Interesting Inventions

You’ve just walked in the door after a long day at work. Exhausted from the commute home, you turn on the TV and flip through a few channels. You don’t find anything to watch, so you turn off the TV and turn on the overhead light and begin reading a book.

After reading a few chapters, you turn off the light and head into the kitchen for a snack. You find a slice of pizza in the freezer which you proceed to place in the microwave. After eating you head upstairs and listen to your new CD while you do some research on the internet. This day is not any different than most days—but have you ever stopped and wondered where all of these things that you use everyday came from (the light bulb, CD player, microwave, TV remote, computers, etc.). Here are a few stories behind some extremely useful inventions that we take for granted while going about our daily lives.

Bicycle -

An early version of the bicycle called the Celerifere, was built in 1791 by a French man named Comte Mede de Sivrac. It was basically a scooter with a high seat attached to the top. But the Celerifere did not have any pedals.

In 1816, Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun of Germany, invented a model with a steering bar attached to the front wheel-but still no pedals. This new machine became known as the Draisienne or hobby horse. It was popular, but only as a fad since it was not very practical on grounds other than a park or garden.

In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan added pedals to enable him to get up hills. His peers thought he was crazy, but it was this innovation that made the bicycle popular and a serious form of transportation.

Crayons -

Crayons were invented by Edwin Binney and Harold Smith who owned a paint company in New York City. These new “crayons” were made by combining wax with different pigments (chemicals that make colors). In 1903, Binney and Smith released the first box of eight “Crayola Crayons”. These new crayons were an overnight success.

Microwave -

As is the case with many inventions, the microwave was invented by accident.

In 1946, Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer was touring one of his laboratories when he stopped in front of a magnetron (vacuum tubes that produce microwave radiation). While standing in front of this machine, he noticed that a candy bar in his pocket had melted. Next he tested popcorn kernels which to his amazement popped if placed next to the machine. He soon discovered that these microwaves could cook and heat food much quicker than ovens and stoves that use heat.

The Sandwich -

The sandwich was invented by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich.

Around 1762, John Montagu reportedly was too busy to sit down and eat a full meal, so he asked his cook to just place some meat between two slices of bread – the rest is history!

TV Remote Control -

Remote control technology has been around since the early 1900s (the Germans used remote control boats during WWI), but the TV remote control did not make its first appearance until 1950.

Zenith Radio Corporation created the first TV remote control called “Lazy Bone” that could turn the TV on and off and could change channels (this remote was not wireless - it was attached to the TV by a cable). Many improvements have been made to this invention during the last 50 years.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Waiting are they? Waiting are they? Well - let 'em wait.
In response to an attending doctor who attempted to comfort him by saying, "General, I fear the angels are waiting for you."
~~ Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary General, d. 1789

Am I dying or is this my birthday?
When she woke briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her bedside.
~~ Lady Nancy Astor, d. 1964

Nothing, but death.
When asked by her sister, Cassandra, if there was anything she wanted.
~~ Jane Austen, writer, d. July 18, 1817

How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?
~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891

I can't sleep.
~~ James M. Barrie, author, d. 1937

Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him.
~~ John Barrymore, actor, d. May 29, 1942

I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.
~~ Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, d.1170

Now comes the mystery.
~~ Henry Ward Beecher, evangelist, d. March 8, 1887

Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.
~~ Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, d. March 26, 1827

I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.
~~ Humphrey Bogart, actor, d. January 14, 1957

Josephine...
~~ Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor, May 5, 1821

I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct.
~~ Dominique Bouhours, French grammarian, d. 1702

Ah, that tastes nice. Thank you.
~~ Johannes Brahms, composer, d. April 3, 1897

Oh, I am not going to die, am I? He will not separate us, we have been so happy.
Spoken to her husband of 9 months, Rev. Arthur Nicholls.
~~ Charlotte Bronte, writer, d. March 31, 1855

Beautiful.
In reply to her husband who had asked how she felt.
~~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning, writer, d. June 28, 1861

