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Doolittle, James Harold

(Encyclopedia)Doolittle, James Harold, 1896–1993, American aviator, b. Alameda, Calif. After serving in World War I as a flier he returned to school and earned a Sc.D. from MIT. He then became noted for his speed...

thunder

(Encyclopedia)thunder, sound produced along a path of a lightning flash, caused by the rapid heating and expansion of the adjacent air; lightning can heat air to temperatures as much as five times hotter than those...

missal

(Encyclopedia)missal [Lat.,=of the mass], in the Roman Catholic Church, liturgical book containing all directions and texts necessary for the performance of Mass throughout the year. The Roman Missal (Missale Roman...

Mach's principle

(Encyclopedia)Mach's principle mäks [key] [for E. Mach], assertion that the inertial effects of mass are not innate in a body, but arise from its relation to the totality of all other masses, i.e., to the universe...

Lenin Peak

(Encyclopedia)Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina Peak, formerly Kaufmann Peak koufˈmən [key], 23,405 ft (7,134 m) high, on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Also known as Kuh-i-Gamo [warm mountain], it is the highest ...

melon

(Encyclopedia)melon, fruit of Cucumis melo, a plant of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Asia and now cultivated extensively in warm regions. There are many varieties, differing in taste, color, an...

Maybeck, Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Maybeck, Bernard, 1862–1957, American architect, b. New York City. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, he became one of the leading architects in California. From the 1890s to the 19...

eggplant

(Encyclopedia)eggplant, name for Solanum melongena, a large-leaved woody perennial shrub (often grown as an annual herb) of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), and also cultivated for its ovoid fruit. Native...

Trás-os-Montes

(Encyclopedia)Trás-os-Montes träˈzo͝ozhmônˌtĕsh [key], former province of NE Portugal, comprising the districts of Bragança and Vila Real. The capital was Bragança. It is now included with other territory ...

birthwort

(Encyclopedia)birthwort bûrthˈwûrt, –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 genus, Aristolochia,...