- Smashing Pumpkins (American rock group)
Smashing Pumpkins, American band, one of the most popular and influential alternative rock groups of the 1990s. Founded by guitarist and songwriter Billy Corgan (in full William Patrick Corgan; b. March 17, 1967, Elk Grove, Illinois, U.S.) in Chicago in 1988, the Smashing Pumpkins created a
- Smathers, James (inventor)
typewriter: Electric typewriters: …writing machine was pioneered by James Smathers in 1920.
- Smbat Ablabas Bagratuni (Armenian governor)
Armenia: The Mamikonians and Bagratids: The governor Smbat Ablabas Bagratuni remained loyal to the caliph al-Mutawakkil when al-Mutawakkil sent his general Bughā al-Kabīr to bring the rebellious nakharars to submission, although Smbat too was dispatched in 855 with the rest of the captive nobles to Sāmarrāʿ.
- SMBH (astronomy)
supermassive black hole (SMBH), a black hole more than one hundred thousand times the mass of the Sun. Nearly every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its centre. Active galactic nuclei, such as Seyfert galaxies and quasars, are powered by supermassive black holes. The largest
- SMC (astronomy)
Magellanic Cloud: …diameter, and the other, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), measures less than 2° across. The Magellanic Clouds are visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere, but they cannot be observed from most northern latitudes. The LMC is about 160,000 light-years from Earth, and the SMC lies 190,000 light-years…
- SME Union (European organization)
Jacques Santer: …of the SME Union (Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Union), a network of probusiness conservative political organizations overseen by the European People’s Party. After stepping down from that post, he maintained the title of honorary president of the SME Union.
- Smear, Pat (American musician)
Foo Fighters: Formation and debut: …Day Real Estate, and guitarist Pat Smear, who had toured with Nirvana. Foo Fighters made their debut performance on February 19, 1995, in Seattle. Grohl subsequently licensed the Foo Fighters album to Capitol Records and released it in 1995 on his own label, Roswell Records. The album featured the singles…
- smearcase (food)
cottage cheese: …preparation was also known as smearcase, from the German schmierkase.
- smearing (music)
speech: Singing and speaking: …rules are found in the portamento, a gliding change between two pitch levels, of Western song, used sparingly as an embellishment. Parlando singing is a speaking type of song, used in the recitativo of Italian opera style. In these intentionally communicative preludes to formal arias—because they tell most of the…
- Smeaton, John (British engineer)
John Smeaton was an English engineer noted for his all-masonry lighthouse on Eddystone reef off Plymouth, Devon, and as the founder of the civil-engineering profession in Great Britain. Smeaton learned mathematical instrument making in London, where his scientific papers led to his election to the
- Smeatonian Society (British professional organization)
civil engineering: History: …Engineers (now known as the Smeatonian Society). Its object was to bring together experienced engineers, entrepreneurs, and lawyers to promote the building of large public works, such as canals (and later railways), and to secure the parliamentary powers necessary to execute their schemes. Their meetings were held during parliamentary sessions;…
- smectic phase (physics)
liquid crystal display: Electro-optical effects in liquid crystals: LCDs utilize either nematic or smectic liquid crystals. The molecules of nematic liquid crystals align themselves with their axes in parallel, as shown in the figure. Smectic liquid crystals, on the other hand, arrange themselves in layered sheets; within different smectic phases, as shown in the figure, the molecules may…
- smectic-A phase (physics)
liquid crystal: Symmetries of liquid crystals: …in-plane rotational symmetry, present within smectic-A layers, is broken in the hexatic-B phase, but a proliferation of dislocations maintains continuous translational symmetry within its layers. A similar relationship holds between smectic-C and smectic-F. Crystal-B and crystal-G have molecular positions on regular crystal lattice sites, with long axes of molecules (directors)…
- smectic-C phase (physics)
liquid crystal: Symmetries of liquid crystals: The smectic-C phase and those listed below it have molecules tilted with respect to the layers. Continuous in-plane rotational symmetry, present within smectic-A layers, is broken in the hexatic-B phase, but a proliferation of dislocations maintains continuous translational symmetry within its layers. A similar relationship holds…
- smectic-F phase (physics)
liquid crystal: Symmetries of liquid crystals: …relationship holds between smectic-C and smectic-F. Crystal-B and crystal-G have molecular positions on regular crystal lattice sites, with long axes of molecules (directors) aligned, but allow rotation of molecules about their directors. These are the so-called plastic crystals. Many interesting liquid crystal phases are not listed in this table, including…
- smectite (mineral)
bentonite: …clay minerals belonging to the smectite group, which are hydrous aluminum silicates containing iron and magnesium as well as either sodium or calcium. Two types of bentonite are recognized, and the uses of each depend on specific physical properties.
