Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
The
mock sea battles.
Colosseum of Ancient After four centuries of active
Rome is one of the landmarks use, the magnificent arena fell
of world history, for it is a testi into neglect. Though two-thirds
monial to the greatness of the of the original Colosseum has
Roman Empire. been destroyed over time, the
This giant am phitheatre was am phitheatre remains a popu
built in the centre of Rome. lar tourist destination, as well
The construction was started as an iconic symbol of Rome.
by the Em peror Vespasian in
AD 72, and completed in AD
80 by his successor and heir,
the Emperor Titus.
The Colosseum was huge. It
could seat 50,000 people. It
covered around 2.4 hectares
of land. It took more than 1 . 1
million tonnes of marble, stone,
and bricks to com plete the
massive structure. The Roman
emperors staged gladiator
fights and other forms of enter-
4
Why is the Antonine Plague returning from cam paigns in the
considered a turni ng point Near East.
in the history of Rome? In AD 1 78, it caused 2,000
deaths a day in Rome, and by
I n AD 1 65, a plague called AD 1 80, it had killed thirty per
the Antonine plague hit the cent of the population. The plague
Roman Empire. The epi ram paged throughout the Empire
dem ic stole the life of a from Persia to Spain, and from
Roman em peror called Britain to Egypt.
Lucius Verus. From his fam The plague almost wiped out
ily name Antoninus, the epi the Roman army. The disease
dem ic got its name Antonine broke out again after nine years.
plague. In brief, the plague may well have
This disease was brought created the conditions for the
back to the Rome by troops decline of the Roman Empire.
6 Tell MeWhy
Writers, artists and Why is Constantine known as a great
musicians were Emperor?
T
encouraged.
It was also an era of he Roman Emperor Constantine,
extensive i nventions who ruled from 306 to 337 AD, has left
and discoveries in sci his m ark in history as the ruler who
ence and technology. united the Western Roman Empire
Nalanda U niversity, with the Eastern Roman Empire.
which became the When Constanti ne came to the
centre for the educa throne, the Roman Empire consisted
tion, was built during of two separate empires, one in West
this time. ern Europe, and the other in Eastern
The g reat m athe Europe. Constantine was a mighty
m atician Aryabhata, general who became the sole ruler of
the famous poet Kali both the western and eastern halves,
dasa, and the revered and u nited them into one powerful
physician Dhanvan empi re.
tari all lived d u ri ng In AD 324, Constantine established
this era. a new capital of the Roman Empire.
Therefore, it is not He named it Constanti nople, and it
surprising that this became the largest city of its times.
period is considered to Constantine was converted to Christi
be the Golden Age of anity, and became the first Christian
Ancient I ndia. em peror of the Roman Em pire.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 7
INVASION OF THE HUNS
The H uns were a tribe from The Huns were feared and
Central Asia. They were roaming hated by other tribes, as they
herdsmen who were extremely had a reputation for cruelty. As
warlike by nature. The Huns they moved towards Europe,
were skilled horsemen who Anglo Saxon tribes like the
entered Europe from Central Goths and Visigoth fled before
Asia in AD 372. As they moved them to Europe.
westward, they absorbed Ger However, the Huns emerged
man tribal culture. victorious, and conquered
large parts of Europe, Persia,
Beware, and India. The most famous
I'm Hun King Hun is Attila. He was a great
Atti la.
m ilitary leader who led the
Huns to several victories over
the mighty Roman Empire.
The H u n s ' i nvasion of
E u rope is a sign ificant event
in world history as it m arked
the fi rst time E u rope was
invaded and conquered by
an Asian tribe .
Tell MeWhy
Why is the treatise titled 'Aryab
hatiya' important to world history?
G
part of Greenland. He gave
reenland, which is located Greenland its name, and ush
between the Arctic and the ered in the country's Viking
Atlantic Oceans, is the world's era. The Vikings lived in
largest island. G reenland for almost 500
Almost 80 per cent of the years, and then disappeared.
land mass is covered by an ice However, Erik the Red had
cap and glaciers. Greenland made Europe aware of the
was first settled by a series of existence of this awesome
nomadic tribal peoples. land, and this has earned him
In AD 986, Norwegian-born a place in the history of the
Erik Thorvaldson, known as world.
Erik the Red, sailed west with
around 500 men and women,
This fish
domestic animals, and every may be green
thing else that was req uired to in colour.
create a new settlement in a
new country.
He came to a land with an
inviting fjord landscape and
_ _
fertile green valleys, and decid-
ed to explore it. his was _
10
What is the importance of the of reasons. It linked England
Norman Conquest of Britain? more closely with France and
T
the continent of Europe, and
he Normans were a group created one of the most pow
of people who invaded and erful monarchies of the times.
conq uered England in 1 066. The Normans brought about
They came from Northern great changes in the English
France. language and culture. The feu
The first Norman king was dal system of France was
William the Conqueror who introduced and strengthened,
claimed that the earlier ruler of with the complex institutions
England, Edward, had prom that existed in the earlier era.
ised him the throne before his This resulted in the future
death . development of a parliament,
The Norman Conquest and a protection of basic rights,
brought an important change both of which are of supreme
in English history for a number importance today.
.
North Men to Norman
In AD 91 1 the French rulers allowed a group
of Vikings to settle in Normandy and they
were later known as North Men or Normans.
G
Khan modernised Mongolian
enghiS Khan founded the culture, and helped open con
Mongol Empire and became tact between East and West.
one of the most feared con Genghis Khan is now seen
querors of his time. Between as a national hero, and the
1 206 and 1 227, the Mongol founding father of Mongolia.
leader conq uered nearly 3 1
million sq uare kilometres of
territory- more than any indi
vidual in history.
Unlike many empire build
ers, Genghis Khan embraced
the diversity of his newly con
quered territories. He passed
laws declaring religious free
dom for all, and even granted
tax exemptions to places of
worship.
One of his most important
achievements as a ruler,
involved the formation of a
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY
Why was the signing of the Mag
Wait a minute,
my signature is
na Carta a historic event?
a b i t lengthy.
The Magna Carta was a docu
ment signed by King John of Eng
land in 1 21 5.
King John of England, raised
taxes, arrested people without
cause, punished those arrested
without a trial, seized land belong
ing to the nobles, and was gener
ally very unpopular. The nobles
finally rebelled against him, and
forced him to sign a document
called the Magna Carta.
14 Tell Me Why
The Magna Carta What is the significance of the travels
was the first formal of Marco Polo?
