Larry Ellison | Oracle Cofounder, AI Advocate, & Media Investor | Britannica Money
Larry Ellison (born August 17, 1944, New York City, New York) is an American businessman and entrepreneur...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Ion, any atom or group of atoms that bears one or more positive or negative electrical charges. Positively charged ions are called cations; negatively charged ions, anions. Ions migrate under the influence of an electrical field and are the conductors of electric current in electrolytic cells.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Baobabs are a genus of nine species of deciduous trees of the hibiscus family, several of which are endemic to Madagascar. The trees are long-lived, and the oldest individual flowering plant is an African baobab. Learn more about the distribution, importance, and species of baobab.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Ebenezer Scrooge, fictional character, the miserly protagonist of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (1843). Despite his transformation at the end of the story, the character is remembered as the embittered miser and not as the reformed sinner, and “Scrooge” has entered the English language as a| Encyclopedia Britannica
Basilica of Constantine, large, roofed hall in Rome, begun by the emperor Maxentius and finished by Constantine about ad 313. This huge building, the greatest of the Roman basilicas, covered about 7,000 square yards (5,600 square m) and included a central nave that was 265 feet (80 m) long and 83| Encyclopedia Britannica
Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.” Such a definition would owe its deceptiveness to a naive and narrow view of calculation as a strictly mathematical process. In fact, calculation underlies many activities that are not normally thought of as mathematical. Walking across a room, for instance, requires many complex, albeit subconscious, calculations. Computers...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Ulysses is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce, first published in book form in 1922. The stylistically dense and exhilarating novel is regarded as a masterpiece and is constructed as a parallel to Homer’s Odyssey. All the action takes place in and around Dublin on a single day (June 16, 1904).| Encyclopedia Britannica
Gazebo, lookout or belvedere in the form of a turret, cupola, or garden house set on a height to give an extensive view. The name is an 18th-century joke word combining “gaze” with the Latin suffix ebo, meaning “I shall.” As a structured form, it is as old as garden history: it is the “viewing| Encyclopedia Britannica
Nazism, totalitarian movement led by Adolf Hitler as head of the Nazi Party in Germany, characterized by intense nationalism, mass appeal, dictatorial rule, and a vision of annihilation of all enemies of the Aryan Volk as the one and only goal of Nazi policy.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Lazarus, either of two figures mentioned in the New Testament. The miraculous story of Lazarus of Bethany being brought back to life by Jesus is known from the Gospel According to John. The name Lazarus was also used by Jesus in a parable about a rich man and a beggar in Luke’s Gospel.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Sushi, a staple rice dish of Japanese cuisine, consisting of cooked rice flavored with vinegar and a variety of vegetable, egg, or raw seafood garnishes and served cold. Restaurants specializing in sushi abound in Japan, and the dish has gained popularity in the United States and elsewhere.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Analytical Engine, generally considered the first computer, designed and partly built by the English inventor Charles Babbage in the 19th century. The Analytical Engine was to be a general-purpose, fully program-controlled, automatic mechanical digital computer.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Three laws of robotics, rules developed by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who sought to create an ethical system for humans and robots. The laws first appeared in his short story “Runaround” (1942) and subsequently became hugely influential in the sci-fi genre. In addition, they later found| Encyclopedia Britannica
Other articles where Saint Felix of Nola is discussed: Saint Paulinus of Nola: Felix of Nola are particularly charming and are regarded as the chief source of Felix’ life. Paulinus also promoted the saint’s cult and built a basilica at Nola dedicated to him.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified with Venus by the Romans. The Greek word aphros means ‘foam,’ and Hesiod relates in his Theogony that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus after his son Cronus threw them into the sea.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Crucifixion was an important method of capital punishment particularly among the Persians, Seleucids, Carthaginians, and Romans until about the 4th century CE. The most famous victim of crucifixion is Jesus Christ.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Salvation, in religion, the deliverance of humankind from such fundamentally negative or disabling conditions as suffering, evil, finitude, and death. In some religious beliefs it also entails the restoration or raising up of the natural world to a higher realm or state.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Taizu was the Chinese emperor (reigned 960–976), military leader, and statesman who founded the Song dynasty (960–1279). He began the reunification of China, a project largely completed by his younger brother and successor, the Taizong emperor. Zhao Kuangyin (who posthumously received the dynastic| Encyclopedia Britannica
