SameStreet

Papen, Franz Von

2005-04-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

The scion of a wealthy Catholic landowning family, Papen began his career as a professional soldier. At the beginning of World War I, he was military attaché in Washington, but after

Chachalaca

2005-04-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Any of several small birds of the curassow family. See curassow.

Argentina, Music and dance

2005-04-01T00:57:00.000-08:00

Another cultural hybrid is the tango, a music style and dance that emerged from the poor immigrant quarters of Buenos Aires toward the end of the 19th century and quickly became famous around the world as a symbol of Argentine culture. Influenced by the Spanish tango and, possibly, the Argentine milonga, it was originally a high-spirited local phenomenon, but, after it

Koch, Frederick Henry

2005-03-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

Koch received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1900 and his M.A. from Harvard University in 1909. In 1905 he began teaching at the University of North Dakota, forming the Dakota Playmakers in 1910. Called to the University

Pius V, Saint

2005-03-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

Original name Antonio Ghislieri Italian ascetic, reformer, and relentless persecutor of heretics, whose papacy (1566–72) marked one of the most austere periods in Roman Catholic church history. During his reign, the Inquisition was successful in eliminating Protestantism in Italy, and the decrees of the Council of

Zoetermeer

2005-03-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Zuid-Holland provincie, western Netherlands. Zoetermeer is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Rotterdam and is situated on a polder created during the 17th century. Industries in the town produce machinery, tobacco products, and foodstuffs, the latter using cereals and livestock raised in the vicinity. Oil and gas fields are exploited nearby. Zoetermeer

Clarence

2005-03-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Growler, a horse-drawn, four-wheeled coupé that was named in honour of the Duke of Clarence and first introduced in 1840 in London. The body held two seats facing one another and could transport four people in comfort. The carriage was suspended most often on large elliptic springs between two sets of equally sized wheels. It was an especially large style of coupé, with a separate

China, The chief councillors

2005-03-22T03:39:00.000-08:00

The later Nan Sung emperors preferred not to take on the awesome burden of managing the huge and complex bureaucracy. Most of them were concerned chiefly with security and the status quo. The Nan Sung court delegated a tremendous amount of power and thus had a series of dominant chief councillors; none of them, however, ever was a potential usurper. No bureaucrat during

Mance, Sir Henry Christopher

2005-03-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

Mance joined the Persian Gulf Telegraph Department of the government of India in 1863 and helped lay the first submarine telegraph

Farlow, William Gilson

2005-03-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

After receiving the M.D. degree from Harvard University (1870), Farlow studied in Europe until 1874, when he became professor of cryptogamic botany (the study of flowerless and seedless plants)

Hal

2005-03-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

Plural Ahwal, in Sufi Muslim mystical terminology, a spiritual state of mind that comes to the Sufi from time to time during his journey toward God. The ahwal are graces of God that cannot be acquired or retained through an individual's own efforts. When the soul is purified of its attachments to the material world, it can only wait patiently for those spiritual gifts of God, which, when they

La Fontaine, Jean De

2005-03-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

Though he never secured the favour of Louis XIV, La Fontaine had many well-wishers close to the throne and among the nobility. He moved among churchmen, doctors, artists, musicians, and actors. But it was literary circles that he especially frequented. Legend has exaggerated the closeness of his ties with Molière, Nicholas Boileau, and Jean Racine, but he certainly numbered

South Arabic Language

2005-03-15T01:04:00.000-08:00

Semitic language of southern Arabia and the island of Socotra. South Arabic belongs to the Southern Peripheral group of Semitic languages, along with Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigré, Tigrinya, and the other Semitic languages of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and The Sudan. Modern dialects of the language include Mahri, Shahri (Ehkali), Harsusi, and Bathari on the Arabian shore of the Indian Ocean and Suqu

Saale Glacial Stage

2005-03-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Division of Pleistocene deposits and time in northern Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Saale Glacial Stage followed the Holstein Interglacial Stage and preceded the Eemian Interglacial Stage, both relatively mild climatic periods. The extensive and complex Saale deposits are correlated with the Gipping Glacial

Akure

2005-03-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the southern part of the forested Yoruba Hills and at the intersection of roads from Ondo, Ilesha, Ado-Ekiti, and Owo. Akure is an agricultural trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), bananas, rice, palm oil and kernels, okra, and pumpkins grown by the Ondo branch of the Yoruba people. Although cocoa is by far

Nehru, Jawaharlal

2005-03-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

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.

