MaleSnow

Computers, The Internet

2005-04-05T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Internet grew out of funding by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop a communication system among government and academic computer-research laboratories. The first network component, ARPANET, became operational in October 1969. With only 15 nongovernment (university) sites

Ako

2005-04-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

City, Hyogo ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. During the Heian period (794–1185), it was a seaside resort for courtesans from Kyoto. It became a castle town in the 17th century, when the powerful Ikeda clan took up residence. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the establishment of chemical factories and steel mills has transformed Ako into one of Japan's most polluted industrial

Black River

2005-04-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

River in southeastern Missouri and eastern Arkansas, U.S., rising in the Ozark Mountains in Reynolds county, Mo. It flows southeasterly to Poplar Bluff, Mo., and then continues southwest to enter the White River near Newport, Ark., after a course of 280 miles (450 km). Limited navigation is possible for shallow-draft vessels in the lower 15 miles (25 km) of its course. Its main tributary is

France, History Of, France in the 16th century

2005-04-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

When Charles VIII (1483–98) led the French invasion of Italy in 1494, he initiated a series of Italian wars that were to last until the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559. These wars were not especially successful for the French, but they corresponded to the contemporary view of the obligations of kingship. They also had their effects upon the development of the French state; in particular,

Social Behaviour In Animals, Parental behaviour among simple organisms

2005-04-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

Bacteria, only a few steps up the evolutionary scale beyond viruses, also show parent–young colonies. Diplococci, which

Ashe, Arthur (robert)

2005-03-31T11:47:00.000-08:00

Ashe began to play tennis at the age of seven in a neighbourhood park. He was coached by Walter Johnson of Lynchburg, Va., who had coached tennis champion Althea Gibson. Ashe moved to St. Louis, Mo., where he was coached by Richard Hudlin, before he entered

Furniture, Japan

2005-03-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Thin

Elijah

2005-03-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Elijah was from Tishbe in Gilead. The narrative in 1 Kings relates how he suddenly appears during Ahab's reign to proclaim a drought in punishment of the cult of Baal that Jezebel was promoting in Israel at Yahweh's expense. Later Elijah meets 450 prophets of Baal in a contest of strength on Mount Carmel to determine which deity is the true God of Israel. Sacrifices are placed

Native American, Population and languages

2005-03-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Estimates of the aboriginal population are based on information supplied by explorers, traders, missionaries, and other early reporters and are only as good as the reporters' observations were trustworthy. A more serious impediment to an accurate count is that some tribes, by the time they were encountered by the reporting traveler, had already been depopulated

Asela

2005-03-28T01:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Asella, or Assela, town, south-central Ethiopia. It lies west of Mount Chilalo on a high plateau overlooking Lake Ziway in the Great Rift Valley. The town is an important trading centre for the surrounding livestock and lumbering region. An all-weather road connects it with Nazret to the north. Pop. (1989 est.) 40,175.

Robert-houdin, Jean-eugène

2005-03-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

Original name Jean-Eugène Robert French magician who is considered to be the father of modern conjuring. He was the first magician to use electricity; he improved the signalling method for the “thought transference” trick; and he exposed “fakes” and magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats. Although he did not do away with apparatus, he

Perceval, Spencer

2005-03-25T02:20:00.000-08:00

The second son of the 2nd Earl of Egmont, Perceval was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1786 and became a king's counsel in 1796. In that same year he entered Parliament, where his rise to power was facilitated through

France, History Of, The Thermidorian reaction

2005-03-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

With control passing from the Montagnards after Robespierre's fall, moderates in the convention hoped to put the Terror and sansculotte militance behind them while standing fast against counterrevolution and rallying all patriots around the original principles of the Revolution. But far from stabilizing the Revolution, the fall of “the tyrant” on 9 Thermidor