Nouvelle cuisine - French, Innovative, Health-Focused: Despite such criticism, the nouvelle movement took hold of the culinary landscape in France and spurred new trends in world cuisine. The extent of nouvelle cuisine’s impact is evident in a longitudinal study that followed roughly 600 elite French chefs (those with one or more Michelin stars) from 1970 through 1997. Northwestern University sociologist Hayagreeva Rao and his colleagues analyzed each chef’s top three signature dishes and...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Rumi (1207–73), the greatest Sufi mystic and poet in the Persian language, famous for his lyrical poetry and his epic Masnavi.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Judah ha-Levi was a Jewish poet and religious philosopher. His works were the culmination of the development of Hebrew poetry within the Arabic cultural sphere. Among his major works are the poems collected in Dīwān, the “Zionide” poems celebrating Zion, and the Sefer ha-Kuzari (“Book of the| Encyclopedia Britannica
St. Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare (with St. Clare of Assisi), and the lay Third Order. He was a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century and is one of the most venerated religious figures of Roman Catholicism.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Montessori schools, education system characterized by self-directed activities and self-correcting materials, developed by Maria Montessori.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Pygmalion, in Greek mythology, a king who was the father of Metharme and, through her marriage to Cinyras, the grandfather of Adonis, according to Apollodorus of Athens. The Roman poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, Book X, relates that Pygmalion, a sculptor, makes an ivory statue representing his| Encyclopedia Britannica
Larry Ellison (born August 17, 1944, New York City, New York) is an American businessman and entrepreneur...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Global Recession, Bank Bailouts, Regulation: It has been estimated that the net worth of American households declined by about $17 trillion, a loss of 26 percent. Unlike earlier financial scandals, no American CEO or other senior executive we...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Nonverbal communication, transfer of information from one person to another without the use of words or spoken language. Nonverbal communication can occur in a variety of ways, including through facial expressions, gestures, and body posture or position. Studies on nonverbal communication became| Encyclopedia Britannica
Epiphyte, any plant that grows upon another plant or object merely for physical support. Epiphytes have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source and are not parasitic on the supporting plants. Most epiphytes are found in moist tropical areas.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Christmas cactus, popular cactus that is grown for its colorful flowers, blooming indoors about Christmastime in the Northern Hemisphere. The plant is a hybrid that features flattened spineless stems. It usually grows as an epiphyte and is native to rainforests in Brazil.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Survey of Australian Aboriginal languages, family of some 200 to 300 Indigenous languages spoken in Australia and a few small offshore islands.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French military engineer who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. He fought in all of France’s wars of Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715). Many of the fortifications Vauban built in France were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian spiritual leader who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, individual devotion, and sexual freedom. In 1982 he incorporated Rajneeshpuram, a new city he planned to build near Antelope, Oregon. The movement soon came under investigation for multiple felonies.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Galicia, autonomous community and historic region of Spain, encompassing the northwestern provinces of Lugo, A Coruna, Pontevedra, and Ourense.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Hardanger Fjord, inlet, southwestern Norway. The country’s second largest fjord and one of the most scenic, it extends inland northeastward for 70 miles (113 km) from Stord Island, at its entrance in the North Sea, to the Hardanger Plateau and has a maximum depth of 2,922 feet (891 metres).| Encyclopedia Britannica
IP address blocking, configuring a network to refuse requests sent from specific IP addresses. IP addresses are blocked for multiple reasons, including to enforce standards for online behavior (e.g., a school restricting its students from accessing certain websites), protect networks against| Encyclopedia Britannica