Bukhari, Al-

2005-03-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

In full Abu 'abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Isma'il Al-bukhari one of the greatest Muslim compilers and scholars of Hadith (the recorded corpus of the sayings and acts of the Prophet Muhammad). His chief work is accepted by Sunnite Muslims—i.e., those following the majority tradition—as second only to the Qur'an as both a source of religious law and a sacred

Mills, Florence

2005-03-10T18:20:00.000-08:00

Born into poverty, Mills early demonstrated a talent for singing and dancing. Under the name “Baby Florence,” she

Kiriath-sepher

2005-03-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Debir , or Lo-debar , modern Tall Bayt Mirsham ancient town of Palestine, located near Hebron (in the Israeli-occupied West Bank). According to the Bible, the town was taken from the Canaanites either by Caleb's son-in-law Othniel or by Joshua himself. Tall Bayt Mirsham (Tell Beit Mirsim) was excavated (1926–32) by W.F. Albright, who uncovered exceptionally clear stratification from which he was able to give the first comprehensive

Metallica

2005-03-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

Influential American heavy metal band that, along with Slayer and Anthrax, created the subgenre of speed metal in the early and mid-1980s. The principal members were James Hetfield (b. Aug. 3, 1963, Downey, Calif., U.S.), Lars Ulrich (b. Dec. 26, 1963, Gentofte, Den.), Kirk Hammett (b. Nov. 18, 1962, San Francisco, Calif.), and Cliff Burton (b. Feb. 10, 1962, San Francisco—d. Sept. 27, 1986, near Stockholm, Swed.). Jason Newsted (b. March 4, 1963, Battle Creek,

Resting Potential

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

The imbalance of electrical charge that exists between the interior of electrically excitable nerve cells and their surroundings. The resting potential of electrically excitable cells lies in the range of -60 to 95 millivolts (1 millivolt = 0.001 volt), with the inside of the cell negatively charged. If the inside of a cell becomes more electronegative (i.e., if the potential is

Nichiren

2005-03-06T00:58:00.000-08:00

Original name Zennichi, also called Zenshobo Rencho, posthumous name Rissho Daishi militant Japanese Buddhist prophet who contributed significantly to the adaptation of Buddhism to the Japanese mentality and who remains one of the most controversial and influential figures in Japanese Buddhist history. After an exhaustive study of the various forms of Buddhism, he concluded (in 1253) that the Lotus Sutra teaching

Agulhas Current

2005-03-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Surface oceanic current that is part of the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current, which turns southward along the east coast of Africa and then eastward to join the flow from Africa to Australia. A small part of Agulhas water may, however, continue westward around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic. The Mozambique Current, between Madagascar and Africa,

Venezuela

2005-03-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

Officially Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela country located at the northern end of South America. It occupies a roughly triangular area of 352,144 square miles (912,050 square km)—larger than the combined areas of France and Germany. Venezuela is bounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the southwest and west. The national capital, Caracas, is Venezuela's

Scamozzi, Vincenzo

2005-03-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

Trained by his father, Bertotti Scamozzi, he studied in Venice and Rome and traveled widely through western Europe. The classicizing influence of Andrea Palladio and Sebastiano Serlio is evident in the palaces, villas, and churches that

Zagros Mountains

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

Mountain range in southwestern Iran, extending northwest-southeast from the Sirvan (Diyala) River to Shiraz. The Zagros range is about 550 miles (900 km) long and more than 150 miles (240 km) wide. Formed primarily of limestone and shale, the mountain range consists of numerous parallel ridges whose highest peaks rise above 12,000 feet (3,600 m) and have permanent snow cover. Passes through the mountains

United Evangelical Lutheran Church

2005-03-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

Church organized in 1896 in Minneapolis, Minn., as the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by merger of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (the North Church) and the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church Association in America (the Blair Church). “Danish” was dropped from the church's name in 1946. Both of the merging groups had earlier separated

