How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials: Once contracted from rye bread, ergotism (also called St. Anthony’s fire) causes severe convulsions, muscle spasms, delusions, the sensation of crawling under the skin, and, in extreme cases, gangrene of the extremities. Severe hallucinations can also be a symptom, as lysergic acid is the substance from which the…

Dioscoreaceae: Black bryony (Tamus communis) is a European perennial vine with yellow flowers, poisonous red berries, and poisonous blackish root tubers. Dioscorea is a principal raw material used in the manufacture of birth-control pills.

buffalo weaver: …more widespread species is the black buffalo weaver, or oxbird (Bubalornis albirostris); it is black, with white in the wings. The white-headed buffalo weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli), confined to eastern Africa, is brown and white, with red rump and vent. Both are stout-bodied, heavy-billed birds 20–25 cm (8–10 inches) long. In…

burn: Such burns are of the fourth degree, also called black (because of the typical colour of the burn), or char, burns. Fourth-degree burns are of grave prognosis, particularly if they involve more than a small portion of the body. In these deep burns toxic materials may be released into the…

vulture: New World vultures: …New World vultures include the black vulture (Coragyps atratus), a New World vulture sometimes called a black buzzard or, inappropriately, a carrion crow. The black vulture, the most abundant vulture species of all, is a resident of the tropics and subtropics that often wanders far into temperate regions. It is…

black caiman, (Melanosuchus niger), large caiman species best known as being the largest predator in the Amazon River basin and the largest member of the alligator family (Alligatoridae). The species is found in wetlands, flooded savannas, rivers, and other freshwater environments in northern South

Black Canary, American comic strip superhero created for DC Comics by writer Bob Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The character first appeared in Flash Comics no. 86 (August 1947). Although she would go on to become one of DC’s most-enduring street-level heroes, Black Canary began her career

Augustinian, member of any of the Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations of men and women whose constitutions are based on the Rule of St. Augustine. More specifically, the name is used to designate members of two main branches of Augustinians—namely, the Augustinian Canons and the

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, natural area in western Colorado, U.S., encompassing a deep, narrow gorge 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose. It was established as a national monument in 1933 and was elevated to national park status in 1999; the park occupies an area of 47 square miles

caracara: …eater (Milvago chimango), and the black caracara (Daptrius ater). The smaller South American species eat insects.

black cumin, (Nigella sativa), annual plant of the ranunculus family (Ranunculaceae) grown for its pungent seeds, which are used as a spice and in herbal medicine. The black cumin plant is found in southwestern Asia and parts of the Mediterranean region and Africa, where it has a long history of

pen drawing: One was black carbon ink, made from extremely fine particles of the soot of burnt oils or resins in a solution of glue or gum arabic. The finest type of black carbon ink was known as Chinese ink and was the prototype of the modern black India…

Latin American dance: Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela: …is the punta of the Garifuna—a cultural group of mixed Amerindian and African origin—found on the Atlantic coast of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Punta is a social dance of joy and festivity, as well as an emblem of cultural survival. In its festive aspect, punta allows dancers to interact…

Garífuna language, an Arawakan language spoken by approximately 190,000 people in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and also by many who have emigrated to the United States. The language’s presence in Central America is relatively recent. African slaves mingled with the Caribs of Saint

Asian carp: bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), following their accidental introduction into waterways in the United States, are collectively referred to as Asian carp.

fisher, (Martes pennanti), North American carnivore of northern forests (taiga), trapped for its valuable brownish black fur (especially fine in the female). It is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). The fisher has a weasel-like body, bushy tail, tapered muzzle, and low rounded ears. Adults

Edgar G. Ulmer: Early work: …had a less-controversial hit with The Black Cat (1934), though the subject matter was still sensationalistic. The classic horror film, a Universal production that was inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe short story, was the first to pair Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The latter played Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a…

The Black Cat, short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in The Saturday Evening Post in August 1843 and included in Poe’s 1845 collection Tales. The narrator of “The Black Cat” is an animal lover who, as he descends into alcoholism and perverse violence, begins mistreating his wife and his

Emir Kusturica: Hollywood and a second Golden Palm: … Crna mačka, beli mačor (1998; Black Cat, White Cat). It marked a shift in his visual expression, switching from relatively bleak and gray to colourful, almost flamboyant. The movie was awarded a Silver Lion award for directing at the Venice Film Festival.

catbird: The black catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris) is found in coastal Yucatán.

