(1737–1809) English immigrant to the American colonies, a political
pamphleteer whose "Common Sense" and "Crisis" inspired support for the
American War for Independence. His Rights of Man began as a defense of
the French Revolution and evolved into an analysis of the evils of arbitrary
government, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and war.
(Double Star, "If This Goes On—", Time for the Stars)
Palomar Observatory
Astronomical observatory located on Mount Palomar, about 40 miles (65 km)
north-northeast of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1948 by the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and was operated jointly with
the Mount Wilson Observatory as the Hale Observatories until 1980.
("Delilah and the Space Rigger")
Peter Pan
Hero of the play by Sir James Barrie, Peter Pan, the Boy Who Wouldn't
Grow Up, which was first produced in 1904. Peter and the other "lost boys"
— live in Never-Never Land, amidst pirates, mermaids, Indians, fairies, and a
vengeful crocodile; the boys never grow up so long as they remain in the
magical realm. Peter brings Wendy, John, and Michael Darling to Never-Never
Land, and the boys beg Wendy to stay with them and be their mother. But at the
end of their adventures they return to the everyday world while Peter chooses
to remain a child forever.
(Methuselah's Children)
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Part of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-New Jersey metro area, located in
Chester County between Devon and Exton along Highway 30 near the Schuylkill
River.
(Stranger in a Strange Land)
Papeete
Capital of French Polynesia, on the northwest coast of Tahiti. It had
become a trading port and a favorite port of call for whalers by 1829, and is
a major transportation center today.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Paradise, Arizona
Mining town in Cochise County, now a ghost town. The town's post office
opened in 1901 and was discontinued in 1943; the mine had closed in 1907.
("Blowups Happen", To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
pariah
Member of a low caste in India, often called "untouchable" by members of
higher castes. The word originally referred to the Paraiyan, a Tamil
caste of laborers and village servants of low status. Traditionally, groups
considered "untouchable" held occupations that life involved polluting
activities, such as taking life (fishermen), dealing with dead cattle, or
coming into contact with human emissions (street sweepers and launderers). To
speakers of English, the term often means one who is shunned for social or
political reasons.
("If This Goes On—")
Paris
Capital of France, located in the north-central part of the country on the
River Seine about 233 miles (375 kilometers) upstream from the English
Channel. The city was founded more than 2,000 years ago on an island (the Île
de la Cité) in the Seine; the modern city has spread from the island and far
beyond both banks of the river. Paris is the leading industrial city of
France, and has long been considered a cultural center of Europe.
(Double Star, I Will Fear No Evil)
Frederick Maxfield Parrish
(1870–1966) U.S. illustrator and painter who produced many posters,
magazine covers, and book and advertising illustrations. Parrish is best known
for his depictions of fantasy landscapes populated by young women. His
artistic style is characterized by luminous colors and meticulous attention to
detail.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Pass Christian, Mississippi
City in Harrison County in southeastern Mississippi, just west-southwest
of Gulfport on the Mississippi Sound. It is named for the deepwater channel
known as Christian's Pass, which links the Gulf of Mexico with Lake
Pontchartrain; this channel was named for explorer Christian L'Adnier, who is
believed to have navigated it in 1699. Originally settled by the French and
Spanish, Pass Christian became a trading center with the opening of the
Mississippi Territory.
(The Puppet Masters)
General George Smith Patton Jr.
(1885–1945; called "Old Blood and Guts") General who led the U.S. Army's
advance through France and into Germany in 1944 and early 1945 during World
War II. Acclaimed for his military victories, he was also controversial
because of his high-handed manner and his public criticisms of the Allies'
postwar policies.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Luanna Pauline
A reference to Spider and Jeanne Robinson and their daughter, Terri Luanna da Silva. Spider's "real" name has occasionally been incorrectly reported as Paul. Jeanne founded the Nova Dance Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia; her choreography incorporated theater into the dance routines. The "low-gravity ballet" is also a nod to the Robinsons' Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella "Stardance". [Information provided by Spider Robinson.]
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)
Peace Corps
U.S. government program founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to
give development assistance to other countries by providing skilled volunteers
for projects in education, agriculture, health, trade, technology, and
community development.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Pedro I
(1798–1834) First emperor of Brazil (1822–1831); also King Pedro IV of
Portugal. The son of King John VI, he fled with the rest of the royal family
to Brazil when Napoleon conquered Portugal in 1807. He remained there as
regent when King John returned to Portugal in 1821. He declared Brazil's
independence in 1822 after his father ordered him to return to Portugal.
(Citizen of the Galaxy, Podkayne of Mars, Time for the
Stars)
Pegasus
Constellation visible in the northern hemisphere during the fall. It is
named for the winged horse of Greek myth that was tamed and ridden by the hero
Perseus.