Gneisenau, August, Count (graf) Neidhardt Von

2005-03-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

Of impoverished noble parentage, Gneisenau served in the Austrian army and with an Ansbach regiment under

Corax

2005-02-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

There is little reliable information about Corax's life or his work, of which nothing survives. He was active at a time when democratic constitutions had replaced tyrannies in Sicily. He specialized in the theory of forensic oratory and is said to have advocated argument

Acriflavine

2005-02-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

Dye obtained from coal tar, introduced as an antiseptic in 1912 by the German medical-research worker Paul Ehrlich and used extensively in World War I to kill the parasites that cause sleeping sickness. The hydrochloride and the less irritating base, neutral acriflavine, both are odourless, reddish-brown powders used in dilute aqueous solutions primarily as topical

Glassware, After the War of 1812

2005-02-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

The few houses that survived the 1790s and the depression after the War of 1812 had multiplied to more than 90 by 1830. For convenience, the glassworks are divided into three geographical groups: New England, the Middle Atlantic, and the Midwest. Until that time, they had produced little more than simple imitations of European glasses, at best interesting and often very handsome combinations

Koch, Rudolf

2005-02-23T00:34:00.000-08:00

Koch's father was on the staff of the Bavarian industrial museum in Nürnberg, and Koch went to high school in that city. As a youth he studied art in the evening while serving as an apprentice in metalworking at Hanau. After an unsuccessful effort to become an art teacher, he moved to Leipzig,

Wellhausen, Julius

2005-02-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

Wellhausen studied at the University of Göttingen and taught there briefly before becoming professor of the Old Testament at Greifswald in 1872, a position he resigned 10 years later because of conflicts with his academic

Space Law

2005-02-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

The evolution of space law began with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's introduction of the concept into the United Nations in 1957, in connection with disarmament negotiations. Following the successful launchings of the Soviet satellite

Yanbu'

2005-02-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yenbo town, western Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea north of Jidda. It serves as the country's second Red Sea port, after Jidda, and is the main port for Medina, 100 miles (160 km) to the east. The economy of Yanbu' was traditionally based on the pilgrim trade and the export of agricultural products, especially dates. Its harbour is being enlarged and improved to ease the pressure on Jidda, and

Durán, Roberto

2005-02-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

Durán began his professional career on March 8, 1967, and won the first 32 matches of his career, 26 by knockout, before losing for the first time in a 10-round nontitle decision to Esteban De Jesús on November 17, 1972. Earlier that year, on June 26,

Jack Of Diamonds

2005-02-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Knave Of Diamonds, Russian Bubnovy Valet, group of artists founded in Moscow in 1909, whose members were for the next few years the leading exponents of avant-garde art in Russia. The group's first exhibition, held in December 1910, included works by the French Cubists Albert Gleizes, Henri Le Fauconnier, and André Lhote; other paintings were exhibited by Wassily Kandinsky and Alexey von Jawlensky, both Russian artists

Christ The King, Feast Of

2005-02-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

Festival celebrated in the Roman Catholic church in honour of Jesus Christ as lord over all creation. Essentially a magnification of the Feast of the Ascension, it was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Originally, it was celebrated on the last Sunday in October, but in the revised liturgical calendar promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, it was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary

Coal Mining, Auger mining

2005-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Auger mining is usually associated with contour strip mining. With this method, the coal is removed by drilling auger holes from the last contour cut and extracting it in the same manner that shavings are produced by a carpenter's bit. Coal recovery rates approach 60 percent with this method. The cutting heads of some augers are as high as 2.5 metres. As each stem works its

Oral

2005-02-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

Russian Uralsk , also spelled Ural'sk city, western Kazakhstan, along the Ural (Zhayyq) River. Founded in 1613 or 1622 by Cossacks fleeing a tsarist punitive campaign, it was known as Yaitsky Gorodok until 1775, when its name was changed following the Pugachov Rebellion. The town was a centre of both the Stenka Razin (1667) and Yemelyan Pugachov (1773) uprisings and was the headquarters of the Ural Cossacks. It had a lively trade with

Marsh Marigold

2005-02-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

The stem of a marsh marigold is hollow, and the leaves are kidney-shaped, heart-shaped, or round. The glossy flowers are 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) across and have pink, white, or yellow sepals. Petals are absent. The stems, leaves, and roots

