In the Biblical book of Exodus, Aaron, the brother of Moses, demonstrated
the superiority of Yahweh over the Egyptian gods by transforming his staff
into a snake and back again.
(Glory Road)
aasvogel
A South African vulture.
(Podkayne of Mars)
Abelard
(1079–1142) French theologian, philosopher, and poet. He is also known for
his celebrated love affair with his student, Héloďse.
(I Will Fear No Evil, The Puppet Masters)
Abercrombie and Fitch
Former sporting goods retailer founded in New York City in 1892 by David
Abercrombie; Ezra Fitch became his partner in 1900. It was known for its wide
range of sporting equipment and attire, from tennis shoes to elephant guns.
(I Will Fear No Evil)
Aberdeen, Scotland
Seaport situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dee and Don on Scotland's
North Sea coast. It is a center of Scotland's fishing industry, and the
commercial capital of northeastern Scotland.
(Starship Troopers)
Absalom
In the Biblical 2nd Book of Samuel, a son of King David who rebelled
against his father and was slain in battle against him.
("If This Goes On—")
Acapulco, Mexico
Resort and seaport on the Pacific coast in southwestern Mexico. It is an
extremely popular tourist destination.
(Friday)
John Adams
(1735–1826) Second president of the United States (1797–1801), after
having been a significant member of the Continental Congress (1774–1777);
ambassador to Great Britain (1785–88); and vice president under George
Washington (1789–87). He also wrote the Massachusetts state constitution.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Adelphi
The first European hotel in Singapore, originally called The Royalist; it
opened sometime before 1830.
(Glory Road)
Adirondacks
Mountain range in northeastern New York state; it extends from the St.
Lawrence River valley and Lake Champlain to the Mohawk River valley.
(Beyond This Horizon)
Adonis
In Greek myth, a youth of remarkable beauty, the favorite of the goddess
Aphrodite.
(Between Planets, "Logic of Empire")
Adramalech
A Sumerian sun-god to whom children were sacrificed. In later
Judeo-Christian legends, he was a demon and one of the chieftains of Hell.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Aethelnoth
(?–1038) A monk of Glastonbury Abbey who became Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1020. He was a counselor of King Cnut [Canute].
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Aetna
Insurance company founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1819. It was named
after the Sicilian volcano.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Agra, India
City in north central India on the Yamuna (Jumna) River. Founded in the
early 16th century, it was for a time the Mughal capital. It is best known as
the site of the Taj Mahal.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Emilio Aguinaldo
(1869–1964) Filipino leader who fought against Spain and the United States
for the independence of the Philippines.
(Farmer in the Sky, Stranger in a Strange Land)
Ajax
In Greek legend, the son of Telamon, king of Salamis, who fought in the
Trojan War. He is described in the Iliad as second only to Achilles in
strength and bravery. He rescued the body of Achilles from the Trojans, and
claimed Achilles' armor but lost it to Odysseus.
(The Rolling Stones)
Akihito
(1933– ) Emperor of Japan since 1989 (the official coronation was in
1990). According to tradition, he is the
125th direct descendant of Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Akka
(More commonly spelled Acre) A city in northwest Israel, on the
Mediterranean Sea at the north end of the Bay of Haifa.
(Citizen of the Galaxy)
Aladdin
Hero of a story in The
Thousand and One Nights. Son of a poor widow, he retrieves a magic
lamp from a cave and frees the genie within it. With the aid of the genie's
magic, Aladdin becomes immensely wealthy and marries the daughter of a sultan.
(The Door Into Summer)
El Alamein
Coastal town in northwestern Egypt west of Alexandria. It was the site of
two major battles between British and Axis forces in 1942 during World War II.
The German forces under General Rommel attacked the British line at the end of
June, but failed to drive them out; at the beginning of November, the British
forced Rommel to retreat to Libya.
(Starship Troopers)
Alamo
18th-century Franciscan mission in San Antonio, Texas. During the war for
Texan independence from Mexico (1836), a small group, including Colonel James
Bowie and Davie Crockett, held out for 13 days against Mexican forces. The
battle, though it ended in the defenders' defeat and slaughter, is a sacred
legend to Texans and the site is regarded as a shrine.