Indiana

2005-03-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Indiana

Arabian Religion

2005-03-22T02:09:00.000-08:00

A short survey of the history of ancient Arabia is given by A.K. Irvine, “The Arabs and Ethiopians,” in D.J. Wiseman (ed.), Peoples of Old Testament Times (1973), pp. 287–311. South Arabia is covered by Walter W. Müller, “Outline of the History of Ancient Southern Arabia,” in Werner Daum (ed.), Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilisation in Arabia Felix (1987), pp. 49–54. J. Wellhausen (comp.), Reste altarabischen Heidentums, 2nd ed. (1897), contains most of the Muslim data on the pagan folklore and religion. The epigraphic material is extensively used in the following studies, which are still valuable: G. Ryckmans, “Les Religions arabes préislamiques,” in Histoire générale des religions, vol. 2, pt. 1, pp. 201–228 (1960); and Maria Höfner, “Die vorislamischen Religionen Arabiens,” in Hartmut Gese, Maria Höfner, and Kurt Rudolph, Die Religionen Altsyriens, Altarabiens und der Mandäer, pp. 233–402 (1970). A short but excellent survey of the ancient Arabian religion is given by A. Caquot, “Les Religions des Sémites occidentaux,” in Henri-Charles Puech (ed.), Histoire des Religions, vol. 1 (1970), pp. 307–358, with North and South Arabia especially the focus of pp. 340–355. Several important works are by J. Starcky: “Pétra et la Nabatène,” in Louis Pirot et al., Dictionnaire de la Bible, Supplément, vol. 7 (1966), cols. 886–1017, with cols. 985–1017 focusing especially on religion, and a very short but more recent contribution, “La religion des Nabatéens,” in Inoubliable Petra: Le Royaume nabatéen aux confins du désert (1980), pp. 66–70, an exhibition catalog. Two concise but up-to-date studies on ancient South Arabian religions may be found in Joseph Chelhod et al., L'Arabie du Sud: Histoire et civilisation, vol. 1, Le peuple yéménite et ses racines (1984), both by A.F.L. Beeston: “The Religions of Pre-Islamic Yemen,” pp. 259–269, and “Judaism and Christianity in Pre-Islamic Yemen,” pp. 271–278. Another such study is J. Ryckmans, “The Old South Arabian Religion,” in the work on Yemen ed. by Daum cited above, pp. 107–110.

Belarusian Language

2005-03-21T02:56:00.000-08:00

Belarusian also spelled Belarusan , older spellings Belorussian and Byelorussian , formerly called White Ruthenian or White Russian (not to be confused with the “White” Russians who fought against the communists after the Russian Revolution of 1917) , Belarusian Belaruskaya mova East Slavic language that is historically the native language of most Belarusians. Many 20th-century governments of Belarus had policies favouring the Russian language, and, as a result, Russian is more widely used in education and public life than Belarusian. Belarusian forms a link between the Russian and Ukrainian languages, since its dialects shade gradually

Ataxia

2005-03-21T02:31:00.000-08:00

Most hereditary ataxias of neurological origin are caused by degeneration of the spinal cord and cerebellum; other parts of the nervous system are also frequently involved. The most common of these is Friedreich ataxia, named after the German neurologist

China, Attempts to end the war

2005-03-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

Peace negotiations continued in Chungking between Nationalist and Communist officials after Japan's surrender. An agreement reached on Oct. 10, 1945, called for the convening of a multiparty Political Consultative Council to plan a liberalized postwar government and to draft a constitution for submission to a national congress. Still, the sides were far apart over

Rhapsodist

2005-03-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Greek Rhapsoidos, plural Rhapsoidoi, any of the dramatic reciters of ancient Greece, dating from the 6th century BC. In the oral epic tradition, rhapsodists were preceded by Homeric singers (aoidoi) of their own epic songs and, like them, were musically accompanied on the lyre and aulos. To heighten dramatic effect, rhapsodists used a staff for symbolic gesturing. Their intonation of poetry probably involved

Agonism

2005-03-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

Ethologists believe that the most general and probably

Suceava

2005-03-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Suceava judet (county), northeastern Romania. Founded on a terrace above the right bank of the Suceava River before the 14th century, it was the capital of Moldavia from 1375 until 1565, when the capital was moved to Iasi. During the reign of Stephen (Stefan) the Great in the 15th century, Suceava developed as a trading centre and customs point, with many warehouses and a strong