Oral

2005-02-14T01:37:00.000-08:00

Tall with a dense, wide crown, a single breadnut tree can yield 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds) of nutritious

Biblical Literature, Adaptation of the Christian message to the Hellenistic religious situation

2005-02-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Christian message adapted itself to this Hellenistic situation of crisis and proved a successful answer: Jesus was proclaimed as Lord and Saviour, Baptism was practiced as a form of initiation and a passage from death to new life, and the Lord's Supper was celebrated as a sacral meal. The obvious difference between Christianity and the mystery religions is that

Ili River

2005-02-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

Ili also spelled I-li, Kazak Ile, Chinese (Wade-Giles) I-li Ho, or (Pinyin) Yili He, river in western Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. It is 870 miles (1,400 km) long and drains the basin between the Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) to the south and the P'o-lo-k'o-nu Mountains to the north. Both ranges are extremely high. The drainage basin of the Ili and its principal tributaries—the K'a-shih, K'ung-chi-ssu, and T'e-k'o-ssu rivers—is rugged and mountainous, the axes

Moldavia

2005-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Romanian Moldova , Turkish Bogdan principality on the lower Danube River that joined Walachia to form the nation of Romania in 1859. Its name was taken from the Moldovo River. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by a group of Vlachs, led by Dragos, who emigrated southward from Maramures in the Hungarian-controlled Carpathian Mountains. About 1349 Moldavia achieved its independence under its prince,

Evans, Rowland

2005-02-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

American journalist (b. April 28, 1921, Whitemarsh, Pa.—d. March 23, 2001, Washington, D.C.), advocated conservative causes as a prominent newspaper columnist and television host. With journalist Robert Novak, Evans published a syndicated column, called “Inside Report,” from 1963 to 1993. From 1980 the pair served as cohosts of Cable News Network's political talk show Evans & Novak, which was renamed Evans,

Cuba, Flag Of

2005-02-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

In the 19th century in New York City, anti-Spanish Cuban exiles under the leadership of Narciso López adopted a flag suggested by the poet Miguel Teurbe Tolón. His design, which later became the national flag, incorporated three blue stripes representing the three military districts of Spanish-dominated Cuba and two white stripes symbolizing the purity of the patriot

Hirst, Ivan

2005-02-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

British army officer (b. March 1, 1916, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, Eng.—d. March 10, 2000, Marsden, West Yorkshire, Eng.), was credited with resurrecting post-World War II German heavy industry when he retooled Volkswagen's bombed-out factory in Wolfsburg, Ger., convinced the British military to order 20,000 vehicles for local use, and began producing the homely, noisy, little “people's car” that came to

Narew River

2005-02-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

East-bank tributary of the Vistula River that rises in western Belarus and flows into eastern Poland. The Narew River is 272 miles (438 km) long and drains an area of more than 10,800 square miles (28,000 square km). It rises in the Belovezhskaya Forest in western Belarus and flows westward through wooded plains and marshlands. After entering Poland it swings north near Bialystok before

Gravity, Centre Of

2005-02-05T22:58:00.000-08:00

In physics, imaginary point in a body of matter where, for convenience in certain calculations, the total weight of the body may be thought to be concentrated. The concept is sometimes useful in designing static structures (e.g., buildings and bridges) and in predicting the behaviour of a body when it is acted on by external accelerating forces. Although the term centre

Enugu

2005-02-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

State, south-central Nigeria. It was created in 1991 from the eastern two-thirds of Anambra state. Enugu is bounded by the states of Kogi and Benue to the north, Cross River to the east, Abia to the south, and Anambra to the west. It includes most of the Udi-Nsukka Plateau, which rises to more than 1,000 feet (300 m). Enugu state is covered by open grassland, with occasional woodlands and clusters

Ramayana

2005-02-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

The poem describes the royal birth of Rama in the kingdom of Ayodhya (Oudh), his tutelage

Mckinley, Ida

2005-02-03T04:24:00.000-08:00

After William was shot in Buffalo, New York, in 1901, he whispered to an aide as he fell, “My wife, be careful how you tell her—Oh be careful.” Although deeply grieved by her husband's death, she apparently suffered no more seizures for the rest of her life, though some believe a seizure caused her death in 1907. She was entombed in the McKinley Memorial Mausoleum in Canton.

