| | - Wouri Bridge
- (from the article "Douala") chief port of Cameroon. It is situated on the southeastern shore of the Wouri River estuary, on the Atlantic coast about 130 miles (210 km) west of Yaounde. The Wouri Bridge, 5,900 feet (1,800 m) long, joins Douala to the banana port of Bonaberi and carries both road and rail ...
- Wouri River
- stream in southwestern Cameroon whose estuary on the Atlantic Ocean is the site of Douala, the country's major industrial centre and port. Two headstreams-the Nkam and the Makombe-join to form the Wouri, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Yabassi. The river then flows in a southwesterly direction for about 100 ... [1 Related Articles]
- Wouwerman, Philips
- Dutch Baroque painter of animals, landscapes, and genre scenes, best known for his studies of horses. [1 Related Articles]
- woven wattle
- (from the article "art and architecture, Oceanic") ...black and green. The feathers were attached in bunches to a netted base. The cloaks were decorated with triangles, lozenges, circles, squares, and sweeping crescents. With the cloaks, chiefs wore wicker helmets, shaped as caps with crescentic crests, which were also covered in feathers. Heads of the war god were ...
- Wovoka
- American Indian religious leader who spawned the second messianic Ghost Dance cult, which spread rapidly through reservation communities about 1890. [4 Related Articles]
- wow
- (from the article "flutter and wow") in sound reproduction, waver in a reproduced tone or group of tones that is caused by irregularities in turntable or tape drive speed during recording, duplication, or reproduction. Low-frequency irregularities (as one per revolution of a turntable, referred to as "once arounds") cause wow and are recognized aurally as fluctuations ...
- Wow signal
- (from the article "extraterrestrial intelligence") ...which were unable to quickly determine whether an emission was terrestrial or extraterrestrial in origin, would frequently find candidate signals. The most famous of these was the so-called "Wow" signal, measured by a SETI experiment at Ohio State University in 1977. Subsequent observations failed to find this signal again, and ...
- Woyda, Witold
- Polish fencer competed for Poland in fencing's foil division in four consecutive Olympic Games (1960-72); he shared the team silver in 1964, team bronze in 1968, and team gold in 1972 and captured an individual gold in 1972, which made him Poland's first athlete to win double gold in the ...
- Woyo
- (from the article "art, African") Another object common to the lower Congo area, produced primarily by the coastal peoples, especially the Woyo, is a wooden pot lid carved with pictorial narratives representing proverbs. The pot lid, which covered the meal served by a wife to her husband, illustrates a particular complaint about their marital relationship-a ...
- Wozniak, Stephen Gary
- American electronics engineer, cofounder, with Steven P. Jobs, of Apple Computer, and designer of the first commercially successful personal computer. [5 Related Articles]
- WPA Federal Art Project
- first major attempt at government patronage of the visual arts in the United States and the most extensive and influential of the visual arts projects conceived during the Depression of the 1930s by the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is often confused with the Department of the Treasury ... [5 Related Articles]
- WPA Federal Music Project
- (from the article "Great Depression") ...to manipulate public opinion. It was therefore both unprecedented and remarkable that between 1935 and 1939 the Roosevelt administration was able to create and sustain the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Writers' Project, and the Federal Theatre Project as part of the WPA.
- WPA Federal Theatre Project
- national theatre project sponsored and funded by the U.S. government as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Founded in 1935, it was the first federally supported theatre in the United States. Its purpose was to create jobs for unemployed theatrical people during the Great Depression, and its director was ... [5 Related Articles]
- WPA Federal Writers' Project
- a program established in the United States in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal struggle against the Great Depression. It provided jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers. Directed by Henry G. Alsberg, it operated in all states and at one time ... [2 Related Articles]
- Wrangel Island
- Chukchi autonomous okrug (district), far northeastern Russia, in the Arctic Ocean, separating the East Siberian Sea from the Chukchi Sea. The long, narrow island is about 78 miles (125 km) wide and occupies an area of some 2,800 square miles (7,300 square km). It is separated from the Siberian mainland ... [1 Related Articles]
- Wrangel, Ferdinand Petrovich
- Russian explorer who completed the mapping of the northeastern coast of Siberia (1820-24). Wrangel Island off the Siberian coast was named in his honour.
