Franz Boas was a German-born American anthropologist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the founder of the relativistic, culture-centered school of American anthropology that became dominant in the 20th century. During his tenure at Columbia University in New York City (1899–1942), he

boat, generic term for small watercraft propelled by paddles, oars, sail, or motor, open or partially decked, and usually less than 45 feet (roughly 14 metres) in length. A vessel larger than this is customarily classed as a ship, although the word boat is often applied to certain working

ship: History of ships: Boats are still vital aids to movement, even those little changed in form during that 6,000-year history. The very fact that boats may be quite easily identified in illustrations of great antiquity shows how slow and continuous had been this evolution until just 150 years…

hydrocarbon: Cycloalkanes: …of cyclohexane, designated as chair, boat, and skew (or twist), are essentially free of angle strain. Of these three the chair is the most stable, mainly because it has a staggered arrangement of all its bonds. The boat and skew conformations lack perfect staggering of bonds and are destabilized by…

Commelinales: …plant; and Tradescantia spathacea, or Moses-in-the-cradle, grown as a potted plant for its purple-coloured leaves and unusual flowers.

Poul Anderson: …include A Midsummer Tempest (1974), The Boat of a Million Years (1989), and Genesis (2000), which received the John W. Campbell Award in 2001.

cymbidium, (genus Cymbidium), genus of 50–70 species of tropical and subtropical orchids (family Orchidaceae). The genus is primarily distributed in Asia, though several species are native to northern Australia. The orchids are popular as florists’ plants and ornamentals, and there are several

boat people, refugees fleeing by boat. The term originally referred to the thousands of Vietnamese who fled their country by sea following the collapse of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. Crowded into small vessels, they were prey to pirates, and many suffered dehydration, starvation, and

Fujian: Population composition: The “boat people” (Tanka or Danjia), who live on boats in the streams and estuaries, are not recognized as a separate group.

Portuguese literature: Gil Vicente and the drama: The Boat Plays)—a group of autos, or religious plays (see auto sacramental)—revealed his dramatic power, his fondness for comic relief, and his deft use of popular figures and language. The phenomenon of a potential national theatre, however, died with its founder and did not find…

Ha Jin: Literary works: …mole in the CIA; and The Boat Rocker (2016), in which a Chinese journalist in New York City attempts to expose his novelist ex-wife as a fraud. In A Song Everlasting (2021), a Chinese singer runs afoul of his country’s government and flees to the United States. The Woman Back…

L.P. Hartley: …and fully realized novel is The Boat (1949), in which he explores the struggles of a crowd-avoiding individual in England during World War II, when group effort and identification were the norm. A volume of essays, The Novelist’s Responsibility, appeared in 1967 and The Collected Stories of L.P. Hartley in…

Sweden: Earliest settlements: The so-called Boat-Ax culture (an outlier of the European Battle-Ax cultures) arrived about 2000 bce and spread rapidly. During the Neolithic Period, southern and central Sweden displayed the aspects of a homogeneous culture, with central European trade links; in northern Sweden the hunting culture persisted throughout the…

heron: Another night heron is the boat-billed heron, or boatbill (Cochlearius cochlearius), of Central and South America, placed by some authorities in its own family (Cochleariidae).

grackle: In the great-tailed and boat-tailed grackles (Cassidix mexicanus and C. major), the male has a long, deeply keeled tail: his total length may be 43 cm. These species are found in arid lands of the southwestern United States to Peru and in salt marshes from New Jersey to Texas.…

heron: Another night heron is the boat-billed heron, or boatbill (Cochlearius cochlearius), of Central and South America, placed by some authorities in its own family (Cochleariidae).

