cyclothem: …loose nomenclature led American geologist J.M. Weller to coin the term cyclothem to describe a series of beds deposited during a single sedimentary cycle, such as the deposits of layers during the Pennsylvanian period (or Late Carboniferous epoch, roughly 318 million to 299 million years ago). Cyclothem refers to the…

Britpop: …Musical Express (NME)—which referred to Paul Weller of the Jam as “the Modfather of Britpop.” Indeed, many of those most associated with the term resisted the pigeonhole it offered.

Sam Weller, fictional character, a humorous Cockney bootblack who becomes Samuel Pickwick’s devoted companion and servant in The Pickwick Papers (1836–37) by Charles

Thomas H. Weller was an American physician and virologist who was the corecipient (with John Enders and Frederick Robbins) of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for the successful cultivation of poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures. This made it possible to study the virus “in the

Thomas H. Weller was an American physician and virologist who was the corecipient (with John Enders and Frederick Robbins) of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for the successful cultivation of poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures. This made it possible to study the virus “in the

Orson Welles was an American motion-picture actor, director, producer, and writer. His innovative narrative techniques and use of photography, dramatic lighting, and music to further the dramatic line and to create mood made his Citizen Kane (1941)—which he wrote, directed, produced, and acted

Gideon Welles was the U.S. secretary of the navy under presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Born into a wealthy family, Welles was educated at private schools. He studied law but in 1826 became cofounder and editor of the Hartford Times. The next year, he became the youngest member of the

Orson Welles was an American motion-picture actor, director, producer, and writer. His innovative narrative techniques and use of photography, dramatic lighting, and music to further the dramatic line and to create mood made his Citizen Kane (1941)—which he wrote, directed, produced, and acted

Wellesley, town (township), Norfolk county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., just west of Boston. Originally part of Dedham, it became the Western Precinct of Needham when that town was set off in 1711. Incorporated as a separate town in 1881, it was named for the estate of Samuel Welles, who had

Wellesley College, private women’s college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., one of the Seven Sisters schools. A liberal arts college, Wellesley grants bachelor’s degrees in humanities, including Chinese, Japanese, and Russian languages; in social science, including Africana studies, religion, and

Wellesley Islands, group of islands lying off the northwestern coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Sighted in 1644 by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, they were charted (1802–03) by the British navigator Matthew Flinders and named in honour of Marquess Wellesley (Richard

Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley was a British statesman and government official. Wellesley, as governor of Madras (now Chennai) and governor-general of Bengal (both 1797–1805), greatly enlarged the British Empire in India and, as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821–28, 1833–34), attempted

Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley was a British statesman and government official. Wellesley, as governor of Madras (now Chennai) and governor-general of Bengal (both 1797–1805), greatly enlarged the British Empire in India and, as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821–28, 1833–34), attempted

Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley was a British statesman and government official. Wellesley, as governor of Madras (now Chennai) and governor-general of Bengal (both 1797–1805), greatly enlarged the British Empire in India and, as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821–28, 1833–34), attempted

Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington was an Irish-born commander of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars and later prime minister of Great Britain (1828–30). He first rose to military prominence in India, won successes in the Peninsular War in Spain (1808–14), and shared in the victory

Egon Wellesz was an Austrian composer and musicologist, highly esteemed as an authority on Byzantine music. A pupil of Guido Adler in musicology and of Arnold Schoenberg in composition, Wellesz taught at the University of Vienna (1930–38) before settling in England (1939), where he became an

Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert: …work is the moralist tract De wellevenskunste (1586; “The Polite Art”), in which he holds that the true path can be found only through spiritual love.

Wellfleet, town (township), Barnstable county, Massachusetts, U.S. It lies on the northeastern arm of Cape Cod, 12 miles (19 km) south-southeast of Provincetown. First settled about 1724, it was incorporated in 1763 and gained prominence in the 19th century as a fishing port, having from 1830 to

Julius Wellhausen was a German biblical scholar best known for his analysis of the structure and dating of the Pentateuch. Wellhausen studied at the University of Göttingen and taught there briefly before becoming professor of the Old Testament at Greifswald in 1872, a position he resigned 10 years

Wellingborough, town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire, England. It is situated east of Northampton along the River Nene. Wellingborough grew as a market town in the Middle Ages. After a fire in 1738, it was rebuilt on its present hill site.

Willingboro, township, Burlington county, western New Jersey, U.S. It lies midway between Camden and Trenton (both in New Jersey) on Rancocas Creek, just upstream from the creek’s mouth in the Delaware River. English Quakers settled there about 1677. The community, which originally included what is

Wellingborough: Wellingborough, town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Northamptonshire, England. It is situated east of Northampton along the River Nene.

