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Giuliani, Rudolph William

(Encyclopedia)Giuliani, Rudolph William jo͞oˌlē-äˈnē [key], 1944–, American government official, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended Manhattan College and studied law at New York Univ. In the Justice Dept. as ass...

pulsar

(Encyclopedia)pulsar, in astronomy, a neutron star that emits brief, sharp pulses of energy instead of the steady radiation associated with other natural sources. The study of pulsars began when Antony Hewish and h...

flerovium

(Encyclopedia)flerovium, artificially produced radioactive chemical element; symbol Fl; at. no. 114; mass number of most stable isotope 289; m.p., b.p., sp. gr., and valence unknown. Situated in Group 14 of the per...

rugby, game

(Encyclopedia)rugby, game that originated (1823), according to tradition, on the playing fields of Rugby, England. It is related to both soccer and American football. The game is said to have started when a Rugby S...

ice skating

(Encyclopedia)ice skating, gliding along an ice surface on keellike runners known as ice skates. The earliest skates (c.9th cent.), made of bone, were found in Sweden. Wooden skates with iron facings appeared in ...

fencing

(Encyclopedia)fencing, sport of dueling with foil, épée, and saber. Swords have been in use since the Bronze Age, and nearly all people of antiquity practiced swordsmanship. Fencing as a contest has existed at ...

Amundsen, Roald

(Encyclopedia)Amundsen, Roald (Roald Engelbregt Grauning Amundsen) rōˈäl äˈmo͝onsən [key], 1872–1928, Norwegian polar explorer; the first person to reach the South Pole. He served (1897–99) as first mate...

dark matter

(Encyclopedia)dark matter, material that is believed to make up nearly 27% of the mass of the universe but is not readily visible because it neither emits nor reflects electromagnetic radiation, such as light or ra...

bridge, card game

(Encyclopedia)bridge, card game derived from whist, played with 52 cards by four players in two partnerships. Bridge probably originated in the Middle East in the 19th cent. Auction bridge, one form of the game, ...

Saint Kitts and Nevis

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Saint Kitts and Nevis or Saint Kitts–Nevis nēˈvĭs, nĕvˈĭs [key], officially Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, island nation (2015 est. pop. 52,000), 120 sq mi (311 sq km), West Indie...