(Encyclopedia) killdeer, common North American shorebird related to the plover and the sandpiper. It is about 10 in. (25 cm) in length and its plumage is grayish brown with a double black band across…
(Encyclopedia) bushmaster, large venomous snake, Lachesis muta, of Central America and N South America. It is a member of the pit viper family, which also includes the rattlesnake. The largest New…
(Encyclopedia) birthmark, pigmented maldevelopment of the skin that varies in size, either present at birth or developing later. Birthmarks may appear as moles (melanocytic nevi) that vary in color…
(Encyclopedia) Blenheim Park, estate, Oxfordshire, central England, near Woodstock. The stately Blenheim Palace was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and stands on spacious grounds that included…
(Encyclopedia) Blunt, James Gilpatrick, 1826–81, American physician and Union general in the Civil War, b. Hancock co., Maine. He practiced medicine in Ohio and later in Kansas, where he became…
(Encyclopedia) tanzanitetanzanitetănzănˈīt [key], beautiful gemstone discovered in 1967 in the Umba Valley near the Usambara Mts. in Tanzania, a precious variety of the mineral zoisite, a calcium…
(Encyclopedia) cattail or reed mace, any plant of the genus Typha, perennial herbs found in almost all open marshes. The cattail (also called club rush) has long narrow leaves, sometimes used for…
(Encyclopedia) cassiteritecassiteritekəsĭtˈərīt [key], heavy, brown-to-black mineral, tin oxide, SnO2, crystallizing in the tetragonal system. It is found as short prismatic crystals and as irregular…
Men can lose their hair at any time in their lives, not only when they grow old. Bald men have an inherited trait that makes them lose their hair in a special pattern. That pattern even has a…
Born: Jan. 27, 1894Football 1st Black All-America RB (1916 at Brown); 1st Black person to play in Rose Bowl; 7-year NFL pro (1920-26); 1st Black NFL coach, at Milwaukee and Hammond, Ind.Died: May 11…