21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Bell's palsy to Black Friday

21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia

Bell's palsy

Bell's palsy, nerve disorder that causes paralysis of one side of the face.

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Belmopan

Belmopan (pop. 4,000), capital city of Belize, a country on the Caribbean coast.

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Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte (pop. 1,443,000), city in Brazil, about 220 mi (354 km) north of Rio de Janeiro.

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Belorussia

Belorussia See: Byelorussia.

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Belsen

Belsen, German village in Lower Saxony, site of the infamous Nazi concentration camp calledBergen-Belsen, where over 115,000 people, mostly Jews, were killed.

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Beluga

Beluga, or white whale, small (13 ft/4 m) whale (Delphinapterus leucas) living in northern seas and prized for its skin.

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Ludwig Bemelmans

Bemelmans, Ludwig (1898–1962), Austrian-American writer and illustrator of Hansi (1934), My War with the United States (1937), Madeline (1939), and other satiric and children's stories.

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Samuel Flagg Bemis

Bemis, Samuel Flagg (1891–1973), U.S. historian.

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Ahmed Ben Bella

Ben Bella, Ahmed (1918– ), Algerian revolutionary who helped plan the 1954 anti-French revolt.

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David Ben-Gurion

Ben-Gurion, David (David Grün; 1886–1973), Polish-born Israeli statesman and first prime minister of Israel.

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Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur See: Wallace, Lew.

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Steven Vincent Benét

Benét, Steven Vincent (1898–1943), U.S. poet, novelist, and short story writer, whose works center on U.S. history and tradition.

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Itzhak Ben-Zvi

Ben-Zvi, Itzhak (1884–1963), Russian-born second president of Israel (1952–63).

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Benares

Benares See: Varanasi.

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Robert Charles Benchley

Benchley, Robert Charles (1889–1945), U.S. writer, drama critic of Life (1920–29) and The New Yorker (1929–40).

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Vincent Bendix

Bendix, Vincent (1882–1945), U.S. mechanical engineer and industrialist who developed and mass-produced a 4-wheel brake system for automobiles and devised a practicable self-starter.

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Bends

Bends, also known as caisson disease or decompression sickness, dangerous physiological reaction resulting from a rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure that may release nitrogen bubbles into the body.

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Saint Benedict of Nursia

Benedict of Nursia, Saint (c.480–547), father of Western monasticism, whose “rule” set the pattern of monastic life from the mid-7th century.

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Ruth Fulton Benedict

Benedict, Ruth Fulton (1887–1948), U.S. cultural anthropologist whose extensive fieldwork helped illustrate the theory of cultural relativism—what is considered deviant in one culture may be normal in another.

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Benedict XV

Benedict XV (Giacomo Della Chiesa; 1854–1922), Roman Catholic pope during the outbreak of World War I.

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Benedictine Orders

Benedictine Orders, the “Black Monks,” order of monks and nuns following the rule of St.

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Benelux

Benelux, customs union formed by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, in 1948. “Benelux” is often used collectively for the countries themselves.

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Eduard Benes

Benes, Eduard (1884–1948), co-founder, with Thomas Masaryk, of the Czechoslovak Republic.

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Bengal

Bengal, region including Bangladesh and northeastern India on the Bay of Bengal.

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Bay of Bengal

Bengal, Bay of See: Bay of Bengal.

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Benghazi

Benghazi (pop. 368,000), seaport and second largest city of Libya.

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Benin

Benin (formerly Dahomey), republic in West Africa, flanked by Togo in the west, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in the northwest, Niger in the north, Nigeria in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. The population is concentrated in the south coastal region, where Cotonou, a major port city and commercial center, and Porto-Novo, the capital, are located. There are 4 major tribes: the …

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Judah Philip Benjamin

Benjamin, Judah Philip (1811–84), West Indian-born U.S. politician and lawyer, called the “brains of the Confederacy.” As U.S. senator from Louisiana (1853–61), he was an able advocate of the Southern cause.

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Arnold Bennett

Bennett, Arnold (1867–1931), English novelist, journalist, and play wright.

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Floyd Bennett

Bennett, Floyd (1890–1928), U.S. aviator who piloted Richard Byrd on the first flight over the North Pole (May 9, 1926).

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James Gordon Bennett

Bennett, James Gordon (1795–1872), Scottish-born U.S. newspaper publisher and editor, pioneer of modern news reporting.

