Best of Tell Me Why (Tell Me Why #100) (gnv64)

MANORAMA
TELL ME WHY
M.M. Publications ltd.,
P.B. No. 226, Kotuyam. K"'la.lnd�..
Pin -686001. Phonf:0481- 2563721 - ll. 23
Fax: ++91-481 -2564393
E mail: subsaiplion@mmp.1n
,h,ldrensdivislonfmmp.in January 2015 " Volume: 9 • No: 1
fROM THE HOUSEOFMAGK POT. THE WEEK,MAHORAMA YEAR8OOI(,
NEW DELHI; Malay.laMano""", (0. ltd.,
Andhra Vanitha Mandall Building.
VANITHA & THE MALAYAlA MANORAMA DAILY
2. Azad Bhavan Road. lndraprastha btat••
NewDelhi-ll0002.
Phone:011- 23379718. 23379719. 23379720
MUMBAI: Mll.y.l.Min .......

A- 404 Marathon In nova. A Wing 4" flocw.
Low" Pan! (West). Mumba!- 400 Oll.
Phone: Oll- 39495969. 24900844. 24901111
KOLMTA: Mllay.laMI....""',
14 Parasor Road. Near lake MlrIt.�
Kolka'" -700 029.
Phone: 033 - 24198233. 24198048
'ATNA: Mllayala Mano""""
608, JagatTrade Centre. frazar Road.
Patna - BOO001. Phone: 0612 -2233BD9
JAIPUR: Malay.laMinot.....
Uo Royal Busl"'" C.ntre. Usha Plaza. Near
!alpurTower. 1.1.1. Road. Jalpur - 302001.
Phone: 0141- 2368360. Mob: 94616 28972
TELL ME WHY SCORES 100 !

HYlIERABAD: Mllay.laMan..."""
Uo Dr. 8.t Mathur. 8-2- 629I11B. Road No.12.
Banjara HII�. Hyderabad·500 0)4.
Phono: 040·23314168. 23324692
Welcome to the 100th issue of Manorama
BENGALURU: Mlloy.la MI........
No. m. Kantha Court. 3111 flocw, Tell Me Why!
lalBaugh Road. 8009'luru-560027.
Phone: ll2477J5 136 This is indeed a special occasion for us
(HENNAI: MlI.yoloMlno""",,
Janpr�a Crest 1111 floor) No: m.
all, and we thought it appropriate to make
Pantheon Road. Egmor� Chonnal· 600008. our 100th issue itself a special one. So, we
Phone: 04466 918530 131
(OIMBATORE: �laMlnor..... are happy to present, a collector's issue

101. l<lnshlno Buildings, 1056.
Avinashi Road. CoImbatore ·641 018.
this time.
Phone: ll41911 12245470
As the title suggests, the 'Best of Tell Me
LUOO<,,' • MlllyalaMl....,...
8·16l7. lnd.. Nagir. Ludmow·ll6016. Why' presents selected questions and
Phone: Olll - 2341576
CNAhDIGA MalaJilaMano.."",.
answers from the long line of our titles,
H No. lli2. Ground floor An..",.
lector 21- C. Chandigaril ·1600ll.
starting with the very first one, 'Solar Sys
Phone: 0172 • 2724699 Mob: 09417310727
tem'. For us, it has been a long journey
BHOPAL MlilyalaMin ..."""
Plot No.161. Gopal Shawan, Zone 1, from the first issue to the 100th.
M.P. Magar. Bhopal. Phone: om· 2557937
IRUVA TNAPURA
We thank �II the youngsters, parents
Mllay.II_."",.
P.8. No. 160.Thampanoor fist.
and teachers who shared the joy of this
Thiruv....thapuram· 695001. exciting journey, and invite all of you to
Phone: 2328198
KOCHI MIla,... MI....... enjoy this unique issue .

P.B. No.lOO8. Panampilly Nagar.
Kodti • 682 036. K...Ia.
Phone: 0484·23162 85
How did the Universe begin?
T here are many popular theories regarding

the origin of the Universe. The most prominent
among them is 'the Big Bang' theory. This the
ory was first suggested by a Belgian priest
named, Georges Lemaitre in the 1 920s. Later,
the idea got wide acceptance through the
studies of Edwin Hubble, Arno Penzias, and
Robert Wilson.
The Big Bang theory was born out of the
observation that galaxies are moving away
from one another at great speed, as if they
had been geared by an ancient explosive
force.
The theory states that some 20 billion years
ago, a massive blast - a Big Bang - occurred,
4 Tell Me Why
Twinkle,Twinkle,
l ittle star
How I wonder
what you are?
and that allowed all the

matter in the universe to
The planet Saturn
spring from some unknown
has many moons,
type of energy. After the
and Titan is the
Big Bang, the u niverse fifteenth, and the
expanded at a great largest of them. Titan
speed . The expansion still is the only moon in
continues, but much more the Solar System with
slowly. a fully developed,
But there are many sci planet-like atmos
entists who still doubt the phere.
authenticity of Big Bang
theory, because it leaves
several questions unan
swered.
Best of Tell Me Why

Why do some planets have rings? What Saturn
are they made of?
The rings of Jupiter, Uranus, and Nep

tune are made of dust, very tiny pieces of
rock, and ice. The rings of Saturn are
made of large pieces of ice.
We don't know for sure where these
rings came from. In some cases, the
rings have come from dust knocked off of
the planets' moons by meteorite bom
bardment, but some of them might have
come from moons torn apart by the plan
et's gravity, or they could have formed as
the planets formed.
Saturn's rings are the most magnifi
cent; they are bright, wide, and colou rful.
Uranus has thirteen dark rings around it,
and Neptune's rings are also dark, but
contain a few bright arcs.
Tell Me Why
Could water exist on Mer
cury?
I n 1991, scientists
bounced radio waves off
Mercury, and found an
unusual bright return from
the north pole. The appar
ent brightening at the north
pole could be explained by
ice on, or just under the -
surface.
But, is it possible for
Mercury to have ice? Yes.
Because M e rcu ry's rota
tion is almost perpendic Mercury
u lar to its orbital plain,
the north pole always
sees the Sun j ust above
the horizon .
The insides o f craters
would n ever be exposed
to the S u n , and would
remain very cold. This
freezing temperature
Travellers We A re!
could trap water out
gassed from the planet, I n a sense we are all space
or ice brought to the plan travellers, and our space
et from impacts with com ship is the planet Earth
ets. itself. It zooms along its
These ice might be cov orbit at the speed of 1 ,07,000
ered with a layer of dust, kilometres every hour- only
and would show bright we don't realise it!
radar returns.
Best of Tell Me Why 7

Can we some day, l ive on
I would l i ke Venus?
to go back to Earth
to taste some
ice cream. V enus was at one time
considered to be a more like
ly home than Mars for earth
lings, but revelations by way
of space probes, radar, and
radio astronomy are not
encouraging in this respect.
The average surface tem
o
perature is indicated at a
rather very uncomfortable
4620 C !
Then, too, there i s no water
on the surface; the atmos
phere is deadly; and the
pressure is tremendous.
Venus - TopographicaL Map
Are comets covered in an

envelope?
A s a comet absorbs ultra

violet light, chemical pro
cesses release hydrogen,
which escapes the comet's
gravity, and forms a hydro
gen envelope.
This envelope cannot be
seen from Earth, because its
light is absorbed by our
atmosphere, but it has been
detected by spacecrafts.
Tell Me Why
Mars What are the effects of the sea
sons on Mars?
The most noticeable features of

Mars are the ice caps at its north
and south poles. Since Mars is
tilted at about the same angle that
Earth is, it has seasons, as we
do.
The effect of the seasons can
be clearly seen in the growing
It' s me - M a rs! and shrinking of the polar ice
caps.
M ars was given its
Another seasonal change has
name by the
Romans in honour
long created an impression that
of Mars, their god of
there is some form of plant life in
war.
low-lying areas. These areas
change from blue-green in sum
mer, to brown in winter.

How did the Solar System begin?
S Cientists think there are two

ways in which the solar system
could have begun. According to
the nebular theory, the solar sys
tem was born from a great cloud of
whirling gases.
The attraction of gravity drew
the atoms of the gas closer togeth
er. As the gas condensed into a
ball, the circular motion increased.
Rings of matter were left spinning
around the central mass. These
condensed to form the planets,
and the central ball of gas became
the Sun.
Tell M e Why
Could there be a collision of plan
ets?
N o. There is no reason for such

a fear. The planets and stars are
so far away from each other, even
though we don't realise it.
Let's imagine that your own
head is the Sun, both in its size
P ro u d O l ympu s! and location in the Solar System .
You r head i s then in the centre of
M ars has the big- . a number of rings of different siz
gest volcano in the es. These rings are the orbits
Solar System- 'Olym which the planets travel around
pus Mons'. It is three the Sun. With your head as the
times higher than
centre, Mercury, revolving in the
Mount Everest!
nearest ring, is six metres away
from you ! It is about as large as
the dot at the end of this sen
Mercury, Venus, tence. (Remember, the siz- e of
Earth and Mars you r head is the size of the Sun.)
What would be the view
li ke, from Mercury?
I f an explorer were to step

9nto the surface of Mercu
ry, he would discover a
world resembling the lunar
terrain. Mercury's rolling,
dust-covered hills have
been eroded from the con
stant bombardment of
meteorites.
Fault-cliffs rise for sev
eral kilometres in height,
and extend for hundreds
of kilometres. Craters dot
the surface.
The explorer would
notice that the Sun
appears 2.5 times larger
than on Earth; however,
the sky is always black,
because Mercury has no
atmosphere to cause scat
tering of light.
An explorer might see
two bright planets . One
appears as cream col
o u red Venus, and the
other as blue colou red
Eart h .
Mercury - Photographed
by the Space Probe Mariner
Tell Me Why
Why can you fit South Ameri continent called Pangaea.
ca and Africa together like a There was also only one giant
jigsaw puzzle? ocean, Panthalassa.
I f you look at the map of the

In time, Pangaea split into
smaller land masses, and the
world, you will notice that east continents began to drift
coast of South America fits towards their present posi
exactly against the west coast tions. In the future, the move
of Africa, as if they were pieces ments of the tectonic plates
of a jigsaw puzzle. will cause the continents to
This is because millions of drift even more.
years ago, they were joined. This will result in the Pacific
In fact, 220 million years ago, Ocean shrinking, the Atlantic
all the continents were joined Ocean getting wider, and Afri
together to form one super ca splitting into two!

Crust Mantle
'
Antarctica!!!
The coldest place

on Earth is Vostok
in Antarctica.
Here, the tempera
ture can fall to a
freezing -89.2° C.
Setting up What is inside the Earth?

a shortcut to
America. I f you could make a journey into the
heart of the Earth, what would you
find? Well, you would start from the
surface of the Earth, which is a hard
crust of rock. The rock is not continu
ous, but has many cracks. This is
split up into large slowly moving
plates called tectonic plates.
As you go deeper, you would notice
many changes. It would get hotter
and hotter, as you enter the next lay
er. This is called the mantle. The
mantle is so hot, that the rock here is
not solid, but molten. The molten
rock, known as magma, is constant-
14 Tell Me Why
Why do rivers wind?
A s a river nears the sea, it starts to

twist and turn in horseshoe shapes
called meanders. Some rivers mean
der more dramatically than others.
Do you know why this happens?
When a river enters the plains and
encounters an obstacle, it is moving
more slowly than before, and simply
curve around it. As the river flows
around this bend, the current
becomes strongest at the outside of
the curve. This increased rate of flow
encourages erosion, and tends to
pick up particles from the river bot
tom, and soil from the bank and move
it downstream.
The current on the inside of the
bend is slower, and deposits gravel,
and other solids. As the erosion on
the outside of the bend continues to
occur, the deposits of materials on
the inside of the bend also continues.
This forms a meander in a river.
Iy moving. About 6400 km below the

surface, you will reach the core of the
Earth.
The Earth has an outer core, and
an inner core. This is made mainly of
molten iron, and the temperature in
the heart of the Earth is 5500° C!
Best o f Tell M e Why

What is acid rain? A Fores! destroyed by
A
Acid raill
Cid rain is rain that has a larger
amount of acid in it than what is
normal.
Acid rain is caused by smoke and
gases that are given off by facto
ries, and vehicles that run on fossil
fuels. When these fuels are burned
to produce energy, the sulphur that
is present in the fuel combines with
oxygen, and becomes sulphur diox
ide. Some of the nitrogen in the air Hel lo, Yel l ow ...
becomes nitrogen oxide. These
pollutants go into the atmosphere, The Huang He or
and become acid. Sulphur dioxide Yellow River, in Chi
and nitrogen oxide are also pro na, got its name
duced when coal is burnt for fuel. because of the yel
Acid rain destroys trees, harms low colour of water,
wildlife and eats away the stone which is caused by
work in buildings. It also gives us the silt it carries.
asthma, and coughs!
16 Tell Me Why
My Lord,
I wou ld l i ke to
travel around
the Earth.
Is the Earth a perfect sphere?
I f you look around, the Earth looks

flat. Even before the Middle Ages,
people did think it was flat.
The flat Earth concept persisted till
about 300 years ago. In fact, people
used to think that if they sailed tooJar
in one direction, they would fall off the
edge of the Earth ! Pythagoras was the
first person to talk about the Earth
being spherical . A practical demon
stration of Earth's sphericity was
achieved by Ferdinand Magellan's
expedition's circumnavigation.
It was Sir Isaac Newton, who first
claimed that the Earth is not spherical,
but 'oval'. Today, we know that the
Earth is not a perfect sphere. It is
slightly flattened at the poles, and
bulges at the equator.

Why is the desert dry?
The main reason for this is that deserts get very

little rainfall .
Deserts near the equator are dry. This i s
because in these places, instead o f hot air rising,
and being replaced by cool moist air, air settles
downwards, and becomes warmer and drier as it
does so.
Deserts that are far away from the equator are
generally d ry, because of their distance from the
sea. This prevents moisture laden winds from
reaching them. Sometimes, there are mountains
which act as barriers to the winds. These moun
tains will get rainfall on the side facing the sea, but
the side facing land doesn't get any rain.
There are sandy deserts, where the wind builds
sand hills ordains. Rocky deserts consist of bare
rocks. Cold deserts are located near the Arctic
region of the world .
18 Tell Me Why
Why do we say that weather is
different from climate?
W hen we talk about weath

er, we are talking about day to
day changes in the atmos
Deepest Trench!
phere . Is it going to be sunny
The deepest known or cloudy, or is it going to rain
depression on the sur or snow?
face of Earth is the Mari When we talk about climate,
ana Trench, in the we talk about changes in long
Pacific Ocean. Its maxi term averages of daily weath
mum depth is 1 0.994 kil er. So, we can say that climate
ometres. The highest is the trend in weather patterns
mountain peak on the over an extended period of
land, Mount Everest, can time.
fit into in this trench! Scientists keep day to day
The height of the Mount weather statistics for 30 years
Everest is only 8.848 kil
in order to draw conclusions
ometres.
about local and regional cli
mates.
How do meteorologists predictions are not always correct,
study the atmosphere? but as the methods of gathering
S
information become more sophisti
cientists who study cated, and the information itself
the atmosphere are becomes more accurate, weather
called meteorologists. predictions are becoming pretty reli
By studying the Earth's able.
atmosphere, meteorolo
gists are able to predict
what the weather will be. Sir, I can't
In earlier times, hot air \ }
withstand your
�@�
balloons carrying instru UV rays.
ments were sent into the
upper atmosphere to / \
predict the weather.
Today, satellites that
orbit the Earth send back
information about winds,
temperatures and ocean
waves. Once the mete
orologist has all the data
he needs, it is analyzed
and predictions are
made. These weather
20 Tell Me Why
Why do modern jet airliners fly
above the clouds?
C lOUdS and rain form only

where there is water vapour, and
water vapour forms only in the
lowest layer of the atmosphere
Cool Antarctica! called the troposphere.
To avoid a rough flight caused
A ntarctica is the by bad weather, modern jet airlin
coldest place on
ers fly above the clouds, in the
Earth. Its freezing air
next layer of the atmosphere
tends to be extremely
called the stratosphere.
dry because very
The air in the stratosphere has
cold air holds only a
no water vapour, and so it is still
small amount of
water vapour.
and clear. This means no bumps,
so that you have a comfortable
flight!
21
Why were rai n dances performed?
A rain dance is a traditional dance per

formed to please the Rain God so that he may
bless the land with rain. It was especially pop
ular among the Native American tribes and the
tribes in Africa.
Many Native Americans still perform the rit
ual today, and it can be seen on several reser
vations in the United States.
Men and women together perform a rain
dance, and wear special headdresses and
clothing. The jewels used in the clothing, such
as turquoise, have special significance, as
well as the patterns on the clothing and the
use of goat hair in the headdresses.
These special clothes are worn every year
for the rain dance, and are usually are stored
the entire year for this purpose.
That's not
a rain dance. Only
the after effect of
that snake bite!
Earth and Moon Why do we say that the Moon is younger than
the Earth?
H uman beings have always wondered

about the origin of the Moon. The G reeks
were perhaps the first to study our satellite.
But, modern scientific study of our neighbour
began in 1 609, and there are many theories
about its origin. The most popular one is
'Giant Impact Hypothesis'.
According to this theory, about 4.5 billion
years ago, our Earth was hit by a large body
which was about the size of Mars. This impact
blasted portions of the Earth into the Earth's
orbit. The broken pieces gradually came
together, along with the gas and dust which
solidified, to form the Moon.
Molten lava then oozed out of the interior of
the Moon for the next two billion years. So,
though the Moon is billions of years old, it is
still younger than the Earth !

