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Key, Francis Scott

(Encyclopedia)Key, Francis Scott kē [key], 1779–1843, American poet, author of the Star-Spangled Banner, b. present Carroll co., Md. A lawyer, he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia (1833–41). His w...

snakeroot

(Encyclopedia)snakeroot, name for several plants, among them black snakeroot (see bugbane), button snakeroot or blazing star, senega snakeroot (see milkwort), and white snakeroot. ...

neptunium

(Encyclopedia)neptunium nĕpto͞oˈnēəm [key], radioactive chemical element; symbol Np; at. no. 93; mass number of most stable isotope 237; m.p. about 640℃; b.p. 3,902℃ (estimated); sp. gr. 20.25 at 20℃; va...

samarium

(Encyclopedia)samarium səmârˈēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Sm; at. no. 62; at. wt. 150.36; m.p. 1,072℃; b.p. 1,791℃; sp. gr. 7.54 at 20℃; valence +2 or +3. Samarium is a lustrous silver-wh...

quantum field theory

(Encyclopedia)quantum field theory, study of the quantum mechanical interaction of elementary particles and fields. Quantum field theory applied to the understanding of electromagnetism is called quantum electrodyn...

hafnium

(Encyclopedia)hafnium hăfˈnēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Hf; at. no. 72; at. wt. 178.49; m.p. about 2,227℃; b.p. 4,602℃; sp. gr. 13.31 at 20℃; valence +4. Hafnium is a lustrous, ductile, si...

Merman, Ethel

(Encyclopedia)Merman, Ethel, 1908–84, American musical comedy star, b. Astoria, N.Y., originally named Ethel Zimmerman. Merman's theater debut was in George and Ira Gershwin's Girl Crazy (1930). Noted for her bra...

Leahy, William Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Leahy, William Daniel, 1875–1959, American naval officer and diplomat, b. Hampton, Iowa. He served in the Spanish-American War, in the Philippines, then in Nicaragua (1912), in Haiti (1916), in the ...

Richard, Maurice

(Encyclopedia)Richard, Maurice (Joseph Henri Maurice Richard) zhōzĕfˈ äNrēˈ môrēsˈ rēˈshärˌ [key], 1921–2000, Canadian hockey player, b. Montreal. Richard, nicknamed “the Rocket” by his admirers,...

Favart, Charles Simon

(Encyclopedia)Favart, Charles Simon shärl sēmôNˈ fävärˈ [key], 1710–92, French dramatist and theatrical manager, for a time director of the Opéra-Comique. He was the originator of the modern light opera a...