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The book of wonders

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  1. 1Note
  2. 2Introduction
  3. 3How Man Learned to Write
  4. 4How Does a Blotter Take Up the Ink of a Blot?
  5. 5Where Does Chalk Come From?
  6. 6How Did Men Learn to Talk?
  7. 7How Did Shaking the Head Come to Mean “No”?
  8. 8How Did a Nod Come to Mean “Yes”?
  9. 9Why Do We Count in Tens?
  10. 10What Does Man Mean by Counting Himself?
  11. 11Where Did All the Names of People Originate?
  12. 12Why Can You Blow Out a Candle?
  13. 13Working of a Photo Camera Explained — The Story in a Photograph
  14. 14Why Do Some Eyes in a Picture Seem to Follow Us?
  15. 15Where Does a Light Go When It Goes Out?
  16. 16Why Does a Fire Go Out?
  17. 17Why Does a Lamp Give a Better Light With the Chimney on?
  18. 18Does Light Weigh Anything?
  19. 19Why Does a Stick Seem to Bend When Put in Water?
  20. 20What Makes the Stars Twinkle?
  21. 21Why Does an Onion Make the Tears Come?
  22. 22The First Missile
  23. 23Who First Discovered the Power of Gunpowder?
  24. 24The Parts of a Big Gun
  25. 25What Is Motion?
  26. 26Is Perpetual Motion Possible?
  27. 27How Can an Explosion Break Windows That Are at a Distance?
  28. 28Why Do Some Things Bend and Others Break?
  29. 29Why Does a Ball Bounce?
  30. 30What Makes a Ball Stop Bouncing?
  31. 31What Makes a Cold Glass Crack If We Put Hot Water Into It?
  32. 32What Causes the Gurgle When I Pour Water From a Bottle?
  33. 33Where Does the Part of a Stocking Go That Was Where the Hole Comes?
  34. 34Why Do Coats Have Buttons on the Sleeves?
  35. 35Why Has a Long Coat Buttons on the Back?
  36. 36The Story in the Telephone
  37. 37Where Does Sound Come From?
  38. 38Why Can We Make Sounds With Our Throats?
  39. 39Why Does the Sound Stop When We Touch a Gong That Has Been Sounded?
  40. 40How Can Sound Come Through a Thick Wall?
  41. 41What Is Meant by Deadening a Floor or a Wall?
  42. 42What Makes the Sounds Like Waves in a Sea Shell?
  43. 43What Are the Sounds We Hear in a Shell?
  44. 44The Story in a Suit of Clothes
  45. 45Why Can’t We See in the Dark?
  46. 46Why Can Cats and Some Other Animals See in the Dark?
  47. 47Why Is It Difficult to Walk Straight With My Eyes Closed?
  48. 48Why Can’t We Sleep With Our Eyes Open?
  49. 49Why Do Our Eyes Sparkle When We Are Merry?
  50. 50Why Do We Laugh When Glad?
  51. 51Why Do I Laugh When Tickled?
  52. 52Why Don’t I Laugh When I Tickle Myself?
  53. 53What Happens When We Laugh?
  54. 54Why Do We Cry When Hurt?
  55. 55Where Do Tears Come From?
  56. 56Where Do the Tears Go?
  57. 57Story — in a Barrel of Cement
  58. 58Why Don’t We Make Roads Perfectly Level?
  59. 59Why Are Some Roads Called Turnpikes?
  60. 60What Is Dust?
  61. 61What Becomes of the Dust?
  62. 62Are Stones Alive?
  63. 63What and Why Is Smoke?
  64. 64Why Can’t We Burn Stones?
  65. 65What Is Fog?
  66. 66What Becomes of the Smoke?
  67. 67Why Does an Apple Turn Brown When Cut?
  68. 68Why Does a Piece of Wood Float in Water?
  69. 69Why Does Iron Sink in Water?
  70. 70Why Doesn’t an Iron Ship Sink?