M
document stating that
a king had to follow arco Polo was one of the most
the laws of the land, important and famous explorers and
and it guaranteed the writers from Europe.
rights of individuals He was born in Venice in 1 254 . In
against the wishes of 1 266, Marco's father and uncle left for
the king. China to start a trading business, leav
This meant people ing Marco behind. Marco first ventured
couldn't be arrested, to China when he was 1 7, travelling
imprisoned, or have with his father and uncle. The trip took
their possessions tak four years. He stayed for 1 7 years,
en away except by working as an advisor to Kublai Khan
the law of the land. and travelling through Asia.
The Magna Carta Marco returned to Venice, and a few
guaranteed the civil years later he was arrested when Ven
rights of the individu ice went to war with Genoa. It was dur
al. ing his jail term that the book 'The
In this respect, it Travels of Marco Polo' was written.
was a historic docu Marco's book was very successful. It
ment, and it remains proved to be an inspiration for many
to this day, a symbol other explorers, including Christopher
of liberty. Columbus.
MILESTONES I N WORLD HISTORY 15
study the classical texts of
Ancient G reece and Rome and
use this knowledge to ach ieve
new heights of excel l e nce in their
fields. This period between the
14th and the 1 7th centu ries i s con
sidered to be the bridge between
[ Rebirth
The word 'renais
sance' is a French
one which means
'rebirth',
T
ern times, and is known as
the R e naissance. he Black Death was one of
It started as a cultural move the worst recorded catastro
ment in Italy, and later, spread phes in world history. It was a
to all of Europe. The invention plague that swept through
of the Gutenberg printing Europe from 1 346 to 1 353, kill
press in 1 450s is a milestone ing about 200 million people.
which marks the beginning of The Black Death arrived in
the Renaissance. Europe by sea in October
Ideas were able to be 1 343, when 1 2 ships docked at
spread q u icker and farther the port of Messina after a long
because of the printing press. journey through the Black Sea,
The Renaissance was a time with many of the crew either
of great beauty and art. Art dead, or sick.
ists l i ke Leonardo da Vinci People called this disease
and Michelangelo created the Black Death, because
great works of art during this death was the inevitable result,
time. It was also a time of and the symptoms of the dis
creativity. ease included black lumps
The Renaissance impacted covering the body.
and shaped the future, and the As a result of the Black
changes that it brought about Death, the population of
led to the modern era. Europe dropped drastically.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 17
Why is the Inca Empire lage of Cuzco, high in the Andes
i mportant in world histo Mountains of South America. Over
ry? the next 1 00 years, the Inca con
T
q uered, tribe after tribe u ntil they
he I ncas were a small built an empire that stretched near
tribe that lived in the vil- ly the entire length of western
South America.
The Incas are famous for having
invented terrace farming to grow
food more easily on the sharp
mountain slopes. They stored their
food, and distributed it to all the
people in times of drought.
Most of the people were farmers,
but the I ncas also had specialised
Son of the Sun professions like weavers who
The Incas called their made textiles, and musicians who
empire Tawantin created new musical instruments.
suyu, or the Land of There was an efficient central
Four Corners. Their government, a strong economy,
king, or Sapa Inca, and a well trained army. The I ncas
was considered as have left a lasting legacy, and
the Son of the Sun. many of their traditions live on in
the Andes Mountains.
18 Tell MeWhy
What is the importance of the In 1 455, Gutenberg demon
printing of the Gutenberg strated the power of the print
Bible? ing press by selling copies of a
19
Why is Colu mbus' discovery m a s . H e named it S a n S a l
of the New World one of the v a d o r . H e t h o u g h t he h ad
most historic events to have reached the I n d i e s , so he
ever taken place? c a l l ed the people I nd i an s .
C
C o l u m b u s went o n , and
hristoP her Columbus contin ued h i s jou r n e y . He
was an Italian explorer who l a n ded on Hispaniola,
wanted to find a q u icker w h i ch i s known tod ay as
route to Asia to make it easi t h e D o m i n i can R e p u b l i c
er for E u ropeans to obtain a n d H ai t i . H e a l s o l a nded
spices, jewels, and silks for o n C u ba , which he b e l i eved
trad e . was the m a i n land of A s i a .
I n 1 4 92, K i n g Ferd i nand Columbus had actually dis
and h i s wife Q ueen Isabella covered the New World of the
of S p a i n gave Columbus Americas, though he never
ships and a crew to find realised it. The 'discovery' of
such a route. Columbus the New World by Ch risto
bel ieved that he cou ld reach pher Columbus changed the
the East more q u ickly if he history of the world complete-
set sail westward, and t h i s . Iy. This had a number of
is what he did . i mportant effects, the most
On 1 2th October 1 492, significant being the eventual
Col u m b u s l anded on a creation of the United States
s m a l l i s l a n d of the Baha- of America.
20 TeLL Me W hy
What was the impact of Vasco sailed around the tip of Africa,
da Gama's discovery of India? and because there was a mon
Vasco da Gama,
soon wind, he reached I ndia in
a Portu less than one month.
guese explorer, left Portugal The discovery of this route to
on 8th July, 1 497 to find a sea India meant that in order to
route to India. He had four reach Asia, sailors would not
ships, and 1 70 men . have to cross the Mediterrane
Earlier, thousands of sailors an or Arabia, both of which
had lost their lives in attacks were considered to be very
and shipwrecks whi le trying to dangerous at that time.
reach India, but that did not It allowed the Portuguese to
deter Vasco da Gama. He create a colonial empire in
Asia, and made it possible for
the Portuguese Empire to
improve its trade with the East.
Most important of all, Vasco
da Gama's voyage succeeded
in linking Europe and Asia for
the first time by an ocean
route. It connected the Atlantic
and the Indian Oceans, and
brought the West and the East
closer together.
What is the importance of the con Hernan Cortes' Army
quest of the Aztecs by the Span iards?
F
than just spices.
erdinand Magellan, a Por European geographic knowl
tuguese sea captain, set out edge was expanded immeas
from Spain in 1 51 9 with a fleet urably by Magellan's
of five ships to discover a west expedition.
ern sea route to the Spice Most important of all, Magel
Islands. lan's voyage proved conclu
On his way, he discovered sively that the Earth was round,
what is now known as the and not flat, as was believed
Strait of Magellan, and became earlier.
t he first European to cross the
Pacific Ocean . Reached
The voyage was long and the same pl ace.
dangerous, and only one ship A wasted
journey!
returned home three years lat
er. Although it was laden with
valuable spices from the East,
only 1 8 of the fleet's original
crew of 270 returned with the
ship. Though Magellan himself
was killed during the journey,
his daring and ambitious voy-
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY
What was Copernican helio because of opposition from
centrism? the Church .
