This famous time-travel puzzler is called “The Grandfather Paradox” (“paradox” means it doesn’t make logical sense). Some say this shows that time travel to the past is impossible, because this mind-knotting situation just can’t be explained away.
Or can it? Some use a theory called the “Many Worlds Interpretation” to explain it. This theory says that if you traveled to the past and messed up your family tree, you’d create a new, parallel universe in which you would never be born. Poof! A new universe! According to the Many Worlds theory, there could be a different universe for every possible outcome of every possible event. That’s a whole lot of universes!
How to Survive a Trip to the Past
When traveling back in time, the key is to blend in. That means: Hide your time machine, act like the locals, know the rules, and play by them. So, if you’re chillin’ in thirteenth-century Japan and you come across a samurai, you’ll know to bow in respect because you studied up on Bushido, the samurai’s code of honor. Here’s a quick time-travel guide for some of history’s hot spots.
How To Survive In Prehistoric Times
Go back in time 230 to 65 million years, and you’re guaranteed to run into a dinosaur or two (or three). Here’s how to get a glimpse of these giant prehistoric beasts without ending up a part of the fossil record.
• Brachiosaurus. One of the largest animals to walk the earth—it was heavier than 60 elephants. This dino was a plant eater, so don’t worry about it chowing down on you. Just don’t climb a ginkgo tree to get a look at this guy—it loved to eat branches, so you could get knocked right out.
• Maiasaura. Its name means “good mother reptile,” but don’t expect a lullaby from this duck-billed dino! With nests of around 20 eggs to protect, this big mama is vigilant with a capital V. Since Maiasaura is an herbivore, it won’t seek you out for dinner. But go near one of its nests, and you’ll shoot to the top of its “must destroy” list.
• Sarcosuchus. This guy will spy you—and then attack you—from its swampy hideout, so keep an eye out for scaly moving “rocks” and beady eyes. A relative of the crocodile, this “Supercroc” is the size of a city bus, and five times as heavy any crocodilian creature today.
• Tyrannosaurus rex. Use its massive size against it! T. rex probably couldn’t pounce or change directions quickly, so run in a zigzag pattern to escape its knife-sharp teeth.
What to Eat in Dino Times
If you get hungry, watch what you eat. Many prehistoric plants were probably poisonous. If you do need a quick bite, these are your best bets:
• Ferns. The fiddleheads (the fern’s leaves before they open) are likely as safe to eat as they are today, but munch them only in moderation. Eating too many can be toxic.
• Ginkgos. The nutlike centers are edible—the vomit-smelling flesh surrounding them, not-so-much . . .
• Water lilies. If the ones back then were anything like the ones around today, the roots are safe to eat.
• Seaweed. If you land near a coast, seaweed may be plentiful. Most of these plants can be eaten.
• Honey. Bees buzzed during the Cretaceous Period (144 to 65 million years ago), so you can always add a dab of honey to your seaweed and ginkgo-nut sandwich.
BE AWARE • Taking a sip of water from a Jurassic stream could make you jura-sick ! Microscopic parasites lurked in prehistoric water, so be sure to boil water before you drink it. Otherwise, you’re risking a dino-sized stomachache!
How To Survive In Ancient Rome
As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” That’s almost all you need to know...
1 Bring your own TP.
Public toilets in ancient Rome often had running water and marble seats, but when it came to toilet paper, well, there wasn’t any. Instead, each ancient latrine came with a sponge attached to a stick for all to share. The sponges were rinsed between uses, but still…even the most ready-for-anything time traveler may prefer not to doo as the Romans did.
What to wear when in Rome
2 Join the crowd.
Your new Roman friends may invite you to a gladiator match in a giant arena called the Colosseum. If that happens, you may find that they—and 50,000 other people—start shouting like crazy folk when one of the gladiators falls to the ground and asks for mercy. If you want to join in (and you want to be nice), yell, “Mitte!” (Mee-tay), which means “Let him go!”
Helpful Latin Phrases
Caveo, ego sum iens vomito! [Cahv-ay-oh, ay-goh soom ee-ayns voom-ee-toh!]
Look out, I’m going to barf!
Tanquam! [Tahn-kwahm!]
As if!
Quis feteo? [Kwees fay-tay-oh?]
What stinks?
How To Survive In Ancient Egypt
Welcome to the land of pharaohs and pyramids, time traveler! Here are some tips to make your trip as cool as the desert is hot.
1 Shave your head.
Having no hair will help keep you cool, but in ancient Egypt, hairstyles also told a lot about a person, including age. Young children had shaved heads except for a long lock of hair on the left side of their heads to signify youth. Adult men and women disguised their shaved heads with wigs. One other advantage to having no hair...no lice!
2 Try ancient sunblock.
Men, women, boys, and girls wore face makeup because they liked the look, and it helped protect their skin from the sun. Thick black eyeliner helped protect from the sun’s glare, too. So, it wasn’t all about looking good.
BE AWARE • Most ancient Egyptian kids didn’t wear clothes until their teens. The weather was so hot, they didn’t need or want them.
