(Encyclopedia) Schirra, Wally, (Walter Marty Schirra, Jr.), 1923–2007, the only American astronaut to fly in all of NASA's first three manned spaceflight programs, b. Hackensack, N.J., grad. U.S.…
(Encyclopedia) Fields, W. C. (William Claude Fields), 1880–1946, American comic actor, b. Philadelphia as Claude William Dukenfield. He began his career as a juggler, and much later appeared in the…
(Encyclopedia) altimeteraltimeterăltĭmˈĭtər, ălˈtĭmēˌtər [key], device for measuring altitude. The most common type is an aneroid barometer calibrated to show the drop in atmospheric pressure in…
(Encyclopedia) BellerophonBellerophonbəlĕrˈəfŏn, –fən [key], in Greek mythology, son of Glaucus (3;) originally called Hipponoüs. He changed his name after he murdered a countryman and was forced to…
(Encyclopedia) froghopper or spittlebug, small, hopping insect of the order Homoptera. The adult, under 1&fslsh;2 in. (1.2 cm) long in most species, is triangular in shape and usually gray or…
(Encyclopedia) fruit bat, fruit-eating bat found in tropical regions of the Old World. It is relatively large and differs from other bats in the possession of an independent, clawed second digit; it…
(Encyclopedia) Hermes, in Greek religion and mythology, son of Zeus and Maia. His functions were many, but he was primarily the messenger of the gods, particularly of Zeus, and conductor of souls to…
(Encyclopedia) dolphin, large, swift game fish, Coryphaena hippurus, also called dorado. It is of nearly worldwide distribution in warm waters. Its long, slender body is blue, and in the living…
(Encyclopedia) Allen, Paul Gardner, 1953–2018, American business executive and philanthropist, b. Seattle. He dropped out of Washington State Univ. (1974) and with his friend Bill Gates co-founded (…
(Encyclopedia) Battle of the Bulge, popular name in World War II for the German counterattack in the Ardennes, Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945. More than a million men fought in what is also known as the…