Asclepius, Greco-Roman god of medicine, son of Apollo and the mortal princess Coronis. The Centaur Chiron taught him the art of healing. At length Zeus (the king of the gods), afraid that Asclepius might render all men immortal, slew him with a thunderbolt.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Apiaceae, the parsley family, in the order Apiales, comprising about 434 genera and nearly 3,780 species of plants distributed throughout a wide variety of habitats, principally in the north temperate regions of the world. A number of species are economically important as vegetables, herbs, spices, and ornamentals.| Encyclopedia Britannica
United Airlines flight 93 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked on September 11, 2001, as part of a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States by al-Qaeda. The plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Automation - Manufacturing, Robotics, Applications: One of the most important application areas for automation technology is manufacturing. To many people, automation means manufacturing automation. In this section, the types of automation are defined, and examples of automated systems used in manufacturing are described. Three types of automation in production can be distinguished: (1) fixed automation, (2) programmable automation, and (3) flexible automation. Fixed automation, also known as...| Encyclopedia Britannica
For an editor of the Encyclopædia Britannica, it must have been a small triumph to persuade T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia (1888–1935), to contribute an article on guerrilla warfare to the 14th edition (1929). He was one of Britannica’s writers who were also legends. On| Encyclopedia Britannica
History of the development of Hangul, the Korean written alphabet.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Put your skills to the test and solve eight word games at once! You have 13 guesses to solve all eight words. A new Octordle available each day to solve.| www.britannica.com
Robert Nozick - Entitlement Theory, Libertarianism, Anarchy: Nozick’s vision of legitimate state power thus contrasts markedly with that of Rawls and his followers. Rawls argues that the state should have whatever powers are necessary to ensure that those citizens who are least well-off are as well-off as they can be (though these powers must be consistent with a variety of basic rights and freedoms). This viewpoint is derived from Rawls’s theory of justice, one principle of which is that...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Colossus of Rhodes, colossal statue of the sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The statue, which took 12 years to build (c. 294–282 BCE), was toppled by an earthquake about 225/226 BCE. Learn more about the Colossus of Rhodes in this article.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Other articles where ultra-high-temperature pasteurization is discussed: pasteurization: Ultra-high-temperature (UHT) pasteurization involves heating milk or cream to 138–150 °C (280–302 °F) for one or two seconds. Packaged in sterile, hermetically sealed containers, UHT milk may be stored without refrigeration for months. Ultrapasteurized milk and cream are heated to at least 138 °C for…| Encyclopedia Britannica
Mount Everest, mountain on the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia that lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Reaching an elevation of 29,032 feet (8,849 meters), Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It has long been revered by local peoples.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Prohibition was legal prevention of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1920 to 1933 under the Eighteenth Amendment. Despite this legislation, millions of Americans drank liquor illegally, giving rise to bootlegging, speakeasies, and a period of gangsterism.| Encyclopedia Britannica
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (this noun, pronoun, or noun| www.britannica.com
Lima bean, any of a variety of legumes (family Fabaceae) widely cultivated for their edible seeds. Lima beans are of Central American origin and have a wide range of pod sizes and seed shapes. Butter beans and giant white beans are well-known varieties.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Marie-Louise was an Austrian archduchess who became empress of the French (impératrice des Français) as the second wife of the emperor Napoleon I; she was later duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. Marie-Louise, a member of the house of Habsburg, was the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman| Encyclopedia Britannica
Situationist International (SI), group of artists, writers, and social critics (1957–72) that aimed to eliminate capitalism through the revolutionization of everyday life. Instead of focusing on traditional sites of economic and social change, such as the factory, the Situationist International| Encyclopedia Britannica
St. Gregory the Great was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 590 to 604. He is considered the founder of the medieval papacy, which exercised both secular and spiritual power. Both a writer and a reformer, he was the fourth and final of the traditional Latin Fathers of the Church and expounded a sacramental spirituality.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Evagrius Ponticus was a Christian mystic and writer whose development of a theology of contemplative prayer and asceticism laid the groundwork for a tradition of spiritual life in both Eastern and Western churches. Evagrius was a noted preacher and theological consultant in Constantinople when a| Encyclopedia Britannica