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Richard Bedford Bennett

Bennett, Richard Bedford (1870–1945), prime minister of Canada (1930–35) and leader of the Conservative Party.

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Bennington

Bennington, town in southwestern Vermont, about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Albany, N.Y.

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Jack Benny

Benny, Jack (Benjamin Kubelsky; 1894–1974), U.S. comedian.

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Bent grass

Bent grass, popular name for some grasses (genus Agrostis) of Europe, North America, and North Africa, widely grown for pasture cover and for hay.

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William Bent

Bent, William (1809–1869), U.S. fur trader and pioneer, the first permanent white resident in Colorado.

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Jeremy Bentham

Bentham, Jeremy (1748–1832), English philosopher, economist, and jurist, founder of Utilitarianism, a social philosophy whose aim was to achieve “the greatest happiness of the greatest number.” His major work was An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789).

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Eric Bentley

Bentley, Eric (1916– ), British-born U.S. drama critic and university professor.

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Thomas Hart Benton

Benton, Thomas Hart (1782–1858), U.S. statesman; great uncle of the painter Thomas Hart Benton.

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Thomas Hart Benton

Benton, Thomas Hart (1889–1975), U.S. painter; greatnephew of Senator Thomas Hart Benton.

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Bentonite

Bentonite, type of fine-grained clay that greatly increases in volume when saturated with water.

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Karl Benz

Benz, Karl (1844–1929), German engineer believed to have built the first automobile (1885) with an internal combustion engine.

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Benzedrine

Benzedrine, U.S. trade name of a drug containing amphetamine.

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Benzene

Benzene, colorless, flammable, toxic liquid hydrocarbon (C6H6) produced from petroleum and from coal gas and coal tar.

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Benzine

Benzine, flammable liquid distilled from petroleum.

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Benzocaine

Benzocaine, crystalline ester, used as a local anesthetic, usually in an ointment or in lozenges.

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Benzol

Benzol See: Benzene.

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Benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol (also called phenylcarbinol C6H5CH2OH), colorless, aromatic alcohol found in the oils of many flowers.

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Beograd

Beograd See: Belgrade.

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Beothuk

Beothuk, tribe of Native Americans that once lived on the island of Newfoundland and spoke Bethukian, an independent language.

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Beowulf

Beowulf, anonymous heroic epic poem, probably composed in the 8th century, the greatest extant poem in Old English.

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Berbers

Berbers, several culturally distinct North African peoples, usually Muslim, who speak the Hamitic Berber language or any of its main dialects.

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Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden (pop. 8,300), small Alpine resort town in southeastern Bavaria.

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Alban Berg

Berg, Alban (1885–1935), Austrian composer of expressive 12-tone music.

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Bergamot

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), fruit whose rind yields an oil used in perfumes and essences.

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Bergen

Bergen (pop. 218,100), seaport and second largest city in Norway, situated on the southwest coast on the By Fjord.

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Bergen-Belsen

Bergen-Belsen See: Belsen.

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Victor Louis Berger

Berger, Victor Louis (1860–1929), first Socialist member of U.S.

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Cyrano de Bergerac

Bergerac, Cyrano de See: Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien de.

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Ingmar Bergman

Bergman, Ingmar (1918– ), Swedish film and stage director, producer, and writer.

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Ingrid Bergman

Bergman, Ingrid (1917–84), Swedish stage and screen actress.

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Henri-Louis Bergson

Bergson, Henri-Louis (1859–1941), French philosopher.

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Beriberi

Beriberi, disease caused by lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine).

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Bering Sea

Bering Sea, extreme northern arm of the North Pacific Ocean, 885,000 sq mi (2,292,150 sq km) in area, bounded by East Siberia, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands.

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Bering Strait

Bering Strait, sea-channel linking the Arctic Ocean with the Bering Sea and separating Siberia from Alaska.

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Berkeley

Berkeley (pop. 102,724), California city on the east side of San Francisco Bay.

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Busby Berkeley

Berkeley, Busby (1895–1976), U.S. choreographer and film director who revolutionized the staging of musical production numbers in Hollywood films.

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George Berkeley

Berkeley, George (1685–1753), Irish philosopher and bishop who, rejecting the views of Locke, argued that the apparent existence of material reality was merely a projection of the mind of God.

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Sir William Berkeley

Berkeley, Sir William (1606–77), royal governor of Virginia, 1642–52 and 1660–77.

