FrequentPotato

Aksakov, Konstantin Sergeyevich

2005-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

The son of the novelist Sergey Timofeyevich Aksakov, he entered Moscow University, where he was influenced by the work of the German philosopher G.W. Hegel. From the mid-1830s Aksakov focused, along with Yury F. Samarin

X Club

2005-04-02T03:28:00.000-08:00

Ruth Barton, “ ‘Huxley, Lubbock, and Half a Dozen Others': Professionals and Gentlemen in the Formation of the X Club, 1851–1864,” Isis, 89(3):410–444 (September 1998), discusses the interests and purposes that brought the group together. Two articles survey the importance of the club: Roy MacLeod, “The X-Club: A Social Network of Science in Late-Victorian England,” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 24(2):305–322 (April 1970), is the fuller account; J. Vernon Jensen, “The X Club: Fraternity of Victorian Scientists,” The British Journal for the History of Science, vol. 5, part 1, no. 17, pp. 63–72 (June 1970), is also useful. Ruth Barton, “ ‘An Influential Set of Chaps': The X-Club and Royal Society Politics 1864–85,” The British Journal for the History of Science, vol. 23, part 1, no. 76, pp. 53–81 (March 1990), details how club members achieved and used power within the Royal Society.

Corby

2005-03-31T15:29:00.000-08:00

Corby was a village of 1,596 inhabitants

Abduction

2005-03-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

In law, the carrying away of any female for purposes of concubinage or prostitution. The taking of a girl under a designated age for purposes of marriage is in most jurisdictions also included in the crime of abduction. Abduction is generally regarded as a form of kidnapping (q.v.).

Yamuna River

2005-03-27T05:13:00.000-08:00

The Yamuna then passes Delhi, where it feeds the Agra Canal. Near

American Literature, Drama

2005-03-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Two post-World War II playwrights established reputations comparable to O'Neill's. Arthur Miller wrote eloquent essays defending his modern, democratic concept of tragedy; despite its abstract, allegorical quality and portentous language, Death of a Salesman (1949) came close to vindicating his views. Miller's intense family dramas were rooted in the works of the socially

Macbeth

2005-03-24T05:12:00.000-08:00

Tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, performed at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1605–06 and published in the First Folio of 1623, from a promptbook of a version prepared for court performance. Some portions of the original text are corrupted or missing from the published edition. The play is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, without diversions or subplots. It chronicles

Powhatan War

2005-03-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

(1622–44), relentless struggle between the Powhatan Indian confederacy and early English settlers in the tidewater section of Virginia and southern Maryland. The conflict resulted in the destruction of the Indian power. English colonists who had settled in Jamestown (1607) were at first strongly motivated by their need of native corn (maize) to keep peace with the Powhatans

Coimbra

2005-03-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

City, capital, and concelho (municipality), Coimbra district, north-central Portugal, on the northern bank of the Mondego River. A 4th-century Latin inscription identifies Coimbra with Aeminium, while Condeixa, 8 miles (13 km) southwest, was the ancient Conimbriga or Conimbrica. Aeminium was for more than a century a Moorish stronghold, but in 878 it was recaptured by Alfonso III

Nachtigal, Gustav

2005-03-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

Explorer of the Sahara who helped Germany obtain protectorates in western equatorial Africa. After spending several years as a military surgeon, he went to Tunisia as physician to the bey (ruler) and took part in several expeditions to the interior. In 1869 the king of Prussia, William I, sent him on a mission

Capital Levy

2005-03-18T01:46:00.000-08:00

Strictly defined, a direct tax assessed simultaneously on the capital resources of all persons possessing taxable wealth in excess of a minimum value and paid at least partly out of capital resources. This definition excludes death duties because in any given year their application is necessarily limited to the estates of deceased persons. Various taxes have

Mclachlan, Alexander

2005-03-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

Scottish-born poet, called by some the Burns of Canada for his Scots dialect poetry, much of which deals with the homesickness of Scots immigrants. McLachlan was the foremost among a number of such Scottish bards, whose themes of nostalgia for Scotland appear to be literary conventions rather than original

Valdés, Juan De

2005-03-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Juan studied under Spain's leading Humanists and developed religious views that closely followed the ideas of Erasmus of Rotterdam, with

