
"question": "Which original member of the AEA held motorcyc... |
3,000 | Their final aircraft design, the Silver Dart, embodied all of the advancements found in the earlier machines. On February 23, 1909, Bell was present as the Silver Dart flown by J.A.D. McCurdy from the frozen ice of Bras d'Or, made the first aircraft flight in Canada. Bell had worried that the flight was too dangerous a... | [
{
"answer": "Silver Dart",
"question": "What did the AEA name their last plane?"
},
{
"answer": "J.A.D. McCurdy",
"question": "Who was the first to fly the Silver Dart?"
},
{
"answer": "a doctor",
"question": "What professional did Bell make sure was present during the first Silver D... |
3,002 | A large number of Bell's writings, personal correspondence, notebooks, papers and other documents reside at both the United States Library of Congress Manuscript Division (as the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers), and at the Alexander Graham Bell Institute, Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia; major portions of whic... | [
{
"answer": "Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers",
"question": "What are Bell's personal papers known as?"
},
{
"answer": "Manuscript Division",
"question": "In what part of the Library of Congress are Bell's papers kept?"
},
{
"answer": "online",
"question": "Apart from in person, h... |
3,004 | In partnership with Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Bell helped establish the publication Science during the early 1880s. In 1898, Bell was elected as the second president of the National Geographic Society, serving until 1903, and was primarily responsible for the extensive use of illustrations, including photography, in the... | [
{
"answer": "Science",
"question": "What magazine did Bell found alongside Hubbard?"
},
{
"answer": "1903",
"question": "When did Bell cease to be President of the National Geographic Society?"
},
{
"answer": "illustrations",
"question": "What enduring feature of National Geographic ... |
3,005 | Honors and tributes flowed to Bell in increasing numbers as his most famous invention became ubiquitous and his personal fame grew. Bell received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, to the point that the requests almost became burdensome. During his life he also received dozens of major awards, me... | [
{
"answer": "honorary degrees",
"question": "What did Bell receive from many centers of post-secondary education?"
},
{
"answer": "Bell Telephone Memorial",
"question": "What is the most famous statue built for Bell and his creation?"
},
{
"answer": "1917",
"question": "When was the ... |
3,006 | In 1936 the US Patent Office declared Bell first on its list of the country's greatest inventors, leading to the US Post Office issuing a commemorative stamp honoring Bell in 1940 as part of its 'Famous Americans Series'. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held on October 28 in Boston, Massachusetts, the city where Be... | [
{
"answer": "First",
"question": "In 1936, what place did Bell receive on a list of best inventors?"
},
{
"answer": "commemorative stamp",
"question": "What was created in Bell's image in 1940?"
},
{
"answer": "Famous Americans Series",
"question": "Bell's stamp is part of which line... |
3,007 | The 150th anniversary of Bell's birth in 1997 was marked by a special issue of commemorative £1 banknotes from the Royal Bank of Scotland. The illustrations on the reverse of the note include Bell's face in profile, his signature, and objects from Bell's life and career: users of the telephone over the ages; an audio w... | [
{
"answer": "geese",
"question": "What bird is depicted on the Scottish banknote?"
},
{
"answer": "genetics",
"question": "What do the sheep on the Scottish banknote represent?"
},
{
"answer": "C$100 gold coin",
"question": "What form of currency did Canada issue to celebrate Bell in... |
3,008 | Alexander Graham Bell was ranked 57th among the 100 Greatest Britons (2002) in an official BBC nationwide poll, and among the Top Ten Greatest Canadians (2004), and the 100 Greatest Americans (2005). In 2006 Bell was also named as one of the 10 greatest Scottish scientists in history after having been listed in the Nat... | [
{
"answer": "57th",
"question": "In 2002, where did Bell place in a list of the Greatest Britons?"
},
{
"answer": "10",
"question": "In 2004 Bell was listed in the top how many Greatest Canadians?"
},
{
"answer": "Scottish Science Hall of Fame",
"question": "In what Scottish Hall of ... |
3,009 | Bell died of complications arising from diabetes on August 2, 1922, at his private estate, Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia, at age 75. Bell had also been afflicted with pernicious anemia. His last view of the land he had inhabited was by moonlight on his mountain estate at 2:00 a.m.[N 29][N 30] While tending to him after hi... | [
{
"answer": "diabetes",
"question": "What disease contributed greatly to Bell's death?"
},
{
"answer": "August 2",
"question": "On what day and month did Bell die?"
},
{
"answer": "Mabel",
"question": "Who was the last person to see Bell alive?"
},
{
"answer": "Nova Scotia",
... |
3,010 | Bell's coffin was constructed of Beinn Bhreagh pine by his laboratory staff, lined with the same red silk fabric used in his tetrahedral kite experiments. To help celebrate his life, his wife asked guests not to wear black (the traditional funeral color) while attending his service, during which soloist Jean MacDonald ... | [
{
"answer": "Beinn Bhreagh pine",
"question": "What kind of wood was Bell's coffin made from?"
},
{
"answer": "red",
"question": "What color silk was used in Bell's coffin?"
},
{
"answer": "black",
"question": "What color were attendees asked to not wear at Bell's funeral?"
},
{
... |
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