red tide: see Dinoflagellata.

red squill: see squill.

red spruce: see spruce.

red spider: see mite.

red snapper: see snapper.

red shift or redshift, in astronomy, the systematic displacement of individual lines in the spectrum of a celestial object toward the red, or longer wavelength, end of the visible spectrum. The effect was discovered by V. M. Slipher of Lowell Observatory. Some red shifts are the result of the Doppler effect, i.e., of the relative motion of the earth and the object away from each other. The amount of displacement is a function of the object's recessional velocity relative to the observer. All distant galaxies show a red shift proportional to their distance from the earth as a result of the general expansion of space-time (see Hubble's law). Known as the cosmological red shift, this results when the wavelength of light is stretched as it moves through the expanding universe. Red shifts are also produced by gravitation (the gravitational red shift) in accordance with the general theory of relativity. Because of the strong gravitational field, the frequency of the light emitted by atoms in a dense, compact star will be lower and the wavelengths consequently longer; such effects have been observed in white dwarfs. Not all celestial bodies have spectra displaced toward the red end of the spectrum. Of the billions of known galaxies, about 100—for example, the Andromeda Galaxy—are blue-shifted, indicating that they are approaching earth rather than receding from it. Most of these are dwarf galaxies in Milky Way's Local Group and in orbit about one another. See also blue shift; cosmology.

red pepper: see pepper.

red maids: see purslane.

red lead, bright red to orange-red powder, also called minium, that is used in the manufacture of storage batteries, lead glass, and red pigments; a paint made with red lead is commonly used to protect iron and steel from rusting. Chemically, red lead is lead tetroxide, Pb₃O₄, a water-insoluble compound that is prepared by the oxidation of metallic lead or of litharge (lead monoxide); the commercial product sometimes contains litharge as an impurity.

red giant, star that is relatively cool but very luminous because of its great size. All normal stars are expected to pass eventually through a red-giant phase as a consequence of stellar evolution. As a star uses up its hydrogen by converting it to helium, its central core contracts while the outer layers expand and cool; this process produces the low temperature and large size (from 10 to 1,500 times that of the sun) that characterize the red giant. Although most giant stars are red, some prominent giant stars are other colors near the red end of the spectrum, e.g., Arcturus (orange), Aldebaran (orange), and Capella (yellow). The largest and brightest stars (excluding supernovas) are classed as supergiants. Blue supergiants, e.g., Rigel, are young stars on the main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, whereas red supergiants, e.g., Betelgeuse and Antares, are old, highly evolved stars.

red fir: see pine.

red eft: see newt.

red deer: see wapiti.

red cedar: see juniper.

red bug, name for various red insects. Chief among them are the cotton stainer of the S United States, which pierces the seeds of the cotton plant and discolors the fibers, and the larva of the harvest mite, or chigger, the cause of red-bug dermatitis.

red blood cell: see blood.

red algae: see seaweed; Rhodophyta.

Western red cedar: see juniper, arborvitae.

Smith, Red (Walter Wellesley Smith), 1905-82, American sportswriter, b. Green Bay, Wis., grad. Notre Dame, 1927. After working on newspapers in St. Louis and Philadelphia, he began a syndicated column in the New York Herald Tribune in 1945. He joined the staff of the New York Times in 1972. Smith is regarded as one of the most literate and amusing sportswriters the craft has produced. Among his books are Out of the Red (1950), Views of Sport (1954), The Red Smith Reader (1982), To Absent Friends (1982), and the posthumous Red Smith on Baseball (2000).

Rhode Island Red chicken, American breed of poultry, no longer raised commercially, but still maintained for use in breeding programs. See Red Rock chicken.

Red Wing, city (1990 pop. 15,134), seat of Goodhue co., SE Minn., on the Mississippi River at the head of Lake Pepin; inc. 1857. It is a commercial and manufacturing center in the Hiawatha valley farm area. Farm products include grain, alfalfa, soybeans, livestock, and poultry. There is sunflower- and flax-processing; leather tanning; and the manufacture of soft drinks, bakery products, machinery, roller skating shoes, kitchen cabinets, and robotic systems. From 1836 to 1840, Red Wing was the site of a Swiss mission to Native Americans.

