The idea of nothingness and emptiness has inspired and puzzled mathematicians, physicists, and even philosophers. What does empty space mean? If the space is empty, does it have any physical meaning or purpose? From the mathematical point ...

Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose Reginald Rose was born in New York City on December 10, 1920. After graduating from City College he worked at a series of odd jobs, including a receiving clerk, window cleaner, and camp counselor. He then s...

In the late sixteenth century, Europeans began journeying to the region in North America that became the original thirteen colonies. Many explorers reported on the features of the land and the customs of native peoples. But their primary g...

Music was an immensely popular form of entertainment in America in the first decade of the century, though not in the same way it is today. Americans did not buy prerecorded records or CDs and play them on stereo equipment. Instead, most A...

Although gambling scandals have been a part of professional baseball since the sport's beginning, no scandal threatened the game's stature as "the national pastime" more than the revelations that eight members o...

4technology Changes Daily Life A wide range of exciting discoveries, developments, and advancements whose seeds had been planted in earlier years blossomed during the 1920s. What had once been the dreams and visions of farsighted scientist...

1891-1966 American aviator who, with John A. Macready, made the first nonstop flight across the United States. Kelly and Macready flew a single-engine Fokker T-2 monoplane from New York to San Diego on May 2-3, 1923, taking just under 27 h...

Technological Change and Classical Film Style David Rordwell Kristin Thompson The 1930s was an era of enormous technological development in the Hollywood cinema. This chapter considers major changes in the look and sound of the studios' pr...

World War II (1939–45) dominated serious print media from 1939 until most of the last troops returned from Europe in 1946. American newspapers and magazines focused intently on bringing news from the front to the doorsteps of almost...

During the 1950s, many people suspect that this decade was occupied by conservatism and conformity but they are incorrect. This period was filled with rebellious groups and classes and the struggle for civil rights and wanted liberties....

The Asian Games are the major Pan-Asian sports festival in which athletes from nearly all Asian nations are allowed to compete. Beginning in 1954 with the second Games, the Games have been held every four years, in the year midway between ...

The 1960s was a very turbulent time in American history. Cities across the country saw hundreds of incidents of racial violence. Various federal and state commissions were assembled to investigate the causes of these riots. Each individ...

Few who witnessed Tommie Smith's and John Carlos's black power salute on the medal stand on 16 October, 1968, following their gold and bronze medal performances in the 200 meters at the Mexico City Olympic Games, could remain...

Looking Back and Turning Inward: American Documentary Films of the Seventies WILLIAM ROTHMAN In the revised and expanded version of his invaluable history of nonfiction film, Richard Barsam sees the sixties as a high-water mark for the Ame...

Before the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States Olympic hockey team was not expected to compete for a medal. After all, their pool included powerhouses such as Sweden and Czechoslovakia, while the other pool inc...

By the 1980s, American fashion recovered from polyester leisure suits and hot pants—the strange fashion trends of the 1970s—and became far more tasteful. Leading the way were the nation's president and first lady, Rona...

One of the biggest music stories of the 1980s actually involved a television network. A specialized cable channel, MTV (which stands for Music Television) went on the air in 1981. The cable channel soon made the music video an essential el...

In the 1990s, commerce became e-commerce and the nation was gripped in dot-com fever. The nation's economy had started off the decade in a slump. By the mid-1990s, however, the energizing force of what became known as the dot-com re...

South Africa was formerly ruled by a minority white population that denied political participation to the majority black population. During this time, black groups fought for recognition of their rights, including the right to self-govern...

Space Odyssey 2001 fits the definition of an epic. An epic can be defined as "a long narrative in elevated style presenting characters of high position in adventures important to the history and identity of a nation or people." Space Odysse...

A broad-leaf herbicide, now banned for use in the United States. Its full name is 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid. After postemergence treatment it is readily absorbed by foliage and roots and translocated throughout the plant. This herb...

OFFICIAL NAMES: 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) STREET NAMES: Nexus, bromo, afterburner bromo, utopia, Venus, spectrum, BDMPEA, toonies, MFT, erox, cloud nine zenith DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS: Schedule I, hallucinogen 2C-B is a rela...

HEALTHY, HAPPY, HOLY ORGANIZATION (3HO). In 1969, Harbhajan Singh Puri (b. August 26, 1929), now known as Yogi Bhajan, came to California. A Sikh from India, he started teaching Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and founded the Healthy, ...