Paul Boateng is a British politician who became the first person of African descent to serve in a British cabinet when he was appointed (2002) chief secretary to the Treasury. He was the son of Kwaku Boateng, a lawyer who served as a cabinet minister in the Ghanaian government of Kwame Nkrumah, and

Paul Boateng is a British politician who became the first person of African descent to serve in a British cabinet when he was appointed (2002) chief secretary to the Treasury. He was the son of Kwaku Boateng, a lawyer who served as a cabinet minister in the Ghanaian government of Kwame Nkrumah, and

Jay Macpherson: …Return (1954), were followed by The Boatman and Other Poems (1957, reissued with additional poems, 1968), a collection of short poems under six subtitles that established her reputation as a poet. For the latter work, she was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry. Her lyrics, often ironic and…

boatswain, ship’s officer responsible for maintenance of the ship and its equipment. Before the Royal Navy was established, the term boatswain was applied to the expert seaman on an English merchant vessel. Each ship had a master, who was proficient in navigation, and a boatswain, who was second in

pendulum: …caused the suspended body, or bob, to swing along the arc of a cycloid rather than that of a circle.

bobsledding: …four-runner sled, called a bobsled, bobsleigh, or bob, that carries either two or four persons.

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, American comedy film, released in 1969, that lampooned the trendy aspect of the decade’s sexual liberation. Natalie Wood and Robert Culp played Carol and Bob, a pretentious wealthy and bored couple in southern California. After attending an enlightened New Age-type

Bob and Ray were American comedians best known for their satirical radio programs. Both Elliott and Goulding served in the U.S. Army during World War II. They met while working for radio station WHDH in Boston, Elliott as a disk jockey and Goulding as a news broadcaster on Elliott’s program. The

bob and wheel, in alliterative verse, a group of typically five rhymed lines following a section of unrhymed lines, often at the end of a strophe. The bob is the first line in the group and is shorter than the rest; the wheel is the quatrain that follows the

Bob Beamon’s breathtaking long jump was one of the unforgettable moments of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. This 22-year-old long-legged athlete from Queens, New York, was able to fly 29 feet 2.5 inches (8.9 metres), surpassing the world record by an amazing 21.65 inches. No one before had

Sunshine Skyway Bridge, cable-stayed concrete bridge over the southern end of Tampa Bay in western Florida that connects St. Petersburg in Pinellas county with Terra Ceia (near Bradenton) in Manatee county. Designed by Eugene C. Figg, Jr., and Jean Muller, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was the longest

Chuck Lorre: Later career: …aging acting coach (Michael Douglas); Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–24), about a couple who meet in the hospital as patient (Gardell) and nurse (Folake Olowofoyeku); and Bookie (2023– ), starring Sebastian Maniscalco as a bookmaker. Bookie served as a vehicle to reconcile Lorre with Charlie Sheen, as the latter appeared in…

Sean Penn: …Penn published his first novel, Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, a satire about a divorced assassin.

Television in the United States: Rural humour: …1965–66 season, only one anthology, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (NBC, 1963–67), remained on the air, and it had only one remaining season.

Bob Jones University (BJU), private, coeducational, institution of higher learning in Greenville, South Carolina. A nondenominational Protestant liberal arts university, it emphasizes fundamentalist Christian values in its programs. It was established in 1927 by the evangelist Bob Jones, Sr., and

Bob Jones University (BJU), private, coeducational, institution of higher learning in Greenville, South Carolina. A nondenominational Protestant liberal arts university, it emphasizes fundamentalist Christian values in its programs. It was established in 1927 by the evangelist Bob Jones, Sr., and

Bob Jones University v. United States, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (8–1) on May 24, 1983, that nonprofit private universities that prescribe and enforce racially discriminatory admission standards on the basis of religious doctrine do not qualify as tax-exempt organizations

Omaha: The contemporary city: …opening in 2008 of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a serpentine suspension structure linking Omaha to Council Bluffs, may have provided that distinguishing landmark.