  71. 71Why Does a Poker Get Hot at Both Ends If Left in the Fire?
  72. 72Would a Wooden Spoon Get Hot?
  73. 73Why Does Iron Turn Red When Red Hot?
  74. 74How Did the Sand Get on the Seashore?
  75. 75What Makes a Soap Bubble?
  76. 76What Makes the Bubble Explode?
  77. 77Why Are Bubbles Round?
  78. 78The Story in a Yard of Silk
  79. 79What Animal Can Leap the Greatest Distance?
  80. 80Why Do We Call Voting Balloting?
  81. 81Why Do We Call a Cab a Hansom?
  82. 82Where Did the Name Calico Come From?
  83. 83Who Made the First Postage Stamp?
  84. 84How Many Languages Are There?
  85. 85What Is the Deepest Mine in the World?
  86. 86What Is Color?
  87. 87Where Did the Term Dixie Originate?
  88. 88How Big Is the Earth?
  89. 89What Causes Hail?
  90. 90Why Does a Human Being Have to Learn to Swim?
  91. 91Why Do I Get Cold in a Warm Room?
  92. 92Why Do They Call Them Wisdom Teeth?
  93. 93What Makes Freckles Come?
  94. 94The Flying Boat
  95. 95Where Is the Wind When It Is Not Blowing?
  96. 96Where Does the Wind Begin?
  97. 97What Causes the Wind’s Whistle?
  98. 98Why Does the Air Never Get Used Up?
  99. 99Why Can’t We See Air?
  100. 100Why Does Thunder Always Come After the Lightning?
  101. 101How Big Is the Sun?
  102. 102How Hot Is the Sun?
  103. 103Why Is It Warm in Summer?
  104. 104Why Is It Cold in Winter?
  105. 105Why Have We Five Fingers on Each Hand and Five Toes on Each Foot?
  106. 106Why Do We Have Finger Nails?
  107. 107Why Are Our Fingers of Different Lengths?
  108. 108Why Does It Hurt When I Cut My Finger?
  109. 109Why Don’t My Hair Hurt When It Is Being Cut?
  110. 110Of What Use Is My Hair?
  111. 111Why Does My Hair Stand on End When I Am Frightened?
  112. 112What Makes Some People Bald?
  113. 113What Makes Some Things in the Same Room Colder Than Others?
  114. 114Why Does the Hair Grow After the Body Stops Growing?
  115. 115Will People All Be Bald Sometime?
  116. 116The Story in a Lump of Sugar
  117. 117How Can We Smell Things?
  118. 118How Do We Taste Things?
  119. 119What Happens When We See?
  120. 120Why Can We Hear?
  121. 121What Is a Totem Pole for?
  122. 122Where Does a Flower Get Its Perfume?
  123. 123Why Do Flowers Have Perfumes?
  124. 124How Do Flowers Produce Seeds?
  125. 125Why Are Leaves Not All the Same Shape?
  126. 126Why Are Some Radiators Longer Than Others?
  127. 127What Makes Roses Red?
  128. 128Why Do Plants and Trees Grow Up Instead of Down?
  129. 129What Becomes of the Plants and Flowers in Winter?
  130. 130How Can Some Plants Climb a Smooth Wall?
  131. 131What Are the Thorns on Roses and Other Plants Good for?
  132. 132Do Plants Breathe?
  133. 133What Happens When Breathing Occurs?
  134. 134How Do Plants Breathe?
  135. 135Why Do Plants Need Sunlight?
  136. 136Why Does Milk Turn Sour?
  137. 137The Story in a Rug
  138. 138The Making of Carpets
  139. 139Why Do I Yawn?
  140. 140Where Do Living Things Come From?
  141. 141What Is Inorganic Matter?
  142. 142Where Did Life Begin on Earth?
  143. 143When Did Man Begin to Live?
  144. 144Why Must Life Be Reproduced?
