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Anglicization of “Roode Eyelandt,” Dutch for “red island.” The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block noted the appearance of a reddish island in the area, and maps of the mid-seventeenth century often refer to the area as “Roode Eyelandt.”
    But all evidence points to the fact that Block was referring not to the landlocked mass of Rhode Island, nor even to the island of Aquidneck, but to an island farther west in the bay. And besides, written references to “Rhode Island” abound long before “Roode Eyelandt.”
    Most likely, “Rhode Island” was coined by explorer Giovanni da Verrazano, who referred in his diary of his 1524 voyage to an island “about the bigness of the Island of Rhodes,” a reference to its Greek counterpart. A century later, Roger Williams referred to “Aqueneck, called by us Rhode Island…”
    We do know that in 1644, the Court of Providence Plantation officially changed the name of Aquidneck (variously spelled “Aquedneck” and “Aquetheck”—spelling was far from uniform in those days) to “The Isle of Rhodes, or Rhode Island.” The entire colony, originally settled in 1636, was known as “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”
    When Rhode Island attained statehood, its name was shortened to Rhode Island, befitting its diminutive size.
     
    Submitted by Tony Alessandrini of Brooklyn, New York. Thanks also to Troy Diggs of Jonesboro, Arkansas .
     
     
    Why Do Blacktop Roads Get Lighter in Color As They Age?
     
    Our correspondent ponders:
     
         When fresh blacktop roads are laid, they are pure black. Why is it that after a few years, they turn gray? You can notice this when they patch potholes. The filler material is a dark contrast to the surrounding road. Even last year’s patched potholes are grayer than the new blacktop patches.
     You would think dirt and “worn rubber dust” would make the road blacker, not lighter.
     
    There is only one flaw in your question, Bill. Blacktop isn’t pure black, as Amy Steiner, program director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, explains:
     
         The primary ingredients in “blacktop” are asphalt and stones. Asphalt coats the stones and gives the pavement its black color. As traffic passes over the pavement, the asphalt coating on the surface stones wears off. Since stones are generally lighter in color than asphalt, the road becomes lighter in color.
     
    The other main reason that blacktop lightens in color is oxidation. As the road surface is always exposed to the ambient air, it naturally becomes lighter.
    As for what happens to the black tire tread that comes off vehicles, may I suggest you read a stimulating, brilliantly written dissertation on the subject in a wonderful book, Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? and Other Imponderables . The name of the author escapes us at the moment, but we’re sure your local bookstore employee will happily lead you to the HarperPerennial book, which, we recollect, is very reasonably priced.
     
    Submitted by Bill Jelen of Akron, Ohio .
     
     
    Why Must We Push Both the “Record” and “Play” Switches to Record on an Audio Tape Recorder, and Only the “Record” on the VCR?
     
    All of our electronics sources agreed that consumers prefer “one-touch recording” for both audio and video recorders. All agreed that there is no difference in the performance of decks with one-touch or two-touch controls. So why do we have to go the extra step on the audio recorder? Audio recorders predate video recorders, and the history of the audio tape deck gives us our answer. Thomas Mock, director of engineering for the Electronics Industries Association, explains:
     
         In most earlier audio recorders, the switches were mechanically coupled to the tape drive mechanism. The RECORD button was designed so that it was not possible to accidentally go into the record mode while playing a tape. In order to record, the RECORD button had to be