- Wrangel, Karl Gustav, Greve
- Swedish soldier who succeeded Lennart Torstenson as Swedish military and naval commander during the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) and subsequent Baltic conflicts. [1 Related Articles]
- Wrangel, Pyotr Nikolayevich, Baron
- general who led the "White" (anti-Bolshevik) forces in the final phase of the Russian Civil War (1918-20). [2 Related Articles]
- Wrangell Mountains
- segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges (see Pacific mountain system), southeastern Alaska, U.S. The mountains are named for Ferdinand P. Wrangel, a 19th-century Russian explorer. Roughly 60 miles (100 km) wide, they extend for about 100 miles (160 km), from the Copper River to the St. Elias Mountains near the ... [3 Related Articles]
- Wrangell, Mount
- (from the article "Alaskan mountains") ...and Mesozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks. Some granitic masses intrude the Mesozoic rocks. Several peaks are at elevations higher than 12,000 feet; the highest is Mount Bona, at 16,421 feet, while Mount Wrangell (14,163 feet) is still steaming. The Wrangells are some of the most visually striking of the Alaskan ...
- Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve
- national park and preserve in southeastern Alaska, U.S., on the Canadian border adjoining Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon Territory. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area was established as a national park and preserve in 1980 and was designated a World Heritage site in 1979. It is ... [1 Related Articles]
- Wrangelschrank
- (from the article "cabinet") Inlaid cabinets were a specialty of Antwerp and southern Germany in the mid-17th century. One of the most famous was the "Wrangelschrank," taken as booty in the Thirty Years' War by the Swedish count Carl Gustav Wrangel. Made in Augsburg in 1566, it was decorated with boxwood carvings and outstanding ...
- Wrangler ProRodeo Tour
- (from the article "Rodeo") ...the announcement that segments of the rodeo association had been sold to an investor group. Hatchell, who joined the PRCA as commissioner in 1998, was credited with having helped create the popular Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, which featured the sport's elite athletes in a series of televised competitions that culminated in ...
- wrapped wattle
- (from the article "basketry") A single layer of rigid, passive, parallel standards is held together by flexible threads in one of three ways, each representing a different subtype. (1) The bound, or wrapped, type, which is not very elaborate, has a widespread distribution, being used for burden baskets in the Andaman Islands in the ...
- wrapping
- (from the article "baking") Most American consumers prefer wrapped bread, and the trend toward wrapping is growing in other countries. Sanitary and aesthetic considerations dictate protection of the product from environmental contamination during distribution and display. Waxed paper was originally the only film used to package bread; then cellophane became popular; and finally polyethylene, ...
- wrasse
- any of nearly 500 species of marine fishes of the family Labridae (order Perciformes). Wrasses range from about 5 centimetres (2 inches) to 2 metres (6.5 feet) or more in length. Most species are elongated and relatively slender. Characteristic features of the wrasses include thick lips, smooth scales, long dorsal ... [3 Related Articles]
- Wray, Fay
- Canadian-born actress (b. Sept. 15, 1907, near Cardston, Alta.-d. Aug. 8, 2004, New York, N.Y.), appeared in more than 90 motion pictures, including a number of silent films, and acted opposite some of Hollywood's most notable male stars, but it was for her performance as the love object of a ...
- Wray, Link
- American guitarist (b. May 2, 1929, Dunn, N.C.-d. Nov. 5, 2005, Copenhagen, Den.), pioneered the use of feedback and fuzz-tone techniques and invented the power chord-a harsh sound created by playing fifths (two notes, five tones apart)-which became the lynchpin of heavy metal and punk music. Among his admirers were ... [1 Related Articles]
- wreath
- circular garland, usually woven of flowers, leaves, and foliage, that traditionally indicates honour or celebration. The wreath in ancient Egypt was most popular in the form of a chaplet made by sewing flowers to linen bands and tying them around the head. In ancient Greece, wreaths, usually made of olive, ... [2 Related Articles]
- wreath
- (from the article "heraldry") ...it always should be depicted in illustrations of a man's arms. It is bad heraldry when the helmet is absent and the crest is airborne above the shield, unsupported. In formal blazons the wreath (also called the torse) is given as well; thus, crest-on a wreath of the colours, a ...
- wreckfish
- large, grayish fish of the family Polyprionidae (order Perciformes), found in the Mediterranean and in both sides of the Atlantic, generally in offshore waters. The wreckfish is deep-bodied, with a large head and jutting lower jaw, and attains a length and weight of about 2 metres (6.5 feet) and 36 ...
- Wrede, Karl Philipp, Furst von
- (prince of) Bavarian field marshal, allied with Napoleon until 1813, when he joined the coalition against France.
- Wrede, William
- (from the article "biblical literature") At the beginning of the 20th century a new direction was given to Gospel interpretation by the German scholar William Wrede (Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien, 1901) and the medical missionary theologian Albert Schweitzer (The Quest of the Historical Jesus, Eng. trans., 1910), who so emphasized the eschatological orientation of ...