However, Copernicus' mod
C opernican heliocentrism is el of the universe was accept
ed because his was more
a very big term for an astro
nomical model developed by accurate. He also had a better
Nicolaus Copernicus, an formula for the calculation of
astronomer, mathematician, planet's positions at different
and scientist born in the 15th times of the year.
century.
How many
This model changed how
yol ks are there
we viewed the positioning of in this bul l's
the S u n , Earth, and other eye?
celestial objects in space. It
has the Sun motionless at the
centre of the Universe, while
the Earth and other planets
rotate around it in circular
paths. Copernicus was not
the first astronomer to suggest
the Sun as the centre of the
Universe.
But, the ideas of earlier
astronomers were rejected
24 Tell MeWhy
Many believe that the theory time it takes for the earth to
and ideas put forward by go around the Sun once is
Copernicus heralded the mod closer to 365.2425 days, or
ern era in astronomy. about 365 days, 5 hours and
49 mi nutes. This difference
Why is the Gregorian calendar is about eleven minutes each
an i mportant mi lestone? year.
26 Tell MeWhy
ing telescopes of the times.
With these telescopes, Galileo
was able to observe the skies
in ways previously not
achieved. They enabled him to
carefully observe, analyse,
and study the solar system.
In 1 61 0 Galileo observed
four objects surrounding Jupi
ter that behaved unlike stars.
These turned out to be Jupi
ter's four largest satellite
moons.
Galileo made many impor
tant discoveries which he doc
umented in various literary
works during his lifetime. Gali the heart. He also described
leo has been called the 'father how the heart's regular con
of observational astronomy', tractions drive the flow of blood
the 'father of modern physics', around the whole body.
and the 'father of science'. Harvey was able to make his
discoveries because he
What was the impact of Wil ignored the medical text books
liam H arvey's discovery of of the time. Instead, he dis
blood circulation? sected animals, and made his
W
own observations and the
illiam Harvey, a 17'h cen deductions.
tury English physician, was the Harvey's theories of blood
first person to describe in detail circulation drew considerable
how blood was pumped by the criticism in the medical com
heart, and circulated through munity at that time but ulti
out the body. mately, they were proved to
He showed that arteries and be correct, and his contribu
veins form a complete circuit, tions to modern medicine were
which starts and leads back to hailed.
MILESTONES IN WORLD H ISTORY 27
Why is the Taj Mahal a historical Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj
landmark? took 22 years to complete,
T
and has been hailed as
he Taj Mahal in Agra is consid one of the wonders of the
ered to be the finest example of world.
Mughal architecture, and a symbol This monument is made of
of I ndia's rich history. It was com gleaming white marble. It
missioned in 1 632 by Shah Jahan, has a large white dome
as a tomb for his beloved wife that is often called an
'onion dome' due to its
Hurry up! I shape, which is surround
want to build ed by four smaller domes.
a Taj here! Around 20,000 people
worked round the clock for
more than two decades to
complete this marvel. A
thousand elephants were
used to transport the con
struction materials from
different parts of I ndia,
and thirty different types of
precious and semi pre
cious stones were used to
adorn it.
28 Tell MeWhy
Is it any wonder then that
Taj Mahal was designated as
a U N ESCO World Heritage
Site in 1 983? It is truly poetry
captured in stone, and an
everlasting tribute to immortal
love.
T
people -or in some cases,
he Industrial Revolution is ani m als, such as horses.
the name given to the enor There was a shift to pow
mous changes that took place ered , special-pu rpose
in technology, farming, mining, m achi nery, factories, and
manufacturing and transporta m ass production. This period
tion from the middle of the 1 8th saw the emphasis shift from
century through to the middle agriculture to industry, from
of the 1 9th century. domestic i ndustry to facto
It began in Great Britain, and ries, from water and wind
spread to Western Europe, power, to steam engi nes.
North America, and around the There was a revolution in
world. In the late 1 700s, manu transport and communication,
facturing was often done in as railways and telegraph
people's homes, and societies became more popular.
were largely rural. There was a rapid growth of
The Industrial Revolution towns, the population grew,
changed all that. The mai n and i ncomes rose. There is no
thi ng that happened d u ri n g doubt therefore, that the Indus
t h e I n d u strial Revolution was t rial Revolution marks a major
that m achi nes were devel turning point in the history of
oped that cou ld do many of mankind.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 31
.
, National Hero
Rousseau gained the rec
ognition he deserved only
after his death. Sixteen
years after he passed
How did Rousseau's 'The away. he was declared a
Social Contract' bring about national hero in France.
changes in society?
T
Mughal era in Indian history,
he First Battle of Pani pat the victory in the battle made
is a historic one, as it marks Babur the master of Delhi and
the begi n ni n g of the M ug h al Agra, the two political centres
dynasty i n India. It was of northern India. The treas
fought between the last ruler u res that Babur came to
of L od hi dynasty, I brah i m acquire from the royal treas
Lod h i , and the ruler o f Kabu l , u ry of Delhi made h i m finan
Babur. cially very strong.
By 1 526, Babur had cap Another reason for the impor
tured the whole of Punjab, and tance of this battle is the exten
then he proceeded towards sive use of gun powder,
Delhi to meet Ibrahim Lodhi. matchlocks, and field artillery
Ibrahim Lodhi had a much for the first time in the I ndian
larger army, with formidable sub-continent.
war elephants. All i n all, the first battle of
Babur's army was smaller, Panipat, pulled curtains on the
but he had guns which he already crumbling Delhi SUl
used to scare the elephants. tanate. The 300 year rule of
Thanks to Babur's skilful strat the Sultanate ended, and a
egy, his much smaller force new era in the history of medi
was able to defeat Lodhi's eval India began.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 33
the first time in 1 698 by Thom
as Savery, but it was Watt who
improved it in the 1 800s, and
made it really useful. In Watt's
steam engine, steam output
and engine speed were con
trolled.
Watt's steam engine offered
a powerful source that could
be located almost anywhere.
