B.C.
B.C., “Before Christ” in the Christian (and now generally Western) system for dating events, developed by the monk Dionysius Exiguus and based on the time he believed Christ to have been born.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Barley to Bellows, George Wesley
Maurice Béjart
Béjart, Maurice (1927– ), French dancer and choreographer.
Bar mitzvah
Bar mitzvah, Jewish religious ceremony marking a boy's entrance into the adult community, traditionally performed at the age of 13.
Barley
Barley, adaptable and hardy cereal plants (Hordeum vulgare and Hordeum distichon), of the grass family, cultivated since ancient times.
Barn owl
Barn owl, common white owl (Tyto alba) useful as a destroyer of rodents.
Barn swallow
Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), common North American bird.
Barnacle
Barnacle, marine crustacea of the subclass Cirripedia.
Barnacle goose
Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis), bird that breeds in the Arctic and winters in northern Europe and occasionally North America.
Christiaan Neethling Barnard
Barnard, Christiaan Neethling (1922–), South African surgeon who performed the first successful human heart transplant in Dec. 1967.
Edward Emerson Barnard
Barnard, Edward Emerson (1857–1923), U.S. astronomer who discovered Amalthea, the fifth satellite of Jupiter (1892).
Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard
Barnard, Frederick Augustus Porter (1809–89), president of Columbia College (1864–89), which he helped transform into a great university; and advocate of higher education for women.
Henry Barnard
Barnard, Henry (1811–1900), U.S. educator.
Barnburners
Barnburners, radical, antislavery faction of the New York State Democratic Party in the 1840s.
Djuna Barnes
Barnes, Djuna (1892–1982), U.S. poet, playwright, and novelist.
Clarence Lewis Barnhart
Barnhart, Clarence Lewis (1900–), U.S. lexicographer, editor of the American College Dictionary (1947), the New Century Cyclopedia of Names (1954), and The World Book Dictionary (1963).
P(hineas) T(aylor) Barnum
Barnum, P(hineas) T(aylor) (1810–91), U.S. impresario, showman, and publicist.
Barometer
Barometer, instrument for measuring air pressure, used in weather forecasting and for determining altitude.
Baron
Baron, title of nobility in Europe, indicating a powerful man, especially a business magnate.
Baroque
Baroque, European style of art and architecture, and by extension, music, that flourished from the early 17th to the mid-18th century. The style in art emphasized dramatic lighting, emotional portrayal of subjects, and the illusion of depth. The direct simplicity, apparent realism, and revolutionary painting technique of the Italian artist Michelangelo Caravaggio (1573–1610) helped to sprea…
Barquisimeto
Barquisimeto (pop. 785,300), capital of Lara state in northwestern Venezuela, about 220 mi (354 km) southwest of Caracas, founded in 1552.
Alfred Hamilton Barr Jr.
Barr, Alfred Hamilton, Jr. (1901–81), U.S. art historian.
Barracuda
Barracuda, predatory fish (family Sphyraenidae) found in warm seas.
Paul François Jean Nicolas Barras Vicomte de
Barras, Paul François Jean Nicolas, Vicomte de (1755–1829), French revolutionary.
Jean-Louis Barrault
Barrault, Jean-Louis (1910–94), French actor, director, producer, and mime.
Elizabeth Barrett
Barrett, Elizabeth See: Browning, Elizabeth Barrett.
Sir James Matthew Barrie
Barrie, Sir James Matthew (1860–1937), Scottish playwright and novelist best known for Peter Pan (1904), his play about a boy who will not grow up.
Barrier reef
Barrier reef See: Coral; Great Barrier Reef.
Justo Rufino Barrios
Barrios, Justo Rufino (1835–85), president of Guatemala from 1873 until his death in 1885.
James Barron
Barron, James (1769–1851), U.S.
Point Barrow
Barrow, Point, northernmost point on the North American continent, at the tip of Point Barrow Peninsula on the Arctic coast of Alaska, named for Sir John Barrow, 19th-century British geographer.
John Barry
Barry, John (1745–1803), Irish-born naval hero of the American Revolutionary War, often called “Father of the American Navy.” Commander of the frigate Lexington, he captured the first British warship taken in combat by a regularly commissioned American cruiser.
Philip Barry
Barry, Philip (1896–1949), U.S. playwright, best known for popular drawing room comedies such as Holiday (1928) and The Philadelphia Story (1939).
