Mark Twain would have most likely used the phrase as B) a period of ridiculous excess. During this period there was rapid economic expansion and growth, but this did not extend to the working poor. The wealth expansion also created very corrupt politics. These factors came to define this period as the "Gilded Age." Twain was very critical of this period and its economic and political characteristics.
Answer:
The descendants of Mattathias were known as the Maccabees
An event that sparked competition and encouraged americans to invest in science