Rosales: Wood: …wood of Prunus serotina (black cherry) and P. avium (European wild, or sweet, cherry) is used to make high-quality furniture, and the wood of Pyrus communis (pear) is also highly valued. The wood of black cherry, native to North America, has a reddish brown colour and a warm luster…

chokecherry: Major varieties: …and dark red fruit; and black chokecherry (P. virginiana, variety melanocarpa), with black fruit.

Esquipulas: …Guatemala to house the spectacular Black Christ. The figure, commissioned by Spanish conquistadors and first placed in a local church in 1595, was carved out of dark wood in 1594. It is now dressed in white satin and adorned with jewels. Major religious processions occur on January 15 and during…

Countee Cullen: After publication of The Black Christ and Other Poems (1929), Cullen’s reputation as a poet waned. From 1934 until the end of his life he taught in New York City public schools. Most notable among his other works are Copper Sun (1927), The Ballad of the Brown Girl…

Brașov: …restored 1711–15), is called the Black Church because of its smoke-blackened walls resulting from a 1689 fire. In Brașov are several theatres and museums and a university. “The Apostle of Transylvania,” Johannes Honterus (1498–1549), who led the Protestant Reformation in the area, lived and died in Brașov (then Kronstadt) and…

Black Codes, in U.S. history, the numerous laws adopted in the states of the former Confederacy after the American Civil War that were intended to maintain white supremacy in those places. Enacted in 1865 and 1866, the Black Codes were designed to replace the social controls previously exerted over

bugbane: …(4 feet) tall, and the black cohosh, or black snakeroot (C. racemosa; see photograph), about 180 cm (5.91 feet) tall, have roots that have been used medicinally. C. foetida, native to Europe and Siberia, is used medicinally by the Chinese. These species are sometimes grown in the shady woodland garden…

black humour, writing that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life. Black humour often uses farce and low comedy to make clear that individuals are helpless victims of fate and character. Though in 1940 the French Surrealist

Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), South African anti-apartheid movement that began in the late 1960s. Originating on university campuses, it espoused Black cultural pride and political solidarity while firmly denouncing white liberal inactivity. Though the movement began to decline after the

coral: …Scleractinia) number about 1,000 species; black corals and thorny corals (Antipatharia), about 100 species; horny corals, or gorgonians (Gorgonacea), about 1,200 species; and blue corals (Coenothecalia), one living species.

assassin bug: Predatory behavior: The black corsair (Melanolestes picipes), a black-colored insect about 13 to 20 mm (0.5 to 0.8 inch) long and usually found under stones and bark, can inflict painful bites on humans. The masked hunter (or masked bedbug hunter; Reduvius personatus), when threatened, will also bite humans,…

poplar: Common species: The western balsam poplar, also called black cottonwood (P. trichocarpa), grows some 60 metres (195 feet) tall and is one of the largest deciduous trees of northwestern North America.

coucal: The black, or black-chested, coucal (C. toulou) is 33 cm (13 inches) long. All black except for brown wings, it is whitish streaked in nonbreeding plumage (the only cuckoo to have seasonal coloration change). It ranges from eastern Africa to Southeast Asia.