Now I shall go to sleep. Goodnight.
~~ Lord George Byron, writer, d. 1824

I'm bored with it all.
Before slipping into a coma. He died 9 days later.
~~ Winston Churchill, statesman, d. January 24, 1965

I know you have come to kill me. Shoot coward, you are only going to kill a man.
Facing his assassin, Mario Teran, a Bolivian soldier.
~~ Ernesto "Che" Guevara, d. October 9, 1967

Yes, it's tough, but not as tough as doing comedy.
When asked if he thought dying was tough.
~~ Edmund Gwenn, actor, d. September 6, 1959

God will pardon me, that's his line of work.
~~ Heinrich Heine, poet, d. February 15, 1856

Turn up the lights, I don't want to go home in the dark.
~~ O. Henry (William Sidney Porter), writer, d. June 4, 1910

THE CUP THAT CHEERS – ALSO CURES

From the dawn of tea drinking, the brew has been acclaimed as a divine remedy for various ailments.

The Chinese used green tea to treat rheumatism, stimulate blood circulation, cure colds, digestive and liver problems. In paste form it was applied externally to heal wounds and skin tumors.

Tea has a refreshing effect and relaxes the nerves. The caffeine in tea increases alertness and a capacity for sustained intellectual effort apart from inducing a more rapid and clear flow of thought and a more perfect association of ideas. Caffeine also reduces drowsiness and fatigue.

Tea also contains appreciable amounts of vitamin ‘E’ and ‘K’. The fluoride content of tea has shown to be effective in preventing dental cavities.

Tea can assist in reducing weight, lowering cholesterol, preventing coronary heart diseases, resisting cancer and reducing hypertension.

So, go ahead and drink the brew – the beverage of the man who dares to think…

7 words WOMEN use...

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means 'something,' and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in 'Fine'.

GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A 'Loud Sigh' means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over 'Nothing'.

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. 'That's Okay' means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say you're welcome.

WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ You.

Laws on work...

# The first 90% of a project takes 10% of the time, the last 10% takes the other 90% of the time.

# Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

# You can go anywhere you want, if you look serious and carry a clipboard.

More laws on work...

# If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.

# To err is human, to forgive is not company policy.

# In case of an atomic bomb attack, the company will close for half day.

Some more laws on work...

# Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing.

# The last person that quit or was fired will be the one held responsible for everything that goes wrong - until the next person quits or is fired.

# If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are real good, you will get out of it.

And some more laws on work...

# People don't make the same mistake twice. They make it three times, four times, or five times.

# When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.

# Success is just a matter of luck - as any failure will tell you.

NOISE MAKERS

Many animals who live together in groups have special ways of warning each other when danger approaches. Everyone knows what the danger signals mean - and they run away fast when they see them!

Beavers slap the water with their flat tails. Rabbits thump with their hind legs - and quails drum with their wings!

Humans remember four things at a time

Psychologists that the University of Oregon say that the capacity of short-term memory is a strong predictor of an individual's IQ level and scholastic achievement.

A study conducted by them has shown that an average person can think only about four items at a time, but people with high IQ levels can remember more articles.

Professor Edward Awh and Professor Edward Vogel of the university conducted laboratory experiments to test their hypothesis that the memory capacity might be influenced by the complexity of items being stored, something that might cause a four-item limit for most people.

The study showed that even when very complex objects had to be remembered, the participants who ranged in age from 18 to 30 years still were able to hold four items in active memory. However, the clarity of those items was not always perfect.

PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSECLEANING!

I don't do windows because ... I love birds and don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt.

I don't wax floors because ... I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt then I'll feel terrible (plus they may sue me).

I don't mind the dust bunnies because ... they are very good company; I have named most of them, and they agree with everything I say.

I don't disturb cobwebs because ... I want every creature to have a home of their own.

I don't Spring Clean because ... I love all the seasons and don't want the other seasons to get jealous.

I don't pull weeds in the garden because .. I don't want to get in God's way. HE is an excellent designer!

I don't put things away because ... my husband will never be able to find them again.

I don't do gourmet meals when I entertain because ... I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over for dinner.