Tonga

2005-03-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

Officially Kingdom of Tonga, Tongan Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga, also called Friendly Islands, country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of 169 islands divided into three main island groups: Tongatapu in the south, Ha'apai in the centre, and Vava'u in the north. Isolated islands include Niuafo'ou, Niuatoputapu, and Tafahi in the far north and 'Ata in the far south. Tonga's total land area of 290 square miles (750 square kilometres) is dispersed between latitudes 15° to

Mountain Mahogany

2005-03-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

It is said that the common name was given to species

Altman, Robert

2005-03-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

Unconventional and independent American motion-picture director whose works emphasize character and atmosphere over plot in exploring themes of innocence, corruption, and survival. Perhaps his best-known film was his first and biggest commercial success, the antiwar comedy M*A*S*H (1970), set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during

Yerby, Frank

2005-03-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Yerby's story “Health Card” won the O. Henry Memorial Award for best first published short story in 1944. In 1946 his first novel, The Foxes of Harrow, was an immediate success. His novels are action-packed, usually featuring a strong hero in an earlier period. The stories unfold in colourful language

John Hyrcanus Ii

2005-03-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

When his father, Alexander Jannaeus, died in 76, Hyrcanus was appointed high

Antietam, Battle Of

2005-03-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Battle of Sharpsburg (September 17, 1862), a decisive engagement in the American Civil War (1861–65) that halted the Confederate advance on Maryland for the purpose of gaining military supplies. The advance was also regarded as one of the greatest Confederate threats to Washington, D.C. The battle took its name from Antietam Creek, which flows south from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to the Potomac River near

Alexis

2005-03-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

The son of Michael, the first Romanov monarch of Russia (reigned 1613–45), Alexis received a superficial education from his tutor Boris Ivanovich Morozov before acceding to the throne at the age of 16. Morozov, who was also Alexis' brother-in-law, initially took charge of state affairs, but in 1648 a popular uprising

Fisher (of Kilverstone), John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron

2005-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Fisher entered the navy at age 13. He was a midshipman in the Crimean War and in China (1859–60), where he took part in the capture of Canton. Promoted to captain (1874), he commanded various ships and the gunnery school and took a prominent

Balearic Islands

2005-03-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

The archipelago lies 50 to 190 miles (80 to 300 km) east of the Spanish mainland and has a land area of 1,936 square miles (5,014 square km). There are two groups of islands. The eastern and larger

Asante Empire

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

In their struggle against the suzerain state of Denkyera and lesser neighbouring

La Unión

2005-03-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

City, eastern El Salvador. It is located at the northern foot of Conchagua Volcano (about 4,100 feet [1,250 m]), on La Unión Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Fonseca. The city's economic activity centres on a tortoiseshell industry, beach-resort facilities, and the nearby port of Cutuco, one of the country's largest ports. Situated along a spur of the Inter-American Highway, a section of the Pan-American

Biblical Literature, Papyri

2005-03-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

The earliest New Testament manuscript witnesses (2nd–8th centuries) are papyri mainly found preserved in fragments in the dry sands of Egypt. Only in the latter decades of the 20th century have the relatively recently discovered New Testament papyri been published. Of those cataloged to date, there are about 76 New Testament manuscripts with fragments of various parts

Macdonnell, Sorley Boy

2005-02-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

From an ancestor who had married Margaret Bisset, heiress of the district on the Antrim coast known as the Glynns (or Glens), MacDonnell inherited a claim to

Athanasius I

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

A monk who emigrated to a monastery in the hallowed region of Mt. Athos,

Yamamoto Isoroku

2005-02-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

Yamamoto graduated from the naval academy in 1904 and fought as an ensign in the Russo-Japanese War. He was naval attaché at the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., during 1926–27. He became vice minister of the Japanese navy in 1936, commander

Ford, Gerald R.

2005-02-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

Ford was defeated in the November 1976 election by a popular vote of 40.8 million to 39.1 million and an electoral vote of 297 to 240. When, during the race that ultimately ousted President Carter in 1980, Ford was offered the vice presidential role by candidate Ronald Reagan, whom Ford held responsible for dissipating Republican support for his 1976 campaign, he refused. After leaving the White House, Ford happily retired from public life, golfed and skied at his leisure, and ultimately joined the boards of directors of numerous corporations.