Penny Marshall: …two years she performed on The Bob Newhart Show. In 1975 a guest appearance with Cindy Williams on the television series Happy Days led to the spin-off Laverne and Shirley in 1976. The comedy, which centred on two blue-collar women (Marshall played Laverne) working in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, brewery during…

Tim Robbins: …Senate candidate in the mockumentary Bob Roberts (1992), which he also wrote and directed.

bobsledding: The bob run used in international competition is between 1,200 and 1,600 metres (1,312 and 1,750 yards) long, with an average slope of between 8 and 15 percent. There are generally from 15 to 20 turns per course, ranging in size up to huge hairpins of…

meat processing: Veal fabrication: Baby veal (bob veal) is 2–3 days to 1 month of age and yields carcasses weighing 9 to 27 kilograms. Vealers are 4 to 12 weeks of age with carcasses weighing 36 to 68 kilograms. Calves are up to 20 weeks of age with carcasses…

Keegan-Michael Key: Career: …roles in the animated sitcoms Bob’s Burgers (2014–17) and Archer (2016–17) and in the animated films Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019).

bubble tea, beverage combining tea, milk, and “bubbles”—chewy gelatinous candies made of tapioca or fruit jelly. Bubble tea is a favourite in its homeland of Taiwan and is now popular worldwide. Bubble tea originated in the city of T’ai-nan, Taiwan, in the mid-1980s. Dozens of variations of the

Francisco de Bobadilla was a Spanish soldier who arrested Christopher Columbus on Santo Domingo (the island of Hispaniola) after dissensions had arisen between Columbus and several of the Spanish adventurers who served under him. Bobadilla was a noble who served the Spanish crown in the wars of

Central African Republic: Early history: …the mid 19th century the Bobangi people from the Ubangi River area, who had become major slave traders, raided the nearby Baya and Mandjia peoples for captives. In exchange for captives, the slave traders received arms, which allowed them to continue to raid for more slaves. Though these raids largely…

fishing: Methods: …cork or plastic, called a float in Britain and a bobber in the United States. The angler attempts to suspend the bait at a depth where foraging fish will notice it and in locations near the natural hiding places of fish—such as sunken weed beds, logs, and underwater rock formations.

bobbin, Elongated spool of thread, used in the textile industry. In modern processes, the spun fibres are wound on bobbins; the weft filling in weaving comes off bobbins. Bobbins are essential to the manufacture of bobbin lace (see lacemaking). The first bobbin lace probably originated in Flanders

bobbin furniture, heavy furniture made in the late 17th century, whose legs and other parts were lathe-turned to ornamental shapes; also lighter, less boldly turned pieces made in 19th-century cottage style (see cottage furniture). Bobbin turning was a type of ornament consisting of a series of

bobbin lace, handmade lace important in fashion from the 16th to the early 20th century. Bobbin laces are made by using a “pricking,” a pattern drawn on parchment or card that is attached to a padded support, the pillow or cushion. An even number of threads (from 8 to more than 1,000) are looped

textile: Net and lace making: Bobbinet lace, essentially a hexagonal net, is used as a base for appliqué work for durable non-run net hosiery, and, when heavily sized, for such materials as millinery and veilings. Barmens lace has a fairly heavy texture and an angular pattern; flowing lines, heavy outline…

textile: Net and lace making: Bobbinet lace, essentially a hexagonal net, is used as a base for appliqué work for durable non-run net hosiery, and, when heavily sized, for such materials as millinery and veilings. Barmens lace has a fairly heavy texture and an angular pattern; flowing lines, heavy outline…

textile: Net and lace making: In the Heathcot, or bobbinet, machine, warp threads were arranged so that the threads moved downward as the beams unwound. Other threads were wound on thin, flat spools or bobbins held in narrow carriages that could move in a groove or comb in two rows. The carriages…

Bobbio, town, Emilia-Romagna region, northern Italy, in the valley of the Trebbia River, southwest of Piacenza. The ancient Bobium, it became famous when the Irish missionary monk St. Columban (Colombano) founded a monastery there c. 612, after fleeing from what is now Switzerland. He died three