Black Country, industrial region closely corresponding to the small south Staffordshire coalfield in the Midlands region of England; its name derives from its pollution-coated industrial landscape. The Black Country extends immediately to the west of the city of Birmingham, which itself lies off

Black cowboys, African American horsemen who wrangled cattle in the western United States in the late 1800s and beyond. Though they were almost entirely excluded from the mythology of the American cowboy, it is estimated that Black men accounted for nearly a quarter of all cattle workers in the

Noomi Rapace: …the postapocalyptic Svart krabba (Black Crab) and in You Won’t Be Alone (both 2022); the latter, an exploration of identity and belonging, follows a young woman raised in isolation who becomes a shape-shifting witch.

crake: Africa’s black crake (Limnocorax flavirostra) is a 20-centimetre- (8-inch-) long form, black with a green bill and pink legs. It is less secretive than most. Pygmy crakes (Sarothrura species), about 14 cm (6 inches) long, are very secretive, inhabiting swampy African forests. Other New World crakes…

crappie: …in colour than the similar black crappie, or calico bass (P. nigromaculatus), which tends to frequent clear lakes and streams.

hantavirus: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: …in Florida, caused by the Black Creek Canal virus (carried by the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus); Louisiana, caused by the Bayou virus (carried by the marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris); Chile and Argentina, caused by the Andes virus (carried by

gibbon: The black crested gibbon (N. concolor) is found from southern China into northernmost Vietnam and Laos. The northern white-cheeked gibbon, or white-cheeked gibbon (N. leucogenys), and the southern white-cheeked gibbon (N. siki) are found farther south. The red-cheeked gibbon (N. gabriellae) lives in southern Vietnam and…

animal behaviour: Behavioral genetics: …the calling behaviour that male crickets (Gryllus integer) use to attract females has been measured. In any one population, some males chirp away for many hours each night, others call for just a few hours, and still others almost never call. The heritability of calling duration for one Canadian population…

musical: Origin: …1866 the first musical comedy, The Black Crook, opened in New York City. It was later described as a combination of French Romantic ballet and German melodrama, and it attracted patrons of opera and serious drama, as well as those of burlesque shows. In the late 1890s the British showman…

crowberry: Species: Crowberry, or black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), is native to cool regions of North America, Asia, and Europe and is the most common species of the genus. Purple crowberry, or rockberry (E. eamesii), is found in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, and red crowberry (E. rubrum)…

black cumin, (Nigella sativa), annual plant of the ranunculus family (Ranunculaceae) grown for its pungent seeds, which are used as a spice and in herbal medicine. The black cumin plant is found in southwestern Asia and parts of the Mediterranean region and Africa, where it has a long history of

black currant, (Ribes nigrum), species of currant in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. Native to temperate areas of northern Eurasia, the plant is widely cultivated in Europe and other areas with suitable climates. The tart fruits are very high in vitamin C and can be eaten

cypress pine: Major species: …columellaris), found throughout Australia; the black cypress pine (C. endlicheri) of eastern Australia, locally also called black pine, red pine, and scrub pine; the Port Macquarie pine, or stringybark (C. macleayana), of southeastern Australia; and the common cypress pine (C. preissii) of southern Australia, often shrubby near the seacoast, with…

Joyce Carol Oates: Novels and short stories: The stories in Black Dahlia and White Rose (2012) are threaded with menace and violence; the title piece is a fictionalization of the sensational 1947 Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles. Evil Eye: Four Novellas of Love Gone Wrong (2014) features tales that explore the sinister possibilities of…

Brian De Palma: Later work: The Black Dahlia (2006), set in 1947 Los Angeles, was a flawed adaptation of James Ellroy’s noir novel about two policemen (Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart) investigating the grisly murder of an aspiring actress. De Palma also directed the Iraq War drama Redacted (2007), which…

James Ellroy: Quartet series: The Black Dahlia (1987; film 2006), The Big Nowhere (1988), L.A. Confidential (1990; film 1997), and White Jazz (1992). Perfidia (2014) was the first volume in his second L.A. Quartet. The novel, which chronologically precedes the events of the

Nancy Huston: …Agonia), and Danse noire (2013; Black Dance). She won the Prix Femina for Lignes de faille (2006), a translation into French of her novel Fault Lines, originally written in English but not published in that language until 2007.

