QuickCoat

Ripken, Cal, Jr.

2005-03-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ripken joined the Orioles' major league team in 1982 after

Kirovohrad

2005-03-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Russian Kirovograd oblast (province), south-central Ukraine. It extends from the Dnieper River in the northeast across the rolling hills of the Dnieper Upland to the basin of the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River in the southwest. The oblast's natural vegetation of grass steppe on fertile soils has been almost wholly plowed up, and unsound practices have resulted in serious and widespread

Medicine, Drug research

2005-03-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

The administration of any medicament, especially a new drug, to a patient is fundamentally an experiment: so is a surgical operation, particularly if it involves a modification to an established technique or a completely new procedure. Concern for the patient, careful observation, accurate recording, and a detached mind are the keys to this kind of investigation,

Togo, Transportation

2005-03-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

The government-owned national railway consists of four lines, all of which emanate from Lomé. One line connects Kpalimé with the capital; other lines run to Ané

Australia, Tasmania

2005-03-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

The 1860s imprinted a sleepy image on Tasmania, which persisted. The mineral discoveries at Mount Bischoff and elsewhere were important in reviving the economy. Nevertheless, living standards generally remained lower than elsewhere, and there were still property qualifications for voting in 1900. The colony contributed to democratic practice, however, by experimenting

Perception

2005-03-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

In humans, the process whereby sensory stimulation is translated into organized experience. That experience, or percept, is the joint product of the stimulation and of the process itself. Relations found between various types of stimulation (e.g., light waves and sound waves) and their associated percepts suggest inferences that can be made about the properties

Aksum

2005-03-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Once the seat of the kingdom of Aksum, it is now a tourist town and religious centre best known for its antiquities. Tall granite obelisks, 126 in all, stand (or lie broken) in the central square. One measuring 110 feet (34 m), now fallen, is said to be the tallest obelisk ever erected. The obelisks

Earnshaw, Thomas

2005-03-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

Earnshaw became an apprentice at the age of 14 and later set up a shop in London. He made significant improvements in the transit clock at the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, London, and,

Sertorius, Quintus

2005-03-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

After acquiring some reputation in Rome as a jurist and orator, Sertorius fought in Gaul against the invading Cimbri and Teutons (105 and 102) and in 97 served in Spain. In 90 he was quaestor in Cisalpine Gaul and commanded an army in the

Stalinism

2005-02-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

In a party dominated by intellectuals and rhetoricians, Stalin stood for a practical approach to revolution, devoid of ideological sentiment. Once power was in Bolshevik hands, the

Eugenikos, Markos

2005-02-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

After a classical and theological education under tutors antagonistic to Rome, Eugenikos at 26 gave his property to the poor and became a monk

Gstaad

2005-02-26T03:21:00.000-08:00

Alpine village and resort, Saanen commune, Bern canton, west-central Switzerland, lying in the valley of the Saane River. Situated on the northwest side of the Bernese Alps, the village is a summer resort (with golf and tennis tournaments) and is also a fashionable winter-sports centre. Winter events in Gstaad include an annual horse show, skijoring (a sport in which a horse

Eisner, Kurt

2005-02-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

Eisner studied literature and neo-Kantian philosophy with Hermann Cohen at the University of Marburg. In 1892 he published Friedrich Nietzsche und die Apostel der Zukunft (“Friedrich Nietzsche and the Apostle

Poyet, Guillaume

2005-02-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

After practicing successfully as a barrister at Angers and Paris, he was instructed by Louise of Savoy, mother of King Francis I, to uphold her rights against the constable Charles, Duke de Bourbon, in 1521. This was the beginning of his fortunes.

Pacific Islands, Low coral islands

2005-02-22T03:48:00.000-08:00

Most Pacific islands are coral formations, although all rest on volcanic or other cores. In the shallow waters of the tropics, both continental and oceanic islands attract coral growth in the form of fringing reefs, partially submerged platforms of consolidated limestone, with coral organisms at the ocean edge feeding on materials carried in by waves and currents.

Photography, Technology Of, Aerial photography

2005-02-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

Reconnaissance photographs call for maximum sharpness and detail rendering. Infrared films are often used to bring out details not discernible

Numerals And Numeral Systems, Multiplicative grouping systems

2005-02-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

In multiplicative systems, special names are given not only to 1, b, b2, and so on but also to the numbers 2, 3, , b - 1; the symbols of this second set are then used in place of repetitions of the first set. Thus, if 1, 2, 3, , 9 are designated in the usual way but 10, 100, and 1,000 are replaced by X, C, and M, respectively, then in a multiplicative grouping system one should write 7,392 as 7M3C9X2. The principal example of this kind of

Yacht

2005-02-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

In England by 1881 most of the important yacht clubs had become members of the Yacht Racing Association (founded 1875; from 1952 called the Royal Yachting Association). The organization made rules governing regatta sailing and later took on duties as a representative body for all British yachting, including dealing with port, harbour, and other governmental authorities. In the

Teraina Island

2005-02-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

Formerly called Washington Island, Prospect Island, or New York Island, coral atoll of the Northern Line Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. With a circumference of 9 miles (14 km), the atoll has a land area of 3 square miles (8 square km). It was sighted in 1798 by an American navigator, Edmund Fanning. Annexed by Britain in 1889, it was included in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1916. It became a part of independent Kiribati in 1979. The island