(Friday, Starship Troopers)
Alaska
Largest, northernmost, and least populous state of the United States. It
is a large peninsula that faces Siberia across the Bering Strait and Sea to
the west, and is bounded by the Arctic Ocean (north and northwest), the
Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Alaska (south), and the Canadian Yukon Territory and
province of British Columbia (east). The capital is Juneau. The territory was
purchased from Russia in 1867 and became a state in 1959.
(Friday)
Albany
The capital of New York state, a port city on the Hudson River. Founded by
Dutch settlers as Fort Orange in 1624, it was surrendered to the British in
1664 and renamed in honor of Prince James, Duke of York and Albany (later King
James II).
("If This Goes On—")
Albert Memorial
Monument to Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg, consort of Queen Victoria, erected
in Kensington Gardens in London across from Royal Albert Hall. It was designed
by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
(Starman Jones)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Largest city of New Mexico, on the Rio Grande opposite a pass between the
Sandia and Manzano mountains to the east. It was founded in 1706 by Don
Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, governor and captain general of New Mexico, and
named for the Duque de Alburquerque, then viceroy of New Spain.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Buzz Aldrin
(Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.; 1930– ) Astronaut who, as a member of the
Apollo 11 mission, was the second person to set foot on the Moon. He also set
a record for extravehicular activity during space missions.
Miguel Alemán
(1902–1983) President of Mexico, 1946–1952. Before becoming President, he
served as Senator from Veracruz, and as governor of that state in 1936.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Pope Alexander VI
(1431–1503) Rodrigo de Borja y Doms (the Italian form of his name is
Rodrigo Borgia). A notoriously corrupt pontiff of the Roman church, father of
equally notorious children including Cesare and Lucrezia. He was a generous
patron of the arts, but his personal conduct, venality, and nepotism were
considered excessive even by the lax standards of the Italian Renaissance.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Alexander the Great
(356–323 BCE; called Sikander or Iskander in Persia and parts of the
Middle East) King of Macedonia who annexed all of Greece, conquered the
Persian Empire and Egypt, and achieved military victories throughout the
Mediterranean region and as far as India.
(Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love)
Alma-Ata
The Russian name for Almaty, a city in southeastern Kazakhstan that was
the capital when Kazakhstan was part of the U.S.S.R. The name means "father of
apples".
(I Will Fear No Evil)
Alpha Centauri
Triple star of which the component Proxima Centauri is the star closest to
Earth (4.3 light years). The two brighter components circle about each other,
and Proxima Centauri orbits these two every 80 years. Seen from Earth, Alpha
Centauri is the third brightest star, and is the brightest star in the
southern constellation Centaurus.
(Citizen of the Galaxy)
Alpha Phoenicis
Ankaa, the brightest star in the constellation Phoenicis (the Phoenix). A
relatively bright orange giant star with a magnitude of 2, it is a little less
than 80 light years from Earth.
(Time for the Stars)
Amazons
In Greek myth, a tribe of female warriors. Hellenic art frequently
depicted battles between Amazons and [male] Greek warriors.
(Tunnel in the Sky)
ambrosia
In Greek myth, the food of the gods.
(Friday)
American Express
U.S. company founded in 1850 to provide express transportation services.
It has expanded to provide a range of financial and travel-related services,
and is probably best known for offering traveler's checks and credit cards.
(Friday, Glory Road, Have Space Suit — Will Travel,
"The Menace from Earth")
American Sunday Magazine
Weekly magazine founded in 1896 by Morrill Goddard, editor of the New
York Journal newspaper. It offered light reading for the weekend —
features, illustrations, and fiction — to the newspaper's subscribers. The
magazine later became The American Weekly, and is published today as
USA Weekend.
("The Man Who Sold the Moon")
Anatomy of Melancholy
The commonly used name for Anatomy of Melancholy, What it is; with all
the Kindes, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes and Several Cures of it: In Three
Maine Partitions With Their Several Sections, Members, and Subsections,
Philosophically, Medicinally, Historically Opened and Cut up, by Democritus
Junior, published in 1621 by Robert Burton (1577–1640). It defines
melancholy, discusses its various causes, and describes the symptoms, and
prescribes cures.
(Farnham's Freehold)
Poul Anderson
(1926–2001) U.S. science-fiction and fantasy author of dozens of novels
and many short stories. He won seven Hugo awards and three Nebula awards.
Ginnie Matuchek
(Also called Ginnie Graylock) Character in Poul Anderson's fantasy novel
Operation Chaos. She is a witch, married to werewolf Steve Matuchek.
