Jackie Robinson

I just finished reading Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. On page 139 he mentions Jackie Robinson and how it saddened him to know that the present generation knows very little about Jackie and some of them do not know about him at all. Since I fall into the latter category I did a quick search on Jacke Robinson to know more about him. Here are some amazing facts about this great personality –

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. He was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years.

Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to leave college, and eventually decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. After two years in the army, he had progressed to second lieutenant. Jackie's army career was cut short when he was court-martialed in relation to his objections with incidents of racial discrimination. In the end, Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.

In 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball League, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. But greater challenges and achievements were in store for him. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. When Branch Rickey first met with Jackie about joining the Dodgers, he told him that for three years he would have to turn the other cheek and silently suffer all the vile things that would come his way. It wasn’t Jackie’s nature to do that, he was a fighter, the proudest and most competitive of fighters. But when Rickey read to him from The Life of Christ, Jackie understood the wisdom and the necessity of forbearance.

The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation's preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South. He was bigger than the Brooklyn teammates who got up a petition to keep him off the ball club, bigger than the pitchers who threw at him or the base runners who dug their spikes into his shin, bigger than the bench jockeys who hollered for him to carry their bags and shine their shoes, bigger than the so-called fans who mocked him with mops on their heads and wrote him death threats.

Somehow, Jackie had the strength to suppress his instincts, to sacrifice his pride for his people's. It was an incredible act of selflessness that brought the races closer together than ever before and shaped the dreams of an entire generation.
At the end of Robinson's rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he was selected as the NL's Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie Robinson's life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. In 1997, the world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie's breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. In doing so, we honored the man who stood defiantly against those who would work against racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one man's life on the American culture. On the date of Robinson's historic debut, all Major League teams across the nation celebrated this milestone. Also that year, on United States Post Office honored Robinson by making him the subject of a commemorative postage stamp. On Tuesday, April 15 President Bill Clinton paid tribute to Jackie at Shea Stadium in New York in a special ceremony.

Official website - http://www.jackierobinson.com/

Deepa's report card

This is the report card of a little girl - Deepa, whom I haven't met yet but hope to do so some day. I'm giving away a very small part of my income to pay for Deepa's education. It takes very little to sponsor a child. Please go ahead and do so, you'll feel great when you get the report card :)

NAME	DEEPA THERON
CLASS	VII
ROLL NUMBER	03
SUBJECTS	FULL MARKS	PASS MARKS	MARKS OBTAINED
Assamese	100	35	54
Mathematics	100	35	44
Science	100	35	42
Social Studies	100	35	48
Hindi	100	35	50
English	100	35	46
Environmental Science	100	35	49
Total	700		333
Attendance	113/133
Conduct	Good

Parijat Academy

a school for underprivileged children

Pamohi, P.O. Garchuk, Guwahati-781035, Assam

Tel: 0361-2740179, 09864041611

Email: parijatacademy03@yahoo.com

How the cab driver saved the day!

I joined my new work place – Radio 2 (Gulf News, Dubai) on the 20^th of August. I landed in Dubai just the previous evening and was all nervous and excited about my new assignment.On D-day I got ready for work dressed in what I thought was my smartest best office wear. Since cabs aren’t easy to find in Dubai, I took a bus to Trade Centre Interchange and hailed a cab from there.

The driver was a friendly and talkative Afghani. In a few minutes he asked me about the sunglasses I was wearing. Thrilled that someone finally appreciated the new Polaroid sunglasses I had bought in India I proudly told him that they were ‘Brand new from India’. He looked at me strangely and said “Par ye aisa kaisa hain? Ek aankh pe hain aur ek pe nahin?” Not knowing what he meant I removed my sunglasses and to my horror found the lens of the left eye missing. It was sitting pretty in the case of my sunglasses which meant that I had walked all the way from home to the bus stop wearing sunglasses with the black lens over the right eye and an empty frame over the left!

I thanked the cab driver profusely – he averted a disaster. Imagine what would’ve happened had I walked into my new office, on my first day at work, looking the way I was!

To answer obvious questions – No – I did not see the world in half black and half normal. Sure something seemed different but I attributed it to jet lag and nervousness. And yes – I did get a couple of stares (but no sneers :-)) and that I attributed to my smartest best office wear :)

Too sheepish to talk about this to anyone I told the cabbie that this was our little secret and we both had a good laugh over it. It’s been five days to this incident now and I laugh about it everyday. I told my husband and a couple of friends about it and they couldn’t believe that I walked around the busy streets of Dubai completely oblivious about the sight I must’ve been.

Thank God I’m able to laugh at myself about this. This is probably the funniest thing that has happened to me in ages and my cab driver sure did save the day!

Very interesting and inspiring........