(Space Cadet, Starman Jones)
pelican
Any of several species of water birds constituting the family Pelecanidae,
characterized by large, elastic throat pouches. These birds inhabit lakes,
rivers, and seacoasts in many parts of the world. Pelicans eat fish by
scooping them into the extensible throat pouch (they do not store the fish in
the pouch, but swallow them immediately).
(The Star Beast)
Pernambuco
State in northeastern Brazil, near the eastern tip of the South American
coastline's bulge into the Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded by the Atlantic
(east), and by the states of Alagoas and Bahia (south), Piauí (west), and
Ceará and Para&iacuate;ba (north). The state capital is Recife. The first
permanent European settlement of Pernambuco was founded by Duarte Coelho
Pereira at Olinda in 1535. The Dutch occupied the region from 1630 to 1654 and
founded a town at the location of modern-day Recife. The Portuguese took over
the territory in 1654. Pernambuco became a state of the Brazilian Republic in
1891.
(I Will Fear No Evil)
Persephone
In Greek myth, the daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and of Demeter, the
goddess of agriculture. She was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld.
According to the myth, Hades carried Persephone off by force, and Demeter, in
her grief and outrage, neglected her duties so that the Earth became barren.
Zeus, therefore, commanded Hades to return Persephone to her mother. But
because Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds during her time in the
underworld, she could not return permanently to the land of the living. This
myth accounts for the seasons; during Persephone's time in the underworld, the
world is bleak and cold, with nothing growing.
("Coventry")
John Joseph Pershing
(1860–1948; called "Black Jack" Pershing) U.S. commander of the American
Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War I, and army chief of staff from 1921
until 1924.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Tsar Peter I
(1672–1725; full name Pyotr Alekseyevich, called Peter the Great) Tsar of
Russia, who reigned 1682 until 1725. He was proclaimed emperor in 1721. He
transferred the capital to St. Petersburg to involve Russia more with the rest
of Europe; completely reformed the Russian government and military system; and
increased the power of the monarchy at the expense of the nobles and the
Orthodox Church.
(Time for the Stars)
Gaius Petronius Arbiter
(d. 66 CE; original name Titus Petronius Niger) Reputed author of the
Satyricon, a satirical portrait of Roman society of the 1st century CE.
He served as governor of the Asian province of Bithynia, and was the Roman
consul in 62 or 63. He became a member of the emperor Nero's inner circle; but
having earned the enmity of the commander of the emperor's guard, he was
accused of complicity in a conspiracy to assassinate Nero and was forced to
commit suicide.
(The Door Into Summer)
Petticoat Lane
Location of a market in the East End of London, England. It was
established around 1600 CE by Huguenot lacemakers, and still attracts visitors
from all over the world.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)
Philadelphia
City in southeastern Pennsylvania, situated at the confluence of the
Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It was founded by a Quaker, William Penn, in
1681; its name is from the Greek for "city of brotherly love". Philadelphia
was the largest city in Colonial America, and played a central role in the
American War for Independence and the early United States; both the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed
there.
(The Puppet Masters, "The Roads Must Roll")
Philadelphia Phillies
U.S. baseball team formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1883, a member
of the National League.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Phobos
The inner and larger of the two moons of Mars. It is an irregular, heavily
cratered body that measures 16.5 miles (26.6 km) across at its widest point,
and circles Mars west to east every 7.65 in a nearly circular orbit at a
distance of 5,814 miles (9,378 km) from the surface. The moon is named for the
son of the Greek war god, Ares, by the goddess Aphrodite; [Greek
phobos, "panic"]
(Podkayne of Mars, The Rolling Stones)
phoenix
In myths originating in Egypt, a bird that dies and is reborn, symbolizing
immortality. Only one phoenix exists at a time. After an extremely long life,
it builds its own funeral pyre and immolates itself; the new phoenix arises
miraculously from the ashes.
(Glory Road)
Physical Review
Professional journal published by the American Physical Society since 1893
"for the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics".
(Time for the Stars)
pied-a-terre
A temporary or secondary dwelling, for example an apartment maintained by
someone whose primary residence is in the country, for use during trips to the
city. [French, "foot to the ground"]
("Gulf")
John Robinson Pierce
(1910– ) U.S. communications engineer whose inventions contributed
significantly to the creation of the communications satellite. Pierce became a
professor of engineering at California Institute of Technology in 1971, and
chief technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979. He has published
science-fiction stories under the pseudonym J.J. Coupling. His nonfiction
works include Traveling-wave Tubes (1950) and Symbols, Signals and
Noise (1961).