Wellington, regional council, extreme southern North Island, New Zealand. It includes the cities of Wellington (the national capital) and Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, and Masterton. The broad Hutt River valley, once the locale of dairy farms and market gardens, has absorbed much of Wellington

Wellington, capital city, port, and major commercial centre of New Zealand, located in the extreme south of North Island. It lies on the shores and hills surrounding Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), an almost landlocked bay that is ranked among the world’s finest harbours. Mount Victoria rises

Wellington, town, east-central New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the confluence of the Macquarie and Bell rivers. The future site of the town was used by John Oxley as a base for exploration (1817–18); he named it for the duke of Wellington. A convict settlement from 1823 to 1831, it was

nap: …four tricks, nap (five tricks), wellington (five tricks for doubled stakes), and blücher (five tricks for redoubled stakes). Wellington may only follow a bid of nap and blücher a bid of wellington.

Wellington, town (parish), Taunton Deane district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, southwestern England. It lies in the Vale of Taunton Deane, just west-southwest of Taunton. The first duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley, who took his title from the town), victor of the Battle of

Sir Barnes Wallis: …the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Wellington bomber in World War II. His researches into detonation effects led to his inventing the rotating bouncing bomb that, when dropped from an aircraft, skipped over the water and exploded while sinking to the base of the retaining wall of a dam. This type…

campaign furniture: …of campaign furniture was the Wellington Chest, named after the 1st Duke of Wellington. It had 6 to 12 drawers of equal depth. The right-hand side of the frame, which overlapped the drawers, was hinged and fitted with a lock.

Antarctica: Post-IGY research: …New Zealand of a new Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA), also known as the Wellington Convention, by the representatives of 33 nations. The consultative parties designed CRAMRA to manage the exploitation and development of Antarctica’s nonrenewable resources, a subject not covered under the original 1959…

Cascade Tunnel: …Tunnel was necessitated by the Wellington Disaster of 1910, the deadliest avalanche disaster in U.S. history. In late February 1910 two Great Northern trains bound for Seattle made it through the old Cascade Tunnel but were forced to stop near the railroad community of Wellington because of severe winter weather.…

Wellington Harbour, inlet of Cook Strait indenting southern North Island, New Zealand. The almost circular harbour measures 7 miles (11 km) by 6 miles and covers a total of some 31 square miles (80 square km). At least 60 feet (18 metres) deep over most of its extent, the bay is one of the world’s

Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington was an Irish-born commander of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars and later prime minister of Great Britain (1828–30). He first rose to military prominence in India, won successes in the Peninsular War in Spain (1808–14), and shared in the victory

Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington was an Irish-born commander of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars and later prime minister of Great Britain (1828–30). He first rose to military prominence in India, won successes in the Peninsular War in Spain (1808–14), and shared in the victory

Thomas Augustus Watson: …in partnership with his assistant, Frank O. Wellington. The two partners at first constructed marine engines, and then in 1896 they received their first government contract, for two destroyers. During the following eight years, Watson moved the shipyard to nearby Quincy, Massachusetts, changed the growing company’s name to the Fore…

virtual community: Canadian sociologist Barry Wellman defined community as “networks of interpersonal ties that provide sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and social identity”—and offered empirical evidence that at least some virtual communities fit these criteria. As has happened in the past, what people mean when they speak…

William Wellman was an American film director whose more than 80 movies included Hollywood classics of documentary-like realism and who was ranked as an action director alongside Howard Hawks and John Ford. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Wellman’s stockbroker father

William Wellman was an American film director whose more than 80 movies included Hollywood classics of documentary-like realism and who was ranked as an action director alongside Howard Hawks and John Ford. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Wellman’s stockbroker father

recreation therapy: Models of recreation therapy: In contrast, a wellness-oriented model is based on the assumption that growth and development are unique to each individual and occur in response to both internal biology and a supportive and nourishing environment. Here health represents a full and optimal expression of the individual’s capacities and uniqueness, while…

recreation therapy: Models of recreation therapy: In contrast, a wellness-oriented model is based on the assumption that growth and development are unique to each individual and occur in response to both internal biology and a supportive and nourishing environment. Here health represents a full and optimal expression of the individual’s capacities and uniqueness, while…

Wells, city, Mendip district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, southwestern England. It lies at the southern foot of the Mendip Hills, just north of a small tributary of the River Brue. The name derives from the many springs rising near the cathedral, which was begun in the 12th

Western sculpture: Early Gothic: …is the west front of Wells cathedral (c. 1225–40), where the sculpture, while comparing reasonably well in style with near-contemporary French developments, is spread across the upper facade and hardly related at all to the portal.