Bobbsey Twins, fictional characters, two sets of fraternal twins—the older pair named Bert and Nan, the younger Freddie and Flossie—who are featured in an extended series of children’s books by American author Laura Lee Hope (a collective pseudonym for many writers, including Harriet S. Adams). The

bobby, slang term for a member of London’s Metropolitan Police derived from the name of Sir Robert Peel, who established the force in 1829. Police officers in London are also known as “peelers” for the same reason. After becoming home secretary in the British government, between 1825 and 1830 Peel

Harry Belafonte: Player (1992), Kansas City (1996), Bobby (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Sydney Pollack: Film directing: His next film, Bobby Deerfield (1977), with Al Pacino as a race-car driver in love with a dying heiress (Marthe Keller), was a poorly reviewed movie that eventually earned a cult following.

Frank Sinatra: The band singer: …young female fans—known as “bobby-soxers”—had not been seen since the days of Rudolph Valentino. The singer was soon dubbed “Frankieboy,” “The Sultan of Swoon,” and, most popularly, “The Voice.”

bobcat, (Lynx rufus), bobtailed North American cat (family Felidae), found from southern Canada to southern Mexico. The bobcat is a close relative of the somewhat larger Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). A long-legged cat with large paws, a rather short body, and tufted ears, the bobcat is 60–100 cm

Teófilo Stevenson: …defeating the highly touted American Duane Bobick, who had beaten Stevenson the previous year in the Pan American Games. Stevenson won the gold medal by default when Ion Alexe of Romania was unable to fight in the final because of a broken thumb. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Stevenson…

Eyvind Johnson: In Bobinack (1932), an exposé of the machinations of modern capitalism, Regn i gryningen (1933; “Rain at Daybreak”), an attack on modern office drudgery and its effects, and Romanen om Olof, 4 vol. (1934–37), which tells of his experiences as a logger in the sub-Arctic, he…

bobsledding: Two types are used: two-person boblets, as they often are called in Europe, and four-person bobsleighs. Rules limit combined team and sled weights to 390 kg (860 pounds) and 630 kg (1,389 pounds), respectively. The maximum team-and-sled weight for the two-women competition is 350 kg (770 pounds). Other sled dimensions…

Bobo, people of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta), who speak a language of the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo family. The Bobo are a sedentary agricultural people growing such staples as millet and sorghum and a wide variety of other crops. Crop rotation and some irrigation are utilized, and small

Bobo Dioulasso, city, southwestern Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta). Dating (according to tradition) from the 15th century, the city was engaged in continual conflict with Kong to the south, and in the 18th century it was occupied by the Kong prince Famara Wattara, who made it the capital of the

Bobo doll experiment, groundbreaking study on aggression led by psychologist Albert Bandura that demonstrated that children are able to learn through the observation of adult behaviour. The experiment was executed via a team of researchers who physically and verbally abused an inflatable doll in

Celestine III was the pope from 1191 to 1198. He was Peter Abélard’s student and friend, and he carried out many important legations in Germany, Spain, and Portugal; St. Thomas Becket considered him his most reliable friend at the Roman Curia. He had been cardinal deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin,

Boboli Gardens, approximately 111 acres (45 hectares) of lavishly landscaped gardens behind the Pitti Palace, extending to modern Fort Belvedere, in Florence. Designed in a carefully structured and geometric Italian Renaissance style, the gardens were begun in 1550 by Niccolò di Raffaello de’

bobolink, (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), American bird of the family Icteridae (order Passeriformes) that breeds in northern North America and winters chiefly in central South America. Migrating flocks may raid rice fields, and at one time the fat “ricebirds” were shot as a table delicacy. In the

Celestine III was the pope from 1191 to 1198. He was Peter Abélard’s student and friend, and he carried out many important legations in Germany, Spain, and Portugal; St. Thomas Becket considered him his most reliable friend at the Roman Curia. He had been cardinal deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin,