Red Sea, ancient Sinus Arabicus or Erythraean Sea, narrow sea, c.170,000 sq mi (440,300 sq km), c.1,450 mi (2,330 km) long and up to 225 mi (362 km) wide, between Africa (Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea) and the Arabian peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen); a part of the Great Rift Valley. The Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez are the sea's northern arms; between them is the Sinai peninsula. The Red Sea is linked with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea by the straits of Bab el Mandeb. The flat coastal plains of the Red Sea slope gradually to the submarine central trough, more than 7,000 ft (2,134 m) deep. The sea is dotted with islands (the largest group is the Dahlak Archipelago in the southwest) and with dangerous coral reefs. It is surrounded by exceedingly hot and dry deserts and steppes; the summer water temperature exceeds 85°F; (29°C;), and the water has a high salt content. The Red Sea was an important trade route in antiquity. Its importance declined with the discovery of an all-water route around Africa in 1498. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 made the Red Sea one of the chief shipping routes connecting Europe with East Asia and Australia. The closing of the canal after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the building of pipelines to the Mediterranean Sea, and the construction of supertankers too large for the canal diminished the sea's importance as a commercial artery, especially for petroleum. In 1975, however, the canal was reopened and enlarged, and traffic through the sea increased. Suez, Egypt; Elat, Israel; Jidda, Saudi Arabia; Hodeida, Yemen; Massawa, Eritrea; and Port Sudan, Sudan, are the main ports on the Red Sea and its northern arms.

Red Rock chicken, the only chicken still popular to any large extent in the United States today for both meat and eggs. It resulted from a cross between a Rhode Island Red male and a Plymouth Rock female. The breed recently acquired new value when it was discovered that the sex of the day-old chicks could be determined by the differences in the color of their down. The variety is raised primarily in New England.

Red River Settlement, agricultural colony in present Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota. It was the undertaking of Thomas Douglas, 5th earl of Selkirk. Wishing to relieve the dispossessed and impoverished in Scotland and Northern Ireland, he secured enough control of the Hudson's Bay Company to obtain from it a grant of land called Assiniboia. This project met opposition from the very start, principally from the North West Company, but also from the fur traders in the Hudson's Bay Company. Despite efforts to discourage the colony, Miles Macdonnell, a Selkirk man, brought a small group to the colony in 1812. The determined hostility of the North West Company mounted, especially after the company men had won the half-breeds, or métis, entirely to their side. By cajolery and threat they persuaded settlers to desert, but a new group of settlers came, and the colony was restored in 1815. North West Company men and half-breeds now resorted to violence on a large scale, killing 22 in the massacre of Seven Oaks (June 19, 1816). On hearing the news of the massacre, Selkirk fell upon the North West Company post, Fort William, and seized it. Other attacks followed. The result of these moves was a series of court charges and countercharges that impoverished Selkirk and helped to bring about the union (1821) of the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company. Agriculture had by this time been firmly established on the Western plains, and the Red River settlements were to grow and flourish. See Riel, Louis.

Red River Rebellion: see Riel, Louis.

Red River, Chinese Yuan Chiang, Vietnamese Song Hong, chief river of N Vietnam, 730 mi (1,175 km) long, rising in Yunnan prov., S China, and flowing southeast, in deep, narrow gorges, through N Vietnam to form a great delta before entering the Gulf of Tonkin. The river carries a large quantity of silt, rich in iron oxide, that gives it a red color. Northwest of Hanoi the river flows onto the coastal plain and receives the Clear and Black rivers, its chief tributaries. The Red River delta, c.75 mi (120 km) long and 75 mi wide, is the economic center of N Vietnam, whose chief port, Haiphong, is on the delta's north branch. Rice is the principal crop of the river valley; wheat, beans, rapeseed, corn, and subtropical crops are also grown. The Red River has an irregular flow and is subject to flooding, especially during the June-October high water period; dikes and canals protect the delta from floodwaters. A railroad and highway follow the Red River valley, an important transportation route linking China and Vietnam.