3 Do some pyramid-watching.
The Great Pyramid of Giza has puzzled archaeologists for centuries. How did the ancient Egyptians manage to stack up about 2.3 million giant limestone blocks, each one weighing several tons, when they didn’t have any heavy-lifting equipment? Were there ramps? Levers? Or just a whole lot of backaches and blisters? Get yourself a pyramid-side seat and find out!
4 Solve the mystery of King Tut.
No one knows what killed the young king, who became pharaoh at age 9 and died at 19. Was it murder? A wounded leg that became infected? Ask around, and see if you can get the scoop.
How To Survive In Medieval Times
If knights and castles are your thing, Europe’s Middle Ages (from 1066 to around 1500) might be worth a trip. Just keep in mind—life back then was as tough as the mutton that middle-agers dined on, and few people even reached middle age. Here’s how to make the most of your time in medieval times.
1 Avoid the plague like the plague.
There’s a nasty flu going around known as the bubonic plague, or the “Black Death.” With a name like that, you’re dealing with more than a runny nose. In fact, the plague wiped out nearly half of Europe’s population. So, wash your hands a lot, stay away from anyone with a cough, and definitely don’t hang out with any rats (they carry the disease).
2 Eat at your own risk.
Peasants often ate “black pudding,” a dish made with animal blood and fat, milk, onions, and oatmeal. Mmmm, nothing like bloody, fatty, milky oatmeal! Nobles, on the other hand, dined on roasts, fish, and pigeon pie. So, how do you get to dine with the nobles?
3 Dress the part.
Fake it till you make it with expensive clothing fit for nobility. Hit up a costume store for velvet, furs, and extravagant silk robes. The more color, the more noble.
4 Joust not.
Anyone can enter a joust, but think twice before donning your armor and hopping on that horse. Many knights were killed in jousting matches, not only by lances but also by their out-of-control steeds.
How to Make the Most of a Trip to the Future
You may know the saying, Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Well, the same can be said about the future. If you time travel to the future and discover that things aren’t going well—from famine to fashion—you can travel back to the present and save t
he planet. And you might as well make your life a little sweeter, too.
1 Cash in.
Everyday info in the future translates to big-time cash in the present. Check out which companies are doing well in the stock market. Jot down some winning lottery numbers. When you go back to the present, it won’t take much time to build massive wealth (which of course you will donate to charities and worthy causes).
2 Learn your history...er...future lessons.
• Endangered species. Rap with future zoologists, entomologists, ecologists, and marine biologists about what’s happening in the animal, insect, and plant kingdoms. When you return to the present day, you can help make sure all of the soon-to-be-endangered critters are taken care of.
• Hot enough for you? Scientists warn that if we don’t do something about climate change, Earth’s average temperature will rise a number of degrees by the end of this century. This increase will cause the polar ice caps to continue to melt and sea levels to rise. When you’re in the future, find out exactly what has happened and what future scientists think should have been done. Grab as many stats as you can and bring all this information back to the present. Then see if you can help make a positive change.
• Eureka. Are there any inventions that you can bring back to help present-day society? Saltwater purifiers to make ocean water drinkable? Flying cars? Maybe there’s a new anti-zit cream that you can market at school!
• Fashion forward. Bring back some futuristic clothes and be a trendsetter! Make sure to wear your future fashions with confidence, and when asked what era you’re channeling, just say the ‘80s (the 2080s, that is!).
3 Talk to your old self.
As smart as you might be, chances are your older self is a bit wiser about life (especially your life). Once you get past the shock of seeing yourself old and wrinkly, ask yourself some questions: Is there anything I should do differently in my life? What is the most important lesson you’ve (I’ve) learned? When exactly do I lose all sense of fashion?
Futuristic Fads
Real or Ridiculous? Experts on the Future
What can we expect in the future? People who dedicate their lives to predicting what will happen in the years to come are called “futurists.” Can you tell which predictions from the World Future Society (yep, this group exists) are real and which are ridiculous?
a. Koala bears will become domesticated like dogs.
b. Hyper-speed planes will transport passengers at ten times the speed of sound.
c. Ocean currents will generate a lot of our energy.
d. Chemicals found in snails will be among the best new medicines.
e. Cars will run on hydrogen.
f. You will be president.
Answers: a. is ridiculous. Only time will tell with f.
CHAPTER 5
Magic and Myth
How to Run with a Unicorn
There are few mythical creatures as beautiful and mysterious as the unicorn. Though they’re difficult to come by—maybe they’re embarrassed by the protrusion from their heads?—unicorns have long fascinated humankind, adorning the covers of countless spiral notebooks. A unicorn encounter may be rare, but it’s not unlikely, if you follow these tips.
1 Girl power.
According to the usual rules of unicorn lore, the only way to find one is for a fair maiden (sorry, guys) to wait alone where these elusive creatures are suspected to roam, like magical forests or on enchanted riverbanks. When a unicorn sees a maiden of pure heart, it will run up to her and lay its head in her lap. If you’re truly pure of heart (Have you been doing your chores? Are you changing the toilet paper roll when you use the last square of TP? Have you stopped drinking milk directly out of the carton?), then you will soon find yourself gently petting a unicorn’s silky mane.