Barrymore
Barrymore, name of a noted Anglo-American theatrical family.
Béla Bartók
Bartók, Béla (1881–1945), Hungarian composer, one of the major figures of 20th-century music, also a virtuoso concert pianist and teacher at the Budapest Academy of Music (1907–34).
Barter
Barter, exchange of goods or services instead of money.
John Barth
Barth, John (1930–), U.S. novelist known for his ironic style and use of comic and elaborate allegory.
Karl Barth
Barth, Karl (1886–1968), Swiss theologian, one of the most influential voices of 20th-century Protestantism.
Donald Barthelme
Barthelme, Donald (1931–89), U.S. short-story writer and novelist noted for his innovative techniques and surrealistic style.
Roland Barthes
Barthes, Roland (1915–80), French philosopher, literary critic, and theorist of semiology.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Bartholdi, Frédéric Auguste (1834–1904), French sculptor, creator of the Statue of Liberty.
Saint Bartholomew
Bartholomew, Saint, one of the 12 apostles.
John Bartlett
Bartlett, John (1820–1905), U.S. editor and publisher, best known for his Familiar Quotations, which has gone through more than a dozen editions since its first appearance in 1855.
Josiah Bartlett
Bartlett, Josiah (1729–95), U.S. politician, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Robert Abram Bartlett
Bartlett, Robert Abram (1875–1946), arctic explorer who commanded the Roosevelt for Robert E.
Clara Barton
Barton, Clara (1821–1912), founder of the American Red Cross (1881) and its first president (until 1904).
Bartram
Bartram, 2 American naturalists, father and son.
Bernard Marines Baruch
Baruch, Bernard Marines (1870–1965), U.S. financier and presidential economic adviser.
Antoine Louis Barye
Barye, Antoine Louis (1796–1875), French painter and sculptor who specialized in animal statues.
Baryon
Baryon, in particle physics, largest class of elemental particles, including protons, neutrons, and hyperons, also called “heavy particles” because of their relatively high mass.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Baryshnikov, Mikhail (1948–), Soviet-born U.S. dancer and choreographer.
Barytes
Barytes See: Barium.
Bas mitzvah
Bas mitzvah See: Bar mitzvah.
Bas relief
Bas relief See: Relief.
Basalt
Basalt, dense rock formed by the solidification of lava.
Base
Base, in chemistry, complement of an acid.
Baseball
Baseball, outdoor team sport which derives its name from the 4 bases on the playing field. Called the “national pastime” in the United States, it is also popular in Japan, Latin America, and Canada. Invented, according to legend, by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1839, it appears rather to have evolved from the game of rounders which was played by New England colonists. Popu…
Basel
Basel (pop. 174,600), second largest city in Switzerland, capital of the half-canton of Basel Stadt.
Basenji
Basenji, breed of dog, first bred in central Africa.
BASIC
BASIC, Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, easy-to-use, algebraic programming language developed at Dartmouth College in 1967 by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz.
Count Basie
Basie, Count (William Basie; 1904–84), U.S. jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.
Basil
Basil, annual aromatic herb of the mint family, native to Asia, whose leaves are used in cooking and in the preparation of Chartreuse liqueur.
Saint Basil the Great
Basil the Great, Saint (c.330–379), one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church, bishop of Caesarea, a founder of Greek monasticism and author of the Longer and Shorter Rules for monastic life.
Basilica
Basilica, in its earliest usage, large public building of ancient Rome of characteristic rectangular layout, with a central area (nave) separated by rows of columns from 2 flanking side aisles with high windows.
John Baskerville
Baskerville, John (1706–75), English printer and type designer, whose elegant Baskerville type was the ancestor and inspiration of the “modern” group of typefaces.
Basket Makers
Basket Makers, prehistoric Native American culture flourishing in the Southwest more than 2,000 years ago.
Basket making
Basket making, popular handicraft dating back to prehistoric times.
Basketball
Basketball, popular indoor team sport in the United States, the object of which is to score points by propelling a leather ball through a basket (hoop and net). Two baskets, 18 in (46 cm) in diameter and 10 ft (3 m) from the floor, are fixed on two backboards situated at either end of a court, the maximum dimensions of which are 94 × 50 ft (29 × 15 m). Basketball is played between 2 …
Leonard Baskin
Baskin, Leonard (1922– ), U.S. graphic artist and sculptor.
Basking shark
Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), one of the largest living sharks, reaching a length of 45 ft (14 m).