France, History Of, Mitterrand's second term

2005-03-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

Restraint paid dividends when Mitterrand ran for a second term in April–May 1988. In the first round of balloting, Chirac managed to defeat his conservative rivals (Giscard, Barre, and Le Pen), but in the second round Mitterrand scored a clear victory (54 to 46 percent). The resurgent president chose the Socialist Michel Rocard as prime minister and once again dissolved the National

Anti-masonic Movement

2005-03-18T04:19:00.000-08:00

In the history of the United States, popular movement based on public indignation at and suspicion of the secret fraternal order known as the Masons, or Freemasons. Opponents of this society seized upon the uproar to create the Anti-Masonic Party. It was the first American third party, the first political party to hold a national nominating convention, and the first

Cloth Of Gold, Field Of

2005-03-18T03:40:00.000-08:00

In European history, the meeting place, between Guînes and Ardres near Calais in France, where Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France and their entourages gathered between June 7 and 24, 1520. The castles at both villages were in decay, and therefore splendid temporary palaces and pavilions were erected for Henry at Guînes and for Francis at Ardres. Henry's palace covered

Categorical Imperative

2005-03-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

In the ethics of the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, founder of critical philosophy, a moral law that is unconditional or absolute for all agents, the validity or claim of which does not depend on any ulterior motive or end. “Thou shalt not steal,” for example, is categorical as distinct from the hypothetical imperatives associated with desire, such as “Do

Rhythm

2005-03-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

In poetry, the patterned recurrence, within a certain range of regularity, of specific language features, usually features of sound. Although difficult to define, rhythm is readily discriminated by the ear and the mind, having as it does a physiological basis. It is universally agreed to involve qualities of movement, repetition, and pattern and to arise from the poem's

Middleton, Stanley

2005-03-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

Educated at University College, Nottingham (now University of Nottingham; B.A., 1940; M.Ed, 1952), Middleton served in the British army's Royal Artillery and in the Army Education Corps. He later taught English and became department

Claremont Colleges

2005-03-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

A consortium of private colleges in Claremont, Calif., U.S. The consortium comprises Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, and the Claremont Graduate School. The campuses are adjacent to one another and many facilities are shared, including the 1,800,000-volume Honnold Library. The concept of a “cluster” of colleges was

Baseball

2005-03-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

The Yakult Swallows of the Central League, which had won two Japan Series in the previous four seasons, defeated the Seibu Lions of the Pacific League four games to one in the 1997 postseason championship series. After a one-game-to-one tie in the two games played at the Lions' stadium in Tokorozawa, the Swallows swept the three-game series at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, their home

Biological Development, Length and timing of the reproductive phase

2005-03-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

Natural selection results in the production by one generation of offspring that are able to survive and reproduce themselves to form a further generation. The time unit appropriate to natural selection is therefore the generation interval. There will always be some natural selective pressure for the shortening of the generation interval, simply out of a natural

Epistolary Novel

2005-03-14T04:13:00.000-08:00

A novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters. Originating with Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), the story of a servant girl's victorious struggle against her master's attempts to seduce her, it was one of the earliest forms of novel to be developed and remained one of the most popular up to the 19th century. The epistolary

Houdini, Harry

2005-03-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

Houdini was the son of a rabbi who emigrated from Hungary to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wis. He became a trapeze performer in circuses at an early age, and, after settling in New York City in 1882, he performed in vaudeville shows

Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann

2005-03-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

W.F. Bach's musical instruction was primarily from his father (who wrote for him, when he was ten, the charming Klavier-büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach of keyboard pieces). He also studied the violin. He matriculated

Dumuzi-abzu

2005-03-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Kinirsha near Lagash in the southeastern marshland region. She represented the power of fertility and new life in the marshes. Dumuzi-Abzu corresponded to the Sumerian god Dumuzi of the central steppe area, and thus around Eridu she was viewed as male and as son of Enki (Akkadian: Ea, also called the Lord of

Brugmann, Karl

2005-03-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

As a young man Brugmann sided with the emerging Junggrammatiker, or Neogrammarians, who rejected

Rímac

2005-03-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Quarter and district of the Lima–Callao metropolitan area, north of central Lima, Peru. Created a district in 1921, the site was settled in early colonial days. The Puente de Piedras (“Bridge of Stone”) was built in 1610. Notable colonial landmarks include the promenade and Monastery of the Descalzos (Barefoot Brethren); a building claimed to be the Palace of “La Perricholi” (Micaela

Masaryk, Jan (garrigue)

2005-03-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

The son of the statesman Tomáš Masaryk, Jan served in a Hungarian regiment during World War I, entered

Literature, United Kingdom.

