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From New World Encyclopedia


Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine has been ironically summarized in Latin America as "America for the Americans"

Phoenix (mythology)

Diverse cultures include variations on the phoenix, a bird with the ability to be reborn

Uganda

Winston Churchill called Uganda "the pearl of Africa"

Urbanization

Urbanization can be planned or organic.

Herod the Great

Although Herod the Great did much good as a ruler, including rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, he is best remembered as a cruel tyrant who murdered his family members and ordered the massacre of infant boys in Bethlehem at the time of the bir

Achilles

Achilles, the great warrior in Greek mythology, was educated by the centaur, Chiron

Sunshine policy

The "Sunshine Policy" of South Korea towards North Korea was named after Aesop's fable in which the man removed his coat voluntarily to enjoy the warmth of the sun

Tariff

Tariffs may be classified into three groups: transit duties, export duties, and import duties.

Altamira (cave)

Altamira is the only cave where paintings extend into the area where the occupants lived.

Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were one of Hollywood's most glamorous couples

Cayuga

The Cayuga were one of the original five tribes that formed the Iroquois Confederacy

Hijacking

The term hijacking arose in connection with the seizing of liquor trucks during Prohibition in the United States.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan regarded the breakdown of the family, particularly the black family, as central to the problem of poverty

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, author of 'Fahrenheit 451', envisioned many technological innovations in his writings

Weimar Republic

Historians invented the phrase "Weimar Republic" for the government of Germany from 1919 to 1933 officially called Deutsches Reich, usually translated as "The German Reich"

Water

Water covers about 71 percent of the Earth's surface

Ancient Greece

The culture of Ancient Greece, from the period of around one thousand years ending with the rise of Christianity, is considered the foundation of Western civilization

Gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient South Korean kingdom of Silla

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space

North Carolina

At 6,684 feet, Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the U.S. East of the Mississippi River.

Almond

Almonds were found in Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt

Kim Il-sung

After his death Kim Il-sung was proclaimed "Eternal President" of North Korea

Sari

The term "sari" is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "strip of cloth"

Diamond

The word "diamond" derives from the ancient Greek "adamas," meaning "unbreakable" or "invincible."

Detente

Détente usually refers to the easing of relations in the Cold War

First Lady of the United States

The original First Lady of the United States, Martha Washington, was often referred to as "Lady Washington"

Mercury (planet)

Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system, orbiting the Sun once every 88 days

Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell's philosophy is often summarized by his phrase "Follow your bliss"

Penobscot

The town of Orono in Maine takes its name from the great Penobscot chief or sagamore, Joseph Orono

Italian Fascism

The term "Fascism" derives from fasces, a bundle of rods used in the Roman Empire to symbolize strength through unity

Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" is regarded as the archetypal modern African novel written in English

Propaganda

The original meaning of the term "propaganda" was not negative, simply "that which ought to be spread"

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi's name means "a bright collection of strange victories"

Dr. Seuss

The real name of the popular author of children's books, Dr. Seuss, was Theodor Seuss Geisel

Victorian era

The Victorian era was a time of unprecedented population increase in England

Rwanda

Rwanda is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills"

Social psychology

Social psychology developed as a field separate from the behavioral and psychoanalytic schools that were dominant at the time

Qi

In Chinese thought Qi is believed to be the “life force” or “spiritual energy” that pervades the natural world

Naphthalene

Naphthalene is the primary ingredient in mothballs

Max von Laue

Nobel Prize winning German physicist Max von Laue openly resisted the Nazi regime's anti-Jewish Deutsche Physik

Esther Williams

"America's Mermaid," Esther Williams, was famous for movies featuring "water ballet" now known as synchronized swimming

African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a seminal event in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Naturalization

The term naturalization originates in the concept of "natural born" citizens

Journalism

News-oriented journalism has been described as the "first rough draft of history"