Why does it feel as if the Moon longer period, since it takes a
is following us wherever we longer time to go past them.
go? This explains why distant
W
objects like mountains don't
hen you travel by train, seem to rush past the window
the houses and trees outside of a moving train.
seem to be rushing back You know, the Moon is very,
wards. However, no matter very far from us. That is
how fast you travel, the Moon 3,84,400 kilometres away!
and the stars do not rush back Because of its great distance,
wards, but seem to move the angle at which we view the
along with you . Why is this? Moon changes very little as we
When things are near us, we move.
move past them very quickly. Even if we travel 200 kilome
After that, we don't see them tres per hour, it remains in rel
any more. That is why trees atively the same position in the
and houses seem to rush past sky. So, wherever you go, the
at great speed. Moon appears to be in the
But, when things are far same position, almost as
away, we'll see them for a though it is following you .
24 Tell Me Why
Will the Universe end?
I t is difficult to think that the Universe

might end some day. But cosmolo
gists, the people who study the Uni
verse, are sure it will.
They think it will stop expanding
outwards, and start shrinking back to
nothing. They call this event the 'Big
Supernova!
Crunch'. The stars will burn out grad
The supergiant ually, and finally, there will be just
stars in the Uni lumps of rock and dust floating
verse explode around.
from heat and However, don't worry too m uch
expansion. This about it. All this is billions, and possi
explosive death bly trillions of years from now. Moreo
of the star cre ver, there are still some scientists
ates a temporary who think that this won't happen at
brightness of mil all, and that the Universe will go on
lions of suns! forever.
This phenome They figure that gravity won't allow
non is known as the Universe to stop expanding, and
a supernova.
so, it will just keep getting bigger and
bigger!
What is a black hole? Black hole
A Visualization
B lack holes are the most mysterious
bodies in the whole Universe.
Astronomers consider a black hole
as a stage in the evolution of the star.
They are probably formed when a
supernova occurs. If a star is ten times
more massive than the Sun, no known
force can stop the increasing gravity, Black Hole
and it will collapse to a point of infinite
density. Before this stage is reached, The physicist
within a certain radius, light itself John Wheeler
becomes trapped, and the object coined the term
becomes invisible, and becomes a 'black hole' in
black hole. 1 967. Before
With the invention of invisible radia him, we knew
tions like radio waves, ultraviolet, black holes to
X-rays, gamma rays, etc., locating the be 'dark stars,'
invisible black holes has been possi or 'frozen
ble. Black holes are the densest areas stars'.
in the Universe.
26 TeJl Me Why
What happens to water that seeps under
ground?
W henever rain falls, some of it soaks into

the Earth, and seeps downwards until it
reaches non-porous rock. Non-porous rock
means something that will not allow water to
pass through.
When the water reaches non-porous rock,
it spreads out, so that large areas become
saturated with underground water. The
underground depth at which point the ground
is totally saturated with water, is known as
the water table. The water table varies in
depth from place to place, and season to
season.
However, water does not move around in
the same way in all rocks below ground,
because rocks have different porosity.
Porosity refers to a rock having minute holes
through which liquid may pass.
----' I won't allow
the sea to dry
up.
Why does the water in What are trade winds? How did
oceans and the sea not dry they get their name?
T
up?
The Sun heats the water

he trade winds are a pattern of
wind, found in bands around the
in the sea, and turns it into Earth's equator. They are the pre
water vapour. vailing winds in the tropics. They
The water vapour forms blow predominantly from the
clouds that rise high in the northeast in the Northern hemi
air. When the clouds meet sphere, and from the southeast in
the cold air in the sky, they the Southern hemisphere.
become rain. The name came from an old
The rain falls into the sea nautical term in Middle English, 'to
to become sea water and blow trade'. 'Trade' in Middle Eng
the whole cycle is repeated. lish meant 'path' or track. These
This is why the seas and winds helped the traders to navi
oceans do not become dry. gate ships around the world.
28 Tell Me Why
Submarille
What is the difference between a

submersible and a submarine?
B oth are craft that travel under

the sea. Submarines are much
I'm Dead! bigger than submersibles, and
are not tied to a surface support
The water of the ship. They carry air, and all their
Dead Sea is so salty
supplies with them.
that nothing can l ive
Submersibles are connected
in it. This is why it is
by cables that supply power and
called a 'dead' sea.
air to the crew. Submersibles can
go to the deepest parts of the
ocean, and are mostly used for
research and exploration. Sub
marines usually belong to the
navy, and are used for patrolling.

A Bird coverd in oil
How do oil spills harm sea animals? spilt in Black Sea
O il spills contain poisonous chemi

cals which are readily absorbed through
the skin of sea animals, harming them.
Some sea animals like seals may react
to oil spills by not eating, so that they
starve to death.
Sea otters can easily be harmed by
oil, since their ability to stay warm
depends on their fur remaining clean.
Fish and shell fish may be tainted and
unsuitable for eating for a year or more
after an oil spill.
During most oil spills, seabirds are
harmed and killed in greater numbers
than other kinds of creatures. If oil
remains on a beach for a while, other
creatures, such as snails and clams,
may suffer.
30 Tell Me Why
Why is the sea blue?
T o know the answer to this ques

tion, you must first understand that
sunlight is made up of different col
ours, from red, orange, and yellow,
to green, and blue.
When sunlight falls on the sea, it Ebb Tide
is the colour blue that is reflected
by the water most easily, giving the The time between
sea its blue colour. Near the coast , high tide and low
sea water takes on a yellow or tide, when the water
brownish tinge. This is due to the level is falling, is
called ebb tide.
mud that rivers discharge into the
sea, and the vast number of tiny
plants and animals near the sur
face.
When clouds hide the sun, the
sea will look grey. Weather condi
tions can also change the colour of
the sea.
Help ...
Are there mountains
A sea vol cano! and volcanoes
u nder the sea?
T here are thou

sands of mountains
under the sea. All of
them are volcanoes,
but some of them do
not erupt anymore.
There is a long
chain of undersea
mountains all the
way down the Atlan
tic Ocean. It is called
the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, and is the
longest chain of
mountains in the
world.
The highest sea
mountains are over
1 0,000 metres tal l !
Do all seas have tides? t h e sea in a given location.
Tides are caused due to the

I n enclosed seas l i ke the
Mediterranean , there is
pull of the moon, and to a smaller hardly any tide at all,
extent, the sun. In general, the because it is surrounded
larger the body of water, the more by land on all sides. The
noticeable the tide. rise and fall of the water
The height of the tide depends may be only a few centi
on the size, shape, and depth of metres.
32 Tell Me Why
Arctic Ocean Why don't Arctic fish freeze?
F ish are cold-blooded animals

whose body temperature chang
es according to the surroundings.
So, normally at the below freezing
temperatures of the Arctic, fish
.
should be freezing, or they
shouldn't be living there at all !
Earthquakes The puzzle has been solved by
scientists who have discovered
I n Japan, people that the fish do possess some anti
thought earthquakes freeze substance in their blood.
were caused by a The Arctic sculpin, manufac
giant catfish wrig tures an antifreeze protein in its
gling about on the blood. This depresses the freez
sea bed. ing temperature of its plasma suf
ficiently.

Alps
Why are the Alps known as
'Europe's Playground'?
The beauty of the Alps has made

them a popular tourist destination.
Their steep, snow covered slopes
attract skiers by the thousands.
There are forest trails for hikers, Get up!
swift flowing rivers for rafting, crag This is my
play ground.
gy peaks for rock climbing, and so
much more. In fact, the Alps have
become a summer and winter play
ground for millions of tourists from
around the world.
Tou rism, however, has brought
its own set of problems to the Alps.
Forests have been cleared of trees,
buildings have been put up, and all
these activities have led to
increased pollution of the soil,
water, and air.
34 Tell Me Why
Why is a desert rose different
I can't bel ieve
from other roses? that a rose could
The desert rose is neither soft hurt you this

much ?
nor fragrant. In fact, it is not a
flower at all, but a gypsum crys
tal. Do you know what gypsum
is? It is a mineral used in the
manufacture of concrete, sheet
rock, and plaster of Paris. In the
desert, gypsum crystals are
found in sand dunes.
The grains of sand interfere
with the growth of crystals, and
the result is that the crystals are
formed in the shape of petals.
Desert rose gypsum is found in
many locations around the world,
and specimens found in different
places can look radically differ
ent, but all of them are without
doubt delicate beauties born of
the Earth.
Desert Rose
3S
Why are honey-pot ants useful to other ants in
a colony?
A s their name suggest, honey-pot ants are

like living pots of honey. They are found in the
fringes of deserts. After the rains, there is so
much nectar from ephemeral plants, that the
ants in a colony cannot use it all .
They feed some particular ants i n the colony
with the nectar until their whole abdomen swells
up with honey. These chosen ants are the hon
ey-pot ants. The abdomen of the ants swell up
so much that they can be the size of grapes!
During a drought, the other ants will feed on the
honey, and the honey-pot ants' abdomens
shrink back to their normal size.
36 Tell Me Why
How do feathers get their colours?
There are two sources of feather colour - pigments,

and the physical structure of the feather. Many feath
ers are coloured by a combination of these features.
Pigments are chemical compounds that absorb cer
tain wavelengths of light while reflecting others. The
colou rs you see are those reflected back. Feathers
coloured by pigments, range from crow black to
canary yellow, and cardinal red.
Many colours, Such as blue, are a result of feather
structure. When light hits these feathers, it hits micro
scopic structures on the feather that act as prisms to
reflect a colour. No blue pigment is known in birds.
Shimmering iridescent colours such as those found
in peacocks, are caused by special structures, air
bubbles, or films on feather surfaces. These modifi
cations interfere with the bending and scattering of
light to strengthen some wavelengths, and cancel
out others.
What is a plankton?
P lanktons are microscopic

plants and animals that float
near the top of the ocean.
Plankton is food to a large
number of marine creatures,
from tiny fish to the mighty
whale. As such, they are the
basis of the food chain . They
also support the earth by pro
ducing oxygen during photo
synthesis
Which predator looks l i ke a

plant?
T he sea anemone looks like

a small , bushy plant. It is actu
ally a dangerous predator. It
has a small tube-like body,
with a mouth at the top, sur
rounded by tentacles.
The tentacles are covered by
tiny stinging cells that protect
the animal, and inject poison
into its prey. The poison paral
yses the prey, and the sea
anemone uses its tentacles to
push the prey into its mouth.
Sea anemones are found
everywhere in the ocean. If
you come across one, be sure
to avoid it!
Tell MeWhy
How did the desert sidewinder get have adapted to the
its name? desert environment.
I f you are ever in a desert, and see

Unlike other snakes that
crawl using bottom scales
parallel tracks in the sand, you can to push themselves along,
be sure that a desert sidewinder the sidewinder moves
has passed that way. It is one of the sideways! It throws its
most truly interesting animals that head in front of its body,
uses it as an anchor, and
then slithers sideways.
The scales underneath
its body grip the sand and
leave parallel tracks in the
desert. This is a very effi
�______ -��jjJ...J'--- cient way of travel across
the sand dunes of the
' .. desert, and it is this meth
od of moving that gives
the desert sidewinder its
name. The poisonous
sidewinder is also called
the 'horned rattlesnake. '

How do eagles gl ide,
without flapping their
wings?
I f you watch an eagle's

movements through bin
oculars, you will see that
even though the bird
appears to be gliding lazi Hey dude,
ly, it is actually very what's the secret
of your gliding
active. Its outer wing
without frapping?
feathers and tail feathers
are in constant motion,
catching up-drafts of stantly falling. When a bird is in an
warm air, and steering up-draft of warm air, it is carried up
the bird through moving more quickly than it falls. At this
air currents. time, it can fly higher.
Like other objects, The bird now tries to keep itself in
which are heavier than this column of air by steering with its
air, birds in flight are con- wing and tail feathers. When the
bird moves into a column of down
ward moving cooler air, it falls rap
idly.
However, it now uses its wings to
help it glide, as quickly as possible,
into another column of upward mov
ing warm air. The
speed that the bird
attained while gliding
downward in the 'cool
column' enables it to
sweep upward more
quickly when it enters
the 'warm column'.
40 T e l l Me Why
Hoat;::ill Which amazing bird has feet
on its wings when it's you ng?
The hoatzin, a bird that lives

in South America, has two very
unusual wings. They don't
have feet on them, but they do
have fingers. That's right, fin
gers!
It's your house! The bird is born with one fin
ger at the end of each wing.
The hermit crab, which Before it has learned to fly, the
does not have its own bird crawls around on its fin
shell , lives in the the gers.
abandoned shells of oth That way, it can escape from
er creatures. As the crab the nest if it is in danger, and
grows, however, it even catch some of its own
moves to a bigger and fQod . Once it becomes a
more spacious shell.
mature bird, and learns to fly,
the fingers disappear.

Why are there so many flight
less birds in Australia?
There certainly are a lot of

flightless birds in Australia and
New Zealand. Australia has
two kinds of flightless birds,the
Cassowary and the Emu. New
Zealand has the Kiwi, and
Takahe.
Cassowaries, Emus, and
Kiwis are all related to one
another. They all are members
of the same group of birds
called ratites.
The explanation for ratite
flightlessness is that they all
inherited the trait from a com
mon ancestor, that had evolved
from birds who could fly. Rat
ites are spread over continents
that were once joined in a sin An Emu
gle landmass called Gondwa
na. So, they didn't have to fly to
where they are now - they
walked there, and over millions
of years, the continental drift
has moved them apart.
As for the Kakapo and the
Takahe, each bird is closely
related to a bird species that
can fly, so flightlessness
evolved independently in these
birds.
42 Tell Me Why
Why do we say that
mushrooms sprout up
overnight?
A mushroom is only
the fruiting, or reproduc
tive structure of the fun Myste�y under the Sea!
gus. The main body of
the fungus grows out of The five Archaeopteryx
sight, in rotting logs, fossils found in Germany
manure heaps, or other .. in 1 861 all came from an
dark, damp places. area which was once flood
Warm, damp weather ed by sea.
can trigger the sudden
appearance of the part
that is visible to us- the
mushroom. The first por
tion to show up is a small
round button, made up
of densely packed
hyphae. Soon the stem
elongates, and the cap
enlarges to its full size.
The entire process is a
rapid one, for mush
rooms need very little
energy to grow. This is
why mushrooms seem
to sprout up overnight.
But actually, it is the end
of a long process that
started with spores leav
ing a mushroom that is
some distance away.
Best of Tell Me Why

Ostrich
Do ostriches really hide

their heads in the sand?
N o, ostrich living in cap

largest Flier tivity, or in the wild, has ever
been seen to do such a
Ornithostoma (meaning thing. At the approach of
'bird mouth') was the • another animal, ostriches
largest of all flying sometimes bend their necks
creatures. Born with a close to the ground, and lis
3 metre wingspan, it had an ten intently. This may be
udult wingspan of over 6 what has given rise to the
metres. Its wings were •
belief. The ostrich, in fact,

made of skin, and were � has a much better way of
somewhat similar to those coping with possible attack
of modern bats.
from an enemy. It simply
runs away!
44 Tell Me Why
How did birds evolve from reptiles?
I t all started some 200 million years

ago, when some smaller dinosaurs
made their homes among rocks on high
cliff-sides, By doing this, they were pro
The Heaviest tecting themselves from larger meat
Bird! eating dinosaurs that were too big and
heavy to climb over loose rocks.
The African kori It was here that the pterodactyls
bustard is the (meani11g 'wing finger') were found.
heaviest flying They were flying reptiles, and their abil
bird. Sometimes, ity to fly helped them to escape from
it even has trou the clutches of an enemy, and to swoop
ble getting off down to grab food. During this period,
the ground! The many small reptiles were evolving char
lightest bird is a
acteristics, which separated them from
bee humming
the reptile group - their feathers.
bird.
The Archaeopteryx was the most
familiar of these early reptilian avian.
Other kinds,
such as the Ich
thyornis, had
even more bird
like characteris
tics, and were
about the size
of present-day
gulls.
45
How do birds' feathers work in helPl
ing them to fly?
F eathers, are important parts of a

bird's 'flying equipment'. A bird's tail
feathers are used for lifting, steering,
(. Swimming :.
and breaking, and these are perfectly
>" 8 'Ird ',·,.. ;.
>'.
.. 'I' .
� ' • •� symmetrical, to allow a balanced and
The fastest swim smooth flight.
mer in the bird Along the sides of a bird's feathers
world is the gen are barbs, which if separated, look like
too penguin, It a fringe, or even like the threads that
can race through stick out from the edge of a piece of
the water at up to unstitched cloth. Since these barbs
36 kilometres per end in hooks, they hook on to one
hour! another efficiently, making a strong,
but light flying wing.
What are the characteristics of Andean Andean Condor
Condor?
T he Andean condor, with a wingspan

of up to 3.2 metres, is the largest flying
bird ! This bird lives in the Andes Moun
tains of South America. Both the Ande
an condor, and its slightly smaller
cousin, the California condor, have unu
sual wings which allow them to soar
only when there is an upward rising air
current, and when the weather is dry. It's a Study
When it rains, condors cannot fly, so
they must stretch out their wings, and
The study or
allow them to dry, before they can once
collecting of
eggs, in par
again take to the air. California condors
ticular, bird
are an endangered species.
eggs, is called
The wandering albatross is also a Oology.
large flying bird. From one wingtip to
another, it's as long as a family car!

Wolf Tal k
I t is often believed
that wolves howl
at the moon. But
the wolves howl,
whether the moon
Why do eggs have the 'egg shape' ?
is out or not.
Through their
powerful voices, M ost bird eggs have a character
they are in fact istic oval shape, with one end round
talking to other ed, and the other more pointy.
members of their This shape results from the egg
pack, who have being forced through the oviduct.
spread out to hunt. Muscles contract the oviduct behind
Or, they may be the egg, pushing it forward . The
warning other egg's wall is still shapeable, and the
packs to stay pointy end develops at the back
away. side.
H ighly conical eggs are often seen
in cliff-nesting birds. They are less
likely to roll off, tending instead to roll
around in a tight circle, and thus, are
believed to have been selected for
survival by evolution. In contrast,
many hole nesting birds have nearly
spherical eggs.
48 Tell Me Why
Which pri mates eat poison?
A primate called the loris

eats insects that are poison
ous. In fact, if any other ani
mals ate those insects, they
would get a heart attack.
Another primate, the golden
bamboo lemur eats shoots of
giant bamboo that contain cya
nide. Cyanide is a very power
ful poison that can kill a man in
minutes!
I need
more poison to
survive.

Why are invertebrates gen
erally small in size?
M ost invertebrates are

small, because they lack
internal skeletons. An
external skeleton makes it
difficult for an animal to
grow. If it grows too big, it
will not fit inside the skele
ton. If the skeleton grows Fruit fly
bigger to accommodate the
animal's increasing size, it
becomes too heavy for the What are crocodile tears?
C
animal to carry.
Invertebrates that live in rocodiles shed tears not
the sea can grow quite big, because they are sad- it is a bod
though . There are giant ily need for them! Tears are a
clams in the South Pacific means to get rid of excess salt
that are 1 .2 metres across, from its body. There was a belief
and weigh a quarter of a that crocodiles wept while catch
tonne ! Giant squids can ing prey. Thus, the phrase 'croco
reach a length of 1 6.5 dile tears' came to mean someone
metres, and weigh a tonne ! who shed false tears.
Crocodile
Sloth Why does the sloth's fur look green?
H ave you heard the phrase "as slow

as a sloth"? If you see a sloth, you will
understand how this phrase came into
existence.
The sloth is a slow-moving mammal
that lives on trees. Sloths spend most
laughing of their lives hanging upside-down from
Hyena tree branches; they eat, sleep, and give
birth upside-down on the trees! They
The hyena can hold onto tree branches with strong,
make two differ curved claws that are on each of their
ent types of four feet. They are most active at night,
calls. One and sleep all day.
sounds like wail Sloths have long fur that appears to
ing; while the
be green in colour. This is caused by a
other sounds like
coating of bacteria that grows on their
a laugh.
fur. The bacteria provide nutrients to
the sloth, and also act as a camouflage.

Vampire bat Why is the diet of the
vampire bat special and
unusual ?
The vampire bat feeds

only on blood - it is the
only bat that has this
special diet. It h unts at
night, and when it sees a
horse or a cow, it crawls
onto its body. The vam
pire then shaves away a
small portion of skin, and
when blood starts flow
ing, laps it up like a cat.
The vampire bat feeds
about 30 minutes at a
time, and drinks about 26
litres of blood a year.
52 Tell Me Why
What is bonsai?
I magine a miniature orange tree laden

with tiny fruits, growing in a tray. Don't
you think it would look very attractive?
Well, the art of bonsai specializes in
the miniaturization of trees by growing
them in trays or containers. In Japa
nese, the literal meaning of bonsai is
Do you dare? 'planted in a container' and in Chinese
it means 'tray scenery'.
The Panther The small size of the tree, and the
that looks jet dwarfing of foliage are maintained
black in colour, through a constant pruning of leaves
has actually got and roots. It is important to remember
spots! But the that a bonsai is not a genetically
spots are very dwarfed plant. It is any tree or shrub
faint, so you will species that is actively growing, but
have to get real kept small through a combination of
ly close to see pot confinement, and pruning of the
them.
crown and roots to create tiny, living
masterpieces.
Bonsai
Best of Tell Me Why

Which tool is used b�
sea otters when they eal
food?
The sea otter enjoys a

meal of shellfish. It uses
stones to break open the
hard shells of mussels,
and crabs. It will lie on its
back in the water, and
place a rock on its chest.
Then, it bangs the shell
fish against the rock, until
the shell cracks open,
and the sea otter can eat
Sea otter the soft meat inside.
Is the banana a fruit ceous plant or 'herb' and not a tree.

or a herb? This is because the stem does not con
The banana has the

tain true woody tissue.
nature of both a fruit

and a herb. The
banana that you peel
and eat is undoubted
ly a fruit, for it con
tains the seeds of the
plant. However, the
banana plant, though
it is called a 'banana
tree' in popular
usage, is technically
regarded as a herba-
54 Tell Me Why
Which herbs did witches use?
B itter medici ne!