2005-03-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

The Booker Prize chairman of judges, Lord Kenneth Baker, reported that the many entries he had read during 2001 proved that the novel was thriving and keeping abreast of developments within British life. Displacement, often depicted through the uprooted feelings of émigrés or refugees, was a strong presence

Yermolova, Maria Nikolayevna

2005-03-10T04:24:00.000-08:00

Yermolova was trained at the Moscow Theatre School and made her debut at age 17 in the title role of Gotthold Lessing's Emilia Galotti at the Maly Theatre (1870). Her interpretation of Emilia as

China, Japanese aggression

2005-03-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

In September 1931 a group of officers in the Kwantung Army set in motion a plot to compel the Japanese government to extend its power in Manchuria. The Japanese government was drawn, step by step, into the conquest of Manchuria and the creation of a regime known as Manchukuo. China was unable to prevent Japan from seizing this vital area. In 1934, after long negotiations, Japan

Servite

2005-03-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Member of Order of the Servants of Mary (O.S.M.) a Roman Catholic order of mendicant friars—religious men who lead a monastic life, including the choral recitation of the liturgical office, but do active work—founded in 1233 by a group of seven cloth merchants of Florence. These men, known collectively as the Seven Holy Founders, left their families and occupations to withdraw outside the gates of Florence and live

Telecommunications Network, Ethernet

2005-03-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Ethernet originated as a laboratory project at Xerox Corporation in 1974. It was developed as an inexpensive way of sending information quickly between office machines connected together in a single room or building, but it rapidly became a standard computer interconnection method. The data rate is 10 megabits per second. The original specification required coaxial

Wabash

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

City, seat (1835) of Wabash county, northeastern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 45 miles (72 km) west-southwest of Fort Wayne. It was settled in 1835 on land ceded to the U.S. government by the Potawatomi Indian chief Pierish in the Treaty of Paradise Springs signed on a local hilltop in 1826. Completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1850s stimulated the community's growth. Wabash was one of the

Island

2005-03-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

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

Arason, Jón

2005-03-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

The son of poor parents, he rose quickly to eminence in the church and was consecrated bishop of Hólar, the northern diocese of Iceland, in 1522. He administered his diocese prosperously until Christian III of Denmark began to impose Lutheranism

Adage

2005-03-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

A saying, often in metaphoric form, that embodies a common observation, such as "If the shoe fits, wear it,'' "Out of the frying pan, into the fire,'' or "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'' The scholar Erasmus published a well-known collection of adages as Adagia in 1508. The word is from the Latin adagium, “proverb.”

Indian Philosophy, The Purva-mimamsa-sutras and Sabara's commentary

2005-03-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Purva-mimamsa (“First Reflection”), or Karmamimamsa (“Study of [Ritual] Action”), is the system that investigates the nature of Vedic injunctions. Though this is the primary purpose of the system, this task also led to the development of principles of scriptural interpretation and, therefore, to theories of meaning and hermeneutics (critical interpretations). Jaimini, who composed

Sevan, Lake

2005-03-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Lake in Armenia, with an area of 525 sq mi (1,360 sq km). Lying at 6,250 ft (1,905 m) above sea level in a mountain-enclosed basin, it drains by the Hrazdan River into the Aras River and to the Caspian Sea, but most of its water is lost by evaporation rather than by runoff. The lake is in two connected parts, the smaller but deeper Maly Sevan (northwest), with a maximum depth of 282 ft, and the Bolshoy Sevan (southeast),

Biblical Literature, Prophetic themes and actions

2005-03-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

The first section of the book (chapters 1–24) contains prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem. Ezekiel's call is recorded in chapter 1 to chapter 3, verse 15. It came in a vision of four heavenly cherubim, who appeared in a wind from the north, a cloud, and flashing fire (lightning?)—traditional symbolic elements of a theophany (manifestation of a god) in ancient Near Eastern religions.