- smectitic clay (clay)
bentonite, clay formed by the alteration of minute glass particles derived from volcanic ash. It was named for Fort Benton, Mont., near which it was discovered. The formation of bentonite involves the alteration of volcanic glass to clay minerals; this requires hydration (taking up or combination
- Smectymnuus (religious historian)
Smectymnuus, acronym under which was published (1641) in England a book upholding the Presbyterian theory of the ministry in answer to the Anglican bishop Joseph Hall’s A Humble Remonstrance (1640–41). Hall replied to the Presbyterian attack. John Milton defended the Smectymnuus position in three
- Smedley, Agnes (American journalist and writer)
Agnes Smedley was a journalist and writer best known for a series of articles and books centred on her experiences in China during the growth of Chinese communism. Smedley grew up under straitened circumstances. At an early age she began working after school to help support her family, and she
- Smedt, Francis de (Belgian-born conceptual artist)
Francis Alÿs is a Belgian-born Mexico-based conceptual artist who uses a variety of new and more-traditional media to evoke an often poetic sense of dislocation on social and political issues. Alÿs was raised in Herfelingen in Belgium, where his father was an appeals court justice. Trained as an
- smegma (physiology)
circumcision: …secrete a cheeselike substance called smegma. Accumulation of smegma beneath the foreskin may result in great discomfort and may serve as the source of a rather penetrating odour if cleanliness and hygiene are not observed.
- Smela (city, Ukraine)
Smila, city, Ukraine, on the Tyasmyn (Tiasmyn) River. The city was first established as a Cossack settlement in the late 16th century. In 1793 it came under Russian rule, and in the 19th century it became a significant sugar-refining centre. In the 20th century it developed a large food industry
- smell (sense)
smell, the detection and identification by sensory organs of airborne chemicals. The concept of smell, as it applies to humans, becomes less distinct when invertebrates and lower vertebrates (fish and amphibians) are considered, because many lower animals detect chemicals in the environment by
- Smell of It, & Other Stories, The (novel by Ibrāhīm)
Ṣunʿ Allāh Ibrāhīm: The Smell of It, & Other Stories). The work’s descriptions of the experience of imprisonment made it politically subversive, and it shocked Egyptian censors with its frank treatment of sexuality between inmates. The book was banned in Egypt, and two decades passed before an uncensored…
- Smell of Us, The (film by Clark [2014])
Larry Clark: … (2001), Wassup Rockers (2005), and The Smell of Us (2014). Marfa Girl (2012), which is set in Marfa, Texas, centres on a young woman who is raped; a sequel was released in 2018. Ken Park (2002; codirected with Ed Lachman), a drama about four teens that features graphic sex and…
- smell receptor (anatomy)
olfactory receptor, protein capable of binding odour molecules that plays a central role in the sense of smell (olfaction). These receptors are common to arthropods, terrestrial vertebrates, fish, and other animals. In terrestrial vertebrates, including humans, the receptors are located on
- Smell the Glove (album by Spinal Tap)
This Is Spinal Tap: …support of their new album, Smell the Glove. The tour starts well, but a series of unfortunate events very quickly sends it into a downward spiral. Performances are canceled, the band’s record company is unhappy with an offensive album cover concept for Smell the Glove, virtually no one shows up…
- Smellie, William (Scottish publisher and scientist)
William Smellie was a Scottish compiler of the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1768–71) and a distinguished natural historian. The son of a master builder and stonemason, Smellie left his grammar school at age 12 to be an apprenticed printer. Because the printing shop was near the
- Smellie, William (Scottish physician)
William Smellie was a Scottish obstetrician who was the first to teach obstetrics and midwifery on a scientific basis. After 20 years of village practice, Smellie went to London to give obstetrical lecture-demonstrations to midwives and medical students. He delivered poor women free of charge if
- smelling salts (preparation)
smelling salts, any of several different preparations of ammonia-based product and other ingredients used to revive a person affected by syncope (fainting). Historically, smelling salts contained ammonium carbonate and perfume; modern preparations typically consist of ammonia dissolved in water and
- Smells like Teen Spirit (song by Nirvana)
alternative rock: …into the mainstream when “Smells Like Teen Spirit”—the first major-label single from Nirvana, a trio based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.—became a national hit. Suddenly, older, difficult, and even anarchic movements, as well as a previous decade of do-it-yourself college rock, acquired a flashy beachhead on pop radio.
