GeneralDrawer

Ibadan

2005-04-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ibadan's beginnings are shrouded in mystery; they were recorded only in oral tradition. It is said that the earliest group of settlers at Ibadan were fugitives from justice who were expelled from nearby villages.

Jhalawar

2005-04-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

Town, administrative headquarters of Jhalawar district, Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The town—sometimes called Jhalrapatan, Jhalrapatan Chhaoni (cantonment), or Brijnagar—is a major road junction and agricultural market centre. The old town of Jhalrapatan (Patan) was founded in 1796. The new town, including the palace and cantonment, lies just to the north. Jhalawar, the capital

Murji'ah

2005-04-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

The Murji'ah flourished during the turbulent period of Islamic history that began with the murder of 'Uthman (third caliph) in AD 656, and ended with the assassination of 'Ali (fourth

Ch'i

2005-04-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Neo-Confucian philosophers

France, History Of, The social order of the ancien régime

2005-04-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

In the society of the ancien

Eisenhüttenstadt

2005-04-02T01:43:00.000-08:00

City, Brandenburg Land (state), eastern Germany. The city lies along the Oder River at the Polish border, southeast of Frankfurt an der Oder. It was formed in 1961 by the union of Fürstenberg, Stalinstadt, and Schönfliess. Stalinstadt was a planned-residence town for workers employed in a metallurgical complex established in 1951 just west of the old town of Fürstenberg. Now one

Antarctica

2005-04-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Lying almost concentrically around the South Pole, Antarctica—the name of which means “opposite to the Arctic”—is the southernmost continent, a circumstance that has had momentous consequences for all aspects of its character. It covers about 5.5 million square miles

Tributyl Phosphate

2005-03-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

An organic liquid solvent used in the extraction of uranium and plutonium salts from reactor effluents, as a solvent for nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate, and as a heat-exchange medium. A phosphorus-containing compound with molecular formula (C4H9)3PO4, it is prepared by reaction of phosphorus oxychloride with butyl alcohol. Tributyl phosphate is corrosive to

Haddad, Malek

2005-03-31T03:42:00.000-08:00

Algerian poet, novelist, and cultural adviser. Haddad abandoned law studies in Aix-en-Provence to write for French and Algerian weeklies and magazines during the Algerian war. His first published book was a collection of poetry, Le Malheur en danger (1956; “Trouble in Danger”). A second collection, Écoute et je t'appelle (1961; “Listen and I Will

Roland (de La Platière), Jean-marie

2005-03-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

The son of a royal official, Roland became inspector of manufactures in Amiens (1780) and then in Lyon (1784). In February 1780 he married Jeanne-Marie Phlipon, who was 20 years

Endocrine System, Subphylum Cephalochordata

2005-03-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

The cephalochordate brain contains neurosecretory neurons that possibly are related to a structure called Hatschek's pit, located near the brain. Hatschek's pit appears to be related to the neural gland and hence to the vertebrate pituitary gland. Treatment of amphioxus with GnRH or luteinizing hormone (LH) reportedly stimulates the onset of spermatogenesis

Hawkes, John

2005-03-30T07:31:00.000-08:00

Hawkes attended Harvard University (B.A.,

Yudenich, Nikolay

2005-03-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Having entered the Imperial Army in 1879, Yudenich graduated from the General Staff Academy in 1887, served on the General Staff from 1887 until 1902, and then became a regimental commander. After participating in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), he was promoted

Karaism

2005-03-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

The movement began in

Zanzibar

2005-03-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

City and port of the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The island's principal port and commercial centre, it is on the western side of the island behind a well-protected natural deepwater harbour. In 1824 Sultan Sa'id ibn Sultan of Oman established his capital there, shifting it from Muscat on the Arabian Peninsula. During the remainder of the 19th century, the city flourished as the

Yeshiva University

2005-03-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in New York, New York, U.S. It is a comprehensive research university comprising six undergraduate schools and seven graduate or professional schools at the Main Campus in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, the Midtown Center in Manhattan's Murray Hill area, the Brookdale Center on Fifth Avenue in