Y ou must have read about
Q uinine, which is used witches, and how they wove
to treat malaria, is magical spells using herbal
obtained from the bark brews. Do you know what
of the cinchona tree. some of their favourite herbs
This tree is a native of were? They used rosemary to
the mountains of Peru, make people remember
but is now widely things, and anise to avert bad
grown in India, Java, luck. Dill was used as a pro
and parts of Africa. Cin tection against spells, and
chona bark has a very thyme was a herb that gave
bitter taste, and is used courage. Sage imparted wis
to treat many condi dom, while coriander and fen
tions including sciatica, nel were used to summon
dysentery, sore throats demons! As a matter of fact,
and muscle spasms, in herbs were used for healing
addition to malaria. and magic before they were
used to season food.

Why are pine trees called evergreens?
P ine trees have needles, instead of

flat leaves, to survive winter hardship.
These narrow leaves have a thicker
skin, to retain water, and a thicker
coating of waterproof wax. Their slen
der shape reduces the leaf area, which,
in turn, reduces the amount of water
vapour escaping from the leaf. These
trees can also survive on fewer nutri
ents during the winter, and so, the
leaves are not shed. Even when the
old leaves fall, new ones replace them.
So, the branches never look bare,
which is why they are called ever
greens.
Silky
Flowers!
H ave you seen the stalk of a corn

plant? If you have, you will notice
silky filaments emerging from the
leaf whorl at the end of the ear. An
'ear' is that part of the plant that
contains the flowers, and hence,
the fruit, grains, or kernels. If a fil
ament of silk, which is the female
flower, is fertilized by a grain of
pollen, it will produce a seed.
Tell Me Why
Why do some leaves have
bumps?
Y ou might have noticed

Leaf or
that some leaves that are
Root?
spotted with little bumps. It
almost looks as though the The onion is actually a
leaves have chicken pox! bulb, or very big bud. The
These bumps are called bulb comprises fleshy lay
galls, and they are made ers of modified leaves,
when an insect lays eggs on surrounded by a papery
the leaf. outer layer. Onions are
Galls swell up around the used in many dishes. They
eggs, and when the eggs have a distinctive, strong
hatch, the baby insects use flavour and pungent
the inside of the gall for food. odour, which is mellowed
The shape of the gall by cooking. Onions have
depends on the type of medicinal uses too.
insect responsible for it.

Why is henna so impor Henna Powder
tant?
H enna
eczema, and is applied to bruis
is a flowering es, burns and wounds for its cool
plant. Henna has many tra ing effect.
ditional and commercial On the Indian subcontinent,
uses. henna is referred to variously as
The most common one is mendee or mehndi in North I ndia,
as a dye for hair, skin, and Pakistan and Bangladesh. In
fingernails, and as a dye North Africa and the Middle East,
and preservative for leather the Arabic word hinna or kina is
and cloth. Henna has medi used. In the Tamil speaking parts
cal uses too. It is an antifun of South India, Singapore, Malay
gal, used to treat ringworm, sia, and Sri Lanka, henna is called
and Athlete's foot. It soothes 'marudhani'.
I just
tried a 'Henna
Face Wash .'
��-..-----.,
58 Tell Me Why
Do plants sleep?
I n a sense, all plants

sleep, when the sun goes
down, and there is no
light.
Photosynthesis cannot
take place when it is dark,
The willow tree is usually and the plants cannot
found on riverbanks. Its wood make food. They close
is used in many ways - ta down the stomata, and
make artificial limbs, wooden only respiration contin
shoes, and cricket bats! The ues.
bat is traditionally made from
Some species of Cala
the Cricket-bat Willow, treated
thea, Ctenanthe and
with linseed oil. This wood is
especially Maranta, fold
used as it is very light, yet
very tough, and shock-resist their leaves, or roll their
ant. It will not dent or splinter leaves up at night.
on being slashed to hit a six.
Calathea
What are the uses of sandal?
D on't you j ust love the fragrance

of incense sticks? Incense sticks
contain a substance which comes
from the frag rant wood of the sandal
tree.
Lightest Wood! Sandal is used as fragrance in
perfume and incense, and for wood
B alsa trees are working. Some temples have been
native to Brazil. Bal built with sandalwood in India, and
sa wood weighs only
these retain the aroma for centuries.
half as much as
Jewellery boxes, fans, and ornate
cork. The balsa tree,
grows quickly, carvings continue to be made in
reaching a height of many parts of Asia, especially in
21 metres in only India, using sandalwood.
seven years. Balsa Sandalwood oil is good for the
wood was used for skin, since it has antiseptic proper
building rafts, and ties that prevent infections. Sandal
making drawing wood essential oil, which is very
equipments. expensive in its pure form, is used
primarily for ayurvedic medicinal
purposes. In alternative medicine,
sandalwood is considered to bring
SOl/dal Leaf one closer to the divine.
Hi friend,
meet my
baby . . . .
Why are insect babies different?
I: n ect babies sometimes look very

different from their parents. Caterpil
lars are the babies of moths as well as
butterflies. Maggots are the babies of
flies and grubs are the babies of bee
Termite Power
tles and wasps.
Termites are very These are also called larvae. The
small, but did you larvae will undergo several changes
know that they in different stages before becoming
have the tiniest of the adult insect. Some insect babies
all animals, called do look like their parents though. They
protozoa, living in are known as nymphs. Grasshoppers
their digestive are good examples of these. They
system? Termites don't have wings like their parents at
feed on wood, but first, but will develop them as they
cannot digest it grow.
by themselves. It Many insect babies have the same
is a protozoa that colour as the leaves they gobble bus
begins the pro ily, so that their enemies cannot see
cess of them. Others have sharp spines for
digestion for
protection, while still others have
them.
fierce looking spots on their bodies to
scare away their enemies.

Why were scarab beetles
sacred to Egyptians?
A ccording to their ancient

texts, the Egyptians believed
that the scarab beetle came
into being spontaneously
from balls of dung.
They worshipped the scar
ab under the name Khepri.
To them, it was Khepri that
pushed the sun across the
sky.
The scarab beetle became
an Egyptian symbol for
rebirth, and the ability to be
reborn. Each day the sun dis
appeared, always to rise
again, and be reborn the fol
lowing day.
Hence, the scarab
became an i mportant sym
bol of creation, rebirth and
everlasti ng l ife in ancient
Egypt. Small jars and cof
fins containing d ried scar
abs were often placed in
Egyptian tombs as part of
their ancient funeral rites to
ensure eternal life.
The sacred 'sun' scarab,
giving light and warmth,
became a popular symbol in
everyday life.
Tell Me Why
Why does a newly hatched
chick peck any round object
that contrast with the back
ground?
A newly hatched chick

has to find its own food- and
Flying Spiders
its food consists of seeds
D id you know that some and drops of water that col
spiders use the silk of their lect on the ground. Since
cobwebs to 'fly'? This is the chick has not learnt to
called 'ballooning'. Most distinguish between seeds,
small spiders seeking new drops of water, and other
territory will cast a thread round shiny objects, it has a
of silk into the air, and 'par tendency to peck at any
achute' to a new location. round bright shiny surfaces
Before casting out a silk that contrasts with the
thread, and swooping ground. This behaviour is
through the air, a spider called 'instinctive behav
checks the weather just as iour,' and it will eventually
a human pilot might do. guide the chick to the food it
needs.

Why are crocod iles considered
very good parents?
C rocodiles may look very fright

ening, but they are very gentle
Come on
with their babies. A female will baby, drink this
take her babies in her mouth, m i l k ...
sometimes as many as 1 8 or 20
babies together, and carry them
to the river. Then, she will open
her mouth, and gently move her
head from side to side, so that the
water washes the sand from her
babies' bodies.
The male crocodile is also a
good parent. In fact, he helps the
eggs to hatch by rolling them back
and forth in his mouth. This cracks
the shell, and allows the baby
crocodile to wriggle out unhurt.
One will appreciate the care
with which the father crocodile
handles the eggs in his mouth to
ensure that the babies are unhurt. Baby Crocodile
Tell Me Why
Devil 's Tower How did the Oevil's Tower get its name?
D evil 's Tower, rising 264 metres over low

hills and the Belle Fourche River, is one of
United State's distinctive natural landmarks.
The formation of Devil's Tower is a mystery.
Some geologists believe that the tower was
created when molten rock pushed into sur
rounding sedimentary rocks, and then solidi
fied . Others claim that it is the remnant of a
volcano's neck.
According to legend, seven sisters were
playing when a big bear chased them. The
girls climbed on a rock which grew like a tree,
putting the girls safely out of reach. The angry
bear jumped up against the sides of the grow
ing .tower and left deep claw marks, which
may be seen to this day up on the rock walls.
The tower continued to soar towards the sky
until the girls were pushed up into the heav
ens, where they . became seven stars. The
Red Indians named it 'Devil's Tower'.

Why did the Tasmanian wolf become extinct? Tasmanian
The Tasmanian wolf is believed to have been

Wolf
extinct since 1 936. Despite its appearance and

its popular name, this animal was not in fact a
species of wolf, nor was it a dog, which it also
resembled.
It was actually a marsupial - the largest car
nivorous marsupial in recent times - and was
closely related to the kangaroo, and the wom
bat. Man is solely responsible for the extinction
of the Tasmanian
wolf. In the 1 9th cen
tury, when Tasmania
encouraged agricul
ture, the Tasmanian
wolf was considered
a threat to livestock.
So, hunters were paid
to hunt and kill the
animal, and it was
soon hunted to extinc
tion in Tasmania.
66 Tell Me Why
Why is it believed that l ife
developed over and over on
the Earth?
I t is believed that even after

life began ; it was destroyed
many times by comets or
asteroids striking the Earth.
As a result, life may have
started from the beginning
over and over again many The Smartest!
times, until finally; conditions The cleverest dinosaur
on Earth became more stable. was quite a small one.
So, the development of dif It was called Troodon.
ferent forms of life was not a However, in spite of Its
smooth, continuous process, Intelligence, it too
but one marked by many became extinct.
breaks, and many new begin
nings.

Dinosaurs
How did dinosaurs

evolve?
D inosaurs evolved
Cruel Dance
from reptiles. However,
they were different from For more than 400 years, the
reptiles in that their Asiatic black, and sloth bears
body was supported by have been a target for human
their legs. exploitation. A nomadic tribe
Early reptiles had legs began to train the captured
that stuck out sideways sloth bears to dance.
from their bodies. They With no anesthesia, a red hot
dragged their bodies poker would be driven through
along the ground, and the muzzle of the bear, often at
raised it only for brief the age of just six months. A
periods. The dinosaur's rope would then be pulled
body, on the other
through the painful piercing,
hand, was raised off the
and left in place permanently,
and the bears were trained to
ground, and supported
dance for Man's entertainment.
by legs that were
beneath the body.
68 Tell Me Why
What does the term dinosaur mean?
I n 1 84 1 , Sir Richard Owen coined

the word 'dinosaur' to identify the fos
sils of extinct reptiles. It traces its ori
gins to the Greek words 'deinos',
meaning 'terrible,' or 'fearfully great',
and 'sauros', meaning 'lizard'.
Newly discovered dinosaurs are
named by the discoverer who deter
mines whether it represents- a new
species. Sir Richard Owen
There are many different ways to
choose a dinosaur name. Sometimes,
the dinosaur is given a name that
describes something unusual about
its body, head, or feet. Coelophysis, a
carnivorous dinosaur, is an example.
The word 'Coelophysis', means 'hol Today,
I saw a
low form,' and was chosen because dinosaur.
the dinosaur's legs were hollow.
Some dinosaurs are named after the
location where they are found, e.g.
the Albertosaurus, discovered near
Alberta, Canada. Some others are
named for their behaviour or size, and
some are named to honour a person.

How did Siddhartha, the prince of Kapilavastu, earn a
place in history?
S iddhartha was born in Kapilavastu. He was the son of

a king named Suddhodana. Though he lived in the lap of
luxury, Siddhartha was greatly moved by the suffering
that he saw around him, and the pain of existence. Ulti
mately, he left his palace and family, and set out in
search of 'truth'.
Siddhartha spent several years fasting and meditating.
His main objective was to overcome all bodily desires,
and to gain complete control over his mind. Legends say
that one night in May, about 528 Be, while sitting under
a pipal tree, he received what is known to Buddhists as
'enlightenment. '
After this, Siddhartha took the name Buddha, meaning
'the enlightened one'. He went out into the world to teach
his philosophy, thus becoming the founder of one of the
world's great religions. After Buddha's death, his follow
ers spread Buddhism throughout Asia.
70 Tell Me Why
Who were the three great phi losophers
who shaped the ancient world?
S ocrates, Plato, and Aristotle were three

great Greek philosophers whose ideas
shaped the ancient world. Socrates taught
Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle.
Socrates was the first to make a clear
distinction between the body and the soul.
He said that the soul was actually more
important than the body. He had an enquir Socrates
ing mind, and taught by asking questions
about life. Some people did not like his
teachings, and this noble man was finally
put to death. His teachings were written
down by Plato, his student.
Plato founded a school of
philosophy called the Acade
my, which is believed to be
the first university in the west
ern world. Plato's most impor
tant work was 'The Republic, '
in which he explains his phi
losophy.
Aristotle was a student of
Plato, and studied at the
Academy. He later founded
his own school of philosophy
called 'The Lyceum'. His
most important contribution
may have been his invention
of logic, and his theories have
influenced the western world Plato and Aristotle
for centuries.

What are the contributions of
Lenin?
V ladimir Lenin, born in 1 870 in

Russia, was the man who estab
lished a powerful communist gov
ernment in Russia when the Tsarist
Empire collapsed in 1 91 7.
In the 1 890's, Lenin and others
dedicated themselves to overthow
ing the monarchy of the tsars.
Although it was the largest empire in
the world, ruled by the autocratic
tsars, Russia remained a backward
country, untouched by social
improvements, or industrial devel
opments.
The 'Bolsheviks' were the most
violent and organised among the
socialist groups in Russia, that had
vehemently opposed the tsars. The
Bolsheviks seized power on Novem
ber 7th, 1 91 7 establishing a cou ncil
of people's commissars to govern
Vladimir Lenin
Russia.
Lenin, who had been living in Swit
zerland when the revolution broke
out, became the head of the council,
and the first premier of post-imperial
Russia. Lenin had the Tsar Nicholas I I
and his family executed. Finally, the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
( USSR ) was established. Lenin died
on January 2 1 St, 1 924.
72 Tell Me Why
This formula dem
onstrates that a small
mass can be convert
ed into a h uge amount
of energy, and it
shows a means of
developing nuclear
weapons and reac
tors for nuclear ener
gy.
In a nuclear reac
tion, he suggested
that h uge quantities
of light and heat
ALbert Einstein could go on being
created , with the loss
Why is Einstein considered as one of of only a very small
the world's most brilliant physicists? mass.
A
Einstein received
lbert Einstein was born in Germany, the Nobel Prize for
on March 1 4th, 1 879. In 1 901 , he got a Physics in 1 92 1 , for
job in the Swiss Patent Office. his work on the Pho
In 1 905, he began publishing the com toelectric effect.
ponents of his Special Theory of Rela When the Nazis
tivity, in which he demonstrated that came to power in
time was relative to the speed at which Germany, Einstein,
the observer was travelling. being a Jew, had to
The essence of Einstein's Special immigrate to the US.
Theory of Relativity was that if matter is Einstein's later
converted into energy, then energy works were complex,
released can be shown in the simple so they remained
formula E=mc2 where c represents the untouched for sever
velocity of light, E the energy, and m the al years after his
mass. death in 1 955.

Why is Sushruta called the 'father of sur Statue of
gery?' Sushruta
S ushruta, who lived in the 6th century Be in

India, was the first surgeon in the world.
In his book 'Sushruta Samhita', he describes
over 1 20 surgical instruments, 300 surgical
procedures, and 8 types of surgeries. He is
the pioneer of plastic surgery and cosmetic
surgery. His book contains the first known
description of several surgeries.
Sushruta suggested that patients should be
kept under sedation with wine, so that they are
relaxed during an operation. His emphasis on
personal cleanliness and sterilisation of instru
ments are followed by surgeons till today.
His numerous contributions to the science
and art of surgery have given him the title
'Father of Surgery.'
74 Tell Me Why
Why is Swami Vivekananda
famous?
S wami Vivekananda was one

of the most influential spiritual
leaders of I ndia. He was the chief
disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Par
amahamsa. Swami Vivekanan
da, whose real name was
Narendranath Dutta, was born on
January 1 2th, 1 863 in Kolkatt'a.
After passing his matriculation,
Narendra studied philosophy.
Doubts regarding the existence
of God arose in his mind. In his
quest to know the truth, Narendra
met Sri Ramakrishna Parama
hamsa, who became his guru.
After the passing away of his
guru, Narendra founded the
Ramakrishna Math, and vowed
to lead the life of a monk.
In 1 890, Narendra acquired
the name of Swami Vivekanan
da. In 1 893, he attended the Con
ference of World Religions in
C hicago, and captivated audi
ences in America with his mas
terlyspeech. SwamiVivekananda
established The Sri Ramakrish
na M ission in 1 897, aiming to
inspire self confidence among
Indians. Vivekananda died on Swami Vivekananda
July 4th, 1 902.

Why is Helen Keller considered as
a g reat i nspiration to differently
abled persons?
H elen Keller is a woman who lost

both her vision and hearing at the
age of 1 9 months, but successfully
fought against the odds, and
became an exceptional leader,
once she saw the potential of her
own mind.
Helen Keller was born as a
healthy child on June 27th, 1 880, in
the US. Perhaps, it was scarlet
fever that struck the infant Helen
Keller, and left her deaf and blind
before she learned to speak.
Anne Sullivan became Helen's
teacher in 1 887, and was always
with her until her own death in
1 936. Helen quickly learnt to read
and write French, German, Greek,
and Latin in Braille.
The most popular of her works is
The Story of My Life', an autobiog
Helen Keller raphy of her early years, in more
than 50 languages. Helen also did
research, gave speeches, and
helped raise money for many
organisations for the blind by trav
elling around the world.
Helen also inspired many works
of art, including two Oscar-winning
movies. She died in 1 968.
Tell Me Why
Mahatma Gandhi
On his return to India in

1 91 5, Gandhiji joined the
nationalist movement for
Indian independence. He
was very sympathetic to
the lower classes of peo
ple, and chose to wear
simple clothes. Soon he
Why is Mahatma Gandhi consid· became the leader of a
ered as an inspiring person, who movement that attracted
shaped world history? millions, for the struggle for
M
freedom. Gandhiji was a
ahatma Gandhi stands out strong advocate of nonvio
among the great men of the world lence.
as the symbol of nonviolent resist India got freedom on
ance to political and social repres August 1 5th, 1 947. But
sion. before Gandhiji could cel�
Mohandas Karamchand Gan ebrate the culmination of
dhi, father of our nation, was born his life's work for long, he
on October 2nd, 1 869 at Porbandar was assassinated on Janu
in G ujarat. He studied law in Eng ary 30th, 1 948.
land, and practiced in Mumbai However, the use of non
from 1 89 1 to 1 893, and in South violent political protests,
Africa until 1 91 4. In South Africa, which he pioneered, con
Gandhi worked to improve the liv tinued to be a model for
ing conditions of the Indians. other great leaders.

