(Encyclopedia) gerrymandergerrymanderjĕrˈēmănˌdər, gĕr– [key], in politics, rearrangement of voting districts so as to favor the party in power. The objective is to create as many districts as…
(Encyclopedia) Byrd, William, 1674–1744, American colonial writer, planter, and government official; son of William Byrd (1652–1704). After being educated in England, he became active in the politics…
(Encyclopedia) Slidell, JohnSlidell, Johnslīdĕlˈ, slīˈdəl [key], 1793–1871, American political leader and diplomat, b. New York City. He became a prominent lawyer and political figure in New Orleans…
(Encyclopedia) Sikh Wars (1845–49), two conflicts preceding the British annexation of the Punjab. By a treaty with the British in 1809, the Sikh ruler of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh, had accepted the…
(Encyclopedia) air mass, large body of air within the earth's atmosphere in which temperature and humidity, although varying at different heights, remain similar throughout the body at any one height…
(Encyclopedia) PotomacPotomacpətōˈmək [key], river, 285 mi (459 km) long, formed SE of Cumberland, Md., by the confluence of its North and South branches and flowing generally SE to Chesapeake Bay.…
(Encyclopedia) cricket, ball-and-bat game played chiefly in Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries.
In the early 21st cent., Twenty20, a new version of cricket with a much faster, more…
(Encyclopedia) Harney, William Selby, 1800–1889, American general, b. Haysboro, near Nashville, Tenn. He entered the army in 1818 and gained a colonel's rank in the Florida campaigns against Native…
(Encyclopedia) North West, province (2011 pop. 3,509,953), 40,495 sq mi (104,882 sq km), N central South Africa. In 1994, under South Africa's post-apartheid constitution, North West was created from…