Nikolai Gennadievich Basov
Basov, Nikolai Gennadievich (1922– ), Russian physicist who, with his colleague Alexander Prokhorov, stated the principles of using molecular energy to amplify radio waves.
Basques
Basques, people of unique language and culture living mainly in the vicinity of the Pyrennees Mountains (about 100,000 in southwestern France and 600,000 in northeastern Spain).
Basra
Basra (pop. 620,000), city and major port in Iraq, situated on the Shatt-al-Arab River, about 75 mi (120 km) from the Persian Gulf.
Bass
Bass, fish of the Serranidae and Centrarchidae families.
Bass
Bass, or double bass, largest instrument of the violin family.
Bass drum
Bass drum See: Drum.
Sam Bass
Bass, Sam (1851–78), U.S. outlaw, the “Robin Hood” of Texas.
Bassae
Bassae, site of one of the best-preserved temples of classical Greece, located near the ancient city of Phigalia in Arcadia.
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (pop. 14,300), capital city of the French department of Guadeloupe in the Antilles islands in the Caribbean.
Basset hound
Basset hound, short-legged, long, heavy-bodied, long-eared dog.
Bassoon
Bassoon, musical instrument, bass of the woodwind family, an 8-ft (2.4-m) conical tube bent double, with a double-reed mouthpiece, 8 holes, 20–22 keys, and a range of 3.5 octaves.
Basswood
Basswood, or linden, tree (genus Tilia) of the linden family that grows to 120 ft (37 m) in height and 3.5 ft (107 cm) in diameter.
Bastille
Bastille, fortress in Paris built c.1370, destroyed during the French Revolution.
Bastogne
Bastogne (pop. 12,500), small town on the Ardennes plateau in southeast Belgium.
Bat
Bat, nocturnal mammal, the only mammal capable of flight, a member of the order Chiroptera.
Bat mitzvah
Bat mitzvah See: Bar mitzvah.
Bataan Peninsula
Bataan Peninsula, province of southwestern Luzon, the Philippines.
Katharine Lee Bates
Bates, Katharine Lee (1859–1929), U.S. author, best known for writing the lyrics of “America the Beautiful.” She was a professor of English at Wellesley College and wrote children's literature.
Gregory Bateson
Bateson, Gregory (1904–80), British-born U.S. anthropologist, best known for his study of New Guinea, Naven (1936; rev. 1958), and Ecology of Mind (1972).
Batfish
Batfish, beautifully colored marine fish of the family Ogcocephalidae, found in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Bath
Bath (pop. 84,200), city in southwest England, on the River Avon near Bristol.
Order of the Bath
Bath, Order of the, British honor, established by George I in 1725 (supposedly based on an order founded in 1399).
Baths and bathing
Baths and bathing, historically, primarily religious, social, or pleasurable functions more often than hygienic ones.
Bathsheba
Bathsheba, in the Bible, wife of King David and mother of Solomon.
Bathyscaph
Bathyscaph, submersible deep-sea research vessel, invented by Auguste Piccard in the late 1940s, comprising a small, spherical, pressurized passenger cabin suspended beneath a cigar-shaped flotation hull.
Batik
Batik, dyeing technique in which the portions of material not to be colored are covered with wax before the fabric is dipped into dye.
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar
Batista y Zaldívar, Fulgencio (1901–73), Cuban military dictator.
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge (pop. 245,800), capital of Louisiana, situated on the Mississippi River.
Battenberg
Battenberg, name of princely family of Germany.
Battering ram
Battering ram, ancient war machine used to break down walls and doors.
Battery
Battery, device for converting internally stored chemical energy into direct-current electricity.
Battle of
Battle of, Battles are listed under the key word, as in Antietam, Battle of.
Battle Creek
Battle Creek (pop. 135,982), city in southern Michigan, famous as a health and sports center.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Battle Hymn of the Republic, U.S. patriotic song, unofficial hymn of Union troops in the Civil War.
Battleford
Battleford (pop. 3,800), historic town in Saskatchewan, Canada, now a grain depot, manufacturing town, and site of the Battleford Historic Park and Fred Light Museum.
Battleship
Battleship, historically the largest of conventionally armed warships.
Batu Khan
Batu Khan (d. 1255 A.D.), Mongol conqueror of Russia, grandson of Genghis Khan.
Baud
Baud, in computer technology, one bit per second.