How, and when, were mirrors invented?
The history of mirrors dates back to ancient

times when mankind first saw reflections in a
pond or river, and considered it magic.
At first, polished stone or metal was used in the
early man-made mirrors. Later, glass was used
in combination with metals like tin, mercury, and
lead. Today, combining glass
�
Help.... and metal is still the method
used in almost all modern mir
rors.
The two-way mirror was orig
inally called the 'transparent
mirror'. There is a silver coat
ing on the glass of a two-way
mirror, which, when applied to
the back of the glass, renders
the glass opaque and reflec
tive on its face under ordinary
light conditions.
78 Tell Me Why
Why is it said that Douglas Engel
bart was an unsung hero in the
history of computers?
D ouglas Carl Engelbart was an

American engineer and inventor,
and an early computer and Inter
net pioneer. He is best known for
his work on the challenges of
human - computer interaction.
Douglas Engelbart Douglas Engelbart changed the
way computers worked, from spe
cialized machinery that only a
trained scientist could use, to a
user-friendly tool that almost any
one can use. He invented, and
contributed to several interactive,
user-friendly devices including the
computer 'mouse', which revolu
The Colossus tionised the way we use comput
ers. So, he was regarded as one
The colossus was a
of the prominent contributors to
giant computer built
the massive development of com
in the British Secret
Service during World puters. Engelbart died in 201 3.
War II. It was built by
an engineer called
Tommy Flowers, and
used vacuum tubes to
perform the calcula
tions. Colossus com
puters were used by
the British to break
the German codes.
Best of Tell Me Why

What were the major
breakthroughs in the
development of lan
g uage and readi ng?
T he Ancient Romans
gave us most of our
modern languages.
Their language was Lat
in, the basis for most of
the Western tongues.
The actual shapes of
the letters we use in
print today are descend
ed from the shapes of
the early Roman letters.
Then, writing came to
another standstill.
The alphabet had
been formalized, stand
ard shapes for all the
letters had been adopt
ed, and that was it.
Learning to read was a
luxury, because it was Mark Twain was
so difficult to obtain the first author
reading material. A new to submit a type
invention was needed - written manu
a way to make many script to his
copies easily and publisher.
cheaply. This happened
in 1 440, and it marked
man's first use of mov
able types.
80 Tell Me Why
Sholes Typewriter
Who invented the first typewriter?
C hristoPher Latham Sholes invented the first prac

tical modern typewriter with his partners Soule and
Glidden in 1 866. The invention was patented in 1 868,
and was manufactured by Remington Arms Com
pany in 1 873.
Before the computer, the typewriter may have been
the most significant everyday business tool. After five
years, and dozens of experiments later, Sholes and
his associates produced an improved model, similar
to today's typewriters. The type-bar system, and the
universal keyboard were the machine's novelty, but
the keys jammed easily. To solve the jamming prob
lem, another business associate, James Densmore,
suggested splitting up keys for letters commonly
used together to slow down typing. Thus the 'QWER
TY' keyboard was formed.
The first electric typewriter was the Blickensderfer.
In 1 944, IBM designed the first typewriter with pro
portional spacing.

Which was the first camera to use a
lens?
I n the 1 6th century, Geronimo

Cardano, the Italian physician,
mathematician, and astrologer,
used a convex lens in a camera and,
in a sense, started the photographic
industry.
Photography, as we know it, actu
ally began in 1 81 6 when Joseph Vintage Camera
Niepce, a French researcher, cap
tured an image on paper that had
been sensitized with silver chloride.
Today, with the advent of digital Wow, it's
a better
cameras, photographic film has lost
viewfinder.
its importance, but the art of photog
raphy has reached new heights.
Polaroid
Camera
In 1 943, a three-year-old girl

asked a very simple question:
Why couldn't she look at a
photograph of herself as soon
as it was taken? Edwin Land,
her father invented the Polar
oid camera in 1 947, that would
allow her to do just that.
82 Tell Me Why
Did Thomas Edison really i nvent
the light bulb?
E dison didn't 'invent' the light

bulb, but rather, he improved upon
a 50-year-old idea. Henry Wood
ward of Toronto, along with Mat
thew Evans, patented a light bulb
in 1 875. Unfortunately, the two
entrepreneurs could not raise the
finance to commercialise· their
invention.
The enterprising American,
Thomas Edison, who had been
working on the same idea, bought Thomas Edison
the rights to their patent. Edison
had the backing of a syndicate of
industrial interests with $50,000 to
invest.
Using lower current, a small car
bonized filament, and an improved
vacuum inside the globe, Edison
successfully demonstrated the
light bulb in 1 879, and made his
tory.
Sir Humphrey Davy of England
invented the first electric carbon
arc lamp in 1 801 . A. E. Becquerel
of France theorized about the fluo
rescent lamp in 1 857.
Sir Joseph Swan of England,
and Thomas Edison both invented
the first electric incandescent Joseph Swan
lamps around the 1 870s.
Best of Tell Me Why

Who invented the gramo with sound information was
phone? etched into the flat record. The
E arlY attempts to design a

record was rotated on the
gramophone.The 'arm' of the
music- playing gadget began gramophone held a needle
in 1 877, when Thomas Edison that -read the grooves in the
invented his tin-foil phono record by vibration, and trans
graph. The sound quality on mitted the information to the
the phonograph was bad, and gramophone speaker.
each recording lasted just for Berliner's discs (records)
one only play. were the first sound recordings
On November 8th 1 887, Emile that could be mass-produced
Berliner patented a successful by creating master recordings
system of sound recording. from which moulds were made.
The first records were made of From each mould, hundreds of
glass, later zinc, and eventu discs were pressed.
ally, plastic. A spiral groove Emile Berliner founded 'The
Gramophone Company' to
mass manufacture his sound
discs (records) and the gramo
phone that played them.
84 Tell Me Why
Early Bicycle invented the 'Laufmaschine' -a
bicycle made of wood, with no ped
Who invented the bicycle? als. Sauerbrun's bicycle was first
S
exhibited in Paris on April 6th,
ome history books will 1 8 1 8. Kirkpatrick Macmillan is gen
state that Pierre and erally credited with inventing the
Ernest Michaux, the rear-wheel driven bicycle.
French father and son
team of carriage-makers,
invented the first bicycle Bicycle
during the 1 860s. thieves ....
Historians now disagree
with this, and there is evi
dence that the bicycle is
older than that. However,
historians do agree that
Ernest Michaux did invent
the modern bicycle pedal
and cranks in 1 861 .
The German Baron Karl
Drais von Sauerbrun

Who invented the fi rst toothbrush?
The Ancient Chinese made tooth

brushes with bristles picked from the
neck hair of Siberian wild boars!
Stick-like toothbrushes have also
been found in the pyramids of ancient
A H uge Offer
Egypt. French dentists were the first
Europeans to promote the use of After the death of
toothbrushes in 1 7th century. the first president
William Addis of Clerkenwald, Eng of Israel in 1 952,
land, created the first mass-produced the Israeli govern
toothbrush. It's hard to believe, but ment offered the
most Americans did not brush their post of second
teeth until army soldiers brought their president to the
enforced habits of tooth brushing great scientist,
back home after World War I I . Albert Einstein.
After the DuPont Company invent But he declined
ed nylon in 1 935, toothbrushes the offer.
appeared with nylon bristles. The first
real electric toothbrush was produced
in 1 939, and developed in Switzer
land.
86 Tell Me Why
Who invented the parachute?
The word parachute comes from the

French words 'para' and 'chute'. Used
together, they mean 'to shield a fall'.
Parachutes had been first imagined and
sketched by Leonardo da Vinci. They were
reinvented in 1 783 by a French chemist,
Louis Lenormand, who also was the first to
make a parachute jump.
The material of the parachute has changed
a lot since it was invented. But the basic
design was not changed until the 1 930s.
Originally made from canvas, parachutes
were later fashioned from silk.
Today, parachutes are made from 'rip
stop' nylon that is woven with extra-thick
thread at regular intervals, creating a pattern
of small squares. This structure keeps small
tears from spreading.

What is artillery?
T he word artillery is used in a wide

sense, though its prime meaning is any
engine used for the discharge of large
projectiles in war. Soldiers who operate
such weapons, and fight in such regi
ments are called 'gunners'. Weapons
under 'modern artillery' include cannon,
artillery such as the howitzer, mortar,
and field gun and rocket artillery.
Grenadier
In the 1 9th century, artillery made the
Grenadier Is a decisive split between lighter and more
French term for mobile pieces that stayed with the
'grenade man'. troops, and much larger weapons which
Grenadiers, were deployed to cause heavy damage
therefore, were to the enemy.
soldiers whose The 1 999 Kargil war with Pakistan saw
main job was to the extensive use of heavy artillery espe
throw grenades. cially the Bofors L-39 guns by the Indian
Army.
88 Tell Me Why
What does the term mortar
mean?
A mortar is a muzzle loading

indirect fire weapon that fires
shells at low speed, short rang
es, and high-arcing ballistic tra
jectories. Traffic Lights
The chief advantage a mortar
section has over an artillery .t>at The world's first traffic
tery is its small numbers and lights were installed
mobility. It is able to fire from the near London's House of
protection of a trench. Commons in 1 868. J.P.
A mortar is simple, and easy to Knight invented them.
operate. It can be carried by one William Ghiglieri of San
or more men, or transported in a Francisco, California,
vehicle. An infantry mortar can patented perhaps the
also be mounted and fired from first automatic traffic
a mortar-carrier built for this pur signal using coloured
pose.
red and green lights in
1 91 7. Ghiglieri's traffic
signal had the option of
being either manual, or
automatic.
In 1 920, William Potts,
a Detroit pOliceman,
invented an automatic
overhanging electric
traffic light system
with red, green, and
yellow colours.
German Mortar used in WWII
89
What are the features of a naval mine? Naval Mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive

device placed in water to destroy ships or sub
marines. They are deposited, and left to wait
until they are triggered by contact with an ene
my ship. Naval mines can be used offensively,
to hamper enemy ships or lock them into a
harbour; or defensively, to protect friendly
ships, and create 'safe' zones.
Mines can be laid in many ways: by pur
pose-built mine-layers, submarines, or air
planes and even by d ropping them into a
harbou r by hand. Their flexibility and cost
effectiveness make mines attractive weapons
in asymmetric warfare.
A single mine along a shipping route can
stop shipping for days until the entire area is
swept. International law requires nations to
declare when they mine an area, in order to
make it easier for civil shipping to avoid the
mines.
90 Tell Me Why
What are the characteristics
of first generation comput
ers?
I n first generation comput

ers(1 945-1 956) the operat
ing instructions or
programmes were specifi
cally built for the task for
which the computer was
manufactured.
•
They relied on machine

language to perform opera Colossus Mark II Computer
tions, and they could only of 1 944
solve one problem at a time.
The input was based on
punched cards and paper
tape, and the output was dis
played on printouts. It was
very difficult to programme
these computers, and they Look at my
were difficult to repair when grandpa's pc ...
something went wrong.
Data was stored in vacu
um tubes and magnetic
drums. First generation
computers were often enor
mous, taking up entire
rooms. They were very
expensive to operate, and in
addition to using a great deal
of electricity, generated a lot
of heat, which was often the
cause of malfunctions.

Why did the invention of paper
change the world?
S ince the invention of writing, peo

ple had been trying to come up with
something to write on that was easy
and cheap to make. Paper seems to
have been invented around 1 00 BC
in China.
A government official in China
named Ts'ai Lun was the first to start
a paper-making industry. Ts'ai Lun
seems to have made his paper by
mixing finely chopped mulberry bark
and hemp rags with water, mashing
it flat, and then pressing out the
water, and letting it d ry in the sun.
Even after people in China began
to use paper, it took another thou
sand years before people were using
paper all over Eurasia. By the 400's
AD, people in India were also mak
ing paper. Paper gets its name from
Bill of Sale for a Donkey, the Egyptian papyrus plant that was
Written on Papyrus used to make paper-like sheets as
early as 2300 BC.
Bullet
The word 'Bullet' is derived from

the French word 'boulette' which
means 'little ball'.
92 Tell Me Why
Why was the i nvention of the printing press a
revolutionary one?
A rou nd six hundred years ago, books were

handwritten. Johannes Gutenberg was the man
who saved people the trouble of writing books
by hand, by inventing the printing press. Guten
berg started his invention by making metal let
ters. He arranged them into a sentence, and
pressed pieces of paper against the letters that
. had ink on lhem, with his hands. However, the
ink did not come out evenly on to the paper, so
Printing he decided to make a press.
Press of
Gutenberg took some existing technologies
early days
and some of his own inventions to come up with
the printing press in the year 1 450. One key
idea he came up with was moveable type.
Rather than use wooden blocks to press ink
onto paper, G utenberg used moveable
metal pieces to quickly create pages. He
made innovations all the way through the
printing process enabling pages
to be printed much more rapidly.
The invention of the printing
press spread quickly throughout
Europe, and soon thousands of
books were being printed on
printing presses. The printing
press made books cheaper and
more plentiful. It made it possible
for even middle class people to
buy books, and spread knowl
edge and education like never
before.

Old Steam Engine How did the steam engine change the
world?
The steam engine is an example of

a heat engine. Heat engines are those
that convert heat energy into mechan
ical work. The steam engine was per
fected by James Watt.
Rockets
The steam engine was a totally port
The first rockets able source of power, which could
originated in operate heavy machinery. As a result,
China around AD there was a boom in factories and
1 330. It has an industries flourished.
arrowhead, arrow The steam engine made train travel
barrel, arrow much quicker, and made the transport
feather, and gun of raw materials easier as well.
powder tube. The George Stephenson played a key
gunpowder tubes role in producing the first commercial
were mostly made ly used steam trains. The steam
from bamboo. engine is considered to be the engine
that drove the Industrial Revolution.
94 Tell Me Why
Who developed the idea of computing?
T he history of computers began with simple

adding devices. The abacus, an ancient Chi
nese adding machine, is one of the original
computing machines, used as early as 400 BC.
Famous mathematicians such as Leonardo
da Vinci and Blaise Pascal invented more
sophisticated calculators, using gears and
punch cards.
Charles ..8abbage was a British mathemati
cian, who is often called 'The Father of Comput
ing'. He designed the first automatic computing
engines. He designed the first computer, a
machine he called 'the difference engine', in
1 822. It was the size of a house, could store a
programme, and was powered by steam. Bab
bage invented comput�rs, but failed to build
them.
EN IAC, the first electronic general purpose
computer capable of solving a full range of
computing problems, was designed for the US
Army at the beginning of this age. EN IAC was
conceived and designed by John Mauchly and
ENIAC J. Presper Ecke rt in 1 946.
,
Concorde
What is a Concorde ?
T he Concorde was the world's

first supersonic commercial pas
First Train in India
senger aircraft. It was developed
jointly by Britain and France dur The first train in
ing the 1 960s and 1 970s, and India ran between
could fly at a speed twice the Sori bunder in Mum
speed of sound. It could fly high bai, and Thane, on
through the atmosphere on the April 1 6th, 1 853. The
edge of space at an altitude of 1 8 distance was only
km. The passengers did not feel 34 kilometres. The
any sensation of speed inside the train had fourteen
aircraft. The Concorde could fly coaches, and 400
over great distances without passengers. It left
requiring in-flight refueling. But it Sori bunder at
was economically unviable, and 3 :35pm, and reached
Concorde flights were stopped on Thane in 57 m inutes.
24th October 2003.
96 Tell Me Why
What is meant by a hovercraft?
A hovercraft, though very often mistaken for

a ship, is actually much more than an ordinary
ship. Though built to travel over water, it can
travel over land as well .
A hovercraft rests o n water or land when i t is
not running. Underneath the craft, there are
special motors which create a cushion of air
when switched on. This cushion is so strong
that it IiftS' the hovercraft right off the water or
ground. It is then propelled forward by other
engines. Hovercrafts are much faster than
ordinary boats, as they move over water, rather
than through water. They are used for a vari
ety of uses such as services across short sea
routes, and carrying goods and passengers.
Hovercrafts built for naval purposes are
equipped with missiles. The credit for having
developed the hovercraft goes to the British
Hovercraft engineer, Sir Christopher Cockerell.
How did Man's dream of flight come
true?
Man has always dreamt of being
able to fly like a bird, and many
attempts were made to fly using arti
ficial wings- but all of them failed.
Hot air balloons, invented in the 1 8th
century, did make it possible for
Man to soar up into the clouds, but
left them totally at the mercy of
winds. Orville Wright
Gliders came next, but it was the
invention of the four stroke engine
that made it possible for an aircraft
to fly on its own power, and not just
in the direction of the wind. It was
the Wright Brothers who finally
made Man's dream of flight come
true.
The Wright Brothers were the first
to make a successful human flight
with a craft that was powered by an
engine, and was heavier than air, on Wilbur Wright
December 1 7th, 1 903.
98 Tell Me Why
What is drum communication, and who In Africa, New
used it? Guinea, and tropical
B OOM ! BOO M ! BOO M ! Tha-kida . . ,

America, people
used drums to send
tha-ki-da . . . tha! Rat-a-tattat. . . don't you messages to other
just love the sound of different types of tribes. who were far
drums? Early Man used drums as a away. Such drums
means of communication . were often called
'talking drums'.
N o signals They could warn a
only 'drum network' tribe that a stranger
is avai lable.
was approaching, or
could convey a mes
sage from one per
son to another.
Drums played an
important role, not
just in communica
tion, but also in cul
tural and religious
rituals as well.

What was the txalaparta, and
where was it used?
The txalaparta was an instru

ment of communication that
was used by the Basque peo
ple of Spain. Just as Africans
had their talking drums, these
people had the txalaparta.
O nly one country is per
mitted to issue postage
The txalaparta was made of
stamps without including
wooden planks leaning over
the nation's name. That If;
logs. When hit with a special
Great Britain. It was the
stick, it would produce a sound. first country to issue post·
The tone would vary according age stamps in 1 840. In
to where the instrument was place of its country's
hit. The Basques were thus, name, Britai n is allowed
able to send messages by pro to include an image of its
ducing different sounds on the ruling monarch.
txalaparta.
Today, the txalaparta is no
longer needed for communica
tion. However, it is still widely
used, as a musical instrument.
Baa . . . baa...
black sheep,
Have you any
wool?
100 Tell Me Why

What is the role of the totem pole in Marathon
communication? Messenger!
Totem poles are large wooden

You have all heard
about marathon
poles that are beautifully carved with
races, in which the
many symbols.
participants run
The totem pole of the Red Indians,
across very lon-g
provided a means of communicating distances. This
their stories, myths, and legends. game was first held
They were generally carved from to honour the
giant trees, and were made up of an memory of an
arrangement of symbols. The sym ancient Greek sol
bols on the totem pole told a story, or dier named Phei
recalled an event. These messages dippides who made
and stories tell us a lot about the Red a heroic long dis
Indians, and their culture. tance run just to
Some poles were erected to cele communicate his
brate cultural beliefs, others were just country's victory
an artistic presentation. Certain poles over Persians, at
also contained graves within them. the town of Mara
But, whatever their purpose, totem thon in Be 490.
poles are awesome.

