Patent quiz
Do you know these famous patent holders?
Take our quiz to find out.
When you think of innovation, you might imagine an inventor’s “eureka!” moment as they discover something groundbreaking. But what comes next?
In the United States, inventors register their design with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect their design from being unfairly copied for a set amount of time.
Since its founding in 1802, the patent office has granted 13 million patents to inventors, some of whom might surprise you. Take our quiz to discover these famous American inventors.
10 questions, 30 seconds each
Choose your answer before time runs out. At the end, we’ll give you your score and your total response time.
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Patent fact
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Thank you for taking our quiz. We hope you are inspired by these American innovators — and invent something new yourself! These are just some of America's breakthroughs. Learn about 26 other historic innovations that shaped life as we know it today.
Writer: Noelani Kirschner
Photo editor: Suzy Mast
Production editor: Kathleen Hendrix
Digital storyteller: Pierce McManus
October 2026