I don't iron because ... I choose to believe them when they say "Permanent Press" on the labels of the clothes I buy.

I don't stress much on anything because ... "A Type" personalities die young andI want to stick around and become a wrinkled up crusty ol' woman!!!!

REMEMBER . . . .

A clean house is a sign of a broken computer (since I can't go on-line, I might as well kill time doing some housecleaning!).

KARATE - Mighty Weapon Of The Empty Hand

Today, the techniques of Karate (pronounced Kah-rahte), for 15 centuries a closely guarded secret of the Orient, are being taken up world-wide, as a combination of recreation, exercise and self-defence.

Karate is a good deal more than the mere forceful, open-handed chop that it appears to the untrained eye. Karate’s unequalled power comes form a repertoire of more than 50 basic techniques that thwart any known tactic of an assailant and provide a stunning counter attack as well. No movement is wasted. Karate has a purposeful strategy from the first shrill yell which unnerves the attacker to the tightly clenched fist that starts out swinging with the fingers spread apart to obstruct the attacker’s view.

Never trying to out-muscle an assailant, the highly skilled practitioner, called a Karateka, uses rapid, coordinated feints that make the assailant vulnerable. For example; an attacker punches at a woman’s head. Knees bending slightly, she tosses her head back just enough to pull the man’s driving fist several centimeters farther than he intended. Eighty percent of the man’s body weight is now tilted forward. With her foot the woman merely taps a certain muscle in his ankle to unbalance him. Gravity jerks his feet out from under him. To keep him down, the woman can strike the “knee side” of a hand into a specific place on his neck that will momentarily stop blood flow to his head, stunning him. No wonder karate has become so popular, as a remarkable art of self-defence that enables even a 40 kilo girl to subdue a much stronger attacker.

The body has more than 40 sensitive “vital points”. One such “vital point” – on the neck – has been mentioned in the example given in the previous paragraph. If the same woman hits a certain muscle, to cite another example, the man loses control of his limbs for a few seconds. If certain nerves are struck, he is temporarily paralyzed. Anyone who has endured the numbing sensation in the elbow after striking the exposed “funny bone” knows what the reaction is like.

It takes up to eight months to learn the mechanics of Karate and three years to excel. The occasional bully who starts to learn usually lacks the discipline to continue; if he becomes proficient, he loses his aggressiveness, experts claim.

The colour of the practitioner’s belt denotes one of the eight levels of proficiency from the white worn by the beginner to the black awarded to those who have passed a test before a committee of accomplished black belts. But a reminder comes with each legitimate black belt: “You’ve only come of age in Karate.” Traditionally, there are ten levels of black belt, but only a few honoured champions ever seem to advance past the eighth.

Karate’s potentially lethal techniques began as peaceful exercises in 520 A.D. when an Indian monk, Bodhidharma, travelled to China and founded the Zen sect of Buddhism. He taught the monks to cultivate their minds and bodies with a strenuous exercise combining breathing and meditation, the slashing fist of the Indian warrior, and Chinese shadow boxing. Eventually called Kung-fu, the exercise also provided self-defence against bandit attacks. As Zen spread through China, Kung-fu was taught to trusted followers who vowed never to reveal its techniques. Kung-fu’s secretive growth was dramatized during the uprising against foreigners in Peking in 1900. Guarded consulates were surrounded by so many unarmed men with their fists in Kung-fu positions that Westerners called the uprising the Boxer Rebellion.

Karate’s present style evolved when Japan invaded Okinawa in 1609 and seized every conceivable weapon. In response, practitioners revealed how the weapon of “(kara) empty (te) hand” could block spears and paralyze warriors. The bent shields and swords in Okinawa’s museums attest to Karate’s efficiency.

Karate was taught only by fathers to sons, and men denied having the knowledge of Karate even to their neighbours.

Some of Karate’s methods, however, were learnt by American servicemen befriending Karateka in Japan, Okinawa, Korea and Indo-China during the American occupation. During the 1960s, a few experts, seeing ex-servicemen demonstrate their techniques, began to relax their code and teach “pure” Karate to anyone interested and disciplined enough. Since then, Karate has spread across every continent.