Qatar

2005-03-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

A monarchy (emirate) on the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar occupies a desert peninsula and the nearby small Hawar Islands (also claimed by Bahrain) on the west coast of the Persian Gulf. Area (including Hawar Islands): 11,427 sq km (4,412 sq mi). Pop. (1996 est.): 590,000. Cap.: Doha. Monetary unit: Qatar riyal, with (Oct. 11, 1996) an official rate of 3.64 riyals to U.S. $1 (5.73 riyals = £1 sterling). Emir and prime minister in 1996, Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifah

Lista, Alberto

2005-03-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

At age 20, Lista held the chair of mathematics at a college in Sevilla (Seville); later (1807) he assumed the chair of rhetoric and poetry at the University of Sevilla. After spending

Ashford

2005-03-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, England. It was established in 1974 from the former urban district of Ashford, rural districts of East and West Ashford, and the metropolitan borough and rural district of Tenterden. The old town of Ashford was granted a market in the 13th century that later became a stock market for the pastoral farms

Audubon, John James

2005-03-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of a French merchant, planter, and slave trader and a Creole woman of Saint-Domingue, Audubon and his illegitimate half-sister (who was also born

Faenza Majolica

2005-03-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

Majolica also spelled Maiolica, tin-glazed earthenware produced in the city of Faenza in the Emilia district of Italy from the late 14th century. Early Faenza ware is represented by green and purple jugs decorated with Gothic lettering and heraldic lions and by Tuscan oak leaf jars. The first significant majolica piece, a wall plaque, is dated 1475. Typical Renaissance motifs appear on 15th-century ware,

Babeuf, François-noël

2005-03-21T00:25:00.000-08:00

The son of a tax farmer, Babeuf

Sea Rocket

2005-03-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

Any of about 17 species of plants constituting the genus Cakile, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to seashore regions of North America, Eurasia, western Asia, and Australia, and to central Arabian deserts. Cakile maritima, a European plant, has waxy, thick, lobed green leaves and pale-lavender flower clusters. Its leaf branches, 30 to 60 centimetres (1 to 2 feet) long, rise

Stagecoach

2005-03-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

Any public coach regularly travelling a fixed route between two or more stations (stages). Used in London at least by 1640, and about 20 years later in Paris, stagecoaches reached their greatest importance in England and the United States in the 19th century, where the new macadam roads made travel quicker and more comfortable. In the United States, coaches were the only means

Hadith

2005-03-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Hadit (Arabic: “news,” or “story”) record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qur'an, or scripture of Islam. It might be defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his community for their exemplification and obedience. The development of Hadith is a vital

Talikota, Battle Of

2005-03-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

(January 1565), confrontation between the forces of the Hindu raja of Vijayanagar and the four Muslim sultans of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda in the Indian Deccan. The armies numbered several hundred thousand with large contingents of elephants. The battle seems to have been decided by the Muslim artillery and the capture and execution of the ruling Hindu minister

Back Swimmer

2005-03-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Any insect of the family Notonectidae (order Heteroptera), containing approximately 200 species. These relatively small insects occur worldwide. Most are less than 15 mm (0.6 inch) in length. Their long, oarlike legs are used when they swim on their backs, which are shaped like the keel and sides of a boat. The back swimmer has an oval head and an elongated body. It is a good example

European Union

2005-03-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

On January 1, 1995, Sweden, Austria, and Finland joined the EU, leaving Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland as the only major western European countries outside the organization. Norway's government twice (1972 and 1994) attempted to join, but its voters rejected membership on each occasion. Switzerland tabled its application in the early 1990s. Norway, Iceland, and the members of the EU (along

Silla

2005-03-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

One of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea and the one that in 668 unified Korea under the Unified Silla dynasty (q.v.; 668–935). Silla is traditionally believed to have been founded by Hyokkose in 57 BC. By the 2nd century AD, a distinct confederation of local tribes was definitely in existence in the southeastern portion of the Korean peninsula. With the establishment of the hereditary monarchy

Oskaloosa

2005-03-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1844) of Mahaska county, southeastern Iowa, U.S. It lies between the Des Moines and South Skunk rivers, about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Des Moines. The region was inhabited by Sauk and Fox peoples when a fort was founded there by Captain Nathan Boone, nephew of Daniel Boone, who explored the area in 1835. Settled by Quakers in 1843, it takes its name (meaning “the last of the