Differential Psychology

2005-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Branch of psychology that deals with individual and group differences in behaviour. Charles Darwin's studies of the survival capabilities of different species and Sir Francis Galton's researches on individual visual and auditory skills, as well as more recent experiments, have shown that both individual and group differences are quantitative rather than

Gray, Elisha

2005-03-04T04:53:00.000-08:00

Gray invented a number of telegraphic devices and in 1869 was one of two partners who founded what became Western Electric Company. On Feb. 14, 1876, the day that Bell filed an application for a patent for a telephone, Gray

Alexis

2005-03-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

After his mother, Eudoxia, was forced to enter a convent (1698), Alexis was brought up by his aunts and, after 1702, was educated by the tutor Baron Heinrich von Huyssen. Although he dutifully obeyed his father—participating in the

Walking

2005-03-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Activity that ranges from a competitive sport, usually known as race walking, to a primary and popular form of outdoor recreation and mild aerobic exercise.

Anise

2005-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

(Pimpinella anisum), annual herb of the parsley family (Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae), cultivated chiefly for its fruits, called aniseed, the flavour of which resembles that of licorice. The plant, up to 0.75 m (2.5 feet) tall, has long-stalked basal leaves and shorter, stalked stem leaves. Its small, yellowish white flowers form loose umbels. The fruit, or seed, is nearly

Probus, Marcus Aurelius

2005-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

The son of a Balkan military officer, Probus served with distinction in the army and apparently was eastern praetorian prefect when his troops proclaimed him emperor in opposition to Florian, who was soon killed by his own men. Probus' reign was spent in continual frontier warfare against hostile tribes on the Rhine and Danube, complicated

Akhenaton

2005-03-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Akhnaton , or Ikhnaton , also called Amenhotep Iv , or Neferkheperure Amenhotep , Greek Amenophis king of Egypt (1353–36 BC) of the 18th dynasty, who established a new monotheistic cult of Aton (hence his assumed name, Akhenaton, meaning “One Useful to Aton”).

Alba

2005-03-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

A Provençal song of lament for lovers parting at dawn or of a watchman's warning to lovers at dawn. Albas were sung by the 11th- and 12th-century troubadours. Some sources consider the alba an early form of an aubade, though, unlike the alba, an aubade is usually a celebration of the dawn. Examples of albas for which music also survives include “Reis glorios” by Guiraut de Bornelh

Eckstine, Billy

2005-02-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

Eckstine left Howard University after winning an amateur contest in 1933 and began singing in nightclubs and with xance bands. From 1939 to 1943 he sang with Earl Hines's band, and at his urging Hines hired

Muhlenberg Family

2005-02-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

Henry Melchior Mühlenberg (b. Sept. 6, 1711, Einbeck, Hanover—d. Oct. 7, 1787, Trappe, Pa., U.S.), the founder of the family, studied theology at Göttingen and Halle. In 1742, in reply to a call from the Lutheran churches

Thenardite

2005-02-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

Any of a type of sodium sulfate mineral (Na2SO4) that has been deposited as an evaporation product near salt lakes and playas, as in the arid regions of northern Africa, Siberia, Canada, and the western United States. It is widespread as an efflorescence on arid soil and as a crust in volcanic fumarole deposits. For detailed physical properties, see sulfate mineral (table).

Zach, Franz Xaver, Freiherr Von

2005-02-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Zach built an observatory on the Seeberg near Gotha and directed the observatory—one of the most important of the time—from 1791, when it was completed, until 1806. During this period Zach enlisted 24 astronomers throughout Europe in making a systematic

Barat, Saint Madeleine-sophie

2005-02-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

Born of peasant stock, Madeleine was expertly tutored by her brother Louis, deacon and master. After the French Revolution, she went to Paris with Louis, who had become a priest. His superior, Joseph Varin, appointed Madeleine to head an educational order dedicated

Agusan River

2005-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Longest river in Mindanao, Philippines. It rises in the southeast and flows northward for 240 miles (390 km) to enter Butuan Bay of the Bohol Sea. The river forms a fertile valley 40 to 50 miles (65–80 km) wide between the Central Mindanao Highlands (west) and the Pacific Cordillera (east). Important population centres are clustered around the bay and include Butuan, Cabadbaran, and