House arrest, court-ordered confinement in one’s own home. The sentence is viewed as an important alternative to standard incarceration at various stages of the criminal justice process. It is employed by criminal justice systems around the world and often entails very diverse requirements. There| Encyclopedia Britannica
Explore the fact-checked online encyclopedia from Encyclopaedia Britannica with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos, and images from experts.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Mark Twain was a humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist who remains best known for his adventure stories of American boyhood. His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Jacquard loom, in weaving, device incorporated in special looms to control individual warp yarns. It used punched cards to produce fabrics having intricate woven patterns such as tapestry, brocade, and damask. Its use of punch cards was adapted for use in 19th- and 20th-century computers.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Joseph-Marie Jacquard, French inventor of the Jacquard loom, which served as the impetus for the technological revolution of the textile industry and is the basis of the modern automatic loom. The Jacquard loom’s punched cards later became a method of inputting data into computers until the mid 20th-century.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Black pudding, a sausage incorporating blood, popular in the British Isles and typically eaten as a breakfast food. Black pudding has been a recorded item of British cuisine since at least the 1400s, although it is certainly far older. The Odyssey of Homer mentions a sausage “filled with fat and| Encyclopedia Britannica
Bedouin, Arab-speaking nomadic peoples of the Middle Eastern deserts, especially of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Most Bedouins are animal herders, and their society is tribal and patriarchal, typically composed of extended families that are headed by sheikhs.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Santiago Calatrava, Spanish architect widely known for his sculptural bridges and buildings. His projects include the Alamillo Bridge, Sevilla, Spain; Turning Torso, Malmo, Sweden; the Airport Railway Station, Lyon, France; and an addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Chiron, in Greek mythology, one of the Centaurs, the son of the Titan Cronus and Philyra, an Oceanid or sea nymph. Chiron lived at the foot of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. Unlike other Centaurs, who were violent and savage, he was famous for his wisdom and knowledge of medicine. Many Greek heroes,| Encyclopedia Britannica
Wars of the Roses (1455–85), in English history, the series of civil wars that preceded the rise of the Tudors. Fought between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne, the wars were named years afterward from the supposed badges of the contenders: the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Nongovernmental organization (NGO), voluntary group of individuals or organizations, usually not affiliated with any government, that is formed to provide services or to advocate a public policy. Although some NGOs are for-profit corporations, the vast majority are nonprofit organizations. Some| Encyclopedia Britannica
Fungicide, any toxic substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of fungi. Fungicides are generally used to control parasitic fungi that either cause economic damage to crop or ornamental plants or endanger the health of domestic animals or humans. Learn more about the types and uses of fungicides.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Slavic languages - Indo-European, Dialects, Grammar: A number of features set off Slavic from other Indo-European subgroups. The Slavic languages are an unusually numerous yet close-knit subgroup. On the whole, Slavic auxiliary words tend to be unstressed and to be incorporated into a single phonetic group or phrase with an autonomous stressed word. Inflection (i.e., the use of endings, prefixes, and vowel alternations) has persisted as the main method of differentiating grammatical meanings,...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Caribbean Sea, suboceanic basin of the western Atlantic Ocean, lying between latitudes 9 and 22 degrees N and longitudes 89 and 60 degrees W. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,753,000 square km) in extent. Learn more about the Caribbean Sea in this article.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Moonshine is, traditionally, illicitly distilled liquor, though it is also a product distilled legally today. The word “moonshine” is derived from the notion of the liquor being made and distributed at night, under cover of darkness. Moonshine has also been called rotgut, white lightning, white dog, and corn liquor.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Conservation of energy, principle of physics according to which the energy in a closed system remains constant. Energy is not created or destroyed but merely changes forms. For example, in a swinging pendulum, potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and back again.| Encyclopedia Britannica