Allergen

2005-03-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Substance that in some persons induces the hypersensitive state of allergy and stimulates the formation of reaginic antibodies. Allergens may be naturally occurring or of synthetic origin and include pollen, mold spores, dust, animal dander, insect debris, foods, blood serum, and drugs. Identification of allergens is made by studying both the site of symptoms (e.g.,

Tso Chuan

2005-03-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zuo Zhuan, ancient commentary on the Ch'un-ch'iu, and the first sustained narrative work in Chinese literature. The Ch'un-ch'iu, the first Chinese chronological history, chronicles events during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) of China's history. The Tso chuan is a detailed commentary on this work and provides extensive narrative accounts and ample background materials concerning

Hindustan

2005-03-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Hindusthan (Persian: “Land of the Hindus”), historically, northern India, in contrast to the Deccan, or southern India. This area can be defined more particularly as the basin of the five Punjab rivers and the upper Gangetic Plain. As a mostly fertile and well-populated corridor situated between walls of mountain, desert, and sea, Hindustan has been regarded as the principal seat of Indian

Murieta, Joaquín

2005-03-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

A Joaquín Murieta was recorded as baptized in Sonora, Mex., in 1830; while still a teenager, he married and migrated with his wife to California (1848). In the Gold Rush he tried prospecting,

Nabha

2005-03-14T02:02:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Punjab state, northwestern India. It is located some 16 miles (26 km) west and slightly north of Patiala. Nabha (founded 1755) was the capital of the princely state of Nabha, established in 1763 and composed of 12 scattered territories claimed by a member of the Sikh Phulkian family. In 1807–08 the raja gained British protection against threatened encroachments by Ranjit Singh.

Poel, William

2005-03-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

Poel was reared among the Pre-Raphaelite artists, and as a boy he posed for William Holman Hunt. He early decided to go on the stage. After working for a time as an actor, stage manager, and theatre manager, he

Dielasma

2005-03-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct brachiopods, or lamp shells, that occur as fossils in rocks deposited in marine environments of Carboniferous to Permian age (between 360 and 245 million years old). The two small, rather smooth valves of the shell of Dielasma are slightly convex in profile, but the pedicle, or foot, valve is much larger than the brachial, or upper, valve. Growth lines

Atisa

2005-03-13T04:15:00.000-08:00

Traveling to Tibet in 1038 or 1042 from Nalanda, a centre of Buddhist studies in India, Atisa established monasteries there and wrote treatises emphasizing the three schools of Buddhism:

Rawlins

2005-03-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1886) of Carbon county, south-central Wyoming, U.S. It lies just east of the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6,755 feet (2,059 metres). Founded in 1868 when the Union Pacific Railroad arrived, it was first named Rawlins Springs for U.S. Army Chief of Staff General John A. Rawlins, who requested a freshwater spring there bear his name. In 1874 “Rawlins Red” pigment from the local paint mines

China, Early T'ang (618626)

2005-03-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

When Kao-tsu became emperor (reigned 618–626), he was still only one among the contenders for control of the empire of the Sui. It was several years before the empire was entirely pacified. After the suppression of Hsüeh Chü and the pacification of the northwest, the T'ang had to contend with three principal rival forces: the Sui remnants commanded by Wang Shih-ch'ung at Lo-yang,

Almandine

2005-03-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

Either of two semiprecious gemstones: a violet-coloured variety of ruby spinel (q.v.) or iron aluminum garnet, which is most abundant of the garnets. Specimens of the garnet, frequently crystals, contain up to 25 percent grossular or andradite and are commonly brownish red; gem-quality stone is deep red and slightly purple. Almandine, the so-called precious garnet, is most

Ringkøbing

2005-03-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Amt (county), Denmark, covering a rectangular area (1,874 square miles [4,853 square km]) that is bounded by the smooth dune and lagoon coast of western Jutland between Nissum Bay in the north and Ringkøbing Fjord in the south, and extending about 40 miles (65 km) inland. The soil is mainly sandy and poor with tracts of unreclaimed heath but supports mixed agriculture. The principal cities,

Masbate

2005-03-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Island and town, central Philippines, part of the Visayas group, bordered by the Sibuyan (west), Visayan (south), and Samar (east) seas. The island, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of the southern tip of Luzon, is V-shaped, with the open end of the V forming the Asid Gulf on the south; it has an area of 1,262 square miles (3,269 square km). The discontinuous highlands that stretch along both arms of the V represent

