Category BackStory

How a ball bearing brand became Volvo

Volvo is known for building some of the world’s safest and most respected cars. But have you ever wondered what the name Volvo actually means? The name Volvo comes from the Latin word volvere, meaning “to roll.” Volvo translates as…

What does TDS in water really mean?

If you’ve ever checked a water purifier or water quality report, you’ve probably come across the term TDS, which stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It measures the amount of dissolved minerals, salts, and other inorganic substances present in water, usually…

Understanding the language of rain

When the monsoon arrives, we often hear terms such as drizzle, showers, rain, downpour, and cloudburst. Meteorologists use these words to classify rainfall based on its intensity, measured in millimeters (mm) of rain received per hour. Drizzle consists of very…

The rare flower that gave the Nilgiris their name

The Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is one of India’s most extraordinary flowering plants, found mainly in the high-altitude shola grasslands of the Western Ghats. What makes this flower unique is its rare blooming cycle: it flowers en masse only once every…

Why traffic lights use red, yellow, and green

Before traffic lights existed, city streets were crowded with pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, streetcars, and an increasing number of automobiles. The solution to this growing chaos came from an unexpected source: the railways. Railway operators began using colored light signals…

Why every device uses the same power button icon

Look closely at the power button on your laptop, phone, TV, or microwave. You will find a vertical line enclosed within a broken circle, representing one of the world’s most successful examples of universal communication. The story begins in the…