Wells Fargo, multinational financial services company with headquarters in San Francisco, California. The founders of the original company were Henry Wells (1805–78) and William George Fargo (1818–81), who had earlier helped establish the American Express Company. They and other investors

Frank Lloyd: …earned praise for the western Wells Fargo, with Joel McCrea as an employee of the banking and shipping company. If I Were King (1938) gave Colman one of his best vehicles as the swashbuckling poet François Villon, who battles Louis XI (Basil Rathbone).

Wells Fargo: In 1905 Wells Fargo’s banking operations (in California) were separated from its express operations and merged with the Nevada National Bank (founded 1875) to form the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank. In 1923 this bank merged with the Union Trust Company (founded 1893) to form the Wells…

Cariboo Mountains: Wells Gray and Bowron Lake provincial parks occupy the western slopes, where there is some lumbering and ranching in addition to mining.

Alice Stebbins Wells was an American minister and social welfare worker who, in 1910, became the first woman appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department. Although Stebbins was not the first female police officer in the United States, she is believed to have been the first to hold powers of

Sarah Polley: …Doug Liman’s Go (1999) and Audrey Wells’s Guinevere (1999) earned her rave reviews and major industry buzz. Yet she eschewed mainstream fame and gave her allegiance instead to the Canadian film industry, backing out of the star-making role of Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s Oscar-winning Almost Famous (2000) to star…

Carolyn Wells was a prolific American writer remembered largely for her popular mysteries, children’s books, and humorous verse. Wells supplemented her formal education with an early-formed habit of voracious reading. After completing her schooling she worked as a librarian for the Rahway Library

Charles Jeremiah Wells was an English writer, author (under the pseudonym H.L. Howard) of Joseph and His Brethren: A Scriptural Drama in Two Acts (1823), a long dramatic poem in the style of the Elizabethan dramatists, which enjoyed an immense vogue among the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers

David Ames Wells was a popular American writer on science and economics who, as chairman of the National Revenue Commission, helped to create the U.S. Bureau of Statistics and to establish an empirical basis for taxation in the United States. A graduate of Williams College (1847), Wells later

A.J. Ayer: Later years: …his second wife, the writer Dee Wells. His third wife, Vanessa Lawson (formerly married to Nigel Lawson, the chancellor of the Exchequer), died in 1984, leaving him bereft. Suffering from emphysema, he collapsed in 1988 and underwent a remarkable near-death experience, in which, as he later described, he seemed to…

Dicky Wells was a leading American jazz trombonist who was noted, especially in the big band era, for his melodic creativity and expressive techniques. Wells began playing trombone in his youth in Louisville, Kentucky, and at about age 20 he moved to New York City, becoming a member of the Lloyd

Dicky Wells was a leading American jazz trombonist who was noted, especially in the big band era, for his melodic creativity and expressive techniques. Wells began playing trombone in his youth in Louisville, Kentucky, and at about age 20 he moved to New York City, becoming a member of the Lloyd

biblical literature: Later and modern editions: E. Wells, a British mathematician and theological writer (1719), was the first to edit a complete New Testament that abandoned the T.R. in favour of more ancient manuscripts; and English scholar Richard Bentley (1720) also tried to go back to early manuscripts to restore an…

Emmeline Blanche Woodward Wells was an American religious leader and feminist who made use of her editorship of the Mormon publication Woman’s Exponent to campaign energetically for woman suffrage. Emmeline Woodward followed her widowed mother in converting to Mormonism in 1842. She moved with her

H.G. Wells was an English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds and such comic novels as Tono-Bungay and The History of Mr. Polly. Wells was the son of domestic servants turned small shopkeepers. He

Henry Wells was a pioneering American businessman who was one of the founders of the American Express Company and of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells’s father, the Rev. Shipley Wells, was a preacher, and his mother led an itinerant life for 20 years. In 1814 the family settled permanently in Seneca

H.G. Wells was an English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds and such comic novels as Tono-Bungay and The History of Mr. Polly. Wells was the son of domestic servants turned small shopkeepers. He

Horace Wells was an American dentist, a pioneer in the use of surgical anesthesia. While practicing in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1844, Wells noted the pain-killing properties of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) during a laughing-gas road show and thereafter used it in performing painless dental

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an American journalist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She later was active in promoting justice for African Americans. Ida Wells was born into slavery. She was educated at Rust University, a freedmen’s school in her native Holly Springs,

Stanford White: …aided by their gifted draftsman Joseph Morrill Wells, led the American trend toward Neoclassicism and away from styles then being developed in Chicago and elsewhere.