Brunei

2005-03-09T03:31:00.000-08:00

Officially State of Brunei, Abode of Peace, Malay Negara Brunei Darussalam, independent Islamic sultanate on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. It has an area of 2,226 square miles (5,765 square kilometres) and is bounded to the north by the South China Sea and on all other sides by the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, which also divides the state into two enclaves of unequal size. The western enclave is the larger of the two and contains the capital

Gainsborough, Thomas

2005-03-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Portrait and landscape painter, the most versatile English painter of the 18th century. Some of his early portraits show the sitters grouped in a landscape (“Mr. and Mrs. Andrews,” c. 1750). As he became famous and his sitters fashionable, he adopted a more formal manner that owed something to Anthony Van Dyck (“The Blue

Annelid, Critical appraisal

2005-03-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Most authors accept the annelids as having three major classes: Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, and Hirudinea. Older systems would place the polychaetes and oligochaetes under the class Chaetopoda because both groups possess setae. Other systems would join the oligochaetes and leeches in a single class, called the Clitellata, because both groups possess a clitellum

Ramapithecus

2005-03-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

The first Ramapithecus fossils (fragments of an upper jaw and some teeth) were discovered in 1932 in fossil deposits in the Siwalik hills of northern India. No significance was attached

Arabia, History Of, Omani expansion

2005-03-07T03:16:00.000-08:00

In Oman events took an independent course. The Ya'rubid dynasty—founded about 1624 when a member of the Ya'rub tribe was elected imam—expelled the Portuguese from Muscat and set to harrying Portuguese possessions on the Indian coast. Embarking on expansion overseas—to Mombasa in 1698, then to Pemba, Zanzibar, and Kilwa—the Omanis became the supreme power on the coastal regions

Aesthetics

2005-03-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

All aesthetic experience, whether of art or nature, seems to be informed by and dependent upon an exercise of taste. We choose the object of aesthetic experience, and often do so carefully and deliberately. Moreover, we are judged by our choices, not only of works of art but also of colour schemes, dresses, and garden ornaments, just as we are judged by our manners and our

Argentina, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

2005-03-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

Patagonia contains zones of deciduous Andean forests and, east of the Andes, of steppe and desert. The largest area—the steppe region—lies in northern Patagonia between the Colorado River and the port city of Comodoro Rivadavia. This zone represents an extension southward of the monte, which gives way gradually to a xerophytic shrub region without trees except

Pagliero, Marcello

2005-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

Although born in England, Pagliero grew up in Italy, where he completed his formal education with a degree in jurisprudence. With a knowledge of English, Pagliero first worked as a translator of screenplays. During World War

Argenson, René-louis De Voyer De Paulmy, Marquis D'

2005-03-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

French minister of foreign affairs under King Louis XV from 1744 to 1747. The son of a lawyer, he received legal training and, from 1720 to 1724, served as intendant (royal agent) in Hainaut. As patron of the Club de l'Entresol in Paris, he discussed the political concepts of the Enlightenment with Voltaire and other philosophes. In November 1744, several months after France

Ejectment

2005-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

The action, traceable to the Roman law, had its early development in feudal England. By the second half of the 16th century, ejectment was in common use to adjudicate title to any real property. In its technical

Henne Am Rhyn, Otto

2005-03-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Swiss universities of Bern and Geneva, he taught German, geography, and history at the local school

Haardt Mountains

2005-03-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Also called Hardt Mountains, mountain range in Rheinland-Pfalz Land (state), southwestern Germany. They comprise the eastern part of the Pfälzer Forest Mountains and lie west of the Rhine River basin, extending from the French border to a point about 20 miles (30 km) south of Mainz. Their densely forested slopes rise to 2,208 feet (673 m) in Mount Kalmit. Geologically the Haardt Mountains are a continuation of the

Annelid, Excretory system

2005-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Ammonia

Qatar, Trade and finance

2005-03-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

In the mid-1970s Japan supplanted Britain as Qatar's chief source of imports. The chief purchasers of Qatari exports are Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. Other major trading partners include the United States and the United Kingdom. Machinery and transport equipment make up the largest category of imports, and crude petroleum accounts for more than four-fifths of