Naas

2005-02-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

Irish An Nás market and garrison town (urban district) and county seat of County Kildare, Ireland. Naas was one of the royal seats of the ancient province of Leinster, and St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is said to have visited it. After the Anglo-Norman invasion (12th century and following), a castle (the north moat of which survives) was built there. Naas was an important town in the

God In Christ, Church Of

2005-02-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Predominantly black Pentecostal church that originated as an outgrowth of the Holiness movement. The date and place of the group's establishment is disputed between two member bodies, but the founding role of a dynamic preacher named Charles H. Mason is acknowledged by both. During the late 19th century, Mason led Holiness churches in Jackson, Miss., and Memphis, Tenn.

Mon-khmer Languages

2005-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Language family included in the Austroasiatic stock. Mon-Khmer languages constitute the indigenous language family of mainland Southeast Asia. They range north to southern China, south to Malaysia, west to Assam state in India, and east to Vietnam. The most important Mon-Khmer languages, having populations greater than 100,000, are Vietnamese, Khmer, Muong, Mon, Khasi, Khmu

Abel

2005-02-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

In the Old Testament, second son of Adam and Eve, who was slain by his older brother, Cain (Genesis 4:1–16). According to Genesis, Abel, a shepherd, offered the Lord the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel's sacrifice but did not respect that offered by Cain. In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother's innocent blood put a curse

Gabrieli, Giovanni

2005-02-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Giovanni Gabrieli studied with his uncle, Andrea Gabrieli, whom he regarded with almost filial affection. To the latter's foreign travels and connections Giovanni owed his chance to become known

Gandía

2005-02-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

City, Valencia provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Valencia, eastern Spain. It lies south of Valencia city at the mouth of the Serpis River. Once a Greek settlement, Gandía was occupied by the Moors in the 8th century and recaptured in 1252 by James I of Aragon, who ordered it rebuilt. It later became a duchy of the Borgia (Borja) family, whose 14th-century

Kaulbach, Wilhelm Von

2005-02-09T02:44:00.000-08:00

From 1822 Kaulbach studied under Peter von Cornelius at the Düsseldorf Academy. When Cornelius became director of the academy in Munich in 1824, he brought Kaulbach to Munich. Kaulbach succeeded Cornelius in 1843 as the academy's

Tsuchiura

2005-02-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

City, Ibaraki ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, on the western shore of Lake Kasumi. A castle was constructed on the city site during the Muromachi period (1338–1573), and Tsuchiura grew to be a flourishing centre of land and sea transportation. Fishing was also highly developed. The Joban Line (railway) was opened through Tsuchiura in 1896, and in 1920 a Japanese naval base and related machinery

Jicaque

2005-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

Indians of the northwest coast of Honduras. Their culture is similar to that of the Sumo and Miskito of northeastern Nicaragua. The Jicaque are an agricultural people, growing sweet manioc (yuca), bitter manioc, beans, and corn (maize) as staples. Fishing and hunting provide other food; domesticated animals are now common. Their houses are built of poles and thatch. Clothing

Wellfleet

2005-02-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Barnstable county, Massachusetts, U.S. It lies on the northeastern arm of Cape Cod, 12 miles (19 km) south-southeast of Provincetown. First settled about 1724, it was incorporated in 1763 and gained prominence in the 19th century as a fishing port, having from 1830 to 1870 a virtual monopoly of New England oystering. The name of the town may derive from “whale fleet” or from the Wallfleet

Adaptation

2005-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

In biology, process by which an animal or plant becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection acting upon heritable variation. Even the simpler organisms must be adapted in a great variety of ways: in their structure, physiology, and genetics; in their locomotion or dispersal; in their means of defense and attack; in their reproduction and

Amphora

2005-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

One of the principal vessel shapes in Greek pottery, a two-handled pot with a neck narrower than the body. There are two types of amphora: the neck amphora, in which the neck meets the body at a sharp angle; and the one-piece amphora, in which the neck and body form a continuous curve. The first is common from the Geometric period (c. 900 BC) to the decline of Greek pottery; the second appeared

