When people talk about dangerous snakes like black mambas and cobras, at least one person in the conversation will ask whether the snake is poisonous. Bolstered by medical references and haphazard mentions on television and elsewhere in the mass media, the phrase “poisonous snake” has been drilled

Adding confusion to the politics of climate change and global warming in the press is the assumption that the terms weather and climate are at some level interchangeable. The two terms are confused with one another, presumably because the same elements (solar radiation, temperature, humidity, wind

Have you ever heard the traditional folk song “Whiskey in the Jar”? Or is that “Whisky in the Jar”? Just what is the difference between “whiskey” and “whisky”? And while we are at it, how do Scotch, bourbon, and rye figure in all of this? First of all, they are all types of whiskey (or whisky—more

With an area of more than 3,800,000 square miles (9,840,000 square km), the United States is the third largest country in the world by area. Although its 50 states vary widely in size, one is by far the biggest: Alaska. At 665,384 square miles (1,723,337 square km), it is more than double the size

The volcanic explosion of Krakatoa (1883) is considered the loudest modern sound ever heard, an estimated 310 decibels. The catastrophic blast, which occurred on Rakata Island, Indonesia, was heard as far as 3,000 miles (4,800 km) away. Here’s a look at how Krakatoa stacks up against other loud

Who’s America’s top dog? According to the American Kennel Club, the answer is the French Bulldog. Since 2022 the “Frenchie” has held the title of most popular dog in the United States. The small but sturdy canine dethroned the Labrador Retriever, which had been the most popular breed for 31 years.

Happy hour is an American tradition in which people gather at a local bar or restaurant (more or less between 3:00 and 6:00 pm) for discounted alcoholic beverages and appetizers. For many, it is also a time to congregate with friends or coworkers and have fun before going home after a hard day’s

Oasis: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?: Oasis’s sophomore album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, was released in 1995, with Alan White replacing McCarroll on drums. The first two singles, “Some Might Say” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” reached number one on the U.K. singles charts,…

It’s fourth down, and the offense is just inches from the goal line. What play does the team run? In some cases, the call is the controversial tush push. In this play, the football is snapped to the quarterback, and his teammates then push him forward, trying to drive through the opposing team’s

The “yield curve” might sound like something you learned and forgot about in driver’s ed, but it’s actually an important part of understanding the bond market, borrowing costs, and the broader economy. The yield curve might even tell you when the next recession is coming. Yield curves track

Peter Bogdanovich: Films: What’s Up, Doc? (1972) was less impressive though still a commercial hit. A sometimes strained tribute to Hawks’s Bringing Up Baby (1938), it starred Ryan O’Neal as a musicology professor who lugs around a suitcase full of prehistoric rocks and Barbra Streisand as the madcap…

Woody Allen: Youth and early work: Allen made his first film, What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966), by redubbing a James Bond-like Japanese action film, International Secret Police: Key of Keys (1965), and shifting its focus to the pursuit of a top-secret recipe for egg salad. A year later Allen played Bond’s nephew in Casino Royale. In…

Ashutosh Gowariker: Later works: …out into romantic comedy with What’s Your Raashee? (“What’s Your Sun Sign?”), starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and in 2010 he returned to period films with the thriller Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (“We Play With Passion”), set in the 1930s. The film starred Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan and was…

whataboutism, the rhetorical practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counteraccusation, by asking a different but related question, or by raising a different issue altogether. Whataboutism often serves to reduce the perceived plausibility or seriousness of the

whataboutism, the rhetorical practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counteraccusation, by asking a different but related question, or by raising a different issue altogether. Whataboutism often serves to reduce the perceived plausibility or seriousness of the

Richard Whately was an Anglican archbishop of Dublin, educator, logician, and social reformer. The son of a clergyman, Whately was educated at Oriel College, Oxford, and took holy orders. While at Oxford, he wrote his satiric Historic Doubts Relative to Napoleon Bonaparte (1819), in which he

Michel Houellebecq: Writing career and books: …but translated in English as Whatever; film 1999), it features an unnamed computer technician. This book brought him a wider audience. He then published another volume of poetry, the bleak Le Sens du combat (1996; The Art of Struggle).