One of two or more species of atoms of an element with the same atomic number but different atomic masses.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Antoine Lavoisier, prominent French chemist and leading figure in the 18th-century chemical revolution who developed an experimentally based theory of the chemical reactivity of oxygen and coauthored the modern system for naming chemical substances. He was also a leading financier and public administrator.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Random walk, in probability theory, a process for determining the probable location of a point subject to random motions, given the probabilities (the same at each step) of moving some distance in some direction. Random walks are an example of Markov processes, in which future behaviour is| Encyclopedia Britannica
Yinyang, in Eastern thought, is the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. Yang is conceived of as heaven, maleness, light, activity, and penetration.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Nirvana, in Indian religious thought, the supreme goal of certain meditation disciplines. Although it occurs in the literatures of a number of ancient Indian traditions, the Sanskrit term nirvana is most commonly associated with Buddhism, in which it is the oldest and most common designation for| Encyclopedia Britannica
Millennial, term used to describe a person born between 1981 and 1996, though different sources can vary by a year or two. It was first used in the book Generations (1991) by William Strauss and Neil Howe, who felt it was an appropriate name for the first generation to reach adulthood in the new| Encyclopedia Britannica
Middle Ages, the period in European history from the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century CE to the dawn of the Renaissance (variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century, depending on the region of Europe and other factors).| Encyclopedia Britannica
Clearwing moth, (family Sesiidae), any of approximately 1,000 species of moths (order Lepidoptera) that are long-legged with a slender, dark body with bright red or yellow markings. The wings frequently lack scales and are transparent. Unlike those of other moths, the front and back wings are| Encyclopedia Britannica
Koi, (Cyprinus carpio), any of more than 100 ornamental varieties of carp that are best known for their colourful body patterning and are kept as pets in indoor and outdoor freshwater ponds throughout the world. Koi were raised initially as food fishes in China and Japan. However, they also serve| Encyclopedia Britannica
Gambling is the betting or staking of something of value, with consciousness of risk and hope of gain, on the outcome of a game, a contest, or an uncertain event whose result may be determined by chance or accident or have an unexpected result by reason of the bettor’s miscalculation.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Blackjack, gambling card game popular in casinos throughout the world. Its origin is disputed, but it is certainly related to several French and Italian gambling games. In Britain since World War I, the informal game has been called pontoon. Players hope to get a total card value of 21 or to come| Encyclopedia Britannica
Thunderstorm - Electrification, Lightning, Precipitation: Within a single thunderstorm, there are updrafts and downdrafts and a variety of cloud particles and precipitation. Measurements show that thunderclouds in different geographic locations tend to produce an excess negative charge at altitudes where the ambient air temperature is between about −5 and −15 °C (23 to 5 °F). Positive charge accumulates at both higher and lower altitudes. The result is a division of charge across space ...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Electric motor - Linear Induction, Magnetic Fields, Propulsion: A linear induction motor provides linear force and motion rather than rotational torque. The shape and operation of a linear induction motor can be visualized as depicted in the figure by making a radial cut in a rotating induction machine and flattening it out. The result is a flat “stator,” or upper section, of iron laminations that carry a three-phase, multipole winding with conductors perpendicular to the direction of mot...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Romulus and Remus are the legendary founders of Rome. Traditionally, they were the sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Rhea’s uncle, Amulius, tried to have the infants drowned in the Tiber River, but they survived and were kept alive by a she-wolf.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Leprechaun, in Irish folklore, fairy in the form of a tiny old man often with a cocked hat and leather apron. Solitary by nature, he is said to live in remote places and to make shoes and brogues. The sound of his hammering betrays his presence. He possesses a hidden crock of gold; if captured and| Encyclopedia Britannica
Abraham, the first of the Hebrew patriarchs and an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.| Encyclopedia Britannica
