India, Sept. 9 -- Have you ever noticed that emergency doors open outwards? In today's edition of HT Lifestyle's 'Everyday Explained', we look into the history of doors, especially when emergency exit doors always open outside - there's a key safety logic behind it.

It's not a random architectural choice. Often, doors in public buildings such as theatres, schools, stadiums, and shopping centres, including the emergency exits, open outward to facilitate safe emergency evacuation.

During hazardous incidents such as a fire or a panic situation, large crowds instinctively push towards exits. In such a situation, if a door opened inward, the pressure of the crowd could prevent anyone from pulling it open. Creating a stampede-like situation w...