How many of these questions can you answer without calling the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service?
Who really designed the American flag?
How hot is the sun's surface?
How does quicksand work?
When was the Ark of the Covenant last seen?
Who sat at the Algonquin Round Table?
Where does the name "The Grateful Dead" come from?
Why is Christmas abbreviated as Xmas?
Can any creatures besides humans get a sunburn?
How many muscles does it take to smile? To frown?
Why are rabbits' feet considered good luck?
You could, of course, do all...

Famous phrases, literary terms, memorable characters, the secret lives and loves of authors--facts, fiction, and fundamentals to delight every reader. This entertaining compendium covers thousands of years of literary endeavors in compact and informative question-and-answer format. Each answer puts the work or author into a historical and literary context. Bibliography. Index.

Each decade in 20th-century America is known for having a unique history and a different personality. In the 1920s there were flappers and the Charleston, in the 1950s bobby-soxers and hula-hoops, in the 1970s hippies and disco, and in the 1990s Lilith Fair and the World Wide Web. Studying each decade one by one gives readers the chance to get a true feel for the character and events of the time. Decades of American History, an exciting new set, encourages young readers to do just that, exploring each decade of the 20th century in all its colorful history. In addition to coverage of each...

An expansive single-volume reference combining the features of a chronology, encyclopaedia, and almanac. This ambitious new work covers not just trivia but essentials, not just the familiar but also the little-known, not just the local but the global. ""It is not a record of any one countryAEs 20th century, but of every countryAEs, and of the great worldwide events and trends that affected them all,"" promises the introduction. Chapter One: Chronology of the Century A timeline from 1900 to 1999, highlighting the most important milestones in every area of human activity around the world, from...

A record of human creativity from ancient times to the present. From prehistoric rock engravings to Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, from Shakespeare's love sonnets to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, this superlative reference reflects the entire spectrum of human creativity and artistic endeavour from earliest times.