Al Capone was an American Prohibition-era gangster who dominated organized crime in Chicago from 1925 to 1931 and became perhaps the most famous gangster in the United States. Capone’s parents immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1893. Al, the fourth of nine children, grew up in Brooklyn,

Scarface: The Shame of a Nation, American gangster film, released in 1932, that is loosely based on the rise of Al Capone. It was an early success for both director Howard Hawks and actor Paul Muni. The film traces the life and crimes of an ambitious gangster, Tony Camonte (played by Muni), as he

Gerald Scarfe is an English caricaturist best known for his savagely grotesque portraits of politicians and other public figures. For most of his first 19 years Scarfe was bedridden with chronic asthma, and he began to draw during these long periods of confinement. After a brief, uncongenial period

parrot fish, any of about 80 species of fishes of the family Scaridae, a group sometimes regarded as a subfamily of Labridae (order Perciformes), found on tropical reefs. Parrot fishes are elongated, usually rather blunt-headed and deep-bodied, and often very brightly coloured. They have large

cicatrization, type of body decoration involving the production of raised scars (keloids), usually in decorative patterns. See body modifications and

horticulture: Seed propagation: …by a process known as scarification. This is accomplished by a number of methods including abrasive action, soaking in hot water, or acid treatment. Physiologically imposed dormancy involves the presence of germination inhibitors. Germination in such seed may be accomplished by treatment to remove these inhibitors. This may involve cold…

Western architecture: Flanders and Holland: …by Loys du Foys and Nicolo Scarini and executed by Cornelis II Floris (originally de Vriendt [1514–75]). It was decided to replace Antwerp’s small medieval town hall with a large structure, 300 feet (90 metres) long, in the new style, as a reflection of Antwerp’s prosperity as the leading northern…

scarlet fever, acute infectious disease caused by group A hemolytic streptococcal bacteria, in particular Streptococcus pyogenes. Scarlet fever can affect people of all ages, but it is most often seen in children. It is called scarlet fever because of the red skin rash that accompanies it. Before

Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, group of 555 sonatas for harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti, dating from the early 18th century. In modern performance the sonatas are sometimes performed on the piano. Scarlatti, though born in Naples, spent nearly 40 years with the royal courts in the Iberian Peninsula,

Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, group of 555 sonatas for harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti, dating from the early 18th century. In modern performance the sonatas are sometimes performed on the piano. Scarlatti, though born in Naples, spent nearly 40 years with the royal courts in the Iberian Peninsula,

Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian composer of operas and religious works. Scarlatti was sent to Rome at about the age of 12; there he met Bernardo Pasquini, by whom he was greatly influenced. The first of his 115 operas, Gli equivoci nel sembiante (1679) won him the protection of Queen Christina

Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer noted particularly for his 555 keyboard sonatas, which substantially expanded the technical and musical possibilities of the harpsichord. Domenico, the son of the famous composer of vocal music Alessandro Scarlatti, was born in the same year as J.S. Bach

Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer noted particularly for his 555 keyboard sonatas, which substantially expanded the technical and musical possibilities of the harpsichord. Domenico, the son of the famous composer of vocal music Alessandro Scarlatti, was born in the same year as J.S. Bach

Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian composer of operas and religious works. Scarlatti was sent to Rome at about the age of 12; there he met Bernardo Pasquini, by whom he was greatly influenced. The first of his 115 operas, Gli equivoci nel sembiante (1679) won him the protection of Queen Christina

Ascomycota: C. militaris parasitizes insects. It forms a small, 3- or 4-centimetre (about 1.3-inch) mushroomlike fruiting structure with a bright orange head, or cap. A related genus, Ophiocordyceps, includes the zombie-ant fungus (O. unilateralis) and commonly infects ants and other arthopods.

The Scarlet Claw, American mystery-detective film, released in 1944, that starred Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Though not based on any story by Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the characters, it is widely considered the best in Universal Pictures’ series of 12

John Sturges: Bad, Magnificent, and Great: Slightly better was The Scarlet Coat (1955), a Revolutionary War drama about Benedict Arnold; Cornel Wilde played a colonial spy. Sturges returned to the Wild West with Backlash (1956), which starred Richard Widmark as a gunman looking to avenge his father’s death.

Marlene Dietrich: Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), and The Devil Is a Woman (1935). She showed a lighter side in Desire (1936), directed by Frank Borzage, and Destry Rides Again (1939).

scarlet fever, acute infectious disease caused by group A hemolytic streptococcal bacteria, in particular Streptococcus pyogenes. Scarlet fever can affect people of all ages, but it is most often seen in children. It is called scarlet fever because of the red skin rash that accompanies it. Before

firethorn: Common species: …European, or scarlet, firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) can grow up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) tall and has provided many varieties of horticultural interest. Of similar height are the narrowleaf firethorn (P. angustifolia), Gibb’s firethorn (P. atalantioides), and the Chinese firethorn (P. fortuneana), all of which are from China and…

glory-bower: Scarlet glory-bower (C. splendens), also an African vine, has clusters of red-orange flowers among heart-shaped leaves. Common in tropical gardens is C. speciosum, a hybrid between the two species above, with red-violet flowers and calyxes (united sepals) like those of C. thomsonae.

ibis: The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) inhabits northern South America, and the white ibis (E. albus) ranges in Central and North America.

coevolution: …nonvenomous snakes, such as the scarlet king snake (Lampropeltis elapsoides), whose coloration closely resembles that of coral snakes, which can deliver a poisonous bite.

Demi Moore: Becoming the highest-paid actress in the 1990s: Proposal (1993), Disclosure (1994), The Scarlet Letter (1995), Now and Then (1995), and The Juror (1996). In addition she lent her distinctive husky voice to Esmeralda for the Disney animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). By commanding $12.5 million for her lead role in Striptease (1996), Moore…

The Scarlet Letter, novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. It is considered a masterpiece of American literature and a classic moral study. The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester

campion: Major species: …Cross, or Jerusalem Cross (S. chalcedonica), has flowers of such a bright scarlet that they can be difficult to integrate into border plantings. Flower-of-Jove (S. flos-jovis) and Caucasian campion, or autumn catchfly (S. schafta), are popular in rock gardens.

macaw: The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is probably the best-known New World parrot. Its brilliant red, yellow, and blue plumage contrasts with a bare white face that may blush when the bird is excited. Flying with distinctive slow wingbeats and their long tails trailing, scarlet macaws are…

red maple, (Acer rubrum), large, irregularly narrow tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), cultivated for its shade and spectacular autumn colour. It is one of the most common trees in its native eastern North America. The red maple grows to a height of 27 m (90 feet) or more on a straight

red oak: The scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), Nuttall oak (Q. nuttallii), and Shumard oak (Q. shumardii) are other valuable timber trees of eastern and southern North America. The scarlet oak has a short, rapidly tapering trunk and leaves with nearly circular sinuses; it is a popular ornamental because…

pimpernel: The scarlet pimpernel (A. arvensis), also called poor-man’s weatherglass, is an annual native to Europe but is naturalized elsewhere, including North America. It grows 6 to 30 cm (2.4 to 12 inches) tall and has red or blue flowers.

The Scarlet Pimpernel, romantic novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, produced as a play in 1903 and published in book form in 1905. The novel’s protagonist, Sir Percy Blakeney, ostensibly a foppish English aristocrat, is secretly the Scarlet Pimpernel, a swashbuckling hero and elusive master of

spurge: Major species: The scarlet plume (E. fulgens), from Mexico, a 90-cm- (3-foot-) tall shrub with slender stems and scarlet bract clusters, is sometimes grown as a pot plant and in mild-winter areas as a garden shrub.

robin: Familiar in Australia is the scarlet robin (Petroica multicolor), a species 11 cm (4.5 inches) tall, marked with black, white, and bright scarlet.

bean: Other beans: The scarlet runner bean (P. coccineus) is native to tropical America. Naturally a perennial, it is grown to a small extent in temperate climates as an annual. It is a vigorous climbing plant with showy racemes of scarlet flowers, large coarse pods, and large coloured seeds.…

salvia: Major species: …species is the garden annual scarlet sage (S. splendens) from Brazil, the blazing spikes of which contrast with dark green oval leaves.

scarlet snake, (Cemophora coccinea), small, burrowing, nocturnal member of the family Colubridae. It occurs in the United States from New Jersey to Florida and as far west as Texas. It is a burrower that is found in areas of friable and sandy soils. Scarlet snakes eat a variety of insects and small