Black Death, pandemic that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, taking a proportionately greater toll of life than any other known epidemic or war up to that time. It is estimated that 25 million people died. The Black Death is widely believed to have been the result of plague, caused by infection

Han Kang: Education: …the mystery Geomeun saseum (“Black Deer”), was published later that year.

African American English (AAE), a language variety that has also been identified at different times in dialectology and literary studies as Black English, black dialect, and Negro (nonstandard) English. Since the late 1980s, the term has been used ambiguously, sometimes with reference to only

Ousmane Sembène: …novel, Le Docker noir (Black Docker), based on his experiences in Marseille. After a spinal disorder forced him to give up physical labour, he made literature his livelihood. Among the works that followed were Ô pays, mon beau peuple! (1957; “O My Country, My Good People”), Les Bouts de…

Led Zeppelin: Distinctive sound and style: …riff for the celebrated “Black Dog,” on the band’s fourth (officially untitled) album, and several other songs. Jones also contributed much to the arrangement of songs. Page’s guitar solos were based primarily on melodic ideas derived from the blues scale (“Heartbreaker” on Led Zeppelin II is a good example),…

Stephen Dobyns: (1976), Heat Death (1980), Black Dog, Red Dog (1984), Cemetery Nights (1987), Velocities: New and Selected Poems, 1966–1992 (1994), Common Carnage (1996), The Porcupine’s Kisses (2002), Winter’s Journey (2010), and The Day’s Last Light Reddens the Leaves of the Copper Beech

Ian McEwan: Major novels: espionage during the Cold War; Black Dogs (1992) tells the story of a husband and wife who have lived apart since a honeymoon incident made clear their essential moral antipathy; and The Daydreamer (1994) explores the imaginary world of a creative 10-year-old boy.

Mount Mitchell, highest peak in North Carolina and in the United States east of the Mississippi River, reaching an elevation of 6,684 feet (2,037 metres). It is located in Yancey county, in the western part of the state, about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of Asheville in the Black Mountains. The

ringworm: Black dot ringworm, also a ringworm of the scalp, derives its distinctive appearance and name from the breaking of the hairs at the scalp surface. Except for ringworm of the scalp, which tends to be highly contagious, the contraction of ringworm depends to a large…

Sir James Douglas was the lord of the Douglas family and champion of Robert de Bruce (King Robert I of Scotland). Son of Sir William Douglas (d. c. 1298), who was captured by the English and died in the Tower of London, Sir James was educated in Paris and returned home to find an Englishman, Robert

Ana Castillo: The memoir Black Dove: Mamá, Mi’jo, and Me appeared in 2016.

Keira Knightley: Later films and theatrical work: …murder in the Netflix miniseries Black Doves. For her performance, Knightley earned a Golden Globe nomination.

taiga: Natural disturbances: The so-called Black Dragon Fire of 1987 in China and Russia may have been the largest single fire in the world in the past several hundred years. During the 20th century about 1 million hectares of taiga in Canada burned annually; a great majority of the burning…

Japan: The weakening of party government: Most, like the Black Dragon Society (Kokuryūkai), combined continental adventurism and a strong nationalist stance with opposition to party government, big business, acculturation, and Westernization. By allying with other rightists, they alternately terrorized and intimidated their presumed opponents. A number of business leaders and political figures were killed,…

drongo: …Asia is the 33-cm (13-inch) black drongo (D. macrocercus), also called king crow because it can intimidate the true crow. The 24-cm (9.5-inch) African drongo (D. adsimilis; perhaps the same as D. macrocercus) is common throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

drum: …an air bladder; and the sea drum, or black drum (Pogonias cromis), a gray or coppery red, western Atlantic fish.

black duck, (Anas rubripes), highly prized game bird (family Anatidae) of eastern North America, inhabiting salt, brackish, and freshwater marshes, as well as lakes, rivers, and beaver ponds. These ducks winter from Nebraska to Texas and along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida; their

honeybee: Apis species: andreniformis, the black dwarf honeybee, is native to forested habitats of southeastern Asia. A. dorsata, the giant honeybee, also occurs in southeastern Asia and sometimes builds combs nearly three meters (more than nine feet) in diameter. A. cerana, the Eastern honeybee, is native to southern and southeastern…

white dwarf star: …object is sometimes called a black dwarf.

Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchayev: …Russia and introduced the term chernozem to describe the black soil, rich in carbonates and humus, that occurs in the temperate latitudes of Russia. Dokuchayev viewed soil as the result of interaction between climate, bedrock, and organisms. In 1898 he introduced a classification of Russian soils that showed that similar…

Michaela Coel: Acting roles in the 2010s: …role in the thriller series Black Earth Rising alongside John Goodman and starred in the film Been So Long, which was written by Walker.

James Blish: …Blish considered as one work: Black Easter; or, Faust Aleph-Null (1968) and The Day After Judgement (1971), a fantasy in which Satan and his demons conquer Earth.

ebony: …and hard heartwood known as black ebony, as billetwood, or as Gabon, Lagos, Calabar, or Niger ebony.

Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe: …to benefit from the country’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws, which required companies to have a minimum 26 percent black ownership before a mining license would be granted. In 1994 Motsepe founded a mine services company, Future Mining, and applied all of his life experience—knowledge of the mining trade and…

Dipsacales: Adoxaceae: European, or black, elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is commonly used in herbal medicine.

Black Elk Speaks: …Sioux) warrior and holy man Black Elk, published in 1932. Black Elk dictated his life story to Nebraska-based writer John G. Neihardt in Lakota, with Black Elk’s son Ben serving as an English translator and Neihardt’s daughter Enid transcribing their conversations. Neihardt then shaped the conversations into an autobiographical narrative.

Black Elk Peak, highest point (7,242 feet [2,207 metres]) in the Black Hills and in South Dakota, U.S., and the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It is found about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Custer near Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The granite peak, noted for its

Black Elk Speaks, the autobiography of Oglala Lakota (Oceti Sakowin, or Sioux) warrior and holy man Black Elk, published in 1932. Black Elk dictated his life story to Nebraska-based writer John G. Neihardt in Lakota, with Black Elk’s son Ben serving as an English translator and Neihardt’s daughter

Black Elk Speaks, the autobiography of Oglala Lakota (Oceti Sakowin, or Sioux) warrior and holy man Black Elk, published in 1932. Black Elk dictated his life story to Nebraska-based writer John G. Neihardt in Lakota, with Black Elk’s son Ben serving as an English translator and Neihardt’s daughter

scorpion: Size range and diversity of structure: Giants among scorpions include the black emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator), an African species found in Guinea, which attains a body length of about 18 cm (7 inches) and a mass of 60 grams (more than 2 ounces). The longest scorpion in the world is the rock scorpion (Hadogenes troglodytes) of…

African American English (AAE), a language variety that has also been identified at different times in dialectology and literary studies as Black English, black dialect, and Negro (nonstandard) English. Since the late 1980s, the term has been used ambiguously, sometimes with reference to only

African American Vernacular English (AAVE), variety of American English spoken by a large proportion of Black Americans. Many scholars hold that AAVE, like several English creoles, developed from contacts between nonstandard varieties of colonial English and African languages. Its exact origins

Black Entertainment Television (BET Media Group) is an American cable television network providing news, entertainment, and other programming developed primarily for African American viewers. BET also operates a channel geared toward Black women, BET Her; features contemporary and 20th-century

Black Eyed Peas, American musical group with an eclectic range of styles encompassing hip-hop, dance, and pop. The Black Eyed Peas originated in the underground hip-hop movement of the 1990s. After the dissolution of their group Atban Klann, rappers will.i.am (byname of William James Adams, Jr.; b.

