(Encyclopedia) Mary II, 1662–94, queen of England, wife of William III. The daughter of James II by his first wife, Anne Hyde, she was brought up a Protestant despite her father's adoption of Roman…
(Encyclopedia) mahogany, common name for the Meliaceae, a widely distributed family of chiefly tropical shrubs and trees, often having scented wood. The valuable hardwood called mahogany is obtained…
Source: The U.S. Geological SurveyMERCURY Named for the winged Roman god of travel because it appears to move so swiftly.VENUS Roman name for the goddess of love. This planet was considered to be…
(Encyclopedia) Canada Act, also called the Constitutional Act of 1982, which made Canada a fully sovereign state. The British Parliament approved it on Mar. 25, 1982, and Queen Elizabeth II…
(Encyclopedia) Gregory XIII, 1502–85, pope (1572–85), an Italian named Ugo Buoncompagni, b. Bologna; successor of St. Pius V. He is best known for his work on the calendar, and the reformed calendar…
(Encyclopedia) Anderson, Maxwell, 1888–1959, American dramatist, b. Atlantic, Pa., grad. Univ. of North Dakota, 1911. His plays, many of which are written in verse, usually concern social and moral…
Antarctica The second smallest continent, mostly south of the Antarctic Circle. Area: 14.2 million sq. km (5.5 million sq. mi.). Geographic South Pole: Earth's southernmost point, at latitude 90°…
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