- Smelly Socks (story by Munsch)
Robert Munsch: …Tooth (1998), Ribbon Rescue (1999), Smelly Socks (2004), Moose! (2011), and The Enormous Suitcase (2017). He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1999.
- Smelser, Neil (American sociologist)
Neil Smelser was an American sociologist noted for his work on the application of sociological theory to the study of economic institutions, collective behaviour, social change, and personality and social structure. Smelser was a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford from 1952 to 1954 and
- Smelser, Neil Joseph (American sociologist)
Neil Smelser was an American sociologist noted for his work on the application of sociological theory to the study of economic institutions, collective behaviour, social change, and personality and social structure. Smelser was a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford from 1952 to 1954 and
- smelt (fish)
silversides, any of several species of small slim schooling fish of the family Atherinidae (order Atheriniformes), found in freshwater and along coasts around the world in warm and temperate regions. Silversides are named for the wide silvery stripe usually present on each side. They have two
- smelt (fish, family Osmeridae)
smelt, any of certain silvery, chiefly marine food fishes, family Osmeridae, closely related to salmon and trout and found in cold northern waters. Smelts, like trout, have a small, adipose (fleshy) fin. They are slender carnivores and spawn short distances upstream, in the surf or in ponds. The
- smelting (metallurgy)
smelting, process by which a metal is obtained, either as the element or as a simple compound, from its ore by heating beyond the melting point, ordinarily in the presence of oxidizing agents, such as air, or reducing agents, such as coke. The first metal to be smelted in the ancient Middle East
- smelting reduction (metallurgy)
iron processing: Smelting reduction: The scarcity of coking coals for blast-furnace use and the high cost of coke ovens are two reasons for the emergence of this other alternative iron-making process. Smelting reduction employs two units: in the first, iron ore is heated and reduced by gases…
- Smendes (king of Egypt)
Smendes was a king of ancient Egypt (c. 1076–52 bce), founder of the 21st dynasty (c. 1076–c. 944 bce), who established the capital at Tanis, in the northeast Nile River delta, while high priests of Amon ruled Thebes and Upper Egypt. Smendes, a native of the delta, probably secured his right to
- Smenkhkare (king of Egypt)
Smenkhkare was a king (reigned c. 1336–34 bce) of the 18th dynasty (c. 1539–c. 1292 bce) of ancient Egypt, probably in coregency with Akhenaton, his predecessor, for most of the period. Smenkhkare’s origin and identity remain among the unresolved issues of the Amarna period. The ephemeral
- Smer-SD (pol. party, Slovakia)
Slovakia: Political process: Major parties include the populist Smer (“Direction”), the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, the Slovak National Party, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, and the Christian Democratic Movement.