  145. 145Have Plants Fathers and Mothers?
  146. 146How Do Plants Reproduce Life?
  147. 147Why Do Plants Have Seeds?
  148. 148Why Does an Ear of Corn Have Silk?
  149. 149How Does the Pollen Touch the Grain of Corn?
  150. 150Do Father and Mother Plants Always Live Together?
  151. 151Why Do Flowers Have Smells?
  152. 152How Are Fishes Born?
  153. 153How Birds Are Taught to Fly
  154. 154What Makes the Hollow Place at One End of a Boiled Egg?
  155. 155Is Man an Animal?
  156. 156Why Cannot Babies Walk as Soon as Born?
  157. 157What Are Ball Bearings?
  158. 158Why a Gasoline Engine Goes
  159. 159Why Does the Heart Beat When the Brain Is Asleep?
  160. 160Why Do Our Hearts Beat Faster When We Are Running?
  161. 161Why Do I Get Out of Breath When Running?
  162. 162Why Does My Heart Beat Faster When I Am Scared?
  163. 163Why Does Cold Make Our Hands Blue?
  164. 164Why Do I Get Red in the Face?
  165. 165Is Yawning Infectious?
  166. 166What Makes Me Want to Stretch?
  167. 167What Happens When I Stretch?
  168. 168Why Can We Think of Only One Thing at a Time?
  169. 169Why Do I Turn White When Scared?
  170. 170What Makes Me Blush?
  171. 171What Occurs When We Think?
  172. 172Can Animals Think?
  173. 173Why Do I Sneeze?
  174. 174What Happens When I Swallow?
  175. 175What Makes the Lump Come in My Throat When I Cry?
  176. 176Why Do We Stop Growing?
  177. 177Why Do We Grow Aged?
  178. 178What Causes Wrinkles?
  179. 179Does Thunder Sour Milk?
  180. 180What Makes the Rings in the Water When I Throw a Stone Into It?
  181. 181Why Are There Many Languages?
  182. 182What Makes a Match Light When We Strike It?
  183. 183What Makes the Kettle Whistle?
  184. 184What Makes the Water From a Fountain Shoot Into the Air?
  185. 185What Keeps a Balloon Up?
  186. 186Why Did People of Long Ago Live Longer Than We Do Now?
  187. 187Is There a Reason for Everything?
  188. 188What Makes an Echo?
  189. 189What Is a Whispering Gallery?
  190. 190Why Do We Get a Bump Instead of a Dent When We Knock Our Heads?
  191. 191The Deep Sea Diver
  192. 192What Happens When Anything Explodes?
  193. 193What Causes the Smoke When a Gun Goes Off?
  194. 194What Is Smokeless Powder Made of?
  195. 195What Is Nitroglycerine?
  196. 196What Makes Nitroglycerine and Guncotton Explode So Readily?
  197. 197What Is Silver?
  198. 198What Is Worry?
  199. 199Why Do We Worry?
  200. 200The Story in a Tunnel
  201. 201Why Do My Teeth Chatter?
  202. 202Where Did All the Water in the Oceans Come From?
  203. 203Why Don’t the Water in the Ocean Sink in?
  204. 204Where Does the Water in the Ocean Go at Low Tide?
  205. 205Why Does the Ocean Look Blue at Times and at Other Times Green?
  206. 206Why Does Water Run?
  207. 207What Makes the Water Boil?
  208. 208At What Point of Heat Does Water Boil?
  209. 209What Do We Mean by Fahrenheit?
  210. 210Why Can’t We Swim as Easily in Fresh Water as in Salt Water?
  211. 211Why Do We Say Some Water Is Hard and Other Water Soft?
  212. 212How Does Water Put a Fire Out?
  213. 213Where Does the Rain Go?
  214. 214Why Does Rain Make the Air Fresh?
  215. 215Is a Train Harder to Stop Than to Start?
  216. 216What Makes the Knots in Boards?
  217. 217How Many Stars Are There?
