(431–350 BCE) Greek historian and author of the Anabasis, an
account of his participation in the activities of a Greek mercenary army; the
philosophical history Cyropaedia; and the Hellenica, a history
of Greece from about 410 through about 360 BCE.
(Starship Troopers)
Yahweh
The Hebrew name for God, as revealed to Moses in the Biblical book of
Exodus. Literary and archeological evidence indicates after the that the
Babylonian exile (6th century BC), Jews gradually ceased to use the name, in
favor of the more general Elohim or the ritual Adonai ("my
Lord"). The modern Jehovah is an alternate pronunciation of Yahweh, which in
Hebrew is written only with consonants (English transliteration YHWH).
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
"Yankee Doodle"
Song of unknown origin; an early version was sung by the British in the
mid-18th century to ridicule American colonials. During the American War for
Independence, a pro-American version praising the bravery of the Colonial
troops became popular in the colonies.
(Starship Troopers)
yeoman
In medieval England, a socioeconomic class between the gentry (relatively
wealthy landowners) and the laborers; a yeoman was usually a landholder but
could also be a retainer, guard, attendant, or subordinate official. The
Chronicles of Raphael Holinshed (1577) described yeomen as having free
land worth £6 (originally 40 shillings) annually and as not being entitled to
bear arms. The word may be a Middle English contraction of yeng man or
yong man, "young man" or "attendant".
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)
York International
U.S. manufacturer of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and
refrigeration products, founded in 1874 in York, Pennsylvania, and now a
worldwide corporation.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel)
Alvin York
(1887–1964) U.S. war hero of World War I. During the Meuse-Argonne
Offensive (October 1918), he single-handedly captured a German machine-gun
emplacement that had killed half his own patrol. He was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor as well as similar honors from France and other
countries. His autobiography was published in 1928, and made into a movie in
1941.
(Starship Troopers)
Rodger Young
(1918–1943) Private in the 148th Infantry, 37th Division of the U.S. Army,
who died on the island of New Georgia in the South Pacific while
single-handedly destroying an enemy machine-gun emplacement. He was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
(The Rolling Stones, Starship Troopers)
The Youth's Companion
U.S. magazine for children, published from 1827 until 1929. Founder
Nathaniel Willis intended it as a means of teaching its young readers moral
values through poems and stories.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Ypres
(Flemish Ieper) City in western Belgium on the Yperlee (Ieperlee)
River south of Ostend. It was a major cloth-weaving city in the Middle Ages,
but it declined after an unsuccessful but devastating siege by the English in
1383 during the Hundred Years' War. Ypres was the site of three major battles
during World War I, in 1914, 1915, and 1917. The city was completely destroyed
during the war, but was reconstructed in its ancient style and is now a market
center.
(Starship Troopers)
yucca
Any of about 40 species of succulent plants of the lily family
Agavaceae, native to southern North America and mostly found in desert
regions. Most varieties of yucca are stemless, with a rosette of stiff,
sword-shaped leaves at the base and clusters of waxy white flowers.
(Farmer in the Sky)
Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich von
Zeppelin
(1838–1917) German count (graf) who built the first rigid dirigible
airships, called zeppelins in his honor. His first flight in 1900 was not
entirely successful, but it attracted the public's attention and sufficient
donations to continue his work. By 1906 he had received commissions for an
entire fleet of airships, and passenger service was established in 1910.
Zeppelins were used for military operations during World War I, but Count von
Zeppelin died before realizing his goal of transcontinental flight.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)
Zeus
In Greek myth, the ruler of the gods. He was believed to cause thunder and
lightning, rain, and winds; his traditional weapon was the thunderbolt. The
eagle was sacred to him. Many myths told of his love affairs with goddesses
and mortal women.
(The Red Planet)
Zion
In the Bible, the easternmost of the two hills of Jerusalem. It was the
site of the Jebusite city captured by King David
(2 Samuel 5:6–9). In biblical usage, "Mount Zion" is usually a poetic or
prophetic designation; Jerusalem is often called "the daughter of Zion". In
modern Christianity, "Zion" is often a metaphor for heaven or for the ideal
community of Christian faith.
(The Puppet Masters)
Zürich
Canton (province) of Switzerland, and its capital city situated at the
northwestern end of Lake Zürich. Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland,
and a global financial center. The site has been occupied since prehistoric
times.
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."