Red River. 1 River, 1,222 mi (1,967 km) long, southernmost of the large tributaries of the Mississippi River. It rises in two branches in the Texas Panhandle and flows SE between Texas and Oklahoma and between Texas and Arkansas to Fulton, Ark. It then turns southward, enters Louisiana, and crosses SE to the Atchafalaya and the Mississippi rivers. In Texas it flows rapidly through a canyon in semiarid plains, but later in its course it waters rich red-clay farm lands (whence the name Red). Dams on the river include the Denison Dam (completed 1943), which impounds Lake Texoma, one of the largest reservoirs in the United States. For many years navigation was difficult on the lower course of the Red River due to fallen trees that floated downstream and collected behind obstructions, forming rafts. The Great Raft, a 160-mi (257-km) log-jam built through the centuries, was cleared from the river in the mid-1800s. The river is now navigable for small ships to above Natchitoches, La. There are many lakes along the lower part of the river, and reservoirs serve as flood-control units on its tributaries. 2 River, often called the Red River of the North, c.310 mi (500 km) long, formed N of Lake Traverse, NE S.Dak., by the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and the Otter Tail rivers. It flows N between Minnesota and North Dakota and crosses the Canadian border into Manitoba, emptying into Lake Winnipeg. The river drains the principal spring wheat-growing area of the United States and Canada—the rich Red River valley region, the bed of the ancient Lake Agassiz. Its chief tributary is the Assiniboine River.

Red Poll cattle, breed of polled (hornless) cattle, originated in England c.1846. They are a medium-sized, hardy breed of cattle, light red to very dark red in color, and are raised for both milk and beef. Well established throughout the world, they are found in the United States chiefly in the Midwest.

Red Jacket, c.1758-1830, chief of the Seneca, b. probably Seneca co., N.Y. His Native American name was Otetiani, changed to Sagoyewatha when he became a chief. His English name came from the British redcoat he wore as an ally of the English in the American Revolution. He had an excellent memory and was articulate and skillful in dealing with the whites, but he was accused of cowardice by other Native American leaders in active warfare. At a Native American conference (1786) at the mouth of the Detroit River, Red Jacket urged the continuance of hostilities against the whites, but in later years he attempted to make peace with the U.S. government. He was one of the Native American chiefs who visited President George Washington in 1792. In the War of 1812 he influenced his people to support the United States. An ardent advocate of the Native American mode of life, he resisted the introduction of white customs, especially Christianity and the work of the missionaries. Late in his life the growth of Christianity among Native Americans and opposition to his policies resulted in his being deposed as chief, but he appealed to the government, defended himself before a tribal council, and was restored.

Red Guards, in Chinese history, politically active students of the Cultural Revolution (1966-69), who organized units to carry out Mao Zedong's aim of rerevolutionizing Chinese society. As their numbers grew, the units engaged in factional struggles, and in 1968 Mao suppressed the movement.

Red Eagle: see Weatherford, William.

Red Deer, city (1991 pop. 58,134), S central Alta., Canada, on the Red Deer River. It developed as a trade and service center for a region of dairying and mixed farming. The discovery of oil and natural gas after World War II lead to the growth of Red Deer's petroleum service industry, as well as the steady growth of the city itself. Red Deer is also in the center of a resort area that includes Sylvan Lake and Gaetz Lake.

Red Deer, river, 385 mi (620 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts. in Banff National Park, SW Alta., Canada, and flowing NE past Red Deer city, then SE and E across the plains to the South Saskatchewan River just over the Saskatchewan border.

Red Cross, international organization concerned with the alleviation of human suffering and the promotion of public health; the world-recognized symbols of mercy and absolute neutrality are the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, and the Red Crystal flags and emblems.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The blanket agency for all Red Cross groups, formerly known as the International Red Cross, changed its name in 1986 to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in order to encompass a number of branches in Islamic nations. It sponsors the International Red Cross Conference (instituted 1867), the highest deliberative body of the organization. The conference meets every four years, and its membership consists of representatives from each national society and from several international committees. There are national Red Cross societies in over 180 countries of the world, each a self-governing organization, and two international groups with headquarters in Geneva: the International Committee of the Red Cross (established in 1863), composed of 25 Swiss citizens and serving as a neutral intermediary in time of war, with special interest in the welfare of prisoners of war; and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (founded as the League of Red Cross Societies in 1919), a federation of national societies for mutual help, cooperation, and program development, especially in time of peace. All societies are supported by membership fees and popular subscriptions, and a number receive government subsidies in addition.

The work of the Red Cross has been greatly expanded since the end of World War II, and it has moved into many fields. It has taken on extensive refugee relief activities, helping to care for refugees of warfare, drought, and ethnic conflicts all over the world, including Hungary (1956), Somalia (1992), Rwanda (1994), and the former Yugoslavia (throughout the 1990s). During the Korean War, the International Red Cross suggested (1952) the first exchange of prisoners and sick and wounded combatants. The group also coordinated international relief efforts following natural disasters, such as the massive cyclone and storm surge that hit East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1970 and left almost a half million dead, the hurricane that hit Honduras in 1974, and the earthquakes in Armenia (1988) and Turkey (1999).