Julie Andrews is an English motion-picture, stage, and musical star noted for her crystalline four-octave voice and her charm and skill as an actress. At the age of 10, Andrews began singing with her pianist mother and singer stepfather (whose last name she legally adopted) in their music-hall act.

Junior Wells was an American blues singer and harmonica player who was one of the musicians who introduced electric Chicago blues to international audiences and, from 1965, was one of the most popular of all blues performers. The son of an Arkansas sharecropper, Wells moved in 1946 with his mother

Kitty Wells was an American country music singer and songwriter who was the first female star of the genre. Deason sang gospel music in church as a child. In the 1930s she made her radio debut and took her stage name, Kitty Wells, from a Carter Family song. She married Johnny Wright in 1937, and

Motown: …child and an adult), and Mary Wells. In addition to the Miracles, who notched Motown’s first million-selling single, “Shop Around” (1960), there were several young singing groups, including the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Marvelettes. There also were a number of somewhat older groups that scored big, such…

Mary Wells Lawrence: She cofounded the Wells Rich Greene (WRG) advertising agency, which became noted for its campaigns for Alka Seltzer (“Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz”), the Ford Motor Company (“Quality Is Job One”), and New York City (“I Love [represented by a heart icon] New York”).

Shannon Wells Lucid is an American astronaut who from 1996 to 2007 held the world record for most time in space by a woman and from 1996 to 2002 held the record for the longest-duration spaceflight by any U.S. astronaut. Lucid was born in China as the daughter of Baptist missionaries and with her

Genographic Project: Project overview: …directed by American population geneticist Spencer Wells and was overseen by the National Geographic Society and by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), which, along with the Waitt Family Foundation, provided funding for the research. The project consisted of three main components: fieldwork, public participation, and the Genographic Legacy Fund. Fieldwork…

Dicky Wells was a leading American jazz trombonist who was noted, especially in the big band era, for his melodic creativity and expressive techniques. Wells began playing trombone in his youth in Louisville, Kentucky, and at about age 20 he moved to New York City, becoming a member of the Lloyd

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an American journalist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She later was active in promoting justice for African Americans. Ida Wells was born into slavery. She was educated at Rust University, a freedmen’s school in her native Holly Springs,

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an American journalist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She later was active in promoting justice for African Americans. Ida Wells was born into slavery. She was educated at Rust University, a freedmen’s school in her native Holly Springs,

Wellsburg, city, seat (1797) of Brooke county, in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. It lies along the Ohio River, about 15 miles (24 km) north of Wheeling, West Virginia, and opposite Brilliant, Ohio. Settled in 1772, it was chartered as Charlestown in 1791 but was renamed in 1816 to

Sharon Olds: …her own life, as does The Wellspring (1996), a collection of poems treating marital and parental relationships.

Paul David Wellstone was a U.S. senator from Minnesota (1991–2002) who was often referred to as the most liberal member of the Senate and who was respected as a man of principle who did not forsake his convictions for political expediency. Wellstone’s father was an immigrant Russian Jew, and his

Wels, city, north-central Austria. It lies along the Traun River at the foothills of the Eastern Alps, southwest of Linz. The site has been occupied since prehistoric times. Wels originated as the Roman Ovilava, capital of Noricum province. In the European Middle Ages it was a leading market town.

wels, large, voracious catfish of the family Siluridae, native to large rivers and lakes from central Europe to western Asia. One of the largest catfishes, as well as one of the largest of European freshwater fishes, the wels attains a length of about 4.5 m (15 feet) and a weight of 300 kg (660

Carl Auer, Freiherr von Welsbach was an Austrian chemist and engineer who invented the gas mantle, thus allowing the greatly increased output of light by gas lamps. In 1885 Welsbach discovered and isolated the elements neodymium and praseodymium from a mixture called didymium, which was previously

Welser Family was a family of German merchants, most prominent from the 15th to the 17th century. It first became important in the 15th century, when the brothers Bartholomew and Lucas Welser carried on an extensive trade with the Levant and elsewhere, and had branches in southern Germany and

Wels: …a big annual fair (the Welser Messe). Wels manufactures agricultural machinery, textiles, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and building materials. It is also an important regional centre of retail and wholesale trade. Pop. (2006) 58,607.

Cleveland Orchestra: …Christoph von Dohnányi (1984–2002), and Franz Welser-Möst (2002– ).

