(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…
musicians R.E.M. found success by producing music that defies typical labels. The band first formed in Athens, Georgia, where its members were attending college. After playing at parties and small…
(Encyclopedia) Meiss, MillardMeiss, Millardmēs [key], 1904–75, American art historian, b. Cincinnati. Meiss taught art history at Columbia from 1934 to 1953 and thereafter was professor at Harvard…
(Encyclopedia) orchard, generally an area on which fruit or nut trees are planted and cultivated. The words grove and plantation are often used when the fruits are tropical, e.g., a “citrus grove” or…
Liz Olson Although in modern times Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, it was not observed by early Christians. Christmas was added to the…
(Encyclopedia) TourcoingTourcoingt&oomacr;rkwăNˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 94,424), Nord dept., N France, in French Flanders. With the adjacent city of Roubaix, it forms one of the most important…
(Encyclopedia) Baker, Sir Samuel White, 1821–93, English explorer in Africa. He explored the Nile tributaries in Ethiopia in 1861–62. Going up the Nile from Cairo, he reached Gondokoro in 1863. He…
(Encyclopedia) Rudolf I or Rudolf of HapsburgRudolf Ir&oomacr;ˈdŏlf [key], 1218–91, German king (1273–91), first king of the Hapsburg dynasty. Rudolf's election as king ended the interregnum (…
(Encyclopedia) Decazes, ÉlieDecazes, Élieālēˈ dəkäzˈ [key], 1780–1860, French statesman, a favorite of King Louis XVIII, who made him a duke in 1820. A lawyer and judge, Decazes was made minister of…
