(Encyclopedia) rat, name applied to various stout-bodied rodents, usually having a pointed muzzle, long slender tail, and dexterous forepaws. It refers particularly to the two species of house rat,…
In recent years astronomers have discovered that our solar system is a great deal more crowded than we imagined. In 2004 alone, a dozen new moons circling Saturn were identified. Today's…
(Encyclopedia) lignitelignitelĭgˈnīt [key] or brown coal, carbonaceous fuel intermediate between coal and peat, brown or yellowish in color and woody in texture. It contains more moisture than coal…
(Encyclopedia) Doulton wareDoulton waredōlˈtən [key], English pottery produced at Lambeth after 1815, first by John Doulton and his partners, then by his descendants. It won the medal at the…
(Encyclopedia) Dahl, RoaldDahl, Roaldrōˈäl [key]Dahl, Roald däl [key], 1916–90, British writer known for inventive, often macabre children's books and horror-tinged adult fiction. Dahl spurned a…
(Encyclopedia) garnet, name applied to a group of isomorphic minerals crystallizing in the cubic system. They are used chiefly as gems and as abrasives (as in garnet paper). The garnets are double…
ALLEN, William Joshua, (son of Willis Allen), a Representative from Illinois; born in Wilson County, Tenn., June 9, 1829; moved with his father to Franklin (now Williamson) County, Ill., about…
Senate Years of Service: 1954-1958Party: DemocratSCOTT, William Kerr, a Senator from North Carolina; born in Haw River, Alamance County, N.C., April 17, 1896; attended the public schools of…
(Encyclopedia) Torrington, city (1990 pop. 33,687), Litchfield co., NW Conn., on the Naugatuck River; inc. 1740. It is the industrial and commercial hub of NW Connecticut and is known for its metal (…
