“Y” did I write this piece, you might ask? The letter is an important component of my first name. The letter “Y” has been in the English alphabet since its origin (sometime around the 7th century A.D.

G’s that look like I’s, F’s that sound like “Waw,” and Q’s that look like monkeys — man, was our alphabet a mess. That’s because many of our letters began as Egyptian hieroglyph symbols 4,000 years ...

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Who created ...