Charles Pierre Baudelaire
Baudelaire, Charles Pierre (1821–67), French poet and critic, forerunner of the Symbolists.
Emile Baudot
Baudot, Emile See: Telegraph.
Baudouin
Baudouin (1930–93), fifth king of the Belgians.
Bauhaus
Bauhaus, school of design and architecture in the 20th century.
Lyman Frank Baum
Baum, Lyman Frank (1856–1919), U.S. children's writer, author of 14 Oz books, including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), a tale of a girl carried by a cyclone to a land of adventure.
Isabella Baumfree
Baumfree, Isabella See: Truth, Sojourner.
Bausch
Bausch, name of U.S. family involved in the optical industry.
Bauxite
Bauxite, ore consisting of hydrated aluminum oxide, usually with iron oxide; the main source of aluminum.
Bavaria
Bavaria (German: Bayern), southwest state in Germany.
War of the Bavarian Succession
Bavarian Succession, War of the See: Succession wars.
Bay
Bay, inlet of water formed along the coastline of an ocean or lake.
Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal, wide arm of the Indian Ocean between India and Ceylon on the west, and Burma on the east.
Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay, section of the Atlantic Ocean adjoining northern Spain and part of the west coast of France.
Bay Colony
Bay Colony See: Massachusetts.
Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy, funnel-shaped inlet of the Atlantic Ocean between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada.
Bay of Pigs
Bay of Pigs, English name for Bahia de Cochinos (southwestern Cuba), scene of an abortive invasion of Cuba on April 17, 1961.
Bay Psalm Book
Bay Psalm Book, The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre, first book printed in colonial America.
Bayard
Bayard, family name of politicians, statesmen, and U.S. senators from Delaware.
Bayberry
Bayberry (Myricaceae), any of a family of trees and shrubs found in temperate and subtropical climates.
Elgin Baylor
Baylor, Elgin (1934– ), U.S. basketball player and coach.
Bayonet
Bayonet, stabbing or thrusting weapon that may be fitted at the muzzle of a rifle without preventing normal firing.
Bayonne
Bayonne (pop. 65,000), city and port in New Jersey, about 7 mi (11 km) southwest of New York City.
Bayou
Bayou, shallow, slow-moving creek or water channel running into a lake or a river.
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (pop. 70,900), industrial city in northeastern Bavaria, Germany.
Bazooka
Bazooka, portable rocket launcher constructed from a smooth-bore steel tube 5 ft (1.5 m) long and open at both ends.
BBC
BBC See: British Broadcasting Corporation.
BCG
BCG, bacillus Calmette-Guérin, a vaccine used to immunize against tuberculosis.
Amy Beach
Beach, Amy (1867–1944), U.S. composer.
Beach plum
Beach plum, wild shrub (Prunus maritima) of the rose family, found along the eastern coast of the United States from Virginia to Maine.
Sylvia Beach
Beach, Sylvia (1887–1962), U.S. expatriate bookstore owner whose Paris shop, Shakespeare & Co., was the center of expatriate literary life in Paris during the interwar period.
Beacon
Beacon, originally a warning sign or signal, for example, a fire kindled at a prominent point on the coast to warn of the approach of hostile fleets.
Earl of Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield, Earl of See: Disraeli, Benjamin.
Beaded lizard
Beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum), poisonous lizard found in Mexico, close relative of the Gila monster.
Beads
Beads, term derived from the Saxon word biddan, meaning to pray.
Beagle
Beagle, small, short-legged hound originally bred for hunting hares.
Beagle
Beagle, See: Darwin, Charles Robert.
Beaked whale
Beaked whale, any of various medium-sized toothed whales whose snouts are narrow and pointed.
Bean
Bean, any plant of the pulse family (especially genus Phaseolus), also called legumes, cultivated for its edible seeds, immature pods, or shoots.
Bean beetle
Bean beetle, insect (Epilachna varivestis) of the order of beetles (Coleoptera), and the ladybug family (Coccinellidae).
Bean curd
Bean curd See: Tofu.
Roy Bean
Bean, Roy (1825?–1903), U.S. justice of the peace who called himself “the only law west of the Pecos.” After an early life that included arrest, jailbreak, and proprietorship of tent saloons, he settled in western Texas, where he built a combination store, saloon, and pool hall, and held court as justice and coroner.
Bear
Bear, large mammal (family Ursidae), usually omnivorous, characterized by heavy build, thick limbs, small tail, and small ears.