How were pigeons used as carriers of messages?
A round 3000 years ago, King Solomon and the

Queen of Sheba exchanged messages by carrier
pigeons. These are specially trained pigeons which
will find their way back home when they are released.
The Egyptians and the Persians first used carrier
pigeons 3,000 years ago.
First, an important message would be written on a
piece of paper. Then, that paper was neatly folded,
and secured in a small canister is attached to a
pigeon's leg. Once the pigeon was released, it would
try to fly back to its home behind the lines, where the
message would be read, and transmitted to the prop
er military planners.
Probably the most famous of all the carrier pigeons
was one named Cher Ami. He flew 1 2 important mis
sions to deliver messages. Perhaps the most impor
tant message he carried was the one that saved the
lives of over 200 American soldiers, though he was
badly wounded by enemy fire.
102 Tell Me Why

What was the Pony Express?
T he Pony Express was a fast mail

service crossing the North American
continent from the Missouri River to
the Pacific coast.
Messages were carried on horse
back relay across the plains, deserts,
In wartime, visual and mountains of the Western US.
signal are used in Compared to earlier delivery servic-
many ways. There � es, the Pony Express was very fast.
are internationally In 1 861 , telegraph wires connect
accepted visual ed New York and San Francisco,
signals to show and the Pony Express riders went
readiness to out of business. But their courage
surrender. If you and determination to deliver mes
are close to the sages through rain and snow, sleet
enemy, holding and ice, over the toughest mountain
hands above the trails and harshest deserts have
head, is the sign of become legendary.
surrender. At a dis
tance, the defeated
man waves a white
flag.
Best of Tell Me 103

What is the significance of the i nvention of
Morse code?
T he Morse code was devised by Samuel

Morse, an American painter. It is a system
of 'dots and dashes' for sending messag es.
Each letter or numeral is represented by a
unique sequence of dots and dashes. The
duration of a dash is three times the dura
tion of a dot. Based on this system, Samuel
Morse developed the concept of a single - Samuel Morse
wire telegraph.
The idea of a Morse code came to Morse
when he was on a ship to New York. There,
he met Dr. Charles Jackson of Boston, who
was well schooled in electromagnetism.
Morse became hooked on the concept of
the telegraph.
Morse tapped out the first telegraphic
message from the Supreme Court Building
in Washington to Baltimore. I n time, the
Morse code would become the primary lan Morse Key
gauge of telegraphy in the world.
104 Tell Me Why

Alexander Graham Bell
... Why is the invention of the telephone

a landmark in h istory?
First Phone
Call
A lexander Graham Bell invented'
the telephone on 1 0th March, 1 876.
"Mr. Watson, Earlier, Bell had devised the acoustic
come here. I want telegraph to send multiple Morse
to see you", said code messages down a single wire.
Graham Bell Into Bell first became interested in the
the mouthpiece of science of sound, because both his
the telephone. This mother and wife were deaf. His
was the first sen experiments in sound eventually led
tence spoken by him to want to send voice signals
Man over the tele down a telegraph wire. He was able
phone. Thomas to get some funding, and hired an
Watson was Bell's assistant, Thomas Watson. Togeth
assistant. er, they were able to invent the tele
phone. Bell used his invention, the
first telephone, on March 1 0th, just
three days after the patent was
granted.
The telephone has made distanc
es seem less, and the world seem
smaller.

Marconi with his
Wireless Equipment
Why is it said that Marconi's reception

of radio signals was a g reat event?
G UglielmO Marconi, an Italian inven

tor, actually proved the feasibility of
radio communication. Marconi's earliest
experiments were inspired by the work
of Heinrich Hertz. Hertz had shown that
radio waves could be created and
detected.
December 1 2th, 1 901 was a memora Marconi
ble day in the history of broadcasting.
On that day, at 1 2.30 pm, Marconi
picked up three dots on his wireless tel
egraph equipment. The signal, the
Morse code for the letter S, was sent
from Poldhu, Cornwall, in England. The
signal had travelled 3500 kilometres
before being picked up by Marconi's
wireless telegraph equipment.
This moment is generally accepted as
the moment in which the radio became
reality. Radio became the lifeline for
many. Truly, radio has proved to be a
historical and social landmark.
106 Tell Me Why

John Baird in his studio John Baird
Why is television considered a mitted the first TV picture, after

mixed blessing? years of work.
Television has been praised
Television is a way of send for its ability to transmit visual
ing and receiving moving i mages with accompanying
i mages and sounds over wires, sound to entertain, educate,
or through the air, by electrical and to provide a sense of truth.
impulses. On the other hand, because
Television's development of television, children have wit
depended upon previous nessed war, murder, and vio
i nventions, and more than one lence first hand, so television
person contributed to the can actually be considered a
development of television, as mixed blessing.
we know it today. In any case, television has
In England, in the 1 920s, sparked revolutions in enter
John Baird, a Scottish amateur tainment, journalism, and social
scientist, successfully trans- behaviour that are still ongoing.
Best of Tell Me Why

What is the I nternet?
T he Internet is the larg

est computer network in
the world. It links millions
. of smaller networks which
are connected to each
other by phone lines,
cables, or wireless con
nections.
If your computer is con
nected to the I nternet, it
can help you to get infor
mation from other com-
puters, send messages to a friend
who lives far away, or do lots of other
amazing things like hear a song, or
watch a famous movie.
This is possible because when you
log on to the Internet, you are given
access to the other computers that
are also connected.
E-mail
Today, people rarely write letters- they send e-mails instead.
Electronic mail or e-mail, is a method of using your comput
er to send messages to other people who are connected to
the Internet via their computers. Your message is first deliv
ered to a computer called the mail server. From there, it is
transferred through the net, until it reaches its destination.
Just as you need to know a person's address to send a letter,
you have to know a person's e-mail address to send an e-mail.
108 Tell Me Why

Why were the Hanging Gardens built?
T he Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to

have been built in the ancient city of Babylon. Even
though there is no proof that they actually existed, they
are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the
World.
The garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar in
605 Be. The gardens were built to cheer up Nebu
chadnezzar's homesick wife, Amytis. The land she
came from was green. and she found the flat, sun
baked terrain of Mesopotamia depressing.
The king decided to recreate her homeland by build
ing an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. So, he
created a garden that consisted of vaulted terraces,
raised one above another.
The terraces rested upon cube-shaped pillars which
were hollow and filled with earth. Sadly, all that is left
of these spectacular gardens today are the remains of
a well, and one or two stones.
Best of Tell Me Why lOA-

Oh ...
I n eed som e
r est.
Tower of Pisa
Why is the Leaning Tower of Pisa so

important?
T he Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy, is

famous simply because it leans! It is
actually the bell tower of the cathedral
of the city. Although it was designed to
Stopped
stand straight, the tower began lean
leaning!
i ng soon after the start of construction
In 2008, engineers in 1 1 73.
stated that the I n an effort to compensate for the
leaning Tower of tilt, the engineers built the higher
Pisa, had stopped floors with one side taller than the oth
moving. This is er. This made the tower begin to lean
the first time in its in the other direction. Because of this,
history that it has the tower is actually curved!
not been slowly The tower stands 56 metres high,
leaning further to and until 1 990 was leaning over. It
-
one side. was estimated that the lean was

increasing by one inch every 20 years.
1 10 Tell Me Why
The Great Why is one of the Giza pyramids called the Great
Pyramid Pyra mi d?
The G reat Pyramid at Giza is a symbol of Egypt

itself. In the 26th century BC, as Egyptian civiliza
tion was reaching its height, three kings- Khufu,
his son Khafre, and his grandson Menkure
ordered the construction of three huge pyramids
that would serve as their tombs. The first of these,
the G reat Pyramid, is the largest ever built. It
stands with the other two pyramids, and the Great
Sphinx, i n a cluster near the town of Giza.
The Egyptians believed that life would continue
after death in a form similar to that experienced
on Earth. Thus, in Egypt, a dwelling place was
provided for the dead in the form of a pyramid, or
a rock tomb. The Great Pyramid is 230 metres
long on each side, 1 43 metres high, and is com
posed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each averag
i ng 2500 kilos in weight. Until the 19th century, it
was the tallest building in the world .

Why did the people of France gift
the Statue of Liberty to the USA?
W hen you think of the USA, the

first thing that comes to the mind is
the Statue of Liberty- a colossal
statue of the Roman goddess- Lib
ertas holding aloft a torch, facing
the Atlantic Ocean. The Statue of
Liberty was a gift from the people of
France to the citizens of the USA to
celebrate the 1 00th year of the Dec
laration of Independence, which fell
on the 4th of July, 1876.
The Statue of Liberty stands on
Liberty Island, in the New York Bay.
It is over 93 metres tall . It is made of
pure copper, and holds a gold plat
ed torch in one hand to welcome
those arriving in America from across
the ocean. The left hand holds a
stone tablet representing the Decla
ration of Independence. There are
broken chains representing free
dom from bonds at the feet of the
statue, and on its head, there is a
crown with seven points. These sev
en points symbolize the seven seas
and seven continents- and also the
fact that people from all over the
world are welcome in America.
The Statue of Libertywas designed
by French sculptor Auguste Bar
tholdi .
Tell Me Why
Why is Machu Picchu known as 'The the Incas as a royal
Lost City of the Incas'? estate and religious
retreat in 1 460-70 AD,
M achu Picchu is located on the sad and it was abandoned·
dle between two mountains, overlook less than 1 00 years
ing the Urubamba River, which winds later, as the empire
900 metres below it. collapsed under Span
After centuries, lost in the jungle of ish conquest.
Cuzco, Machu Picchu was rediscov The Spanish arrival
ered in 1 91 1 by an archaeologist, was preceded by
H i ram Bingham. Actually, Machu Pic small pox, which killed
chu was not a city at all. It was built by roughly half the Inca
population. The Inca
rulers also died from
We are
from M achu the spread of the d is
Pi cchu. ease. The Incas would
not have had the
resources needed to
maintain Machu Pic
chu.
Over the centuries,
the surrounding jungle
grew to cover the site,
and few knew of its
existence.

B eing so popular, the Eiffel Tower
design has been recreated around
the world, including the half scale
replica at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel
in Nevada, USA and the full scale
Tokyo Tower in Japan.
Why is the Eiffel Tower considered a

symbol of France's technological
excellence?
T he Eiffel Tower was built for the

World Exhibition that was held to cel
ebrate the Centenary of the French
Revolution of 1 789. It was meant to
be a temporary construction, and was
built so that it could be easily disman
tled. However, more than a century
later, it is still standing as a symbol of
France's technological excellence.
The tower was designed by Gus
tave Eiffel, known for his revolution
ary building techniques. Each one of
the about 1 2,000 iron pieces was
designed separately to get the exact
shape needed, and these were then
fitted together.
The Eiffel tower, inaugurated on
March 31 sl 1 889, is probably Europe's
best known landmark.
Tell Me Why
What is Big Ben?
B ig Ben is the name giv

en to the massive bell inside
the clock tower of the Hous
es of Parliament in London.
It weighs more than 14
tonnes, and has four faces
that are illuminated at night.
Each of the dials is 7 metres
in diameter, and the minute
hands are four and a half
metres long ! Big Ben was
the world's largest clock
when it was installed in the
m iddle of the 19th century.
The name Big Ben actually
refers to the clock's hour
bell, the largest of the
clock's five bells. The other
fou r are used as quarter
bells.
The clock has rarely
stopped. Even after a bomb
destroyed the Commons
chamber during World War
I I , the clock tower survived.
Big Ben first rang across
Westminster on 31 st May
1859, and the chimes were
I first broadcast by the BBG
on 31st December 1923, a
tradition that continues to
this day.
II"
Why was the Great Wall of China built?
I magine an enormous stone snake thousands of

kilometres long, writhing in endless coils over rug
ged mountains, stretching out over hills and val
leys, until it disappears over the horizon.
Then you will have an idea of why the Great Wall
of China is considered one of the wonders of the
world.
The Great Wall is the world's longest man-made
structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km
from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west.
The Great Wall of China was very important
throughout China's history. It was built and remod
eled throughout many historical dynasties of China
for several reasons. It was constructed for protec
tion from northern invaders. The Great Wall that
can still be seen today was built during the Ming
Dynasty.
116 Tell Me Why

Why is the architecture of the Khan Effendi, a Persian, who
Taj Mahal considered to be assigned the detailed work to
extraordi nary? his pupil Ustad Ahmad .
The Taj was best known for
The Taj Mahal is a symbol of the quality of the marbles
immortal love, a magnificent used in it. The Makrana white
tomb created by the Mughal marble of the Taj assumes
Emperor Shah Jahan, on the subtle variations of light, tint
banks of River Yamuna, Agra and tone at different times of
for his beloved wife ; Mumtaz the day.
Mahal. At dawn it assumes a soft
Though some attribute the dreamy aspect. At noon, it
design to Geronimo Veroneo, appears to be a dazzling
an Italian in the Mughal ser white, and in the moonlight,
vice, evidence suggests that it the dome looks like a huge
was designed by Ustad Isa pearl !
M arbl e
from Taj, only
rup ees 100.
-
Where is the statue of Christ the Redeemer locat
ed?
O ne of the world's best known, and most belov

ed monuments stands atop the Corcovado Moun
tain in Rio de Janeiro, a famous city of Brazil, at a
height of 7 10 metres. This is the statue of Christ
the Redeemer, which is one of the wonders of our
world.
To reach the statue, you can travel by a minia
ture train. This train runs through the steep Atlantic
Rainforest up to the foot of the statue. From the
base of the statue, you can get stunning glimpses
of Rio from many different angles.
The statue took five years to construct, and was
i naugurated on October 12th, 193 1. It has become
a symbol of the city, and of the warmth of the Bra
zilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.
Why are mounds sometimes the years, the abandoned build
sites of ancient cities? i ngs crumbled, and broke
down. The wind blew mud
D id you know that large mou nds and sand over them, and
sometimes have ancient cities when the rain fell, the mud
hidden beneath them? stuck to the buildings. In this
In fact, the Indus Valley Civili way, the whole city was cov
zation was discovered when an ered by mud, and as more
archeologist, A.D. Bannerjee, mud and sand were depos
visited Mohenjodaro, and saw a ited by the wind, a mound
large mound. He thought there was formed.
might be something underneath, Harappa, and the other
and started digging. As the mud cities of the Indus Valley
was gradually removed, an entire Civilization were discovered
city was revealed! when such mounds were
When an ancient city began to dug up.
decline, people left it, and moved
elsewhere. After hundreds of
Who were the first artists?
About 30,000 years ago, Man first

began to paint on the walls and roofs of
caves, and on rocks. The most common
themes in cave paintings are large wild
animals, such as bison, horses, and
deer. Stone Age carvings have also been
found as far north as Scandinavia.
The main form of prehistoric art is 'rock
art'. This includes, petroglyphs, other
wise known as rock carvings. An exam
ple is the Blombos cave engravings. A
second form- are pictographs, which
includes drawn or painted signs, geo
metric symbols, hand stencils, and hand
prints - see for instance the tragic Gargas
Cave Hand Stencils. Rock art can be
seen in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, Tod ay
Oceania and the Americas. w e at e this
much.
120 Tell Me Why

Were there doctors in the
Stone Age?
T here were no doctors in

the Stone Age like there
are doctors today. Howev
er, there were wise men
who knew how to use plants
Bald Togetherness
to cure things like an upset
E mperor Theophilus, ruler tummy.
of the Eastern Roman In the Stone Age, illness
Empire from AD 829 to 842, was often thought to be
lost all his hair, and caused by evil spirits. Eight
became completely bald. thousand years old skulls
He immediately issued an have been discovered with
edict that everyman, wom holes in them.
an, and child in his king This suggests that early
dom would have to shave 'doctors' even tried their
his or her head too! The hands at operations, and
penalty for not obeying this cut holes in the skull of a
royal command was death! patient, probably to let evil
spirits escape!

Th i s i s my
n ew Paleolithi c
sty le.
Why did the Paleolithic people not live

in one place?
T he Paleolithic people wandered

from place to place in search of food.
They lived n�ar streams or rivers, so
that they could get rocks for tools, and
enough water for their needs.
They did not know how to build a
home. Usually, they would live in O nions seem to
caves, or natural rock shelters. Gradu
play a very impor
ally, Paleolithic - Man used his tools to
tant role in the
lives of the Egyp
cut branches, and he used these
tUnis. They
branches to make a sort of roof over a
believe that
simple arrangement of stones. onions are good
They ate the animals they killed, for health, and it
along with seeds and fruits. Their can cure diseas
clothes were made of animal fur, es. The Ancient
leaves, and bark. They lived from day Egyptians drew
to day, and yet there was beauty in onions in the
their l ives too, as can be seen from the paintings in their
many paintings they made on the walls tombs.
of caves.
122 Tell Me Why

What is the story of Gilgamesh?
I d on't l i ke G ilgamesh was a Sumerian

t o sl eep king who ruled the city of Uruk,
thousands of years ago. He was
afraid of death, and travelled to a
faraway land to learn the secret
of immortality from Utnapishtin ,
who was believed to enjoy eter
nal life.
Utnapishtin told Gilgamesh that
if he could stay awake for six
days and seven nights, he would
.
live forever.
Alas, Gilgamesh found it impos
sible to do so, and he realized
that it is more important to enjoy
life, than to worry about death.
Who is an Egyptologist?
An
Egyptologist is a person
who specializes in Egyptology,
the scientific study of Ancient
Egypt. He studies ancient Egyp
'0 , f ,.
tian history, language, literature,

religion, and art by examining
-;:it� and analysing the remains of
'UI� temples, tombs and towns that
t6 are still to be found in Egypt. He
&9tHz.�i<Jt4 also studies written records.
Becoming an Egyptologist is not
easy, and involves many years of
��:::!:��:a.:;l..-L""" study and hard work.

What are Chinese junks?
C hinese junks were sailing ships that had sails

made of woven matting. Some of them were very
big, and had five or more masts.
Chinese junks sailed as far as Arabia, East Afri
ca, and Indonesia. Though they increased the
trade to China, the Chinese did not set up any
trading posts in other countries like the Europe
ans did.
Chinese junks were also used by pirates, and
the sight of one used to strike fear into the hearts
of sailors in merchant ships in the South China
Sea and the Indian Ocean.
If you wonder how they came to be called
'junks', the English name comes from Malay word
'gong' or 'jong' . . . which later became 'junk'!
124 Tell Me Why

When was Rome founded?
A round 1000 BC, a wave of invad

ers crossed the Alps, and occupied
parts of Central and Southern Italy.
Coming from Indo-European stock,
they were made up of four tribes - the Earth Shaker
Samnites, Sabines, U mbrians and
Latins.
P oseidon was the
Greek god of the
The Latins settled in Central Italy.
sea, and his king
By 753 BC, they decided to build a
dom is the vast
city, and chose a site on the banks of ocean which he
the River Tiber. has populated with
They faced constant threat from creatures of his
their neighbours, the Etruscans, who own design. The
were settled on the north of the Tiber. Ancient Greeks
The Latins realized that their enemies believed that he
could cross the river at only one point, caused earth
and that the Palatine Hill overlooked q uakes by stamp
this point. ing on the ground,
Hence, they chose that as the site or striking it with a
for the new city that came to be known trident when he
as Rome. Seven kings ruled Rome was angry.
until it became a republic in 509 BC.
Who were the Roman gladiators?
J ust as some people like watching

horror movies, the Romans liked to
watch people fight and kill each oth
er. These fights took place in huge
stadiums, and were watched by hun
Am I right?
dreds of people.
The people who fought each other D emocritus was a
to entertain the crowds were called cheerful philoso
gladiators. Gladiators were usually pher. He argued
criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves. that the cosmos
During the fight, if one of them was was endless, and
injured, he would beg for mercy. If made up of tiny
the emperor and the watching crowd particles called
gave the thumbs up sign, his life atoms, moving
would be spared. But if they gave the around in space.
thumbs down sign, he would die.
126 Tell Me Why

Look!
Th e h or s e i s a
ch ain sm oker!
o
Why is the Trojan horse famous? city. The Trojans thought

that the horse was a part
H omer's epic poem 'Iliad' is the ing gift from the Greeks,
story of the Trojan War. This was a and dragged the horse
war that lasted ten long years. It i nside the city.
was fought between the Greeks, However, the horse was
led by King Agamemnon, and the actually filled with Greek
people of Troy, which is situated soldiers. When night fell,
on the coast of what is now known they opened a concealed
as Turkey. door in the horse, and
The war started when Paris, a came out. They burnt the
Trojan prince, carried away Helen, city of Troy, helped by the
a Greek princess, to Troy. The Greek army, which had
Greeks were determined to get returned stealthily.
her back, but though they fought The G reeks defeated
against Troy for ten years, they Troy by this trick, and the
were not able to get inside its term 'Trojan horse' has
walls. come to mean a person or
Finally, they pretended to sail thing that is used to trick an
away, leaving behind a huge enemy, in order to achieve
wooden horse at the gates of the a secret purpose.