André Maurois: …Quesnay (1926) and Climats (1928; Whatever Gods May Be), focus on middle-class provincial life, marriage, and the family. As a historian he demonstrated his interest in the English-speaking world with his popular histories: Histoire de l’Angleterre (1937; “History of England”) and Histoire des États-Unis (1943; “History of the United States”).…

Vanessa Redgrave: Movies of the 1980s and ’90s: … (1990), and Blanche Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1991), a remake of the Bette Davis–Joan Crawford film, in which Redgrave costarred with her sister, Lynn. She received a sixth Oscar nomination for her work in Howards End (1992).

Robert Coover: Books: Among his other works are Whatever Happened to Gloomy Gus of the Chicago Bears? (1987), which casts Nixon as a simpleminded and lascivious football player during the 1930s in a work that skewers the superficial 20th-century notions of the American Dream; Pinocchio in Venice (1991); John’s Wife (1996); Ghost Town…

Henry Cavill: The Tudors and films of the early 2010s: …and the Woody Allen comedy Whatever Works (2009). After The Tudors Cavill proved his skill as an action star, playing Greek hero Theseus in Immortals (2011) and the son of a CIA agent (played by Bruce Willis) in The Cold Light of Day (2012).

Olympic Games: Mascots: The strangest mascot was Whatizit, or Izzy, of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia, a rather amorphous “abstract fantasy figure.” His name comes from people asking “What is it?” He gained more features as the months went by, but his uncertain character and origins contrast strongly with the Athena…

2026 U.S. midterm elections: What are some key states to watch?: …former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. The race is shaping up to be one of the most expensive of the season.

whatnot, series of open shelves supported by two or four upright posts. The passion for collecting and displaying ornamental objects that began in the 18th century and was widespread in the 19th stimulated the production in England and the United States of this whimsically named piece of furniture.

WhatsApp, free messaging application owned by Meta (formerly Facebook). Users can send text and voice messages on the platform or communicate live via voice or video chat. WhatsApp also supports location and image sharing. The service is primarily used on mobile phones, as it requires a mobile

immune system disorder: Type I allergic reactions: Called a wheal-and-flare reaction, it includes swelling, produced by the release of serum into the tissues (wheal), and redness of the skin, resulting from the dilation of blood vessels (flare). If the injected antigen enters the bloodstream and interacts with basophils in the blood as well as…

wheat, any of several species of cereal grasses of the genus Triticum (family Poaceae) and their edible grains. Wheat is one of the oldest and most important of the cereal crops. Of the thousands of varieties known, the most important are common wheat (Triticum aestivum), used to make bread; durum

Wheat Belt, principal crop-growing region of Western Australia, occupying about 60,000 square miles (160,000 square km) in the southwestern section of the state. Served by the Perth-Albany Railway, the crescent-shaped belt is delineated on the west by a line drawn from Geraldton south through

Wheat Belt, the part of the North American Great Plains where wheat is the dominant crop. The belt extends along a north-south axis for more than 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from central Alberta, Canada, to central Texas, U.S. It is subdivided into winter wheat and spring wheat areas. The southern area,

bran: Wheat bran, the most widely processed, contains 16 percent protein, 11 percent natural fibre, and 50 percent carbohydrate. Most bran is coarsely ground for stock feed. In a more refined form, it is used in breakfast cereal, breads, and muffins for its value to the…

bread, baked food product made of flour or meal that is moistened, kneaded, and sometimes fermented. A major food since prehistoric times, it has been made in various forms using a variety of ingredients and methods throughout the world. The first bread was made in Neolithic times, nearly 12,000

cereal farming: Insects: …evidence of attacks from the wheat bug (Aelia and Eurygaster species). The eggs are laid in the spring, and the new generation appears in the summer. When the wheat is harvested, the bugs leave the stubble field and migrate to nearby foliage for the winter. Wheat bugs puncture the grain…

Wheat Field with Crows, oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It is among the most famous and most emotionally evocative of his oeuvre, and its interpretation has been intensely debated. This is one of van Gogh’s final pictures. It was painted in Auvers in July 1890, shortly before his

Jacob van Ruisdael: 1668–70; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), Wheat Fields (c. 1670; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City), and his numerous views of Haarlem—display panoramas of the flat Dutch countryside. The horizon is invariably low and distant and dominated by a vast, clouded sky. Sometimes the small figures in his pictures were…

cereal processing: Flaked cereals: The manufacture of wheat flakes is similar to that of corn flakes. Special machinery separates the individual grains so that they can be flaked and finally toasted.