The novel stitches together four episodes in which the couple battle various
evil supernatural beings.
"Mary O'Meara"
Song written by science-fiction author Poul Anderson for his novel
World Without Stars. In the novel, the crew of an Earth starship are
stranded in the midst of a war between distant words. Their captain, Hugh
Valland, strengthens their resolve to continue the struggle to return home
by singing to them of his love, Mary O'Meara, who is waiting for him back on
Earth.
Polesotechnic League
In various stories and novels by science-fiction author Poul Anderson, a
group of laissez-faire interstellar traders. The books in which the League
appears include Trader to the Stars (1964), The Trouble
Twisters (1966), Satan's World (1969), and Mirkheim
(1977). The Earth Book of Stormgate (1978) includes a detailed
chronology of the League.
(The Number of the Beast)
Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales
The Clydesdale breed was developed in Scotland (in the Clyde River valley)
to haul coal and do farm work. The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales, a team of eight
geldings pulling a traditional beer wagon, made their first public appearance
in 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. The brewery maintains a herd
of 225–250 horses to provide hitches for the ceremonial wagons, which appear
in parades and other community events around the U.S.
(The Number of the Beast)
Antares
A red, semiregular variable star about 400 lightyears from Earth, the
brightest star (magnitude 0.9) in the constellation Scorpio. The name may be
from the Greek for "rival of Ares", a reference to its similarity in color and
brightness to the planet Mars.
(Citizen of the Galaxy)
ANZAC
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, a combined corps from the two
nations that served with distinction in World War I. The corps is best known
for its heroic service in the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli Peninsula campaign.
ANZAC was disbanded in 1917. Australia and New Zealand still celebrate ANZAC
Day on April 25, the date of the Gallipoli landing.
(Friday)
Aphrodite
In Greek myth, the goddess of sexual love and beauty. In some regions she
was also worshipped as the goddess of the sea or of warfare. The Romans
identified their goddess Venus with her.
(Podkayne of Mars, Starman Jones)
Apocalypse
Various apocryphal Biblical books describe imminent catastrophic
confrontations between Good and Evil. The term is sometimes used to refer
specifically to the final battle between Heaven and Hell, in which the forces
of evil are completely destroyed.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Apollo
In Greek and Roman myth, the god of the sun, prophecy, art and culture,
and medicine. He was the twin brother of the moon goddess Artemis (Roman
Diana).
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Appian Way
The oldest and most famous of the ancient Roman roads, which ran from Rome
to Campania and southern Italy. It was named for the censor Appius Claudius
Caecus, under whom its construction began in 312 BCE.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)
archangel
In Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and related faiths, the highest level of
the hierarchy of angels.
Gabriel
In the Biblical book of Daniel, Gabriel was the heavenly messenger sent
to Daniel. In the Gospel of Luke, he announced the birth of John the Baptist
to Zechariah and told Mary that she was chosen to become of the mother of
God.
Michael
In the Old Testament, the archangel Michael is the warrior leader of the
heavenly hosts and the guardian of Israel; in more modern legends he is
sometimes confused with St. George, slayer of the Satanic dragon. In Islamic
legend, Michael is the provider of food and knowledge.
(Double Star, "If This Goes On—", Stranger in a Strange
Land)
Arcturus
Alpha Boötis, the brightest star in the northern constellation Boötes (the
Plowman). An orange-colored giant star about 40 light-years from the Earth,
with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.00. It lies in an almost direct line
with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); Arcturus is derived from the
Greek words for "bear guard".
(The Rolling Stones, Stranger in a Strange Land)
Ares
In Greek myth, the god of war; he is the son of Zeus and Hera, brother of
Eris ("discord"), and father of Deimos ("fear") and Phobos ("terror"). In some
stories he is the lover of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. His Roman
counterpart was Mars.
(Podkayne of Mars, The Rolling Stones, Stranger in a
Strange Land)
Argonne
1. A region in eastern France, the site
of a U.S. victory (the Meuse-Argonne Offensive) over Germany in World War I.
2. Argonne National Laboratory in
Argonne, Illinois, operated by the University of Chicago for the U.S.
Department of Energy. Founded in 1946 to conduct basic atomic research and to
develop the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, it now conducts research in a
range of subjects including superconductors and computers.
