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Mary Queen of Scots

(Encyclopedia)Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart), 1542–87, only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Through her grandmother Margaret Tudor, Mary had the strongest claim to the throne of England after t...

Anti-Corn-Law League

(Encyclopedia)Anti-Corn-Law League, organization formed in 1839 to work for the repeal of the English corn laws. It was an affiliation of groups in various cities and districts with headquarters at Manchester and w...

Manu

(Encyclopedia)Manu mŭˈno͞o [key], semilegendary Hindu lawgiver. Traditionally ascribed to him are the Laws of Manu, best known of the Sanskrit smriti texts (see Sanskrit literature). They were compiled, probably...

perpetual-motion machine

(Encyclopedia)perpetual-motion machine, device that would be able to operate continuously and supply useful work, in violation of the laws of thermodynamics. A machine that would produce more energy in the form of ...

victims' rights

(Encyclopedia)victims' rights, rights of victims in the prosecution of the crimes commited against them. Nearly all U.S. states have enacted some victims rights legislation; federal legislation also has been passed...

civil commitment

(Encyclopedia)civil commitment or involuntary commitment, process by which a court determines whether or not to order an individual to receive treatment or care or be confined. A person may be committed after a hea...

Congress of the United States

(Encyclopedia)Congress of the United States, the legislative branch of the federal government, instituted (1789) by Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which prescribes its membership and defines it...

fallacy

(Encyclopedia)fallacy, in logic, a term used to characterize an invalid argument. Strictly speaking, it refers only to the transition from a set of premises to a conclusion, and is distinguished from falsity, a val...

Sabbatarians

(Encyclopedia)Sabbatarians, persons who insist upon strict observance of Sunday as the Sabbath. Societies promoting Sabbatarian objectives include the Lord's Day Alliance of the United States and the Lord's Day Obs...

no-fault insurance

(Encyclopedia)no-fault insurance, type of indemnity plan, usually applied to automobile coverage, in which those injured in an accident receive direct payment from the company with which they themselves are insured...