- Smerdis (king of Persia)
Bardiya was a son of Cyrus the Great of Persia and possible king of Persia in 522 bce, although some accounts claim the king known as Bardiya was an impersonator of that son. The Greek historian Herodotus and the Persian king Darius, in his inscription at Bīsitūn, state that Bardiya was murdered by
- Smert Ivana Ilicha (novella by Tolstoy)
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, novella by Leo Tolstoy, published in Russian as Smert Ivana Ilyicha in 1886, considered a masterpiece of psychological realism. The protagonist’s crisis is remarkably similar to that of Tolstoy himself as described in Ispoved (1884; My Confession). The first section of the
- Smert Ivana Ilyicha (novella by Tolstoy)
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, novella by Leo Tolstoy, published in Russian as Smert Ivana Ilyicha in 1886, considered a masterpiece of psychological realism. The protagonist’s crisis is remarkably similar to that of Tolstoy himself as described in Ispoved (1884; My Confession). The first section of the
- Smet, Pierre-Jean de (Jesuit missionary)
Pierre-Jean de Smet was a Belgian-born Jesuit missionary whose pioneering efforts to Christianize and pacify Indian tribes west of the Mississippi River made him their beloved “Black Robe” and cast him in the role of mediator in the U.S. government’s attempt to secure their lands for settlement by
- Smetana, Bedřich (Bohemian composer)
Bedřich Smetana was a Bohemian composer of operas and symphonic poems, founder of the Czech national school of music. He was the first truly important Bohemian nationalist composer. Smetana studied music under his father, an amateur violinist. He early took up piano under a professional teacher and
- Smetanina, Raisa (Russian skier)
Raisa Smetanina is a Russian cross-country skier who was the first woman to win 10 career medals at the Olympic Winter Games. A champion in both the individual and team events, Smetanina won a silver medal in the 5-km race and gold medals in the 4 × 5-km relay and the 10-km event at the 1976
- Smetanina, Raisa Petrovna (Russian skier)
Raisa Smetanina is a Russian cross-country skier who was the first woman to win 10 career medals at the Olympic Winter Games. A champion in both the individual and team events, Smetanina won a silver medal in the 5-km race and gold medals in the 4 × 5-km relay and the 10-km event at the 1976
- Smetona, Antanas (president of Lithuania)
Antanas Smetona was a Lithuanian statesman and journalist who in 1919 became the first president of Lithuania and later returned to power as an authoritarian head of state for the last 13 years of his country’s independence. After the Russian Revolution of 1905 broke out, Smetona, who had recently
- smew (bird)
merganser: The smew (M. albellus) is a small, compact merganser with a short bill; it breeds from Scandinavia to Siberia and south to Turkestan and winters on lakes and streams south to the Mediterranean and Central Asia.
- SMG (British museums)
Science Museum: …NMSI became known as the Science Museum Group (SMG). In 2017 Locomotion, the railway museum at Shildon, joined SMG.
- SMG (Chinese conglomerate)
Li Ruigang: …president of the state-owned conglomerate Shanghai Media Group (SMG).
- Smibert, John (American painter)
John Smibert was a Scottish-born painter and architect who established an early tradition of colonial portraiture in Boston. Smibert was apprenticed to a house painter in Edinburgh and in 1709 went to London. In 1713 he studied at London’s Great Queen Street’s Academy, which was run by Sir Godfrey
- SMIC (French law)
France: Wages and the cost of living: …a provision known as the salaire minimum interprofessionel de croissance (SMIC; general and growth-indexed minimum wage), which has increased the lowest salaries faster than the inflation rate. Its level is set annually, and all employers must abide by it. Women are, in general, paid less well than men. A worker…
- Smicripidae (insect family)
coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Smicripidae Sometimes placed in Nitidulidae; a few species in tropical America; example Smicrips. Family Sphindidae (dry-fungus beetles) Small, dark; occur in dry fungi; about 30 species; widely distributed. Superfamily Curculionoidea
- Śmierć gubernatora (work by Kruczkowski)
Leon Kruczkowski: His last play, Śmierć gubernatora (1961; “Death of a Governor”), examined the ethics of the capitalist world, to which Kruczkowski compared the humanitarian principles of the socialist camp.