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross was organized (1881) by Clara Barton and received its first federal charter in 1900. In 1905, it was brought into closer relationship with the government when a new congressional charter was granted. The charter was revised in 1947. The organization, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., is supported entirely by voluntary contributions. The president of the United States is honorary chairman of the society, responsible for the appointment of its president and seven other members of its board of governors. The American Red Cross puts special emphasis on disaster relief, services to the armed forces and veterans, and public health and safety programs. The nationwide Red Cross blood program is a comprehensive system designed to collect, store, treat, and distribute blood and blood products to the ill and injured throughout the United States (see blood bank).

History

The creation of the Red Cross was spurred by the publication of Un Souvenir de Solférino (1862), an account by Jean Henri Dunant of the suffering endured by the wounded at the battle of Solferino in 1859. Dunant, a Swiss citizen, urged the formation of voluntary aid societies for relief of such war victims. He also asked that service to military sick and wounded be neutral.

The Société genovoise d'Utilité publique, a Swiss welfare agency, actively seconded Dunant's suggestion, the result being the formation (1863) of the organization that became known as the Red Cross. The next year, delegates from 16 nations met in Switzerland, and the Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick of Armies in the Field was adopted and signed by 12 of the nations represented. It provided for the neutrality of the medical personnel of armed forces, the humane treatment of the wounded, the neutrality of civilians who voluntarily assisted them, and the use of an international emblem to mark medical personnel and supplies. In honor of Dunant's nationality, a red cross on a white background—the Swiss flag with colors reversed—was chosen as this symbol.

The original Geneva Convention, its subsequent revisions, and allied treaties such as the Hague Convention for naval forces and the Prisoner of War Convention have been signed (although not always ratified) by almost all countries and their dependencies. The International Committee of the Red Cross was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917, 1944, and, with the League of Red Cross Societies, in 1963.

The Red Crescent, which was first used by the Ottoman Empire in 1876, was formally recognized by the League of Red Cross Societies in 1929. Iran used the Red Lion and Sun, formally recognized in 1949, until 1980. The adoption of the Red Crystal symbol in 2005 (effective in 2007), although occurring primarily as a means to provide an emblem under which Israel's Magen David Adom could become a full member (2006) of the international movement, also established a neutral emblem that could be used by any national society that preferred to avoid using the Christian cross or Islamic crescent.

Red Cloud, 1822-1909, Native North American chief, leader of the Oglala Sioux. He led the Native American warfare against the establishment of the Bozeman Trail (see Bozeman, John M.). The Fetterman Massacre (see Fetterman, William Judd) in 1866 led to partial abandonment of the trail. Red Cloud's continual hostility led the government finally to abandon completely (1868) the trail and the forts built to protect it. After signing a treaty he lived in peace with the whites, although he was later charged with duplicity in encouraging hostile Native Americans. Deposed as chief in 1881, he lived thereafter in retirement on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Red Bank, borough (1990 pop. 10,636), Monmouth co., E N.J., on the Navesink estuary, in a fertile farm area; inc. 1908. Settled in the late 17th cent, it was an early shipping center and has become a summer and winter resort and residential suburb with some light industry and several arts-related venues. Landmarks include Old Christ Church (1769) and the Allen House (1667). Count Basie was born there.

Red Angus cattle: see Angus cattle.

Old Red Sandstone, series of red and brown sandstones, conglomerates, and shales deposited in Wales and Scotland and in England near the Welsh and Scottish borders in the Devonian period of geologic time. The Old Red Sandstone, in contrast to the typical formations of the Devonian, is largely a continental formation, laid down in freshwater and on land as a result of the erosion of the highlands of the Silurian period. It is very thick in Scotland and contains a large assemblage of well-preserved fossils, particularly of the Devonian fishes. The Old Red Sandstone was correlated with the marine Devonian by the British geologists Rodney Murchison and Adam Sedgwick. The New Red Sandstone is a thick red sandstone of Permian and Triassic age found in the British Isles.

New Red Sandstone, name for the thick red layer of the Triassic formation in Great Britain (see Triassic period). It is many thousands of feet thick and is composed chiefly of red sandstones, clays, and conglomerate; the red color and the occurrence of workable quantities of salt and gypsum suggest markedly arid conditions at the time of deposition.

