by Mark Hughes In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to venture beyond Earth's atmosphere. Since his journey, about 450 people—astronauts, civilians, and "space tourists…
What is Lightning? The action of rising and descending air within a thunderstorm separates positive and negative charges. Water and ice particles also…
The Rolling Stones are one of the most popular and influential rock bands of all time. Their first album, simply titled The Rolling Stones, was released on April 16, 1964. After…
Below is the composition of the 113th Congress' House of Representatives, following the 2012 election. In the following lists, the numeral indicates the congressional district represented…
(Encyclopedia) Cronin, James Watson, 1931–2016, American nuclear physicist, b. Chicago, Ph.D. Univ. of Chicago, 1955. Cronin and co-researcher Val Logsdon Fitch were awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in…
(Encyclopedia) Davis, Lydia, 1947–, American writer known for innovative, very short stories, b. Northampton, Mass., studied Barnard College. Davis earned early praise for her translations from the…
(Encyclopedia) Humala Tasso, Ollanta Moisés, 1962–, Peruvian army officer and political leader, b. Lima. The son of a labor lawyer, Humala joined the Peruvian army in 1982, became an officer, and…
(Encyclopedia) Maddux, Greg (Gregory Alan Maddux), 1966–, American baseball player, b. San Angelo, Tex. Playing in the National League with the Chicago Cubs (1986–92, 2004–6), Atlanta Braves (1993–…
(Encyclopedia) Baumgartner, Felix, 1969–, Austrian skydiver and daredevil. He made his first skydive at age 16, and turned to BASE jumping [Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), and Earth (mountains…
(Encyclopedia) Ellison, Ralph (Ralph Waldo Ellison), 1914–94, African-American author, b. Oklahoma City, studied Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee Univ.). Originally a trumpet player and aspiring…