An Angry letter from a young lady made JRD Tata change his rule - Sudha Murthy was livid when a job advertisement posted by a Tata company at the institution where she was completing her post graduation stated that "Lady candidates need not apply". She dashed off a post card to JRD Tata, protesting against the discrimination. Following this, Mrs Murthy was called for an interview and she became the first female engineer to work on the shop floor at Telco (now Tata Motors). It was the beginning of an association that would change her life in more ways than one.
"THERE are two photographs that hang on my office wall. Everyday when I enter my office I look at them before starting my day. They are pictures of two old people. One is of a gentleman in a blue suit and the other is a black and white image of a man with dreamy eyes and a white beard. People have often asked me if the people in the photographs are related to me. Some have even asked me, "Is this black and white photo that of a Sufi saint or a religious Guru?" I smile and reply "No, nor are they related to me. These people made an impact on my life. I am grateful to them." "Who are they?" "The man in the blue suit is Bharat Ratna JRD Tata and the black and white photo is of Jamsetji Tata." "But why do you have them in your office?"" You can call it gratitude." Then, invariably, I have to tell the person the following story.
It was a long time ago. I was young and bright, bold and idealistic. I was in the final year of my Master's course in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, then known as the Tata Institute. Life was full of fun and joy. I did not know what helplessness or injustice meant.It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm And gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science. I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India. One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers, hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc. At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply." I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination.Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful. After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform the topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco. I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers (actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then).I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote. "The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender."I posted the letter and forgot about it.
Less than 10 days later, I received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I collected Rs. 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip. It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview. There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was serious business. "This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job. The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while the interview was being conducted. Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical interview."They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of them. Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research laboratories."I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories."Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful.
So this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became good friends and we got married.It was only after joining Telco that I realised who JRD was: the uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD". Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House called him. I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?" "When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am Sudha Murthy." He smiled and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room. After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was in awe of him.
One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I realised JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me."Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said, "It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor. I'll wait with you till your husband comes." I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside made me extremely uncomfortable. I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee." Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady, tell your husband never to make his wife wait again." In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused. Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was the way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune." "Oh! And what will you do when you are successful." "Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best." Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed like a millennium.
That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is that he's not alive to see you today." I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset forever. Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the company we started as grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model or his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the same vastness and magnificence."
Thank you,
Sudha

Farewell letter from a genius

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a famous writer from Columbia. He is a Nobel Peace prize winner for literature and is undoubtedly a genius. He has retired from public life for reasons of health. He has a form of cancer which is terminal. He has sent a farewell letter to all his friends and it has been circulated around the Internet. It is recommended reading because it is moving to see how one of the best and most brilliant of writers expresses himself and with sorrow.

He says : If God, for a second, forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit more of life, I would use it to the best of my ability. I wouldn't possibly say everything that is in my mind, but I would be more thoughtful of all I say. I would give merit to things not for what they are worth, but for what they mean to express. I would sleep little, I would dream more, because I know that for every minute that we close our eyes, we waste 60 seconds of light. I would walk while others stop; I would awake while others sleep. If God would give me a little bit more of life, I would dress in a simple manner. I would place myself in front of the sun, leaving not only my body, but my soul naked at its mercy. To all men I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love. I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them to learn how to fly by themselves. To old people I would say that death doesn't arrive when they grow old, but with forgetfulness.

I have learned so much with you all, I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken and the form used to reach the top of the hill. I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with its little hand, his father's finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life. I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground. Say always what you feel, not what you think. If I knew that today is the last time that I am going to see you asleep, I would hug you with all my strength and I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of your soul. If I knew that these are the last moments to see you, I would say 'I love you'. There is always tomorrow, and life gives us another opportunity to do things right; but in case I am wrong, and today is all that is left to me, I would love to tell you how much I love you and that I will never forget you. Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today could be the last time to see your loved ones, which is why you mustn't wait; do it today, in case tomorrow never arrives. I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the opportunity today to give a smile, a hug, a kiss, and that you were too busy to grant them their last wish.

Keep your loved ones near you; tell them in their ears and to their faces how much you need them and love them. Love them and treat them well; take your time to tell them 'I am sorry'; 'forgive me', 'please', 'thank you', and all those loving words you know. Nobody will know you for your secret thought. Ask the Lord for wisdom and strength to express them. Show your friends and loved ones how important they are to you. Send this letter to those you love. If you don't do it today...tomorrow willbe like yesterday; and if you never do it, it doesn't matter, either, the moment to do it is now.

For you, with much love, Your Friend Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Â

These are a few of my favourite things

Remember this famous song from the Sound of Music. Now after 40 years Julie Andrews sang it again. It wouldn't be funny if it weren't so true... Julie Andrews turned 69 - To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." Here are the lyrics she used: Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting, Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, Bundles of magazines tied up in string, These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses, Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, When the knees go bad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions, Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin', Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin', And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames, When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break, When the eyes grow dim, Then I remember the great l ife I've had, And then I don't feel so bad.

(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.)

Kihim-Alibaug-Kashid-Murud

The prospect of being in Mumbai over the long weekend was not appealing, so my husband and I planned a last-minute trip to North Konkan. We were lucky to get a booking at decent resort in Kihim. I had no idea that Kihim is so close to where we stay in Vashi. The drive is short – just two and a half hours long and the route is simple. You go from Panvel to Pen, further down to Vadkhal Naka and take a right turn at Kharlakhind to finally reach Kihim. Kihim village is a quaint and sleepy village. Most of the old houses, known as Vadas, have been renovated now. However, one still gets the feel of the simple life of a coastal village. Most houses have sprawling gardens, almost acres of it known as baghs. We were lucky enough to go to the bagh of one resident of Kihim. They bought their house in 1986 and their garden has an amazing collection of tamarind trees, mangoes, jackfruits, supari, pepper and tejpatta. We actually saw fresh tejpatta tress!