Snow in Buenos Aires after 89 years!

Thousands of Argentines cheered and threw snowballs in the streets of Buenos Aires on July 9 as the capital city’s first snowfall since 1918 spread a thin white mantle across the region.

Wet snow fell for hours in the Argentine capital on Monday, July 9, accumulating in a mushy but thin white layer late in the evening, after freezing air from Antarctica collided with a moisture-laden low pressure system that blanketed higher elevations in western and central Argentina with snow.

“Despite all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen snow in Buenos Aires,” said Juana Benitez, an 82-year-old to newspaper reporters – before joining children celebrating in the streets.

Argentina’s National Weather Service said it was the first snowfall in Buenos Aires since June 22, 1918, though sleet or freezing rain have been periodically reported in the decades since. One man stripped to his shorts to welcome the snow. Children scraped snow from cars and threw snowballs. Motorists honked horns in celebration – some had small snowmen on their hoods. Some fender benders were reported on slick suburban streets.

The snowstorm struck on Argentina’s Independence Day holiday, adding to a festive air and prompting radio stations to play and old tango song inspired by the 1918 snowfall – “What a night!”

“This is the kind of weather phenomenon that comes along every 100 years,” forecaster Hector Ciappesoni told La Nacion newspaper. “It is very difficult to predict.”

The snow followed a bitter cold snap in late May that saw subfreezing temperatures, the coldest in 40 years in Buenos Aires. That cold wave contributed to an energy crisis and 23 deaths from exposure.

MEASURING TIME - The Ancient Way

Nowadays, we are able to use many different types of clocks – all guaranteed to keep time to a very high degree of accuracy. These clocks run by mechanical, electrical, digital or even atomic power. The earliest is the mechanical clock – but even that was invented only a few hundred years ago. Then how did people of long ago measure time? What were the first clocks invented by Man?

Shepherds in ancient times were among the first to assess the time of the day by watching the shadows shorten and lengthen as the sun passed overhead. This became the basis of the first timepiece invented by Man: the sun-dial. Sticks or poles were stuck into the ground, and the angle of the shadow showed what time it was. It is believed that the Chinese used sun-dials as long ago as 2670 B.C. and the ancient Egyptians and Assyro-Babylonians had similar instruments. But the credit for the invention, in 500 B.C., of a really scientific solar timepiece goes to the Greek, Anaximander. Sun-dials had appeared in Rome by 291 B.C.: the iron hand of one famous sun-dial was attached almost perpendicularly to a wall, on which radiating lines marked the hours of the day as the shadows fell upon them. However, sun-dials had one great drawback: you couldn’t tell the time unless the sun was shining!

The water clock, invented by the ancient Egyptians, was a great step forward. This consisted of two bowls, one on top of the other. The top one was filled with water, which dripped out into the bottom bowl through a tiny hole. When all the water had dripped through - a certain period of time had passed. Large water clocks ran for six hours and then had to be re-filled. The famous Greek philosopher Plato constructed one of the first alarm clocks using one of these Egyptian water clocks. He hung the bottom part of the water clock on a swivel, so that after a certain time it would tip over and pour out all the water. The water was then channeled along to a whistle, which would begin to blow as the water streamed through it.

The water-clock was modified into the hour-glass. At first, the hour-glass contained water which dripped through the narrow opening between an upper and lower vessel; the device was later improved by replacing the water with very fine sand. The length of time taken for the upper glass to empty was carefully measured and when the water (or sand) had all reached the bottom, the hour-glass was reversed. Erone, a great physicist who lived about 200 B.C. used an hour-glass for taking the pulse of his patients. At Greek trials the time allowed to the defendant for pleading his case was limited by the hour-glass.

Another method of time-telling used by the Romans was to burn candles marked to indicate the passing of the hours, and rich people could buy pocket sun-dials. Then, about 130 B.C., Ctesibius, a mathematician, had the brilliant idea of constructing an hour-glass in which the action of the dripping water set in motion a system of wheels. These, in their turn, were connected to a little statue, which slowly climbed a notched column, marking off the hours on it with a stick.