In the late 1 760s, Watt worked
Why was James Watt's steam with the inventor John Roe
engine a milestone in world buck, and an engineer, Mat
history? thew Boulton. They made
J
steam engines for canals, coal
ames Watt was a Scottish mines, and mills.
engineer and inventor, and From the mid 1 800s to the
one of the most important con early 1 900s, steam engines
tributors to the Industrial Revo powered machines, ran facto
lution. ries, trains, and even huge
He is best known for making ships.
major improvements to the Watt's steam engine domi
steam engine. The steam nated industry and transporta
engine was actually built for tion for 1 50 years.
34 Tell MeWhy
What was the impact of the US The Declaration of I nde
Declaration of Independence pendence laid the fou ndation
on the world? for the United States of Ameri
The
ca, and had great impact on
Declaration of I nde world history. It i nspired the
pendence was a document freedom movement in many
declaring the US to be inde countries that were under the
pendent of the British Crown. It colonial rule of European
was signed on July 4th, 1 776, countries.
by the representatives of the
thirteen colonies. Thomas Jef
ferson was the main architect
of this document.
These colonies had been at
war with Britain for over a year,
a nd after the document was
signed, they became the Unit
ed States of America. The Fr" The Legend
Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson died on
states that the authority to gov July 4, 1 826, the 50th
er n belongs to the people, that anniversary of the vote to
all people are created equal approve the Declaration of
and have rights to life, liberty, Independence.
and the pursuit of happiness.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 35
How did the French Revolution change
history?
Waiti ng
for another
revol ution . .
T he French Revolution took place
from 1 789 t0 1 799. The revolution broke
out because of the misrule of the King
Louis XVI.
By 1 787, the country was nearly bank
rupt and the poor people were dying of
starvation, while the nobles and the
king were living a life of idle lUxury. The
French Revolution began on July 1 4th,
1 789 when the people of France
stormed the Bastille in Paris - a royal
fort that had been converted to a prison.
A TaLe to Tell
One of the most famous books about the
French Revolution is 'A Tale of Two Cities'. It
was written by Charles Dickens, and is con
sidered one of the greatest literary works of
all time.
36 Tell MeWhy
The revolution lasted until 1 799,
resulting in the abolition of the
French royal family, a change in
government, further armed con
flicts with other countries in Europe,
the execution of King Louis XVI
and his Queen Marie Antoinette,
and the beginning of Napoleon
Bonaparte's reign in France.
The French Revolution profound
ly altered the course of world his
tory, and its ideals of Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity triggered
the decline of monarchies and the
rise of republics and liberal democ
racies not just in Europe but in oth
er continents as well. educate their children.
She says that an educat
Why is 'A Vindication of the Rights ed woman can also be
of Woman' considered to be a companions to their hus
milestone in world history? bands, rather than just
T
to win without the timely help
he Battle of Waterloo is one of Marshal Blucher's Prus
of the world's most famous sians. Besides, two-thirds of
battles. It was fought on 1 8th his own army was made up of
June 1 8 1 5, at Waterloo, in pre allies from the rest of Europe.
sent day Belgium. It was a bloody battle, with
The overall commanders at heavy causalties on both
Waterloo were two of the sides. Waterloo was the battle
greatest generals of all time. that finally and decisively end
They were Britain's D u ke of ed the ambition of the French
Wellington who had never lost Emperor Napoleon to domi
a battle in 1 2 years of war, and nate Europe. It brought to an
the French Emperor Napole end a terrible war that had
on, who had in his time, raged on and off for more than
crushed every army in Europe 20 years, and ushered in a
except Britain's. But, Waterloo hundred years of relative
was not just a British victory. peace, until 1 91 4 .
i"1'1
, ,
. ... \
C)ll1. Pain Go Away
A patient who is given general anaesthesia
. 11i : before surgery will not feel any pain during
STAR FACT
.
42 Tell MeWhy
young man did not feel any a total distance of 33 km in 57
pain, but Long did not publish minutes. Railways were devel
his findings at once, as he oped in India first by the British
wanted to be sure of his dis East India Company, and lat
covery. In 1 849, he presented er, by the British Government
his findings to the Medical Col mainly to transport troops for
lege of Georgia, and was their wars, and secondly, to
hailed for this breakthrough in transport cotton for export to
ensuring pain-free surgery. mills in UK.
Since then, the I ndian Rail
Why was 1853 a historic year way has grown to become the
for I ndia? largest rail network in Asia
44 Tell MeWhy
This outraged both the Hin Darwin, an English natural
du and Muslim soldiers, for it ist, put forward the idea that all
went against their religious species of life have evolved
teachings. On May 1 Qth 1 857, over time from common ances
the Indian soldiers in Meerut tors.
protested. Although the upris During this process, favour
Ing was quelled by the British, able traits become more com
It set the stage for India's Free mon in successive generations
dom Movement against the of living things. At the same
British Rule. ti me unfavourable traits
become less com mon. This is
Why is the book 'On the origin known as the Theory of Natu
of Species,' a pathbreaking ral Selection.
one? D arwin presented compel
O
ling evidence from his
n the Origin of Species, by detai led research which
Charles Darwin is a path i ncluded a five year voyage
breaking book published in on the HMS Beagle. On this
1 859. voyage, Darwi n visited eco
D arwin changed the way logically diverse regions like
humans viewed themselves, the Galapagos Islands. This
and the world around them, book is considered to be a
through his ideas on evolution landmark i n the field of evolu
and natural selection. tionary biology.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 45
How did Gregor Mendel's Laws of
Inheritance influence scientific
thought?
46 TeLL Me Why
described are known as Edo period, the shoguns ush
genes' today. Mendel's work ered in a time of internal peace,
only made a big impact in political stability and economic
1 900, 1 6 years after his death, growth. The shog u ns imposed
and 34 years after he first pub a strict class system, with the
lished it. Today, he is hon samurai or warriors at the top,
oured as the Father of followed by farmers, artisans,
Genetics. and merchants.
Tokugawa shogunate was
Why is the end of the shogun the last shogunate in Japan.
rule i n Japan an important D u ring its final 30 years in
milestone? power, the Tokugawa shogu
The
nate had to contend with peas
shogun was Japan's ant uprisings and samurai
supreme military leader. He unrest, as well as with financial
was awarded the title by the problems. In addition, there
emperor. was the growing threat from
From 1 1 92 through 1 867, Western powers. As a result,
Japan was ruled by a series of many demanded the restora
shoguns. The role of the tion of direct imperial rule. The
emperor was ceremonial, simi last Shogun Yoshinobu, was
lar to the position of the Japa overthrown in 1 867. This
nese monarchy after second marked the end of the shogun
world war. Also known as the rule in Japan.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 47
Why was the opening of the Suez
Canal a historic event?