Bear Flag Republic
Bear Flag Republic, republic declared in 1846 by U.S. settlers in Sacramento Valley, Cal., who rejected Mexican rule.
Charles Beard and Mary
Beard, Charles and Mary, U.S. authors and historians who coauthored seven books, the best-known being The Rise of American Civilization (2 vols, 1927) and its sequels.
Daniel Carter Beard
Beard, Daniel Carter (1850–1941), painter, illustrator, and organizer of the Boy Scouts of America.
Bearded collie
Bearded collie, breed of dog distinguished by a beardlike growth of hair around its mouth.
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley
Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (1872–98), English illustrator and author.
Beardtongue
Beardtongue, any of a genus (Pentstemon) of tubular flowers containing five stamens.
Bearing
Bearing, device to minimize friction and provide support and guidance for the moving parts of a machine.
Bears and bulls
Bears and bulls, popular terms for stock and commodity investors of opposing views of market prospects.
Beat generation
Beat generation, U.S. literary movement of the 1950s, exemplified by Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1956), the adventures of the original social dropout, Allen Ginsberg's long poem Howl, and work by such poets as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso, and by novelist William S.
Beatitudes
Beatitudes, in the New Testament, 8 blessings pronounced by Jesus as a prologue to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–10), in which he calls “blessed” those who are poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, those who seek after holiness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake.
Beatles
Beatles, English rock music group that dominated popular music in the 1960s.
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton
Beaton, Sir Cecil Walter Hardy (1904–80), English photographer and designer, known for his royal portraits, collections such as Cecil Beaton's Scrapbook (1937), and set and costume designs for shows and films such as My Fair Lady (stage, 1956; motion picture, 1964).
Beatrix
Beatrix (1938– ), queen of the Netherlands (1980– ), following the abdication of her mother, Juliana.
Kathleen Beauchamp
Beauchamp, Kathleen See: Mansfield, Katherine.
Beaufort scale
Beaufort scale, scale from 0 to 12 used to measure the force of wind.
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Beauharnais, Joséphine de (1763–1814), first wife of Napoleon I and empress of France.
Pierre Augustin Caron Beaumarchais
Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron (1732–99), French dramatist and variously an artist, litigant, and political agent.
Beaumont
Beaumont (pop. 361,226), city and major oil-refining center in east Texas, seat of Jefferson County.
Francis Beaumont
Beaumont, Francis (1584–1616), English Jacobean playwright.
William Beaumont
Beaumont, William (1785–1853), U.S. army physician noted for his research on the human digestive system.
Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard
Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant de (1818–93), Confederate general of the U.S.
Simone de Beauvoir
Beauvoir, Simone de (1908–86), French writer and a leading exponent of Existentialism and the role of women in politics and intellectual life.
Beaver
Beaver, large rodent (family Castoridae), weighing up to 100 lb (45 kg) or over, of northern lands.
William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook t Baron (1s)
Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron (1879–1964), Canadian-born British newspaper owner and Conservative cabinet minister under Winston Churchill.
August Bebel
Bebel, August (1840–1913), leading German socialist and cofounder of the Social Democratic Party (1869).
Bebop
Bebop See: Jazz.
Boris Becker
Becker, Boris (1967– ), German tennis player.
Saint Thomas à Becket
Becket, Saint Thomas à (1118?–70), martyr and archbishop of Canterbury.
Samuel Barclay Beckett
Beckett, Samuel Barclay (1906–89), Irish dramatist and novelist, resident in France from 1937.
James Pierson Beckwourth
Beckwourth, James Pierson (1798–1867?), African-American pioneer, rancher, fur-trader, and Army scout, discoverer of Beckworth Pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains around 1850.
Antoine Henri Becquerel
Becquerel, Antoine Henri (1852–1908), French physicist, discoverer of natural radioactivity in uranium (1896).
Bed sore
Bed sore, ulceration of the skin on the back of a person who is bedridden.
Bedbug
Bedbug, blood-sucking insect of the order Hemiptera (bugs), family Cimi-cidae.
Saint Bede
Bede, Saint (673?–735), known as The Venerable Bede, Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar.
Gunning Bedford Jr.
Bedford, Gunning, Jr. (1747–1812), U.S. lawyer, statesman, and signer of the Constitution.
Bedlington terrier
Bedlington terrier, long-legged, fleecy-coated breed of terrier first bred in Bedlington, England, in the 19th century.
Bedloe's Island
Bedloe's Island See: Liberty Island.