Xiangkhoang

2005-02-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Xieng Khouang, town, north-central Laos. Xiangkhoang lies just south of the Plain of Jarres and is situated in the Xiangkhoang Plateau. Corn (maize) and rice are raised by valley Lao north of Xiangkhoang and by Lao-Theung (Mon-Khmer) and Tai Neua groups in scattered upland areas to the north and east of the town; the Hmong (Miao, or Meo), a highland minority, have traditionally grown opium poppies

Andersen, Hans Christian

2005-01-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

Unique master of the fairy tale whose stories are famous throughout the world; he is also the author of plays, novels, poems, travel books, and several autobiographies. While many of these works are almost unknown outside Denmark, his fairy tales are among the most frequently translated works in all literary

Aerobatics

2005-01-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Pilots perform their sequences in the “aerobatic

Kamen-na-obi

2005-01-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Kamensky rayon (sector), Altay kray (region), south-central Russia. A port on the Ob River, it was founded in 1670 and designated an urban settlement in 1915 and became a city in 1925. Its economic base is the food-processing industry; other factories produce bricks and furniture. Teacher-training and veterinary colleges are located in the city. Pop. (1993 est.)

Axiom

2005-01-29T04:46:00.000-08:00

In Euclid's Elements the first principles were listed

Arrowroot

2005-01-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of the genus Maranta, members of the family Marantaceae (q.v.), the rhizomes, or rootstocks, of which yield an edible starch; the chief among these is M. arundinacea, the source of genuine, or West Indies, arrowroot. This herbaceous perennial, probably a native of Guyana and western Brazil, is cultivated throughout the West Indies,

Handgun

2005-01-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

Any firearm small enough to be held in one hand when fired. It usually fires a single projectile or bullet, and additional ammunition may be available in a revolving mechanism or magazine. Handguns may be used for target shooting, hunting small game, or personal self-defense. Automatic handguns are illegal in many countries, and private ownership of any handgun is

Abel Tasman National Park

2005-01-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Wildlife preserve in northwestern South Island, New Zealand. Established in 1942, it was named for Abel Tasman, the Dutch navigator. With an area of 55,699 acres (22,541 hectares), it extends inland for about 6 miles (10 km) from the beaches of Tasman Bay on its western shores between Separation Point and Marahau Inlet, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Nelson. The park includes the Tata Islands in Golden

Ibn Al-bawwab

2005-01-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

Ibn al-Bawwab was from

Wig

2005-01-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Manufactured head covering of real or artificial hair worn in the theatre, as personal adornment, disguise, or symbol of office, or for religious reasons. The wearing of wigs dates from the earliest recorded times; it is known, for example, that the ancient Egyptians shaved their heads and wore wigs to protect themselves from the sun and that the Assyrians, Phoenicians,

Ahuachapán

2005-01-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

City, western El Salvador, on the small Molino River (with a hydroelectric station) at the foot of La Lagunita Volcano. Originally called Güeciapam by the Indians, it was renamed Agüecha before becoming the town (1823) and the city (1862) of Ahuachapán. A manufacturing and distributing centre (the most important product being coffee), it is also noted for its mineral baths, drawn from

Biblical Literature, The roles of Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah

2005-01-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

The first notably important judge of the tribal confederacy was Deborah, who was primarily a seer, poet, and interpreter of dreams but still a person endowed with the kind of charisma that identified her as a judge sent from Yahweh. The story of the victory of the Israelites under the charismatic leadership of Deborah and the military leadership of Barak, her commander,

Calarasi

2005-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), southwestern Romania, occupying an area of 1,835 sq mi (4,754 sq km). The county, consisting mostly of lowlands, was formed in 1981 from portions of Ialomita and Ilfov districts. The Danube River, flowing northeastward, marks the county's eastern border; and the Borcea, Barza, and Dâmbovita rivers, tributaries of the Danube, drain southward. The Mostistea and Galatui lakes lie in the