48
waterway reduced the sea design and patent a practical
voyage distance between device for transmitti ng the
Europe and South Asia by human voice by means of an
7000 km. electric current.
The Suez is the longest The telephone is considered
canal in the world without by many to be the most impor
locks- and the safest too. To tant invention of modern times.
sum up, the Suez Canal is the It offers a fast, cheap mode of
shortest sea link between the communication. It has reduced
east and the west, due to its the concept of distances -
unique geographic location. Its when you can contact a per
opening gave a tremendous son living thousands of
boost to the maritime industry kilometres away i n just a few
and world trade. seconds, the distance does
not seem very far.
How did the invention of the The telephone has i ncreased
telephone by Alexander Gra socialization and interaction
ham Bell change the world? between people, and made
A
possible the introduction of the
lexander Graham Bell, is Internet.
best known as the inventor of In fact, if the world is a global
he telephone in 1 876. He will village today, it is the tele
be remembered for all time as phone that has played a major
having been the first person to role in making it so.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 49
Thomas Edison
Why is it said that the i nvention of the elec
tric bulb lit up the world itself?
The
youth through sport, practised
first known Olympic without discri mination of any
Games was recorded i n kind. The Olympic Games
aro und 776 BC in Olympia, promote the Olympic spirit,
Greece. They were celebrated which brings people from all
u ntil AD 396. It was a French over the world together.
M ILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 55
What is the historic i mpor 'The Interpretation of Dreams'
tance of the book 'The Inter is a fascinating text revealing
pretation of Dreams'? Freud's unique talent as a writ
W
within the atom. It was believed
l e know that the atom is that they were evenly spread
th e smallest particle of an ele out, but this was proved incor
n,ent still having the same rect.
chemical properties of the ele It was Ernest Rutherford,
ll'Ient. who first presented a planetary
However, by 1 91 1 , it was model of the atom. This put all
d iscovered that the atom was the protons in the nucleus with
Ihade up of even smaller, or the electrons orbiting around
ubatomic particles called pro the nucleus, like the planets
tons and electrons. But it was revolve around the Sun.
Si r,
this is my
model of a tom.
So simple,
isn' t i t?
The Rutherford model of I n 1 91 3, Henry Ford installed
atom was simplified in a the first moving assembly line for
well known symbol that has the mass production of an entire
became popular as a sym automobile. Ford had been trying
bol for atoms and atomic to increase his factories' produc
energy i n general. tivity for years. To streamline the
Aptly dubbed the 'Father process, Ford divided the proce
of the N uclear Age', Ruther dure into 84 steps, and trained
ford received the Nobel each of his workers to do just one
Prize for Chemistry in 1 908. step.
L ater, he i nstalled moving lines
Why was Henry Ford's for bits and pieces of the manu
moving assembly line a facturing process. Finally in
revolutionary step in the December 1 91 3, he introduced
world of manufacturing? the moving-chassis assembly
P
line.
rior to 1 91 3, Ford and Ford's i nnovation reduced the
virtually every other time it took to build a car from
auto maker assembled more than 1 2 hours, to two hours
whole cars with a team of and 30 minutes. This enabled
workers. Each team worked the company to bri ng out more
tog ether to complete a sin cars faster. It also cut down
g le car, usually from start to costs, so the cars could be sold
fini sh. cheaper.
MIL ESTONES I N WORLD HISTORY 61
What was the i mpact of World nand by a Serbian youth Gavri-
War I on the world? 10 Princip.
W
More than 65 million soldiers
orld War I was a global fought in the war in the battle
war fought in Europe. It began fields of Europe. The Allies
in 1 91 4 and lasted for four eventually won, but the price
years till 1 9 1 8. was heavy indeed.
It was fought between the It is estimated that by the
Allied Powers and the Central time the war was over, over 9
Powers. The main members million soldiers had been killed,
of the Allied Powers were and another 21 million wound
France, Russia, and Britain. ed.
The United States also fought The member countries of the
on the side of the Allies after Central Powers were forced to
1 91 7. sign armistice agreements one
The mai n members of the by one, and Germany was
Central Powers were Ger severely punished under the
many, Austria- H u ngary, the Treaty of Versailles.
Ottoman Empi re, and Bul Today, many historians
garia. believe that it was the harsh
There were many reasons treatment given to Germany
for the war, but the immediate that planted the seeds of the
cause was the assassination next World War, that is World
of Austria's Archduke Ferdi- War I I .
62 TeLL Me Why
What was the effect of the Spanish flu
A l l the way on the world?
B
from Spain to
attack you ... etween 1 9 1 8 and 1 91 9, a devastat
ing epidemic, the deadliest i n modern
history, infected an estimated 500 mil
lion people worldwide. It was called the
Spanish flu.
Influenza, or flu, is a virus that attacks
the respiratory system . Many believed
that the Spanish flu was caused by the
use of poison gas in World War I.
We now know it developed in ani
mals and bi rds, and then spread to
people. The 1 9 1 8 flu was fi rst observed
i n Europe.
Spanish Fi rst
Spanish Flu got its name because Spain
was one of the first countries to be report
ed as being hit by the disease.
T
ary, and the second in October of
he term Russian Rev 1 91 7. Prior to the revolution, the
olution actually refers to Russian monarchy had become pro
two separate revolutions gressively weaker, and increasingly
in 1 91 7, which had a far insensitive to the hardships of the
people. The emperor, Czar Nicolas
Move I I , used extremely severe measures
forward . . to put down resistance movements
with little effect.
Vladimir Leni n , the leader and
motivating force behind the revolu
tion, rose to prominence as the most
powerful figure in Russia. Though
the revolution was successful in
overthrowing the monarchy, the new
government, led by Vladimir Lenin,
would solidify its power only after
five years of civil war, which ended
in 1 922.
After the Russian Revolution, Rus
sia withdrew from World War I . The
64 Tell MeWh
revol ution had far reaching
consequences. It brought
about the overthrow of the
monarchy, and the transfor
mation of the Russian
Empire into the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics.
It also saw the establish
ment of the world's first com
munist state and opened the
door for Russia to fully enter
the industrial age.
T
for ten minutes, and about 1 650
he Jalianwala Bagh Mas rounds were fired. According to
sacre was an important i nci the government data, about 379
dent in the history of the people were killed.
