The Anything Goes Quiz

It's not bad, but I would not go that far. There is much truth in his statement that:
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"

Right.

Who took out the first patent on a machine gun?

 

maxim?

 

Nope

 

vickers?

 

Richard Jordan Gatling?

 

Leonardo da Vinci?

 

No, no, and Roel, patents had not been invented back then!

 

I know, I was just making the classic pedantic point made at discussions of whatever invention, namely that Da Vinci did it first.

 

But no - da Vinci invented a repeating crossbow, but not a machine gun.
and anyway, the Romans had invented a more practical repeating ballista.

I cannot find the Dutch word for 'Pedant'

 

I've found it in a book. Does that count or would that be cheating?

 

That counts - if it is correct...

 

James Puckle in 1718. Correct?

 

"Muggenzifter" or "mierenneuker", neither being a compliment and the latter being a direct insult ("ant f*cker" - to indicate someone who pays too much attention to little things)...

 

Yes! The next question is yours.

 

Where was this man born? (Maybe this would rather fit to the "Impossible", but who cares? )

 

OK, apparently nobody wants to try

I'll tell you maybe that the sub on the picture is "Nautilus" (the American one, not the one from Berne's book).

 

florida?

 

Nope. It was somewhere in Europe. And guessing this man's name could be very helpful (I think).

 

Germany?

 

Nope. The place where he was born then belonged to a different country than now.