Hippocrates Oath
The Hippocrates Oath, written by Hippo

crates, way back in the 5th century BC, is
still respected and recited by doctors the
world over. It is the foundation of modern medical ethics.
The tenets contained in it relate to a doctor's responsibili
ties to his patients, doctor patient confidentiality and a doc
tor's duty to treat anyone, regardless of his social status.
Why did the Greeks laugh at frogs?
A famous Greek playwright, Aristophanes, wrote a

very funny play about frogs. It became a great hit, and
from then on, the G reeks always considered frogs to
be comical creatures.
The Greeks loved watching plays, and they built
open air theatres on hillsides. The actors were all
men, who wore masks to depict the characters they
were representing. Greek plays were either comedies
or tragedies. Tragedies were often about the past,
whereas comedies were usually about everyday life.
Ruins ofAncient Why was Olympia so important for the
Olympia Ancient Greeks?
O lymPia was an important religious centre

in Ancient Greece. Here, there was a mag
nificent temple built in honour of the god Zeus.
He was the father of all the gods, and ruler of
both gods and men.
People from far and near came to worship
at this temple. They tried to please kind Zeus
by excelling in .sports, and many contests of
skill and strength were held. Poets, singers,
and artists also came to Olympia to sing prais
es of the gods, and the victors of the contests,
and to show their own mastery over different
art forms. So, Olympia became associated
with excellence in different fields.

How did the Egyptians build
the pyramids?
T he pyramids of Egypt, dat

ing back centuries, have
stood the test of time. These
huge structures were built of
limestone and granite. The Code of Hammurabi
Blocks of stone weighing is a collection of the laws
up to 15 tonnes were used. It and edicts of the renowned
is said that about a lakh Babylonian King Hammu
slaves laboured for 20 years rabi. It is the earliest
to build the Great Pyramid known, complete legal
that houses the mummy of code. In 1 901, a team of
Pharaoh Khufu. French archaeologists at
However, they worked only Susa, Iraq, unearthed a
for three months in a year, copy of the code, engraved
when the Nile flooded its on a block of black diorite.
banks. Then, the g ranite
would be brought from
Aswan, and floated down
Lord , th e
stream to a specially built jet py ram id is r.e<;ldy.
ty at the site of the pyramid. W e are w alt mg
The stones would then be f or y our d emi s e!
dragged up big, long, sloping
ramps, and fitted into place.
130 Tell Me Why

Why is the monarchy of Asoka con
sidered enlightened?
I n ancient times, kings mostly ruled

with an iron hand. Yet some kings stand
out for their benevolence. One such is
Emperor Asoka, who ruled Magadha
in India from 269 BC to 232 BC.
In 261 BC, Asoka fought the Battle Legend of
of Kalinga,which was to become a Rome
turning point in his life. This bloody The popular leg
war left more thall 200000 casualties end related to
in its wake. Asoka was shocked by the founding of
this sight, and decided that victory in Rome, features
war was not worth the price to be paid the twin broth
in terms of human misery. He ers, Romulus
renounced military conquest as a and Remus. They
national policy, and converted to Bud were brought up
dhism. by a she wolf.
Missionaries were sent to spread The legend says
the message of Buddhism. From an that the date for
aggressive ruler, Asoka had become the founding of
a man with a conscience, and thus, is Rome was fixed
considered the world's first truly in April, 753 Be.
'enlightened' monarch.

Why is Alexander considered great? he was able to build the
greatest empire that
A lexander, a G reek general, estab existed at that time.
lished an empire that stretched from He defeated Persia
Greece to India. He is popularly and Mesopotamia. He
known as Alexander the Great, who also captured Tyre and
lived from 356 to 323 Be. Egypt. He pushed on till
Alexander was the son of Philip of he reached northern
Macedonia. Succeeding his father, India.
Satisfied with these
I w ant t o
vast conquests, he led
con quer thi s
country t oo. his warriors home: But
he died in Babylon,
stricken with fever at the
you ng age of 33.
Alexander had estab
lished one of the largest
empires of all times.
Above all he acted as a
bridge between two dif
ferent cultures, and thus
marked his name in his-
132 Tell Me Why

What is the Hu ndred Years
War?
T he Hundred Years War is

the name given to the long
struggle between England
and France, which started in
1337, and ended in 1453.
The Hundred Years War Arthashastra
I
actually lasted for 1,16 years! C hanakya, who was also
The English kings had to known as Kautilya, became
pay homage to the French the prime minister of the
kings for being appointed great Chandragupta, the
Dukes of Aquitaine. They Maurya emperor. Legend
did not like to do this. Mat describes him as being the
ters turned serious when author of a book titled
Philip VI took over Edward, 'Arthashastra'. 'Arthashas
the King of England's land in tra', means science of prop
France, and thus, war erty and material success.
began. This success includes polit
The major events in this ical and diplomatic strategy
war include the Battle on the aimed at uniting India.
river Sluys in 1340.
Why is Joan of Arc considered
to be a symbol of courage and
hope aU over France?
T he Hundred Years War

between France and Engla.n d
was almost coming to an end.
Henry V, the English king,
had died. Counselors, who were
jealous of each other, ruled
France, after the death of
Charles V I . The army too, was
totally discouraged. Then, out
of nowhere, it appeared, a
peasant girl, presented herself
at the royal court. She claimed
that she had heard heavenly Joan ofArc
voices telling her to free
Orleans from the besieging
English.
The army was inspired by
this suggestion. This girl, who
came to be known as Joan of
Arc, led the French army into
battle, and succeeded in driv The Way to life
ing away the English from
Orleans. The earliest school of
Later, she was betrayed, and medicine known to man
found guilty of sorcery. kind was Ayurveda, and it
Although she was tragically originated in India. It was
burned at the stake, Joan of consolidated 2500 years
Arc helped unify France. This ago by Charaka, the father
heroine is today regarded as a of medicine.
symbol of hope and courage.
134 Tell Me Why

In history, what is the Black Death?
A terrible disease reached Europe

from Eastern countries. The Europeans
thought it to be a curse of the 'savages'
who lived in these countries. Today, this
disease is understood to be bubonic/
pneumonic plague.
England, at that point of time, was
prosperous. On a fine summer day in
1348, a French sailor stepped on Eng
lish soi l . He unknowingly carried the
Bacterium which bacillus of the d isease, and became the
causes Bubonic Plague
origi n of the pestilence that later came to
be known as the Black Death.
It is estimated that at least half a mil
lion people - which was a large percent
age of the population- fell prey to the
Black Death. The Black Death spread,
and reached its peak in the spring of
1349.
It d ied out during autumn that same
year, leaving behind a disrupted society,
Plague A Painting
- and having ruined trade in Europe.
Which was the fi rst ship to sail
around the world?
M agellan, a Portuguese sailor,

was in the service of the Spanish
government, and he was one of the
many engaged in the search for a Champions !
new trade route to the East.
I ndians were great
In August 1519, he set out with five
inventors even
ships badly in need of repair, and a centuries ago. The
crew drawn from many countries. He birth of algebra,
overcame a mutiny aboard the ships. trigonometry and
The men had tried to revolt when calculus happened
they heard that Magellan was plan in India. Besides
ning to look for a strait in the south this, the decimal
ernmost tip of South America. The and place value
strait, which allowed him to cross system were origi
into the Pacific, is named after him. nated, and devel
Magellan crossed the Pacific with oped in India.
great difficulty and finally reached
the Philippines, but was killed in a
local war there. The Victoria, the Magellen and the replica
only one of Magellan's ships to of his Ship Victoria.
remain, sailed back to Portugal in
1522. She became the first ship to
sail around the world.
Why was the Battle of Plassey crowned as the new Nawab of
so important? Bengal in 1756, he ignored the
treaty, and occupied Calcutta.
T he Battle of Plassey, fought The East India Company
between the Nawab of Bengal, responded with an army led by
Siraj Ud Daulah, and the Brit Robert Clive, which recaptured
ish East India Company is Calcutta, and then caught up
judged as one of the pivotal with the Nawab's army at the
battles leading to the forma village of Plassey.
tion of the British Empire in Most of the Nawab's army
India. was led by traitors who had
The battle took place on conspired with British. As a
June 23rd, 1 75 7, at Plassey, result, the troops of the Nawab
India. Bengal had a long stand fled the battle.
ing treaty with the East India This victory helped the Brit
Company, which held Calcut ish, to form a strong Empire in
ta. When Siraj Ud Daulah was India.

What were the effects of the more open, elective sys
French Revolution? tems. Along with the Amer
ican Revolution, it inspired
T he effects of the French Revo reformers throughout the
lution would be felt throughout the western world, and fasci
world. This revolution took the nates us to this day.
country from an absolute monar
chy, to popular rule. Es cap e...
The French Revolution affected th e Revolut i on
the world in several ways. Due to h as st art ed.
the people's revolt against the
monarchy, the Russians succeed
ed in overthrowing the tsar, and
moving from an absolute monar
chy to communism. In fact, the
French Revolution became the
inspiration for several revolutions
in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In short, we can say that the
French Revolution was a step
towards replacing traditional aris
tocratic forms of government with
138 Tell Me Why

Why is Napoleon Bonaparte considered a titan
ic figure in world history?
N apoleon Bonaparte was a French general,

consul, and emperor.
In 1796, he defeated the Piedmontese and
Austrians in Italy. After the French fleet was
destroyed by Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in
1 798, Napoleon returned to France.
In 1799� Napoleon instituted a military dicta
torship, and became First Consul. In 1812,
believing that Russia was allying with England,
Napoleon marched to Moscow. However, his.
army retreated , broken by hunger and the icy
Russian winter.
In 1813, Napoleon was victorious over the
allied armies at Lutzen, and Dresden, but was
routed at Leipzig. France was invaded and
Napoleon was forced to abdicate.
Napoleon returned to France in 18 15, regain
ing power for a period called the 'Hund red
Days.' He was defeated by the Duke of Welling
ton's forces at Waterloo, and fled to Paris. He
Napoleon was banished to 8t. Helena, where he died.
When was slavery abolished
in the US?
S lavery was a dreadful sys

tem where one human being
actu ally owned another. A
slave had no rights, and was
I ndus Jewel lery
considered to be the property
T he people of the Indus of his or her master.
valley were fond of Though slavery was abol
wearing ornaments. Both ished in England in 1 7 72, the
men and women wore slave trade continued for
jewellery. Necklaces, many years more. But, finally
beads and amulets were Parliament declared it illegal
made from gold, silver, in 1833.
and semi-precious stones. In America, slaves were
also brought in directly from
Africa until 1865. In the North,
Darling , slaves were mainly house
h ow 's th i s servants, while in the South
n eckl ace?
slaves worked on farms.
By 1840, the issue of slav
ery had divided the nation
i nto two. The North wanted
to abolish slavery through
out the nation , while the
South opposed the move.
This led to a long civil war,
which ended in 1865. The
North won it, and slavery
was abolished in America.
The man behind this histori
cal victory was President
Abraham Lincoln .
140 Tell M e Why

Why is the Boston Tea Party a major England had
turning point in history? raised taxes in
America to try and
T he Boston Tea Party was not a party get money to pay
at all, but an act of protest. back its debts. One
On December 1 6th, 1 7 73, while the US of the taxes that
was a group of colonies under British England had raised
rule, a band of men dressed like Mohawk was on tea imported
Indians boarded ships in the Boston Har into the American
bour, and dumped 342 chests of tea into colonies. The Amer
the Boston harbour. The harbou r ran icans were opposed
brown for days afterward ! to the tax, and the
Boston Tea Party
Let 's th an k th e was their form of
Bost on p rot est er s . protest.
for this t ea. With this act, the
colonists started the
violent part of the
A er'can evolutio I
and events snow
balled after that.

Why is the book I The Communist
Manifesto, I so famous?
T he Communist Manifesto was

first published on February 21 st,
1848, and is one of the world's most
influential political documents.
It was written by communist theo
rists Friedrich Engels and Karl
Marx. However, Engels himself has
. First University
said that the Manifesto was 'essen
tially Marx's work,' and that 'the In 700 BC, the
basic thought, belongs solely and world's first universi
exclusively to Marx.' ty was established in
The Manifesto suggested a India, in Takshashila.
course of action for a working class Students came from
revolution in Europe to overthrow all over the world to
the ruling class. Its goal was to receive education in
eventually bring about a classless over 60 different sub
society. jects. The University
The Communist Manifesto was to of Nalanda in the 4th
become one of the most widely century BC was
read, and discussed documents in another milestone.
the 20th century.
Why is the I ndustrial Revolution considered a
landmark i n history?
T he Industrial Revolution may be defined as

the application of power driven machinery to
manufacturing. In the 18th century, all of Western
Europe began to industrialize rapidly.
Electricity was a major factor in the phenome
nally rapid industrialization of Europe.The com
ing of the railroads greatly facilitated
industrialization. The big railway boom in Britain
came in the years 1844 to 1847. At the beginning
of the 19th century, the steam driven ships
appeared on the horizon.
Communications also saw developments dur
ing this period. In 1871, telegraph cables reached
from London to AustraJia; speeding up commer
cial transactions.
Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the human
voice over a wire in 18 7 6. The world continued to
shrink at a great rate as new means of transport
and communication increased the pace of life
with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.

Allied Powers
France, Britain, Russia,
Italy and USA.
come to Serbia's aid,

the Austro-Hungarian
government sought
assurances from Ger
many, that Germany
Why did World War I erupt? would be on their side
if Russia declared war
W orld War I was an explosion that on Austria-Hungary.
had been gradually building up, and Germany readily
the spark was the assassination of agreed, and even
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the encouraged Austria
Austro-H u ngarian throne, in Sarajevo Hungary's warlike
on 28th June, 19 14. stance. By this time,
Ferdinand's death at the hands of the European powers
Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, had formed two dis
set in train a series of events that result tinct sets of alliances.
ed in the world's first global war. On one hand, there
The Austro-Hungarians used Ferdi was an alliance
nand's death as an excuse to invade between Britain , R us
Serbia, crushing the nationalist move sia and France and on
ment there. However, Serbia, which the other; there was
was a small Balkan state, had ties with Germany, Austria,
Russia. Fearing that Russia would and Italy.
144 Tell Me Why

Why did World War II begin?
World War II lasted from 1939 to

1945. It was a total war that involved
61 countries, with 1.7 billion people.
After World War I ended in 1918,
Germany had to give up land, and
was banned from having armed forc
es. In 1933, the German people vot
ed for a leader named AdaJf H itler,
who led a political party in Germany
called the National Socialists, or
Nazis. H itler promised to make his
country great again, and quickly
began to arm Germany once more,
and to seize land from other coun
tries.
On Friday 15t September, 1939,
German forces stormed the Polish
frontier. When Hitler refused to with
draw from Poland, Britain and France
declared war on Germany.
So, World War II began in Europe
on 3rd September 1939. Soon, it
became a global war, involving mm�t
of the world's nations, who were
divided into opposing military allianc
es - the Allies and the Axis. It was the'
most widespread and deadliest war Allied Powers
in history. France, Britain,
In 1945, the war ended in a victory United States of America,
for the Allies. The Soviet Union and Soviet Union and
USA subsequently emerged as the China.
world's superpowers.
Best of Tell Me Why

The mushroom cloud over The mushroom cloud over
Hiroshima after the dropping of Nagasaki after the dropping of
Atom bomb Atom bomb
Why are Hiroshima and Naga explosion was blinding light,

saki important in history? accompanied by radiant heat
from the fireball .
O n August 6th, 1 945, the After three days, o n August
United States dropped the first 9th 1 945, US bombed the next
atomic bomb on Japan. The Japanese city, Nagasaki.
bomb was known as 'Little The two bombs together
Boy,' and was dropped on the took over 1 00,000 lives
city of H i roshima. instantly. Even those who sur
The bomb was loaded vived the blast, continued to
aboard the US Bomber 'Enola suffer, and died years later,
Gay'. Attacking Hiroshima on from the effects of radiation.
August 6th, the bomb The attacks on Hiroshima
destroyed much of the city; and Nagasaki led to the sur
killing more than 80,000 peo render of the Japanese in
ple.The first effect of the World War II.
146 Tell Me Why

Un ited Nations
T he United Nations
was established i n
1 945 to promote
peace, security, and
economic develop
ment. The term origi
nally referred to the
•
26 countries that were
allies in World War II. After the war, the United Nations formal
ly came into existence, as a worldwide organization.
Today, the UN has 1 93 members. It is a trusted peacekeeping
force and is also involved i n many development and econom
ic aid programmes around the world.
Nuremberg Trials
A fter World War II,

many leading Nazi and
Japanese officials
stood trial, charged with
various war crimes.
At Nuremberg,
Germany,1 945-46 , a trial
of 22 leading Nazis was
organized by an I nterna
tional Military Tribunal of
US, French, Russian, and
British judges. Twelve of
the 22 defendants were
sentenced to death. In
Japan, General Tojo was Nuremberg TriaLs
executed in 1 948.

Which were the major wars ber 22nd, 1 947. Despite early
between India and Pakistan? successes, the Indian army
suffered a setback in Decem
T here have been three main ber 1 947, which forced the
conflicts between India and Indian troops to retreat from
Pakistan after independence. the border areas. In the spring
The first one came shortly of 1 948, the Indian side mount
after independence, and was ed another offensive to retake
waged in 1 947 and 1 948. The some of the ground that it had
military was called upon to lost. Finally, the United Nations
defend the borders of the state intervened, and brought the
of Jammu and Kashmir, when war to a close on January 1 ,
tribals - mainly Pathans - 1 949.
attacked from the northwest The second Indo-Pakistani
reaches of Kashmir on Octo- conflict in 1 965 was also fought
148 Tell Me Why

over Kashmir, and started with
out a formal declaration of war.
It is widely accepted that the
war began with the infiltration
of Pakistani-controlled guerril
las into Indian Kashmir in Dream Speech
August 1 965. Indian forces
scored major victories, which M artin Luther King's
led to Pakistani counter 'I Have a Dream' speech
attacks. The war was at the was delivered from the
point of a stalemate, when the steps of the Lincoln
UN unanimously passed a res Memorial in the US capi
tal in 1 963. In the speech,
olution, and the war ended on
King boldly called for an
September 22nd •
end to racism. It has been
The third Indo-Pakistani con
voted the top American
flict was in 1 971 , when Paki
speech of the 20th centu
stan's armed forces launched
ry. The speech was a
a fierce campaign in East Paki
defining moment In the
stan, to suppress a movement American Civil Rights
demanding independence for Movement.
East Pakistan.
Displeased with India's sup
port of the East Pakistan's lib
eration Force or Mukti Bahini, ed a swift, three-pronged
Pakistan launched an air attack assault, and rapidly converged
in the western sector on a num on Dhaka, the capital of East
ber of I nd ian airfields in Decem Pakistan.
ber 1 971 . The Indian air force In•. the meantime, the Indian
retaliated the next day, and Navy effectively blockaded
quickly achieved air superiori East Pakistan. Dhaka fell to
ty. During the fourteen-day combined Indian and Mukti
war, the air force's Western Bahini forces on December
Command conducted some 1 6th, bringing a quick end to
4,000 sorties. The army adopt- the war.

