(Ermes Effron Borgnine)actorBorn: 1/24/1917Birthplace: Hamden, Connecticut A heavy-set veteran character actor with more than 70 movies to his credit, he earned acclaim as the lonely New York…
ethologist Born: 1934 Dr. Jane Goodall is the world's leading authority on chimpanzees. At the age of 23, determined to learn about African wildlife, she left her native England for East Africa,…
fashion designerBorn: 12/2/1946Birthplace: Reggio di Calabria, Italy Versace launched his own label in 1978 and designed clothing that melded classic and pop culture influences, often featuring…
(Encyclopedia) parsnip, garden plant (Pastinaca sativa) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Old World. It has been cultivated since Roman times for its long, fleshy, edible…
(Encyclopedia) bayberry, common name for the Myricaceae, a family of trees and shrubs with aromatic foliage, found chiefly in temperate and subtropical regions. The waxy gray “berries” of the North…
(Encyclopedia) Purchas, SamuelPurchas, Samuelpûrˈkəs, –chəs [key], 1577?–1626, English clergyman and compiler of travel literature, b. Essex. Chaplain to the archbishop of Canterbury, he later was…
(Encyclopedia) birthwortbirthwortbûrthˈwûrt, –wôrt [key], common name for the Aristolochiaceae, a family of shrubs and woody climbing vines found in the tropics and other warm regions. The largest…
(Encyclopedia) Przhevalsky, Nikolai MikhailovichPrzhevalsky, Nikolai Mikhailovichnyĭkəlīˈ mēkhīˈləvĭch pərzhĭvälˈskē [key], 1839–88, Russian geographer and explorer in central and E Asia. He made…
(Ruth Elizabeth Davis)actressBorn: 5/5/1908Birthplace: Lowell, Massachusetts Academy Award -winning film and television actress known for her distinctive appearance and voice, as well as for roles…