- Smigel v. Southgate Community School District (law case)
Abood v. Detroit Board of Education: Background: …Michigan Supreme Court held in Smigel v. Southgate Community School District that agency shops in the public sector were prohibited by state law. Accordingly, the Court of Appeals remanded Warczak’s case to the trial court, where it was combined with a similar suit by D. Louis Abood and others and…
- Smight, Jack (American theater and film director)
Harper: Production notes and credits:
- Śmigły-Rydz, Edward (Polish general)
20th-century international relations: Poland and the northern war: Polish Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz tried vainly to defend Poland’s industrial regions along the frontier, increasing his army’s vulnerability to Blitzkrieg. German tanks quickly burst into the rear, while dive-bombing Stukas disrupted Polish supply and reinforcements. The Polish air force was destroyed in 48 hours. Within a week…
- Smike (fictional character)
Smike, fictional character, a feebleminded and frail boy in the novel Nicholas Nickleby (1838–39) by Charles
- Smikle, David Edward (American photographer, writer, and educator)
Dawoud Bey is an American photographer, writer, and educator known for his sensitive large-scale portraits and candid street photographs of everyday Black American life. His later work probes the psychic traces left on present-day landscapes by the slave trade and the liberatory travels of formerly
- Smil (Ukraine)
Izmayil, city, southern Ukraine. It lies on the north bank of the main Danube distributary some 50 miles (80 km) from the Black Sea. In the late 14th century it was the Slavic settlement of Smil. It was captured in 1484 by the Turks, who fortified it and held it until 1812. It was a Russian
- Smila (city, Ukraine)
Smila, city, Ukraine, on the Tyasmyn (Tiasmyn) River. The city was first established as a Cossack settlement in the late 16th century. In 1793 it came under Russian rule, and in the 19th century it became a significant sugar-refining centre. In the 20th century it developed a large food industry
- Smilacaceae (plant family)
Liliales: Major families: Smilacaceae, or the greenbrier family, with 315 species in two genera (Smilax and Heterosmilax), is the second largest family in the order. These herbaceous or woody climbers are found around the world. Rhipogonum, another twiner from Australia and New Guinea, was formerly included in Smilacaceae…
- Smilacina (plant)
seed: Afterripening, stratification, and temperature effects: …lily of the valley and false Solomon’s seal. Here, two successive cold treatments separated by a warm period are needed for complete seedling development. The first cold treatment eliminates the dormancy of the root; the warm period permits its outgrowth; and the second cold period eliminates epicotyl or leaf dormancy.…
- Smilax (plant genus)
Smilax, genus of plants in the family Smilacaceae, consisting of about 300 species of woody or herbaceous vines, variously known as catbriers and greenbriers, native to tropical and temperate parts of the world. The stems of many species are covered with prickles; the lower leaves are scalelike;
- Smilax aspera (plant)
Smilax: Young shoots of S. aspera are edible. Carrion flower (S. herbacea) and common catbrier (S. rotundifolia) of eastern North America are sometimes cultivated to form impenetrable thickets.
- Smilax herbacea (plant, Smilax species)
carrion flower: Smilax herbacea, a native American woodland vine, has malodorous flowers and is also called carrion flower. It is of the family Smilacaceae.
- Smile (film by Ritchie [1975])
Michael Ritchie: Films: …the downside of competition with Smile (1975), a broad satire on another facet of American life, the teenage beauty pageant. Bruce Dern played a smarmy pageant judge, Barbara Feldon was a megalomaniacal director, and Michael Kidd was cast as an over-the-hill choreographer; Joan Prather, Melanie Griffith, and Annette O’Toole were…
- smile (facial expression)
happiness: …a specific facial expression: the smile.
