Everyday Brands Quiz

Escalator was a trademark of the Otis Elevator Company in the early 20th century for its moving staircases, from scala (Latin for stairs).

ChapStick, created in the 1880s and sold commercially in the early 1900s, became synonymous with lip balm to prevent chapped lips.

The Dempster Brothers patented the “Dumpster” in the 1930s — a large trash container that could be mechanically emptied.

Velcro, coined from “velours” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook), became the generic name for hook-and-loop fasteners invented in 1941.

Kleenex tissues were introduced in 1924 as disposable makeup removers before becoming synonymous with facial tissues.

Westinghouse coined “Laundromat” in the 1940s for self-service laundry facilities with coin-operated machines.

3M introduced Post-it Notes in 1980 after developing a reusable adhesive; the brand name became synonymous with sticky notes.

Johnson & Johnson launched Band-Aid in 1920, and the name became the common term for adhesive bandages.

Hoover vacuum cleaners were so popular in Britain that “to hoover” became the generic term for vacuuming.

Q-tips, introduced in 1923, were first marketed for baby care, though they became synonymous with cotton swabs.