Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy, nerve disorder that causes paralysis of one side of the face.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Bell's palsy to Black Friday
Belmopan
Belmopan (pop. 4,000), capital city of Belize, a country on the Caribbean coast.
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (pop. 1,443,000), city in Brazil, about 220 mi (354 km) north of Rio de Janeiro.
Belorussia
Belorussia See: Byelorussia.
Belsen
Belsen, German village in Lower Saxony, site of the infamous Nazi concentration camp calledBergen-Belsen, where over 115,000 people, mostly Jews, were killed.
Beluga
Beluga, or white whale, small (13 ft/4 m) whale (Delphinapterus leucas) living in northern seas and prized for its skin.
Ludwig Bemelmans
Bemelmans, Ludwig (1898–1962), Austrian-American writer and illustrator of Hansi (1934), My War with the United States (1937), Madeline (1939), and other satiric and children's stories.
Samuel Flagg Bemis
Bemis, Samuel Flagg (1891–1973), U.S. historian.
Ahmed Ben Bella
Ben Bella, Ahmed (1918– ), Algerian revolutionary who helped plan the 1954 anti-French revolt.
David Ben-Gurion
Ben-Gurion, David (David Grün; 1886–1973), Polish-born Israeli statesman and first prime minister of Israel.
Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur See: Wallace, Lew.
Steven Vincent Benét
Benét, Steven Vincent (1898–1943), U.S. poet, novelist, and short story writer, whose works center on U.S. history and tradition.
Itzhak Ben-Zvi
Ben-Zvi, Itzhak (1884–1963), Russian-born second president of Israel (1952–63).
Benares
Benares See: Varanasi.
Jacinto Benavente y Martínez
Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto (1866–1954), Spanish playwright.
Robert Charles Benchley
Benchley, Robert Charles (1889–1945), U.S. writer, drama critic of Life (1920–29) and The New Yorker (1929–40).
Vincent Bendix
Bendix, Vincent (1882–1945), U.S. mechanical engineer and industrialist who developed and mass-produced a 4-wheel brake system for automobiles and devised a practicable self-starter.
Bends
Bends, also known as caisson disease or decompression sickness, dangerous physiological reaction resulting from a rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure that may release nitrogen bubbles into the body.
Saint Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia, Saint (c.480–547), father of Western monasticism, whose “rule” set the pattern of monastic life from the mid-7th century.
Ruth Fulton Benedict
Benedict, Ruth Fulton (1887–1948), U.S. cultural anthropologist whose extensive fieldwork helped illustrate the theory of cultural relativism—what is considered deviant in one culture may be normal in another.
Benedict XV
Benedict XV (Giacomo Della Chiesa; 1854–1922), Roman Catholic pope during the outbreak of World War I.
Benedictine Orders
Benedictine Orders, the “Black Monks,” order of monks and nuns following the rule of St.
Benelux
Benelux, customs union formed by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, in 1948. “Benelux” is often used collectively for the countries themselves.
Eduard Benes
Benes, Eduard (1884–1948), co-founder, with Thomas Masaryk, of the Czechoslovak Republic.
Bengal
Bengal, region including Bangladesh and northeastern India on the Bay of Bengal.
Bay of Bengal
Bengal, Bay of See: Bay of Bengal.
Benghazi
Benghazi (pop. 368,000), seaport and second largest city of Libya.
Benin
Benin (formerly Dahomey), republic in West Africa, flanked by Togo in the west, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in the northwest, Niger in the north, Nigeria in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. The population is concentrated in the south coastal region, where Cotonou, a major port city and commercial center, and Porto-Novo, the capital, are located. There are 4 major tribes: the …
Judah Philip Benjamin
Benjamin, Judah Philip (1811–84), West Indian-born U.S. politician and lawyer, called the “brains of the Confederacy.” As U.S. senator from Louisiana (1853–61), he was an able advocate of the Southern cause.
Arnold Bennett
Bennett, Arnold (1867–1931), English novelist, journalist, and play wright.
Floyd Bennett
Bennett, Floyd (1890–1928), U.S. aviator who piloted Richard Byrd on the first flight over the North Pole (May 9, 1926).
James Gordon Bennett
Bennett, James Gordon (1795–1872), Scottish-born U.S. newspaper publisher and editor, pioneer of modern news reporting.
Richard Bedford Bennett
Bennett, Richard Bedford (1870–1945), prime minister of Canada (1930–35) and leader of the Conservative Party.