- Smile (album by Wilson)
the Beach Boys: …in Brian’s career, however, was Smile (2004), finally offered to the world as a completed solo album after Brian had spent nearly four decades fine-tuning its sound; a boxed set of the original Smile recording sessions followed in 2011. After being presented with a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, Brian…
- Smile (graphic novel by Telgemeier)
Raina Telgemeier: …published as the graphic novel Smile (2010). Smile tells the story of Telgemeier getting her two front teeth knocked out when she was in sixth grade. Smile was an instant success, appearing on The New York Times best-seller list. Telgemeier was credited with creating a new genre, the graphic memoir…
- Smile (album by Perry)
Katy Perry: …mainstream pop with the empowerment-oriented Smile (2020).
- Smile (novel by Doyle)
Roddy Doyle: Other writings: In Smile (2017) a lonely middle-aged man looks back on his life, especially his troubled childhood. Doyle’s next novel, Love (2020), follows two old friends as they spend a night drinking and looking back at their lives.
- Smile Please (work by Rhys)
Jean Rhys: Smile Please, an unfinished autobiography, was published in 1979.
- Smiles of a Summer Night (film by Bergman)
Ingmar Bergman: Life: …success with Sommernattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night), a bittersweet romantic comedy-drama in a period setting. In the next few years, a kind of Bergman fever swept over the international film scene: concurrently with the succession of his new films, which included two masterpieces—The Seventh Seal, a medieval…
- Smiles, Samuel (Scottish writer)
Samuel Smiles was a Scottish author best known for his didactic work Self-Help (1859), which, with its successors, Character (1871), Thrift (1875), and Duty (1880), enshrined the basic Victorian values associated with the “gospel of work.” One of 11 children left fatherless in 1832, Smiles learned
- Smiley Smile (album by the Beach Boys)
the Beach Boys: …tuneful but tentative release titled Smiley Smile (1967).
- Smiley’s People (novel by le Carré)
novel: Detective, mystery, thriller: …from the Cold (1963) and Smiley’s People (1980).
- Smiley, George (fictional character)
George Smiley, fictional character, a British secret service agent who appears in many of the spy stories of John le Carré, beginning with Call for the Dead (1961). Smiley is an unobtrusive secret agent who leads an unglamorous life. A deceptively bland middle-aged man, he is trusted and respected
- Smiley, Jane (American author)
Jane Smiley is an American novelist known for her lyrical works that centre on families in pastoral settings. Smiley studied literature at Vassar College (B.A., 1971) and the University of Iowa (M.A., 1975; M.F.A., 1976; Ph.D., 1978). From 1981 to 1996 she was a professor of English at Iowa State
- Smiley, Jane Graves (American author)
Jane Smiley is an American novelist known for her lyrical works that centre on families in pastoral settings. Smiley studied literature at Vassar College (B.A., 1971) and the University of Iowa (M.A., 1975; M.F.A., 1976; Ph.D., 1978). From 1981 to 1996 she was a professor of English at Iowa State
- Smiley, Tavis (American talk show host, journalist, and political commentator)
Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host, journalist, and political commentator. Smiley grew up near Kokomo, Indiana, and attended Indiana University at Bloomington but left in 1988 to work for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. (In 2003 he completed his bachelor’s degree.) Smiley became a national
- SMILF (American television series)
Rosie O’Donnell: …including The Fosters, Mom, and SMILF. The special Rosie Live, a one-hour variety show, aired in 2008, and the following year she starred as a psychiatrist in the television movie America. O’Donnell later hosted The Rosie Show (2011–12), a talk show that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She…
- smiling (facial expression)
happiness: …a specific facial expression: the smile.
- Smiling God (Chavin god)
pre-Columbian civilizations: Chavín monuments and temples: …which has variously been called El Lanzón, the Great Image, and the Smiling God, is thought to have been the chief object of worship in the original temple. The southern arm of the temple was subsequently twice widened by rectangular additions, into which some of the original galleries were prolonged.…
- Smiling Lieutenant, The (film by Lubitsch [1931])
Ernst Lubitsch: Transition to sound: …was a box-office success was The Smiling Lieutenant (1931). Nominated for an Academy Award as best picture, this musical, set in 19th-century Vienna, starred Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, and Miriam Hopkins. Among the contributors to the screenplay was Samson Raphaelson, who would collaborate frequently with Lubitsch throughout the director’s
- Smiling Woman (painting by John)
Augustus John: …in the strong and sensuous Smiling Woman (c. 1908), a portrait of John’s second wife, Dorelia. John was known as a colourful personality who adopted an individualistic and bohemian lifestyle. Intrigued by gypsy culture and the Romany language, he spent periods traveling with gypsy caravans over Wales, Ireland, and Dorset.…
- Smilla’s Sense of Snow (novel by Høeg)
Peter Høeg: title Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow), a thriller that concerns the investigation into the death of a young boy.