  218. 218The Story in a Can of Paint
  219. 219Why Does a Dog Turn Round and Round Before He Lies Down?
  220. 220How Is Light Produced?
  221. 221What Makes Rays of Light?
  222. 222Why Does a Nail Get Hot When I Hammer It?
  223. 223How Do We Obtain Heat?
  224. 224Why Does a Glow-Worm Glow?
  225. 225Why Do They Call It Pin Money?
  226. 226Why Do People Shake Hands With the Right Hand?
  227. 227How Did the Custom of Clinking Glasses When Drinking Originate?
  228. 228Why Cannot Fishes Live in the Air?
  229. 229What Makes a Fish Move in Swimming?
  230. 230Why Are Birds’ Eggs of Different Colors?
  231. 231Why Does a Hen Cackle After Laying an Egg?
  232. 232Why Will Water Run Off a Duck’s Back?
  233. 233The Story in a Steel Rail
  234. 234Who Made the First Felt Hat?
  235. 235What Is the Hottest Spot on Earth?
  236. 236Where Do We Get Ivory?
  237. 237How Did Trial by Jury Originate?
  238. 238Can Animals Foretell the Weather?
  239. 239Nearest Approach Ever Made to Perpetual Motion in Mechanics
  240. 240Do Plants Breathe?
  241. 241What Depth of Snow Is Equivalent to an Inch of Rain?
  242. 242How Are the Stars Counted?
  243. 243How Is the Volume of Sound Measured?
  244. 244At What Rate Does Thought Travel?
  245. 245What Is the Largest Tree in the World?
  246. 246Where Did the Term Yankees Originate?
  247. 247How Far Does the Air Extend?
  248. 248What Makes Us Feel Hungry?
  249. 249What Makes Us Thirsty?
  250. 250What Is Pain and Why Does It Hurt?
  251. 251What Is the Horizon?
  252. 252How Far Away Is the Horizon?
  253. 253Why Can We See Farther When We Are Up High?
  254. 254What Makes Lobsters Turn Red?
  255. 255Why Do We Have to Die?
  256. 256Making Plate Glass
  257. 257Why Is the Sky Blue?
  258. 258What Makes the Colors of the Sunset?
  259. 259Are There Two Sides to the Rainbow?
  260. 260Do the Ends of the Rainbow Rest on Land?
  261. 261What Causes the Different Colors of the Rainbow?
  262. 262What Makes the Hills Look Blue Sometimes?
  263. 263Do the Stars Really Shoot Down?
  264. 264Will the Sky Ever Fall Down?
  265. 265What Is the Milky Way?
  266. 266Why Do They Call It the Milky Way?
  267. 267Why Don’t the Stars Shine in the Day-time?
  268. 268How Far Does Space Reach?
  269. 269What Does Horse Power Mean?
  270. 270The Story in a Lump of Coal
  271. 271What Is a Metal?
  272. 272What Is the Most Valuable Metal?
  273. 273Why Is Gold Called Precious?
  274. 274What Do We Mean by 18-Carat Fine?
  275. 275Why Does Silver Tarnish?
  276. 276Why Do We Use Copper Telegraph Wires?
  277. 277Why Is Lead So Heavy?
  278. 278Why Are Cooking Utensils Made of Tin?
  279. 279What Is Gravitation?
  280. 280What Is Specific Gravity?
  281. 281Why Do We See Stars When Hit on the Eye?
  282. 282The Story in a Submarine Boat
  283. 283Where Do Sponges Come From?
  284. 284How Do Sponges Grow?
  285. 285How Do Sponges Eat?
  286. 286How Are Sponges Caught?
  287. 287Why Does Yeast Make Bread Rise?
  288. 288What Is Yeast?
  289. 289Is a Moth Attracted by a Light?
  290. 290How Man Discovered Fire
  291. 291Are Matches Poisonous?
  292. 292Did Candles Come Before Lamps?