Indian freedom movement However, some private data
during the British Rule. showed that the number was
On April 1 3th 1 9 1 9, thou more than 1 000, including chil
sands of unarmed, non vio dren and women. The incident
lent protestors gathered i n stirred the whole nation.
the Jalianwala Bagh of Many more people joined the
Amritsar, to celebrate a fes I ndian freedom movement after
tival in spite of an order from the massacre. Rabi ndranath
the British forbidding them Tagore even gave up his knight
to do so. hood in protest.
A British officer, Colonel This horrific event sounded the
Reginald Dyer, came to the death knell for the British rule in
place with fifty riflemen, and India, and Jalianwala Bagh has
without any warning, become a place of national pil
ordered them to shoot at the grimage today.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 65
What was the impact of fascism?
G
began in a Big Bang, about 1 3.8
eorges Lemaitre, a Bel billion years ago. At that time, the
gian astronomer is usually entire Universe was i nside a bub
ble that was thousands of times
smaller than a pinhead. It was
hotter and denser than anything
we can i magine.
Then, it suddenly exploded. The
U niverse that we know was born.
Time, space, and matter all began
with the Big Bang. In a fraction of
a second, the U niverse grew from
smaller than a single atom , to big
cosmic microwave ger than a galaxy. And it kept on
background radiation growing at a fantastic rate. It is
was discovered. still expanding today.
The discovery was The Big Bang theory is consid
crucial, as it supported ered to be one of the greatest sci
the Big Bang Model. entific achievements of the 20th
century.
MILESTONES IN WORLD H ISTORY 67
Fleming had worked
in battlefield hospi
tals in World War I,
where soldiers died Why was the discovery of penicil
from infected lin a giant leap forward in medi
wounds. So, he made cine?
P
it his goal to find anti
bacterial substances enicillin is a common antibiotic
and he succeeded, that is used to treat infections today.
with the discovery of It was discovered quite accidentally
penicillin. by the Scottish bacteriologist Alex
ander Fleming, in 1 928.
He had gone on a vacation, and
Hooray . . when he came back he found that a
Hooray . . . I t's green mould called Penicillium
a 'mouldy' notatum had contaminated the petri
hol iday. dishes i n his lab. I n addition, this
mould was killing some of the bac
teria he had been growing.
Fleming called his discovery
'mould juice'. Later, the name pen
icilli n was adopted. After much
research and experi mentation, an
i njectable, mass-produced form of
penicillin was ready by 1 942. That
was just i n time to help soldiers
wounded in World War I I.
Tell MeWhy
As a result, bacterial pneu On October 1 8th the fall began.
monia, which had killed 1 8 per Panic set in and on Tuesday,
cent of fallen soldiers in World October 29th, stock prices
War I, killed less than 1 per crashed completely. Investors
cent of soldiers in World War traded some 1 6 million shares
I I. on the New York Stock
Penicillin went on to Exchange in a single day.
change the way we treat ill Billions of dollars were lost,
nesses and wounds, and its wiping out thousands of inves
discovery proved to be a tors. In the aftermath of Black
giant leap forward i n the field Tuesday, America and the rest
of medicine. of the industrialised world spi
ralled downward into the Great
What were the economic and Depression.
social effects of the Wall Street It was the deepest and long
Crash of 1 929? est-lasting economic downturn
T
in the history of the Western
UeSday, October 29th 1 929, industrialised world up to that
was a Black Tuesday for Wall time.
Street. It was the day that the The after effects of the crash
Wall Street stock market included the closure of banks
crashed. Stock prices had and increasing bankruptcies,
begun to decline in September suicides, evictions, wage cuts,
and early October 1 929. and unemployment.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 69
How did the Great Depression affect the
world?
_____________._._a
""_"'_
""-"'''''_=''
Hoovervilles
Herbert Hoover was the President of the USA
when the Great Depression began. The shan
tytowns that sprang up after people lost their
regular homes were often called 'Hoover
villes' as Hoover was generally blamed for the Depression .
Sneha Rao
70 Tell MeWhy
desperately searching for his ashram to the sea coast
work. The Great Depression near the village of D andi .
had devastating effects in This march is famously
countries all over the world, known as the 'Dandi March,'
both rich and poor. The G reat and it captured the i magination
Depression lasted for ten of the world. The march contin
years, and ended only i n 1 939. ued for 24 days.
All along the way, Gandhi
How did the Dandi March cap addressed large crowds, and a
ture the imagination of the number of people joined the
world? march. By the time they
The
reached D andi on April 6th,
Dandi March, also Gandhi was at the head of a
known as the Salt March took crowd of tens of thousands.
place from March to April 1 930 Early the next morning,
in I ndia. Mahatma Gandhi walked down
It was an act of civil disobedi to the sea to make salt and
ence against Britain's Salt Act. showcase his defiance of an
This Act prohibited I ndians unfai r British law. His courage
from collecti ng or selling salt, a i nspired millions of people.
staple i n the I ndian diet. Mahat Civil disobedience broke out
ma Gandhi led a non-violent all across I ndia, and eventual
protest march agai nst the Salt ly, this led to the birth of inde
Act on March 1 2th, 1 930 from pendent India.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 71
Why is World War II considered to be
"I
J.
" '"
Will
the most devastating war in the history
of mankind?
STAR FACT
World War II was the world's most
devastating war ever, directly involving
: Nazism more than 1 00 million people from over
30 countries.
Nazism is a set
Lasting six years, it began on 1 st Sep
of political
tember 1 939, with the i nvasion of
beliefs associat
Poland by Germany. It was a war
ed with the
between two groups of countries - the
National Social
Allies and the Axis.
ist Party of Ger
The major Allied Powers were Britain,
many. It was a
France, USSR, China, and the US.
journalist Kon
rad Heiden who
Only
first referred to Aryans can
the member:s of reside here.
the party as
Nazis, which
means 'simple
minded in
Bavarian.
72
. .'
... :
The major Axis Powers were around the globe, and killed
Germany, Italy, and Japan. over 60 million. The world was
During the course of the war, never the same again after
German forces advanced World War I I .
through Europe. The US didn't
join the war until 1 94 1 , when
Japan attacked the U nited
States Naval Base at Pearl
Harbour.
In 1 944, an Allied army
crossed from Britai n to free
France from Nazi rule. One
year later, Allied armies invad
ed Germany, forcing the Ger
mans to surrender on 7'-h May,
1 945.