The Chinese used other methods to build their clocks. For example, they would mark incense sticks off into certain periods of time. There is a record of a very artistic Chinese making a “smell” clock, which gave off a different scent each time a certain period had passed.

The ancient Germans had an exhausting method of keeping track of the time. They would fill a helmet full of pebbles, and then transfer them, one by one, into another helmet. You can imagine how the period of time taken to transfer the pebbles would vary depending on the mood of the man doing the work!

Great fall for nursery rhymes

Nursery rhymes like "Humpty Dumpty" and "Jack and Jill" are on the verge of extinction.

A new survey in Britain has revealed that these childhood verses are no longer sung by parents to their children due to their increased preference for pop songs.

Over 50 percent of the parents surveyed could not recall a rhyme. Though research says that singing to children could be an advantage at school, 37 percent of the parents admitted that they hardly sing to their kids. 38 percent admitted that they sing only pop songs to their children.

The survey follows the introduction by the Government of a new phonics teaching programme in primary schools.

The safe way to sneeze

One would think that so elementary a reflex as sneezing would come naturally and harmlessly. Quite the opposite is the clinical truth. A considerable number of sneezers injure their nose, sinuses, or middle ear by performing this simple act incorrectly.

There are grim-visage, lip-locked individuals, who direct the existing forces of the sneeze through the nose, with shattering effect on the nasal membranes and the air-pressure within the middle ear, causing nose bleeding.

Then, there is the “polite” sneezer, who smothers the sneeze or, worse still, aborts it. Either technique creates a pressure within the head, causing sinuses.

The “fire-alarm” sneezer scares the living daylights out of everyone, with a blast that combines the nasal eruption method with an ear-splitting vocal accompaniment. It is my experience that you will usually meet this type of sneezer in a chamber music concert or other like function where deathly silence on the part of the audience is the rule.

Experts offer useful pointers on the safe way to sneeze. All one needs to do is to keep the mouth open and permit the force of the sneeze to be expended orally. To block the spray effect, cup the hands at the mouth.

Anything else you wanted to know about sneezing?

Millions of Indians hooked on the world wide web

Internet addiction amongst Indians is alarmingly on the rise.

An increasing number of people are seeking help from health professionals to get over their (or their children’s) obsession with the cyber world. The net addicts are not only children and adolescents hooked on to Orkut and various porn sites for six to eight hours a day, but also middle-aged people who are addicted to various social networking, gambling, gaming and pornographic websites.

There are an estimated 50 million Internet users in India. In fact India boasts of being the fifth largest country in the world in terms of the number of Internet users.

The increasing online frenzy has raised fears of a growing population of Internet addicts in India. China, where this addiction has become a serious issue, has over 2 million addicts, according to China’s Internet Addiction Treatment Centre (IATC). Alarmed by the increasing number of Internet-related suicides of youngsters, the Indian government has officially started Internet addiction clinics. Recently, the renowned Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai banned Internet in many of its hostels from 11.30 pm to 12.30 pm, because a large number of students had become addicted to gaming, blogging, file-sharing and online movies and showed up late for classes.

What exactly is Internet addiction and what are its symptoms? Internet addiction is not about long hours spent on the Net, but a compulsive desire to log on without any purpose. It is purposeless surfing on the Net which adversely affects a person’s personal, professional and social life.

People with a fixation on the Net tend to get restless when they have no access to it and they have this compelling desire to use the Net without any necessity.

One of the reasons why young people have an increasing obsession with the cyber world is that it provides them with a global social milieu where they are forging all sorts of relationships. It allows them to express emotions and feelings in a way they cannot do in real life. So the Net has a cathartic value.

According to experts, symptoms of internet addiction include a disregard for health, insomnia, lack of physical activity and declining desire for social interaction. It results in strained relationships, as those hooked on to the Internet tend to ignore their families and friends.