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Berkelium

Berkelium, chemical element, symbol Bk; for physical constants see Periodic Table.

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Alexander Berkman

Berkman, Alexander (1870–1936), Polish-born U.S. anarchist.

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Milton Berle

Berle, Milton (Milton Berlinger; 1908– ), U.S. comedian.

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Berlin

Berlin (pop. 3,438,000), capital city of Germany located in the eastern part of the country on the Spree and Havel rivers.

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Berlin Airlift

Berlin Airlift, operation by the United Kingdom and the United States to fly essential supplies into West Berlin during the Russian land and water blockade (1948–49).

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Congress of Berlin

Berlin, Congress of, international meeting of Russia, Turkey, and major European powers held in 1878 under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck to settle problems created by the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War.

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Irving Berlin

Berlin, Irving (Israel Baline; 1888–1989), U.S. songwriter.

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Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall, wall 26 mi (42 km) long built in 1961 dividing East and West Berlin.

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Emile Berliner

Berliner, Emile (1851–1929), inventor who contributed to early telephone and phonograph developments.

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Louis-Hector Berlioz

Berlioz, Louis-Hector (1803–69), French romantic composer of dramatic, descriptive works.

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Bermuda

Bermuda, British colony comprising about 150 coral islands of which 20 are inhabited, lying in the North Atlantic Ocean, 580 miles (933 km) east of North Carolina.

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Bermuda Triangle

Bermuda Triangle, area of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, and the southeastern coast of the United States, in which many ships and planes are said to have vanished.

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Bern

Bern, or Berne (pop. 138,600), capital city of Switzerland and of Bern canton.

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Saint Bernadette

Bernadette, Saint (Marie-Bernarde Soubirous; 1844–79), French peasant girl who claimed to have had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in a Lourdes grotto in 1858.

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Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte

Bernadotte, Jean Baptiste Jules (1763–1844), French general who founded Sweden's present royal dynasty.

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Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090?–1153), French theologian and mystic who was the abbot of a Cistercian monastery and inspired the Second Crusade.

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Claude Bernard

Bernard, Claude (1813–78), French physiologist, one of the founders of experimental medicine.

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Bernese mountain dog

Bernese mountain dog, Swiss breed of large, powerful dog.

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Sarah Bernhardt

Bernhardt, Sarah (Henriette Rosine Bernard; 1844–1923), French actress.

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Joseph Elzéar Bernier

Bernier, Joseph Elzéar (1852–1934), Canadian explorer renowned for his arctic voyages.

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Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

Bernini, Giovanni Lorenzo (1598–1680), Italian sculptor and architect who gave Rome many of its characteristic baroque features.

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Bernoulli's principle

Bernoulli's principle, theorem of aerodynamics stating that the pressure of a moving gas will be lowest where its speed is highest, or that a moving fluid conserves energy.

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Carl Bernstein

Bernstein, Carl See: Watergate.

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Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein, Leonard (1918–1990), U.S. conductor and composer, best known for his musical West Side Story (1957).

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Yogi Berra

Berra, Yogi (Lawrence Peter Berra; 1925– ), U.S. baseball player for the New York Yankees, 1946–63.

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Daniel Berrigan and Philip

Berrigan, Daniel and Philip (1922– ) and (1924– ), Roman Catholic priests in the pacifist “Catonsville Nine” group.

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Chuck Berry

Berry, Chuck (Charles Edward Anderson Berry; 1926– ), U.S. rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

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John Berryman

Berryman, John (1914–72), U.S. poet, active from the 1930s.

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Alphonse Bertillon

Bertillon, Alphonse (1853–1914), French criminologist who devised a system for identifying criminals based on the body measurements.

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Bernardo Bertolucci

Bertolucci, Bernardo (1940– ), Italian filmmaker known for such films as The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), La Luna (1979), Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981), The Last Emperor (1985), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), and Stealing Beauty (1995). is films are often controversial and provocative.

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Beryl

Beryl, beryllium and aluminum silicate (Be3AP2Si6O18), the most common ore of beryllium.

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Beryllium

Beryllium, chemical element, symbol Be; for physical constants see Periodic Table.

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Jöns Jakob Berzelius Baron

Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron (1779–1848), Swedish chemist who determined the atomic weights of nearly 40 elements before 1818, discovered cerium (1803), selenium (1818), and thorium (1829), introduced the terms protein, isomerism, and catalysis, and devised the modern method of writing chemical formulas (1813).