Little Red River, 105 mi (169 km) long, rising in the Boston Mts., NW Ark., and flowing SE to the White River. Greers Dam and reservoir (completed 1964) provide flood control and hydroelectric power.

International Red Cross: see Red Cross.

Grooms, Red, 1937-, American artist, b. Nashville, Tenn. Grooms was one of the earliest practitioners of the happening. He also worked in other theatrical forms but is best known for his pop art constructions, made of brightly painted wood, metal, fabric, and other media in a wide variety of sizes and scales. Best known are those that highlight the raucous hurly-burly of New York City, e.g., his famous environment Ruckus Manhattan (1975). Grooms's style is cheerfully satirical and cartoonlike, as in his film Fat Feet (1965), and his exuberant works swarm with boisterous life. He has also made various excursions into the realm of art history, e.g., Studio at Rue des Grands-Augustins (1990-96), a large painting that depicts Picasso working on his masterpiece Guernica in a world-invaded studio.

Grange, Red (Harold Edward Grange), 1903-91, American football player, b. Forksville, Pa. Grange was All-America halfback at the Univ. of Illinois (1923-25). After a spectacular college career in which he scored 31 touchdowns and gained 3,367 yards running, he undertook a national barnstorming tour in 1925 that helped focus public attention on the professional game. He played with the New York Yankees (1926-27) and the Chicago Bears (1925, 1928-35) and scored 1,058 career points. He appeared in several films, and after his retirement became a radio and television sportscaster.

Eric the Red, fl. 10th cent., Norse chieftain, discoverer and colonizer of Greenland. He left (c.950) Norway with his exiled father and settled in Iceland. A feud resulting in manslaughter led to his banishment (c.981) from Iceland for three years. He sailed c.982 to seek land reputed to lie W of Iceland. The discovery of Greenland followed, and Eric and his Viking followers spent three years exploring the south and west coasts. On his return to Iceland he promoted a colonizing venture and is said to have given Greenland its attractive name to encourage settlers. He led (c.986) to the new land a group of 25 ships, of which 14 arrived, carrying about 500 people. Eric established a farmstead, Brattahlid, near present Julianehaab and was a leader of a southern settlement at Osterbygd. He resisted in vain the introduction (c.1000) of Christianity by his son Leif Ericsson. Although the colony grew to approximately 1,000 settlers, it gradually died out; other Norse settlements in Greenland, however, survived.

Conrad the Red, d. 955, duke of Lotharingia (Lorraine; 944-53). A Franconian adherent of the German king Otto I (later Holy Roman emperor), he was made duke of Lotharingia and married Otto's daughter Liutgard. He accompanied (951) his father-in-law to Italy against Berengar II. Remaining in Italy as Otto's representative, he concluded a peace treaty with the defeated Berengar. Otto, however, considered the treaty too lenient and drastically revised it. The discontented Conrad then led a revolt against Otto with Otto's son, Ludolf, and Frederick, archbishop of Mainz. Expelled (953) from his duchy, Conrad allied (954) with the Hungarians, who were invading the empire. When the invasion united the people behind Otto, Conrad submitted. He fought with valor under Otto at the Lechfeld but was killed in the battle.

Auerbach, Red (Arnold Jacob Auerbach), 1917-2006, American basketball coach and executive, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. As coach of the Boston Celtics (1950-66), he built the last-place club into one of the most dominant teams in the history of professional sports with the help of players such as Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. His Celtics won nine championships, eight consecutively (1957, 1959-66). Auerbach also broke the color bar in professional basketball, becoming the first NBA coach to draft (1950) an African American, and the first to field (1963-64) an all-black starting five. He retired as coach in 1966 with a career winning percentage of .662. His all-time record for wins as a coach (1,037, including playoff victories) was later broken by Lenny Wilkens. Auerbach also served as the team's general manager (1950-84) and president (1970-1997, 2001-6).

Arctic Red River, c.310 mi (500 km) long, rising in the Mackenzie Mts. of W Northwest Territories, Canada, and flowing generally NW to the Mackenzie River. At its mouth are a post of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the village of Tsiigehtchic, formerly Arctic Red River.

American Red Cross: see Red Cross.

