This article is classified "Real"
Travelling, as we often do, brings you in lots of places. Often you enter
buildings like houses, restaurants, or when you are a tourist castles. The
next time you enter a building you must look for the stairs. They have
quite a history. Stairs go way back and they way they build stairs a
thousand years ago effect they way we build them nowadays.
Comparing Stairs in Time
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The first thing you notice when you pay attention to stairs is the fact
that they are all built counter-clockwise if you are climbing the stairs.
If you go down the stairs, they are of course built clockwise. The way
the stairs are built is a remainder of old ancient days. In the Middle
Ages there were lots of castles and other high buildings. It was also a
very dangerous time to live in. Everyone fought with everyone. To defend
their private properties against intruders they built their stairs counter-
clockwise. This was their advantage. Because most people (about 90
percent) were right-handed in those days, the way the stairs were built
was to their advantage. In those days they fought with swords and when
a intruder was climbing the stairs he would constantly hit the wall instead
of the person he was fighting with. The defender didn't have this
disadvantage so the way the stairs were built made it extremely difficult
to conquer the building.
Nowadays we don't fight with swords any more. We use guns and other
weapons. It doesn't really matter how the stairs are built. But because
we've build them counter-clockwise for so many centuries we're stuck in
the habit. If would be a nice change to climb a staircase which is built
clockwise. It would be a strange experience indeed.
Because those time were so dangerous they've put another security measure
in the stairs: trick or uneven steps. Uneven steps were primitive burglar
alarms. The family of houses with uneven step quickly gets used to the
shorter/higher step and compensates naturally. An intruder doesn't have
the same luxury. If a burglar sneaks in such house it will go like this:
(With thanks to Malinda for the story)
Burglar, sneaking up stairs: *sneak* *sneak* *sneak*
*hits odd step*
Burglar: Zounds! OW! Blessed wounds of Christ! May thy dog
give thee fleas!
Abigail: What was that?
Josiah : Hark, stranger! Or I shall pierce thee with yon
pitchfork!
Burglar: *flees*
Nowadays we don't have uneven steps any more (only maybe if you have built
the stairs yourself and you are not a good stairbuilder). We have other
security devices so it would awkward to walk on uneven steps because it is
unnecessary.
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California
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The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California has many stairways
but many of them end in blank walls or with doors that open into space.
Their are a lot of stories going around why the stairways are build in this
way. One of them goes: The Old Lady Winchester was told that, as long as
she was still building the place, she would never die. She also believed
the house was inhabited by the spirits of people killed by Winchester
weapons.
Human Behaviour on Stairs
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When you walk the stairs you often do not meet a lot of people, especially
when an elevator is available. Most people are too lazy to climb the
stairs. But when you do meet people you get fascinated by their behaviour.
Because the stairways are often very small you can not act like if you
didn't see the person on the stairs. The consequence is that usually the
persons will greet each other (not however if they are enemies). They
also hold the door when they enter the stairway and you want to leave.
Mr. Bean
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Their are two kinds of people on the stairs. You've got fast people and
you've got slow people. Usually that is no big problem except when those
two kinds of people have an encounter. If the stairway is big enough the
fast people can pass the slow people without any difficulties, but the
problems begin when the stairway is to small to pass each other. The fast
people must walk behind the slow people and wait till they are down or up.
If you are a fast person Mr. Bean has some clues how to pass slow people.
If your building has two stairways run very fast to the next stairway,
climbing the stairs for a few floors, run back to the first stairway, and
hope you arrive before the slow people so you can laugh at them.
If however you are too slow with all this they will laugh at you. It also
can happen that your building has only one stairway so you can not run to
the other. But again Mr. Bean has the solution. Climb over the banisters
(don't let yourself drop). Hang on it. Hand by hand you can pass slow
people. If you have passed the slow person you climb over the banisters
again and walk fast down the stairs. If you have bad luck (like Mr. Bean)
another slow person will be waiting for you.
Dates
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The final point I will mention about human behaviour is the following.
When two people who know each other are walking the stairs they usually
talk a bit. Problems occur when one of them is on his floor but the other
not yet. But if they are in a nice conversation they will not stop
talking. They will hold at this point and talk on. Usually they stand in
the way so they have to end the conversation. But always in this final
moment of the conversation important things have to be discussed. How to
solve this problem? With dates, appointments, and engagements. Then they
can talk more. So if you are lonely or have nothing to do for the evening,
you might walk up and down the stairs all the time. Talk to a lot of people
there and hope you will get a date for the evening. I wish you all the
luck of the world.