Brian Dawson, age 14, of Annapolis, Md., for his question:

WHAT IS A BOWIE KNIFE?

A bowie knife is a heavy sheath knife that has a long, single edged, pointed blade. It is said to have been named for James Bowie, the hero of the Texas Revolution in the 1830s.

The knife was first made in Washington, Arkansas, in about 1825 by a blacksmith named James Black. The design for the knife is believed to have been submitted by Bowie. Black discovered how to temper the steel to make the blade razor sharp.

The bowie knife was one of the most important weapons of American frontiersmen. It had a horn handle and a long, curved, single edged blade. It was 10 to 15 inches long and about an inch and three quarters wide. It was well balanced for accuracy and often known by its nickname, the Arkansas toothpick.

Pioneers used it for fighting as well as for skinning deer. Texas Rangers depended on bowie knives as they did their six shooters. Mississippi River pirates also used it.

Bowie is said to have invented the long bolster, a perpendicular piece adjoining the handle, which made it an effective defensive weapon. It is said that he added the bolster because he lost his grip on a butcher knife in a fight.