(Starship Troopers)
Argus
In Greek mythology, a giant who had 100 eyes. After Hera transformed the
nymph Io into a heifer to thwart Zeus' interest in Io, the goddess appointed
Argus to stand guard over her; but Hermes freed Io by slaying Argus. Hera set
Argus' eyes in the tail of the peacock, her sacred bird.
(Stranger in a Strange Land, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
ark
In the Biblical book of Genesis, the boat the Noah built at God's command
as a shelter for his family and pairs of every kind of animal, to save them
from the flood God sent to destroy all life because of man's wickedness. Also,
the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-plated chest in which the Israelites kept
the two tablets of the Law that Moses had given them.
(Farmer in the Sky, "If This Goes On—")
Arkansas
Constituent state of the United States of America. The capital is Little
Rock. On the west bank of the Mississippi River, Arkansas abuts Tennessee and
Mississippi (across the river), Missouri (north), Oklahoma (west), Texas
(southwest), and Louisiana (south). The region was acquired from France in
1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Arkansas Territory was formed in 1819,
and Arkansas became the 25th state in 1836. Arkansas seceded from the Union in
1861, and was readmitted in 1868.
(Friday, Starman Jones, Tunnel in the Sky)
"Arkansas Traveler"
An American folk dance that depicts a salesman who came from Arkansas.
(Tunnel in the Sky)
Neil Armstrong
(1930– ) U.S. astronaut, who became the first human to walk on the Moon on
20 July 1969.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Time Enough for Love)
Svante August Arrhenius
(1859–1927) Swedish chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry
in 1903. He promoted the theory that life on Earth arose from microorganisms
or spores wafted through space by radiation pressure.
(Beyond This Horizon)
The Art of Cross-Examination
By Francis Lewis Wellman, originally published by McMillan (New York) in
1931. Reissued in 1997 by Gaunt (Holmes Beach, Florida). [Library of Congress
call number KF8920.W4]
(Stranger in a Strange Land)
Artemis
In Greek myth, the goddess of the moon, the hunt, wild animals, and
vegetation; and of both chastity and childbirth. She was the daughter of Zeus
and Leto, and the twin sister of the sun god Apollo. The Romans identified her
with their goddess Diana.
(Citizen of the Galaxy, "It's Great to Be Back!", "The Menace from
Earth", "Requiem")
King Arthur
In medieval legends, Arthur was the son of King Uther who became king
after Uther's death by claiming a sword that had been magically embedded in a
stone. Uniting the island under his rule from the city of Camelot, he founded
a Round Table of knights and established a reign of peace and prosperity. His
reign ended tragically, however, because of the knight Lancelot's affair with
Arthur's queen Guinevere, and the dissension sown at court by Arthur's
illegitimate son Mordred. Some theories explain Arthur as a Welsh chieftain
who led the resistance to Anglo-Saxon invasions following the departure of the
Roman legions from Britain.
Camelot
The legendary site of King Arthur's court. Since there is much
disagreement on whether King Arthur actually existed, Camelot is generally
believed to be only a legend. Various sites in Britain, however, are
identified with it, including Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Wales, and, Cadbury
Castle, Somerset, England.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel, The Number of the Beast)
Chester Alan Arthur
(1829–1886) 21st president of the United States. Elected vice president in
1880, Arthur became president when James A. Garfield was assassinated.
(Starman Jones)
Asgard
In Norse myth, the dwelling place of the gods. Asgard was divided into 12
or more realms, including Valhalla, the home of Odin and the abode of heroes
slain in earthly battle; Thrudheim, the realm of Thor; and Breidablik, the
home of Balder. It could be reached from earth by the bridge Bifrost (the
rainbow).
(The Number of the Beast, Starman Jones)
Asher
In the Biblical book of Genesis, the son of Jacob by his concubine Zilpah,
the maidservant of his wife Leah. In the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy,
Asher is one of the twelve tribes of Israel; in the book of Joshua, the name
is given to part of the Israelite territory.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Ashmedai
(Also Asmodeus) In Jewish legends, the king of demons. A tale about him is
included in the apocryphal book of Tobit. The Talmud relates that Solomon
captured the demon and compelled him to help with the construction of the
First Temple of Jerusalem.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Isaac Asimov
(1920–1992) Russian-born U.S. author of more than 500 volumes of science
fiction, science, and a wide variety of nonfiction topics. His
Foundation trilogy introduced the concept of psychohistory. He coined
the term "robotics" for his stories about the development of machines with
intelligence equivalent to the human mind, and his Three Laws governing the
behavior of robots have been frequently cited in other authors' works. He
received three Nebula Awards from the Science Fiction Writers of America and
five Hugo Awards including a special award in 1966 naming the Foundation
trilogy the best science fiction series of all time; and in 1987 he was named
a Grandmaster of Science Fiction by SFWA. The subjects of his works include
history, the Bible, literature, geography, humor, limericks, Shakespeare,
Gilbert and Sullivan,and a range of scientific topics.
