Even though we are increasingly veering towards paperless offices, it still continues to be part and parcel of our daily lives. How much do you know about its origin? Take the rediff business quiz and find out.
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1. Name the person who invented paper. a) Charles Fenerty b) Ts'ai-Lun c) Lei-yang
Wrong! Try again.
Wrong! The correct answer is Ts'ai-Lun. A courtier named Ts'ai-Lun, from Lei-yang in China, was the inventor of paper (not papyrus) circa 105 A.D. However, the word paper is derived from the name of the reedy plant papyrus, which grows abundantly along the Nile River in Egypt.
Charles Fenerty of Halifax made the first paper from wood pulp (newsprint) in 1838.
Correct! A courtier named Ts'ai-Lun, from Lei-yang in China, was the inventor of paper (not papyrus) circa 105 A.D. However, the word paper is derived from the name of the reedy plant papyrus, which grows abundantly along the Nile River in Egypt.
Charles Fenerty of Halifax made the first paper from wood pulp (newsprint) in 1838.
2. The first commercial cardboard box was produced in... a) Germany b) France c) England
Wrong! Try again.
Wrong! The correct answer is England. The first commercial cardboard box was produced in England in 1817, more than two hundred years after the Chinese invented cardboard. Corrugated paper appeared in the 1850s; about 1900, shipping cartons of faced corrugated paperboard began to replace self-made wooden crates and boxes used for trade.
Robert Gair, and American, manufactured in bulk a pre-cut cardboard panel, which, once folded, formed a box.
Correct! The first commercial cardboard box was produced in England in 1817, more than two hundred years after the Chinese invented cardboard. Corrugated paper appeared in the 1850s; about 1900, shipping cartons of faced corrugated paperboard began to replace self-made wooden crates and boxes used for trade.
Robert Gair, and American, manufactured in bulk a pre-cut cardboard panel, which, once folded, formed a box.
3. Wallpaper as we know today was first used in... a) England b) France c) Japan
Wrong! Try again.
Wrong! The correct answer is England. The Chinese glued rice papers onto their walls as early as 200 BC - but this was not wallpaper as we know it today. Paper as a wall covering was first used by the working classes in Britain and in Europe as a substitute for costly materials.
Frenchmen, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper in 1785. Frenchmen, Louis Robert invented a way to make an endless roll of wallpaper around the same time.
The earliest wallpapers in England and France were hand painted or stenciled.
Correct! The Chinese glued rice papers onto their walls as early as 200 BC - but this was not wallpaper as we know it today. Paper as a wall covering was first used by the working classes in Britain and in Europe as a substitute for costly materials.
Frenchmen, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper in 1785. Frenchmen, Louis Robert invented a way to make an endless roll of wallpaper around the same time.
The earliest wallpapers in England and France were hand painted or stenciled.
4. Which was the first celebrity paper doll? a) Little Fanny b) Marie Taglioni c)Queen Victoria
Wrong! Try again.
Wrong! The correct answer is Marie Taglioni. A doll portraying the renowned ballerina Marie Taglioni was published in the 1830s. In 1840, a boxed set was done of another ballerina, Fanny Elssler, as well as of Queen Victoria.
Little Fanny, was the first manufactured paper doll and was produced by S&J Fuller, London, in 1810. The History and Adventures of Little Henry was the 1st manufactured paper doll in the US, and was published by J Belcher of Boston in 1812. In the 1820s, boxed paper doll sets were popularly produced in Europe and exported to America for lucky children.
A paper doll is a two-dimensional figure drawn or printed on paper for which accompanying clothing has also been made. It may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object.
Correct! A doll portraying the renowned ballerina Marie Taglioni was published in the 1830s. In 1840, a boxed set was done of another ballerina, Fanny Elssler, as well as of Queen Victoria.
Little Fanny, was the first manufactured paper doll and was produced by S&J Fuller, London, in 1810. The History and Adventures of Little Henry was the 1st manufactured paper doll in the US, and was published by J Belcher of Boston in 1812. In the 1820s, boxed paper doll sets were popularly produced in Europe and exported to America for lucky children.
A paper doll is a two-dimensional figure drawn or printed on paper for which accompanying clothing has also been made. It may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object.
5. Washi papers are found in... a) India b) Japan c) Korea
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is Japan. Washi is the Japanese word for traditional papers made from long inner fibres of three plants, wa means Japanese and shi meaning paper. As of the fall of 1994, there remain roughly 350 families still engaged in the production of paper by hand.
Though paper was originally made in China, the art was brought to Japan in 610 AD by Buddhist monks who produced it for writing sutras.
The inner barks of three plants -- Kozo, Mitsumata and Gampi-- all native to Japan, are used primarily in the making of washi.
Correct! Washi is the Japanese word for traditional papers made from long inner fibres of three plants, wa means Japanese and shi meaning paper. As of the fall of 1994, there remain roughly 350 families still engaged in the production of paper by hand.
Though paper was originally made in China, the art was brought to Japan in 610 AD by Buddhist monks who produced it for writing sutras.
The inner barks of three plants -- Kozo, Mitsumata and Gampi-- all native to Japan, are used primarily in the making of washi.