Lakabi Ware

2005-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Lakabi also spelled Laqabi, also called Kashan Ware, in Islamic ceramics, a style of pottery associated with Kashan, Persia (Iran), from about the middle of the 11th century until the end of the 14th century. The name (lakabi, “painted”) is a misnomer, actually referring to an incised design decorated with different coloured glazes separated by clay threads. Colours used were blue, yellow, purple, and green. Some lakabi wares were also

Cumberland Narrows

2005-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Scenic gorge 1,000 feet (305 metres) deep in Allegany county, northwestern Maryland, U.S., just northwest of Cumberland city. Cut by Wills Creek, it provides a natural east-west gateway, located between Wills and Haystack mountains, across the Allegheny Mountains. The gap, which was initially an Indian footpath, was discovered in 1755 by a vanguard unit of British and colonial troops

Sarcoidosis

2005-01-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Systemic disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the formation of granulation (scarlike) tissue. Sarcoidosis often disappears spontaneously within two or three years but may progress to involve more than one organ. It is observed in the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, salivary glands, muscles, liver, spleen, and the connective tissues of the nervous system. Skin

Anorthoclase

2005-01-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

Any member of a continuous series of feldspar minerals related to sanidine (q.v.).

Ma-wang-tui

2005-01-14T23:42:00.000-08:00

In tomb number one was found the almost

William Clito

2005-01-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Son of Duke Robert II Curthose (and grandson of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders), William Clito was supported by Louis VI of France in claiming the duchy when his father

Facsimile

2005-01-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

Most office and home fax machines conform to the Group 3 standard, which was adopted in 1980 in order to ensure the compatibility of digital machines operating through public telephone systems worldwide. As a standard letter-size sheet is fed through a machine, it is scanned repeatedly across its width by a strip of 1,728 photosensors. Each photosensor in turn generates a low

Ryazan

2005-01-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Riazan, or R'azan ', city and administrative centre of Ryazan oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the Oka River on the site of the ancient town of Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, about 120 miles (193 km) southeast of Moscow. The original Ryazan, first recorded in 1095, lay downstream at the Pronya confluence. The seat of the early principality of Ryazan, it was destroyed in 1237 by the Mongols; only the ruins

Procurator

2005-01-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

Latin Procurator , plural Procuratores government financial agent in ancient Rome. From the reign of the emperor Augustus (27 BC–AD 14), procurators were regularly appointed to official posts in the imperial administration of the provinces or in the departments of the imperial government concerning such matters as the grain supply, the mint, and the mines. Procurators of provinces supervised imperial finances

Eclipse

2005-01-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

The occultation of the Crab Nebula by the solar corona, the extensive outer atmosphere of the Sun, takes place each year in June. The Crab Nebula is a radio source (Taurus A), and, when the occultation occurs, its pattern of radio emission is observed to broaden significantly. The broadening is attributed to scattering of radio-frequency radiation by the density irregularities

Wieniawski, Henryk

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

Wieniawski was a child prodigy who entered the Paris Conservatory at age 8 and graduated from there with the first prize in violin at the unprecedented age of 11. He became a concert violinist at age 13 and began touring

Cumberland Narrows

2005-01-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Gracián, Baltasar

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

After studying at Calatayud and Zaragoza, Gracián entered the Jesuit order at the age of 18 and later became rector of the Jesuit college

Interior Design, 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe

2005-01-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

Neoclassicism predominated in France till the rise of Napoleon, when to Roman styles were added Egyptian motifs from his Egyptian campaign of 1798. This was known in France as the Empire style, after the First Empire of France (1804–14), and in England as Regency, for the period (1811–20) when George III was too deranged to rule. Furniture design, for the most part light and graceful during the

Dench, Dame Judi

2005-01-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Dench studied at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art in London. In 1957 she gave her first important critically acclaimed performance, as Ophelia in the Old Vic production of Hamlet

Differentiator

2005-01-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

A device or set of components for performing the mathematical operation of differentiation—i.e., supplying an output proportional to the derivative of the input with respect to one or more variables. The many common examples of mechanical differentiators in which a displacement is differentiated with respect to time include speedometers and generators. In

Eusden, Laurence

2005-01-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

British poet who, by flattering the Duke of Newcastle, was made poet laureate in 1718. He became rector of Coningsby and held the laureateship until his death. Alexander Pope satirized him frequently and derisively.