- wren
- family name Troglodytidae, any of 59 species of small, chunky, brownish birds (order Passeriformes). The family originated in the Western Hemisphere and only one species, Troglodytes troglodytes, which breeds circumpolarly in temperate regions, has spread to the Old World. This species is called the winter wren in North America; ... [1 Related Articles]
- Wren, Sir Christopher
- designer, astronomer, geometrician, and the greatest English architect of his time. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St. Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note. He was a founder of the Royal Society (president 1680-82), and his scientific work was highly regarded by Sir Isaac Newton and ... [16 Related Articles]
- wren-babbler
- any of about 20 species of small Asian birds belonging to the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes). They are 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) long, rather short-tailed, and have a rather short and straight bill. These features differentiate wren-babblers from the closely related scimitar-babblers. Wren-babblers occur chiefly ...
- wren-warbler
- any of a number of Old World warblers, family Sylviidae (order Passeriformes), that are wrenlike in carrying their tails cocked up. The name also denotes certain birds of the family Maluridae that are found in Australia and New Zealand. Among the sylviid wren-warblers are those of the African genus Calamonastes ...
- wrench
- tool, usually operated by hand, for tightening bolts and nuts. Basically, a wrench consists of a stout lever with a notch at one or both ends for gripping the bolt or nut in such a way that it can be twisted by a pull on the wrench at right angles ... [1 Related Articles]
- wrenthrush
- (Zeledonia coronata), bird of the rain forests of Costa Rica and Panama. It resembles the wren in size (11 cm, or 4.5 inches), in being brownish and short-tailed, and in its habit of skulking in undergrowth. It is thrushlike in beak and leg structure. The wrenthrush has been classified as ...
- wrentit
- (species Chamaea fasciata), bird of the Pacific coast of North America, believed by some authorities to be the only New World member of the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes), but often placed in its own family Chamaeidae. A fluffy brown bird about 16 cm (6.5 inches) long with a long ...
- wrestling
- sport practiced in various styles by two competitors, involving forcing an opponent to touch the ground with some part of the body other than his feet; forcing him into a certain position, usually supine (on his back); or holding him in that position for a minimum length of time. Wrestling ... [19 Related Articles]
- Wretzky, D'Arcy
- (from the article "Smashing Pumpkins") ...Iha (original name James Yoshinobu Iha; b. March 26, 1968Chicago), bassist D'Arcy (original name D'Arcy Elizabeth Wretzky; b. May 1, 1968South Haven, Mich.), and drummer...
- Wrexham
- town, Wrexham county borough, historic county of Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych), Wales. It is an industrial centre, a market centre, and the principal town of northeastern Wales.
- Wrexham
- county borough, northeastern Wales, along the English border. It covers a lowland area in the east, where most of the population lives, and includes the peaks of Esclusham, Ruabon, and Cyrn-y-Brain in the northwest. In the southwest it extends into the Vale of Ceiriog and the surrounding mountains, including the ...
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- (from the article "Kitty Hawk") ...northeastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies on Bodie Island, a narrow sand barrier (one of the Outer Banks) facing the Atlantic Ocean opposite Albemarle Sound. Immediately south at Kill Devil Hills is Wright Brothers National Memorial (1927; see photograph), commemorating the flight there of Wilbur and Orville Wright on December ...
- Wright Company
- (from the article "Wright, Wilbur and Orville") In November 1909 the Wright Company was incorporated with Wilbur as president, Orville as one of two vice presidents, and a board of trustees that included some of the leaders of American business. The Wright Company established a factory in Dayton and a flying field and flight school at Huffman ...
- Wright Engine Company
- (from the article "airplane") ...on the Newark-Pittsburgh-Chicago run, after only 11 months' development time. In an era when American engine builders were introducing new and more powerful engines at a regular and rapid rate, the Wright Engine Company had been able to substitute an improved and more economical engine by the time quantity production ...
- Wright Exhibition Company
- (from the article "stunt flying") ...Santos-Dumont in the 1890s-stunt flying in powered aircraft started with the Wright brothers. In order to demonstrate the full capabilities of their designs, the Wrights engaged professional exhibition pilots, who began performing ever more daring stunts. Eugene Lefebvre was the first engineer and chief pilot of the Wright company in ...
- Wright flyer of 1903
- first powered airplane to demonstrate sustained flight under the full control of the pilot. Designed and built by Wilbur and Orville Wright in Dayton, Ohio, it was assembled in the autumn of 1903 at a camp at the base of the Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, a village on ... [3 Related Articles]
- Wright flyer of 1904
- (from the article "Wright flyer of 1905") ...June 23, 1905, at Huffman Prairie, a pasture located on the streetcar line some 8 miles (13 km) east of Dayton, Ohio. It was designed along the lines of the Wrights' first flyer of 1903 and a second model of 1904, but it also incorporated several important improvements. First, it ...
- Wright flyer of 1905
- third powered airplane designed, built, and flown by Wilbur and Orville Wright. It represented the final step in their quest for a practical airplane capable of staying aloft for extended periods of time under the complete control of the pilot. [1 Related Articles]
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