Bennington
Bennington, town in southwestern Vermont, about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Albany, N.Y.
Jack Benny
Benny, Jack (Benjamin Kubelsky; 1894–1974), U.S. comedian.
Bent grass
Bent grass, popular name for some grasses (genus Agrostis) of Europe, North America, and North Africa, widely grown for pasture cover and for hay.
William Bent
Bent, William (1809–1869), U.S. fur trader and pioneer, the first permanent white resident in Colorado.
Jeremy Bentham
Bentham, Jeremy (1748–1832), English philosopher, economist, and jurist, founder of Utilitarianism, a social philosophy whose aim was to achieve “the greatest happiness of the greatest number.” His major work was An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789).
Eric Bentley
Bentley, Eric (1916– ), British-born U.S. drama critic and university professor.
Thomas Hart Benton
Benton, Thomas Hart (1782–1858), U.S. statesman; great uncle of the painter Thomas Hart Benton.
Thomas Hart Benton
Benton, Thomas Hart (1889–1975), U.S. painter; greatnephew of Senator Thomas Hart Benton.
Bentonite
Bentonite, type of fine-grained clay that greatly increases in volume when saturated with water.
Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr.
Bentsen, Lloyd Millard, Jr. (1921– ), U.S.
Karl Benz
Benz, Karl (1844–1929), German engineer believed to have built the first automobile (1885) with an internal combustion engine.
Benzedrine
Benzedrine, U.S. trade name of a drug containing amphetamine.
Benzene
Benzene, colorless, flammable, toxic liquid hydrocarbon (C6H6) produced from petroleum and from coal gas and coal tar.
Benzine
Benzine, flammable liquid distilled from petroleum.
Benzocaine
Benzocaine, crystalline ester, used as a local anesthetic, usually in an ointment or in lozenges.
Benzol
Benzol See: Benzene.
Benzyl alcohol
Benzyl alcohol (also called phenylcarbinol C6H5CH2OH), colorless, aromatic alcohol found in the oils of many flowers.
Beograd
Beograd See: Belgrade.
Beothuk
Beothuk, tribe of Native Americans that once lived on the island of Newfoundland and spoke Bethukian, an independent language.
Beowulf
Beowulf, anonymous heroic epic poem, probably composed in the 8th century, the greatest extant poem in Old English.
Berbers
Berbers, several culturally distinct North African peoples, usually Muslim, who speak the Hamitic Berber language or any of its main dialects.
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden (pop. 8,300), small Alpine resort town in southeastern Bavaria.
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Berdyayev
Berdyayev, Nikolai Aleksandrovich (1874–1948), Russian religious philosopher.
Alban Berg
Berg, Alban (1885–1935), Austrian composer of expressive 12-tone music.
Bergamot
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), fruit whose rind yields an oil used in perfumes and essences.
Bergen
Bergen (pop. 218,100), seaport and second largest city in Norway, situated on the southwest coast on the By Fjord.
Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen See: Belsen.
Victor Louis Berger
Berger, Victor Louis (1860–1929), first Socialist member of U.S.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Bergerac, Cyrano de See: Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien de.
Ingmar Bergman
Bergman, Ingmar (1918– ), Swedish film and stage director, producer, and writer.
Ingrid Bergman
Bergman, Ingrid (1917–84), Swedish stage and screen actress.
Henri-Louis Bergson
Bergson, Henri-Louis (1859–1941), French philosopher.
Beriberi
Beriberi, disease caused by lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine).
Bering Sea
Bering Sea, extreme northern arm of the North Pacific Ocean, 885,000 sq mi (2,292,150 sq km) in area, bounded by East Siberia, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands.
Bering Sea Controversy
Bering Sea Controversy, Anglo-American dispute in 1886.
Bering Strait
Bering Strait, sea-channel linking the Arctic Ocean with the Bering Sea and separating Siberia from Alaska.
Vitus Jonassen Bering
Bering, Vitus Jonassen (1681–1741), Danish explorer.
Berkeley
Berkeley (pop. 102,724), California city on the east side of San Francisco Bay.
Busby Berkeley
Berkeley, Busby (1895–1976), U.S. choreographer and film director who revolutionized the staging of musical production numbers in Hollywood films.
George Berkeley
Berkeley, George (1685–1753), Irish philosopher and bishop who, rejecting the views of Locke, argued that the apparent existence of material reality was merely a projection of the mind of God.
