Folk tale in which the hapless Jack, sent by his widowed mother to sell
their cow in order to get a little money for food, instead trades the cow for
magic beans. When he plants the beans, they grow a stalk so large that he can
climb up to the clouds. There Jack finds a castle inhabited by a giant. He
steals a hen that lays golden eggs and a magic harp, then climbs back down the
stalk with the giant in furious pursuit. Jack chops down the beanstalk,
sending the giant plunging to his death; and he and his mother live happily
ever after on the proceeds from the hen's golden eggs.
(Friday, Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Jack the Ripper
Pseudonym for a serial killer who murdered at least seven women in the
Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The grisly details of the murders
gripped the public imagination; and a series of taunting notes to the police,
signed "Jack the Ripper", spurred an intense effort to catch the murderer, but
he was never identified. The crimes have inspired a number of fiction and
nonfiction books, and speculation about the identity of the murderer is still
rife.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Andrew Jackson
(17671845, nicknamed "Old Hickory") Seventh president of the United
States (182937). He became a military hero during the War of 1812 by
defeating the British at New Orleans (the war had officially ended two weeks
earlier, but the news had not reached New Orleans). He was the first U.S.
president to come from the area west of the Appalachians. He led a populist
movement that made him unpopular with the political elite that had controlled
the White House until his election. Although he enjoyed the image as champion
of the common people, he set a precedent for the "spoils system" by filling
hundreds of offices with his supporters. He was also a relentless enemy of the
native American tribes, ordering forced relocations from land coveted by
European settlers and launching the Second Seminole War in 1835.
(Methuselah's Children, "Misfit", Time Enough for Love)
Jackson County, Missouri
County in west-central Missouri on the border with Kansas, created in 1825
and named after President Andrew Jackson. Most of Kansas City is located in
Jackson County. The county seat is Independence.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Jacob's Ladder
The Biblical book of Genesis (28:1215) describes how Jacob dreamed that
Yahweh bestowed vast lands and progeny upon him: "And he dreamed, and behold a
ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold
the angels of God ascending and descending on it...." [King James Version]
("If This Goes On", Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Janus
In the ancient Roman religion, the god of doorways, and thus of beginnings
and endings, or of the point in time between past and future. Janus was
depicted as having two faces, so he could look simultaneously forward and
backward; in his right hand he held a key.
(Tunnel in the Sky)
Jeep
Utility motor vehicle developed for light transport during World War II by
the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps. The American Motors Corporation (AMC)
produced Jeeps for civilian use; in 1987, the company became a subsidiary of
the Chrysler Corporation (now Daimler Chrysler), which still produces the
vehicles.
(Starman Jones)
Thomas Jefferson
(17431826) Third president of the United States of America (18011809). A
Virginia planter, he began his political career in the Virginia House of
Burgesses, and became a leading figure in the struggle for American
independence from Britain. He was governor of Virginia (177981), a member of
the Continental Congress (1782), and U.S. ambassador to France (178489). As
President, he authorized the Louisiana Purchase and the historic surveying
expedition of Lewis & Clark. His personal library became the foundation
for a restored Library of Congress after British troops burned the original
Congressional collection. He considered his founding of the University of
Virginia, and his authorship of Virginia's "statute for religious toleration"
and the Declaration of Independence to be his greatest achievements.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Jefferson Barracks
Military base established in 1826 as an "Infantry School of Practice." It
served as a major military installation until 1946. Today the site is a
museum.
("If This Goes On")
Jefferson Starship
Rock band formed in 1974 by former members of The Jefferson Airplane, a
band that had been a leader in psychedelic rock.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Jericho
Canaanite town conquered by the Israelites led by Joshua, as described in
the Biblical Book of Joshua. The Israelites were able to enter the town after
destroying the walls by marching around them and blowing trumpet blasts.
("If This Goes On", The Number of the Beast)
Jersey Flats
Low-lying coastal tract near the Bayonne, New Jersey, harbor, across from
New York City.