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Annie (Wood) Besant

Besant, Annie (Wood) (1847–1933), British theosophist and social reformer.

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Bessarabia

Bessarabia, historic region of southeastern Europe, northwest of the Black Sea, between the Dniester and Danube rivers.

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Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel

Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm (1784–1846), astronomer and mathematician.

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Bessemer process

Bessemer process, process of making steel from pig iron.

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Charles Herbert Best

Best, Charles Herbert (1899–1978), Canadian physiologist.

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Beta-blocker

Beta-blocker, drug that affects the transmission of signals at beta-receptors, parts of the sympathetic nervous system located in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels.

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Beta particle

Beta particle, one of the particles that can be emitted by a radioactive atomic nucleus.

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Rómulo Betancourt

Betancourt, Rómulo (1908–81), president of Venezuela (1945–47 and 1957–63) and founder of the left-wing Acción Democrática Party (1935).

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Betatron

Betatron, apparatus designed to accelerate electrons to high velocities.

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Betel

Betel, preparation made with the seeds of the betel palm.

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Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis, second brightest star in the constellation Orion.

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Hans Albrecht Bethe

Bethe, Hans Albrecht (1906– ), German-born U.S. theoretical physicist who proposed the nuclear carbon cycle to account for the sun's energy output (1938).

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Bethesda

Bethesda (pop. 62,936), city in Montgomery County, central Maryland, a residential suburb of Washington, D.C.

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Bethlehem

Bethlehem (pop. 71,428), city in eastern Pennsylvania, 50 mi (80 km) northwest of Philadelphia, on the Lehigh River.

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Bethlehem

Bethlehem (Hebrew: Bayt Lahm; pop. 16,300), town in Israeli-occupied West Bank, 6 mi (9.7 km) south of Jerusalem, and sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

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Mary McLeod Bethune

Bethune, Mary McLeod (1875–1955), African-American educator and civil rights activist.

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Norman Bethune

Bethune, Norman (1890–1930), Canadian physician who achieved national hero status in China in 1938 for the establishment of hospitals and medical schools, and for his role as chief medical officer of the Chinese Communist Army.

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Sir John Betjeman

Betjeman, Sir John (1906–84), English poet laureate and architectural conservationist, often called a lyrical satirist.

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Bruno Bettelheim

Bettelheim, Bruno (1903–90), Austrian-born U.S. psychologist who drew on his personal experience as an inmate of Nazi concentration camps to write his famous article, “Individual and Mass Behavior in Extreme Situations” (1943).

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Better business bureau

Better business bureau, consumer protection organization such as exists in nearly 200 cities in the United States, Canada, and Israel.

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Bevatron

Bevatron, in physics, a 6 or more billion electron volt accelerator of protons and other atomic particles.

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William Henry Beveridge

Beveridge, William Henry (1879–1963), British economist and social planner, director of London School of Economics (1919–37).

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Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills (pop. 31,971), residential city in southern California, completely surrounded by Los Angeles.

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Bhagavad-Gita

Bhagavad-Gita (Song of God), anonymous Sanskrit poem dating from c.200 B.C., incorporated into the Mahabharata epic, a classic work of Hinduism.

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Bhopal

Bhopal (pop. c. 1,062,700), capital of Madhya Pradesh in central India.

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Bhutan

Bhutan, kingdom on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, between Tibet on the north and Bangladesh and India on the south.

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Benazir Bhutto

Bhutto, Benazir (1953– ), prime minister of Pakistan (1988–90, 1993– ).

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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali (1928–79), president and prime minister of Pakistan (1971–77); father of Benazir Bhutto.

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Biafra

Biafra, name assumed by Nigeria's Eastern Region during its attempted secession (1967–70).

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Chaim Nachman Bialik

Bialik, Chaim Nachman (1873–1934), one of the greatest of modern Hebrew poets and novelists.

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Bible

Bible, name of the sacred writings of the Christian religion.

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Bicarbonate of soda

Bicarbonate of soda (NaHCO3), sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, chemical compound used to relieve stomach acidity.

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Marie François Xavier Bichat

Bichat, Marie François Xavier (1771–1802), French anatomist and pathologist, founder of histology, the study of the small-scale structure of tissue.

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Bicuspid

Bicuspid See: Teeth.

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Bicycle

Bicycle, 2-wheeled vehicle propelled by pedals.

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Bicycle racing

Bicycle racing, popular sport in many countries, especially in Europe.