Rice Mother: …the last sheaf is designated Wheat Mother, Barley Mother, and other grain names).

Denver: Thornton, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge; Golden, about 12 miles (19 km) west of Denver, and Boulder, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest, are also part of the metropolitan region. Greater Denver is at the centre of a string of urban areas that stretches along the Front Range from…

Wheat Belt, principal crop-growing region of Western Australia, occupying about 60,000 square miles (160,000 square km) in the southwestern section of the state. Served by the Perth-Albany Railway, the crescent-shaped belt is delineated on the west by a line drawn from Geraldton south through

wheatear, (genus Oenanthe), any of a group of approximately 20 species of thrushes belonging to the family Muscicapidae. (Some classifications place these birds in family Turdidae.) They resemble wagtails in having pied plumage and the tail-wagging habit (with body bobbing). Wheatears are about 15

wheatgrass: Wheatgrass is also the name of juice derived from seedlings of true wheat (Triticum aestivum), sometimes consumed as a health food.

wheatgrass, (genus Agropyron), genus of wheatlike grasses in the family Poaceae, found throughout the North Temperate Zone. Several species, including desert wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) and crested wheatgrass (A. cristatum), are good forage plants and are often used as soil binders in the

James Buchanan: Retirement: …(March 4), Buchanan retired to Wheatland, his home near Lancaster. His reputation suffered during his years in retirement. Congress, the Republican Party, President Lincoln, the U.S. military, and national newspapers all ridiculed his handling of the Fort Sumter crisis and his failure to prevent the secession of Southern states. The…

John Wheatley was a British Labourite politician and a champion of the working classes. Educated in village schools in Lanarkshire, Scot., Wheatley worked in the coal mines until 1891. After serving two years on the Lanarkshire county council, he was elected to the Glasgow city council in 1912. He

urban culture: Definitions of the city and urban cultures: …of cities within their societies, Paul Wheatley in The Pivot of the Four Quarters (1971) has taken the earliest form of urban culture to be a ceremonial or cult centre that organized and dominated a surrounding rural region through its sacred practices and authority. According to Wheatley, only later did…

Phillis Wheatley was the first Black woman to become a poet of note in the United States. The girl who was to be named Phillis Wheatley was captured in West Africa and taken to Boston by slave traders in 1761. She was enslaved by a tailor, John Wheatley, and his wife, Susanna. They named her

Wheaton, city, seat (1867) of DuPage county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It is a suburb of Chicago, located about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown. The first settlers (1837) were Erastus Gary and brothers Warren and Jesse Wheaton, all of whom came from New England. The site was laid out in 1853

Wheaton College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Norton, Massachusetts, U.S. It is a liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degree programs in such areas as biological and physical sciences, computer science, economics, music, psychology, and humanities. Students may

Wheaton College, private, coeducational liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. Wheaton College began as a preparatory school, the Illinois Institute, built by Wesleyan Methodists in 1854. It became a college in 1860 and was renamed for an early donor, Warren L. Wheaton, who also cofounded

Wheaton College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Norton, Massachusetts, U.S. It is a liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degree programs in such areas as biological and physical sciences, computer science, economics, music, psychology, and humanities. Students may

Henry Wheaton was an American maritime jurist, diplomat, and author of a standard work on international law. After graduation from Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1802, Wheaton practiced law at Providence from 1806 to 1812. He moved to New York City in 1812 to become editor of the

bridge: The Wheatstone bridge has four arms, all predominantly resistive. A bridge can measure other quantities in addition to resistance, depending upon the type of circuit elements used in the arms. It can measure inductance, capacitance, and frequency with the proper combination and arrangement of inductances and…

