"A Bird's-Eye View of Paris" and "The Bells" are chapters in which 1831 novel?

A bill signed in July 1996 allowed taxpayers to sue which agency for up to $1 million over reckless collection actions? A bingo hall opened by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in 1986 grew into which huge Connecticut casino resort? A biography said "it was by dying when he did," in 1863, that which Confederate general achieved his military fame? Which biographical reference work was first published in London in 1849? A black cat in 1969 and a fan's grab at a foul ball in 2003 have been blamed for the woes of which baseball team? What word names a black layer of dirt that has built up on a surface? A blinding light suddenly turns which actor's character into a genius in the 1996 film "Phenomenon"? What word names both a dog breed known for its blue-black tongue and a slang term for food?