Ila

2005-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Illa , also called Ila Orangun town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. The town lies in the Yoruba Hills and on the road from Oshogbo to Omu-Aran. One of the oldest settlements of the Yoruba people, it was founded according to tradition by the orangun (“ruler”) of Ila, a son of Oduduwa, the deity who is said to have spread earth on the primeval water. Modern Ila is a collecting centre for locally produced cotton

Agribusiness

2005-01-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

In highly industrialized countries, many activities essential to agriculture are carried on separately from the farm. These include the development and production of

Vesalius, Andreas

2005-01-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

(Latin), Flemish Andries Van Wesel Renaissance Flemish physician who revolutionized the study of biology and the practice of medicine by his careful description of the anatomy of the human body. Basing his observations on dissections he made himself, he wrote and

War

2005-01-20T03:44:00.000-08:00

In the popular sense, a conflict among political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude. In the usage of social science certain qualifications are added. Sociologists usually apply the term to such conflicts only if they are initiated and conducted in accordance with socially recognized forms. They treat war as an institution

Molé, Louis-mathieu, Comte (count)

2005-01-18T01:06:00.000-08:00

The young Molé left France during the Revolution but returned in 1796. He gained Napoleon's approval after his publication of Essais de morale et de politique (1806), a justification of monarchical government; Napoleon made him auditor to the Council

Ancient Rome, The reign of Valentinian and Valens

2005-01-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Once again the general staff unanimously chose a Pannonian officer—Valentinian, an energetic patriot and, like Jovian, a moderate Christian—but he had to yield to the rivalry of the armies by dividing authority. Taking the West for himself, Valentinian entrusted the East to his brother Valens, an inexperienced man whom he raised to the rank of Augustus. For the first

Tetraodontiform, Feeding habits

2005-01-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

As one would suspect from their usually well-developed and massive dentition, often with the teeth fused together in a parrotlike beak, most tetraodontiforms feed on hard-shelled crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. But some, with massive, crushing jaws and teeth, such as the ocean sunfishes, often feed extensively on such soft-bodied invertebrates as jellyfishes

Papier-mâché

2005-01-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

Repulped paper that has been mixed with glue or paste so that it can be molded. The art of making articles of papier-mâché, beautifully decorated in Oriental motifs and handsomely lacquered, was known in the East centuries before its introduction in Europe. Molded-paper products were first made in France in the early part of the 18th century and, later, in Germany and England.

Mugwump

2005-01-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

In U.S. politics, member of a reform-oriented faction of the Republican Party that refused to support the candidacy of James G. Blaine for the presidency in 1884. Instead, the Mugwumps supported the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland. Their leaders included Theodore Roosevelt, George Curtis, and Henry Cabot Lodge; all returned to Republican ranks after the defeat of Blaine.

Amino Acid

2005-01-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

The only exceptions to this basic structure are proline and hydroxyproline, in which the primary amino group is replaced by a secondary amino group present

Berlin Painter

2005-01-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

Stylistically, the Berlin amphora is decorated on a new principle of design. It had been customary to frame the groups of figures on each side with pattern bands. The Berlin Painter eliminated

Hui

2005-01-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Hwei, or Hui-hui, also called (Wade-Giles) T'ung-kan, or (Pinyin) Tonggan, Burmese Pathay, Russian Dungan, Chinese Muslims, intermingled with the Han Chinese throughout China but relatively concentrated in western China—in the provinces or autonomous regions of Sinkiang, Ningsia, Kansu, Tsinghai, Honan, Hopeh, Shantung, and Yunnan. Considerable numbers also live in Anhwei, Liaoning, and Peking. The Hui are also found on the frontier between China and Myanmar (Burma) and

Coke

2005-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Solid residue remaining after certain types of bituminous coals are heated to a high temperature out of contact with air until substantially all of the volatile constituents have been driven off. The residue is chiefly carbon, with minor amounts of hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen. Also present in coke is the mineral matter in the original coal, chemically

Avranches

2004-12-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

In 1172 the excommunicated Henry II of England received absolution in Avranches for the

Latin Literature, The 12th to the 14th century

2004-12-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

The Carmina Burana (“Songs from Bavaria”), the largest and greatest collection of secular lyrics, comes from the Benediktbeuern, a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria. It was put together in the 13th century, though most of the songs are much older, and contains work by many of the finest poets of the age. The contents are divided by subject into moral and satirical verse, love