Fritz Lang: Films of the 1940s: …Woman in the Window for Scarlet Street (1945), a remake of Jean Renoir’s La Chienne (1931). Robinson delivered another extraordinary performance as the appropriately named Chris Cross, a milquetoast department-store cashier whose shrewish wife (Rosalind Ivan) denies him every pleasure except the one he finds as a weekend painter. He…

sumac: The smooth, or scarlet, sumac (Rhus glabra), native to the eastern and central United States, is a common species. It grows to a height of 6 metres (20 feet), with an open, flattened crown and a few stout spreading branches. A cultivated variety has much-dissected fernlike…

tanager: …temperate North America are the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea), summer tanager (P. rubra), and western tanager (P. ludoviciana). A less showy bird, the hepatic tanager (P. flava), has a greater breeding range: from southern Arizona to central Argentina. The most striking tropical genus is Tangara: about 50 small species sometimes…

flowerpecker: …China to Indonesia is the scarlet-backed flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum); 9 cm (3.5 inches) long, it is red, black, and white. The pygmy flowerpecker (D. pygmeum) of the Philippines is only about 6 cm (2 inches) long. The largest flowerpeckers are only about 23 cm (9 inches) in total length.

police: The crisis of policing: The Scarman Report (1981), which resulted from an official inquiry into rioting in the Brixton neighborhood of London, concluded that police had become too remote from their communities, that local citizens should have more input into police policy making, and that police tactics should be more…

rocket and missile system: Strategic missiles: …a 25-megaton warhead on the SS-9 Scarp, deployed from 1967 to 1982. (For the development of nuclear weapons, see nuclear weapon.)

military technology: The sunken profile: As a practical matter the scarp, or main fortress wall, now protected from artillery fire by the glacis, was faced with brick or stone for ease of maintenance; the facing wall on the forward side of the ditch, called the counterscarp, was similarly faced. Next, a level, sunken space behind…

river: River terraces: …former floodplain, and (2) a scarp, which is the steep slope that connects the tread to any surface standing lower in the valley. Terraces are commonly used to reconstruct the history of a river valley. Because the presence of a terrace scarp requires river downcutting, some significant change in controlling…

human nervous system: Vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII or 8): …located in the vestibular (Scarpa) ganglion. The central processes of these neurons exit the temporal bone via the internal acoustic meatus and enter the brainstem alongside the facial nerve.

Italian literature: Fiction at the turn of the 21st century: …of the market—are Niccolò Ammaniti, Tiziano Scarpa, Isabella Santacroce, Aldo Nove (pseudonym of Antonello Satta Centanin), Simona Vinci, Daniele Luttazzi, Silvia Ballestra, Luisa Brancaccio, Francesca Mazzucato, Matteo Galiazzo, and Carlo Lucarelli. Ammaniti’s Io non ho paura (2001, film 2003; I’m Not Scared) chronicles a young boy’s loss of innocence after…

Kárpathos, island of the Dodecanese (Modern Greek: Dodekánisa) group in the Aegean Sea, southeastern Greece. With neighbouring islands, it constitutes the perifereiakí enótita (regional unit) and dímos (municipality) of Kárpathos in the South Aegean (Nótio Aigaío) periféreia (region). The principal

Patricia Cornwell: …develop the fictional character of Kay Scarpetta, who had appeared in minor roles in the early attempts. Scarpetta—much like Cornwell in appearance and ideology and seemingly a self-portrait—was featured as a medical examiner in Postmortem (1990), and with this book Cornwell’s writing career was launched. The series continued with such…

François de Lorraine, 2e duc de Guise was a French soldier and loyal servant to the French crown, the greatest figure produced by the House of Guise. He fought in Francis I’s army and was badly wounded at the siege of Boulogne (1545), earning him the nickname “the Scarred.” In 1547 his countship of

Belle Harris Bennett: …to Nashville, Tennessee, and renamed Scarritt College for Christian Workers.) In 1897 she opened the Sue Bennett Memorial School, named for an older sister, in London, Kentucky.

Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon was the second wife and untitled queen of King Louis XIV of France. She encouraged an atmosphere of dignity and piety at court and founded an educational institution for poor girls at Saint-Cyr (1686). She was born at Niort, in Poitou, perhaps in the same

Paul Scarron was a French writer who contributed significantly to the development of three literary genres: the drama, the burlesque epic, and the novel. He is best known today for Le Roman comique (“The Comic Novel”) and as the first husband of Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, the

English literature: The court wits: readers is Charles Cotton, whose Scarronides (1664–65), travesties of Books I and IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, set a fashion for poetic burlesque. He is valued today, however, for work that attracted less contemporary interest but was to be admired by the Romantics William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, and Charles Lamb. The…

Richard Scarry was an American author and illustrator known for his large detailed picture books for young children. He published more than 250 books that collectively have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and have been translated into some 30 languages. His popular Best Ever educational book

Richard Scarry was an American author and illustrator known for his large detailed picture books for young children. He published more than 250 books that collectively have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and have been translated into some 30 languages. His popular Best Ever educational book

Scarsdale, village and town (township), Westchester county, southeastern New York, U.S. It is a northern residential suburb of New York City. The site was settled in 1701, following its purchase by Caleb Heathcote, who received a royal edict from William III for the Manor of Scarsdale, so named for

migration: Other animals: …with the parrot fish (Scarus) have demonstrated a Sun compass reaction that may also occur in other fishes. Localization of the Sun is, however, much more difficult in water than in the air, because of the characteristics of light rays passing through water. Experiments suggest that topographical clues are…

David Bowie: …the impressive artistic resolve of Scary Monsters (1980) and the equally impressive commercial calculation of Let’s Dance (1983), which produced three American top 20 hits, Bowie’s work grew steadily more trivial. In tandem with an acting career that, since his arresting debut in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to…

David Cross: Mr. Show with Bob and David: …2001 include Ghost World and Scary Movie 2. He also made guest appearances on various TV shows, including NewsRadio, Strangers with Candy, and Just Shoot Me!

Charlie Sheen: Starring roles on TV: Spin City, Two and a Half Men, and Anger Management: …Sheen appeared in the films Scary Movie 3 (2003), Scary Movie 4 (2006), and Scary Movie V (2013) and reprised his role as Bud Fox in a brief scene in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010). In 2012 he returned to sitcoms with Anger Management. His other TV work has…

Spice Girls: …England), Scary Spice (byname of Melanie Janine Brown; b. May 29, 1975, Yorkshire, England), and Baby Spice (byname of Emma Lee Bunton; b. January 21, 1976, London, England).

scat: …best-known species, the scat, or argus fish (S. argus), is a popular freshwater aquarium fish when small. Scats commonly reach a length of 30 cm (1 foot). The young are colourful little fish with reddish or greenish bodies dotted with black spots, but the adults gradually lose their bright colours…

concussion: Physical examination and evaluation: …the sidelines by using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT), the first version of which was developed during the 2004 Second International Conference on Concussion in Sport. SCAT is a standardized tool used by medical professionals that combines various earlier concussion-evaluation tools.

scat, in biology, any of four species of fishes constituting the family Scatophagidae (order Perciformes). The few species are placed into two genera, Selenotoca and Scatophagus. They are found in marine waters or estuaries of the Indo-Pacific region from the western coast of India to New Guinea

scat, in music, jazz vocal style using emotive, onomatopoeic, and nonsense syllables instead of words in solo improvisations on a melody. Scat has dim antecedents in the West African practice of assigning fixed syllables to percussion patterns, but the style was made popular by trumpeter and singer

scat, in music, jazz vocal style using emotive, onomatopoeic, and nonsense syllables instead of words in solo improvisations on a melody. Scat has dim antecedents in the West African practice of assigning fixed syllables to percussion patterns, but the style was made popular by trumpeter and singer

