Wendy Tyler, age 13. of Santa Rosa, Calif., for her question:

WHEN WAS THE FIRST ALPHABET DEVELOPED?

Man's first written records were kept in the form of a picture language. It then took about 2,000 years to develop an alphabet. The first one was developed in about 1500 B.C. by the Semitic peoples of Syria and Palestine.

The Semites used picture symbols. By combining symbols for ox, horse, hand, fish and teeth in a line, they could write any spoken word.

This alphabet became the pattern for the Greek and Roman alphabets. It also formed the basis of our English alphabet.

The invention of the alphabet ranks as one of the great events in human history. As the alphabet spread throughout the world, it freed men from the burden of learning a different symbol for each word. As a result, learning to read became much easier and more people learned.

Writing was also simpler and more was written. The use of the alphabet encouraged study and discovery. Writing became a convenient tool for communication and commerce.