After nuclear attacks on
Japan's major cities Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, Japan also sur Allied Powers
rendered to Allied forces in France, Britain,
August the same year. United States of America,
Finally, World War II had Soviet Union and
ended. It had changed the China.
lives of millions of people
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY
What were the consequences wounded, many while valiantly
of the Japanese attack on attempting to repulse the
Pearl Harbour? attack. The day after the
W
attack, the United States of
hile World War II was rag America declared war agai nst
ing, the Imperial Japanese Navy Japan.
launched a surprise military Three days later, Germany
strike on the US Naval Base at and Italy declared war against
Pearl Harbour in Hawaii on the the United States, and the US
morning of December 7th 1 941 . government responded in
Ninety minutes after it began, kind. The attack on Pearl Har
the attack on Pearl Harbour bour woke a sleeping giant.
was over. The United States had
The attack struck a : critical remai ned neutral in World War
blow against the US . Pacific I I till then.
fleet. Much of it was rendered Pearl Harbour changed all
'
useless. Four of eight battle that. It pushed the Americans
ships, three destroyers, and into the war that they were
seven other ships were sunk or avoiding for so long. The
severely damaged, and more . Americans fought a long
than 1 88 aircrafts were front in the Pacific, tryi ng to
destroyed. avenge the attack on Pearl
A total of 2,403 Americans Harbour- and were finally
were killed and 1 , 1 78 were successful .
74 Tell MeWhy
How did the Quit India Move government entered India into
ment change the course of the war without consultation
history? with the I ndian people. This
T
angered the Indians terribly.
he Quit India Movement On July 1 4th, 1 942, the Indian
was a civil disobedience move National Congress passed a
ment. It was launched by resolution demanding com
Mahatma Gandhi on 8th plete independence from Brit
August, 1 942. ai n and launched a civil
This historical movement disobedience movement. On
was played out in the backdrop August 8th, 1 942, the Quit India
of World War I I . The British Resolution was passed at the
Bombay session of the All
I ndia Congress Committee.
The British responded with
mass arrests. Hundreds of peo
ple were killed by the police.
Many national leaders were
arrested. The Q uit I ndia Move
ment was crushed.
However, it will always be
remembered as a major mile
stone in the history of India's
struggle for freedom.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 75
What was the result of the bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki ?
E
per Eckert Jr. But ENIAC, also
N IAC stands for 'Electronic called 'The Giant Brain', was
N umerical Integrator and Com not completed u ntil after the
puter'. Its importance lies in the war.
fact that it was the world's first When EN IAC was intro
general purpose computer. duced to the public in 1 946, it
EN IAC was designed and was hailed as an incredible
built for the US Army to calcu breakthrough that could com
late artillery firing tables. It pute mathematical problems
with breathtaking speed.
A big one
The machine's power and
with a small
brain. general-purpose uses fired the
imagination of the world. ENI
AC weighed 30 tonnes.
The fact that today a single
microchip, no bigger than a fin
gernail, can do more than
those 30 tonnes of hardware
does not take away from the
sense of awe that EN IAC
inspired at that time.
MILESTONES I N WORLD HISTORY 77
---- -- .-
The U N
The U N provides
food to 90 million
people in over 75
countries. It
assists over 34
Why is the formation of the UN a his million refugees,
toric event? and works with
80 Tell MeWhy
ed the industry for the What is the significance of January
next 30 years. By 26th, 1 950?
J
1 954,Texas I nstru
ments developed the anuary 26th , 1 950 is the day India
first transistor made became a sovereign, democratic
from silicon. republic. India became independent
Today in electronic on August 1 5th, 1 947.
devices we use comput A new constitution of India was
er chip, also called chip, drafted by a committee headed by
integrated circuit or Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and it is the long
small wafer of semicon est constitution in the world.
ductor material embed Although the draft was presented
ded with integrated on November 4, 1 947, it took 2 years,
circuitry. Chips com 1 1 months and 1 8 days for it to be
prise the processing and finalised.
memory units of modern The Constitution of I ndia formally
digital computers. came into force on 26th January 1 950.
As transistor compo The day is celebrated as Republic
nents have shrunk, the Day in I ndia every year.
number of chips have The celebrations last for three days,
doubled about every 1 8 and for every Indian this is a time
months, from a few when the heart is filled with love for
thousand to more than the motherland, and the head is held
one billion. high with patriotic pride.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 81
Why was the discovery of the struc
ture of the DNA an important mile
stone in science?
82 Tell M eWhy
Each piece of DNA has two
long strands, or chains that are
joined together in a shape
resembling a twisted or spiral
,
ladder.
DNA has four different bases
and the order in which they are
arranged forms a code that
tells cells to make certain kinds
of proteins. In the early 1 950s,
scientists had learned a lot
about genetics, but they still
didn't understand the structure
of the DNA molecule. FIRST SATE LLITE
James Watson and Francis
Crick discovered the structure Sputnik 1 emitted a continu
of the DNA in 1 953. They were ous beep signal that could be
able to put together an accu heard by radio operators
rate model of the structure. around the world.
The satellite itself provided
Why was Sputnik 1 a landmark scientists with valuable infor
in space exploration? mation. Sputnik 1 orbited the
S
Earth for three months, after
putnik 1 was the first man which it burned itself up as it
made satellite to be launched fell from orbit and re-entered
into orbit. the Earth's atmosphere.
It was launched by the This remarkable achieve
Soviet U nion on October 4th ment is widely credited with
1 957. The tiny spacecraft starting the race between the
orbited Earth once every 90 US and USSR to dominate
minutes. space exploration.
The satellite was the size of The launch is a milestone in
a basketball and it travelled at that it ushered in a new era of
about 29,000 kilometres per political, military, technological,
hour. and scientific developments.
MILESTONES IN WORLD H ISTORY 83
Today is Mary conducted the excava
not a good day. tions and was the actual finder
We found j us t of the archaeological evi
one sku l l .
dence. Her husband, Louis
Leakey interpreted and publi
cised their findings.
In 1 948, Mary found the first
perfectly preserved skull of a
hominoid, an ape-like ancestor
of humans. Mary Leakey's
most important discovery, took
place in 1 978. Her team uncov
ered the footprints of two hom
i nids in Tanzania. The
footprints were estimated to be
Why will the world always 3.5 million years old.
remember Mary and Louis This indicated that humans
Leakey? began walking upright much
M
earlier than scientists previ
ary and Louis Leakey will . ously thought. The Leakeys
always be remembered for the changed the way we now view
i mportant archaeological dis early humans, and made sig
coveries they made involving nificant contributions to the
early humans. understanding of our origins.