  293. 293What Were the Earliest Lamps?
  294. 294What Were the Lamps of the Wise and Foolish Maidens Made of?
  295. 295When Were Street Lamps First Used?
  296. 296When Were Candles Introduced?
  297. 297Where Did the Word “Gas” Originate?
  298. 298How the Light Gets Into the Electric Light Bulb
  299. 299How Does an Arc Light Burn?
  300. 300What Are X-Rays?
  301. 301How Man Learned to Fight Fire
  302. 302How Did Man Learn to Cook His Food?
  303. 303Why Does a Sponge Hold Water?
  304. 304Why Is the Right Hand Stronger Than the Left?
  305. 305Why Do My Muscles Get Sore When I Play Ball in the Spring?
  306. 306Why Does a Barber’s Pole Have Stripes?
  307. 307How Was the Flag Made?
  308. 308Why Are Some Guns Called Gatling Guns?
  309. 309How Did Hobson’s Choice Originate?
  310. 310Why Do They Call It a Honeymoon?
  311. 311Why Is a Horseshoe Said to Bring Good Luck?
  312. 312Some Wonders of the Human Body
  313. 313Where Did the Expression “Kick the Bucket” Originate?
  314. 314How Did the Word “News” Originate?
  315. 315Who Made the First Umbrella?
  316. 316The Story in a Time Piece
  317. 317Where Does the Day Begin?
  318. 318How Much of the Earth Does the Sun Shine on at One Time?
  319. 319Where Is the Hour Changed?
  320. 320Where Does the Day Change?
  321. 321Why Do We Cook the Things We Eat?
  322. 322The Story in a Magnet
  323. 323What Is a Lodestone?
  324. 324What Is Electricity?
  325. 325What Is a Leyden Jar?
  326. 326Who Discovered Electricity?
  327. 327What Is an Electric Current?
  328. 328Why Does a Bee Have a Sting?
  329. 329How Does a Honey Bee Live?
  330. 330The Beginning of a Steamship
  331. 331What Is Water Made of?
  332. 332What Is a Molecule?
  333. 333How Do We Know a Thing Is Solid, Liquid or Gas?
  334. 334How Big Is a Molecule?
  335. 335What Is an Element?
  336. 336What Is Hydrogen Gas?
  337. 337What Is Oxygen?
  338. 338What Is Nitrogen?
  339. 339Why Are Some Things Transparent and Others Not?
  340. 340Why Is the Sea Water Salt?
  341. 341Why Does Salt Make Me Thirsty?
  342. 342What Are Diamonds Made of?
  343. 343What Causes Dimples?
  344. 344Why Does the Dark Cause Fear?
  345. 345The Story in a Coil of Rope
  346. 346Why Do We Go to Sleep?
  347. 347Why Do We Wake Up in the Morning?
  348. 348Where Are We When Asleep?
  349. 349Why Does It Seem When We Have Slept All Night That We Have Been Asl…
  350. 350Why Should We Not Sleep With the Moon Shining on Us?
  351. 351What Makes Us Dream?
  352. 352Why Do We Know We Have Dreamed When We Wake Up?
  353. 353What Causes Nightmare?
  354. 354What Are Ghosts?
  355. 355Why Do Girls Like Dolls?
  356. 356What Makes the Works of a Watch Go?
  357. 357What Makes a Hot Box?
  358. 358The Story in a Moving Picture
  359. 359The Story in a Ball of Rubber
  360. 360The Story in a Stick of Chocolate
  361. 361How Does an Elevator Go Up and Down? — Why Does Not the Car Fall? —…
  362. 362Why Does the Scenery Appear to Move When We Are Riding in a Train?
  363. 363Why Don’t the Scenery Appear to Move When I Am in a Street Car?
  364. 364Why Does the Moon Travel With Us When We Walk or Ride?
  365. 365Is There a Man in the Moon?
  366. 366Does the Air Surrounding the Earth Move With It?
