a collection of cowboy-outlaws who flourished in the 1880s and '90s in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and surrounding states and territories. Their chief hideouts were Hole in the Wall, a nearly inaccessible grassy canyon and rocky retreat in north-central Wyoming; Brown's ...
a tall, tropical forest tree of Central and South America closely related to the domesticated cashew, A. occidentale. The wild cashew grows to a height of over 30 metres (100 feet), and its wood possesses many desirable properties that make ...
(species Echinocystis lobata), climbing plant of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to eastern North America. The true balsam apple is Momordica balsamina.
any flowering plant growing without intentional human aid. Wild flowers are the source of all cultivated garden varieties of flowers. Although most wild flowers are native to the region in which they occur, some are the descendants of flowering plants ...
(genus Asarum), any of about 75 species of perennial herbs of the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), distributed throughout North Temperate areas of the world. The leaves and underground stems (rhizomes) of some Asarum species give off a pleasant odour when bruised, ...
(Irvingia gabonensis), tropical African tree, of the family Ixonanthaceae (Irvingiaceae), notable for its edible yellow fruit, which somewhat resembles the mango. The seed is rich in a fat used locally to make both bread and a type of butter. The ...
any of several tufted annual grasses of the genus Avena (family Poaceae), native to Eurasia. Wild oats are sometimes cut for hay, and young plants provide forage for grazing animals.
(species Raphanus raphanistrum), widespread annual weed of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized in North America. It is believed by some authorities to be the ancestor of the domestic radish (R. sativus). Wild radish has a stout ...
(species Zizania aquatica), coarse annual grass of the family Poaceae whose grain, now often considered a delicacy, has long been an important food of North American Indians. Despite its name, the plant is not related to rice (Oryza sativa). Wild ...
any of a group of about 50 species of perennial forage grasses in the family Poaceae that are native to temperate and cool parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Giant wild rye (Elymus cinereus), Virginia wild rye (E. virginicus), and Canada ...
theatrical extravaganza begun in 1883 by William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Cody, an Indian scout and Western hero, first turned to acting and then to producing and promoting his own Wild West show. In 1887 his show was performed at ...
canoe or kayak racing down swift-flowing, turbulent streams called wild water (often "white water" in the United States). The sport developed from the riding of rapids in small boats and rafts, a necessary skill for explorers, hunters, and fishermen. Later ...
(species Felis silvestris), a small wild member of the cat family (Felidae) native to Eurasia. The name wildcat is also used as a general term for feral domestic cats and for any of the smaller wild species of the cat ...
unsound bank chartered under state law during the period of uncontrolled state banking (1816-63) in the United States. Such banks distributed nearly worthless currency backed by questionable security (e.g., mortgages, bonds) and were located in inaccessible areas to discourage note ...
American actor and filmmaker who attained stardom with his sensitive portrayal of composer Frederic Chopin in the motion picture A Song to Remember (1945), for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Irish wit, poet, and dramatist whose reputation rests on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). He was a spokesman for the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement in England, which advocated art for art's ...
Austrian-born American motion-picture scenarist, director, and producer known for films that humorously treat subjects of controversy and offer biting indictments of hypocrisy in American life.
American politician, the first popularly elected African American governor in the United States. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Virginia Union University (1951) and a law degree from Howard University (1959). Wilder pursued a legal and political career ...
(May 5-7, 1864), in the American Civil War, first stage of a carefully planned Union campaign to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Crossing the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia, early in May, General Ulysses S. Grant advanced with ...
centre of the world's largest collection of waterfowl. It was established in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott on 418 acres (169 hectares) along the River Severn near Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, Eng. Nearly a quarter of the land is fenced off for ...
the regulation of wild animals and plants in such a way as to provide for their continuance as a natural resource. The term stands for the husbandry and use of natural resources by the present and succeeding generations. Aesthetic, sporting, ...
British mathematician who proved Fermat's last theorem; in recognition he was awarded a special silver plaque-he was beyond the traditional age limit of 40 years for receiving the gold Fields Medal-by the International Mathematical Union in 1998.
also called Wilfrid Of York one of the greatest English saints, a monk and bishop who was outstanding in bringing about close relations between the Anglo-Saxon Church and the papacy. He devoted his life to establishing the observances of the ...
queen of The Netherlands from 1890 to 1948, who, through her radio broadcasts from London during World War II, made herself the symbol of Dutch resistance to German occupation.
mountain range in central Suriname, forming part of South America's granitic Precambrian Guiana Shield, extending about 70 mi (113 km) from west to east. The range divides Suriname's western district of Nickerie from the eastern districts of Saramacca, Brokopondo, and ...
German violinist whose most famous work is his arrangement of the air from J.S. Bach's orchestral Suite in D major, which became known as the "Air on the G String."
city and port, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on Jade Bay (Jadebusen), a North Sea inlet on the coast of East Friesland (Ostfriesland). Founded in 1853 by William I (Wilhelm I) on land bought ...
region in Antarctica, bordering the Indian Ocean between Queen Mary and George V coasts (100°-142°20' E). The region is almost entirely covered by a featureless ice cap averaging from 6,000 to 9,500 feet (1,800 to 2,900 m) above sea level. ...
outspoken 18th-century journalist and popular London politician who came to be regarded as a victim of persecution and as a champion of liberty because he was repeatedly expelled from Parliament. His widespread popular support may have been the beginning of ...
city, seat (1786) of Luzerne county, northeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies in the Wyoming Valley and along the Susquehanna River, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Scranton. Wilkes-Barre is the hub of a metropolitan district embracing more than 30 contiguous ...
New Zealand-born British biophysicist whose X-ray diffraction studies of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) proved crucial to the determination of DNA's molecular structure by James D. Watson and Francis Crick. For this work the three scientists were jointly awarded the 1962 Nobel ...
black American civil-rights leader who served as the executive director (1955-77) of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was often referred to as the senior statesman of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
British industrialist known as "the great Staffordshire ironmaster" who found new applications for iron and who devised a boring machine essential to the success of James Watt's steam engine.