Wales: Ethnic groups and languages: Welsh and English are the two major linguistic and ethnic traditions in Wales. The Welsh border region, known historically as the Marches (a patrolled frontier region), in particular is characterized by an amalgam of the Welsh and English cultures. Welsh was still spoken by about…

Celtic literature: The second revival: …others, the establishment of the Welsh Academy (Yr Academi Gymreig) in 1959 and the publication of its review Taliesin made an outstanding contribution.

Wales: Cultural institutions: The Welsh Arts Council provides government assistance for literature, art, music, film, and drama. The council helps arrange tours of Wales by British and foreign orchestras and supports art exhibitions, Welsh- and English-language theatre companies and theatres, regional arts associations, and music societies and festivals, particularly…

Welsh corgi, either of two breeds of working dogs developed to handle cattle. They are similar in appearance but are of different origins. Their resemblance results from crosses between the two breeds. The Cardigan Welsh corgi (see photograph), named for Cardiganshire, can be traced back to dogs

museum: Early period of reassessment: Fagans, Wales (the Museum of Welsh Life; opened as the Welsh Folk Museum in 1948). The preservation and restoration of buildings or entire settlements in situ also began; particularly well known is Colonial Williamsburg, founded in Virginia in 1926. A new type of science museum also emerged, in…

Congregationalism: Wales, Ireland, and Scotland: …but organized separately in the Union of Welsh Independents. These churches grew up originally in the countryside but moved successfully to the developing industrial valleys in the 19th century. The churches have been strong centres of distinctively Welsh culture, and their ministers have often been national leaders. Their influence diminished…

Wales: Political radicalism: …with Wales, such as the Welsh Intermediate Education Act (1889) and the Church Disestablishment Act (1914), was a parliamentary success matched in cultural life by the founding of three university colleges and the federal University of Wales and the securing of a royal charter for the establishment of the National…

Welsh language, member of the Brythonic group of the Celtic languages, spoken in Wales. Modern Welsh, like English, makes very little use of inflectional endings; British, the Brythonic language from which Welsh is descended, was, however, an inflecting language like Latin, with word endings

Plaid Cymru: History: …about the passage of the Welsh Language Act of 1967 and the establishment of the Welsh Development Agency in 1974. The party also influenced other important changes, including the creation of a Welsh television channel in 1982 and the passage of the Welsh Language Act of 1993. The Welsh Language…

Plaid Cymru: History: …and the passage of the Welsh Language Act of 1993. The Welsh Language Board, established under provisions of the 1993 act, promoted the use of the Welsh language and sought to give Welsh equal legal weight with English in the conduct of government business and the administration of justice.

Plaid Cymru: History: The formation of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 was particularly propitious, because it allowed Plaid to turn more of its attention to electoral politics. The party won its first seat in Parliament in a by-election in 1966, and its policies helped to bring about the passage of the…

Welsh law, the native law of Wales. Although increasingly superseded by English law after the 13th century, Welsh law has been preserved in lawbooks that represent important documents of medieval Welsh prose. The traditional name given to Welsh law is Cyfraith Hywel, or Law of Howel. Howel Dda

museum: Early period of reassessment: Fagans, Wales (the Museum of Welsh Life; opened as the Welsh Folk Museum in 1948). The preservation and restoration of buildings or entire settlements in situ also began; particularly well known is Colonial Williamsburg, founded in Virginia in 1926. A new type of science museum also emerged, in…

Welsh literary renaissance, literary activity centring in Wales and England in the mid-18th century that attempted to stimulate interest in the Welsh language and in the classical bardic verse forms of Wales. The movement centred on Lewis, Richard, and William Morris, Welsh scholars who preserved

Welsh literature, body of writings in the Welsh language with a rich and unbroken history stretching from the 6th century to the present. A brief treatment of Welsh literature follows. For full treatment, see Celtic literature: Welsh. The history of Welsh literature may be divided into two main

military technology: The English longbow: The longbow evolved during the 12th century in response to the demands of siege and guerrilla operations in the Welsh Marches, a topographically close and economically marginal area that was in many ways similar to the regions in which the crossbow had evolved…

cockfighting: …killed or disabled, and the Welsh main, in which eight pairs were matched, the eight victors paired again, then four, and finally the last surviving pair.

Plaid Cymru, political party that has sought self-government for Wales and worked for the protection and promotion of Welsh language, culture, and traditions. More a social movement than a political party in its early years, Plaid Cymru was founded in 1925 in response to a perceived threat to Welsh

Welsh pony, breed of small horse popular as a child’s or an adult’s mount. A hardy breed that developed in the Welsh mountains, the Welsh pony was originally used in coal mines. A saddle type was developed by introducing Thoroughbred and Arabian blood. Welsh ponies are about 12 hands (48 inches, or