Find information about customs for the Christmas season, including trees, Santa Claus, holly, mistletoe, and more
by David Johnson Related Links Christmas Traditions Slideshow…
(Encyclopedia) birth or labor, delivery of the fetus by the viviparous mammal. Birth is also known as parturition. Human birth normally occurs about 280 days after onset of the last menstrual period…
(Encyclopedia) Coppard, Alfred EdgarCoppard, Alfred Edgarkŏpˈärd [key], 1878–1957, English author. Almost entirely self-educated, he worked at several clerical positions. His tales, written in a…
(Encyclopedia) politburo, the former central policy-making and governing body of the Communist party of the Soviet Union and, with minor variations, of other Communist parties. It was first created…
(Encyclopedia) Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Philippe Auguste Mathias, comte deVilliers de l'Isle-Adam, Philippe Auguste Mathias, comte defēlēpˈ ōgüstˈ mätyäsˈ kôNt də vēyāˈ də lēˈl-ädäNˈ [key], 1838–89,…
Visit the Interactive Baby Name Finder for more popular baby names. 1. Jacob, Joshua 2. Matthew, Michael 3. Daniel, David 4. Ella, Emma 5. Isaac, Isaiah 6…
Holi is literally one of the most colorful festivals in the world. Hindus celebrate the festival in early March, when wheat is harvested. Holi commemorates spring and the mythological stories of…
(Encyclopedia) midsummer day and midsummer night, names given to the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24) and the preceding night (St. John's Eve, June 23). Because midsummer is…
(Encyclopedia) Trevithick, RichardTrevithick, Richardtrĕvˈĭthĭk [key], 1771–1833, British engineer and inventor, b. Cornwall. He is known as the father of locomotive power because of his invention (…
(Encyclopedia) Thornhill, Sir James, 1676–1734, English decorative artist. George I made him court painter and later knighted him. He executed decorations in Hampton Court and the cupola of St. Paul'…