Bedouin
Bedouin, nomadic peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, especially the Syrian, Arabian, and Sahara deserts.
Bedstraw
Bedstraw, any of a group of wild plants (genus Galium) found in damp woods and swamps.
Bee
Bee, any of about 20,000 species of flying insects of the superfamily Apoidae.
Bee-eater
Bee-eater, any of various species of insect-eating birds (family Meropidae) living mainly in tropical Africa and Asia.
Bee fly
Bee fly, insect of the family Bombyliidae that closely resembles a bee but has only one pair of wings and no stinger.
Charles William Beebe
Beebe, Charles William (1877–1962), U.S. naturalist best remembered for his record 3,028 ft (923 m) descent into the ocean off Bermuda in a bathysphere in 1934.
Beech
Beech, common name for a family (Fagaceae) of deciduous forest trees indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere.
Sir Thomas Beecham
Beecham, Sir Thomas (1879–1961), English conductor, founder of the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras.
Catharine Esther Beecher
Beecher, Catharine Esther (1800–78), U.S. educator and advocate of higher education for women.
Henry Ward Beecher
Beecher, Henry Ward (1813–87), U.S. clergyman, orator, lecturer, author, and abolitionist.
Lyman Beecher
Beecher, Lyman (1775–1863), U.S. clergyman and liberal theologian who helped found the American Bible Society (1816); father of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Beef
Beef, the flesh of mature cattle slaughtered for food.
Beefwood
Beefwood, pine-like tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) native to Australia and commonly found in warm climates around the world.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping, practice of cultivating bees dating back over 7,000 years.
Beelzebub
Beelzebub, in the Bible, one of the names for the devil.
Beer
Beer, alcoholic beverage known since ancient times, made by fermenting cereals.
Sir Max Beerbohm
Beerbohm, Sir Max (1872–1956), English critic, satirist, and caricaturist best known for his caustic but benign characterizations of eminent Victorian and Edwardian figures, his satirical novel about Oxford, Zuleika Dobson (1911), and his parody A Christmas Garland (1912).
Clifford Whittingham Beers
Beers, Clifford Whittingham (1876–1943), founder of the U.S. mental health movement.
Beersheba
Beersheba (pop. 112,600), chief city of the Negev Desert in southern Israel, 45 mi (72 km) southwest of Jerusalem.
Beeswax
Beeswax, yellow secretion of the glands on the abdomen of worker bees, who use it to make honeycombs.
Beet
Beet (Beta vulgaris), biennial or annual root vegetable.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770–1827), German composer, recognized worldwide as one of history's greatest musicians.
Beetle
Beetle, any of the more than 250,000 species of the insect order Coleoptera.
Beggar-tick
Beggar-tick, or stick-tight, flowering plant of genus Bidens of the composite family, named for the hairy, barbed seeds of its yellow flowers, which adhere to clothing or animal fur.
Beggarweed
Beggarweed, tall (6 ft/1.8 m), fast-growing, flowering plant (Desmodium tortuosum), native to the West Indies and now found in many warm climates.
Menachem Begin
Begin, Menachem (1913–92), Israeli prime minister, 1977–83. Begin was active in the Zionist Movement's effort to create a Jewish state in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a member and leader (1944–48) of the Irgon Zvai Leumi, an organization that fought for the creation of Israel. He fought in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. He was elected to the Knesset (parliament) in 1948, …
Begonia
Begonia, common name for a family (Begoniaceae) of perennial plants with about 900 species.
Brendan Behan
Behan, Brendan (1922–64), Irish playwright and author, noted for his vivid ribaldry and satire.
Behavior therapy
Behavior therapy, methods for changing undesirable habits through learning.
Behavioral sciences
Behavioral sciences, sciences dealing with human behavior, individually or socially, as opposed to their physiological makeup.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism, school of psychology that studies behavior exclusively in terms of objective observations of reactions to environmental stimuli.
Aphra Behn
Behn, Aphra (1640–89), dramatist, novelist, and poet, first professional female author in England.
Peter Behrens
Behrens, Peter (1868–1940), German architect who pioneered a mode of functional design suited to industrial technology.
Samuel Nathaniel Behrman
Behrman, Samuel Nathaniel (1893–1973), U.S. dramatist noted for his comedies of manners, including Biography (1932) and No Time for Comedy (1939).