These days, many youngsters travelling on trains are so busy with their laptops that they do not have time to look at people sitting next to them throughout the journey. Those contacting health professionals for help include worried parents of children living in college hostels who are online for as many as eight hours when they go home during vacations. The laptop is their constant companion.

"FACTS" WE KNOW THAT ARE NOT SO

Almost everybody knows that Wellington’s final battle against Napoleon was fought at Waterloo. And that bulls see red. But, like a lot of other things we know, these “facts” just aren’t so. The battle of Waterloo was really fought four kilometers away from Waterloo, between the villages of Plancenoit and Mont St Jean. And investigations have established that bulls are actually “colour-blind” – they cannot distinguish one colour from another. This article is an attempt to set the record straight on some more such misinformation.

Moth-eaten: Moths, contrary to the popular notion, do not eat clothes. Some, as a matter of fact, don’t eat anything at all during their adult lives, which are (not surprisingly) brief. It’s the larvae that do the damage; by the time moths are flying out of the cupboard, it’s too late.

Sherlock Holmes: At no point in any of the 56 short stories and four novels that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about his famous detective does Holmes say, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

S.O.S.: The universal symbol requesting aid, contrary to what is often said, doesn’t stand for “Save Our Ship,” or “Save Our Souls.” It doesn’t, in fact, stand for anything. It was selected because it is very simple, both to remember and to transmit in Morse code – three dots, three dashes, three dots.

The bagpipe: While the bagpipe is considered to be the national instrument of Scotland, historically it is hardly more Scottish than Irish. It is a very ancient instrument – as old as ancient Persia – which was introduced into the British Isles by the Romans. Surprisingly enough, some form of the bagpipe is found in Spain, Italy, France, the Balkans, and even Czechoslovakia.

Frankenstein: A common misconception is that the name of the monster in Mary Shelly’s book: Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is Frankenstein. Frankenstein was not the name of the monster but the name of the person who created the monster.

Steam: You just think you can see it. Like most other gases, steam is invisible. Only when it cools enough so that minute droplets of water condense, is it visible. If one looks closely at the spout of a boiling kettle, one can observe a small space of what looks like air between the spout and the mist. That is steam.

Talking about the weather...

I live and work in New Delhi - which is known for its extreme weather conditions: very hot summers and chilly winters. Yet, we who live in and around Delhi, really don't have much to complain about. If you want to know what a blistering summer can really be like, you should visit Al' Aziziyah in Libya.

Al' Aziziyah holds the world record for the highest temperature ever authoritatively registered when, on September 13, 1992, the mercury soared to a fiery 58 degrees centigrade. Death Valley, California, follows close behind, with a reading of 56.7 degrees centigrade on July 10, 1913. Both Amose and Mamoth Tank, also in California, have recorded a temperature of 54.4 degrees centigrade on the historic day of August 17, 1885.

However, the weather, as it occurs in different parts of the globe, shows a mercurial range of difference.

Thus, at the other end of the scale, is Vostok, Antarctica, where the lowest temperature reading ever of -83 degrees centigrade was made on August 24, 1960.

For those who feel that thermal variety is the spice of life, Browning, Montana, USA is just the place to suit their taste. On January 23-24, 1916, Browning experienced a temperature variation of 37.8 degrees centigrade (100 degrees fahrenheit) when, within a matter of hours, the thermometer dropped from 44 degrees fahrenheit to -56 degrees fahrenheit! In Olekminsk in Siberia, the annual temperature variation has gone up to 105 degrees centigrade, ranging from a broiling 45 degrees centigrade, in summer, to a biting -60 degrees centigrade in winter. Verkhoyansk, also in Siberia, is said to have fluctuated 106.9 degrees centigrade from 36.7 degrees centigrade in the summer to -70 degrees centigrade in the winter.

Pictorial letters of the English alphabet

The letters O, B, P and F are pictorial in origin. O is the open mouth in the act of uttering the sound. B shows the profile of the sealed human lips pronouncing it. P is the lips partly open and F is a P with the air escaping.