Sir William Berkeley
Berkeley, Sir William (1606–77), royal governor of Virginia, 1642–52 and 1660–77.
Berkelium
Berkelium, chemical element, symbol Bk; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Alexander Berkman
Berkman, Alexander (1870–1936), Polish-born U.S. anarchist.
Milton Berle
Berle, Milton (Milton Berlinger; 1908– ), U.S. comedian.
Berlin
Berlin (pop. 3,438,000), capital city of Germany located in the eastern part of the country on the Spree and Havel rivers.
Berlin Airlift
Berlin Airlift, operation by the United Kingdom and the United States to fly essential supplies into West Berlin during the Russian land and water blockade (1948–49).
Congress of Berlin
Berlin, Congress of, international meeting of Russia, Turkey, and major European powers held in 1878 under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck to settle problems created by the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War.
Irving Berlin
Berlin, Irving (Israel Baline; 1888–1989), U.S. songwriter.
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall, wall 26 mi (42 km) long built in 1961 dividing East and West Berlin.
Emile Berliner
Berliner, Emile (1851–1929), inventor who contributed to early telephone and phonograph developments.
Louis-Hector Berlioz
Berlioz, Louis-Hector (1803–69), French romantic composer of dramatic, descriptive works.
Bermuda
Bermuda, British colony comprising about 150 coral islands of which 20 are inhabited, lying in the North Atlantic Ocean, 580 miles (933 km) east of North Carolina.
Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle, area of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, and the southeastern coast of the United States, in which many ships and planes are said to have vanished.
Bern
Bern, or Berne (pop. 138,600), capital city of Switzerland and of Bern canton.
Saint Bernadette
Bernadette, Saint (Marie-Bernarde Soubirous; 1844–79), French peasant girl who claimed to have had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in a Lourdes grotto in 1858.
Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte
Bernadotte, Jean Baptiste Jules (1763–1844), French general who founded Sweden's present royal dynasty.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090?–1153), French theologian and mystic who was the abbot of a Cistercian monastery and inspired the Second Crusade.
Claude Bernard
Bernard, Claude (1813–78), French physiologist, one of the founders of experimental medicine.
Bernese mountain dog
Bernese mountain dog, Swiss breed of large, powerful dog.
Sarah Bernhardt
Bernhardt, Sarah (Henriette Rosine Bernard; 1844–1923), French actress.
Joseph Elzéar Bernier
Bernier, Joseph Elzéar (1852–1934), Canadian explorer renowned for his arctic voyages.
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
Bernini, Giovanni Lorenzo (1598–1680), Italian sculptor and architect who gave Rome many of its characteristic baroque features.
Bernoulli's principle
Bernoulli's principle, theorem of aerodynamics stating that the pressure of a moving gas will be lowest where its speed is highest, or that a moving fluid conserves energy.
Carl Bernstein
Bernstein, Carl See: Watergate.
Leonard Bernstein
Bernstein, Leonard (1918–1990), U.S. conductor and composer, best known for his musical West Side Story (1957).
Yogi Berra
Berra, Yogi (Lawrence Peter Berra; 1925– ), U.S. baseball player for the New York Yankees, 1946–63.
Daniel Berrigan and Philip
Berrigan, Daniel and Philip (1922– ) and (1924– ), Roman Catholic priests in the pacifist “Catonsville Nine” group.
Chuck Berry
Berry, Chuck (Charles Edward Anderson Berry; 1926– ), U.S. rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
John Berryman
Berryman, John (1914–72), U.S. poet, active from the 1930s.
Alphonse Bertillon
Bertillon, Alphonse (1853–1914), French criminologist who devised a system for identifying criminals based on the body measurements.
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bertolucci, Bernardo (1940– ), Italian filmmaker known for such films as The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), La Luna (1979), Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981), The Last Emperor (1985), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), and Stealing Beauty (1995). is films are often controversial and provocative.
Beryl
Beryl, beryllium and aluminum silicate (Be3AP2Si6O18), the most common ore of beryllium.
Beryllium
Beryllium, chemical element, symbol Be; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Jöns Jakob Berzelius Baron
Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron (1779–1848), Swedish chemist who determined the atomic weights of nearly 40 elements before 1818, discovered cerium (1803), selenium (1818), and thorium (1829), introduced the terms protein, isomerism, and catalysis, and devised the modern method of writing chemical formulas (1813).
