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Centennial Exhibition, International

(Encyclopedia)Centennial Exhibition, International, held in Philadelphia from May to Nov., 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The buildings, in Fairmount Park, included the...

Bermuda grass

(Encyclopedia)Bermuda grass, perennial pasture, lawn, and hay grass (Cynodon dactylon) of the family Poaceae (grass family), native to Africa and Asia and now common in warm regions of both hemispheres. It is the s...

astrobleme

(Encyclopedia)astrobleme ăsˈtrōblēmˌ [key], large, circular structure ranging from c.1⁄2 mi to 40 mi (.8–64 km) in diameter. Astroblemes are found at numerous places on the earth's surface, e.g., Meteor, o...

Commonwealth games

(Encyclopedia)Commonwealth games, series of amateur athletic meets held among citizens of countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. Originated (1930) as the British Empire games, the series is held every four years...

Dacron

(Encyclopedia)Dacron dāˈkrŏn, dăkˈrŏn [key], trademark for a polyester fiber. Dacron is a condensation polymer obtained from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Its properties include high tensile strength...

Trevithick, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Trevithick, Richard trĕvˈĭthĭk [key], 1771–1833, British engineer and inventor, b. Cornwall. He is known as the father of locomotive power because of his invention (1800) of the high-pressure st...

Puy de Dôme

(Encyclopedia)Puy de Dôme, extinct volcano of the Massif Central and the second highest peak (4,806 ft/1,465 m) of the Auvergne Mts., central France, W of Clermont-Ferrand. Crops are raised on the lower slopes; th...

Stevin, Simon

(Encyclopedia)Stevin, Simon sēˈmôn stəvīnˈ [key], 1548–1620, Dutch engineer and mathematician. His experiments in hydrostatics showed that the pressure exerted by a liquid is dependent only on its vertical ...

Brusilov, Aleksey Alekseyevich

(Encyclopedia)Brusilov, Aleksey Alekseyevich əlyĭksyāˈ əlyĭksyāˈəvĭch bro͞osēˈləf [key], 1853–1926, Russian general. As a commander in World War I, he won victories in Galicia. In 1916 he organized ...

kiln

(Encyclopedia)kiln kĭl, kĭln [key], furnace for firing pottery and enamels, for making brick, charcoal, lime, and cement, for roasting ores, and for drying various substances (e.g., lumber, chemicals). Kilns may ...