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, The Number of the Beast)
Pikes Peak
Mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in El Paso County,
Colorado, near Colorado Springs. It is named for explorer Zebulon Pike. At
14,110 feet (4,301 mi), it ranks 32nd among Colorado peaks.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel, The Puppet Masters, The
Rolling Stones, Space Cadet, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Pilgrim
In general, a person who travels to a shrine or holy place. In U.S.
history, one of the religious separatists that founded Plymouth Colony in
Massachusetts in 1620. The settlers did not call themselves Pilgrims; the name
Pilgrim Fathers was first used by Daniel Webster in 1820, in an oration
commemorating Plymouth's founding.
(Farmer in the Sky, "If This Goes On—")
pillar of fire
According to the Biblical book of Genesis (13:21–22), Yahweh led the
Israelites through the desert by appearing before them as a pillar of cloud by
day, and a pillar of fire by night.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Pitcairn Island
Volcanic island in the south-central Pacific Ocean, 1,350 miles (2,170 km)
southeast of Tahiti. It is the only inhabited island of the British colony
consisting of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands. It was discovered
in 1767 and named for the sailor who first sighted it. Its population is
descended from the mutineers of the British ship HMS Bounty and their Tahitian
companions.
(Time Enough for Love)
pitchblende
One of the primary ores of uranium, containing 50 to 80 percent of that
element. Deposits have been found in Congo; the Czech Republic; England; the
Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan in Canada; and Arizona, Colorado,
Montana, New Mexico, and Utah in the United States.
("Blowups Happen")
Pittsburgh
Seat of Allegheny County in southwestern Pennsylvania, where the
Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers converge to become the Ohio River. After
wresting the territory from the French, the British built Fort Pitt in 1761.
Pittsburgh was laid out in 1764 in the area around the fort.
(Time Enough for Love)
pixel
Any of the discrete elements of light or color that together form an image
on a television screen or computer monitor. The pixel is also the unit of
measure for such images.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
pixie
(Also spelled pixy) In English folklore, a mischievous spirit or
fairy that dresses in green and dances in the moonlight. Pixies delight in
leading travelers astray.
(Double Star)
Plato Crater
Crater located near the north pole of the Moon; it is about 95 kilometers
(57 miles) in diameter. Plato first sees sunlight not long after the first
quarter. It was the landing site for the Apollo 14 lunar mission.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Playboy Club
Chain of nightclubs founded by Hugh Hefner in association with his
Playboy magazine. The clubs were famous for the "Playboy bunny"
waitresses, who dressed in outfits resembling strapless one-piece swimsuits,
with fishnet stockings, stiletto heels, and headbands sporting rabbit ears.
The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960 and quickly became the
busiest nightclub in the world. The chain spread worldwide, but changing
tastes and economic conditions eventually diminished their popularity and
profits; the last surviving Playboy Club closed in 1991.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Pluto
Outermost of the nine planets in Earth's solar system (although its
eccentric orbit crosses Uranus' orbit, so that sometimes Pluto is closer to
the sun); its average distance from the sun is about 3.7 billion miles (5.9
billion km). The planet is only two-thirds the size of Earth's moon. It
rotates on its axis every 6.387 Earth days, and orbits the sun every 248 Earth
years. Its one satellite, Charon,
was discovered in 1978. It was discovered in 1930 by the American astronomer
Clyde W. Tombaugh, based on calculations by Percival
Lowell and William H. Pickering, and named for the Roman god of the
underworld.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel, Starship Troopers)
Polaris
A triple star, Alpha Ursae Minoris, located at the end of the "handle" in
the Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is called the Northern
Star or pole star because it appears to be aligned with Earth's north pole.
("Delilah and the Space Rigger", Starship Troopers)
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de
Pompadour
(1721–1764) Mistress of King Louis XV of France. She wielded considerable
political influence by acting as a liaison between petitioners and the king.
She founded the royal porcelain factory at Sèvres, and was a notable patron of
literature and the arts, particularly of the writer and philosopher Voltaire.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Have Space Suit — Will Travel,
I Will Fear No Evil)
Marco Polo
(c. 1254–1324) Venetian merchant and adventurer who traveled from Europe
to Asia in 1271–95, remaining in China for 17 of those years. His memoir of
the journey, known in English as Travels of Marco Polo, is a classic of
travel literature.