Sir Charles Wheatstone was an English physicist who popularized the Wheatstone bridge, a device that accurately measured electrical resistance and became widely used in laboratories. Wheatstone was appointed professor of experimental philosophy at King’s College, London, in 1834, the same year that

Joss Whedon is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and television series creator best known for his snappy dialogue and his original series featuring strong females in lead roles, including the cult TV hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). Whedon was raised in Manhattan the son of a

Joss Whedon is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and television series creator best known for his snappy dialogue and his original series featuring strong females in lead roles, including the cult TV hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). Whedon was raised in Manhattan the son of a

wheel, a circular frame of hard material that may be solid, partly solid, or spoked and that is capable of turning on an axle. A Sumerian (Erech) pictograph, dated about 3500 bc, shows a sledge equipped with wheels. The idea of wheeled transportation may have come from the use of logs for rollers,

wheel and axle, basic machine component for amplifying force. In its earliest form it was probably used for raising weights or water buckets from wells. Its principle of operation is demonstrated by the large and small gears attached to the same shaft, as shown at A in the illustration. The

rotifer, any of the approximately 2,000 species of microscopic, aquatic invertebrates that constitute the phylum Rotifera. Rotifers are so named because the circular arrangement of moving cilia (tiny hairlike structures) at the front end resembles a rotating wheel. Although common in freshwater on

wheel bug, (Arilus cristatus), species of large, primarily North American assassin bug named for the distinctive wheel-like crest on the top of its thorax. The insect is a top predator with a wide range of prey, including defoliating caterpillars, sawfly larvae, and the invasive brown marmorated

farthingale: …an elongated torso, and the Italian farthingale, which was a smaller and more delicate version, balanced equally at the hips and frequently worn alone as a skirt.

weight throw: The roth cleas, or wheel feat, reputedly was a major test of the ancient Tailteann Games in Ireland. The competition consisted of various methods of throwing: from shoulder or side, with one or two hands, and with or without a run. The implements used varied widely…

wheel lock, device for igniting the powder in a firearm such as a musket. It was developed in about 1515. The wheel lock struck a spark to ignite powder on the pan of a musket. It did so by means of a holder that pressed a shard of flint or a piece of iron pyrite against an iron wheel with a milled

List of Famous Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune: …years on television in 2025, Wheel of Fortune began as an unaired pilot called Shopper’s Bazaar. Show creator Merv Griffin came up with the concept of using a roulette wheel to determine how much money contestants would earn if they correctly guess a letter in a hangman-style puzzle. Once contestants…

clock: The wheelwork: The wheelwork, or train, of a clock is the series of moving wheels (gears) that transmit motion from a weight or spring, via the escapement, to the minute and hour hands. It is most important that the wheels and pinions be made accurately and…

Trochodendrales: Trochodendron aralioides, of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, is a small broadleaf evergreen tree up to 12 metres (about 40 feet) in height with pinnately veined leaves (i.e., the leaves have a midrib from which comblike lateral veins arise) and flowers in clusters at the…

rose window, in Gothic architecture, decorated circular window, often glazed with stained glass. Scattered examples of decorated circular windows existed in the Romanesque period (Santa Maria in Pomposa, Italy, 10th century). Only toward the middle of the 12th century, however, did the idea appear

farthingale: …with variations such as the French farthingale, also known as the wheel, or great, farthingale, which was tilted upward in the back, often with the help of a padded pillow called a “bum roll,” to create the illusion of an elongated torso, and the Italian farthingale, which was a smaller…

wheelchair, any seating surface (e.g., a chair) that has wheels affixed to it in order to help an individual move from one place to another. Wheelchairs range from large, bulky, manually powered models to high-tech electric-powered models that can climb stairs. The modern standard wheelchair design

curling: History and organization: Wheelchair curling—in which a player pushes the stone from a stationary wheelchair and no sweepers are used—was added to the program of the Paralympic Games in 2006. A new event, wheelchair mixed doubles curling, will debut during the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.