84 Tell M eWhy
What did the fal l of the Berlin The hated Berlin Wall came
Wall signify? to symbolise the ' I ron Curtain'
T
that separated Western
he Berlin Wall, was a wall Europe and the Eastern Bloc
built in 1 961 separating Soviet during the Cold War.
controlled East Berlin from Finally, Germany became
West Berlin, which was under one country again on October
the control of the Allies, France, 3rd , 1 990, and the Berlin Wall
Britain, and the USA. was demolished. The fall of
The wall was built to com the Berlin Wall signified the
pletely cut-off West Berlin from end of the Cold War between
East Berlin and East Germany, the superpowers of the world.
and to stop citizens from leav
ing East Germany for West Don't s i t
Germany. o n m e ! 1 ' m from
The Berlin Wall consisted of the Berl i n
1 54 kilometres of barrier Wall.
between the east and the west,
with concrete and barbed wire
barriers separating the two
sides at different stretches
along the wall. In all, 1 36 peo
ple died trying to cross the Ber
lin Wall during its existence.
MILESTONES IN WORLD HISTORY 8
Why was the Cuban Missile Cuba. For a tense 1 3 days, the
Crisis a dangerous one for the world was on the edge of a
entire world? nuclear war.
O
in Cuba in the summer of 1 962.
President Kennedy of the US n July 20th 1 969, American
then decided to establish a mil astronauts Neil Armstrong and
itary blockade to prevent fur Edwin Aldrin became the first
ther missiles from entering humans ever to land on the
86 Tell MeWhy
Neil Armstrong became the first man to
walk on the Moon. Armstrong said,
'That's one small step for a man, one
giant leap for mankind'l
O
The purpose of Aryabhata
n April 1 9, 1 975, India was to conduct experiments in
entered the space age. On this X-ray astronomy and solar
historic day, I ndia launched its physics. A lot of useful infor
first-ever satellite. It was mation was collected by the
named the Aryabhata after the satellite before it burnt up as it
great 5th century astronomer re-entered the Earth's atmos
and mathematician. phere on 1 1 th February 1 992.
Aryabhata was actually Aryabhata was the turning
launched from within the Sovi point for Indian space research
et Union by a Russian-made for it proved to the world that
rocket, under an agreement India has the capacity to make
signed by the two countries. It and operate satellites.
Currency Notes
,
Indian two rupee notes had a new design on
them between 1 976 and 1 997. They carried
an image of the satellite Aryabhata on the
reverse.
88 Tell MeWhy
,
. NOBE L PRIZE
JI
I
1111
STAR FACT
Nicolae Ceausescu was the country's head of
the state from 1 967 to 1 989. He was also
Romania's second and last Communist lead
er. Ceausescu's regime was oppressive.
90 Tell MeWhy
What was the result of the This freedom encouraged
breakup of the Soviet U nion? some of the Soviet states to
C
might live; go to school, and
what jobs he or she might hold. handrayaan-1 , the I ndian
Black people were forced to spacecraft, was India's first
92 Tell MeW hy
mission to the Moon. It successful
ly reached the lunar surface on
November 1 4, 2008 and became
the first I ndian-built object to reach
the surface of the Moon.
The flight was launched from
the Satish D hawan Space Cen
tre, Sriharikota on October 22nd ,
2008. The Polar Satellite Launch Chandrayaan-2 will
Vehicle , PSLV-XL C 1 1 , suc be ISRO's second mis
cessfully lau nched Chan sion to the moon. A
d rayaan- 1 spacecraft into orbit. moon rover will be
Excellent quality pictures of the sent up. Moving on
lunar su rface were taken and wheels on the lunar
surface, the rover will
relayed back to Eart h . Chan
pick up samples of
drayaan- 1 was i n operation till
rocks, analyse them
August 2009. With the success
and relay the data to
of the mission, India joined a
an orbiting spacecraft.
select band of countries who
have u ndertaken lunar m i ssions.
Chandrayaan-1 has success way for u ndertaking fur
fully demonstrated India's ability ther missions not just to
in carrying out highly complex the Moon but beyond it as
space missions. It has paved the well.
MILESTONES IN WORLD H ISTORY 93
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Here's a contest for our readers.
o
WATER
SCI ENCE KIT
94
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your entry by POst.
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.PHof(f aulz -4 WINNERS held in the April issue of
....... '". ' ,. Tell Me Why.
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1 044(B). 2nd Floor.C2-Block.Palam Vihar. Gurgaon. 7-5-12/1. S5. Sri Sai Datta Arcade. Veterinary Hospi
Haryana. tal Road. Ramaraopeta. Kakinada. Andhra Pradesh.
2. Srushti Lolusare 7. Aaron John Joezac
Flat 3. Block 1. Sahyadri Apartments. Plot 5. P468. Sector-21. Jal Vayu Vihar. Noida. UP.
Sector 12. Owarka. New Delhi. 8. Adithya GalipeUi
3. Aastha Narayan Flat No.l02. Maruthi Residency. Prashanth Nagar.
4/59. ESIC Nagar. New Link Road. Near D.N. Nagar Kapra. Hyderabad.
Police Station. Andheri (West). Mumbai. 9. Aditi Singh
4. Aastha Patodi 201 Dasmesh Apartment. Behind AG Office.
13 Chatrapati Nagar. Near Airport Road. Indore. MP. N.O.P. Doranda. Ranchi.
5. Sailaja Priyadarshini 10. Goutam Aji
C/o Dr. Abhaya Kumar Samal. Plot No: 366/5. C/o Aji Jayachandran. Pezhunilkunnathil House.
Alakapuri Housing Complex. Bhubaneswar. Odisha. Ullannoor. Pathanamthitta.
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96 Tell MeWhy
Why is plaster of Paris so called?
Plaster of Paris, or simply plaster, is
the common name for calcium sulphate
hemihydrate. It is made by heating the
mineral gypsum.
There is an interesting story behind its
curious name. In 1 666, a fire that raged
across the city of London destroyed
many buildings. Keeping this catastro
phe in mind, the King of France ordered
that all walls made of wood in Paris be
immediately covered with plaster, as a
protection against such fires.
Paris had a lot of gypsum deposits at
that time, and the king's order resulted in
the large-scale mining of the mineral.
Thus, the city of Paris became the cen
Question sent by:
Aditi Gupta, on e-mail.
tre of plaster production, and hence the
material came to be known as plaster of
Send us your questions Paris.
E mail: tellmewhy@mmp.in Indhu Thomas
M
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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.R. No. 226. Kottayam - 686 001 .