Indian SoLdiers
Hoist the NationaL
FLag and Show the
Victory Sign .
Why was the Kargil War a glorious victory

for India?
The Kargil War was an armed conflict

between I ndia and Pakistan that took
place between May and July 1 999, in the
Kargil district of Kashmir.
The cause of the war was the infiltration
of Pakistani soldiers, and Kashmiri mili
tants into positions on the Indian side of
the Line of Control. The Indian Army, sup
ported by the Indian Air Force, responded
by attacking the Pakistani positions.
The Kargil War had three major phases.
First, Pakistan captured several strategic
high points in Kashmir. Next, India
responded by interdicting supply routes,
and finally, India pushed Pakistani forces
back across the Line of Control.
July 26th, 1 999 will go down in the annals
of Indian history as a day when the deter
mined Indian forces achieved a glorious
victory over the retreating Pakistani army.
It was on this day that the Indian victory
over Pakistan was complete.
Tell Me Why
Why did the US launch a
war against terrorism?
S eptember 1 1 th, 2001

is a date that the world
will never forget. On this
day, two hijacked airlin
ers were flown into the
World Trade Centre in
New York City, and
another into the Penta
gon.
A fou rth hijacked airlin
er crashed in open land
in Pennsylvania. The
attacks were the work of
militants associated with Attack on the World Trade Centre
the extremist group, AI
Qaeda.
The US President,
George W. Bush,
described the attacks as
an act of war, and
launched a military cam Days To Go Around
paign in Afghanistan,
where the Taliban was T he correct time taken by the
believed to be harbouring Earth to revolve around the
terrorists, and the leader Sun was calculated by the
of the AI-Qaeda, Osama famous astronomer Bhaska
racharya. His calculation
Bin Laden.
showed that the Earth takes
Years later, Bin Laden
around 365.258756484 days to
was killed at his hide out
go around the Sun once.
in Pakistan, in a US com
mando operation.

What are UFOs? simple explanation for them. Some of
You must have seen

these so called sightings are hoaxes.
Others may be secret army weapons
movies and books fea that are tested at night. The public
turing saucer shaped does not know about them, so when
discs that hover over they see an unfamiliar object i n the
the g round. sky, they think it is a U FO.
In the books and Project Blue Book, a study on
movies, the discs are U FOs, conducted by the US, was
space ships or UFOs stopped in the late 1 960's, pointing
from another planet. out the inauthenticity of the evidenc
The term U FO means es. However, plea for re-opening the
an unidentified flying investigation is also very hig h !
object, and U FOs are
one of the great mys
teries that have fasci
nated Man for centuries.
Though many people
claim to have seen
U FOs, and some have
even produced photo
graphs of them, scien
tists usually have a
152
Why does the mystery of the shared photos they claim to
Loch Ness Monster continue? have taken of this huge crea
ture.
A s far back as the 7th centu The legend is so great that
ry, people have reported see even scientists have been
ing a monster in the Loch Ness intrigued, and many have con
in Scotland. Loch means lake ducted experiments, and come
in Scotland. This is the largest up with theories to try and
freshwater lake in the UK. But, explain what people could be
rather than being known for its witnessing.
size, it is famous for the myste One explanation is that the
rious legend of the Loch Ness monster could be a prehistoric
monster, or Nessie. creature called a plesiosaur,
For hundreds of years, peo an animal that has been con
ple have reported catching a sidered to be extinct. Maybe,
glimpse of a huge creature. one of these creatures man
This creature is said to have a aged to survive in the Loch
small head, a long neck, and Ness Lake, who knows?
an immense body with flip
pers. Some people have Sculpture of Nessie
What mysterious occu rrences are associated with
the sinking of the 'Titanic' ?
A ll of you might have heard of the 'Titanic'- and

some of you might even have seen the movie about
this unsinkable ship, which hit an iceberg on its
maiden voyage, and sank.
It was claimed to be the largest ship ever built,
and the disaster, which occurred on the night of 1 4th
April, 1 91 2, claimed more than 1 250 lives. Did you
know that many people had premonitions about
this tragedy?
Fou rteen years before this terrible catastrophe
took place, a writer called Morgan Robertson wrote
a book about a ship called 'Titan', which was
believed to be unsinkable. In the book, the ship
strikes an iceberg on its maiden voyage from South
ampton, and sinks. Some other people reported to
have strange visions about the sinking of a ship.
These may be mere co-incidences, but it is
much more exciting to think of them as myster
ies, isn't it?
Tell Me Why
Why are people still searching for buried I nca
treasures?
Somewhere, deep within the mountain rang

es between the Andes and the Amazon,
there's said to exist a fabulous Inca treasure
hidden from Spanish conquistadors.
The legend begins in the 1 6th century, when
the great Inca Empire in western South Amer
ica was being overrun by the Spanish.
Atahualpa was an I nca king who was cap
tured in his palace by a Spanish commander.
The Spanish agreed to release Atahualpa i n
return for a roomful o f gold, but they later, went
back on their agreellle nt.
The Inca king was killed before the last, and
largest part of the ransom had been delivered.
So, his half brother, the last of the I nca rulers,
buried the fabulous treasure in a secret moun
tain cave. And there, according to the legend,
it has remained to this day!

Why are the Yeti and Sasquatch alike?
T he Yeti is a huge creature, resembling an ape,

that is believed to live in the H imalayas. Many
people including Tenzing Norgay, one of the first
men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, claim
to have seen the Yeti.
The Yeti is also called the 'Abominable Snow
man', and in many ways, it resembles another
monster found in the American North West called
the 'Sasquatch'.
The Sasquatch is also a giant fur covered beast
that looks like an ape. The footprints that it leaves
in the snow are so huge that some people call it
'Bigfoot'.
The Yeti's footprints are also huge, and though
many people claim to have seen both these crea
tures, till now, no one has been able to prove that
they really exist.
156 Tell Me Why

Why is Stonehenge unique?
O n the misty g reen plains of Salisbury, in

Southern England, stands one of the most mysti
cal of the megaliths- Stonehenge.
The beauty of these stones takes one's breath
away. The 3.96 metres high stones are unique in
that, unlike the other megaliths, each stone has
been artificially shaped into a curve. As a result,
when they were assembled, they formed the out
line of a circl e, when seen from above.
At the same time, each stone had a slight bulge,
so that when seen from below, they appeared to
be in a straight line! Amazing, isn't it?
The astonishing scale and beauty of the stones,
the great care and labour in construction, and the
mystery that surrounds their original purpose, are
just some of the reasons why Stonehenge is one
of the most popular sights in England. Stone-
Stollehenge henge is a magical experience indeed .
Which are the islands that vanished mysterious
ly?
H ave you heard of the Aurora Islands? Even if

you have, you are unlikely to ever see them, for
they have just vanished from the face of the Earth!
The story begins in the 18th century, when the
captain of a ship, sailing in the South Atlantic
waters, saw three small islands, called the Aurora
Islands, after the name of the first ship. They soon
became a common landmark for the Spanish
ships that routinely went to South America- and
then suddenly, the islands disappeared !
Since most islands are produced through vol
canic activity, they can appear and disappear just
as quickly over time, and leave no trace for sea
explorers to find.
This may be the explanation why another phan
tom island, Isla Grande, which lay just to the north
of the Aurora Islands, has now vanished too. How
ever, this explanation does not hold good for the
disappearance of islands called Davis' Land.
There is even an island named the Isle of Brasil,
which keeps appearing off and on near the coast
of I reland.
158 Tell Me Why

Why is Mehrauli near Delh i
famous?
M ehrauli near Delhi, is

famous for an iron pillar. It is
1 600 years old, made of pure
wrought iron, and weighs six
tonnes.
The pillar is over seven metres
high, and has stood bare for all
these years in the scorching c li
mate of Delhi. Yet, there is no
fungus, no rust, no corrosion,
and nothing scars even the
inscriptions made on it!
Why is this wrought iron pillar
not affected by rust? For centu
ries, this question has haunted
scientists throughout the world.
Experts from the Indian Institute
of Technology ( l iT) have dis
covered that the wrought iron
pillar was astonishingly pure,
and a thin layer of 'misamite', a
compound of iron, oxygen and
hydrogen has protected the pil
lar from rust, over the centuries.
Whatever the scientific expla
nation, this pillar l iterally stands
tall as one of the wonders that
teach modern man the great
ness of his ancestors, and their
skill and knowledge of metal
lurgy.
Best of Tell Me Why

Why did the Bermuda Trian� le
receive so much attention
from the media?
T he legend of the Bermuda

Triangle was uncovered when
Bermuda Triangle E.V.W. Jones, a reporter,
penned an article on a strange
The Bermuda Triangle is occurrence he had stumbled
a region of the Atlantic
across. It seemed that an unu
Ocean between Bermuda
sual number of planes and
and Florida, where ships
ships had been d isappearing
and planes have mysteri
in the ocean between Florida
ously disappeared. Vin
and Bermuda.
cent Gaddis, who wrote
Over the years, more than
about the disappearanc
200 separate mysterious d isa
es , named the region:
. ppearances have been attrib
'the deadly Bermuda TrI-
angle'. uted to the Bermuda Triangle.
No trace was ever found of the
crafts, or their passengers.
160 Tell Me Why

The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is reputed

ly the cloth in which Jesus
Christ was wrapped and buried.
The shroud is 4.34 metres long,
and it bears the image of a man
with wounds similar to those
suffered by Jesus Christ. The
• shroud is unquestionably old.
Its history is known from the
year 1 357, when it surlaced i n
the tiny village o f Lirey, France.
Today, it is kept in a silver chest
i n the Cathedral of St. John the
Baptist i n Turin, Italy, where it
has been since 1 578. Does the shroud really show the face
of Jesus? No one really knows. Although, many scientists
have expressed doubts about the accuracy of the image,
millions believe it to be divine, and it has been a religious
relic since the Middle Ages.
The d isappearance of Flight attacks by sea monsters, to

1 9, ranks at the very top of freak killer waves, and kidnap
Bermuda Triangle lore. In, pings by aliens.
1 945, five Navy planes van However, later studies reveal
ished while on a routine train that most of the incidents have
-
i ng mission over the Atlantic. been inaccurately reported,
The media really went over and many agencies have
board putting forward theories declared that the number and
as to what m ight have hap nature of disappearances in
pened at Bermuda Triangle. the region is similar to any oth
The . theories range from er area of the sea.

Why was the 'Indian rope trick' mys
terious?
I ndia is a land of countless myster

ies that have puzzled the rest of the
world. Perhaps, the most enduring _
of all these mysteries is that of the

' Indian rope trick'.
In the classic version of I ndian
rope trick, a rope is thrown into the
air where it remains rigid. A young
boy then climbs up the rope, only to
disappear at the top. The performer
quickly follows him, only to disap
pear when he reaches the top of the
vertical rope!
Shortly after, pieces of the boy's
body fall from the sky, and land on
the ground at the bottom of the rope.
A few seconds later, the performer is
seen climbing down the rope with a
bloodstained knife in his hand.On
reaching firm ground, the performer
utters a magic word, and th� rope
falls limp to the ground. He then
gathers up the pieces of the boy's
body, and bundles them under a
sheet. Within seconds, the sheet is
lifted, and the boy appears com
pletely whole and unharmed !
Travellers to India have described
this amazing trick for over 600 years,
but there is considerable doubt as to
whether the trick is fact or fantasy.
162 Tell Me Why

Why did the barter system Ramu did not have to buy
develop? any chips, and Oeepu did not
have to buy any chocolate.
R amu and Oeepu were Now, wasn't that smart of
brothers who were very excit them? This system of exchang
ed, because their uncle was ing goods is known as the bar
coming home. He always ter system.
brought g ifts for the boys. This Long before our ancestors
time, he gave Ramu two bars invented money, they used the
of chocolate, while Oeepu got barter system to get what they
two packets of potato chips. needed. A farmer would
After he had left, Ramu said, exchange bundles of rice for a
"Oeepu, I will give you one bar cow that another farmer had.
of milk chocolate, if you will In this way, both farmers would
give me a packet of potato have all the rice and milk they
chips in return." Oeepu agreed, needed, without any money
and soon, both the boys were having changed hands. It was
having a feast of a bar of choc all a matter of giving away
olate each, followed by pack whatever extra you had, in
ets of potato chips each, return for something you need
without having to pay anything. ed.

Why did salt become a form of mon
ey?
S ince ancient times, salt has been

used to flavour food. Early trade
routes, and many of the first roads
were established for transporting salt.
Salt was considered so precious
because it was needed by everyone,
and was quite d ifficult to make. In
Tea Money
fact, it was as precious as gold ! So, it
is not surprising that salt became a T ea leaves were
form of money all over the world. used as money i n
In Ancient China, coins were made Russia, Tibet,
of salt. Cakes of salt have been used and China. 'Tea
as money in some parts of Africa. bricks', which are
Merchants used the salt money to blocks of whole,
buy slaves, and cotton from West or finely ground
Africa. tea leaves, were
In Ancient Rome, soldiers were paid used for trade,
in salt, and our modern word 'salary' since they were
is derived from the Latin word 'salari easy to carry.
um', which means 'salt money'.
164 Tell Me Why

Why did people start using metal as money?
W e know that in ancient times, cattle were

often regarded as money.
However, cattle could not be carried around
easily when you went shopping, or if you wanted
to trade. So, Man began to look for a more con
venient way of trading. He started to use lumps of
metal like iron, silver, or gold as money.
Some historians believe that the Chi nese start
ed using tiny n1'etal knives and spades as money
as early as 1000 BC. The people of Asia Minor
(now in Turkey), the Greeks, and the Romans
also started to use coins made of silver.
By the Middle Ages, coins were stamped by an
issuing authority, and made of uniform weights so
that their value could be fixed. The use of coins
soon became very popular, because they were so
convenient. Moreover, since the value of each
coin was fixed, trade became easier too.
Roman coins Greek coin

Why was coin making a lengthy process
in ancient times?
I n ancient times, artisans made every

thing, i ncluding coins, using simple tools.
So, the final results depended very much
on skill.
Coins were either cast in a mould, or
hammered out with hand held d ies. The
minting of coins was, therefore, a labori
ous process. The mint consisted of just
a cluttered workshop where a master
coiner and his assistants laboured away,
stamping coins by hand.
They hammered the sheets of metal
i nto the required thickness, and then, cut
out blank coins with a hand punch. The
blank coins were trimmed to the desired
size, and stamped with a hand held die.
In the 1 5th century, simple machines
took over from simple tools. In the 1 8th
century, massive steam engines trans
formed ingots of raw metal into thin
sheets. Other steam engine powered
machines cut the blank coins, and
stamped them.
1 66 Tell Me Why
Why were the first banks in Ancient Greece
different from today's banks?
I n G reece, the first banks were the tem

ples. One reason for this was that the tem
ples offered a secure place to keep gold
and silver. F i rst
During the wars between the G reek Paper
states, temples were spared, for all G reeks Money
had a common religion. So, the temples of
Ancient Greece were very rich. But although
Paper money
was first used
they acted as banks by being places of
in China by a
security, they didn't grant interest on the
group of mer
money deposited.
chants and
There were also private banks in Ancient businessmen
Greece. They were like moneylenders. in the same
They would set up tables in the market place where
place, and conduct their business from printing was
there. also Invented.
The banks of Ancient Greece accepted The name of
money for safe keeping, and lent money. the note was
Of course, though they did not pay any jiaozi.
interest on the deposits taken, they did • Radha Nair
charge a heavy interest on the money lent!

How did money evolve i n Ancient
An arm ou r
ful l of h ol es ! Rome?
L i ke the Ancient G reeks, the

Romans also used the barter sys
tem at trrst. This worked well when
I
Rome was just Rome. But as the
, / / city grew into a republic, and the
-
republic grew, and expansion
occurred, bartering became more
and more inconvenient and ineffec
tive.
The republic had plenty of trading
partners, and as a result, required a
system of currency and coi nage.
Romans began using small chunks
of metal, usually bronze, as pieces
of money. These were known as
'aes rude', or 'raw bronze'. I n time,
these bronze pieces evolved into
The New actual minted coinage, known as
Ten Rupee Coin 'aes signatum', or 'signed bronze'.
T he Reserve Bank
of India has
released India's first
ever bimetallic coin,
of the denomination
f 1 0. The metal on
the outer side is
nickel-bronze, and
the inner side is fer
rous steel.
168
Why is the Indian rupee associated with the Brit·
ish?
T Oday, when you want to buy something, your

parents will give you money in rupees. But the
rupee is a fairly new form of currency in India. In
fact, the rupee, as we know it today, was intro
duced in 183 5 by the British. However, though dif
ferent types of coins were used in India and South
East Asia for more than three thousand years,
they were not standardised.
When the British East India Company arrived in
India for purposes of trading, each of the princely
states had its own rupee, which was called 'rupi
ya'. Did you know that there were more than three
hundred different kinds of rupiyas at that time?
The British East India Company issued a stand
ardized Indian rupee that was circulated in all the
territories that it took over. It was made of silver,
and it replaced all the existing 'rupiyas'.

Why are the coins of Ancient
I ndia truly fascinati ng?
C Oins in ancient India were

made mostly of silver. They
had motifs drawn on them, and
these motifs generally reflect
ed nature, and showed the
sun, animals, and trees.
Some coins had geometric
designs on them, others had
mythological figures. Each
dynasty had its own coins.
The early coins of the Gupta
period also showed important
events, like royal weddings
and the horse sacrifice.
The Satavahanas, who were
the early rulers of the region
between the Godavari and
Krishna Rivers, had coins of
copper, lead, and silver. These
coins often showed elephants,
lions, and bulls.
The coins of South I ndia
usually bore the crests of dif
ferent dynasties, such as the
boar, bull, tiger, fish, bow and
arrow, lotus, and lion.
So, we see that the coins of
Ancient India were truly fasci
nating in their diversity, for
" they stood for different king
doms.
Tell Me Why
Why do we say the British changed
Indian currency?
�The British first settled in three

main regions of India. They were
Western India, South India, and the
The Fi rst Eastern Province of Bengal.
Bank Note The coins they minted then were
A banknote allowed also of three types to make them
the person carrying more acceptable to the areas where
it to claim an they were issued. So, the coins of
amount of precious Bengal and Western India had
metal equal to that Mughal designs, while South I ndian
mentioned in the designs were used for those issued
note. in Madras.
In Europe, Stock Some coins were also struck in
holms Banco, a the English pattern. The gold coins
predecessor of the were called Carolinas, the silver
Bank of Sweden, coins Angelinas, the copper coins
issued the first were called Cupperoons, and the
banknotes. ln 1 667, tin coins were known as Tinnys.
the bank ran out of In 1 835, the British passed the
coins to redeem its Coinage Act for the issue of u niform
notes, and ceased coinage. The images of native rul
operating in that ers were replaced by portraits of the
year.
monarchs of Great Britain to indi
cate British supremacy.