(Time for the Stars)
Polynesia
Islands in the east-central Pacific Ocean defined by the ethnic and
linguistic identity of their inhabitants. They include Samoa; the Cook
Islands; Tahiti and the other Society Islands; the Marquesas Islands; the
Austral Islands; the Tuamotu Archipelago; Niue; the islands of Tokelau;
Tuvalu; the islands of Tonga and of Wallis and Futuna; the Hawaiian Islands;
and Pitcairn Island. New Zealand's original inhabitants, the Maori, are also
Polynesian; Fiji is sometimes included in Polynesia because of the proportion
of its population that is Polynesian.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Pompeii
Ancient city of Campania, Italy, 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Naples, at
the southeastern base of Mount Vesuvius north of the mouth of the Sarno River.
Pompeii was destroyed by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The
ashfall preserved the city so thoroughly that it is an archeological treasure
trove, providing detailed and unique information about everyday life in
imperial Rome.
(I Will Fear No Evil)
Poona
(Also called Pune) City in Maharashtra state in western India, at the
junction of the Mula and Mutha rivers. It was the capital of the Bhonsle
Marathas in the 17th century. Poona was temporarily captured by the Mughals
but again became the official Maratha capital from 1714 until its capture by
the British in 1817.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Aleksandr Stepanovich Popov
(1859–1905) Physicist and electrical engineer acclaimed in Russia as the
inventor of radio. Although inventor Guglielmo Marconi's invention preceded
Popov's, Popov built his first receiver in 1895 without knowledge of Marconi's
work. Popov is credited with the first use of an antenna to transmit and
receive radio waves.
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)
Pravda
Daily newspaper, published in Moscow and distributed nationwide, that was
the official organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1918 to
1991. It was founded in 1912 in St. Petersburg as a workers' daily. After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the paper became the voice of
conservative-nationalist politics, but suffered steadily declining readership.
It ceased publication in July 1996. [Russian, "truth"]
(The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, The Number of the Beast)
Prince Edward Island
One of the maritime provinces of Canada, an island located across the
Northumberland Strait from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Prince Edward Island
became the seventh province of Canada in 1867. Its capital, Charlottetown, is
named for the wife of King George III.
(Friday)
Prince of Wales
The traditional title of the heir to the British throne. According to an
apocryphal story, King Edward I, after completing his conquest of Wales,
promised the Welsh "a prince born in Wales, who does not speak a word of
English" — then brought his pregnant wife to Wales, and bestowed the title
Prince of Wales on the son born soon thereafter.
(Starman Jones)
Princeton, New Jersey
City in Mercer County in western New Jersey, on the Millstone River
northeast of Trenton. It is the site of Princeton University. The area was
settled by Quakers in 1696. First called Stony Brook, it was renamed in 1724
to honor William III of England.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel)
Procrustes
In Greek myth, a bandit dwelling in Attica. He had an iron bed on which he
made his victims lie. If the victim was shorter than the bed, Procrustes
stretched him to fit; if the victim was longer than the bed, he cut off the
legs to match the bed's length. Procrustes was ultimately slain by the young
Attic hero Theseus. "Procrustean" has come to mean forcing someone to meet an
arbitrary and unreasonable or unnatural standard.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
Procyon
Alpha Canis Minoris, the brightest star in the northern constellation
Canis Minor (the Lesser Dog). It is a yellow-white binary star about 11
light-years from Earth. [Derived from Greek, "before the dog"]
(The Star Beast)
Prometheus
In Greek myth, the Titan who stole fire from the gods on Mount Olympus to
give to humans. In some stories he is credited with teaching all the arts and
sciences to humans. His name means "foresight".
(Friday, "The Menace from Earth")
Promised Land
In the Biblical book of Exodus, the land to which Yahweh led the
Israelites, so that they could conquer the inhabitants and claim the land as
their own home. The land is usually identified as Canaan.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)
Proteus
In Greek myth, shepherd of the sea's flocks (e.g., seals). He had
prophetic powers, but those who wished to consult him had to surprise and bind
him during his noonday slumber. When caught, he would try to escape by
assuming many different shapes. If his captor held him fast, the god at last
returned to his proper shape, gave the wished-for answer, and then plunged
into the sea.
(The Door Into Summer)
Proxima Centauri
One of three stars that comprise the triple star Alpha Centauri. A red
dwarf, it is the star closest to the Sun, at 4.3 light-years distance. Alpha
Centauri forms one of the forehooves in the southern constellation Centaurus.
(Orphans of the Sky)
Prussia
1. The traditional territory of the
Prussian people on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea, which was ruled
by Poland and Germany during the Middle Ages; 2. the kingdom ruled from 1701 by the German
Hohenzollern dynasty with Berlin as its capital, which seized much of northern
Germany and western Poland in the 18th and 19th centuries and united Germany
under its leadership in 1871; and 3. the
German state created in 1918, which included most of the former kingdom and
which was abolished in 1947 as part of the political reorganization of Germany
after World War II.
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."