The Cultural Revolution was the upheaval launched by Mao Zedong during his last decade in power (1966–76). Though it was intended to renew the spirit of the Chinese Revolution, it instead had detrimental political, social, and economic consequences for China. Read more about the Cultural Revolution here.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Italy - Unification, Risorgimento, Cost: Italy won the war, therefore, but at a huge cost: some 600,000 dead, 950,000 wounded, and a legacy of bitterness and division. The victorious patriots and nationalists now detested parliament, where the Giolittian majority had never supported the war, although they defended the idea of the nation and the war record of the Italian army. Many workers, peasants, Socialists, and trade unionists were disgusted by the costs of the conflict and were inspired ...| Encyclopedia Britannica
Sasquatch is a large, hairy, humanlike creature believed by some people to exist in the northwestern United States and western Canada. It seems to represent the North American counterpart of the Himalayan region’s mythical monster, the Abominable Snowman, or Yeti.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Sudan, country located in northeastern Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara. Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, is located roughly in the center of the country, at the junction of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers. Sudan is one of the largest countries in Africa.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Transhumanism, philosophical and scientific movement that advocates the use of current and emerging technologies—such as genetic engineering, cryonics, artificial intelligence (AI), and nanotechnology—to augment human capabilities and improve the human condition. Transhumanists envision a future in| Encyclopedia Britannica
Hans Christian Andersen, Danish master of the literary fairy tale whose stories achieved wide renown. He also wrote plays, novels, poetry, and travel books. While many of those works are almost unknown outside Denmark, his fairy tales are among the most frequently translated works in all of literary history.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in August 2005, breaching levees and causing widespread death and damage. Ultimately, the storm caused more than $160 billion in damage, and it reduced the population of New Orleans by 29 percent between the fall of 2005 and 2011.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Committee of Public Safety, political body of the French Revolution that gained virtual dictatorial control during the Reign of Terror (September 1793 to July 1794). Under its direction, alleged enemies of the Revolution were persecuted, the economy was placed on a wartime basis, and mass conscription was undertaken.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Polyethylene, light, versatile synthetic resin made from the polymerization of ethylene. Polyethylene is a member of the important family of polyolefin resins. It is the most widely used plastic in the world, being made into products ranging from clear food wrap and shopping bags to detergent bottles and fuel tanks.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Amazon Rainforest, large tropical rainforest occupying the Amazon basin in northern South America and covering an area of 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). It is the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir, containing several million species.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Roman Catholicism is a Christian religion that has been the decisive spiritual force in the history of Western civilization. Along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism, it is one of the three major branches of Christianity. It is led by the pope, as the bishop of Rome, and the Holy See forms the church’s central government.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Germany is a country of north-central Europe. Although Germany existed as a loose polity of Germanic-speaking peoples for millennia, a united German nation in roughly its present form dates only to 1871. Modern Germany is a liberal democracy that has become ever more integrated with and central to a united Europe.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Richard Feynman was an American theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as the most brilliant, influential, and iconoclastic figure in his field in the post-World War II era.| Encyclopedia Britannica
Sisyphus, in Greek mythology, the cunning king of Corinth who was punished in Hades by having to repeatedly roll a huge stone up a hill only to have it roll back down again as soon as he had brought it to the summit. Learn more about Sisyphus in this article.| Encyclopedia Britannica
May Fourth Movement, intellectual revolution and sociopolitical reform movement that occurred in China in 1917–21. The movement was directed toward national independence, emancipation of the individual, and rebuilding society and culture. In 1915, in the face of Japanese encroachment on China,| Encyclopedia Britannica
Mongkut was the king of Siam (1851–68) who opened his country to Western influence and initiated reforms and modern development. Mongkut was the 43rd child of King Rama II, but as the first son to be born of a queen he was favoured to succeed to the throne. When his father died in 1824, however,| Encyclopedia Britannica
