General Knowledge Quiz

[krus_aragon]

The floor is yours

Thank you.

In the early 20th century, Peter Robertson invented a device that saved Henry Ford about 2 hours construction time for each car built by his company. What was this invention?

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[LSWR Cavalier]

Black paint?

 

[MAV39]

The assembly line?

 

[Neo9320]

Torque wrench?

 

[peri]

Paint spray?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Kanban system with standardised bins of washers, bolts etc?

 

[millemille]

There's a square socket drive screw that's known as a Robertson screw, is it that?

 

[krus_aragon]

Black paint?

The assembly line?

Torque wrench?

Paint spray?

Kanban system with standardised bins of washers, bolts etc?

All good suggestions, and of the above LSWR Cavalier has come closest to the mark in thinking of hardware fittings. However, millemille has nailed (or rather screwed) it:

There's a square socket drive screw that's known as a Robertson screw, is it that?

Correct. Robertson screws were used in Ford factories in Canada. The square head was far better than slot-head screws, as they were nowhere near as prone to cam out, and could be sat on the driver to insert them into the hole, etc. Ford used them in Canadian factories, and estimates suggest that Ford saved ~$2 per car in construction costs because it was so much quicker.

Ford was keen to license the patented design to manufacture the screws themselves*, but Robertson didn't want to give so much control away. A few years later, Henry Phillips was quite happy to license their cross-head design instead.

To this day, square-head Roberston screws are commonplace in Canada, but relatively rare elsewhere in the world.

*Elsewhere, they bought their own rubber plantation to try and control their own tyre production supply chain.

@millemille , your production line...

 

[millemille]

If they're from Derby they're named for rivers, if they're from Bristol they're named for mythical figures. What are they?

 

[MAV39]

Jet engines?

 

[millemille]

Jet engines?

That didn't take long, over to you

 

[MAV39]

Bit tied up at present, so will declare Open Floor.

 

[Calthrop]

Below, are nicknames by which in the USA, five cities in that country are widely known. What are the cities' rightful names?


The Mile-High City

Indian-No-Place

The Windy City

The Buckle On The Bible Belt

Beantown

 

[SuspectUsual]

1 denver

3 chicago

5 boston

 

[Calthrop]

1 denver

3 chicago

5 boston

All these correct. 3 down, 2 to go !

 

[MotCO]

2 Seattle?
4 Salt Lake City?

 

[D6975]

4 is Oklahoma

 

[Gloster]

2 Reno

 

[Calthrop]

2 Seattle?
4 Salt Lake City?

4 is Oklahoma

2 Reno

2 -- "Indian-No-Place": not Seattle or Reno, I'm afraid.

4 -- "Buckle On..." -- not Salt Lake City (it's orthodox [small "o"] Christianity, not the variant which prevails in Salt Lake and thereabouts); and Oklahoma is the right state, but the wrong city.

 

[D6975]

If it is not Oklahoma, then it must be 24 hours away.

 

[Calthrop]

If it is not Oklahoma, then it must be 24 hours away.

I believe that there is some popular ditty concerning being that length of travelling-time removed from TULSA -- thus, you're right.

Only one left to get ...

 

[xotGD]

Kansas City?

 

[Calthrop]

Kansas City?

Once again, nope.

I didn't expect this last one to prove so tricky. Hint: it's a bit of actual wordplay; and it's not exactly complimentary to the city concerned.

 

[Loppylugs]

Indianapolis ?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Indianapolis? Indian Falls?

 

[Calthrop]

Indianapolis it is -- @Loppylugs, you win by a nose on this city. (Indiana and its capital city are -- while they have their moments -- largely reckoned by their compatriots as one of the less interesting parts of the USA: hence "Indian-No-Place".)

@D6975 and @Loppylugs got one city apiece; @SteveM70 got three -- so, Steve buddy, you're good to go.

 

[SuspectUsual]

What sporting event has taken place annually since 1927 (apart from the war years and a five year gap between 1958 and 1963), in venues including the Cooperative Hall in Bolton, Belle Vue in Manchester, and the Nunawading Basketball Centre in Melbourne?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Commonwealth chess tournament?

 

[SuspectUsual]

Commonwealth chess tournament?

Not chess

 

[perryman]

Tiddlywinks World Championships?

If not, is the 5 year gap relevant?