Annie (Wood) Besant
Besant, Annie (Wood) (1847–1933), British theosophist and social reformer.
Bessarabia
Bessarabia, historic region of southeastern Europe, northwest of the Black Sea, between the Dniester and Danube rivers.
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel
Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm (1784–1846), astronomer and mathematician.
Bessemer process
Bessemer process, process of making steel from pig iron.
Charles Herbert Best
Best, Charles Herbert (1899–1978), Canadian physiologist.
Beta-blocker
Beta-blocker, drug that affects the transmission of signals at beta-receptors, parts of the sympathetic nervous system located in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels.
Beta particle
Beta particle, one of the particles that can be emitted by a radioactive atomic nucleus.
Rómulo Betancourt
Betancourt, Rómulo (1908–81), president of Venezuela (1945–47 and 1957–63) and founder of the left-wing Acción Democrática Party (1935).
Betatron
Betatron, apparatus designed to accelerate electrons to high velocities.
Betel
Betel, preparation made with the seeds of the betel palm.
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis, second brightest star in the constellation Orion.
Hans Albrecht Bethe
Bethe, Hans Albrecht (1906– ), German-born U.S. theoretical physicist who proposed the nuclear carbon cycle to account for the sun's energy output (1938).
Bethesda
Bethesda (pop. 62,936), city in Montgomery County, central Maryland, a residential suburb of Washington, D.C.
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (pop. 71,428), city in eastern Pennsylvania, 50 mi (80 km) northwest of Philadelphia, on the Lehigh River.
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (Hebrew: Bayt Lahm; pop. 16,300), town in Israeli-occupied West Bank, 6 mi (9.7 km) south of Jerusalem, and sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Mary McLeod Bethune
Bethune, Mary McLeod (1875–1955), African-American educator and civil rights activist.
Norman Bethune
Bethune, Norman (1890–1930), Canadian physician who achieved national hero status in China in 1938 for the establishment of hospitals and medical schools, and for his role as chief medical officer of the Chinese Communist Army.
Sir John Betjeman
Betjeman, Sir John (1906–84), English poet laureate and architectural conservationist, often called a lyrical satirist.
Bruno Bettelheim
Bettelheim, Bruno (1903–90), Austrian-born U.S. psychologist who drew on his personal experience as an inmate of Nazi concentration camps to write his famous article, “Individual and Mass Behavior in Extreme Situations” (1943).
Better business bureau
Better business bureau, consumer protection organization such as exists in nearly 200 cities in the United States, Canada, and Israel.
Betts v. Brady
Betts v.
Bevatron
Bevatron, in physics, a 6 or more billion electron volt accelerator of protons and other atomic particles.
William Henry Beveridge
Beveridge, William Henry (1879–1963), British economist and social planner, director of London School of Economics (1919–37).
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills (pop. 31,971), residential city in southern California, completely surrounded by Los Angeles.
Bhagavad-Gita
Bhagavad-Gita (Song of God), anonymous Sanskrit poem dating from c.200 B.C., incorporated into the Mahabharata epic, a classic work of Hinduism.
Bhopal
Bhopal (pop. c. 1,062,700), capital of Madhya Pradesh in central India.
Bhutan
Bhutan, kingdom on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, between Tibet on the north and Bangladesh and India on the south.
Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto, Benazir (1953– ), prime minister of Pakistan (1988–90, 1993– ).
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali (1928–79), president and prime minister of Pakistan (1971–77); father of Benazir Bhutto.
Biafra
Biafra, name assumed by Nigeria's Eastern Region during its attempted secession (1967–70).
Chaim Nachman Bialik
Bialik, Chaim Nachman (1873–1934), one of the greatest of modern Hebrew poets and novelists.
Bible
Bible, name of the sacred writings of the Christian religion.
Bibliothèque nationale
Bibliothèque nationale, national library in Paris, France.
Bicameral legislature
Bicameral legislature See: Legislature.
Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda (NaHCO3), sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, chemical compound used to relieve stomach acidity.
Marie François Xavier Bichat
Bichat, Marie François Xavier (1771–1802), French anatomist and pathologist, founder of histology, the study of the small-scale structure of tissue.
Bicuspid
Bicuspid See: Teeth.
Bicycle
Bicycle, 2-wheeled vehicle propelled by pedals.
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing, popular sport in many countries, especially in Europe.