Weissenfels

2005-02-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

City, Saxony-Anhalt Land (state), eastern Germany. It lies on the right bank of the Saale River, south of Halle. A German town on the site of an old Slav settlement, it was chartered in 1185, when it belonged to the Saxon House of Wettin. It was the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels from 1656 to 1746 and passed to Prussia in 1815. The Baroque castle (1660–93) is preserved, and the town museum has a notable

Term

2005-02-24T05:36:00.000-08:00

In the visual arts, element consisting of a sculptured figure or bust at the top of a stone pillar or column that usually tapers downward to a quadrangular base. Often the pillar replaces the body of the figure, with feet sometimes indicated at its base. The pillar itself may be a separate object (i.e., a pedestal for the head or other sculpture), in which case it is called a

Say, J.-b.

2005-02-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

After completing his education, Say worked briefly for an insurance company and then as a journalist. In 1794 he became an editor of a new magazine dedicated to the ideas of the French Revolution; he later became editor in chief of

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

2005-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

In his youth Campbell studied abroad but returned to Scotland in 1649. He fought at Dunbar (Sept. 3, 1650) and, after the Battle of Worcester, joined the Royalist leader Glencairn in the Highlands. Ultimately he fell foul of

Azov Upland

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

Ukrainian Pryazovska Vysochyna hilly region, Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk oblasti (provinces), southeastern Ukraine. Part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield, the Azov Upland is an area of denuded mountains, extending from the Dnieper River for 100 miles (160 km) to the Donets Ridge and sloping gently down southeastward to the Sea of Azov. The highest point is Mount Mohyla-Belmak (1,063 feet [324 m]), 65 miles (105 km) southwest of

Conseil D'état

2005-02-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

(French: “Council of State”), highest court in France for issues and cases involving public administration. Its origin dates back to 1302, though it was extensively reorganized under Napoleon and was given further powers in 1872. It has long had the responsibility of deciding or advising on state issues and legislative measures submitted to it by the sovereign or, later, by the

Anauxite

2005-02-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

Mineral, an interstratified mixture of kaolinite and free silica. See kaolinite.

Coast Mountains

2005-02-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Segment of the Pacific mountain system (q.v.) of western North America. The range extends southeastward through western British Columbia, Can., for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from just north of the border with Yukon Territory, Can., along the border of the panhandle of Alaska, U.S., to the Fraser River. Many peaks exceed 11,000 feet (3,400 m), including Monarch Mountain and Mounts Munday, Tiedemann, and

Anderson, Mary

2005-02-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

Anderson early decided upon a career on the stage, and at age 16 she made her debut as Juliet in Louisville, Kentucky. She subsequently toured cities of the South and West and was a popular success,

Wu Ch'eng-en

2005-02-20T00:44:00.000-08:00

Wu received a traditional Confucian education and became known for his clever composition of poetry and prose in the classical style. Throughout his life he displayed

Literature, German.

2005-02-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

In his 2001 novel Rot, Uwe Timm sought to come to terms with the experiences of the generation of so-called 68ers, people who went through the cultural and political turmoil of the 1960s and '70s in West Germany. The protagonist of Rot is Thomas Linde, a 68er who makes his living as a eulogist at burials, a profession that becomes

Holborn

2005-02-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Neighbourhood and former metropolitan borough (until 1965) of London. Now part of the borough of Camden, it lies northwest of the City of London and south of the Islington neighbourhood of Clerkenwell. Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn, two of the four Inns of Court, are central features of the district. The houses of Sir John Soane's Museum overlook Lincoln's Inn Fields from the north,

Natchez

2005-02-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1817) of Adams county, southwestern Mississippi, U.S., on the Mississippi River (there bridged to Vidalia, Louisiana), about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Vicksburg. Established in 1716 as Fort Rosalie by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, it survived a massacre (1729) by Natchez Indians for whom it was later named. It passed from France to England (1763) at the conclusion of the French and

Wu Zhen

2005-02-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wu, like others of the group, sought stylistic inspiration in the past (especially from Five Dynasties masters such as Juran),