Swiss Banks
S wiss banks
were famous for
their stability,
and the privacy What is the story behi nd currency?
that they give to
their customers.
In some accounts,
O ne of the first stable currencies was
the gold coin called the 'solidus', issued
even the deposi
in the Byzantine Empire.
tors are only
The penny, which became a standard
known by a num
coin in Europe during the Middle Ages,
ber! Only the
was introduced by a Frankish king
senior most offi
around the 8th century. In time, it was
cials of the bank
know the details
established that 1 2 silver pennies were
of such accounts.
equal to one Byzantine gold solidus.
If you had an
Soon, many European countries were
account in a issuing silver pennies of their own, and in
Swiss Bank, the each case, 12 pennies were equal to the
bankers were not Byzantine gold solidus. Twelve pennies
allowed to dis together made one silver shilling, 20 shil
close any i nfor lings made a pound of silver. Shillings
mation about it and pounds became coins in their own
without your con right in due course of time. The dinar,
sent. Recently, which was issued in Damascus around
the Swiss gov 690 AD, and the Venetian ducat, were
ernment changed other currencies that were widely accept
the banking ed. One of the most popular currencies
rules. today is the dollar, which is derived from
a large silver coin known as the thaler.
172 Tell Me Why

Why were a new series of
currencies i ntroduced i n
India after i ndependence?
A fter I nd ian independ

ence, the first banknote to
be issued was the one
rupee note. It was issued in
1 949, and the portrait of
King George was replaced
with the symbol of the lion
capital of the Ashoka pillar.
From 1 951 , the inscrip
tions on the notes were
printed in Hindi also. In
1 954, three new notes were
issued. They were of Rs
1 ,000, Rs 5,000, and Rs
1 0,000 denominations.
Many new banknotes were
also introduced . They con
tained symbols that reflect
ed India's progress in
science and technology,
as well as traditional art
forms.
If you look at a banknote
carefully, you will see the
words 'satyameva jayate'
written on it. This legend
was added for the first time
in 1 980. In 1 996, the
Mahatma Gandhi series of
banknotes was introduced.
173
Why were banks started?
B anks began long ago, around the third cen

tury BC, when temples in Mesopotamia began
accepting deposits of precious metals for safe
keeping.
Since the temples were very wealthy, they also
started giving loans to people. In Ancient Greece
and Rome, moneylenders would also transfer
deposits from one customer's account to anoth
er. In the Middle Ages, as trade and commerce
grew, moneylenders in Italy began to set up
street stalls called 'bancas' where they would
exchange currency, and accept deposits.
These bancas developed into the first commer
cial banks. The goldsmiths soon realized that not
everyone was going to ask for his gold back on
the same day. So, they started lending out a part
of the gold that had been given to them for safe
keeping. In time, they became bankers.
174 Tell Me Why

How did banking develop i n established. It was the Alla
India? habad Bank. Reserve Bank
of India came into existence
T he first bank in India was in 1 935.
established in 1 8th century. It After independence, the
was The General Bank of India, government took major steps
and it was followed by the Bank to reform banking. In 1 955,
of H industan and the Bengal the Government of India took
Bank. over the Imperial Bank of
The East India Company also India. It became the State
established three banks. They Bank of Ind ia. I n 1 969, 1 4
were the Bank of Bengal, the major commercial banks in
Bank of Bombay, and the Bank the country were national
of Madras. These banks were ized.
independent units, and together In 1 991 , there was liberali
called the presidency banks. zation of banking practices,
They were private banks, owned and the country was flooded
mostly by Europeans. with many new generation
In 1 865, for the first time, an banks, changing the future of
exclusively Indian bank was the Indian banking system.
C oin swords were used in

Southern China to ward off evil
influences, especially those
causing fever. They were made
by tying together Chinese
coins that had a square hole i n
the middle, onto an iron rod.
tG U U� HIV
Why was the plague that erupt onto rattling carts, bu ried i n
ed in the 1 4th century regarded pest pits, o r left t o rot in the
as the most devastating epide m idday sun. In Venice, the
miological event in history? dead were rowed out to sea.
There were mass graves
The plague known as the stacked high with decaying
Black Death, spread rapidly corpses. In some places, even
through E u rope in the 1 4th the funeral bells and weeping
century. It may have eru pted ceased, for everyone was
somewhere in Central Asia expected to die!
in the 1 330s, and spread As the epidemic slowly
westwards to the M iddle retreated, there was an out
East, N o rth Africa, and pouring of macabre art and lit
E u rope. erature across Europe. 'The
In Europe alone, at least 25 Dance of Death', 'The Grim
million people died, possibly Reaper', 'Fearsome Visions of
more than one-third of the pop Hell' and 'The Symbol of the
ulation of Europe. Skull and Crossbones' are all
Everywhere, countless chilling reminders of the
bodies were bu ried by surviv dreaded d isease that once
ing family and friends, tossed devastated Europe.
176 Tell Me Why

H ei s
quarantin ed ...
Why was quarantine used?
Q uarantine is a state of isolation for people who

have been exposed to a contagious d isease, or
have come from infected places.
The word initially stood for 'a period of isolation'.
In 1 377, the Venetian colony of Ragusa detained
travelers on a nearby island for 40 days, or 'quar
anta giorni' in Latin, from which the word quarantine
was derived.
In the 1 4th and 1 5th centuries, the Italian states
imposed strict quarantine regulations during the
Plague- A time of plague, which was soon followed by other
Painting countries.
Don't go
there.. It's a
leprosy affect-
What is leprosy? ed area
L eprosy is a chronic bacterial infec

tion caused by the bacillus Mycobac
terium leprae. After a long incubation
period, it can turn fatal, damagi ng the Ring a
nerve, skin, and bones. In I ndia, there Ring 0' Roses
are evidences of leprosy in historical
documents since 600 BG.
The nursery
rhyme, 'Ring a
I n the olden days, leprosy was con Ring 0' Roses', Is
sidered a highly contagious d isease. about the Black
Diseased and the disfigured patients Death that struck
were shunned by society, due to fear Europe in the
of infection. In the 1 9th and 20th centu medieval era. The
ries, isolation of the i nfected was 'roses' are said
declared the appropriate policy to refer to the
towards leprosy. Leprosy colonies inflamed rose
were set up in many parts of the world, coloured ring of
mostly on off-shore islands. buboes, and 'all
Nowadays, there are more appropri fall down'
ate ways to treat the disease, includ describes the
ing effective antibiotics. Over the past ghastly deaths,
two decades, there has been an resulting from
encouraging reduction in the preva the plague.
lence of leprosy all over the world.
178 Tell Me Why

What is cholera, and how does it affect
people?
C holera is a water-borne disease

caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Its sudden onset, and the quick death it
brings, make cholera a fatal disease. Khole and
The victims suffer severe pain in the Rhino
stomach, violent vomiting, and uncontrol
The word
lable watery diarrhea. The resultant dehy
'choler' has its
dration leads to shrunken features, and a origin from the
bluish tinge all over the body, accompa Greek 'khole'
nied by shock, and finally, death. meaning bile,
The first cholera pandemic that spread and 'rhino',
through Asia erupted in 1 81 7 in the popu meaning 'to
lous Ganges- Brahmaputra delta in India. flow'. It has
Hence, the term 'Asiatic cholera' is used been used
in the west. since ancient
The devastating effects of the dreaded times to
diseases felt mostly on the pilgrimage describe any
centres in Asia, and on the stinking slums periodic diar
of the industrial towns of Europe and rhea affliction.
North America.
Best of Tell Me Why

Why is the British Army doctor Ron
ald Ross remembered in medical
history?
A British doctor, Ronald Ross,

was the first to make the connection
between mosquitoes and malaria.
Dr. Ross was inspired by the Scot
tish doctor Patrick Manson's discov
ery of the role of mosquitoes in
lymphatic filariasis. While stationed
at Secunderabad in India, Dr. Ross
dissected, and examined the stom
Ronald Ross achs of thousands of mosquitoes to
reveal the mosquito connection.
He eventually found 'pigmented
crests' protruding from the wall of a
dappled-wing mosquito that had fed
on a patient with malaria. It was clear
evidence of the malaria parasite.
In 1 897, Ross reported his remark
able discovery. Ross was awarded
the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1 902.
The day he made his discovery, 20th
August 1 897, was later known as
Mosquito Alert! 'the Mosquito Day'.
Walter Reed of the

US Army, and his
medical team,
proved that mosqui
toes transmitted yel
low fever.
Why is yellow fever called
so?
Y ellow fever, an acute viral

disease, is so called, because
the victim develops yellowing
of skin and eyes when the
fever attacks the liver, and
causes jaundice. G riffin
Hughes coined the term in
1 750. Mosquitoes, notably
the female Aedes aegypti,
transmit this disease.
In the past, yellow fever
was so common among sail
ors that infected ships carried
a special 'Yellow Jack' flag as A Portrait depicting Yellow fever
a warning, and were isolated
outside ports. The passen
gers were not allowed to Try this
red glass to
leave the ships, and were confirm Yel low
shot if they did so! The yellow fever.
fever even began to nick
named 'Yellow Jack'.

Sight from a Dengue
affected area
How did the word 'dengue fever' origi

nate?
The origin of the word 'dengue' is not

clear. One theory states that it comes
from the Swahili phrase 'ka-dinga
peep', which describes the disease as
being caused by an evil spirit.
It is also said that the word comes
from the Spanish word 'denguero', Plague
meaning affected or 'finicky', perhaps i n India
referring to the stiffness that affected
victims. About 1 2.6
All the different theories state that the million people
various symptoms of this viral i nfection were killed i n
are transmitted by the bite of a female India b y the
mosquito. It can cause high fever and disastrous
agonizing pain, followed by crippling plague epidem
ics between
after effects.
1 898 and 1 948.
Perhaps, that is why the American
Dev Nath
physician Benjamin Rush first described
dengue fever as 'break-bone fever.'
182 Tell Me Why

Why are the scientists Jonas Salk
and Albert Sabin admired by the rest
of the world?
P olio, a viral disease, was called a

cruel disease, as it affected the nerv
Jonas Salk
ous system and crippled many people
around the globe, especially children.
In 1 955, the USA celebrated the
first large scale polio immunization of
over 4,00,000 children with a safe
and effective medicine. This was due
to the American virologist Jonas Salk,
who developed it. His vaccine was
badged on a dead polio virus.
Another scientist, Albert Sabin, also
developed a vaccine that had some
advantages over the Salk vaccine.
Eventually, it was Sabin's vaccine
that became acceptable in most coun Albert Sabin
tries.

How did World Cup football Olympics in London. FIFA
begin? and its president Jules
Rimet then decided to stage
F ootball has been played in an international tournament
different countries, for centuries. outside of the Olympics.
About 2000 years ago , a form of On May 28th, 1 928, the FIFA
football was being played in Chi decided to stage a world
na. However, modern football championship. In 1 930, FIFA
was born in UK, in 1 863. I nterna named Uruguay as the host
tional football began in Paris on country of the inaugural World
May 2 1 st, 1 904, with the establish Cup tournament. I n total,
ment of FIFA, which is the short thirteen nations took part -
form for the Federation I nterna seven from South America,
tionale de Football Association. four from Europe, and two
Football became an official from North America. Thus,
competition at the 1 908 Summer World Cup football was born.
184 Tell Me Why

Why is it said that the World Cup victory in
1 983 was a turning point i n I ndian cricket?
W hen the Indian captain Kapil Dev lift

ed the Cricket World Cup, the sporting
ambitions of our nation also rose to new
heights. The third Cricket World Cup was
held in1 983, in England. India had never
won the World Cup before, and even die
hard sypporters had not g iven a chance for
I ndia to win the cup. The I ndian captain
thought otherwise.
Exciting cricket was on show in the World
Cup. Surprisingly, India entered the final.
They took on the reigning champion, the
mighty West Indies i n the final, and created
a sensational upset by defeating them.
Kapil's devils became heroes in India.
Interest in cricket soared. India's sports
Kapil Dev with scenario also benefitted greatly. India
the Prudential gained fame on the cricket field, and crores
World Cup 1 983 of rupees in revenue off it.
Why is tennis called by this name?
Tennis is played with racquets, and a

light, elastic ball by two players, or pairs
of players, on a rectangular cou rt divid
ed by a low net. It is played indoors and
Payyol i
outdoors, on hard surface, clay, and
Express
grass courts. A player hits the ball over
the net, and into the opponent's half of P T. Usha, is
.
the court in such a way that the oppo the first Indian
nent cannot reach, or return it. woman athlete,
Modern tennis is derived from the to reach the
ancient game of lawn tennis. The rules final of an
of modern tennis were defined by WaI Olympic event.
ter Clopton Wingfield. Both men and She was
women play tennis, and there are four awarded the
major international competitions, which Arjuna award
together are known as the Grand Slam and the Padma
tournaments. They are the Australian, Shri for her
French, and US Open, and Wimbledon. contributions
Did you know that the name 'tennis' to athletics.
comes from the French word 'tenet' • Sneha Rao
which means 'take this'.
1 86 Tell Me Why
Cricket World Cup and I ndia
India has three world cup

victories. The first one was the
Prudential World Cup in 1 983.
The team was led by Kapil Dev.
The second victory was in the
ICC Twenty20 World Champion
ship in 2007. Defeating Pakistan
by 5 runs, India became the first
World Twenty20 Champions·
there. India again lifted the ICC
Cricket World Cup in 201 1 .
M.S. Dhoni captained the team
Abhinav Bindra
that was victorious in the last
two World Cup matches.
Golden Bindra
Abhinav Singh
Bindra is the one
and only Indian to
win an individual
gold medal at the
Olympic Games. At
the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, he
bagged the gold
medal in the 1 0 m
Air Rifle event, and
created history. It
was also India's first
gold medal since
1 980, when the
men's field hockey
M. S. Dhoni team won the gold.

Why is Sachin Tendulkar called a cricket
i ng legend?
G iven his first cricket bat at the age

1 1 , Sachin Tendulkar was just 1 6 when
he became India's youngest Test cricket
er.
In 2005, he became the first cricketer to
score 35 centuries in Test matches. In
2007, Tendulkar became the first player to
record 1 5,000 runs in one-day interna
tional matches.
The list of his achievements is amazing
and he has broken record after record in
a career that spanned 24 glittering years.
Tendulkar played 664 international crick
et matches in total, scoring 34,357 runs.
On 1 6th November 201 3 after playing his
200th and final Test match, against the
Sachin Tendulkar West I ndies in Mumbai's Wankhede Sta
dium, Tendulkar retired from test cricket.
Why is Dhyan Chand considered one of

India's greatest hockey players?
D hyan Chand is a name that has

become synonymous with hockey.
Dhyan learned to play hockey when he
joined the Indian army, at the age of 1 6. It
is said that Dhyan earned the nickname
'Chand', which is the Hindi word for 'moon',
because he used to practice hockey by
moonlight, in the days before flood lights!
188 Tell Me Why

Master's Title at the age of 1 5. At 1 6,
he became the National Chess
Champion and at eighteen, India's
first G randmaster. In 1 987, Anand
became the first Asian to win the
World Junior Chess Championship.
Anand was the runner up to Kasp
arov in the World Championship
Viswanathan Anand final in 1 995, and he became the
first Asian to win the World Chess
Why is Viswanathan • Championship title in 2000.
Anand world famous? For his outstanding performance
and achievements, Anand has
V iswanathan Anand, a received many awards. He is known .
world-class chess cham as the 'One Man I ndian Chess Rev
pion was given the name olution, ' and enthusiastically pro
of Lightning Kid because motes the game, through innovative
of the speed with which methods in India.
he played. Anand was
the youngest Asian to
win the International Dhyan Chand
Chand helped India in winning gold

medals in hockey in three successive
Olympics games, and was the captain
of the gold medal winner I ndian Hockey
team in the 1 936 Berlin Olympics. _
Dhyan Chand was awarded the Padma

Bhushan, and his birthday is celebrated
as National Sports Day. Throughout his
career, Dhyan Chand scored more than
1 000 goals. On December 3rd, 1 979
this hockey legend passed away.

I
Wo ttder
Why?
Question of the Month
Why don't human beings have tails? on tree branches, or for

Have you ever wondered why Men balancing. A rudimenta
don't have tails? ry 'tail' can be found at
The answer is simple. Each ani the base of our spine. It's
mal strengthens those parts of its called the coccyx, or tail
body that are particularly useful. In bone. It's just too small to
four-legged animals, tails are very poke out behind us, so
important to maintain balance, for we don't know it's there!
e.g. monkeys.
As a species that lives on land, Send us your questions
Man doesn't need tails for hanging E mail: tellmewhy@mmp.in
190 Tell Me Why

Winners of the GK Contest - 1 8,
ANIMALS- held in the
NOVEMBER issue of Tell Me Why.
1. R. Chandra Priya 4. Ablr Sarkar

1 7-1-158 Kandasamypuram, Chamrajpet, 'Arom', Manoram Nagar,
Salem district, Tamil Nadu. Dhanbad, Jharkand.
2. Sharon Anoop 5. Braja Vivek Murmu

Karinattu House, Malappuram , Kerala. Rly Q-No:234, Unit-4,
3. Daya D. Pal Kharagpur, West Midnapur,
Bn05 Orchid Residency, Deonar Road, West Bengal.
Mumbai, Maharashtra.
GK Contest 1 8 A N I MALS - ANSWERS

-
1 . Giant Anteater 2 . Giant Panda

3 . Mandrill 4. Koala Bear 5 . Raccoon

Here.s a contest for our readers. Identify the AUTHORS, of the classics
given here. All you need to do is send us an email naming the author of
each book with the proper number.
(PLEASE GIVE YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS ALSO IN THE E-MAIL)
You are also welcome to send your answers by post.
1 00 winners will be awarded prizes. In case there are more than hundred
correct entries, the winners will be chosen by lot.
Last Date to receive entries: 201 5 JANUARY 2S

Our e-mail address: 0 ion@mmp.in
Please enter TMW - SPECIAL CONTEST in the subject line of your email.
LUCKY WINNERS
o
C LOC
......
� .
For details, please contMr.
1 00 4255 002 (Toll -free)
MANORAMA nLL ME WHY - BEST OF TELL ME WHY

Chief Editor: Ammu Mathew Editor-in-Charge: A_Y. Harisanker·
Printed and Published by V. Sajeev George, on behalf of M.M. Publications Ltd, P.B. No. 226, Kottayam - 686 001
at M.M. Publications Ltd, P.B. No. 226, Kottayam - 686 001 and Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam - 686 039
and published from M.M. Publications ltd, P.B. No. 226, Kottayam - 686 001 •
• Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Best of Tell Me Why (Tell Me Why #100) (gnv64)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Best of Tell Me Why (Tell Me Why #100) (gnv64)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MANORAMA

MUMBAI: Mll.y.l.Min .......

TELL ME WHY SCORES 100 !

(OIMBATORE: �laMlnor..... are happy to present, a collector's issue

KOCHI MIla,... MI....... enjoy this unique issue .

T here are many popular theories regarding

and that allowed all the

Best of Tell Me Why

The rings of Jupiter, Uranus, and Nep­

Best of Tell Me Why 7

Are comets covered in an

A s a comet absorbs ultra­

The most noticeable features of

Best of Tell Me Why 9

S Cientists think there are two

N o. There is no reason for such

I f an explorer were to step

I f you look at the map of the

Best of Tell Me Why 13

The coldest place

Setting up What is inside the Earth?

A s a river nears the sea, it starts to

Iy moving. About 6400 km below the

Best o f Tell M e Why

Is the Earth a perfect sphere?

I f you look around, the Earth looks

Best of Tell Me Why 17

The main reason for this is that deserts get very

W hen we talk about weath­

C lOUdS and rain form only

A rain dance is a traditional dance per­

H uman beings have always wondered

Best of Tell Me Why 23

I t is difficult to think that the Universe

W henever rain falls, some of it soaks into

The Sun heats the water

What is the difference between a

B oth are craft that travel under

Best of Tell Me Why 29

O il spills contain poisonous chemi­

T o know the answer to this ques­

T here are thou­

Do all seas have tides? t h e sea in a given location.

Tides are caused due to the

F ish are cold-blooded animals

Best of Tell Me Why 33

The beauty of the Alps has made

The desert rose is neither soft hurt you this

A s their name suggest, honey-pot ants are

There are two sources of feather colour - pigments,

P lanktons are microscopic

Which predator looks l i ke a

T he sea anemone looks like

I f you are ever in a desert, and see

Best of Tell Me Why 39

I f you watch an eagle's

The hoatzin, a bird that lives

Best of Tell Me Why 41

There certainly are a lot of

Best of Tell Me Why

Do ostriches really hide

N o, ostrich living in cap­

belief. The ostrich, in fact,

The rings of Jupiter, Uranus, and Nep

A s a comet absorbs ultra

W hen we talk about weath

A rain dance is a traditional dance per

O il spills contain poisonous chemi

T o know the answer to this ques

T here are thou

N o, ostrich living in cap

C rocodiles may look very fright

C hristoPher Latham Sholes invented the first prac

The Ancient Chinese made tooth

I n first generation comput