Biochemistry and Human
Metabolism
Textbook co-authored by Burnham S. Walker, William C.
Boyd, and Isaac Asimov; published by Williams & Wilkins
(Baltimore MD) in 1952, with later editions in 1954 and 1957. [Library of
Congress call number QP514.W27]
Susan Calvin
Protagonist of many of the "robot" stories by science-fiction author
Isaac Asimov. She invented the positronic brain that made it possible to
construct robots approaching the cognitive abilities of humans.
Lucky Starr
Hero of a series of juvenile space-opera novels written by Isaac Asimov
under the pen name Paul French.
"Nightfall"
This story, published in 1941, is considered by many to be the finest
science-fiction short story ever written. It describes a planet in a
multi-sun system, on which total darkness has never occurred in the history
of civilization, and the social and psychological effects of an impending
"total sunset".
(Glory Road, Have Space Suit — Will Travel, The Number of
the Beast)
Astarte
Great goddess of the ancient Middle East and chief deity of the cities of
Tyre, Sidon, and Elat. She was also worshiped in Egypt and Ugarit and among
the Hittites, as well as in Canaan. She was considered a goddess of war and
sexual love.
(Space Cadet)
asteroid belt
A ring of small, rocky astronomical objects that orbits the Sun between
the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The current theory about the formation of the
asteroid belt is that the asteroids could not coalesce into a planet because
the gravitational pull of Jupiter counteracts the mutual attraction of the
asteroids.
Athene
[Also spelled Athena] In Greek myth, the goddess of war, handicraft, and
practical reason. She is the patron of the city of Athens, and is said to have
given Athenians the olive tree. Her epithets Pallas and Parthenos denote her
virginity. Athene is associated with birds, particularly the owl, and with
snakes. In later myths, she has no mother, being born fully grown from the
head of Zeus when Hephaestus split it open with an ax. The Romans associated
her with their goddess Minerva.
(The Number of the Beast, Time Enough for Love)
Atomic Energy Commission
U.S. federal civilian agency established in 1946 to control the
development and production of nuclear weapons, and to direct the research and
development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It was superseded by the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 1977.
Atomic Energy for Military
Purposes
By Henry De Wolf Smyth. The full title is Atomic energy for military
purposes; the official report on the development of the atomic bomb under the
auspices of the United States government, 1940–1945. Published in 1945 by
Princeton University Press. [Library of Congress call number QC173.S4735]
(Rocket Ship Galileo)
The Attainability of the Celestial
Bodies
By Walter Hohmann, published in German as Die Erreichbarkeit der
Himmelskörper: Untersuchungen über das Raumfahrtproblem ("The
Accessibility of the Heavenly Bodies"). [Library of Congress call number
TL790.H6]
(Space Cadet)
Attila
King of the Huns from 434 to 453. He led the Huns, a nomadic pastoral
tribe that originated in western Asia, on invasions into western Europe. Their
victories, though short-lived, were so devastating that the Europeans called
him the Scourge of God.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Auckland
Government region in northwestern North Island, New Zealand. Its capital
city is also called Auckland. It was founded in 1840 as the capital of the
colonial government and was named for George Eden, 2nd Earl of Auckland,
British first lord of the Admiralty and later governor-general of India. In
1856, it was superseded as the colonial capital by the city of Wellington.
Auckland, however, is the largest urban area in New Zealand.
("Logic of Empire", Space Cadet)
Aurora
In Roman myth, the personification of the dawn. She is identified with the
Greek Eos.
The Heinlein
Society was founded by Virginia Heinlein on behalf of her husband, science
fiction author Robert Anson Heinlein, to "pay forward" the legacy of Robert A. Heinlein to future generations of "Heinlein's Children."