Even during ancient times, physicians searched for anesthetics-ways to dull the pain of surgery. Opium, alcohol, and mandrake root were given orally, but their effectiveness was limited. Often, doses were so large that the patient died-not from the operation but from the drugs.

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The bicycle began as a toy for the rich, evolved into a form for children, and today is all of these things as well as the basis of a popular sport.

Near the end of the 18^th century, children sometimes played on a two-wheeled hobbyhorse propelled by pushing their feet on the ground. In 1790, a French count built an adult version that he called the celerifere (“quick strike”), which was briefly popular with the nobility. After the French Revolution and reign of Napoleon I, Joseph Nicephore Niepce [French: 1765-1833], better known as the creator of the first photographs, redesigned the celerifere, which then (1816) became generally popular in Paris. Enthusiasm increased when an 1818 version was manufactured that could be steered by turning the front wheel.

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Originally, a “satellite” was a person who attended a member of royalty. In the 17^th century Johannes Kepler called the newly discover moons that travel around planets “satellites.” Today, a satelite is any body that travels around (orbits) another in space.

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