In Europe and China, mother-of- pearl has been used as an inlay mate¬ rial for decorating furniture. The discovery that a pearl could be cul¬ tivated by insertion of a foreign object inside the mollusk’s shell is said to have been made in 13th- century China.
Pearl Harbor Inlet, southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies 6 mi (10 km) west of Honolulu, forming a landlocked harbour connected with the Pacific Ocean. In 1887 Hawaii granted the U.S. the exclusive use of the harbour as a coaling and repair station, and in 1908 a naval station was established. In 1941 the harbour was attacked without warning by the Japanese air force, causing great loss of life and precipitating U.S. entry into World War II. It is now the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Pearl Harbor attack (Dec. 7, 1941) Surprise aerial attack by the Japanese on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu island, Hawaii, that precipitated U.S. entry into World War II. In the decade preceding the attack, U.S.-Japanese relations steadily worsened, especially after Japan entered into an alliance with the Axis powers (Germany and Italy) in 1940, and by late 1941 the U.S. had severed practically all commer¬ cial and financial relations with Japan. On November 26 a Japanese fleet sailed to a point some 275 mi (440 km) north of Hawaii, and from there about 360 planes were launched. The first dive-bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 am (local time) and was followed by waves of tor¬ pedo planes, bombers, and fighters. Due to lax reconnaissance and the fact that many vessels were undermanned since it was a Sunday morn¬ ing, the base was unable to mount an effective defense. The Arizona was completely destroyed; the Oklahoma capsized; the California, Nevada, and West Virginia sank; more than 180 aircraft were destroyed; and numer¬ ous vessels were damaged. In addition, more than 2,300 military person¬ nel were killed. The “date which will live in infamy,” as U.S. Pres. Franklin Roosevelt termed it, unified the American public and swept away any earlier support of neutrality. On Dec. 8, 1941, Congress declared war on Japan.
Pearl River River, central Mississippi, U.S. It flows southwest through Jackson, then into Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. About 410 mi (660 km) long, it forms the boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana. Honey Island Swamp, lying in the mid-delta area southwest of Picayune, Miss., is noted for its wildlife and fishing.
pearlstone See perlite
Pearson, Drew orig. Andrew Russell (b. Dec. 3, 1897, Evanston, Ill., U.S.—d. Sept. 1, 1969, Rockville, Md.) U.S. newspaper columnist. Pearson taught industrial geography at the University of Pennsylvania before turning to journalism. He was fired from the Baltimore Sun for writing Washington Merry-Go-Round (1931, with Robert S. Allen), a gos¬ sipy book about the scene in the U.S. capital. From 1932 he wrote an influential syndicated column of the same name (with Allen until 1942; from 1965 with Jack Anderson, who inherited it on Pearson’s death), which specialized in muckraking. Among the many world leaders he inter¬ viewed was Nikita Khrushchev. See muckraker.
Pearson, Lester B(owles) (b. April 23, 1897, Toronto, Ont., Can.—d. Dec. 27, 1972, Ottawa, Ont.) Prime minister of Canada (1963-
Pear (Pyrus communis)
GRANT HEILMAN
Blister pearl attached to the shell of an Oriental pearl oyster (Pinctada marten- si i Dunker)
COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK
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Peary ► Peck I 1463
68). He taught at the University of Toronto from 1924 until 1928, when he joined the Canadian foreign service. He was posted to Britain from 1935 to 1941 and to the U.S. from 1942 to 1945; he was ambassador to the U.S. from 1945 to 1946. He served in the Canadian House of Com¬ mons from 1948 to 1968 and as minister of external affairs from 1948 to 1956. During the latter period he also led the Canadian delegation to the UN; he was president of the UN General Assembly from 1952 to 1953. In 1957 he received the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in resolving the Suez Crisis. He became head of the Liberal Party in 1958 and led it to victory in elections in 1963. His government introduced a national pen¬ sion plan and a family assistance program, broadened old-age security benefits, and laid the groundwork for the National Free Medical Service. In 1967 he rebuked visiting French Pres. Charles de Gaulle for his support of separatism in Quebec. He retired in 1968.
Peary, Harold orig. Harrold Jese Pereira de Faria (b. July 25, 1908, San Leandro, Calif., U.S.—d. March 30, 1985, Torrance, Calif.) U.S. actor. He created the colourful, arrogant character Throckmorton F. Gildersleeve on the hit comedy series Fibber McGee and Molly in 1937. He starred in his own popular radio serial, The Great Gildersleeve (1941— 50), considered the first spin-off created from another series. He later acted in television series such as Blondie (1957) and Fibber McGee and Molly (1959), and he appeared in the film Clambake (1967). Peary continued to perform on radio into the 1970s.
Peary, Robert E(dwin) (b. May 6, 1856, Cresson, Pa., U.S.—d. Feb. 20, 1920, Washington, D.C.) U.S. explorer. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1881 but was granted leaves of absence to pursue his Arctic expeditions. He explored Greenland by dog sled in 1886 and 1891, finding evidence that it was an island, and returned there in 1893-94, 1895, and 1896 to transport large meteorites to the U.S. After announcing his intention to reach the North Pole, he made several attempts between 1898 and 1905, sailing on a specially built ship and sledding to within 175 mi (280 km) of the pole. On April 6, 1909, accompanied by Matthew Henson (1866— 1955) and four Eskimo, he reached what he thought was the pole, and he became widely acknowledged as the first explorer to attain that goal. (The claim of his former colleague Frederick A. Cook to have reached the pole in 1908 was later discredited.) In 1911 Peary retired from the navy with the rank of rear admiral. Examination of Peary’s expedition diary and new documents in the 1980s suggested that the point he reached may have been 30-60 mi (50-100 km) short of the pole.
peasant Any member of a class that tills the soil as small landowners or agricultural labourers. The peasant economy generally has a simple technology and a division of labour by age and sex. The basic unit of pro¬ duction is the family or household. Peasant families traditionally consume what they produce, though a portion of their output may be sold in the market or paid to a landlord. Productivity per worker and yields per unit of land are usually low. Peasants as a class tend to disappear as a society industrializes, though peasantlike social structures may persist under new economic regimens. See also ejido; feudalism; hacienda; serfdom.
Peasants' Revolt or Wat Tyler's Rebellion (1381) First great popular rebellion in English history. It was triggered by the poll tax of 1381, which angered labourers and artisans already resentful of the lim¬ its on wages fixed by the Statute of Labourers (1351). Centred in south¬ eastern England and East Anglia, the revolt was led by Wat Tyler (d. 1381), who marched into London with a band of Kentish rebels. They captured the Tower of London and beheaded officials responsible for the poll tax. Richard II promised reforms, but Tyler was killed in his presence by the mayor of London. The last of the rebels were subdued in East Anglia two weeks later.
Peasants' War (1524-25) Peasant uprising in Germany. Inspired by reforms brought by the Reformation, peasants in western and southern Germany invoked divine law to demand agrarian rights and freedom from oppression by nobles and landlords. As the uprising spread, some peas¬ ant groups organized armies. Although the revolt was supported by Hul- drych Zwingli and Thomas MOntzer, its condemnation by Martin Luther contributed to its defeat, principally by the army of the Swabian League. Some 100,000 peasants were killed. Reprisals and increased restrictions discouraged further attempts to improve the peasants’ plight.