Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

comes from a

word in the

Greek language

that

means “book.”

Many early copies of the Bible were written

by hand. They included colorful pictures.

One such illustration shows a story from the

book of Exodus. It tells how Moses helped

free the Israelites by leading them from

Egypt through the Red Sea.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Bible 67

 

Christians created the New Testament

after Jesus’ death to help spread the message

about Jesus to the world. The New

Testament is thought to have been written

between about AD 50 and 150. The

New Testament has four sections: the

Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the

Epistles (letters), and Revelation.

The four books called the Gospels tell

about Jesus’ life and teachings. Each

book is believed to have been written by

one of Jesus’ closest followers: Matthew,

Mark, Luke, and John.

The Acts of the Apostles tell about the

early history of the church and its messengers

(apostles) after Jesus’ death.

The Epistles are letters of advice and

instruction. Saint Paul wrote most of

them. All the letters were later copied

and spread among the churches in the

Roman Empire to give followers solutions

to local church problems and

instructions on how to live a Christian

life. The letters also gave interpretations

of the Gospels.

The Book of Revelation describes the

end of the world and the events leading

up to it. It sends a message of hope to

Christians, reminding them to keep

their faith through trying situations

because the Kingdom of God is near.

#More to explore

Christianity • Eastern Orthodox

Churches • Jesus Christ • Judaism

• Protestantism • Roman Catholicism

• Torah

Bicycle

A bicycle, or bike, is a machine for getting

from place to place. Most bicycles

The books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek. The Greek text can be

seen on a page from a Bible made in the 500s.

68 Bicycle BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

have two wheels set in a frame. The

frame includes handlebars for steering, a

seat, and two pedals. Millions of people

throughout the world ride bicycles for

fun, for exercise, for sport (called

cycling), and for transportation.

How a BicycleWorks

To ride a bicycle, the rider sits on the

seat and places the feet on the pedals.

The pedals are connected by a chain to

the back wheel. When the rider pushes

on the pedals, the back wheel turns.

This moves the bicycle forward. The

rider steers by turning the handlebars or

by leaning.

Bicycles may have coaster brakes or

hand brakes. On a bicycle with coaster

brakes, a rider stops by pedaling backward.

Hand brakes are controlled using

levers on the handlebars. When a rider

squeezes the levers, pads squeeze against

the wheels and the bicycle stops.

Some bicycles also have gears, or speeds.

Shifting, or changing, gears lets the rider

keep a steady pedaling speed when traveling

on different surfaces. Higher gears

make pedaling harder but allow the

bicycle to go faster. A rider may shift the

bicycle into a higher gear when riding

on smooth, flat ground. Lower gears

make pedaling easier but slow down the

bicycle. A rider may shift to a lower gear

when riding up a hill.

Types of Bicycles

There are six main types of bicycles:

utility, mountain, hybrid, touring, racing,

and bicycle motocross (BMX). Utility

bicycles have heavy frames and

usually one speed. Mountain bikes have

wide tires, flat handlebars, and many

speeds. They are good for riding on

rough trails. Hybrid bicycles are like

mountain bikes, but their tires are not as

wide. They are good for both roads and

off-road trails. Touring and racing

bicycles have narrow tires, lightweight

frames, curved handlebars, and many

speeds. They are often called road bikes

because they are best for riding on roads.

BMX bikes are designed for racing on

dirt tracks. BMX bikes have a small

Safe bicyclists always wear helmets.

Two men ride an early form of bicycle

called an ordinary, or a penny-farthing.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Bicycle 69

 

frame, a low seat, high handlebars, and

one speed.

History

The first machines similar to bicycles

were invented in the early 1800s. They

had no pedals. Later machines had pedals

and front wheels that were much

larger than the back wheels. The front

wheels were about 5 feet (1.5 meters)

tall. By about 1900 bicycles looked similar

to the bicycles of today.

#More to explore

Cycling • Transportation

Big Tree

#see Giant Sequoia.

Bill of Rights

A written statement that explains the

basic freedoms and rights of citizens is

generally called a bill of rights. In the

United States, the first 10 amendments

to the Constitution are called the Bill of

Rights.

History

For most of human history there was no

thought given to the rights of individual

citizens. The king or other ruler often

had complete power over the people.

This began to change in the late Middle

Ages. The nobles of England forced

King John in 1215 to guarantee them

certain rights. The document he signed

was called the Magna Carta, or Great

Charter.

Many years later people in some countries

tried to change their governments

so that the governments would represent

the people and not just the king. They