Tur, At-

2004-12-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Janub Sina' muhafazah (governorate), southwestern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Suez. At-Tur has been an administrative centre and seaport since the Roman and Byzantine periods. In the town the Byzantine emperor Justinian (527–565) built a monastery, its ruins still extant. From the medieval period into the early 20th century, the town served as a

Nader, Ralph

2004-12-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

Running as the candidate of the Green Party, American consumer advocate Ralph Nader won fewer than 3% of the votes cast in the U.S. presidential election held on Nov. 7, 2000, but as it turned out, he was crucial to the outcome. He took far more votes from the Democratic candidate, Vice Pres. Al Gore, than from the Republican, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and in two states, Florida and New Hampshire,

Differential Gear

2004-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

In automotive mechanics, gear arrangement that permits power from the engine to be transmitted to a pair of driving wheels, dividing the force equally between them but permitting them to follow paths of different lengths, as when turning a corner or traversing an uneven road. On a straight road the wheels rotate at the same speed; when turning a corner the outside

Argentina, Language and religion

2004-12-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Spanish is the national language, although in Argentina it is spoken in several accents and has absorbed many words from other languages, especially Italian. Numerous foreign languages and dialects can be heard, from Basque and Sicilian to Welsh and Gaelic. Toward the end of the 19th century, an underworld language called lunfardo developed in Buenos Aires, composed

Ovett, Steve

2004-12-19T03:07:00.000-08:00

Ovett first attracted international notice when he won the 800-metre race at the 1973 European junior championships in Duisburg, West

Desert Palace

2004-12-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

At one time the complexes were thought to be rural retreats for nomadic rulers and members of ruling families who tired of city life, but, because all of these desert residences now seem to have been located on irrigated estates, in military encampments, and at trade centres,

World War I

2004-12-13T13:12:00.000-08:00

With Serbia already much aggrandized by the two Balkan Wars (1912–13, 1913), Serbian nationalists turned their attention back to the idea of “liberating” the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary. Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, head of Serbia's military intelligence, was also, under the alias “Apis,” head of the secret society Union or Death, pledged to the pursuit of this pan-Serbian ambition.

Haldane, Elizabeth Sanderson

2004-12-10T04:34:00.000-08:00

The younger sister of the statesman Richard Burdon Haldane and the physiologist John Scott Haldane, she was educated privately. For much of her adult life she served on various advisory and regulatory boards for nursing. Influenced by the English housing reformer Octavia Hill,

Babcock, Horace Welcome

2004-12-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Horace Babcock attended the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the University of California. He worked at the Massachusetts

Hip Roof

2004-12-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

Also called hipped roof roof that slopes upward from all sides of a structure, having no vertical ends. The hip is the external angle at which adjacent sloping sides of a roof meet. The degree of such an angle is referred to as the hip bevel. The triangular sloping surface formed by hips that meet at a roof's ridge is called a hip end. A pyramidal hipped roof, also known as a pavilion roof, is hipped

Lignite

2004-12-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

Brown to black coal that has been formed from peat under moderate pressure; it is one of the first products of coalification and is intermediate between peat and subbituminous coal. Dry lignite contains about 60 to 75 percent carbon. It has been estimated that about 45 percent of the world's total coal reserves are lignitic, but these reserves have not been exploited to any

Gateleg Table

2004-12-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Type of table first used in England in the 16th century. The top had a fixed section and one or two hinged sections, which, when not in use, folded back onto the fixed section or were allowed to hang vertically. The hinged section, or flap, was supported on pivoted legs joined at the top and bottom by stretchers and so constituting a gate. Large flaps had two supports,

Biblical Literature, Overview

2004-12-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

The Ketuvim (the Writings or the Hagiographa), the third division of the Hebrew Bible, comprises a miscellaneous collection of sacred writings that were not classified in either the Torah or the Prophets. The collection is not a unified whole: it includes liturgical poetry (Psalms and Lamentations of Jeremiah), secular love poetry (Song of Solomon), wisdom literature

