famous for its old architecture.
A field of yellow flowers brightens the countryside in the Czech Republic.
Facts About
CZECH REPUBLIC
Population
(2008 estimate)
10,408,000
Area
30,450 sq mi
(78,866 sq km)
Capital
Prague
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Prague, Brno,
Ostrava, Plzen.,
Olomouc, Liberec
240 Czech Republic BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
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Volume 4
2010 Britannica Student Encyclopedia
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eBook edition January, 2010
The Dead Sea has so much
salt in it that only microbes
(tiny organisms) are able to live
in it.
(See Dead Sea.)
Paul Revere was a hero of the
American Revolution. But he
was also known for making
beautiful silver objects.
(See Decorative Arts.)
Not all deserts are hot and
sandy. Much of Antarctica, for
example, is considered a cold
desert.
(See Desert.)
Some dinosaurs were the
largest creatures that ever
walked on land.
(See Dinosaur.)
Young dragonflies live in water
and do not look like adult
dragonflies.
(See Dragonfly.)
Dd
Daedalus
In ancient Greek mythology Daedalus
was a great inventor. His son was named
Icarus. Daedalus was said to have built a
complex maze for King Minos of Crete.
The maze was built to enclose a monster
called the Minotaur. Later the king
learned that Daedalus had given away
the secret to the maze. He became angry
and imprisoned Daedalus and Icarus in
the maze.
Daedalus made wings of wax and feathers
so that he and Icarus could fly to
freedom. Before they escaped, Daedalus
warned Icarus not to fly near the sun.
The sun’s heat would melt the wax. The
two easily flew out of the maze. Excited
by his ability to fly, Icarus soared
through the sky. But he got too close to
the sun, and his wings melted. Icarus fell
into the ocean and drowned.
#More to explore
Mythology
Dahl, Roald
The funny and imaginative children’s
stories of British author Roald Dahl are
favorites with readers both young and
old. His action-packed tales feature
memorable and often magical characters.
Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff,Wales,
on September 13, 1916. His early life
was difficult. When he was only 3, his
sister and father died. Soon after, the
family moved to Kent, England.
WhenWorldWar II began in 1939,
Dahl joined the British Royal Air Force.
He was seriously injured during a crash
Daedalus was
also known as
an architect
and a sculptor.
In ancient
times many
temples and
statues in
Greece and
Italy were
believed to be
his work.
Daedalus made wings of wax for himself
and his son Icarus. They used the wings to
fly out of the maze in which they were
trapped.
4 Daedalus BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
landing. Dahl’s first writings were about
his experiences in the military. His first
children’s book, The Gremlins, was published
in 1943. It is about mythical creatures
who make fighter planes crash.
During the 1950s Dahl wrote short stories
for adults. After he became a father,
he started making up bedtime stories for
his children. In 1961 he published James
and the Giant Peach. It was followed in
1964 by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
which is about a poor child whose
luck changes when he visits an extraordinary
candy factory.
Dahl’s later children’s books included
Danny: The Champion of theWorld
(1975), The BFG (1982), and Matilda
(1988). He died in Oxford, England, on
November 23, 1990.
#More to explore
Literature for Children
Dahomey
In the 1700s and 1800s an African kingdom
known as Dahomey grew rich and
powerful through the slave trade. The
kingdom was located on the west coast
of Africa. The region is now the southern
part of Benin.
Dahomey had a system of social classes.
The king was at the top. Under him was
the royal class, followed by commoners,
and then slaves. Each government office
was filled by one male and one female
official. The women checked on the men
and reported back to the king.Women
also served in Dahomey’s powerful army.
The kingdom of Dahomey arose in the
1600s from another kingdom called
Alladah. European slave traders were
already visiting the Atlantic coast during
this time. Dahomeans began capturing
people from other tribes. They sold the
captives to slave traders in return for
weapons and other goods. They also
Roald Dahl
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Dahomey 5
kept slaves of their own. These slaves
worked on large farms that supplied
food for the army and the royal court.
The empire grew larger and stronger
throughout the 1700s. After Great Britain