Aldridge, Ira Frederick

2005-02-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

Accounts of his life in the United States are conflicting. The great British-American actor James William Wallack is believed to have engaged him as a personal attendant while on a passage from the United States to England, where Aldridge established himself

Aurillac

2005-02-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

Capital of Cantal département, Auvergne région, south-central France. It lies along the Jourdanne River at an elevation of 2,040 feet (622 m) above sea level, southwest of Clermont-Ferrand. Gerbert, the first French pope (known as Sylvester II), was born in the town and was educated at the nearby Saint-Géraud abbey (founded 894). In the Religious Wars of the 16th century, a general massacre

Blois

2005-02-17T04:39:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Loir-et-Cher département, Centre region, central France, on the Loire River, northeast of Tours. First mentioned in the 6th century by Gregory of Tours, it was by the early Middle Ages seat of the powerful counts of Blois, from whom descended the Capetian kings of France. At the end of the 14th century, Blois was acquired by Louis de France, duc d'Orléans. Joan of

Anouk Aimée

2005-02-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

The daughter of an actor and actress, Anouk Aimée made her first film appearance at the age of 14 in La Maison sous la mer (1946; “The House on the Sea”). After making an impression as a Juliet figure in the 1948 film Les Amants de Vérone (The Lovers of Verona), a role written especially for

Biblical Literature, Types of writing materials and methods

2005-02-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

In Hellenistic times (c. 300 BC–c. AD 300), official records were often inscribed on stone or metal tablets. Literary works and detailed letters were written on parchment or papyrus, though short or temporary records were written or scratched on potsherds (ostraca) or wax tablets. Scrolls were made by gluing together papyrus sheets (made from the pith of the papyrus reed) or by sewing

Popish Plot

2005-02-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

(1678), in English history, a totally fictitious but widely believed plot in which it was alleged that Jesuits were planning the assassination of King Charles II in order to bring his Roman Catholic brother, the Duke of York (afterward King James II), to the throne. The allegations were fabricated by Titus Oates (q.v.), a renegade Anglican clergyman who had feigned conversion

Williams, Esther

2005-02-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Williams was a teenaged swimming champion who set a record for the 100-metre breaststroke in 1939 and won national titles in Seattle, Washington, and Miami, Florida. She won a spot on the 1940 U.S. Olympic team, but the games, which were scheduled to

Karadjordjevic Dynasty

2005-02-15T02:59:00.000-08:00

The first prince, Alexander (son of Karadjordje), reigned from 1842 to 1858. Thereafter, for

Shaft Seal

2005-02-13T06:15:00.000-08:00

A common type of shaft seal consists of an elastomer (elastic rubberlike) ring bonded to a metallic ring that is a press (tight) fit in the hole in the housing through which the shaft

La Chalotais, Louis-rené De Caradeuc De

2005-02-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

La Chalotais became advocate general in the Breton Parlement at Rennes in 1730 and attorney general in 1752. In

Turbulent Flow

2005-02-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Type of fluid (gas or liquid) flow in which the fluid undergoes irregular fluctuations, or mixing, in contrast to laminar flow, in which the fluid moves in smooth paths or layers. In turbulent flow the speed of the fluid at a point is continuously undergoing changes in both magnitude and direction. The flow of wind and rivers is generally turbulent in this sense, even if

Metaplasia

2005-02-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

In zoology, the conversion of one type of living cell or group of cells into another as a means of regeneration. For example, the damaged or removed lens of a salamander eye is replaced through the transformation of nearby pigmented iris cells into lens cells. The regeneration of brain tissue from epidermis in annelid worms is another well-documented example of metaplasia.

Hasdrubal

2005-02-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

Late in 210 BC, Publius Cornelius

Bashkir

2005-02-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

The Bashkirs settled their land under the Mongol khanate of Kipchak from the 13th to the 15th century.

'ayn Jalut, Battle Of

2005-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Baghdad, the capital city of the 'Abbasid caliphate, had fallen to the Mongols under the Il-Khan Hülegü in 1258, and the last 'Abbasid caliph had been put to death. In 1259 the Mongol army, led by the Christian Turk Kitbuga, moved into

Margaret I

2005-02-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

Regent of Denmark (from 1375), of Norway (from 1380), and of Sweden (from 1389), who, by diplomacy and war, pursued dynastic policies that led to the Kalmar Union (1397), which united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden until 1523 and Denmark and Norway until 1814.