That evening we went to the Mandwa Bunder. Using the ferry is one of simplest ways to reach Mumbai for the local residents. You can take a ferry to Bhau-cha-dhaka from either Mandwa or Rewas. The ferries/launches are small but efficient and the tickets are affordable – around Rs. 100 for an air conditioned launch. Mandwa Bunder is a great place to watch the sunset from. We reached just in time to catch the beautiful sunset, enjoy the lovely breeze and witness the full moon rise in all it’s glory in an overcast sky. We were invited for dinner by a local family and enjoyed a yummy dinner mainly of vegetables cooked in coconut gravy, fish and rice.

We went to Rewas Bunder the next day. It is much smaller than Mandwa and has rows of vendors selling interesting stuff like berries, prawn papads, jamuns etc. on both sides of the pathway. Right across the Rewas Bunder, on the other side of the river is the Karanjia village and hill (seen in the pic below). Apparently the village, when seen from a height is in the shape of a 'Karanji' (A well known and yummy Maharashtrian sweet dish), hence the name Karanjia. It was Holi Purnima that day. I did not know that Holi is a very auspicious festival for the Koli (fishermen) community. Apparently the full moon on this day brings out the best in the sea. Rewas Bunder was full of young boys drinking Bhaang and jumping into the sea for a quick swim. Little fishing boats were decorated with colourful flags and fisher women were dancing on their boats, singing folk songs and enjoying the moment.

Alibaug was our next destination. We wanted to just enjoy the beach so we did not go to the Alibaug Fort. The beach at Albaug is rocky and a bit crowded with vendors. We drove to Kashid from Alibaug. The drive is beautiful and passes through the villages of Nagaon and Ravedanda. Kashid beach is a beautiful white sand beach. One unique thing we saw on this beach were the artistic patterns on the sand, made by tiny crabs. You see such patterns, as the one's below all over the beach!

The most unique feature of this beach is that it has hills right opposite the beach, which makes it different from most beaches I have seen. Kashid beach is clean and one can walk on it for hours. There are stalls selling hot chai and omlette-pav on the beach. There are trees with hammocks on them for people who want to chill for a bit. We enjoyed a long walk on Kashid beach. It was a beautiful evening with a slightly overcast sky, lots of breeze and the welcoming sea ahead of us.

Our final destination was Murud. The stretch from Mandwa to Murud is a good one, and though the roads are narrow one can still enjoy a good drive on this stretch. Murud beach lives up to it’s reputation. It is a clean beach with no vendors on it. Apparently there is a ban on vendors by the local municipal corporation. Murud beach has old houses right on it. Some of the homes have been converted into hotels. Going by the crowd on this beach we realised that Murud is a hot spot amongst travelers.

On our drive back we came across innumerable groups of people gathered to light the Holi bonfires. Bonfires are lit at night to signify the burning of the demoness Holika, Hiranyakashipu’s sister. The branch of a banana tree is cut and decorated with garlands of Marigold. Colourful Rangolis are drawn on the ground and diyas and agarbattis are lit. The base of the branch is surrounded by wood and then lit. The crowd celebrates the bonfire. There were many such bonfires on our way back to Kihim.

The next day was Holi, and the Alibaug-Mandwa road was full of people playfully throwing colours at each other. The hotels were full of revelers wanting to have breakfast after their Holi celebration. We left from Kihim that morning and stopped at my husband’s friend’s place for lunch at Pen. It was a traditionally Maharashtrian lunch with Puran Poli – which is made especially on Holi. Holi marks the beginning of spring and it sure felt like it in our enjoyable drive back home.

Nice quote

The Illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn - Alvin Toffler

Sponsor a child

In the midst of work as usual, income tax declarations as usual, trips to Pune and back as usual the only different and touching thing that happened to me a couple of days ago was the call I got from Parijat Academy (Assam) founder Uttam Theron. It took 24 days by registered A.D. for my small donation to reach him in Assam. He called to acknowledge it’s receipt and promised to send me photographs of the school children, for whom he was going to buy books from the donation. Sure enough his parcel reached me last Friday and the photographs of the school children were really touching. Yet again, I was impressed by the initiative that Uttam has taken up single handedly. He also sent across a form to sponsor the education of a child. I was pleasantly surprised to know that it costs as little as Rs. 1200 per annum to sponsor a child’s education. This has been a dream of mine for sometime now and I am looking forward to fulfilling it. Uttam has promised to send progress cards of the child I sponsor and I cannot wait to put it up on my white board at work.

A question of standards

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them inEngland, and English expatriates built the US Railroads. Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroadtramways, and that's the gauge they used. Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagonwheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. And bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a spec and told we have always done it that way and wonder what horse's ass came up with that, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman war chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war horses.
Now the twist to the story... When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to beshipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds. So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.

And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important!