Type of Greek pottery that flourished from the late 6th to the late 4th century BC. Developed in Athens circa 530 BC, the red-figure pottery quickly overtook the older black-figure pottery as the preferred style of vase painting. In red-figure technique, the background was painted black, and the outline details on the figures were also painted (rather than incised) in black, but the rest of each figure was unpainted and so retained the orange-red colour of the natural vase. By comparison with incising, the painting of the details allowed more flexibility in rendering human form, movements, expressions, and perspective. Since most of the ornamentation was narrative, such technical advantages were of utmost importance.

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Discoloration of seawater caused by dinoflagellates during periodic blooms (population increases). Toxic substances released by these organisms into the water may be lethal to fish and other marine life, and they irritate the human respiratory system. Coastal resorts sometimes close when breaking waves release the toxic substances into the air. The causes of red tide are uncertain; it may require the confluence of several natural phenomena, in which human influence may or may not play a part.

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or red spider

Any plant-feeding mite in the family Tetranychidae, common pests on houseplants and agriculturally important plants. Adult spider mites are tiny, about 0.02 in. (0.5 mm) long, and often red. They spin a loose silk webbing on infested plants. A heavy infestation can cause complete defoliation. Because of their increasing resistance to pesticides, they are difficult to control. One effective control is the use of another, predatory, mite species.

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Displacement of the spectrum of an astronomical object toward longer wavelengths (visible light shifts toward the red end of the spectrum). In 1929 Edwin Hubble reported that distant galaxies had redshifts proportionate to their distances (see Hubble's constant). Since redshifts can be caused by motion of an object away from the observer (the Doppler effect), Hubble concluded that all galaxies are receding from each other. This became the cornerstone of theories of an expanding universe.

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or red salmon

Food fish (Oncorhynchus nerka) of the North Pacific that constitutes almost 20percnt of the commercial fishery of Pacific salmon. It weighs about 6 lbs (3 kg) and lacks distinct spots on the body. It ranges from the northern Bering Sea to Japan and from Alaska to California. Sockeyes may migrate more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) upriver to spawn in lakes or tributary streams. The young remain in freshwater one to five years. The kokanee is a small, nonmigratory, freshwater subspecies.

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Plant (Sanguinaria canadensis) of the poppy family, native throughout eastern and midwestern North America, growing mainly in deciduous woodlands and blooming in early spring. The white, cup-shaped flower with bright yellow stamens in the centre is borne on a reddish stalk. Large, veiny, half-opened leaves on red stalks enfold the flower stem and, after the flower has bloomed, open into multilobed, round, blue-green leaves. The orange-red sap, once used by American Indians for dye, is found in the rhizomes, as is the medical alkaloid sanguinarine. The species, particularly the variety S. canadensis ‘Multiplex,' which has showy double flowers, is an interesting plant for the wild garden.

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or cat bear or bear cat

Long-tailed nocturnal raccoonlike carnivore (Ailurus fulgens, family Procyonidae) that inhabits high mountain forests in the Himalayas and adjacent eastern Asia. It is 20–26 in. (50–65 cm) long, excluding the 12–20-in. (30–50-cm) bushy, faintly ringed tail. It weighs 6–10 lbs (3–4.5 kg) and has soft, thick, reddish brown fur. The face is white, with a red-brown stripe from the eyes to the mouth. It eats plants, especially bamboo, and fruits and insects. Though an agile climber, it mostly feeds while on the ground.

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Species of deer (Cervus elaphus), sometimes called elk, native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It is found in woodlands and hunted for sport and food. Red deer live in sexually segregated herds except in the breeding season, when males (harts) fight for harems of females (hinds). Red deer stand about 4 ft (1.2 m) high at the shoulder. The coat is reddish brown, with lighter underparts and a light rump. The hart has long, regularly branched antlers bearing 10 or more tines. There are several endangered subspecies. Seealso wapiti.

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officially International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent formerly International Red Cross

Humanitarian agency with national affiliates worldwide. Established for the care of victims of battle, it now aids in the general prevention and relief of human suffering. It arose out of the work of Jean-Henri Dunant, who proposed the formation of voluntary relief societies in all countries, the first of which came into being in 1864. The name Red Crescent, adopted in 1906 at the insistence of the Ottoman Empire, is used in Muslim countries. In peacetime, the Red Cross aids victims of natural disasters, maintains blood banks, and provides supplementary health care services. In wartime, it serves as an intermediary between belligerents and visits prisoner-of-war camps to provide relief supplies, deliver mail, and transmit information between prisoners and their relatives. Its operating principles are humanity, impartiality, and neutrality. Its headquarters are in Geneva. Individual national organizations run community programs and coordinate natural-disaster relief efforts. The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in 1881 and first chartered by Congress in 1900; it runs the world's largest blood-donor service. In 1901 Dunant received the first Nobel Prize for Peace; the Red Cross itself received the prize in 1917, 1944, and 1963.

