Sylvia Nolte, age 15, of Chester, Penn., for her question:

WHO WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO WEAR WIGS?

The custom of wearing wigs, or false coverings of hair for the head, dates back to ancient times. We don't know who the first people to wear wigs were, but we know that they have been found on some of the oldest Egyptian mummies.

The ancient Greeks and Romans also wore wigs.

In the 1700s, the French made wigs fashionable. Wigs then became large and heavy, and very expensive. Usually they were powdered white.

Wigs were worn by nobles and great ladies, courtiers, ministers, judges, doctors and professional men. English judges began wearing wigs in the days of Queen Anne and still wear them today.

Wigs were fashionable in colonial America and became popular again in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today quality wigs are made of the best grade of human hair. Wigmakers also make small hairpieces called toupees which are used to cover bald spots.