Wycliffe, pronounced WIHK lihf, John (1328?-1384), was a leading English philosopher in religion and politics during the late Middle Ages. His challenges to religious and political practices remained influential long after Wycliffe's death...

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Wyeth, Andrew (1917-...), probably ranks as the most popular American painter of his time. He is best known for his realistic and thoughtful pictures of people and places in rural Pennsylvania and Maine...

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Wyoming is a state of the United States that is famous for the beauty of its mountains. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains tower over the landscape. They provide the setting for the world's oldest national park--Yellowstone. Wyoming also has the first national monument in the United States, Devils Tower, and the first national forest, Shoshone. Another famous scenic wonder, Grand Teton National Park, includes some of the West's most beautiful mountains. Millions of tourists visit Wyoming each year to enjoy the state's scenery and historic places...

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X rays are one of the most useful forms of energy. They were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm C. Roentgen, a German physicist. Roentgen called the rays X rays because at first he did not understand what they were. X is a scientific symbol for the unknown...

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Xerxes I, pronounced ZURK seez (519?-465 B.C.), ruled the Persian Empire from 486 B.C. until his death. He succeeded his father, Darius I, and spent several years trying to achieve his father's goal of conquering Greece. However, Xerxes failed to do so, and his struggles against the Greeks greatly weakened the influence and power of the Persian Empire...

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Xhosa, pronounced KOH suh, are a black people whose ancestors moved into southern Africa by the 1500's. More than half of the approximately 5 million Xhosa live in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa...

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Yak, pronounced yak, is a wild ox of Asia. It inhabits the cold, dry plateaus of Tibet, often more than 16,000 feet (4,870 meters) above sea level. The wild yak stands over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high at the shoulders. But it carries its head low with the nose almost touching the ground. It may weigh from 1,100 to 1,200 pounds (499 to 544 kilograms). The yak is covered with black or brownish-black hair. The hair is especially long and silky on shoulders, flanks, and tail. The yak is agile in spite of its bulk and its heavy forequarters. It can slide down icy slopes, swim swift rivers, and cross steep rock slides. If forced to defend itself, it charges furiously. Excessive hunting has resulted in the killing of so many wild yaks that the animal is in danger of extinction...

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Yankee. People of other countries often call any person from the United States a Yankee. In the southern United States, the word Yankee means a Northerner, or someone who comes from north of Mason and Dixon's Line. But most of the people of the United States use the word Yankee to mean a New Englander...

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Yale University is a coeducational, privately endowed, nonsectarian school in New Haven, Connecticut. Chartered in 1701, Yale is the third oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Only Harvard University and the College of William and Mary are older...

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Yalta Conference was one of the most important meetings of key Allied leaders during World War II (1939-1945). These leaders were President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain, and Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. Their countries became known as the "Big Three." The conference took place at Yalta, a famous Black Sea resort in the Crimea, from Feb. 4 to 11, 1945. Through the years, decisions made there regarding divisions in Europe have stirred bitter debates...

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