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Nicholas Biddle

Biddle, Nicholas (1786–1844), president of the second Bank of the United States (1823–36).

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Owen Frederick Bieber

Bieber, Owen Frederick (1929– ), president of the United Automobile Workers (UAW).

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Biedermeier

Biedermeier, utilitarian middle-class style of furniture popular in Germany from about 1810 to 1850.

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Ambrose Gwinett Bierce

Bierce, Ambrose Gwinett (1842–1914?), U.S. short-story writer and satirical journalist.

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Albert Bierstadt

Bierstadt, Albert (1830–1902), German-born U.S. landscape painter famous for his large, realistic Western scenes, including Sierra Nevada and The Settlement of California.

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Bifocals

Bifocals See: Glasses.

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Big bang

Big bang, theory that all the matter and energy of the universe was concentrated in a compact, infinitely small volume that exploded some 15 to 20 billion years ago, giving rise to the present universe, still expanding from the initial explosion.

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Big Ben

Big Ben, popular name for the tower clock of the Houses of Parliament in London.

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Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park, tract of mountains and desert on the Texas border with Mexico, in the Big Bend of the Rio Grande River.

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Big Five

Big Five, the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States.

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Big and Little Dippers

Big and Little Dippers, 2 constellations that each resemble a water dipper.

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Bigamy

Bigamy, in law, felony or misdemeanor of being married to 2 persons simultaneously.

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Bighorn

Bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis) inhabiting the higher mountain ranges of the western United States from New Mexico and southern California northward.

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Bighorn Mountains

Bighorn Mountains, range of the eastern Rocky Mountains, mainly in northern Wyoming, but extending into Montana east of the Bighorn River.

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Bighorn River

Bighorn River, river in the Wind River Canyon in Wyoming and flowing through Montana, where it joins the Yellowstone River.

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Bignonia

Bignonia, any of several hundred species of plants of the Bignoniaceae family, native to warmer parts of the Americas.

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Kamal ad-Din Bihzad

Bihzad, Kamal ad-Din (1450–1537), Persian miniature painter, famous for illustrating manuscripts such as Timur Namah, Gulistan, and Khamsa.

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Bikini

Bikini, atoll in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean.

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Bilbao

Bilbao (pop. 369,800), major seaport in northern Spain and former capital of a once autonomous Basque region.

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Bile

Bile, yellow or greenish fluid secreted by the liver which aids in digestion and absorption, particularly of fatty foods.

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Bilharziasis

Bilharziasis See: Schistosomiasis.

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Bilirubin

Bilirubin See: Bile; Jaundice.

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Bill

Bill, term for various written documents in politics, law, banking, commerce, and so forth. In politics, it is the draft of a statute submitted to the legislature for debate and eventual adoption as law. In the courtroom it was formerly applied to the written statement of a plaintiff's case, now usually referred to as a writ or statement of claim. Bills of attainder, passed by the English p…

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Bill of exchange

Bill of exchange, negotiable instrument used in commerce that is drawn up and signed by one person to direct another person to pay a certain sum of money at a certain time to the bearer or to the party named on the bill.

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Bill of rights

Bill of rights, constitutional document that defines the rights of a people, safeguarding them against undue governmental interference. In the United States these rights and safeguards are embodied in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. After the American Revolution there was great popular demand for constitutionally defined rights to limit the power of the new government. Bills of rights…

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Billiards

Billiards, any of several indoor games in which balls set on a felt-covered rectangular table with cushioned edges are struck by the end of a long tapering stick (the cue).

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Billings

Billings (pop. 113,419), largest city in Montana, seat of Yellowstone County, located in the south central part of the state.

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William Billings

Billings, William (1746–1800), first professional composer and musician born in the American colonies.

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Biloxi

Biloxi (pop. 197,125), second largest city in Mississippi, a summer and winter resort located on the southern coast along the Gulf of Mexico.

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Bimetallism

Bimetallism, economic term for the use of 2 metals (usually gold and silver) to back a country's currency, making every coin and bill in circulation related to a definite value of both gold and silver.

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Binary numbers

Binary numbers, system of designating numbers using only the digits 0 and 1, widely employed in digital computers.

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Binary star

Binary star, or double star, pair of stars that orbit around their common center of gravity.

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Bindweed

Bindweed, common name for a weedy plant (genus Convolvulus) of the morning-glory family, Convolvulaceae.

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Alfred Binet

Binet, Alfred (1857–1911), French psychologist who pioneered methods of mental testing.

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Sir Rudolf Bing

Bing, Sir Rudolf (1902– ), Austrian-born British opera impresario.

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George Caleb Bingham

Bingham, George Caleb (1811–79), U.S. genre painter noted for his mid-western river scenes, such as Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845) and Raftsmen Playing Cards (1846).

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Binoculars

Binoculars, optical instrument consisting of a pair of compact telescopes mounted side by side.

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Biochemistry

Biochemistry, study of the substances occurring in living organisms and the reactions in which they are involved.

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Biofeedback

Biofeedback, method of electronically monitoring various specific biological functions, such as blood pressure, with the aim of helping a person gain greater control of otherwise unconscious physiological processes.

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Biogenesis

Biogenesis, origin and evolution of living forms.

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Biological clock

Biological clock, mechanism that controls the rhythm of various activities of plants and animals.

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Biological warfare

Biological warfare, war waged with microorganisms and their toxins against people, animals, and plants.

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Biology

Biology, science of living things. The most important subdivisions of biology are zoology, the study of animals, and botany, the study of plants. Advances in scientific knowledge have led to an increase in the number of fields of biological study. Some biologists study subdivisions of the animal and plant kingdoms: entomology (the study of insects), mycology (fungi), paleontology (fossils), and mi…

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Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence, the production of nonthermal light by living organisms, such as fireflies, many marine animals, bacteria, and fungi.

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Biome

Biome, major ecological unit that is relatively stable, widespread, and well-defined.

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Biomedical engineering

Biomedical engineering, application of principles of engineering to biology and medicine, usually involving collaboration between engineers and biological scientists.

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Bionics

Bionics, science of designing artificial systems that apply the principles that govern the functioning of living organisms.

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Biophysics

Biophysics, branch of biology in which the methods and principles of physics are applied to the study of living things.

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Biosphere

Biosphere, the part of the earth inhabited by living things.

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Biosynthesis

Biosynthesis, biochemical reactions by which living cells build complex molecules from simple ones.

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Biotechnology

Biotechnology, industrial application of biological knowledge, in particular through the alteration of genes, called genetic engineering.

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Biotite

Biotite See: Mica.

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Birch

Birch, name for various deciduous trees and shrubs of the family Betulaceae, characterized by their smooth, white outer bark, which sometimes peels off in layers.

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Bird

Bird, animal adapted for flight and unique in its body covering of feathers. There are more than 8,500 species. Birds are warm-blooded descendants of reptiles of the dinosaur group. They developed feathers from scales (still evident on their legs) and became two-legged as their forelimbs became wings. Their teeth disappeared, replaced by a horny bill used for feeding and performing complicated tas…

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Larry Bird

Bird, Larry (1956– ), U.S. basketball player.

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Bird of paradise

Bird of paradise, any of more than 40 species of brilliantly colored, plumed birds of the family Paradiseidae, found in eastern Australia, the Moluccas, and New Guinea.

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Bird of paradise

Bird of paradise, plant (Strelitzia reginae) named for the colorful bird which its flowers resemble.

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Clarence Birdseye

Birdseye, Clarence (1886–1956), U.S. inventor and industrialist who, having observed during fur-trading expeditions to Labrador (1912–16) that many foods keep indefinitely if frozen, developed a process for freezing food.

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Birmingham

Birmingham (pop. 1,009,100), second-largest city in England, about 200 mi (161 km) northwest of London. Birmingham is known as the steel city, producing everything from pins to automobiles. In ancient times a Saxon settlement existed in this area, and by 1166 the site had become a busy market village trading in small metal goods made in nearby Staffordshire, where iron and coal were plentiful. By …

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Birmingham

Birmingham (pop. 907,810), largest city in Alabama, situated in the Jones Valley and protected by mountains to the southeast and northwest.

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Birth

Birth, the climax of gestation (the development of a child or other baby mammal within its mother's body) and the beginning of an independent life. In humans, a normal birth proceeds in 3 stages. Mild labor pains caused by contractions of the muscles of the uterus are usually the first sign that a woman is about to give birth. The contractions push the baby downwards, usually head first, wh…

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Birth control

Birth control, prevention of conception in order to avert unwanted births.