South Africa: Daily life and social customs: …English settlers introduced sausages and bobotie, a meat pie made with minced meat that has been cooked with brown sugar, apricots and raisins, milk-soaked mashed bread, and curry flavoring. The Portuguese introduced various fish dishes to the country. The Indian influence added spices and even samosas, savory pastries popular as…

Durmitor: …highest point in the country—Bobotov Peak, reaching 8,274 feet (2,522 metres). Between the peaks are deep valleys and glacial lakes. Dense pine and fir forests surround the lakes. The highest settlement of the region, Žabljak, is a tourist centre; winter sports are popular. Livestock breeding is carried on in…

Durmitor: …highest point in the country—Bobotov Peak, reaching 8,274 feet (2,522 metres). Between the peaks are deep valleys and glacial lakes. Dense pine and fir forests surround the lakes. The highest settlement of the region, Žabljak, is a tourist centre; winter sports are popular. Livestock breeding is carried on in…

Novomoskovsk, city, Tula oblast (region), western Russia, situated on the upper Don River. Founded in 1930 as Bobriki, the town developed as a major chemical centre, making fertilizers and plastics and mining lignite (brown coal). Pop. (2006 est.)

Nikolay Bobrikov was a ruthless ultranationalist Russian governor-general of Finland from 1898 until his assassination. After a career in the Russian Army, which he left with the rank of general, Bobrikov was named governor-general of the grand duchy of Finland in 1898. Under his regime Finland

Nikolay Bobrikov was a ruthless ultranationalist Russian governor-general of Finland from 1898 until his assassination. After a career in the Russian Army, which he left with the rank of general, Bobrikov was named governor-general of the grand duchy of Finland in 1898. Under his regime Finland

Babruysk, city, Mahilyow oblast (region), east-central Belarus, on the right bank of the Berezina River. Founded in the 16th century, it was held in turn by Lithuania, Poland, and Russia and was the scene of a major battle in World War II. The fortress of 1769 survives. Industries include

Babruysk, city, Mahilyow oblast (region), east-central Belarus, on the right bank of the Berezina River. Founded in the 16th century, it was held in turn by Lithuania, Poland, and Russia and was the scene of a major battle in World War II. The fortress of 1769 survives. Industries include

Michał Bobrzyński was a Polish historian and Conservative politician who maintained that the weakening of the central government had been the main cause of the 18th-century partitions of Poland and, on that basis, inaugurated a reappraisal of Poland’s history. Professor of legal history at the

roller coaster: Expansion in the United States: …Fireball was outpaced by the Bobs, a collaboration between noted inventors Frederick Church and Harry Traver. Riders of the Bobs traveled along 3,253 feet (991.5 metres) of track with 16 hills and 12 curves.

bobsledding: …four-runner sled, called a bobsled, bobsleigh, or bob, that carries either two or four persons.

bobsledding, the sport of sliding down an ice-covered natural or artificial incline on a four-runner sled, called a bobsled, bobsleigh, or bob, that carries either two or four persons. Bobsledding developed in the 1880s both in the lumbering towns of upstate New York and at the ski resorts of the

bobsledding: …four-runner sled, called a bobsled, bobsleigh, or bob, that carries either two or four persons.

bobsledding, the sport of sliding down an ice-covered natural or artificial incline on a four-runner sled, called a bobsled, bobsleigh, or bob, that carries either two or four persons. Bobsledding developed in the 1880s both in the lumbering towns of upstate New York and at the ski resorts of the

Old English Sheepdog (OES), shaggy and smart herding dog developed in west England in the 18th century from dogs of Scottish and Russian ancestry. The breed was used as a “drover,” driving sheep and cattle from pasture to market. In earlier times shepherds would shear the dog annually, using the

bobwhite, North American quail species. See

Madagascar: Relief: …8,720 feet (2,658 metres) at Boby Peak.

history of logic: Other 19th-century logicians: In Russia V.V. Bobyin (1886) and Platon Sergeevich Poretsky (1884) initiated a school of algebraic logic. In the United Kingdom a vast amount of work on formal and symbolic logic was published in the best philosophical journals from 1870 until 1910. This includes work by William Stanley…

Romania: New constitution: The president asked Emil Boc, who had been heading the caretaker government, to continue serving as prime minister, this time at the helm of a new coalition government comprising the PDL and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.