Bix Beiderbecke
Beiderbecke, Bix (Leon Bismarck Beiderbecke; 1903–31), U.S. jazz musician.
Beijing
Beijing (formerly Peking; pop. 7,000,000), capital of the People's Republic of China, lying within the Hebei province, but administered directly by the central government. It is the political, commercial, cultural, and communications center of the country, and embraces a massive industrial complex. The city's rectangular layout was the work of Kublai Khan in the 13th century, and its…
Beirut
Beirut (pop. 700,000), capital city and chief port of the Republic of Lebanon, situated on the Mediterranean Sea.
Georg von Bekesy
Bekesy, Georg von (1899–1972), Hungarian-born U.S. scientist who was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize for medicine for research into the mechanism of the inner ear.
Belém
Belém (pop. 758,100), capital of the state of Pará in northern Brazil.
Harry Belafonte
Belafonte, Harry (1927– ), U.S. singer and actor best known for his interpretations of West Indian calypso folksongs.
David Belasco
Belasco, David (1853–1931), U.S. playwright and theatrical producer; famous for mounting spectacular New York productions, with lavishly detailed sets, to promote newly discovered stars.
Belfast
Belfast (pop. 300,000), seaport and capital of Northern Ireland, located at the mouth of the Lagan River, an inlet of the Irish Sea.
Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo See: Zaïre.
Belgium
Belgium, kingdom of northwestern Europe, bordered to the west by France, to the east by Luxembourg and Germany, and to the north by the Netherlands. Belgium is one of Europe's most densely populated countries. The region called Flanders borders the North Sea and is mostly flat plain with sandy beaches; further inland, the country is intensively cultivated, and is drained by the Leie, Scheld…
Belgrade
Belgrade (pop. 1,087,900), capital and largest city of Yugoslavia, a port and industrial center at the junction of the Danube and Sava rivers.
Belisarius
Belisarius (c.505–565 A.D.), Byzantine general under Justinian I.
Belize
Belize (British Honduras until 1973), independent nation since 1981, on the subtropical Caribbean coast of Central America, bordered by Mexico on the north and Guatemala on the southwest. The country is densely forested. The population consists of Creoles (of mixed African and European origin), descendants of the Carib and Maya tribes, and a small minority of Europeans. Most people live on the coa…
Belize City
Belize City (pop. 45,100), largest city and former capital of Belize, a country on the Caribbean coast.
Bell
Bell, metal instrument rung by a metal clapper inside.
Alexander Graham Bell
Bell, Alexander Graham (1847–1922), Scottish-born U.S. scientist and educator who invented the telephone (1876), the wax-cylinder phonograph, and various aids for teaching the deaf.
John Bell
Bell, John (1797–1869), “Tennessee Bell,” presidential candidate of the Constitutional Union Party (1860) who lost to Lincoln on the eve of the U.S.
Bella Coola
Bella Coola, tribe of Native Americans in western Canada near the North Pacific coast.
Belladonna
Belladonna, or deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), poisonous herbaceous plant of the nightshade family whose dried leaves and roots produce a crude drug of the same name.
Edward Bellamy
Bellamy, Edward (1850–98), U.S. author.
Saint Robert Francis Romulus Bellarmine
Bellarmine, Saint Robert Francis Romulus (1542–1621), theologian known for his opposition to Protestant Reformation doctrines.
Bellbird
Bellbird, common name for a number of bird species whose songs resemble ringing bells.
Battle of Belleau Wood
Belleau Wood, Battle of (June 6–25, 1918), part of the World War I second battle of the Marne in which a brigade of U.S.
Bellerophon
Bellerophon, Greek mythological hero.
Bellflower
Bellflower, or bluebell, any of several species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants producing bell-shaped flowers, ranging from a few inches to more than 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, found in temperate and subtropical areas.
Bellini
Bellini, family of Early Renaissance Venetian painters.
Vincenzo Bellini
Bellini, Vincenzo (1801–35), Italian opera composer of the bel canto school.
(Joseph Pierre) Hilaire Belloc
Belloc, (Joseph Pierre) Hilaire (1870–1953), French-born English poet, essayist, and historian.
Saul Bellow
Bellow, Saul (1915– ), Canadian-born U.S. novelist noted for his narrative skill and his studies of Jewish-American life.
George Wesley Bellows
Bellows, George Wesley (1882–1925), U.S. painter and lithographer, early 20th century “realist” who remained aloof from modern European influences and was influential in reviving U.S. lithography.