come in shades of pink, red, orange,
yellow, and white. They may be from
0.5 inch (1.3 centimeters) to 7 inches
(18 centimeters) across.Wild roses usually
have five petals. Roses grown by
people often have many sets of petals.
The petals grow out from a fleshy, fruitlike
structure known as a hip.
Roses make beautiful decorations. But
roses have other uses besides being
pretty. People use the fragrant oil from
rose blossoms in perfumes. They also use
rose hips to make jams and herbal teas.
Rose hips are a rich source of vitamin C.
..More to explore
Flower • Plant
Roseau
Population
(2006 estimate)
16,600
Roseau is the capital and largest town of
Dominica, an island country in the Caribbean
Sea. Roseau lies on the island’s
southwestern coast, near the Roseau
River.
Roseau has an attractive waterfront with
a harbor and a dock for cruise ships.
Waterfalls and hot springs can be found
in and around the town. Roseau also has
a botanical garden and a cultural
museum.
Dominica’s economy is based on farming
and tourism. Bananas, coconut oil,
and soaps are exported from Roseau.
Many of the town’s people work in
hotels or restaurants.
France and Great Britain fought for control
of Dominica for hundreds of years.
In 1805 French troops burned much of
Roseau. In 1978 Dominica became an
independent country with Roseau as its
Rose plants are grown in many gardens for
their beautiful flowers.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Roseau 97
capital. A hurricane struck a year later. It
caused great damage.
#More to explore
Dominica
Rosh Hashana
Rosh Hashana is the start of the religious
new year for followers of Judaism.
To Jewish people, it also marks the anniversary
of the creation of the world.
Rosh Hashana means “beginning of the
year” in the Hebrew language. Festive
gatherings with family and friends are a
tradition during this holiday. Also traditional
are meals that feature sweet foods.
The holiday is celebrated during the first
two days of the Hebrew calendar month
of Tishri. The holiday falls either in September
or in early October. Rosh Hashana
begins a 10-day period called the
High Holy Days, or the Days of Awe,
that ends on Yom Kippur.
Rosh Hashana is a joyous holiday, but it
also is a serious one.Work is not allowed
on the holiday. Most of the day is spent
praying in the synagogue, the Jewish
house of worship. The service at the
synagogue includes the sounding of the
shofar, a trumpet made of a ram’s horn.
During Rosh Hashana people take time
to review the mistakes they made in the
past year. They also plan the changes
they hope to make in the new year.
#More to explore
Judaism • Yom Kippur
Ross, Betsy
Legend says that Betsy Ross sewed the
first flag of the United States in 1776.
The flag was known as the Stars and
Stripes.
Elizabeth, or Betsy, Griscom was born
on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. She attended a Quaker (a
type of Christian) school. She married
John Ross in 1773. The couple worked
together in an upholstery business that
he started. John died in 1776.
The Roman Catholic cathedral is one of the
main buildings of Roseau, Dominica.
Jews pray and blow on the shofar (a type of
horn) during Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem,
Israel.
98 Rosh Hashana BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
There is no solid proof that Betsy Ross
sewed the first U.S. flag. But most
people accept the following story as true.
In 1776 a secret committee of three
people, including GeorgeWashington,
asked Ross to sew a flag. The flag was to
have 13 stars and 13 stripes, to stand for
the 13 American colonies. Ross suggested
that the stars have five points
instead of six, asWashington had chosen.
She showed the men that it was easy
to make a five-pointed star by folding a
piece of cloth and making just one cut.
Ross then made the flag at her house.
Whether this story is true or false, in
1777 the United States accepted the
Stars and Stripes as its new flag.
Ross married and then lost two more
husbands. She continued with her
upholstery business until she was 75.
She died in Philadelphia on January 30,
1836.
#More to explore
American Revolution • United States
•Washington, George
Rowling, J.K.
British writer J.K. Rowling is the creator
of the character Harry Potter. Her books
and movies about the boy wizard are
popular with children and adults
throughout the world.
Joanne Rowling was born on July 31,
1965, in Chipping Sodbury, England.
She first thought up Harry Potter in
1990 during a long train delay. But she
had trouble producing a book about
him. She was a busy single mother. She
had to write by hand because she could
not afford a typewriter or a computer.
In 1997 she finally published the first
book about Harry Potter. It appeared in
the United Kingdom as Harry Potter and
the Philosopher’s Stone. It was published
in the United States in 1998 as Harry
A painting shows Betsy Ross displaying the
first U.S. flag to George Washington (left)
and other patriots.
Author J.K. Rowling signs one of her Harry
Potter books.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Rowling, J.K. 99
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Rowling
did not want boys to know the author
was a woman, so she used initials.
