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n
a member of a people from Scandinavia who attacked parts of northern and western Europe, including Britain and Ireland, in the 8th–11th centuries. In Britain they were also known as Danes or Norsemen. They settled in the Scottish islands and in areas of eastern England, and the Danish king Canute (often also spelt Cnut) ruled England from 1016. The Vikings were feared as violent and cruel, but they were also noted for their skill in building ships and as sailors. They travelled in their long ships (= long narrow warships) to Iceland, Greenland and North America. They had an important influence on English culture and the English language, and their achievements are still celebrated in festivals such as Up-Helly-Aa .
See also Danegeld , Danelaw , Vinland .
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the name of two NASA spacecraft that left Earth in 1975 and landed on the planet Mars in the following year. They analysed the surface of the planet for evidence of life but found nothing very important. They also sent the first television pictures of the surface of Mars back to earth.