fencing: Wheelchair fencing: One of fencing’s most recent developments is wheelchair fencing, which was introduced by German-born English neurosurgeon Sir Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, England. Fencing was one of many sports therapies Guttmann introduced for World War II veterans who had suffered…

electric wheelchair, any seating surface with wheels affixed to it that is propelled by an electrically based power source, typically motors and batteries. The first motor-powered wheelchairs appeared in the early 1900s; however, demand for them did not exist until after World War II. The first

history of the wheelchair, the development over time of wheelchairs. Precisely when the first wheeled chairs were invented and used for disabled persons is unknown. Some scholars suspect that the history of the wheelchair begins sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries bce, possibly with the

Christopher Wheeldon is a British-born ballet soloist and choreographer, known for his work with New York City Ballet, its connected institution, the School of American Ballet, and the Royal Ballet, London. In his choreography, Wheeldon shunned trendiness and preferred the classical and lyrical to

armoured vehicle: Wheeled armoured vehicles: Many countries have also developed wheeled armoured carriers to serve in a variety of roles, including infantry transport, reconnaissance, antitank defense, fire support, engineering, command and control, and medical evacuation. Wheeled vehicles generally have advantages over tracked vehicles in improved on-road performance, better fuel economy, and lower maintenance costs. They…

armoured vehicle: Wheeled armoured vehicles: Many countries have also developed wheeled armoured carriers to serve in a variety of roles, including infantry transport, reconnaissance, antitank defense, fire support, engineering, command and control, and medical evacuation. Wheeled vehicles generally have advantages over tracked vehicles in improved on-road performance, better fuel economy, and lower maintenance costs. They…

history of the organization of work: Agricultural production: The wheeled plow, gradually introduced over several centuries, further reinforced communal work organization. Earlier plows had merely scratched the surface of the soil. The new plow was equipped with a heavy knife (colter) to dig under the surface, thereby making strip fields possible. Yet because the…

driving and coaching: …respectively, the leaders and the wheelers. Three horses, two wheelers and a single leader, are known as a unicorn team. In Russia and Hungary three horses are driven abreast, the centre horse trotting and the outside horses galloping; such a team is known as a troika.

Wheeler Peak, highest point (13,161 feet [4,011 meters]) in New Mexico, U.S. The peak is located in Taos county, 70 miles (113 km) north-northeast of Santa Fe, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and within Carson National Forest. It was named for Major George M. Wheeler, who surveyed the area during

bristlecone pine: Oldest living organisms: …stand of these pines on Wheeler Peak in eastern Nevada is known to contain several trees over 3,000 years old and was the site of the Prometheus tree, which was cut down and dated to be just under 5,000 years old. The Methuselah tree of the White Mountains of California…

Hollywood blacklist: …began in 1941, when Senators Burton Wheeler and Gerald Nye led an investigation of Hollywood’s role in promoting Soviet propaganda. Wendell Willkie, the lawyer who defended the studios, revealed the senators’ conflation of Judaism with communism, casting the senators as anti-Semites rather than patriots. Those hearings

Tet Offensive: The American response: Earle Wheeler, Westmoreland renewed an earlier request for more troops. His request was initially denied, however, as Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson did not desire any expansion of the ground war.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American poet and journalist who is perhaps best remembered for verse tinged with an eroticism that, while rather oblique, was still unconventional for her time. Ella Wheeler from an early age was an avid reader of popular literature, especially the novels of E.D.E.N.

