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cod-liver oil

(Encyclopedia)cod-liver oil, yellowish oil obtained from the liver of the codfish. The oil is rich in vitamin A and vitamin D (calciferol). It was long used as a preventive and cure for rickets in Baltic and Scandi...

Eyjafjallajökull

(Encyclopedia)Eyjafjallajökull āˈyäfyätläyöˌkŭtl [key], glacier, S Iceland, near the coast. Roughly 39 sq mi (100 sq km) in area, it covers an active volcano, 5,466 ft (1,666 m) high, also known by the sam...

Hornaday, William Temple

(Encyclopedia)Hornaday, William Temple hôrˈnədā [key], 1854–1937, American naturalist, b. Plainfield, Ind. He was educated at Iowa State College (now Iowa State Univ.), continued his study of zoology and muse...

hex

(Encyclopedia)hex, witchcraft or one who works it. The word is of German origin, and beliefs connected with it spread from Europe to the United States, especially to the Pennsylvania Dutch country. The hex can be w...

Harold I

(Encyclopedia)Harold I or Harold Fairhair, Norse Harald Haarfager, c.850–c.933, first king of Norway, son of Halfdan the Black, king of Vestfold (SE Norway). After succeeding his father, Harold initiated a series...

Jones, Sir William

(Encyclopedia)Jones, Sir William, 1746–94, English philologist and jurist. Jones was celebrated for his understanding of jurisprudence and of Oriental languages. He published an Essay on the Law of Bailments (178...

Jungfrau

(Encyclopedia)Jungfrau –yôkhˌ [key] is a mountain saddle 11,333 ft (3,454 m) high, the highest point in Europe reached by rail. It has a scientific institute and is popular with tourists. A meteorological stati...

John I, king of France

(Encyclopedia)John I or John the Posthumous, 1316, king of France, posthumous son of King Louis X. He lived only five days and was succeeded by his uncle, Philip V. According to legend, a dying child was substitute...

Michaux, André

(Encyclopedia)Michaux, André äNdrāˈ mēshōˈ [key], 1746–1802, French botanist. He collected botanical specimens in Europe and Asia. In 1785 he was sent by the French government to establish nurseries in the...

Mollet, Guy

(Encyclopedia)Mollet, Guy gē môlĕˈ [key], 1905–75, French politician. A former schoolteacher and a wartime resistance fighter, he rose to prominence in the Socialist party after World War II. He served as min...