African Meeting House, meetinghouse, built in 1806 and located at 46 Joy Street in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., that is the oldest standing church for African Americans in the United States. It was one of four separate churches—two of which (including the African Meeting House) were Baptist and two

Black feminism, political and social movement that focuses on the multidimensional aspects of the oppression of Black women in the United States and other countries. As a field of study, Black feminism differs from mainstream feminism in that it seeks to understand the injustices affecting the

Barbara Christian: …to Accompany Black Foremothers (1980); Black Feminist Criticism: Perspectives on Black Women Writers (1985), a work emphasizing literary, textual analysis of fiction by black women; From the Inside Out: Afro-American Women’s Literary Tradition and the State (1987); and Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Other Works: A Critical Commentary (1987).…

rugby: Women and rugby: …national team, known as the Black Ferns, who won both the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. The Black Ferns’ success can be attributed to the NZRFU’s providing the national team with leading coaches and training facilities, as well as operating the game in a professionalized manner not dissimilar to the…

African American literature: The Black Arts movement: …appeared in the landmark anthology Black Fire, edited by Baraka and Larry Neal. One of the most versatile leaders of the Black Arts movement, Neal summed up its goals as the promotion of self-determination, solidarity, and nationhood among African Americans.

Black Flag, American rock band whose extensive touring and prolific recording helped to popularize hardcore punk, the genre that arose in California in the early 1980s in response to the punk movement of the 1970s. The original members were guitarist Greg Ginn, bassist Chuck Dukowski, lead singer

China: Vietnam: …escaped from China, including the Black Flags, who were under the command of Liu Yung-fu, a confederate of the Taiping. After a small French force had occupied some key points in Tongkin in 1873, a treaty was signed at Saigon in March 1874 that stipulated the sovereignty and independence of…

Niger River: Hydrology of Niger River: …and October; a second rise—the black flood (so called because of the greater sediment content)—begins in December with the arrival of floodwaters from upstream. May and June are the low-water months in the middle stretch. On the Benue there is only one high-water season. Because of the Benue’s more southerly…

black fly, (family Simuliidae), any member of a family of about 1,800 species of small, humpbacked flies in the order Diptera. Black flies are usually black or dark gray, with gauzy wings, stout antennae and legs, and rather short mouthparts that are adapted for sucking blood. Only females bite and

Black Forest, mountain region, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, source of the Danube and Neckar rivers. It occupies an area of 2,320 square miles (6,009 square km) and extends toward the northeast for about 100 miles (160 km) from Säckingen on the Upper Rhine River (at the

Painted Desert: Notable there is the Black Forest Bed, one of four remarkable areas of petrified trees of Triassic age (i.e., dating from about 252 million to 201 million years ago). The rocks in that formation are some 213 million years old. Navajo and Hopi reservations occupy a large part of…

forest cobra: peroescobari), the black forest cobra (N. guineensis), and the West African banded cobra (N. savannula).

fox: The red fox: In North America black and silver coats are found, with a variable amount of white or white-banded hair occurring in a black coat. A form called the cross, or brant, fox, found in both North America and the Old World, is yellowish brown with a black cross extending…

fisher, (Martes pennanti), North American carnivore of northern forests (taiga), trapped for its valuable brownish black fur (especially fine in the female). It is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). The fisher has a weasel-like body, bushy tail, tapered muzzle, and low rounded ears. Adults

Pixies: …know as Black Francis and Frank Black; b. April 6, 1965, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.), Joey Santiago (b. June 10, 1965, Manila, Philippines), Kim Deal (b. June 10, 1961, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.), and David Lovering (b. December 6, 1961, Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S.).

Dominican, member of the Order of Friars Preachers, also called the Order of Preachers (O.P.), one of the four great mendicant orders of the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded by St. Dominic in 1215. Its members include friars, nuns, active religious sisters, and lay Dominicans. From the