Who invented it?
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Eleven multiple-choice questions from the ranki.gg quiz. Four countries each, one answer, then the fact.
Japan takes emoji and the QR code, but Spotify is Swedish and the gasoline car is German. The first patent for a USB flash disk was filed in Israel, while Singapore sold the first one you plug straight in. Bluetooth is named for a Danish king, and Ericsson developed it in Sweden. Häagen-Dazs was made up in the Bronx, and Thomas' English muffins were first sold in New York.
Each question is one shot. You tap a country, then lock it in. The caveat says the question says exactly what is being asked, and the reveal names the rival claim. The day-level source line points at Emojipedia for the first emoji set. Every other card has its own source in the game. Nothing here adds an invention the quiz does not already state.
The answer on each card
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Emoji | Japan |
| The QR code | Japan |
| Spotify | Sweden |
| The coffee-pot camera that became the first webcam | United Kingdom |
| The first patent for a USB flash disk | Israel |
| The first gasoline car | Germany |
| The word shampoo | India |
| Bluetooth | Sweden |
| Ketchup | China |
| Häagen-Dazs | United States |
| Thomas' English muffins | United States |
Emoji. Which country invented emoji? Answer: Japan. SoftBank shipped 90 emoji in 1997, and Shigetaka Kurita drew 176 for NTT Docomo in 1999.
The QR code. Which country invented the QR code? Answer: Japan. Masahiro Hara at Denso in Japan built the QR code in 1994 so a factory scanner could hold more than a barcode, including kanji.
Spotify. Which country started Spotify? Answer: Sweden. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon started Spotify in Stockholm in 2006.
The coffee-pot camera that became the first webcam. Which country set up the coffee-pot camera that became the first webcam? Answer: United Kingdom. In 1991 Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky pointed a camera at the Trojan Room coffee pot in Cambridge so they would not climb the stairs for an empty pot.
The first patent for a USB flash disk. Which country filed the first patent for a USB flash disk? Answer: Israel. M-Systems in Israel filed that patent in April 1999, and it still described a cable.
The first gasoline car. Which country built the first gasoline car? Answer: Germany. Karl Benz built the Patent-Motorwagen in Mannheim in 1886, a gasoline tricycle with a patent.
The word shampoo. Which country gave English the word shampoo? Answer: India. Shampoo is Hindi chāmpo, to press or knead, which is why an English word looks British.
Bluetooth. Which country developed the short-range radio that became Bluetooth? Answer: Sweden. The name is Denmark's king, Harald Bluetooth, which is why Denmark looks right.
Ketchup. Which country invented the sauce behind the word ketchup? Answer: China. Tomato ketchup is American, and British mushroom ketchup is a later pickle.
Häagen-Dazs. Häagen-Dazs was first made in which country? Answer: United States. Reuben and Rose Mattus made up the name on their couch in the Bronx around 1960 and printed a map of Denmark on the carton.
Thomas' English muffins. Which country first sold Thomas' English muffins? Answer: United States. Samuel Bath Thomas left England in 1874 with a muffin recipe and in 1880 opened a bakery in Manhattan that sold the griddle-baked muffins under his name.