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van der Meer, Simon

(Encyclopedia)van der Meer, Simon, 1925–2011, Dutch physical engineer. He spent nearly his entire career at CERN, where he did his most important work with Carlo Rubbia. They discovered the W and Z particles, whi...

Saigo, Takamori

(Encyclopedia)Saigo, Takamori täkäˈmōrē sīˈgō [key], 1828–77, Japanese soldier and statesman noted for his obstinate conservatism. He was an early opponent of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was exiled (1859�...

tongue

(Encyclopedia)tongue, muscular organ occupying the floor of the mouth in vertebrates. In some animals, such as lizards, anteaters, and frogs, it serves a food-gathering function. In humans, the tongue functions pri...

touch

(Encyclopedia)touch, tactile sensation received by the skin, enabling the organism to detect objects or substances in contact with the body. End organs (nerve endings) in the skin convey the impression to the brain...

Thrasybulus

(Encyclopedia)Thrasybulus thrăsˌəbyo͞oˈləs [key], d. c.389 b.c., Athenian statesman. A strong supporter of the democratic and anti-Spartan party, he successfully opposed (411 b.c.) the oligarchical Four Hundr...

Bedford, Sybille

(Encyclopedia)Bedford, Sybille, 1911–2006, English writer, b. Charlottenberg, Germany, as Sybille von Schoenebeck. She worked as a legal reporter for various publications, covering more than 100 trials including ...

Unabomber

(Encyclopedia)Unabomber or Unabomer both: yo͞oˈnəbŏmˌər [key], name given by the FBI to the elusive perpetrator of a series of bombings (1975–95) in the United States that killed 3 and wounded 23. The targe...

Blues and Greens

(Encyclopedia)Blues and Greens, political factions in the Byzantine Empire in the 6th cent. They took their names from two of the four colors worn by the circus charioteers. Their clashes were intensified by religi...

Biles, Simone Arianne

(Encyclopedia)Biles, Simone Arianne, 1997–, American gymnast, b. Columbus, Ohio. Known for her consistency and the high degree of difficulty of her routines, she was the first gymnast to win three consecutive wor...

Bjørgen, Marit

(Encyclopedia)Bjørgen, Marit, 1980–, Norwegian cross-country skier, b. Trondheim. The most decorated winter Olympian of all time, with 15 medals, she initially excelled as a sprinter, but later became accomplish...