500 years of the toothbrush

The year 1998 marked the 500th anniversary of the toothbrush.

A 17th century Chinese encyclopedia says that the toothbrush was invented in China in 1498. This prototype toothbrush is said to have had bristles set at right angles in the handle and appears to have been basically of the same design as its modern counterpart.

The earliest English reference to toothbrushes, as claimed by the Shell Book, is contained in a letter addressed to Sir Ralph Verney in 1649, asking him to purchase, during his forthcoming visit to Paris, some of those "little brushes for making clean of the teeth."

By the end of the 17th century toothbrushes were available in Britain. The diary of Anthony A. Wood for 1690 records that they could be bought in London from one retailer called J. Barret. According to Messrs. Floris of Jermyn Street, it was customary in the 18th century to sell toothbrushes in sets containing 5-6 different sizes; the reason is unknown. They were supplied to Floris by a company founded in 1780 by William Addis, a company which claims to have been the first toothbrush manufacturers in Britain.

By the beginning of the 20th century, toothbrushes were readily available in Europe and America, but they were expensive items made of bone or ivory, expected to last for a long time. The shape of the handle was much the same as the standard one used today, but the bristles were nearly twice as long as modern versions.

In the 1930s plastic toothbrushes were first produced, though on a small scale. The shape of the head was retained, this time in plastic with natural bristles. The first one with nylon bristles was called 'Miracle Tuft Toothbrush', which had Du Pont Exton bristles. It was first marketed by the company Dr. West in the USA, exactly 70 years ago.

However, it was not until the plastic handle and nylon bristle were married in 1953 that the toothbrush as we know it today was born. With plastic handled, nylon bristled toothbrushes being mass-produced, prices fell and brushes became affordable to the common masses for the first time. Natural bristles continued to be used, marketed as "pure" and "healthy", while the cheaper and more durable nylon bristled toothbrush started becoming much more popular.

Eyelashes

# There are 90-160 eyelashes on the upper lid and 70-80 on the lower one.

# An eyelash's life is five months.

# Lashes grow for 30 days, rest for three months, then degenerate for the remaining 30 days before falling off.

# At any given time, 60-80 per cent of your eyelashes are growing, while 20-40 per cent are dying off.

Musical affair

One of the most famous embarrassing moments to occur in British India was made at Viceregal Lodge in New Delhi. The Viceroy had his own orchestra, which used to play during dinner, and on one occasion the Vicereine, the Viceroy's wife, asked the title of the tune being played. No one could remember, so an aide-de-camp was sent to enquire of the bandmaster.

On his return, the aide-de-camp slipped into his seat and waited for an opportunity to impart his information. At the next silence he leapt forward, looked at the Vicereine, and announced in a penetrating voice: "Your Excellency, 'I will Remember Your Kisses, Even When You Have Forgotten My Name."

The origin of tea

The earliest mention of tea occurs in a Chinese dictionary, the Erh Y’a, about the year 350 B.C. People say it was first cultivated in Szechwan province of China. Buddhist priests then took tea to Japan where the Japanese soon started growing and using it.

There’s a lovely Japanese legend about the discovery of tea. The story goes that tea first grew in China where the Buddhist priest Bodhidharma meditated for nine years in front of a wall. Once he fell asleep. He was so annoyed with himself when he woke up that he cut off his eyelids and threw them on the ground! There they took root and became a tea plant.

The Monsoon Comes To Delhi...

For two months the city suffers under the sullen eye of the sun. The heat rises up in clouds of steam from the roads and shimmers down from the skies. The populace swelters and mopes. Tempers run close to the edge, and appetites die.

These are the days of Coke and Pepsi. Heaven is a piece of tinkling ice. Nostalgic thoughts turn to cool fir-covered hill resorts in Himachal.

The pronouncements of weather pundits on Zee TV and Star TV often take precedence over all other news. "Monsoon reaches Bhopal," "Monsoon nears Agra," "Monsoon days away..." Like a tardy bridegroom's party, it advances, tarries and advances again.