  367. 367Why Does Oiling the Axle Make the Wheel Turn More Easily?
  368. 368What Made the Mountains?
  369. 369What Makes the Sea Roar?
  370. 370Why Is Fire Hot?
  371. 371When I Throw a Ball Into the Air While Walking, Why Does It Follow Me?
  372. 372What Good Are the Lines on the Palms of Our Hands?
  373. 373What Makes Things Whirl Round When I Am Dizzy?
  374. 374Why Are the Complexions of Some People Light and Others Dark?
  375. 375What Makes Me Tired?
  376. 376Why Are Most People Right-Handed?
  377. 377Why Are Some Faculties Stronger Than Others?
  378. 378The Story in a Cup and Saucer
  379. 379How Do Birds Find Their Way?
  380. 380How Does a Captain Steer His Ship Across the Ocean?
  381. 381Why the Birds Come Back in Spring?
  382. 382Why Do Birds Go South in Winter?
  383. 383Why Don’t the Birds Stay South?
  384. 384How Do They Find the Old Home?
  385. 385Why Do Birds Sing?
  386. 386What Causes an Arrow to Fly?
  387. 387Why Do Children Like Candy?
  388. 388Why Does Eating Candy Make Some People Fat?
  389. 389What Makes Snowflakes White?
  390. 390What Makes the White Caps on the Waves White?
  391. 391What Good Can Come of a Toothache?
  392. 392How Can Microbes Spread Through the Body?
  393. 393What Causes Toothache?
  394. 394Of What Use Are Pains and Aches?
  395. 395What Causes Earache?
  396. 396What Is Soap Made of?
  397. 397The Story in a Telegram
  398. 398Morse Telegraph Code
  399. 399The Story in an Ocean Cable
  400. 400The Story in a Railway Locomotive
  401. 401The Story in the Wireless
  402. 402How Does a Fly Walk Upside Down?
  403. 403What Is Money?
  404. 404Why Do We Need Money?
  405. 405Who Originated Money?
  406. 406Metallic Forms of Money
  407. 407Why Do We Use Gold and Silver as Money Principally?
  408. 408Who Made the First Cent?
  409. 409How Did the Name Uncle Sam Originate?
  410. 410The Story in a Loaf of Bread
  411. 411The Story in a Lead Pencil
  412. 412The Story in a Bale of Cotton
  413. 413The Story in a Piano
  414. 414How Sounds Are Produced
  415. 415What Is Sound?
  416. 416How Fast Does Sound Travel?
  417. 417What Are the Properties of Sound?
  418. 418Why Can You Hear More Easily Through a Speaking Tube?
  419. 419What Is Meant by the Length of Sound Waves?
  420. 420Musical Instruments
  421. 421Talking Machines
  422. 422Why Does Red Make a Bull Angry?
  423. 423How a Key Turns a Lock
  424. 424What Happens When the Key Is Turned?
  425. 425How Key Changes Are Provided
  426. 426Where Does Salt Come From?
  427. 427Where Do All the Little Round Stones Come From?
  428. 428What Is Clay?
  429. 429Where Do School Slates Come From?
  430. 430What Causes Shadows?
  431. 431The Foundation of a Sky Scraper
  432. 432The Story in a Glass of Water
  433. 433What Is Carbonic Acid?
  434. 434Is It a Fact That the Sun Revolves on Its Axis?
  435. 435What Is the Most Usefully Valuable Metal?
  436. 436The Story in a Pipe and Cigar
  437. 437The Story in a Finger Print
  438. 438The Story in a Honey Bee
  439. 439Why Are Some Races White, and Others Black, Yellow and Brown?
  440. 440The Story in a Piece of Leather
  441. 441The Story in a Pair of Shoes
  442. 442How Shoes Are Made by Machinery
  443. 443How the Paper in This Book Is Made
  444. 444How Is Photo Engraving Done?
  445. 445Acknowledgment

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