(Encyclopedia) black fly, name for any of the flies of the family Simuliidae. The black fly is about 1&fslsh;8 in. (3.2 mm) long and has large eyes, short legs, a stout, humped back, broad gauzy…
(Encyclopedia) Black Forest, Ger. Schwarzwald, mountain range, SW Germany, extending 90 mi (145 km) between the Rhine and Neckar rivers. Feldberg is the highest (4,898 ft/1,493 m) peak. The range is…
(Encyclopedia) Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, in U.S. history, day of financial panic. In 1869 a small group of American financial speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fisk, sought the support…
(Encyclopedia) black gum, ornamental deciduous tree (Nyssa sylvatica family Nyssaceae) native to E North America. The leaves turn bright scarlet in the fall. The very tough wood was used for wheel…
(Encyclopedia) Black Hand, symbol and name for a criminal and terroristic secret society, and especially associated with the Mafia and the Camorra. The Black Hand flourished in Sicily in the late…
(Encyclopedia) Black Hills, rugged mountains, c.6,000 sq mi (15,540 sq km), enclosed by the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne rivers, SW S.Dak. and NE Wyo., and rising c.2,500 ft (760 m) above the…
(Encyclopedia) black hole, in astronomy, celestial object of such extremely intense gravity that it attracts everything near it and in some instances prevents everything, including light, from…
(Encyclopedia) black humor, in literature, drama, and film, grotesque or morbid humor used to express the absurdity, insensitivity, paradox, and cruelty of the modern world. Ordinary characters or…
(Encyclopedia) Black Isle, peninsula, 18 mi (29 km) long and up to 9 mi (14.5 km) wide, Highland, N Scotland, extending into Moray Firth. It has some of the best farmland in N Scotland, producing…
