Beckwith
JAMES CARROLL, an American genre painter, born in Hannibal, Mo., Sept. 23, 1852; was a pupil of of domestic furniture to sleep upon.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: B (45)
These 9 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Beckwith, Beckwith, Becky Sharp.
Beckwith
SIR GEORGE, an Engish military officer, born in 1753. scene of action was largely in America in the United States , and the West Indies. He fought with the English in the American Revolution in 1776-1782, and was intrusted with important diplomatic commissions in 1782-1791, as there was then no British Minister to the United States. In 1804, he was made governor of St. Vincent , and four years later governor of Barbadoes. As England was then at war with France, he organized an expedition and conquered Martinique, for which he obtained the thanks of the House of Commons. Later (1810) he conquered Guadeloupe, the last possession of the French in that part of the world. He died in London, March 20, 1823.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Becky Sharp
or Rebecca Sharp, the principal female character in Thackeray's Vanity Fair . She is represented as a friendless girl, "with the dismal precocity of poverty," determined to rise in the world. She is described as "small and slight of person, pale, sandy-haired, and with green eyes, habitually cast down, but very large, odd, and attractive when they looked up." With wit, tact, and resolution to make her way, without scruple or conscience or moral principle, there is in all literature no other such striking picture of the managing woman as Becky Sharp. She is everywhere the recognized type of the shrewd and skillful adventuress. See Vanity Fair ; Thackeray 2026 Editor's Note: Becky Sharp became one of the great characters of English fiction — the amoral, dazzling social climber at the center of Thackeray's Vanity Fair , which he pointedly subtitled ' a novel without a hero .' Modern readers often admire her nerve and resourcefulness in a world that gave women few honest routes up, making this Victorian schemer a surprisingly modern anti-heroine. (Ed: BR 2026-07-01)
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Bed-board
A board on which to ram the nowal part when the bed is formed by the method of rolling-over (see ROLLING-OVER). It may be of iron, wood, or plaster, with dimensions corresponding to outer edges of the flask used. Besides presenting a surface which accurately matches the upper side of the pattern, to prevent any possibility of the pattern being rammed out of shape, it must be made strong enough to lift the body of sand contained, when bed-board, nowal, and bottom-board are secured together for rolling-over; as any deflection will irretrievably destroy what would otherwise have been a correct impress of the pattern. See FOLLOW-BOARD; TURNOVER-BOARD; BOTTOM-BOARD.
Only in The Encyclopedia of Founding
Bedbug
Important: Safety Warning This page recommends pest-control substances such as arsenic compounds, strychnine, or cyanide — in some cases applied to food crops. These substances are lethal to humans and animals, and their use is now banned or strictly controlled. In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings. This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon. a nocturnal insect infesting houses the world over. The bedbug is reddish brown, with a flat, ovate body about one-sixth of an inch long. It lives in cracks in furniture, floors, and wood-work. Determined housekeepers say that the bedbug can be exterminated in any home by a repeated feathering of all possible lurking places with corrosive sublimate dissolved in alcohol. The bedbug is wingless. The nest of the barn-swallow is infested by a related species. There is a popular impression, probably unfounded, that chimney swallows bring bedbugs. 2026 Editor's Note: Bedbugs were all but wiped out in wealthy countries by DDT after the 1940s — then came roaring back in the 2000s, now resistant to insecticides and spread worldwide by travel, infesting hotels and homes from New York to Paris. The entry's home remedy, 'corrosive sublimate,' was mercury chloride, a deadly poison no one should ever use. (Ed: BR 2026-06-14)
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Bedding-block
A block of hard wood, with a smooth under surface and rounded edges, for bedding-down patterns with the hammer. This block should be of such dimensions and shape as will be least likely to damage the pattern when struck with the hammer. See BEDDING-IN.
Only in The Encyclopedia of Founding
Bedford
JOHN PLANTAGENET, DUKE OF, Regent of France, third son of Henry IV. of England, was born June 20, 1389. He was created Constable of England in 1403; and sent to in 1416. succor Harfleur In 1422, Charles VI. of France died, and long years of war followed between the rival claimants for the crown, Charles VII. and Henry VI. Bedford secured the alliance of the Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, and obtained a long series of military successes. The tide turned at the siege of Orleans, which was raised by Joan of Arc. The Duke of Brittany had previously abandoned the English cause; the Duke of Burgundy did the same in 1435; and Bedford died at Rouen, Sept. 19, 1435.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Bedford (City of Indiana)
a city of Indiana, the county-seat of Lawrence co. It is on the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville, the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern, and the Terre Haute and Southeastern railroads. The chief industry is the quarrying of stone. There are also railroad shops, roundhouses, cement works, etc. The public buildings are especially notable, being constructed chiefly of stone. Pop. (1910) 8,716; (1920) 9,076.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Bedford (Parliamentary and municipal)
a parliamentary and municipal borough of England, the county town of Bedfordshire, on the Ouse. The chief buildings buildings are the law courts, a range of public public schools, a large infirmary, County Jail, etc., and the churches. The town is rich in charities and educational institutions, the most prominent being the Bedford Charity, embracing grammar and other schools, and richly endowed. There is an extensive manufactory of agricultural implements; lace is also made, and there is a good trade. John Bunyan was born at Elstow, a village near the town, and it was at Bedford that he lived, preached, and was imprisoned. Pop. (1917) 37,663.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia