waterfall Area where flowing river water drops abruptly and nearly vertically. A waterfall may also be termed a falls, or, when large volumes of water are involved, a cataract. Waterfalls of small height and less steepness or a series of small falls are called cascades. Still gentler stretches of river that exhibit turbulent flow and white water are called rapids.
Waterford glass Heavy cut glassware, produced in Waterford, Ire., from the 1720s to the present, characterized by thick walls, deeply incised geometric cutting, and brilliant polish. Characteristic Waterford products include Rococo chandeliers, wall lamps, sconces, bowls, and vases. After c. 1770 Waterford glassmakers gradually abandoned the Rococo style in favour of the more restrained Neoclassical style popular in England.
waterfowl Any member of the family Anatidae, web-footed birds with a broad bill containing fine plates, or lamellae; usually stocky and often long-necked, including ducks, geese (see goose), and swans. Waterfowl feed by dabbling, diving, or grazing. Most species are social and have an array of formal displays and group cohesion signals. Almost all breed in water. The female usually selects the nest site, builds the nest from any vegetation within reach, and incubates the 3-12 eggs. Shortly after hatch¬ ing, the young imprint on their mother (see imprinting). Many species are migratory.
Watergate scandal (1972-74) Political scandal involving illegal activities by Pres. Richard Nixon’s administration. In June 1972 five bur¬ glars were arrested after breaking into the Democratic Party’s national headquarters at the Watergate Hotel complex in Washington, D.C. Within a few days of their arrest at the Watergate, charges of burglary and wire¬ tapping were brought against the five and two others, including a former White House aide and G. Gordon Liddy, general counsel for the Com¬ mittee to Reelect the President. Nixon and his aides steadfastly denied that anyone in the administration had been involved, despite persistent press reports to the contrary, and in November 1972 Nixon was easily reelected. In January 1973 the trial of the burglars was held before Judge John Sirica; five pleaded guilty and two were convicted by a jury. Siri¬ ca’s direct questioning of witnesses revealed details of a cover-up by H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, and John W. Dean. They and Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst resigned in April. The new attorney gen¬ eral, Elliot L. Richardson (1920-98), appointed Archibald Cox (b. 1912) as special prosecutor. A Senate committee under Samuel Ervin held tele¬ vised hearings in which the existence of tapes of conversations in the president’s office was disclosed. Cox and Ervin subpoenaed the tapes, but Nixon refused to relinquish them and ordered Cox fired (Oct. 20, 1973). Richardson resigned in protest, and the public outcry eventually forced Nixon to surrender the tapes (December 8), which revealed clear signs of his involvement in the cover-up. In July 1974 the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives passed three articles of impeachment against Nixon. On August 5 Nixon supplied three tapes that clearly impli¬ cated him in the cover-up. Though Nixon continued to insist that he had not committed any offenses, he resigned on Aug. 8, 1974. He was par¬ doned a month later by his successor, Gerald Ford.
Waterloo, Battle of (June 18, 1815) Final defeat of Napoleon and French forces in the Napoleonic Wars. The battle was fought near Water¬ loo village, south of Brussels, during the Hundred Days of Napoleon’s res¬ toration, by Napoleon’s 72,000 troops against the duke of Wellington’s combined Allied army of 68,000 aided by 45,000 Prussians under Geb- hard von Blucher. After the French defeated the Prussians at Ligny and held Wellington at Quatre-Bras in secondary battles on June 16, Napo¬ leon’s marshals, including Michel Ney, failed to eliminate either enemy while they were separated. Napoleon delayed his attack at Waterloo until midday, to allow the ground to dry, which enabled Bliicher’s main force to escape the pursuing French and join Wellington. Four French attacks
on the Allied centre failed to break through, and Napoleon had to move troops to meet the Prussian flanking attack. When Ney succeeded in cap¬ turing a farmhouse at the centre of the Allied line, his call to Napoleon for reinforcements was refused. Wellington and his forces, though vul¬ nerable after heavy losses, repulsed the final French assault and turned to advance against the French, forcing them into a disorganized retreat. The French suffered 25,000 killed and wounded, and 9,000 were captured; Wellington’s casualties were 15,000, and Bliicher’s were about 8,000. Four days later, Napoleon abdicated for the last time.
Waterloo, University of Public university in Waterloo, Ont., Can., founded in 1957. It has faculties of applied health sciences, arts, engi¬ neering, environmental studies, mathematics, and science, as well as schools of accounting, architecture, optometry, and urban and regional planning. Special facilities include museums of optometry and of games.
watermelon Succulent fruit of Citrullus lanatus (formerly C. vul¬ garis), in the gourd family, native to tropical Africa and cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. The vines spread across the ground with branched tendrils, deeply cut leaves, and light-yellow flowers. Each vine bears 2-15 large, reddish, white, or yellow, sweet, very juicy fruits with flat black seeds. Varieties differ in flesh color, shape, and rind thick¬ ness. The rind may be preserved as a pickle.
waterpower Power produced by a stream of water as it turns a wheel or similar device. The waterwheel, probably invented in the 1st century bc, was widely used throughout the Middle Ages and into modem times for grinding grain, operating bellows for furnaces, and other purposes. The more compact water turbine, which passes water through a series of fixed and rotating blades, was introduced in 1827. Water turbines, used originally for direct mechanical drive for irrigation, now are used almost exclusively to generate hydroelectric power.
Waters, Ethel (b. Oct. 31, 1896/1900. Chester, Pa., U.S.—d. Sept. 1, 1977, Chatsworth, Calif.) U.S. blues and jazz singer and actress. She was a professional singer by age 17, and she recorded with jazzmen such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman in the 1930s. She made her Broad¬ way debut in the Africana revue (1927) and later had a lead role in Black¬ birds (1930). In 1933 she appeared in Irving Berlin’s musical As Thousands Cheer, in which she sang “Heat Wave” and “Suppertime.” Her later stage successes included Cabin in the Sky (1940; film, 1943) and The Member of the Wedding (1950; film, 1952). She also acted in films such as Pinky (1949) and The Sound and the Fury (1959).
Waters, Muddy orig. McKinley Morganfield (b. April 4, 1915, Rolling Fork, Miss., U.S.—d. April 30, 1983, Westmont, Ill.) U.S. blues guitarist and singer. He grew up in the cotton country of Mississippi and taught himself harmonica as a child. He later took up guitar, eagerly absorbing the classic delta blues styles of Robert Johnson and Son House. He was first recorded in 1941 by archivist Alan Lomax (see John Lomax). In 1943 he moved to Chicago; there he broke with the country blues style by playing over a heavy dance rhythm, adopting the electric guitar and adding piano and drums while retaining a moan-and-shout vocal style and lyrics that were by turns mournful, boastful, and risque. The result came to be known as urban blues, from which sprang in large part later forms such as rock music and soul music. A surge in interest in the roots of popu¬ lar music in the early 1960s brought Waters widespread fame, and he per¬ formed internationally into the 1970s.
waterskiing Sport of planing and jumping on water skis, broad ski¬ like runners that a rider wears while being towed by a motorboat. The sport originated in the U.S. in the 1920s. International competitions have been held since 1946. Single-ski slalom competition is held on a course consisting of a specified number of buoys around which the skier must negotiate. Jumping competitions employ a ramp; skiers are judged for distance and style. Barefoot and trick skiing are also part of some com¬ petitions. A later development in waterskiing, wakeboarding began in the U.S. in the 1980s when surfers began riding their boards as they were pulled behind boats. Since the mid 1990s wakeboarding has been an event at both the Gravity Games and the X Games (see extreme sports) and has become the fastest-growing water sport worldwide.