Bridget Urbas, age 13, of Portland, Ore., for her question:
WHO MADE THE FIRST BELL?
Bells originated in Asia. As musical instruments, bells were known in China about 800 B.C. Archaeologists have also located a beautifully ornamented Assyrian bronze bell that they say was used for ceremonial purposes and that also dates back to 800 B.C. But we don't know who made the very first bell.
Bells were used in ancient Greece to announce that freshly caught fish had arrived at market. Greeks also used bells during war time to warn that enemies were approaching the city gates.
In ancient Rome, bells called the faithful to worship in the temples. And bells were also sounded at funeral services.
A bit later, Celtic tribes, who were famous for their metal casting techniques, brought bells from Asia to Northern Europe.
Bells were first introduced into France in A.D. 550 and into England 100 years later. One of the oldest bells in Great Britain is at St. Patrick's Will, in Belfast. It is 6 inches high and 5 inches across. Legend says that it actually belonged to the saint himself.
Bell makers cast the date of manufacture 1098 on a bell that now hangs in Drohndorf, Germany. Another old bell with a date cast into it 1106 can be found in Pisa, Italy. There's a bell dated 1202 in Fontenailles, France, and one-marked 1296 in Claughton, England.
By the 1200s it became the custom to build special towers to hold church bells. To sound the bells, they were struck with metal rods or swung against metal clappers.
In England during the Middle Ages, bells were rung shortly after sundown to announce the curfew. Also during the Middle Ages, town criers rang bells to attract attention to their notices.
Bells have been used to warn of fires, to call city council meetings and even to remind citizens of tax deadlines. In pioneer America, bells were used to warn of Indian attacks.
Today, floating markers called buoys are used at sea, and many of them carry bells to warn ships of dangerous areas. Aboard ships, bells announce the time.
Most church bells are molded in a single piece from molten metal. Bell metal is usually made by mixing 13 parts of copper to four parts of tin. Casting requires two molds of baked clay, or one of clay and one of iron, which has a higher melting point than bell metal.