(Tunnel in the Sky)
Jersey Turnpike
Toll road that extends from the New Jersey state border with Delaware to
I-95 near Hackensack.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Jerusalem
Ancient city that lies between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It
has existed since at least 1800 BCE, and was established as the capital of the
Israelite kingdom by King David.
It is a sacred place to Judaism (as the traditional religious and political
center), Christianity (as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection),
and Islam (as the site of the Prophet Muhammad's mystic night journey and of
one of Islam's most sacred shrines). In Christianity, New Jerusalem is
a metaphor for the ideal Christian community, or literally the final abode of
souls redeemed by the Christ (cf. Revelations 21:2).
("If This Goes On", Methuselah's Children)
Jitterbug
Acrobatic ballroom dance that was popular during the 1930s and 1940s.
Jitterbug music also called jive, or jump is in 4/4 time with syncopated
rhythm. The Jitterbug is also a character in The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
(Farmer in the Sky)
Johannesburg, South Africa
The chief industrial and financial city in South Africa, situation in
Gauteng province on the southern slopes of the Witwatersrand. It was founded
in 1886 during the gold rush, when the territory was the independent Boer
republic of the Transvaal.
("If This Goes On", The Rolling Stones)
John Barleycorn
Old British folk song that personifies barley as "John Barleycorn", who
grows to manhood as shown by the barley's "beard"; then is cut off at the
knees with a scythe and tied with ropes (harvested and bound into sheaves);
beaten with sticks (threshed) and ground between two stones (milled); and
thrown into a vat (brewed into ale).
(Time Enough for Love)
Johor Baharu
[Formerly Johore Baharu] City located at the southern end of the Malay
Peninsula, across the Johor Strait from Singapore Island and linked to
Singapore by a rail and road causeway.
Flavius Josephus
(c. 37100 CE; original name Joseph Ben Matthias) Jewish historian who
wrote valuable works on the Jewish revolt against the Romans (6670) and on
earlier Jewish history. His major books are History of the Jewish War
(7579), The Antiquities of the Jews (93), and Against Apion.
(Between Planets)
Joshua
In the Biblical Books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, a member of the tribe of
Ephraim and successor to Moses as leader of the Israelites. He led the
Israelites in their invasion of Canaan, capturing Jericho and other cities to
take control of the territory, and then dividing the land among the 12 tribes.
(Between Planets)
Jotunheim Mountains
Mountain range in south-central Norway. It extends for 80 miles (130 km)
from Gudbrands valley (eastern end) to the Jostedals Glacier (western), and is
surrounded by lakes. The name means "Giant's Home".
(Time Enough for Love)
Jove
Another name for Jupiter, the ruler of the gods in Roman myth. He is a sky
god particularly associated with lightning, his places of worship were
frequently located on hilltops.
(Farmer in the Sky)
James Joyce
(18821941) Irish novelist acclaimed for his experimental style,
particularly his idiosyncratic use of language. His most famous works are
Ulysses (1922), Finnegans Wake (1939), and the
semi-autobiographicalPortrait of the Artist as a Young
Man (1916).
(Podkayne of Mars)
Judah
One of the 12 tribes of Israel, descended from and named for the fourth
son of Jacob (Israel) and Leah. The tribe settled in the region south of
Jerusalem and became the most powerful and most important tribe. The kingdom
of Judah thrived until around 587 BCE, when it was conquered by the
Babylonians and many of the inhabitants were carried into exile. When the
Persians conquered Babylonia in 538 BC, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to
return to their homeland. The history of the Jews thereafter is predominantly
the history of the tribe of Judah. The great kings David and Solomon were of
the tribe of Judah, and it was prophesied that the Messiah would come from
among its members. Modern Jews trace their lineage to this tribe and to the
priestly tribe of Levi.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Junior League
Women's organization founded by Mary Harriman in 1901 to "promote
volunteerism, develop the potential of women, and improve communities". Early
members worked in settlement houses to improve child health and literacy.
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."