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Birth defect

Birth defect, congenital anomaly; structural or severe functional defect present at birth. Birth defects cause about 10% of neonatal deaths. A major anomaly is apparent at birth in 3–4% of newborns; by the age of 5, up to 7.5% of all children manifest a congenital defect. The incidence of specific congenital anomalies varies with a number of factors: (1) Individual defe…

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Birthmark

Birthmark, skin blemish, usually congenital.

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Birthstone

Birthstone, gemstone associated with a month.

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Billy Bishop

Bishop, Billy (William Avery Bishop; 1894–1956), Canadian military flier, credited with shooting down 72 German airplanes in World War I.

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Elizabeth Bishop

Bishop, Elizabeth (1911–79), U.S. poet and translator of Brazilian poetry, widely acclaimed for her succinct style and lyricism.

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Bismarck

Bismarck, one of the most powerful German battleships of World War II.

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Bismarck

Bismarck (pop. 83,831), capital of North Dakota and seat of Burleigh County, on the Missouri River.

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Bismarck Archipelago

Bismarck Archipelago, group of mountainous islands in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea, comprising New Britain, New Ireland, the Admiralty Islands, and many smaller islands.

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Prince Otto von Bismarck

Bismarck, Prince Otto von (1815–1898), German political leader who was instrumental in creating a unified German state.

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Bismuth

Bismuth, chemical element, symbol Bi; for physical constants see Periodic Table.

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Bison

Bison, any of several species (genus Bison) of ox-like animals of the family Bovidae.

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Bissau

Bissau (pop. 109,000), capital, largest city, and major port of Guinea-Bissau.

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Bithynia

Bithynia, ancient country of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.

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Bitter root

Bitter root, any of several small perennial plants of the family Portulaceae, with long edible roots.

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Bitterling

Bitterling, minnowlike fish of the family Cyprinidae, found in the fresh waters of Europe and Asia Minor.

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Bittern

Bittern, any of several species of migratory birds of the heron family.

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Bitternut

Bitternut, medium to large-sized tree (Carya cordiformis) of the walnut family, which grows mostly in low wet woods.

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Bittersweet

Bittersweet, either of 2 unrelated woody vines: U.S. bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) and European bittersweet (Solarium dulcamara).

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Bitumen

Bitumen, general term for naturally occurring hydrocarbons (compounds of hydrogen and carbon).

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Bituminous sands

Bituminous sands, sands containing natural bitumen deposits.

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Georges Bizet

Bizet, Georges (1838–75), French composer, best known for his opera Carmen (1875), one of the most popular in history.

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Jussi Björling

Björling, Jussi (1911–1960), Swedish operatic tenor who specialized in Italian opera, especially works by Verdi and Puccini.

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Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson

Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Martinius (1832–1910), Norwegian poet, critic, novelist, dramatist, and politician, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature (1903).

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Black Americans

Black Americans See: African Americans.

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Black Codes

Black Codes, laws enacted after the Civil War in the states that had formed the Confederacy.

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Davidson Black

Black, Davidson (1884–1934), Canadian anthropologist who discovered the early human species later known popularly as Peking man.

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Black Death

Black Death, common name for an epidemic of bubonic plague that swept through Asia and Europe in the mid-14th century, perhaps halving the population of Europe.

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Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan, hardy annual or biennial coneflower (Rudbeckia hirta), the state flower of Maryland.

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Black Forest

Black Forest, wooded mountain range in the province of Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany.

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Black Friday

Black Friday, term referring to 2 particular financial disasters that occurred on Fridays.

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Hugo Lafayette Black

Black, Hugo Lafayette (1886–1971), U.S. politician and jurist, associate justice of the Supreme Court (1937–71).

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Joseph Black

Black, Joseph (1728–99), Scottish physician and chemist.

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Blackbeard

Blackbeard (d. 1718), English pirate whose real name was probably Edward Teach or Thatch.

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Blackberry

Blackberry, prickly bramble (genus Rubus) of the rose family, native to north temperate regions of the world, that produces an edible fruit.

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Blackbird

Blackbird, any of several dark-colored perching birds of the family Icteridae, including the red-winged blackbird and the yellow-headed blackbird.

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Blackbuck

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicaprd), antelope of India and Pakistan.

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Blackfish

Blackfish, common name given to any of various dark-colored fishes, including the black sea bass found along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Alaska blackfish found in streams and ponds in Alaska and Siberia, and the tautog, found in the Atlantic Ocean from New Brunswick, Canada, to South Carolina.

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Blackfoot tribes

Blackfoot tribes, North American plains tribes of the Algonquin linguistic family.

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