No glass, no heart, no dawn breaks as the monsoon does upon Delhi. A sudden whiplash of lightning. A salvo of thunder. Old Connaught Place buildings rock on their heels. A crash, a peal and an echoing reverberation beyond the arrayed clouds shatters into a trillion prancing drops. Soothing, healing rain at last on the festering sores of summer.

Cloud upon cloud growls up to puncture itself on the jagged edge of lightning. The rumbling dies, decibel by decibel, as the rain comes pouring down. It flirts with the grass at India Gate. It sweeps into open windows, drenching those who have the audacity to be asleep during this moment when the orchestra of nature is playing to full glory. It leaks into ramshackle shanties and laughs to see Nehru Place office-goers scurry for shelter. It bathes the metro rail coaches on the elevated tracks until they appear like gleaming metal gods streaking through the grey and angry sky. A cluster of jubilant umbrellas blossom out and nod their welcome to the rains.

Next morning, the earth, newly washed, basks in the filtered sunlight. There is water 30 centimetres deep in parts of the city. The road below Minto Bridge is once again a lake...and is featured in front page photographs in both The Hindustan Times and the Times of India. Cars splutter, trains and buses run late, and at Palam flights are cancelled wholesale.

The monsoon has taken Delhi by storm again.

The Story Of Noah's Ark Retold (A Modern Fable)

And the Lord said unto Noah: "Where is the ark which I had commanded thee to build?"

And Noah said unto the Lord: "Believe me, O Lord, three of my carpenters have reported sick. The gopher wood supplier has let me down - yes, even though the gopher wood has been on order for nigh upon 12 months. "What can I do, O Lord?"

And God said unto Noah: "I want that ark finished within seven days and seven nights."

And Noah said: "It will be so."

And it was not so.

And the Lord said unto Noah: "What seems to be the trouble this time?"

And Noah said unto the Lord: "My subcontractor has gone bankrupt. The pitch which Thou commanded me to put on the outside and on the inside of the ark has not arrived. The plumber has gone on strike. Shem, my son who helps me on the ark side of the business, has formed a rock group with his brothers Ham and Japheth. Lord, I am undone."

And the Lord grew angry and said: "And what about the animals, the male and female of every sort that I ordered to be put in the ark to keep their seed alive upon the face of the earth?"

And Noah wrung his hands and wept, saying: "The parcel service has delivered them unto the wrong address. And some animals are discontinued lines; thou cannot get them for love nor money. Lord, Lord, Thou knowest how it is."

And the Lord in His Wisdom said: "Noah, my son, I knowest. Why else do you think I have caused a flood to descend upon the earth?"

The Tourist's Prayer

Heavenly Father, look down on us, your humble, obedient, tourist servants, who are doomed to travel this earth, taking photographs and videos, mailing postcards and e-mailing shopping expedition stories to uninterested friends, buying souvenirs and walking around in drip-dry underwear. We beseech you, O Lord, to see that our plane is not hijacked, our luggage is not lost and that our overweight baggage goes unnoticed.

Give us this day divine guidance in our selection of hotels. We pray that the phones work, and that the operators speak our tongue, that there is mobile phone connectivity wherever we go, and that there are no letters and sms messages from our children which would force us to cancel the rest of our trip.

Lead us to good, inexpensive restaurants, where the wine is included in the price of the meal. Give us the wisdom to tip correctly in currencies we do not understand. Make the natives love us for what we are and not what we can contribute to their worldly goods.

Grant us the strength to visit the museums, the cathedrals, the palaces, and if, perchance, we skip a historic monument to take a nap after lunch, have mercy on us for our flesh is weak.

Dear God, protect our wives from "bargains" they don't need or can't afford. Lead them not into temptation for they know not what they do.

Almighty Father, keep our husbands from looking at foreign women and comparing them to us. Save them from making fools of themselves in nightclubs. Above all, please do not forgive them their trespasses for they know exactly what they do.

And when our voyage is over, grant us the favour of finding someone who will look at our home movies and photographs, and listen to our stories, so that our lives as tourists will not have been in vain.

Amen.