Dream On! Animal Rights Fits You To A "T" Contest They Used To Do What?

From cavepeople times right up to the present, humans have used animals for their own purposes, ones that rarely suit the animals’ purposes at all. But cheaper, kinder, and more efficient inventions throughout history have helped us move away from using (and abusing) animals. Take our quiz to learn how far we’ve come—and what products you can use to help save animals’ lives!

1. Celluloid, the first patented form of plastic, was invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1868. Its invention was spurred by a company that offered a $10,000 reward for a replacement for ivory, which comes from elephants’ tusks. What did the company make?
a Barbie dolls. b Billiard balls. c Piano keys.

Answer: b Fortunately, plastic and other high-tech materials have almost dried up the demand for ivory, but elephants aren’t out of the woods yet. Circuses and zoos still tear baby elephants in the wild away from their mothers and put them into small enclosures and chains. Please help by refusing to visit zoos and going only to circuses that use all-human acts, like the Cirque du Soleil. Find out more at Circuses.com.

2. Thanks to an Iowa company called Soy Creations, astronauts can now enjoy what in space?
a Ping pong. b Chili. c Playing video games.

Answer: b The new vegetarian chili, which doesn’t get mushy like dehydrated beef chili, is the wave of the future. NASA hopes someday to have 90 percent of the food eaten by astronauts made from plants grown on the space station. Meanwhile, Earthlings can find Space Age veggie chili (NASA’s is sold under the Premier Harvest label), burgers, and hot dogs closer to home, at the supermarket.

3. Soy beans are used today to make everything from veggie burgers to diesel fuel. Which famous inventor once made a suit out of soy?
a Henry Ford. b George Washington Carver. c Thomas Edison.

Answer: a Model T inventor Henry Ford was a huge fan of soy beans—he made car parts out of soy and offered a whole meal of soy foods at the 1934 World’s Fair. He would cheer for the popularity today of delicious soy products like Tofutti “ice cream,” Silk soy milk, and Boca veggie burgers.

4. Sheep everywhere breathed a sigh of relief with the invention in 1971 of Kevlar, the ultra-strong polymer fiber now used instead of catgut (made from sheep’s intestines) for tennis rackets, bullet-proof vests, trampolines, and protective motorcycle gear. Kevlar is five times stronger, ounce for ounce, than:
a human hair. b leather. c steel.

Answer: c Modern fibers like Kevlar, nylon, polyester, and vinyl mean goodbye to animal fibers like itchy wool, heavy fur, and clammy leather. Cavepeople would be jealous.

5. In 2002, which sporting association switched from old-fashioned leather to better-performing nonleather game balls in its tournaments?
a The NCAA. b The NFL. c Minor League Baseball.

Answer: a The NCAA announced last year that only nonleather balls would be used in its March Madness tournaments. It takes an entire cow to make just four leather basketballs, but it’s easy to moove away from leather. Spalding makes synthetic basketballs, as well as volleyballs, softballs, soccer balls, and footballs.