rocket See arugula
rockfish or stonefish Name applied to species in the scorpion-fish family (Scorpaenidae), including the lionfish, redfish, and zebra fish. In
North America the name is also applied to the eastern mudminnow {Umbra pygmaea, family Umbridae), one of several hardy fishes of cool, mud-bottomed ponds, lakes, and streams. Eastern mudminnows fre¬ quently bury themselves, tail first, in the mud. They are often used as bait.
Rockford City (pop., 2000: 150,111), northern Illinois, U.S. Located on the Rock River, it is the state’s second largest city and was founded by New Englanders in 1834. Originally called Midway, it was renamed for the ford across the river and incorporated as a city in 1852. Waterpower supplied by a dam built in 1844 led to its development as a manufactur¬ ing centre in the middle of an agricultural area. Principal products include machine tools and hardware, farm implements, furniture, and seeds.
Rockingham, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd marquess
of (b. May 13, 1730—d. July 1, 1782, London, Eng.) British politician. From 1751 to 1762 he served as gentleman of the bedchamber for George II and then George III, who appointed him prime minister in 1765. He obtained repeal of the unpopular Stamp Act but agreed to the passage of the Declaratory Act. His ministry collapsed through internal dissension in 1766. He and Edmund Burke led the parliamentary opposition to the min¬ istries in power and spoke in favour of independence for the American colonies. In his brief second ministry (1782), he began peace negotiations with the U.S. and obtained legislative independence for the Irish parlia¬ ment.
Rockne Vrak-ne\, Knute (Kenneth) (b. March 4, 1888, Voss, Nor.—d. March 31, 1931, Chase county, Kan., U.S.) U.S. football coach. He immigrated with his family to Chicago in 1893. He ran track and played end on the University of Notre Dame football team, combining with quarterback Gus Dorias to popularize the forward pass as a major offensive tactic. In 1919 he was named head coach at Notre Dame. In Rockne’s 13 seasons, his “Fighting Irish” posted an impressive record (105-12-5) that included 5 undefeated seasons and 3 national champion¬ ships. He coached players such as George “The Gipper” Gipp and the members of the Four Horsemen, and his colourful personality captured the public’s imagination.
Rockwell, Norman (b. Feb. 3, 1894, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Nov. 8, 1978, Stockbridge, Mass.) U.S. illustrator. He studied at the Art Stu¬ dents League and received his first freelance assignment at 17. From 1916 to 1963 he produced 317 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Most of his works are humorous treatments of idealized small-town and family life. During World War II, posters of his Four Freedoms were distributed by the Office of War Information. Though loved by the public, Rockwell’s work was often dismissed by critics. Late in his career, he turned to more serious subjects (e.g., a series on racism for Look magazine) and began to receive more serious attention, and in the 1990s his critical reputation enjoyed a positive reassessment.
Rocky Mountain goat See mountain goat
Rocky Mountain National Park National park, north-central Colorado, U.S. Established in 1915 and enclosing part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the park has an area of 262,191 acres (106,105 hectares). It contains many peaks exceeding 10,000 ft (3,000 m), includ¬ ing Longs Peak (14,255 ft [4,345 m]), as well as broad valleys and alpine lakes. The tundra in the park’s high country is an island of Arctic veg¬ etation surrounded by plants of lower latitudes. Animal life includes big¬ horn sheep, deer, mountain lions, and a variety of birds.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever TYPHUS-like disease first seen in the Rocky Mountain region, caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii (see Rickettsia) and transmitted by various ticks. In severe cases the rash bleeds more and is especially prominent on the wrists and ankles. Central ner¬ vous system involvement causes restlessness, insomnia, and delirium. Prostration may progress to coma, with death possible in a week or more. Mortality increases with age. Recovery is slow but usually complete as visual disturbances, deafness, and mental confusion pass. Prompt antibi¬ otic treatment hastens it and reduces mortality. Prevention depends on avoiding tick bites, by wearing long, light-coloured clothing and insect repellent and inspecting for ticks. A vaccine reduces the risk of infection somewhat and of death greatly.
Rocky Mountains or Rockies Mountain system, western North America. It extends some 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from the Mexican fron¬ tier to the Arctic Ocean, through the western U.S. and Canada. The high¬ est peak in the U.S. Rockies is Mount Elbert in Colorado, at 14,433 ft (4,399 m); in the Canadian Rockies it is Mount Robson in British Colum-
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1632 I Rococo style ► roedeer
bia, at 12,972 ft (3,954 m). The Continental Divide, located in the moun¬ tains, separates rivers flowing to the east and to the west. Wildlife includes grizzly bear, brown bear, elk, bighorn sheep, and cougar. The area is rich in deposits of copper, iron ore, silver, gold, lead, zinc, phosphate, potash, and gypsum. Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton national parks in the U.S. are major recreational facilities.
Rococo Vro-'ko-.ko, ro-ko-'koV style or Late Baroque Style in inte¬ rior design, the decorative arts, painting, architecture, and sculpture that originated in Paris in the early 18th century. The word Rococo is derived from French rocaille, denoting the shell-covered rockwork used to deco¬ rate artificial grottoes. Reacting against the ponderous Baroque that had become the official style of Louis XIV’s reign, the Rococo was light, elegant, and elaborately ornamented. Several interior designers, painters, and engravers—among them Pierre Le Pautre, Juste-Aurele Meissonier, Jean Berain, and Nicolas Pineau—developed a lighter and more intimate style of decoration for the new residences of nobles in Paris, and the style was disseminated throughout France by means of engravings. In these designers’ work, walls, ceilings, and moldings feature interlacings of curves and countercurves based on S and C shapes as well as on shell forms and other natural shapes. Chinese motifs were also employed (see chinoiserie). Rococo painting was characterized by easygoing treatments of mythological and courtship themes, delicate brushwork, and sensuous colouring; notable practitioners included Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher, and Jean-Honore Fragonard. The Rococo style spread through¬ out France and other countries, principally Germany and Austria. Among the finest German examples of Rococo architecture is the church designed by Balthasar Neumann at Vierzehnheiligen, near Lichtenfels, in Bavaria. In Italy the Rococo style was concentrated primarily in Venice, where it was epitomized by the large-scale decorative paintings of Giovanni Bat¬ tista Tiepolo.
Rodchenko Vrad-'cheq-koV Aleksandr (Mikhailovich) (b. Dec. 5, 1891, St. Petersburg, Russia—d. Dec. 3, 1956, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.) Russian painter, sculptor, designer, and photographer. He ini¬ tially embraced a completely abstract, highly geometric style, using a ruler and compass. His series of black-on-black geometric paintings (1918) was a direct response to Kazimir Malevich’s painting White on White. In 1919, influenced by Vladimir Tatlin, he began to make hanging three-dimensional constructions that were, in effect, mobiles. As leader of a wing of Con¬ structivism that sought to produce works appropriate to workers’ daily lives, he renounced easel painting and took up photography and book, furniture, and set design. His innovations in lighting in his photography influenced Sergei Eisenstein. He returned to easel painting in the 1930s.
Roddenberry, Gene in full Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (b.
Aug. 19, 1921, El Paso, Texas, U.S.—d. Oct. 24, 1991, Santa Monica, Calif.) U.S. television and film producer. He worked as a pilot (1945-49) and police officer (1949-53) before becoming a writer for television series such as Dragnet and Dr Kildare. He created the idea for the Star Trek series and produced the show from 1966 until it ended in 1969; later rerun in syndication, it developed a durable cult following among fans known as “Trekkies.” He produced six Star Trek movies, and from 1987 to 1991 he produced the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.