109. Big Yankees in Little China

On April 6, 1971, a group of Americans - then in Japan - received a surprise invitation from their Chinese colleagues for an all-expense paid visit to the People's Republic.

On April 10, 1971, 9 people stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland,thereby becoming the first group of Americans allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.

From April 11th to 17th , a delighted American public followed the daily progress of the visit in newspapers and on television, as the Americans toured the Great Wall and Summer Palace, chatted with Chinese students and factory workers, and attended the Canton Ballet.

Who after all were these group of Americans??

108. Wild Spirit?

Jan Baptista van Helmont, an early modern period Belgian chemist, is remembered today largely for his ideas on spontaneous generation, his 5-year tree experiment, and his introduction of the word "_______" into the vocabulary of scientists.
In one of his texts he writes:

"Suppose thou, that 62 pounds of Oaken coal, one pound of ashes is composed: Therefore the 61 remaining pounds are the "wild spirit" which, also being fired, cannot depart, the Vessel being shut. I call this spirit, unknown hitherto, the new name of '______,' which can neither be retained in Vessels nor reduced to a visible form, unless the seed is first extinguished."

The word was perhaps a Dutch pronunciation re-spelling of "chaos".

What word did Helmont coin?