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Anderson, Sparky

(Encyclopedia)Anderson, Sparky (George Lee Anderson), 1934–2010, American baseball manager, b. Bridgewater, S.Dak. A one-season (1959) infielder for the National League's Philadelphia Phillies, he became the mana...

Glueck, Nelson

(Encyclopedia)Glueck, Nelson glo͝ok, glĭk [key], 1900–1971, American archaeologist and educator, b. Cincinnati, grad. Univ. of Cincinnati, 1920, Ph.D. Univ. of Jena, Germany, 1926. Among the more than 1,000 sit...

formic acid

(Encyclopedia)formic acid or methanoic acid mĕthˌənōˈĭk [key], HCO2H, a colorless, corrosive liquid with a sharp odor; it boils at 100.7℃ and solidifies at 8.4℃. It has the lowest molecular weight and is ...

Fust, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Fust yōˈhän foust [key], d. 1466?, printer at Mainz. Johann Gutenberg borrowed substantial sums of money from Fust, a goldsmith, lawyer, and money lender. When Gutenberg was unable to repay these s...

flame test

(Encyclopedia)flame test, test used in the identification of certain metals. It is based on the observation that light emitted by any element gives a unique spectrum when passed through a spectroscope. When a salt ...

Indian pipe

(Encyclopedia)Indian pipe, common name for the genus Monotropa and for the family Monotropaceae, low flowering plants of north temperate zones. They are chlorophylless saprophytes with a funguslike appearance. Each...

Italian greyhound

(Encyclopedia)Italian greyhound, breed of sleek, active toy dog that stands from 13 to 15 in. (32–38 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 7 to 11 lb (3–5 kg). Its short, thin coat is glossy and may be any s...

Doolittle, Hilda

(Encyclopedia)Doolittle, Hilda, pseud. H. D., 1886–1961, American poet, b. Bethlehem, Pa., educated at Bryn Mawr. After 1911 she lived abroad, marrying Richard Aldington in 1913. In England, under the influence o...

Dumfries, town, Scotland

(Encyclopedia)Dumfries dəmfrēsˈ [key], town, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland, on the Nith River. The ...

Akita, breed of dog

(Encyclopedia)Akita äkēˈtə [key], breed of large dog developed in Japan from ancient ancestry and used originally as a hunter of such game as deer, wild boar, and bear. It stands from 20 to 27 in. (50.8–68.6 ...