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or red blood cell or red blood corpuscle

Blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. Hemoglobin gives the cell—and whole blood—its colour. Red cells are small, round, flexible, and concave on both sides and lack a nucleus. They develop continuously in bone marrow in several stages and are stored in the spleen. The mature form lives 100–120 days. Adult human blood has about 5.2 million red cells per cu mm. Some conditions change their shape (e.g., pernicious anemia, sickle-cell anemia) or number (e.g., anemia, polycythemia).

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orig. Walter Wellesley Smith

(born Sept. 25, 1905, Green Bay, Wis., U.S.—died Jan. 15, 1982, Stamford, Conn.) U.S. sports columnist. Smith worked for various newspapers before his column, “Views of Sport,” began appearing in the New York Herald Tribune in 1945; it was syndicated soon thereafter. He joined The New York Times in 1971. His writing, mostly about major spectator sports, shunned jargon and displayed literary craftsmanship, wry humour, and deep knowledge. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976. His columns were collected in five books, including Out of the Red (1950) and Strawberries in the Wintertime (1974).

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Narrow inland sea between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. It extends southeast from Suez, Egypt, for about 1,200 mi (1,930 km) to the Strait of Mandeb, which connects with the Gulf of Aden and then with the Arabian Sea. It separates the coasts of Egypt, The Sudan, and Eritrea from those of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It contains some of the world's warmest and saltiest seawater. With its connection to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, it is one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world, carrying traffic between Europe and Asia. Its name is derived from the colour changes observed in its waters.

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River, south-central U.S. It rises in the high plains of eastern New Mexico and flows southeast across Texas and Louisiana to a point northwest of Baton Rouge, where it enters the Atchafalaya River. It is 1,290 mi (2,080 km) long and forms a part of Texas's borders with Oklahoma and Arkansas. In Texas it was the site of the Red River Indian War (1874).

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Paramilitary units of radical university and high-school students formed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Responding in 1966 to Mao Zedong's call to revitalize the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese Communist Party, they went so far as to attempt to purge the country of its pre-Communist culture. With a membership in the millions, they attacked and persecuted local party leaders, schoolteachers, and other intellectuals. By early 1967 they had overthrown party authorities in many localities. Internal strife ensued as different units argued over which among them best represented Maoism. In 1968 their disruption of industrial production and urban life led the government to redirect them to the countryside, where the movement gradually subsided.

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orig. Mahpiua Luta

(born 1822, on the Platte River, Nebraska Territory, U.S.—died Dec. 10, 1909, Pine Ridge Agency, S.D.) American Indian leader. The principal chief of the Oglala Teton Dakota (Sioux), he led the opposition of both the Sioux and the Cheyenne to the U.S. government's development of the Bozeman Trail to goldfields in the Montana Territory (1865–67). Relentlessly attacking workers along the route from Fort Laramie (in modern Wyoming) to Montana, he refused offers to negotiate until the U.S. agreed to halt the project, whereupon he laid down his arms and allowed himself to be settled on the Red Cloud Agency in Nebraska.

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orig. Harold Grange

(born June 13, 1903, Forksville, Pa., U.S.—died Jan. 28, 1991, Lake Wales, Fla.) U.S. gridiron football player. He had an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Illinois, where in 1924 he ran for five touchdowns in a single game against the University of Michigan and earned the nickname “the Galloping Ghost.” In 1925 he joined the Chicago Bears and embarked on a barnstorming tour that stimulated public interest in professional football. After suffering a knee injury in 1927, he was never again an effective runner. He retired in 1934 and subsequently worked as a sportscaster.

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orig. Erik Thorvaldson

(flourished 10th century, Norway) Founder of the first European settlement on Greenland (circa 986) and father of Leif Eriksson. A native of Norway, Erik grew up in Iceland; exiled for manslaughter circa 980, he set sail and landed on Greenland. With 350 colonists he founded a colony that numbered about 1,000 settlers by AD 1000. In 1002 the colony was ravaged by sickness, and it gradually died out, though other Norse settlements in Greenland continued. Erik's story is told in the Icelandic Eiríks saga.

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