Eadred

2005-03-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Edred king of the English from 946 to 955, who brought Northumbria permanently under English rule. Eadred was the son of the West Saxon king Edward the Elder (ruled 899–924), the half brother of King Athelstan (ruled 924–939), and the brother of King Edmund I (ruled 939–946). Upon Eadred's accession to power, the Northumbrians acknowledged his overlordship, but they soon proclaimed

Anisian Stage

2005-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

Lowermost of two divisions of the Middle Triassic Series, representing those rocks deposited worldwide during Anisian time (242 million to 234 million years ago) in the Triassic Period. The stage name is derived from an area of limestone formations along the Anisus River at Grossreifling in the Austrian Alps. The Anisian Stage is subdivided, in ascending order, into the

Carnivore, Distribution and abundance

2005-03-01T02:20:00.000-08:00

Carnivores are found worldwide. Terrestrial forms are absent from most oceanic islands, though the coastlines are usually visited by seals (pinnipeds). Except for the dingo (which probably was introduced by aboriginal man), Australia has no native terrestrial members of the Carnivora. Man has taken his pets, as well as a number of wild species, to most islands. For example,

Mahmoud

2005-02-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

Mahmoud was foaled in France by Mah Mahal and sired by Blenheim. He was owned by the Aga Khan who sent him to England to be trained by Frank Butters at Newmarket. He won all three of his races as a two-year-old, and as a three-year-old he lost the Two Thousand Guineas by a short head,

Nehru, Jawaharlal

2005-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Byname Pandit (Hindi: “Pundit,” or “Teacher”) Nehru first prime minister of independent India (1947–64), who established parliamentary government and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India's independence movement in the 1930s and '40s.

Ryan, Thomas Fortune

2005-02-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

Born in poverty and orphaned at the age of 14, Ryan came to New York at 21, joining

Biblical Literature, Eastern Orthodoxy

2005-02-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

The first Christians were Jews, and they worshipped along with other Jews in the synagogue. The earliest Gentile converts also attended the synagogue. When Christians met outside the synagogue, they still used its liturgy, read its Bible, and preserved the main characteristics of synagogue worship. Every historic liturgy is divided into (1) a Christian revision of

Pacific Ocean, Early exploration and settlement

2005-02-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Islands are thought to have been peopled by influxes from both mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia. The earliest migrations were to what is now generally referred to as Melanesia. From there generations of voyagers ranged northward into eastern Micronesia and eastward into Polynesia. The peopling of Polynesia, by means of long-range seagoing

Insurance, Group health insurance

2005-02-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

Major types of health insurance written on a group basis include insurance against the losses occasioned by hospitalization, surgical expense, and disability. Hospitalization insurance is designed to cover daily room and board and other expenses. Surgical expense insurance usually provides specified allowances for physicians' charges for various operations.

Wilhelmj, August (emil Daniel Ferdinand Viktor)

2005-02-25T00:09:00.000-08:00

A prodigy, he gave his first concert at the age of eight in Wiesbaden. He studied with Ferdinand David at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1861 to 1863, and with Joachim Raff

France, History Of, Louis XVIII, 181524

2005-02-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

King Louis XVIII's second return from exile was far from glorious. Neither the victorious powers nor Louis's French subjects viewed his restoration with much enthusiasm, yet there seemed to be no ready alternative to Bourbon rule. The allies avenged themselves for the Hundred Days by writing a new and more severe Treaty of Paris. France lost several frontier territories,

Dandridge, Dorothy

2005-02-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

Dandridge's mother was an entertainer and comedic actress who, after settling in Los Angeles, had some success in radio and, later, television. The young Dorothy and her sister Vivian

Lowell, Amy

2005-02-24T04:48:00.000-08:00

Lowell came from a prominent Massachusetts family (her brothers were Abbott Lawrence Lowell, later president of Harvard, and astronomer Percival Lowell). She was educated in private schools and by her mother, and until she was 28 she did little but alternately live

Power Steering

2005-02-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

System to aid the steering of an automobile by use of a hydraulic device (driven from the engine) that amplifies the turning moment, or torque, applied to the steering wheel by the driver. To reduce the torque required from the driver as cars became heavier and tires softer, gears were introduced between the steering wheel shaft and the linkage that turns the wheels.