Kagu

2004-11-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

(Rhynochetus jubatus), nearly extinct and virtually flightless bird of New Caledonia, sole member of the family Rhynochetidae (order Gruiformes). About 55 cm (22 inches) long, it is a chunky bird with loose, gray plumage, including an erectile crest. The bill, legs, and eyes are reddish orange. In courtship the kagu dances with wings spread to show attractive

Weems, Mason Locke

2004-11-26T01:06:00.000-08:00

Weems was ordained in the Anglican church in 1784 and served as a pastor in Maryland

Island

2004-11-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

Islands may be classified as either continental or oceanic. Oceanic islands are those that rise to the surface from the floors of the ocean basins. Continental islands are simply unsubmerged parts

Ramanathapuram

2004-11-23T00:10:00.000-08:00

Ramanathapuram district occupies part of the flat southern coastal plain, including the island of Rameswaram. Protected

Abajo Mountains

2004-11-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

Volcanic segment of the Colorado Plateau, in San Juan county, southeastern Utah, U.S. Abajo Peak (11,362 feet [3,463 metres]) is the highest point in the mountains, which comprise eight summits and are embraced by the Manti-LaSal National Forest. The heavily forested range is locally called the Blue Mountains for its appearance. Mining and lumbering are the main economic activities

Han-chung

2004-11-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Hanzhong city in southern Shensi Province (sheng), China. It is a county-level municipality (shih) and the administrative centre of Han-chung Prefecture (ti-ch'ü). Han-chung is situated in a long, narrow, and fertile basin along the Han Shui (river), between the Tsinling Shan (mountains) and Mi-ts'ang Shan. To the north one of the few routes across the Tsinling Shan joins it to Pao-chi in Shensi,

Radiguet, Raymond

2004-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

At 16 Radiguet took Paris by storm and joined the frenzied life of the leading post-World War

Yanam

2004-11-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Formerly part of the Cola empire, the area came under Muslim occupation in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was the scene of constant warfare between Muslim, British, and French troops. When much of the coastal plain

Biblical Literature, III Baruch

2004-11-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Apocalyptic literature was much concerned about sources of information about the heavenly world and about the places of the damned and saved souls. In later Jewish and early Christian apocalypses, in which the hero undertakes a heavenly trip and sees the secrets that are hidden from others, these sources of information are highly significant. III Baruch, a book

Furniture, India

2004-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

India's place in the history of furniture is that of an adapter or transformer of imported Western styles rather than a creator of independent styles of its own. Domestic furniture in the sense in which it is known in Europe was not traditional in India before the 16th century, and even such familiar objects as tables and chairs were rarely used until the spread of Portuguese,

Integument

2004-11-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

Among unicellular organisms, such as bacteria and protozoans,

Alcatraz Island

2004-11-06T02:17:00.000-08:00

The island had little vegetation and was a seabird habitat when it was explored in 1775 by Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it Isla de los Alcatraces (“Isle of the Pelicans”). Sold in 1849 to the U.S. government, Alcatraz has the distinction of being the site of the first

Joubert, Petrus Jacobus

2004-11-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

Joubert was the son of an indigent farmer-missionary who trekked his family north to Natal in 1837. When his father died, the family settled on a farm (Rustfontein)

Provençal Literature

2004-11-03T04:01:00.000-08:00

The oldest extant piece of Provençal verse probably belongs to the

Cymbal

2004-11-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Percussion instrument consisting of a circular flat or concave metal plate that is struck with a drumstick or is used in pairs struck glancingly together. They were used, often ritually, in Assyria, Israel (from c. 1100 BC), Egypt, and other ancient civilizations and reached East Asia in medieval times and Europe before

Livingston, Henry Brockholst

2004-10-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Livingston joined the Continental Army at the age of 19 and saw action with Benedict Arnold and as an aide to General Philip John Schuyler and General Arthur St. Clair before accompanying his brother-in-law, John Jay, on his mission to solicit aid from Spain in 1779. On his return

Cache Memory

2004-10-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Also called Cache, a supplementary memory system that temporarily stores frequently used instructions and data for quicker processing by the central processor of a computer. The cache augments, and is an extension of, a computer's main memory. Both main memory and cache are internal, random-access memories (RAMs) that use semiconductor-based transistor circuits. Cache holds a copy

Holliday, Doc

2004-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

Holliday was reared in Georgia in the genteel tradition of the Old South, graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872, and, already consumptive, moved west for drier climes. He practiced dentistry briefly in Dallas but soon discovered

Tura

2004-10-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Urban settlement and administrative centre of Evenky autonomous okrug (district), Krasnoyarsk kray (region), east-central Russia. The settlement lies along the Nizhnaya (Lower) Tunguska River at its confluence with the Kochechum. Tura is a transshipment point on the river. It is also the site of an institute of agriculture of the far north and a regional museum. Pop. (1991 est.)