Nicholas Biddle
Biddle, Nicholas (1786–1844), president of the second Bank of the United States (1823–36).
Owen Frederick Bieber
Bieber, Owen Frederick (1929– ), president of the United Automobile Workers (UAW).
Biedermeier
Biedermeier, utilitarian middle-class style of furniture popular in Germany from about 1810 to 1850.
Jean Baptiste le Moyne Bienville Sieur de
Bienville, Jean Baptiste le Moyne, Sieur de (1680–1768), French explorer and naval officer who founded New Orleans.
Ambrose Gwinett Bierce
Bierce, Ambrose Gwinett (1842–1914?), U.S. short-story writer and satirical journalist.
Albert Bierstadt
Bierstadt, Albert (1830–1902), German-born U.S. landscape painter famous for his large, realistic Western scenes, including Sierra Nevada and The Settlement of California.
Bifocals
Bifocals See: Glasses.
Big bang
Big bang, theory that all the matter and energy of the universe was concentrated in a compact, infinitely small volume that exploded some 15 to 20 billion years ago, giving rise to the present universe, still expanding from the initial explosion.
Big Ben
Big Ben, popular name for the tower clock of the Houses of Parliament in London.
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park, tract of mountains and desert on the Texas border with Mexico, in the Big Bend of the Rio Grande River.
Big Five
Big Five, the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States.
Big and Little Dippers
Big and Little Dippers, 2 constellations that each resemble a water dipper.
Bigamy
Bigamy, in law, felony or misdemeanor of being married to 2 persons simultaneously.
Bighorn
Bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis) inhabiting the higher mountain ranges of the western United States from New Mexico and southern California northward.
Bighorn Mountains
Bighorn Mountains, range of the eastern Rocky Mountains, mainly in northern Wyoming, but extending into Montana east of the Bighorn River.
Bighorn River
Bighorn River, river in the Wind River Canyon in Wyoming and flowing through Montana, where it joins the Yellowstone River.
Bignonia
Bignonia, any of several hundred species of plants of the Bignoniaceae family, native to warmer parts of the Americas.
Kamal ad-Din Bihzad
Bihzad, Kamal ad-Din (1450–1537), Persian miniature painter, famous for illustrating manuscripts such as Timur Namah, Gulistan, and Khamsa.
Bikini
Bikini, atoll in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean.
Bilbao
Bilbao (pop. 369,800), major seaport in northern Spain and former capital of a once autonomous Basque region.
Bile
Bile, yellow or greenish fluid secreted by the liver which aids in digestion and absorption, particularly of fatty foods.
Bilharziasis
Bilharziasis See: Schistosomiasis.
Bilirubin
Bilirubin See: Bile; Jaundice.
Bill
Bill, term for various written documents in politics, law, banking, commerce, and so forth. In politics, it is the draft of a statute submitted to the legislature for debate and eventual adoption as law. In the courtroom it was formerly applied to the written statement of a plaintiff's case, now usually referred to as a writ or statement of claim. Bills of attainder, passed by the English p…
Bill of exchange
Bill of exchange, negotiable instrument used in commerce that is drawn up and signed by one person to direct another person to pay a certain sum of money at a certain time to the bearer or to the party named on the bill.
Bill of rights
Bill of rights, constitutional document that defines the rights of a people, safeguarding them against undue governmental interference. In the United States these rights and safeguards are embodied in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. After the American Revolution there was great popular demand for constitutionally defined rights to limit the power of the new government. Bills of rights…
Billiards
Billiards, any of several indoor games in which balls set on a felt-covered rectangular table with cushioned edges are struck by the end of a long tapering stick (the cue).
Billings
Billings (pop. 113,419), largest city in Montana, seat of Yellowstone County, located in the south central part of the state.
William Billings
Billings, William (1746–1800), first professional composer and musician born in the American colonies.
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (WilliamH.
Biloxi
Biloxi (pop. 197,125), second largest city in Mississippi, a summer and winter resort located on the southern coast along the Gulf of Mexico.
Bimetallism
Bimetallism, economic term for the use of 2 metals (usually gold and silver) to back a country's currency, making every coin and bill in circulation related to a definite value of both gold and silver.
Binary numbers
Binary numbers, system of designating numbers using only the digits 0 and 1, widely employed in digital computers.
Binary star
Binary star, or double star, pair of stars that orbit around their common center of gravity.