Pack Ice

2005-02-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

Floating mass of ice formed from seawater in the Earth's polar regions. Pack ice expands during winter to cover about 5 percent of the northern oceans and 8 percent of the southern oceans. When melting occurs in spring and summer, the margins of the pack ice retreat.

São João Del Rei

2005-02-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

City, south-central Minas Gerais estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies along the Lenheiro River on a site sandwiched between two hills, at 2,822 feet (860 m) above sea level. Originally a gold-mining town, it was given city status in 1838. The city retains a colonial atmosphere and has two notable 18th-century Baroque churches, the Carmo and the Church of São Francisco de Assis, with sculptures by

Mauchline

2005-02-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

Village, situated near the River Ayr in East Ayrshire council area, historic county of Ayrshire, Scotland, and closely associated with the Scottish national poet, Robert Burns. It is the site of the Burns National Memorial. Mauchline has many links with the poet, who lived with his brother Gilbert at nearby Mossgiel from 1784 to 1788. In Castle Street stands a house, now a museum,

Three Kings, Battle Of The

2005-02-21T02:23:00.000-08:00

Sebastian, a religious zealot, wished to subject Muslim Morocco to Christian rule. Allied with the deposed Moroccan sultan, al-Mutawakkil, he landed at Tangier weighed down by much artillery and an army of 20,000 men. At the Wadi al-Makhazin near Ksar el-Kebir (Alcazarquivir),

Catalexis And Acatalexis

2005-02-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

In prosody, an omission or incompleteness in the last foot of a line or other unit in metrical verse and, conversely, the metrical completeness of such a unit.

Round, Henry Joseph

2005-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Round worked with Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, Ltd., from 1902 to 1914, first in the United States, where he improved the tuning components of radio receivers and built early radio direction

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

2005-02-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

English Dresden State Art Collections art museum in Dresden, Ger., that includes collections of painting, sculpture, graphic and applied arts, and coins. It is best known for its picture gallery, the core of which is the collection of paintings that originally belonged to the Kunstkammer, founded by Prince August in 1560. Its most popular works, however, were later acquisitions dating from the 18th century. There

France, History Of, World War I

2005-02-19T03:59:00.000-08:00

Before a change in policy could be imposed, however, a new crisis in the Balkans threatened a general war. The assassination of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, inaugurated five weeks of feverish negotiations, in which France's role has been much debated. Some historians have accused Poincaré and his supporters of a willingness to go to

Algeria, Press and broadcasting

2005-02-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Daily newspapers are published in both Arabic and French in Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Several weeklies and a host of magazines are also published in the country. The number and range of newspapers increased during the 1990s, despite frequent violent attacks directed against journalists by Islamic extremists. Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne operates

Integral

2005-02-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, either a numerical value equal to the area under the graph of a function for some interval (definite integral) or a new function the derivative of which is the original function (indefinite integral). These two meanings are related by the fact that a definite integral of any function that can be integrated can be found using the indefinite integral

Kádár, János

2005-02-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

Original name János Czermanik, Czermanik also spelled Csermanek premier of Hungary (1956–58, 1961–65) and first secretary (1956–88) of Hungary's Communist Party who played a key role in Hungary's transition from the 1956 anti-Soviet government of Imre Nagy to the pro-Soviet regime that followed. Kádár managed to convince the Soviet Union to withdraw its troops and allow Hungary a modicum of internal independence

Cosin, John

2005-02-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

Cosin was named a chaplain of Durham Cathedral (1619) and subsequently wrote the famed Collection of Private

Yukon River, Plant and animal life

2005-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Coniferous forests grow to low height and low densities across the valley floors and lower mountain slopes of the Yukon River basin. The upper tree line is at an elevation of about 3,500 to 4,500 feet, depending on local exposure and drainage; thus, about two-thirds of mountainous Yukon Territory is treeless. The largest stands of potentially commercial forest are along the

Kádár, János

2005-02-16T04:48:00.000-08:00

The Malabar spiny tree mouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus) lives only in the old-growth rainforests of southwestern India. Nocturnal and arboreal, it builds nests in tree cavities and eats fruits and nuts. The animal is named for its flat, grooved spines

Economic Development

2005-02-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

The process whereby simple, low-income national economies are transformed into modern industrial economies. Although the term is sometimes used as a synonym for economic growth, generally it is employed to describe a change in a country's economy involving qualitative as well as quantitative improvements. The theory of economic development—how primitive and

Austerlitz, Battle Of

2005-02-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

The battle took place near Austerlitz in Moravia

Torga, Miguel

2005-02-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

Torga embarked on his literary career while a medical student at the University of Coimbra. After graduation he continued to write and publish

Thomson, Sir J.j.