Scáthach, (Gaelic: “The Shadowy One”), in Celtic mythology, female warrior, especially noted as a teacher of warriors. Scáthach was the daughter of Árd-Greimne of Lethra. She lived on an island (thought to be the Isle of Skye) in an impregnable castle, the gate of which was guarded by her daughter

scatologia, deviant sexual practice in which sexual pleasure is obtained through the compulsive use of obscene language. The affected person commonly satisfies his desires through obscene telephone calls, usually to strangers. Such telephone encounters may be extremely frightening to the

scat, in biology, any of four species of fishes constituting the family Scatophagidae (order Perciformes). The few species are placed into two genera, Selenotoca and Scatophagus. They are found in marine waters or estuaries of the Indo-Pacific region from the western coast of India to New Guinea

dung fly, (family Scatophagidae), any member of a family of insects in the fly order, Diptera, that are yellow or brown in colour and are common in pastures. In most species the eggs are laid in cow dung. The larvae then feed on the dung, speeding its decomposition. In other species the larvae feed

scat: …best-known species, the scat, or argus fish (S. argus), is a popular freshwater aquarium fish when small. Scats commonly reach a length of 30 cm (1 foot). The young are colourful little fish with reddish or greenish bodies dotted with black spots, but the adults gradually lose their bright colours…

statistics: Least squares method: …in Figure 4, called a scatter diagram. Values of the independent variable, stress test score, are given on the horizontal axis, and values of the dependent variable, blood pressure, are shown on the vertical axis. The line passing through the data points is the graph of the estimated regression equation:…

Ten Depictions of Hell: Scattered Deformities in the End (2007) by Fuyuko Matsui: Her painting Scattered Deformities in the End, for example, uses a traditional method of the Nihonga style, employing powdered mineral pigments on silk. The subject, a ghostly nude woman running through an eerie wood, recalls the ghost paintings that were produced in Japan beginning in the 15th…

comet: Dynamics: …Jupiter-family comets is called the scattered disk, Kuiper belt comets that are in more inclined and eccentric orbits but with perihelia close to Neptune. Neptune can gravitationally scatter comets from the scattered disk inward to become Jupiter-family comets or outward to the Oort cloud.

Jack Kerouac: Sketching, poetry, and Buddhism: In the posthumously published collection Scattered Poems (1971), he proposed that the “Western haiku” simply say a lot in three short lines:

X-ray: Wave nature: …they can be “polarized” by scattering from a solid. Polarization refers to the orientation of the oscillations in a transverse wave; all electromagnetic waves are transverse oscillations of electric and magnetic fields. The very short wavelengths of X-rays, hinted at in early diffraction studies in which the rays were passed…

scattering, in physics, a change in the direction of motion of a particle because of a collision with another particle. As defined in physics, a collision can occur between particles that repel one another, such as two positive (or negative) ions, and need not involve direct physical contact of the

radiation measurement: Fast-neutron detectors: …energy transferred varies with the scattering angle, which in hydrogen covers a continuum from zero (corresponding to grazing-angle scattering) up to the full neutron energy (corresponding to a head-on collision). Thus, when monoenergetic fast neutrons strike a material containing hydrogen, a spectrum of recoil protons is produced that ranges in…

Kuiper belt: Orbital subpopulations: …with Neptune are called “scattering KBOs.” Scattering KBOs are on orbits that are unstable on million-year timescales. These objects are thought to be in transition from being metastable KBOs to becoming Centaur objects and eventually short-period comets. The metastable region that supplies the scattering population is not known, but…

Kuiper belt: Orbital subpopulations: …with Neptune are called “scattering KBOs.” Scattering KBOs are on orbits that are unstable on million-year timescales. These objects are thought to be in transition from being metastable KBOs to becoming Centaur objects and eventually short-period comets. The metastable region that supplies the scattering population is not known, but…

deep-scattering layer, horizontal zone of living organisms, usually schools of fish, occurring below the surface in many ocean areas, so called because the layer scatters or reflects sound waves, causing echoes in depth sounders. Originally mistaken by some for the ocean bottom, the deep-scattering

S-matrix, in quantum mechanics, array of mathematical quantities that predicts the probabilities of all possible outcomes of a given experimental situation. For instance, two particles in collision may alter in speed and direction or even change into entirely new particles: the S-matrix for the

lungfish: Evolution: Scaumenacia and Phaneropleuron, common forms in the Late Devonian (about 382.7 million to 358.9 million years ago), exhibited a much-reduced first dorsal fin (the first fin forward on the back); the second dorsal fin was enlarged and had shifted further toward the tail. Lungfish of…

scaup, (genus Aythya), any of three species of diving ducks (family Anatidae). The greater scaup (A. marila), also called the big bluebill, breeds across Eurasia and most of the Nearctic region. The lesser scaup (A. affinis), a New World species also known as the little bluebill, breeds across the

Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was a leader of the Optimates (conservative senatorial aristocrats) and one of the most influential men in the Roman government about 100 bc. Marcus Tullius Cicero, in his speech “In Defense of Fonteius,” wrote that the world was almost ruled by a nod of Scaurus’s head.

Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was a quaestor and proquaestor to Gnaeus Pompey in the third war (74–63) between Rome and King Mithradates of Pontus (in northeastern Anatolia). Scaurus was the son of a powerful politician of the same name. In 64, Scaurus marched to Judaea, where he—perhaps after being

scavenger, animal that feeds partly or wholly on the bodies of dead animals. Many invertebrates, such as carrion beetles, live almost entirely on decomposing animal matter. The burying beetles actually enter the dead bodies of small animals before feeding on them underground. Among vertebrates

immune system: Scavenger cells: All higher animals and many lower ones have scavenger cells—primarily leukocytes (white blood cells)—that destroy infectious agents. Most vertebrates, including all birds and mammals, possess two main kinds of scavenger cells. Their importance was first recognized in 1884 by Russian biologist Élie Metchnikoff,…

Elsa Maxwell: …credited with inventing the “scavenger hunt” that became a popular party game in the 1930s. Maxwell returned to New York City in the early 1930s, but the Depression prompted her to move to Hollywood in 1938, where she appeared in several not very successful movie shorts, including Elsa Maxwell’s…

food additive: Antioxidants: …the free radicals (called free radical scavengers) can slow the rate of autoxidation. These antioxidants include the naturally occurring tocopherols (vitamin E derivatives) and the synthetic compounds butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ).

coin: Early Anglo-Saxon coins: …that of small thick silver sceats (meaning “a portion”; about 1.29 grams, or 20 grains) of essentially different style. Some had Runic legends, including the name Peada, supposedly a reference to the king (flourished 656) of Mercia; most, however, were nonregal, and their legends are Latinized. Types were varied, and…

Sceaux ware, tin-glazed earthenware and porcelain made at a factory in Sceaux, Fr., from 1748 to 1794. Both were skillfully painted in a large range of enamel colours with landscape and figure subjects and with minutely exact flowers and birds. Cupids in pink outline derived from the paintings of

Grand Harbour: …separated from Marsamxett harbour by Mount Sceberras, a rocky promontory on which Valletta, Malta’s capital, is built. The story of Malta is intimately linked with that of Grand Harbour. With the growth of the Dockyard Creek complex in the late 19th century, settlements around Grand Harbour increased. The harbour is…

Federico Fellini: Early life and influences: …feature, Lo sceicco bianco (1952; The White Sheik), a satire on the fumetti (photographic comic strips) and their fanatical fans. However, his first critical and commercial success, I vitelloni (1953; Spivs or The Young and the Passionate), exhibited little fantasy. Based on his own adolescence in Rimini, it faithfully reflects…

Skellig Michael, monastic settlement situated on an island off the coast of County Kerry in southwestern Ireland that was founded between the 6th and 8th centuries. Skellig Michael, a pyramidal rock nearly 715 feet (218 meters) tall, lies 8 miles (13 km) from the Irish mainland in the Atlantic

Shchyokino, city and centre of a rayon (sector), Tula oblast (region), western Russia. Coal mining began in the locality in 1870, exploiting the lignite (brown coal) of the Moscow coalfield; chemical concerns, the product of foreign investment, were also soon established. Shchyokino later developed

scél, (Old Irish: “story”; pl. scéla), in the Gaelic literature of Ireland, early prose and verse legends of gods and folk heroes, most of which originated during or before the 11th century. Scéla were divided into primary and secondary types. The primary, or most important, were classified

Mario Scelba: …phases is known as the Scelba Law.

Mario Scelba was an Italian lawyer and Christian Democrat politician who was premier from 1954 to 1955. A graduate of the University of Rome, Scelba began his political career in the Popular Party. When this party was suppressed in 1923 for opposing the Fascists, Scelba retired to private life. In

laughing owl, (Sceloglaux albifacies), an extinct bird of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes) that was native to New Zealand. It was last seen in the early 1900s. Laughing owls nested on the ground, where they fell prey to cats, rats, goats, and weasels. About 40 cm (1.3 feet) long and