2 Born to be wild.
Just because a unicorn nuzzles up against you doesn’t mean it’s time to break out the leash or the litter box. Unicorns prize their freedom above all else, so don’t place it in a stable or fence it in. Instead, let it run freely, preferably in a meadow. Unicorns are loyal and should not run away.
3 Protect and serve.
You aren’t the only one with unicorn wishes. About 2,000 years ago, the Greek physician Ctesias claimed that a unicorn horn, if ground up, can prevent sickness. So be on the lookout for unicorn hunters looking to add a little horn dust to their tea.
4 Maintain the mane.
Like horses, unicorns like their manes and coats brushed in order to keep their pearly-white coats ultraclean. Unicorns also like it when you braid their manes and tails. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try to soup up your unicorn with some horse bling, like gold horseshoes, or knit a cozy to keep your uni’s horn warm (and to protect you from being poked).
The Real Deal
Is there a unicorn in Italy? In 2008 in a Florence nature reserve, a young deer received a lot of attention because of its unusual antler. Instead of having a pair of antlers, this deer had one horn sticking straight up from the center of its head. Scientists think that the horn was a rare genetic glitch and that animals like this one might explain reports of unicorn sightings throughout history.
The Story of Pegasus
Unicorns aren’t the only mythical horselike creatures. There’s also a winged horse known as Pegasus from Greek mythology. Pegasus was created from the blood dripping from the severed head of Medusa (see “How to Defeat Medusa” on page 106). The goddess Athena gave the hero Bellerophon a magic bridle to help tame the wild Pegasus. Bellerophon then used his flying horse to defeat a chimera, a nasty fire-breathing she-monster. Pegasus was so fast, Bellerophon didn’t even suffer a scratch during the fight. Bellerophon then became a little too full of himself and felt that his heroic deeds proved he was a god. When Bellerophon tried to fly to Mount Olympus (the exclusive hood of the Greek gods), Zeus, the king of the gods, sent a fly to sting Pegasus. This caused Pegasus to lurch, throwing Bellerophon off his back, and bringing him “down to Earth.”
How to Tame and Train a Dragon
Whether they’re fire-breathing, ice-spewing, bat-winged, barb-tailed, or yellow-eyed, dragons all have one thing in common: They’re equipped to do some serious damage! Here’s how to tip their scales in your favor, hop on the dragon wagon, and have the ride of your life!
1 Get the dragon deets.
If you’re desperately seeking a dragon’s digs, seek out sites high in the mountains, large bodies of freshwater, or caves deep in mossy forests. Still no scales in sight? Your neighborhood wizard may have an idea of where a dragon might be found.
2 Choose your type.
Consult the “Dragon Field Guide” to make sure you’re not eyeing an evil dragon. (You won’t want to wrangle a wyvern or hang with a Hydra!) The good news is that some dragons are noble and intelligent creatures.
Dragon Field Guide
• Classic. These fire breathers can be vicious hoarders of treasure, like Fafnir from Norse mythology and Smaug from the The Hobbit, or they can be friendly companions, like Puff.
• Multiheaded. Whether it’s nine-headed Hydra from Greek mythology or eight-headed Yamata no Orochi from Japanese legend, these dragons are vicious with a capital V!
• Wyvern. Often depicted on coats of arms, wyverns are winged dragons that breathe poison instead of flames.
• Chinese. Kindhearted with five claws on each foot, Chinese dragons have 117 scales: 81 are infused with good (the yang) and 36 with evil (the yin).
• Naga. Indian serpents with the bodies of King Cobras and the heads of humans reward people if they’re good and punish them if they’re bad—like a snaky Santa Claus.
3 Dress for success.
Now is not the time to sport your father’s flammable polyester suit from the seventies. Suit up in heavy head-to-toe chain-mail armor that will protect you from fiery breath, sharp claws, and gnashing teeth. Chain mail may slow you down, but it’s better to be slow than slow-roasted.
4 Plan your approach.
You’ll want to stake out your dragon from a safe area. Bring binoculars and get to know its habits. Don’t be surprised if you spot it surrounded by mounds of gold and shiny gemstones because all smart adventurers know to…
5 Come bearing gifts.
Gold, silver, rubies, and diamonds are a dragon’s best friends, so you may need to “borrow” some of your mom’s jewelry. Approach the dragon very slowly, always keeping some distance between you. Stay behind your shield as the dragon surveys your gift. As the dragon checks out your irresistible offering, it should be less interested in considering you a tasty prize.
6 Scale the scales.
Now that you’ve made friends, it’s time to fly! When the dragon crouches down, don’t take a minute to consider your options—dragons don’t like to ask twice. Accept the invitation promptly by hopping onto its back, eventually settling on its shoulders. Hold its neck tightly because you’re about to do some serious soaring!
How to Find and Befriend a Fairy
A fairy, faery, or fairie is a magical, mischievous, delicate little creature who can’t seem to pick a spelling and stick with it. Having the appearance of a miniature person (wings are optional), a fairy can be a trusted friend in times of need, but it can also be a pest and make mischief if you break some fairy rules. Here’s how to fare well with a fairy…faery…or fairie.
Junior Edition Bundle Page 13