2005-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

In full Sir Joseph John Thomson English physicist who helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure by his discovery of the electron (1897). He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906 and was knighted in 1908.

Lip Fern

2005-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ferns of the genus Cheilanthes (family Adiantaceae), about 180 species of tropical and temperate regions. Most are small, sturdy, often evergreen plants that thrive in dry and rocky areas. The leaves arise directly from the rootstocks and are often covered with dense hairs. Spore-bearing structures (sporangia) occur at the ends of veins and are protected by the leaf margins,

Argentina, Finance

2005-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Economic troubles in the 1970s and '80s caused the near

Literature, Netherlandic.

2005-02-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

In 2001 well-known novelist and essayist Louis Ferron was awarded the Dutch national Constantijn Huygens Prijs for his uncompromisingly singular and “completely unfashionable and contrary” body of work. The Libris Literatuur Prijs went to Tomas Lieske for his novel Franklin (2000), which showcased his brilliant

Switzerland, Environment

2005-02-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

A number of environmental problems must be addressed if Switzerland is to maintain the integrity of its unique landscape. Air pollution in the cities and the mountain valleys, depending on atmospheric conditions, has steadily worsened despite federal legislation. All Swiss vehicles must pass an annual emissions test; however, weak links are the millions of foreign

Yang, Chen Ning

2005-02-11T02:31:00.000-08:00

Byname Frank Yang Chinese-born American theoretical physicist whose research with Tsung-Dao Lee showed that parity—the symmetry between physical phenomena occurring in right-handed and left-handed coordinate systems—is violated when certain elementary particles decay. Until this discovery it had been assumed by physicists that parity symmetry is

Aesthetic Distance

2005-02-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

The frame of reference that an artist creates by the use of technical devices in and around the work of art to differentiate it psychologically from reality. German playwright Bertolt Brecht built his dramatic theory known in English as the alienation effect to accomplish aesthetic distance.

Parnassus, Mount

2005-02-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Óros Parnassós, mountain barren limestone spur of the Pindus Mountains, central Greece, running northwest–southeast on the borders of the nomoí (departments) of Phocis, Fthiótis, and Boeotia. Rising to a maximum elevation of 8,061 ft (2,457 m) in Mt. Parnassus, within sight of Delphi, it extends to Cape Opus on the Gulf of Corinth. In ancient times Parnassus was sacred to the Dorians and in mythology

Ear Disease, Labyrinthitis

2005-02-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the labyrinth of the inner ear, happens when infection occurs as a result of meningitis, syphilis, acute otitis media and mastoiditis, or chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma. Loss of both equilibrium and hearing occurs in the affected ear. Prompt antibiotic treatment sometimes arrests the damage and allows for the possibility

Judaism, In eastern Europe

2005-02-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

By the mid-18th century Orthodoxy in eastern Europe, having been convulsed by frantic messianism and stifled by the sterility of purely legalistic scholarship, was ripe for revival. The experience of Shabbetaianism (the first messianic movement to excite virtually all of world Jewry) had revealed in the mid-17th century the pervasiveness of Jewish exhaustion with

Raccoon Dog

2005-02-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

(Nyctereutes procyonoides), member of the dog family (Canidae) native to eastern Asia and introduced into Europe. Some authorities place it in the raccoon family, Procyonidae. It resembles the raccoon in having dark facial markings that contrast with its yellowish brown coat, but it does not have a ringed tail. It has short, brown or blackish limbs, a heavy body, and rounded

Akita

2005-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ken (prefecture), northwestern Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan coast. Its area of 4,483 square miles (11,612 square km) is divided between lowlands (west) and a plateau region (east). The Hachiman Plateau is dotted with volcanoes such as Mount Komaga (5,371 feet [1,637 m]), near the eastern border with Iwate prefecture. The plateau is covered with white fir trees and alpine plants that grow amid