- Smillie, James D. (American painter)
Samuel Colman: With James D. Smillie, he founded the American Water Color Society (1866), becoming its first president. His own watercolour paintings are particularly fine. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Design in 1862. Among his works are “The Ships of the Western Plains”…
- Smilodectes (fossil primate genus)
primate: Eocene: American genera, Notharctus and Smilodectes, which are well represented in the fossil deposits of the Bridger Basin, Wyoming, U.S., and Adapis, Europolemur, Anchomomys, and Pronycticebus from Europe. Notharctus and Smilodectes are not thought to be antecedent to living lemurs, though Notharctus was not unlike the modern lemurs in size…
- Smilodon (extinct mammal genus)
Smilodon, extinct genus of large mammalian carnivores known collectively by the common name sabre-toothed cat. Smilodon belongs to the subfamily Machairodontinae of the family
- Smim Htaw Buddhaketi (king of Pegu)
Binnya Dala: In 1747 Binnya Dala succeeded Smim Htaw Buddhaketi, who had seven years earlier been set up as king of the Mon in the new capital of Pegu after their successful revolt against the Burmans. Binnya Dala, who was his predecessor’s chief minister and a more capable military leader, made numerous…
- Sminthopsis (marsupial)
marsupial: Dunnarts (Sminthopsis) are so hyperactive—like shrews—that, in order to supply their high energy needs, they must devour their own weight in food (chiefly insects) each day. The numbat uses its remarkable wormlike tongue to lap up termites and ants. Many Australian possums, bandicoots, and American…
- Sminthopsis crassicaudata (marsupial)
marsupial mouse: The fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) stores excess fat in its tail. Members of all genera except Antechinus will go into torpor when food is scarce. The crest-tailed marsupial mouse, or mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), an arid-land species valued for killing house mice, gets all of its water…
- Sminthurus viridis (arthropod)
springtail: …small (2 mm long), green-coloured lucerne flea (Sminthurus viridis), one of the most common species, is a serious pest to crops in Australia. When necessary, insecticides are used to control springtails. Fossil springtails are among the oldest insect fossils known.
- Smirke, Sir Robert (British architect)
Western architecture: Great Britain: Following this were Sir Robert Smirke’s Covent Garden Theatre (1809), London’s first Greek Doric building; Wilkins’s Grange Park, Hampshire (1809), a monumental attempt to cram an English country house into the form of a Greek temple; Smirke’s vast Ionic British Museum (1824–47); and St. Pancras Church (1819–22) by…
- Smirnov, Ivan (Russian revolutionary)
Great Purge: Zinovyev, Lev Kamenev, and Ivan Smirnov, all of whom had been prominent Bolsheviks at the time of the October Revolution (1917) and during the early years of the Soviet regime. With 13 codefendants they were accused of having joined Leon Trotsky in 1932 to form a terrorist organization in…
- Smirnov, Stanislav (Russian mathematician)
Stanislav Smirnov is a Russian mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010 for his work in mathematical physics. Smirnov graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1992 from St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg, Russia. He received a doctorate in mathematics in 1996 from the
- Smit, Bartho (South African author)
African literature: Afrikaans: Bartho Smit wrote Moeder Hanna (1959; “Mother Hanna”), an acclaimed drama about the South African War. He also wrote Putsonderwater (1962; “Well-Without-Water”), considered among the finest plays produced in Afrikaans; it could not be performed because of its political message. Elsa Joubert wrote a novel…