Bindweed
Bindweed, common name for a weedy plant (genus Convolvulus) of the morning-glory family, Convolvulaceae.
Alfred Binet
Binet, Alfred (1857–1911), French psychologist who pioneered methods of mental testing.
Sir Rudolf Bing
Bing, Sir Rudolf (1902– ), Austrian-born British opera impresario.
George Caleb Bingham
Bingham, George Caleb (1811–79), U.S. genre painter noted for his mid-western river scenes, such as Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845) and Raftsmen Playing Cards (1846).
Binoculars
Binoculars, optical instrument consisting of a pair of compact telescopes mounted side by side.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, study of the substances occurring in living organisms and the reactions in which they are involved.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback, method of electronically monitoring various specific biological functions, such as blood pressure, with the aim of helping a person gain greater control of otherwise unconscious physiological processes.
Biogenesis
Biogenesis, origin and evolution of living forms.
Biological clock
Biological clock, mechanism that controls the rhythm of various activities of plants and animals.
Biological warfare
Biological warfare, war waged with microorganisms and their toxins against people, animals, and plants.
Biology
Biology, science of living things. The most important subdivisions of biology are zoology, the study of animals, and botany, the study of plants. Advances in scientific knowledge have led to an increase in the number of fields of biological study. Some biologists study subdivisions of the animal and plant kingdoms: entomology (the study of insects), mycology (fungi), paleontology (fossils), and mi…
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence, the production of nonthermal light by living organisms, such as fireflies, many marine animals, bacteria, and fungi.
Biome
Biome, major ecological unit that is relatively stable, widespread, and well-defined.
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering, application of principles of engineering to biology and medicine, usually involving collaboration between engineers and biological scientists.
Bionics
Bionics, science of designing artificial systems that apply the principles that govern the functioning of living organisms.
Biophysics
Biophysics, branch of biology in which the methods and principles of physics are applied to the study of living things.
Biosphere
Biosphere, the part of the earth inhabited by living things.
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis, biochemical reactions by which living cells build complex molecules from simple ones.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology, industrial application of biological knowledge, in particular through the alteration of genes, called genetic engineering.
Biotite
Biotite See: Mica.
Birch
Birch, name for various deciduous trees and shrubs of the family Betulaceae, characterized by their smooth, white outer bark, which sometimes peels off in layers.
Bird
Bird, animal adapted for flight and unique in its body covering of feathers. There are more than 8,500 species. Birds are warm-blooded descendants of reptiles of the dinosaur group. They developed feathers from scales (still evident on their legs) and became two-legged as their forelimbs became wings. Their teeth disappeared, replaced by a horny bill used for feeding and performing complicated tas…
Larry Bird
Bird, Larry (1956– ), U.S. basketball player.
Bird of paradise
Bird of paradise, any of more than 40 species of brilliantly colored, plumed birds of the family Paradiseidae, found in eastern Australia, the Moluccas, and New Guinea.
Bird of paradise
Bird of paradise, plant (Strelitzia reginae) named for the colorful bird which its flowers resemble.
Clarence Birdseye
Birdseye, Clarence (1886–1956), U.S. inventor and industrialist who, having observed during fur-trading expeditions to Labrador (1912–16) that many foods keep indefinitely if frozen, developed a process for freezing food.
Birmingham
Birmingham (pop. 1,009,100), second-largest city in England, about 200 mi (161 km) northwest of London. Birmingham is known as the steel city, producing everything from pins to automobiles. In ancient times a Saxon settlement existed in this area, and by 1166 the site had become a busy market village trading in small metal goods made in nearby Staffordshire, where iron and coal were plentiful. By …
Birmingham
Birmingham (pop. 907,810), largest city in Alabama, situated in the Jones Valley and protected by mountains to the southeast and northwest.
James Gillespie Birney
Birney, James Gillespie (1792–1857), U.S. abolitionist.
Birth
Birth, the climax of gestation (the development of a child or other baby mammal within its mother's body) and the beginning of an independent life. In humans, a normal birth proceeds in 3 stages. Mild labor pains caused by contractions of the muscles of the uterus are usually the first sign that a woman is about to give birth. The contractions push the baby downwards, usually head first, wh…
Birth control
Birth control, prevention of conception in order to avert unwanted births.