Aridisol

2004-12-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

One of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Aridisols are dry, desertlike soils that have low organic content and are sparsely vegetated by drought- or salt-tolerant plants. (Not included in this order are soils located in polar regions or high-elevation settings.) Dry climate and low humus content limit their arability without irrigation. Covering only about half

Computers, Handheld computers

2004-12-31T15:33:00.000-08:00

The origins of handheld computers go back to the 1960s, when Alan Kay, a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, promoted the vision of a small, powerful notebook-style computer that he called the Dynabook. Kay never actually built a Dynabook (the technology had yet to be invented), but his vision helped to catalyze the research that would eventually make his dream

Biblical Literature

2004-12-30T02:45:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament is a collection of writings that was first compiled and preserved as the sacred books of the ancient Hebrew people. As the Bible of the

Bruce Family

2004-12-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

The family is descended from Robert de Bruce (d. 1094?), a Norman knight who came to England with William I the Conqueror and who was awarded by the gift of many

Gaekwar Dynasty

2004-12-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Damaji I who had risen to power by 1740. The last Gaekwar, Sayaji Rao III, died in 1939.

Carmel

2004-12-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Carmel-by-the-sea, city, Monterey county, western California, U.S., on the Carmel River and Carmel Bay, adjacent to Monterey. The river was named by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno and a group of Carmelite friars in 1602. The nearby Mission San Carlos Borroméo del Río Carmelo was founded in 1770 at Monterey by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra; it was moved to the Carmel area

Hoover Commission

2004-12-25T00:51:00.000-08:00

Formally Commission on Organization of the U.S. Executive Branch (1947–49, 1953–55), either of two temporary advisory bodies, both headed by the former president Herbert Hoover. They were appointed to find ways to reduce the number of federal government departments and increase their efficiency in the post-World War II and post-Korean War periods. The commissions were composed equally of Democratic and Republican members. Their recommendations,

Szymanowski, Karol

2004-12-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

Szymanowski began to compose and play the piano at an early age. In 1901 he went to Warsaw and studied harmony, counterpoint, and composition privately until 1904. Finding the musical life in Warsaw limiting, he went to Berlin, where he organized the Young Polish

Ford, Richard

2004-12-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

Ford attended Michigan State University (B.A., 1966), Washington University Law School, and the University of California, Irvine (M.A., 1970), and subsequently taught at several American colleges and universities. His first novel, A Piece of My Heart (1976), is set on an island in the southern Mississippi

Tasmania, Flag Of

2004-12-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

The first official local flags of Tasmania, ordered by Governor Frederick Aloysius Weld, were published in the colony's gazette on November 9, 1875. The usual British Blue Ensign and Red Ensign (for use respectively by government vessels and by those privately owned) were to have a white cross added. At the fly end of each flag a Southern Cross was to be formed of white stars

Great Barrier Island

2004-12-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

Known to the Maoris as Aotea, the island was

Cohn, Harry

2004-12-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

The son of an immigrant Polish-Jewish tailor, Cohn quit school at age 14 and worked at sundry jobs before becoming a vaudeville singer and song plugger. His motion picture career began in 1913, when he worked as a secretary for a film distributor

Nephi

2004-12-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1882) of Juab county, north-central Utah, U.S. Located at the southern end of the Wasatch Range, the city was founded as an agricultural colony in 1851 and was originally called Salt Creek; in the late 1850s Mormon leaders renamed it after a prophet of the Book of Mormon. Nephi grew as a ranching and farming centre, later becoming a shipping point for gypsum mined in the vicinity

Yamalo-nenets

2004-12-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

Autonomous okrug (district), Tyumen oblast (province), in western Siberia, north-central Russia. It was established in 1930 as an autonomous okrug for the Nenets, or Samoyed, people, although by 1979 they constituted only 11 percent of the population. The okrug covers the northern part of the West Siberian Plain. Apart from the narrow chain of the northern Urals in the west, it is a huge,

Gruen, Victor

2004-12-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Gruen received his architectural training at the Technological Institute and Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and worked under

Haldeman, H.r.

2004-12-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Haldeman graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in business

Abajo Mountains

2004-12-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

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