Lowes, John Livingston

2004-10-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lowes received his A.B. degree from Washington and Jefferson College (Washington, Pa.) in 1888 and taught mathematics there until 1891, when he received his M.A. degree. After

Algeria, Press and broadcasting

2004-10-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

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

New Glasgow

2004-10-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Town, Pictou county, northern Nova Scotia, Canada. It lies along the East River, 104 miles (167 km) northeast of Halifax. Founded in 1809, following the discovery of local coal deposits in 1798, it was named by William Fraser, a Scot, who surveyed the site and envisaged another Glasgow on the Clyde (the East River). It developed as a shipbuilding port and as a service centre for a farming and coal-mining

Fairfax (of Cameron), Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Baron

2004-10-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

The son of the 1st Baron Fairfax, he was trained as a soldier in the Netherlands. He commanded a foot regiment in the first Bishop's War (1639) but took no part in the campaign

Colebrook-cameron Commission

2004-10-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Committee sent by the British government in 1829–32 to investigate its colonial government in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and to make recommendations for administrative, financial, economic, and judicial reform. Most of the recommendations were accepted; they signified for Ceylon the first manifestation of constitutional government, the first steps toward modernizing

France, History Of, Tax reform

2004-10-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

In 1749–51 Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville, then comptroller general of finances, proposed a partial reform of the tax system, his particular concern being to restrict the financial power of the church. In 1764 and 1765 another comptroller general, François de L'Averdy, attempted a reform of municipal representation and administration. All royal officials understood the

Athens

2004-10-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1805) of Athens county, southeastern Ohio, U.S. It lies along the Hocking River, 73 miles (117 km) southeast of Columbus. It was founded in 1800 by the territorial legislature as the seat of the American Western University, which was renamed Ohio University in 1804. Athens and the university campus were laid out by General Rufus Putnam and the Reverend Manasseh Cutler. The village

Argentina

2004-10-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

The federal republic of Argentina occupies the eastern section of the Southern Cone of South America, along the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,780,400 sq km (1,073,518 sq mi). Pop. (1993 est.): 33,507,000. Cap.: Buenos Aires. Monetary unit: peso, with (Oct. 4, 1993) an official rate of 1 peso to U.S. $1 (1.52 pesos = £ 1 sterling). President in 1993, Carlos Saúl Menem.

Ghavam El-saltaneh, Ahmad

2004-10-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ghavam entered the court of the Qajar monarch Mozaffar al-Din Shah as a scribe in 1898. He rose to the position of minister of justice in 1909 and became minister of the interior the following year. In 1918 he was appointed governor of Khorasan province and three years later was nominated prime

Chattanooga, Battle Of

2004-10-04T04:30:00.000-07:00

(November 23–25, 1863), in the American Civil War, a decisive engagement fought at Chattanooga on the Tennessee River in late November 1863, which contributed significantly to victory for the North. Chattanooga had strategic importance as a vital railroad junction for the Confederacy. In September 1863 a Federal army led by General William S. Rosecrans was besieged there by a Southern

Hyder Ali

2004-10-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

After studying the military tactics of the Frenchman Joseph-François Dupleix, Hyder induced his older brother, a brigade commander in the Mysore army, to obtain military equipment from the Bombay government

Asuka Period

2004-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

In Japanese history and art, era from Ad 552 to 645 that began with the introduction of Buddhism from Korea and culminated in the adoption of a Chinese pattern of government. Initially opposed by conservative clans, Buddhism found favour with the powerful Soga family which defeated its rivals in a succession dispute in 587. As Imperial regent, Shotoku Taishi gave Buddhism official support, and his famous Seventeen