Coif

2005-02-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

The coif could also be an indoor skullcap

Hoosac Tunnel

2005-02-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

The first major rock tunnel built in the United States. The tunnel runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills, east of North Adams, Mass., and was built to provide a rail connection between Boston and upper New York state. Though only 4.75 miles (7.6 km) long, the tunnel took 24 years (1851–75) to complete, partly because of slow and laborious rock-tunneling techniques in use when construction

Guna

2005-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Goona city, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India. A road and rail junction, Guna is a major agricultural distribution centre. Cotton ginning, oilseed milling, and handloom weaving are important industries. The city has several colleges affiliated with Jiwaji University. Wheat, sorghum, legumes, corn (maize), and oilseeds are the major crops grown in the surrounding

Ribbonfish

2005-02-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of deep-sea, marine fishes constituting the family Trachipteridae (order Lampridiformes). The family contains three genera: Trachipteras, Desmodema, and Zu. These slender-bodied fishes occur in all the major oceans. The name ribbonfish comes from the long, stringlike dorsal fin that originates behind the head and waves like a ribbon as the fish

Checks And Balances

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

Principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power. Checks and balances are applied primarily in constitutional governments. They are of fundamental importance in tripartite governments, such as that of the United States, which separate powers among legislative, executive,

Ramakrishna

2005-02-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

From a poor Brahmin (the highest-ranking caste) family, Ramakrishna had little formal schooling. He spoke Bengali and knew neither English nor Sanskrit. His father

Saint Joseph

2005-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Byname Saint Joe, city, seat (1846) of Buchanan County, northwestern Missouri, U.S., on the Missouri River (there bridged to Elwood, Kan.), 28 mi (45 km) north of Kansas City. A trading post was established (1826) on the site by Joseph Robidoux, a French-Canadian trapper from St. Louis. The Platte Purchase (1836), adding about 2,000,000 ac (800,000 ha) of Indian land to the state territory, resulted in an influx of settlers. Robidoux laid out the

MaleSnow

Computers, The Internet

Ako

Black River

France, History Of, France in the 16th century

Social Behaviour In Animals, Parental behaviour among simple organisms

Ashe, Arthur (robert)

Furniture, Japan

Elijah

Native American, Population and languages

Asela

Robert-houdin, Jean-eugène

Perceval, Spencer

France, History Of, The Thermidorian reaction

Indiana

Arabian Religion

Belarusian Language

Ataxia

China, Attempts to end the war

Rhapsodist

Agonism

Suceava

France, History Of, Mitterrand's second term

Anti-masonic Movement

Cloth Of Gold, Field Of

Categorical Imperative

Rhythm

Middleton, Stanley

Claremont Colleges

Baseball

Biological Development, Length and timing of the reproductive phase

Epistolary Novel

Houdini, Harry

Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann

Dumuzi-abzu

Brugmann, Karl

Rímac

Masaryk, Jan (garrigue)

Literature, United Kingdom.

Yermolova, Maria Nikolayevna

China, Japanese aggression

Servite

Telecommunications Network, Ethernet

Wabash

Island

Arason, Jón

Adage

Indian Philosophy, The Purva-mimamsa-sutras and Sabara's commentary

Sevan, Lake

Biblical Literature, Prophetic themes and actions

Differential Psychology

Gray, Elisha

Alexis

Walking

Anise

Probus, Marcus Aurelius

Akhenaton

Alba

Eckstine, Billy

Muhlenberg Family

Thenardite

Zach, Franz Xaver, Freiherr Von

Barat, Saint Madeleine-sophie

Agusan River

Weissenfels

Term

Say, J.-b.

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

Azov Upland

Conseil D'état

Anauxite

Coast Mountains

Anderson, Mary

Wu Ch'eng-en

Literature, German.

Holborn

Natchez

Wu Zhen

Aldridge, Ira Frederick

Aurillac

Indian Philosophy, The Purva-mimamsa-sutras and Sabara's commentary