Birth defect
Birth defect, congenital anomaly; structural or severe functional defect present at birth. Birth defects cause about 10% of neonatal deaths. A major anomaly is apparent at birth in 3–4% of newborns; by the age of 5, up to 7.5% of all children manifest a congenital defect. The incidence of specific congenital anomalies varies with a number of factors: (1) Individual defe…
Birthmark
Birthmark, skin blemish, usually congenital.
Birthstone
Birthstone, gemstone associated with a month.
Billy Bishop
Bishop, Billy (William Avery Bishop; 1894–1956), Canadian military flier, credited with shooting down 72 German airplanes in World War I.
Elizabeth Bishop
Bishop, Elizabeth (1911–79), U.S. poet and translator of Brazilian poetry, widely acclaimed for her succinct style and lyricism.
Bismarck
Bismarck, one of the most powerful German battleships of World War II.
Bismarck
Bismarck (pop. 83,831), capital of North Dakota and seat of Burleigh County, on the Missouri River.
Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago, group of mountainous islands in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea, comprising New Britain, New Ireland, the Admiralty Islands, and many smaller islands.
Prince Otto von Bismarck
Bismarck, Prince Otto von (1815–1898), German political leader who was instrumental in creating a unified German state.
Bismuth
Bismuth, chemical element, symbol Bi; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Bison
Bison, any of several species (genus Bison) of ox-like animals of the family Bovidae.
Bissau
Bissau (pop. 109,000), capital, largest city, and major port of Guinea-Bissau.
Bithynia
Bithynia, ancient country of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.
Bitter root
Bitter root, any of several small perennial plants of the family Portulaceae, with long edible roots.
Bitterling
Bitterling, minnowlike fish of the family Cyprinidae, found in the fresh waters of Europe and Asia Minor.
Bittern
Bittern, any of several species of migratory birds of the heron family.
Bitternut
Bitternut, medium to large-sized tree (Carya cordiformis) of the walnut family, which grows mostly in low wet woods.
Bittersweet
Bittersweet, either of 2 unrelated woody vines: U.S. bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) and European bittersweet (Solarium dulcamara).
Bitumen
Bitumen, general term for naturally occurring hydrocarbons (compounds of hydrogen and carbon).
Bituminous sands
Bituminous sands, sands containing natural bitumen deposits.
Georges Bizet
Bizet, Georges (1838–75), French composer, best known for his opera Carmen (1875), one of the most popular in history.
Jussi Björling
Björling, Jussi (1911–1960), Swedish operatic tenor who specialized in Italian opera, especially works by Verdi and Puccini.
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson
Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Martinius (1832–1910), Norwegian poet, critic, novelist, dramatist, and politician, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature (1903).
Black Americans
Black Americans See: African Americans.
Black Codes
Black Codes, laws enacted after the Civil War in the states that had formed the Confederacy.
Davidson Black
Black, Davidson (1884–1934), Canadian anthropologist who discovered the early human species later known popularly as Peking man.
Black Death
Black Death, common name for an epidemic of bubonic plague that swept through Asia and Europe in the mid-14th century, perhaps halving the population of Europe.
Black-eyed pea
Black-eyed pea See: Cowpea.
Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan, hardy annual or biennial coneflower (Rudbeckia hirta), the state flower of Maryland.
Black Forest
Black Forest, wooded mountain range in the province of Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany.
Black Friday
Black Friday, term referring to 2 particular financial disasters that occurred on Fridays.
Hugo Lafayette Black
Black, Hugo Lafayette (1886–1971), U.S. politician and jurist, associate justice of the Supreme Court (1937–71).
Joseph Black
Black, Joseph (1728–99), Scottish physician and chemist.
Blackbeard
Blackbeard (d. 1718), English pirate whose real name was probably Edward Teach or Thatch.
Blackberry
Blackberry, prickly bramble (genus Rubus) of the rose family, native to north temperate regions of the world, that produces an edible fruit.
Blackbird
Blackbird, any of several dark-colored perching birds of the family Icteridae, including the red-winged blackbird and the yellow-headed blackbird.
Blackbuck
Blackbuck (Antilope cervicaprd), antelope of India and Pakistan.
Blackfish
Blackfish, common name given to any of various dark-colored fishes, including the black sea bass found along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Alaska blackfish found in streams and ponds in Alaska and Siberia, and the tautog, found in the Atlantic Ocean from New Brunswick, Canada, to South Carolina.
Blackfoot tribes
Blackfoot tribes, North American plains tribes of the Algonquin linguistic family.