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Asian Loan Words in English: Polynesian

Asian loan words in English by Ann-Marie Imbornoni Hawaiian hula luau ukelele, from words meaning "flea jumping." Tahitian tattoo, introduced to the English-speaking world by Capt.…

Lighthouses: FAQ

Source: The United States Coast Guard Our first lighthouses were actually given to us by Nature. Sailors sometimes used landmarks such as glowing volcanoes to guide them. In the Ancient World,…

Timothy PILSBURY, Congress, TX (1789-1858)

PILSBURY, Timothy, a Representative from Texas; born in Newburyport, Mass., April 12, 1789; attended the common schools; employed in a store for about two years; became a sailor and during the…

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

founder of ChicagoBorn: c. 1750Birthplace: St. Marc, Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) Du Sable had a French father and an African-born slave mother. He was educated (possibly in France) and may…

windsurfing

(Encyclopedia) windsurfing, also called boardsailing or sailboarding, water sport that employs a board-and-sail device and combines elements of sailing and surfing. The sailboard was first developed…

precession of the equinoxes

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Precession of the equinoxes (the points at which the earth's celestial equator intersects its ecliptic) is due to the slow rotation of the earth's axis around a perpendicular to…

air, law of the

(Encyclopedia) air, law of the, in the broadest sense, all law connected with the use of the air, including radio and satellite transmissions; more commonly, it refers to laws concerning civil…

Gambia, The, country, Africa

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Gambia, TheGambia, Thegămˈbēə, gämˈ– [key], officially Republic of The Gambia, republic (2015 est. pop. 1,978,000), 4,361 sq mi (11,295 sq km), W Africa. It is bordered by the…

Bel and the Dragon

(Encyclopedia) Bel and the Dragon, customary name for chapter 14 of the Book of Daniel, a passage included in the Septuagint and the Apocrypha. It was written possibly in the 1st cent. b.c. as a…

Roses, Wars of the

(Encyclopedia) Roses, Wars of the, traditional name given to the intermittent struggle (1455–85) for the throne of England between the noble houses of York (whose badge was a white rose) and…