Fact or Fiction?
Joseph and Etienne Montigolfier, inventers of the hot air balloon, first believed that their balloon didn’t rise due to hot air but an invisible gas given off by fire. They named it Montigolfier Gas.
Pedals were added to the bicycle in 1839.
The early personal computer, the Sinclair ZX80, had 1 kilobyte of internal memory.
Joseph Swan invented a light bulb in 1879, one year before Thomas Edison. But Swan didn’t patent his idea and was accused of copying by Edison ( who did patent the idea and is therefore recognized as the inventor ) until it was shown both bulbs were produced in different processes. They then formed a joint company using the best of both technologies.
Allied bombers were issued with Biro pens as fountain pens leaked at high altitude.
The bicycle was first introduced to British roads in 1888, but the rider had to ring a bell continuously to warn others of their approach.
The first computer was built in 1823. The steam driven calculating machine, built by Charles Babbage, failed to work due to poor workmanship in the intricate parts. When rebuilt by the Science Museum of London in 1991 it worked.