What makes us sneeze?

A sneeze occurs when the white tissue or lining in our nose — called a membrane — gets inflamed or irritated. Our body  reacts by letting out air as quickly as possible through the nose and mouth in an attempt to get rid of whatever is causing the irritation.

People used fto make themselves sneeze by putting stuff, a kind of finely-ground tobacco, into their nostrils. This would  tickle the membrane in the nose. Sneezing was thought to be healthy because it helped to get rid of germs.