Rocky Mountains: Study and exploration: …the 100th-meridian survey led by George Wheeler (1872–79), and the expeditions to the Green and Colorado rivers in Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and southern Nevada led by John Wesley Powell (1871–79). The maps and preliminary observations of these important surveys laid the groundwork for the great mass of scientific research that…

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: …the show was written by Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th century London, it follows the story of a barber whose quest for vengeance on a judge who unjustly imprisoned him and ruined his family descends into a relentless, indiscriminate killing spree. Incorporating elements of Grand Guignol, melodrama, romance, and social…

John Archibald Wheeler was a physicist, the first American involved in the theoretical development of the atomic bomb. He also originated a novel approach to the unified field theory and popularized the term black hole. Wheeler, who was the son of librarians, first became interested in science as a

Joseph Wheeler was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War. Wheeler entered the U.S. cavalry from West Point in 1859 but soon resigned to enter the Confederate service. He commanded a brigade at the Battle of Shiloh (April 6–7, 1862), but soon afterward he returned to the

Laura Wheeler Waring was an American painter and educator who often depicted African American subjects. The daughter of upper-class parents, Laura Wheeler graduated from Hartford (Connecticut) High School (with honours) during a time when few African American women attended school. In 1908 she

Taos: …above sea level, culminating in Mount Wheeler (13,161 feet [4,011 metres]), the highest point in New Mexico. Western Taos county is a plateau region with isolated mountains, including Ute Peak (10,093 feet [3,076 metres]). The Rio Grande flows through the Picuris Range in a deep gorge, curving from north to…

Simon Wheeler, fictional character, the garrulous, folksy storyteller in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” and “Jim Wolfe and the Tom-cats,” both short stories by Mark

Sir Mortimer Wheeler was a British archaeologist noted for his discoveries in Great Britain and India and for his advancement of scientific method in archaeology. After education at Bradford Grammar School and University College London and military service in World War I, Wheeler directed

Sir Mortimer Wheeler was a British archaeologist noted for his discoveries in Great Britain and India and for his advancement of scientific method in archaeology. After education at Bradford Grammar School and University College London and military service in World War I, Wheeler directed

William A. Wheeler was the 19th vice president of the United States (1877–81) who, with Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes, took office by the decision of an Electoral Commission appointed to rule on contested electoral ballots in the 1876 election. Wheeler was the son of Almon Wheeler, a

William A. Wheeler was the 19th vice president of the United States (1877–81) who, with Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes, took office by the decision of an Electoral Commission appointed to rule on contested electoral ballots in the 1876 election. Wheeler was the son of Almon Wheeler, a

William Morton Wheeler was an American entomologist recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on ants and other social insects. Two of his works, Ants: Their Structure, Development, and Behavior (1910) and Social Life Among the Insects (1923), long served as standard references on their

German-American Bund: …in 1940 its national secretary, James Wheeler-Hill, was convicted of perjury. After the United States’ entry into World War II, the Bund disintegrated.

Indian Reorganization Act, (June 18, 1934), measure enacted by the U.S. Congress, aimed at decreasing federal control of American Indian affairs and increasing Indian self-government and responsibility. In gratitude for the Indians’ services to the country in World War I, Congress in 1924

quackery: Legislation to curb quackery: …Act of 1938 and the Wheeler-Lea Act (also 1938) provided a certain amount of governmental control over claims made in advertising, in newspapers and magazines, over radio and television, in circulars, and on labels. Such controls are exercised only on products in interstate commerce, however. Individual states vary in the…

DC Comics: Corporate history: Pulp writer Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in 1934. The following year the company published New Fun—the first comic book to feature entirely new material rather than reprints of newspaper strips. In need of cash, Wheeler-Nicholson partnered with magazine distributors Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz and…

Brad Paisley: With Wheelhouse (2013) Paisley continued to explore issues of cultural identity, though with mixed results. Whereas the zippy single “Southern Comfort Zone” set a nostalgic tribute to Southern heritage against an expansive view of the world beyond, the ballad “Accidental Racist,” which featured rapper LL Cool…

Wheeling, city, seat of Ohio county, in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. It lies on the Ohio River (there bridged to Martins Ferry, Bridgeport, and Bellaire, Ohio). The site was settled in 1769 by the Zane family. The name Wheeling supposedly is derived from a Delaware Indian term

West Virginia: Civil War and statehood: Subsequent meetings at Wheeling (May 1861), dominated by the western delegates, declared the Ordinance of Secession to be an illegal attempt to overthrow the federal government, although the ordinance was approved by a majority of Virginia voters. Opponents of secession reconvened for a second Wheeling convention (June), which…