Boca Juniors, Argentine professional football (soccer) club based in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Boca. Boca Juniors has proved to be one of Argentina’s most successful teams, especially in international club competitions. The club was founded in 1905 by a group of Italian immigrants in

Javier Bardem: In Boca a boca (1995; Mouth to Mouth) he garnered laughs and another Goya Award as an aspiring actor who falls in love with a customer while working for a telephone-sex company. Bardem later appeared as a wheelchair-bound policeman in Pedro Almodóvar’s Carne trémula (1997; Live Flesh).

Guanajuato: …(600-metre) pit known as the Boca del Infierno (“Mouth of Hell”), were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. Area 11,773 square miles (30,491 square km). Pop. (2020) 6,166,934.

Boca Juniors, Argentine professional football (soccer) club based in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Boca. Boca Juniors has proved to be one of Argentina’s most successful teams, especially in international club competitions. The club was founded in 1905 by a group of Italian immigrants in

Boca Raton, city, Palm Beach county, southeastern Florida, U.S. It is located about 15 miles (25 km) north of Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic Ocean. Although the Spanish occasionally used Boca Raton’s harbor, the first settlers arrived in the area about 1895, around the same time as the Florida

Buenos Aires: City neighborhoods: La Boca, a picturesque area at the mouth of the Riachuelo River, where the city’s first settlers landed, is filled with Italian restaurants, and some streets, such as the Caminito, are lined with wooden houses painted in bright colors. La Boca, now an artists’ colony,…

bocage, in western France (e.g., Bocage Normand, Bocage Vendéen), a well-wooded district in distinction to the campagne, which denotes a hedgeless tract of farmland characteristic of old-established areas of open-field agriculture. The fields of bocage country are small, irregular, and enclosed by

Pierre de Ronsard: …to be felt in the Bocage (“Grove”) of poetry of 1554 and in the Meslanges (“Miscellany”) of that year, which contain some of his most exquisite nature poems, and in the Continuation des amours and Nouvelles Continuations, addressed to a country girl, Marie. In 1555 he began to write a…

Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage was a Neoclassical Portuguese lyric poet who aspired to be a second Camões but who dissipated his energies in a stormy life. The son of a lawyer, Bocage left school at the age of 14 to join the army, then transferred to the navy at 16. At the Royal Navy Academy in

wind instrument: The Renaissance: …a short tube called the bocal. Six front finger holes, two thumbholes, and two keys gave it a range of two octaves and a second. It was first mentioned in 1540, and its bass (sometimes called the double curtal in England and the Choristfagott in Germany) soon became the most…

history of logic: Syllogisms: Bocardo, Ferison.

Bocas del Toro, town, northwestern Panama, at the southern tip of Colón Island in Almirante Bay of the Caribbean Sea. It was founded by African immigrants in the early 19th century and was destroyed by fire twice in the early 1900s. It was once a thriving banana port but now exports primarily

Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian poet and scholar, best remembered as the author of the earthy tales in the Decameron. With Petrarch he laid the foundations for the humanism of the Renaissance and raised vernacular literature to the level and status of the classics of antiquity. Boccaccio was the

Traiano Boccalini was a prose satirist and anti-Spanish political writer, influential in the Europe of his time for a widely circulated satire, Ragguagli di Parnaso (1612–13; “Reports from Parnassus”). The son of an architect, Boccalini was educated for the law and spent many years in Rome in the

Boccanegra Family, wealthy Genoese family that played an important role in two great “popular” (democratic) revolutions, one in 1257 and the other in 1339, and furnished several admirals to the Genoese republic and to Spain. Guglielmo Boccanegra (d. 1274) became virtual dictator of Genoa in 1257,