actorBorn: 9/25/1951Birthplace: Oakland, California Answers the question, What do you do after you save the universe from the forces of evil? Apparently, nothing. Hamill was the earnest Luke…
cartoon charactersBorn: 1993Birthplace: the mind of Mike Judge Animated duo of adolescent boys who starred in the Beavis and Butt-head, which aired on MTV (1993–97). Created by animator Mike Judge…
(Encyclopedia) divination, practice of foreseeing future events or obtaining secret knowledge through communication with divine sources and through omens, oracles, signs, and portents. It is based on…
(Encyclopedia) fertility rites, magico-religious ceremonies to insure an abundance of food and the birth of children. The rites, expressed through dances, prayers, incantations, and sacred dramas,…
(Encyclopedia) hippopotamus, herbivorous, river-living mammal of tropical Africa. The large hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, has a short-legged, broad body with a tough gray or brown hide. The…
(Encyclopedia) yak, bovine mammal, Bos grunniens, of the Tibet region of China and adjacent areas. It is oxlike in build, with short, thick legs, humped shoulders, large upcurved horns, and a thick…
Born: 1944Birthplace: North Carolina PCR, Polymerase chain reaction—Mullis invented PCR, the process for amplifying nucleic acids, in 1993 while at Cetus Corporation. PCR has revolutionized the…
acid rain: Rain contaminated with pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. These gases come from fuels being burned at high temperatures and from car exhausts. When acid rain falls, it…
