English physicist who was the joint recipient, with Clinton J. Davisson of the United States, of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1937 for demonstrating that electrons undergo diffraction, a behaviour peculiar to waves that is widely exploited in determining ...
English physicist who helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure by his discovery of the electron (1897). He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906 and was knighted in 1908.
Scottish naturalist whose clearly written books on biology and attempts to correlate science and religion led to wider public awareness of progress in the biological sciences.
section of Metropolitan Bangkok, Thailand's capital and largest city. Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, Thon Buri was formerly a separate city and changwat (province) from Bangkok proper, across the river, to which it was linked ...
German-Austrian pioneer in the industrialization of furniture manufacture, whose experiments in the production of bentwood furniture widely influenced both contemporary and modern styles and whose functional and exquisitely designed chairs are still being manufactured.
town, Haute-Savoie departement, Rhone-Alpes region, southeastern France, on a lacustrine terrace overlooking the southern shore of Lake Geneva near the mouth of the Dranse River. It was the capital of the historic district of Chablais. The site was occupied by ...
deity common to all the early Germanic peoples, a great warrior represented as a red-bearded, middle-aged man of enormous strength, an implacable foe to the harmful race of giants but benevolent toward mankind. His figure was generally secondary to that ...
missile initially developed by the U.S. Air Force as an intermediate-range ballistic missile. It was subsequently modified to serve as the first stage of launch vehicles for several spacecraft. The Thor missile force was withdrawn in 1963. Propelled by liquid ...
the second largest hollow space of the body. It is enclosed by the ribs, the vertebral column, and the sternum, or breastbone, and is separated from the abdominal cavity (the body's largest hollow space) by a muscular and membranous partition, ...
compression of the lungs and thoracic (chest) cavity that occurs during a breath-holding dive under water. During the descent, an increase in pressure causes air spaces and gas pockets within the body to compress.
neurohormone secreted in arthropods. After being released by neurosecretory cells of the brain, the thoracotropic hormone is carried by the blood to the prothoracic glands, where it stimulates the release of ecdysone in insects or crustecdysone in crustaceans, steroid hormones ...
in amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, the chest. In humans and other mammals the chest is that part of the body between the neck and abdomen. In humans the bony framework of the thorax consists of the 12 thoracic vertebrae, ...
leading Dutch political figure of the mid-19th century who, as prime minister (1849-53, 1862-66, 1871-72), consolidated the parliamentary system created by the constitution of 1848.
American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher, renowned for having lived the doctrines of Transcendentalism as recorded in his masterwork, Walden (1854), and for having been a vigorous advocate of civil liberties, as evidenced in the essay "Civil ...
Icelandic-born Scandinavian leader of an early colonizing expedition to North America. His travels were recounted in the Saga of Erik and the Tale of the Greenlanders.
thorium dioxide mineral (ThO2) that is very heavy, hard, and coloured dark gray to brownish black or bluish black. Originally found as waterworn grains and crystals in the gem gravels of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), thorianite also occurs sparsely in ...
thorium silicate, ThSiO4, one of the most important thorium minerals. Almost always altered by hydration, it occurs in syenite near Brevik, Nor., and in the gem gravels of Sri Lanka. Thorite is mined commercially in the United States at Cripple ...
(Th), radioactive chemical element of the actinide series, in Group IIIb of the periodic table, atomic number 90; it is a useful nuclear-reactor fuel. Discovered (1828) by Jons Jacob Berzelius, thorium is silvery white but turns gray or black on ...
dense, scrublike vegetation characteristic of dry subtropical and warm temperate areas with a seasonal rainfall averaging 250 to 500 millimetres (about 10 to 20 inches). This vegetation covers a large part of southwestern North America and southwestern Africa and smaller ...
Dutch painter, designer, and decorator in the Art Nouveau style. He was an important figure in modern religious art, best known for his use of symbolism in stained-glass windows.
American psychologist whose work on animal behaviour and the learning process led to the theory of connectionism, which states that behavioral responses to specific stimuli are established through a process of trial and error that affects neural connections between the ...
notable series of school dictionaries widely used in the United States. Their content is based on the theories of Edward Lee Thorndike, an educational psychologist, and Clarence Lewis Barnhart, lexicographer and editor, both pioneers in producing for school-aged readers dictionaries ...
the wreath of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion, whereby the Roman soldiers mocked his title of "King of the Jews." A relic purported to be the Crown of Thorns was transferred from Jerusalem ...
American singer and songwriter who performed in the tradition of classic blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie. Her work inspired imitation by Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin, who recorded popular cover versions of Thornton's "Hound Dog" and ...
English naval architect and engineer who made fundamental improvements in the design and machinery of torpedo boats and built the first torpedo boat for the Royal Navy.
city, regional municipality of Niagara, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies along the Welland Ship Canal, 4 miles (6.5 km) south of St. Catharines. Founded in 1788 and named after a British member of Parliament, Sir John Thorold, the town grew ...
breed of horse developed in England for racing and jumping (see ). The origin of the Thoroughbred may be traced back to records indicating that a stock of Arab and Barb horses was introduced into England as early as the ...
American inventor of the ring spinning machine (1828), which by the 1860s had largely replaced Samuel Crompton's spinning mule in the world's textile mills because of its greater productivity and simplicity.
Australian athlete, who was the most successful swimmer in that country's history, accumulating five Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship titles between 1998 and 2004.
one of the most accomplished all-around athletes in history, who in 1950 was selected by American sportswriters and broadcasters as the greatest American athlete and the greatest gridiron football player of the first half of the 20th century.