Yacht

2005-02-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

American cable television network and multimedia group providing news, entertainment, and other programming developed primarily for African American viewers. BET also operates a jazz network, BET Jazz, features contemporary music through BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, produces documentaries and movies for distribution on the BET channel, and sponsors the BET

Calcutta, University Of

2005-02-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

State-controlled institution of higher learning founded by the British in India in 1857. Modeled on the University of London, Calcutta was originally a purely affiliating university that offered no actual instruction but was the examining and degree-granting authority for colleges scattered over most of northern India. Since 1904 it has gradually added teaching to

Argentina, Confederation under Rosas, 182952

2005-02-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

The regime of Rosas in Buenos Aires enjoyed far broader support than any of its predecessors. Special interest groups, landholders, and export-import merchants (along with the British diplomatic contingent that was identified with these interests) all fell behind the new governor. Practically all the influential sectors in the province identified Rosas's triumph

Nordraak, Rikard

2005-02-13T22:37:00.000-08:00

Nordraak began composing music as a child. He was sent at age 15 to Copenhagen, Den., for training in business, but he also studied music while there. In 1859 he gave up the study

Cord, Errett Lobban

2005-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Previously a racing car mechanic and driver, he became president of the Auburn Automobile Company (founded 1900), Auburn, Ind., in 1924. Two years later he acquired the Duesenberg Motor Company (founded 1920), Indianapolis, Ind.; the brothers Fred and August Duesenberg designed the

Oss

2005-02-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Brabant provincie, south-central Netherlands, east-northeast of 's Hertogenbosch and about 3 miles (5 km) south of the Maas (Meuse) River. A food-processing town noted for margarine and meat products, it also manufactures pharmaceuticals (especially insulin and vitamins), electrical equipment, wool products, boxes, and metalware. Mainly Roman Catholic,

Fibrous Dysplasia

2005-02-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Mccune-Albright syndrome rare congenital developmental disorder beginning in childhood, characterized by cyst formation and replacement of solid, calcified bone with fibrous tissue, often only on one side of the body, in the long bones and pelvis. Other signs include unilateral (one-sided) enlargement of the bones of the face and base of the skull, café au lait (pale brown) spots on the skin, and

Frederick

2005-02-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1748) of Frederick county, north-central Maryland, U.S., on a tributary of the Monocacy River 47 miles (76 km) west of Baltimore. Laid out in 1745 as Frederick Town, it was presumably named for Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, although it may have been for Frederick Louis, prince of Wales. The British Stamp Act received its first repudiation from jurists in the Frederick County

Aetheling

2005-02-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Atheling, or Etheling, in Anglo-Saxon England, generally any person of noble birth. Use of the term was usually restricted to members of a royal family, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it is used almost exclusively for members of the royal house of Wessex. It was occasionally used after the Norman Conquest to designate members of the royal family—e.g., William the Aetheling, son and heir of King

Russell, Bertrand

2005-02-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

In full Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell of Kingston Russell, Viscount Amberley of Amberley and of Ardsalla English logician and philosopher, best known for his work in mathematical logic and for his social and political campaigns, including his advocacy of both pacifism and nuclear disarmament. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.

Udayanacarya

2005-02-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Of the two schools, the old Nyaya system was concerned with the critical examination of

Midfa'i, Jamil Al-

2005-02-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Midfa'i attended the engineering college in Istanbul and became an artillery officer in the Turkish Army, from which he deserted in 1916 to join the Arab forces that had risen in revolt in Arabia under the direction of Sharif Husayn. Later, from a base in Syria, Midfa'i launched raids into Iraq, where there was considerable

Bulgakov, Mikhail Afanasyevich

2005-02-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Beginning his adult life as a doctor, Bulgakov gave up medicine for writing. His first major work was the novel Belaya gvardiya (The White Guard), serialized in 1925 but never published in book form. A realistic and

Zipper

2005-02-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

The idea of a slide fastener was exhibited by Whitcomb

France, History Of, Kingship

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

Kingship was the basic institution in the Merovingian kingdom. Since Clovis' reign, the power of the king had extended not only over a tribe or tribes but also over a territory inhabited by Germans of divergent backgrounds and by Gallo-Romans as well. The king exercised power with legal limitations, which, when violated, led to efforts to reestablish political equilibrium

Muromachi Period

2005-02-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

The most successful of the Ashikaga rulers, the third shogun Yoshimitsu, managed

Amirante Isles

2005-02-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

Group of coral islands in the western Indian Ocean, lying about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of the Seychelles group and forming, with the Seychelles and other islands, the Republic of Seychelles. The Amirante Isles were known to Persian Gulf traders centuries ago and were sighted by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama on his second voyage to India, in 1502, but they are still

Zeus

2005-01-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

According to a Cretan myth that was later adopted by

Earth, Expansion phase

2005-01-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

The expansion phase is less well understood than the growth phase. Many investigators support the “near-Earth neutral-line” model, but concurrently other explanations have been suggested. In the neutral-line model a localized x-type neutral line is formed inside the plasma sheet somewhere between 20 and 40 Re (earth radii) behind the Earth. Figure 13 (top) shows the topology

Tragedy

2005-01-27T02:27:00.000-08:00

The origins of the tragic form are Greek, as are those of the term itself, meaning “goat-song” and possibly referring originally to the sacrifice of a

Apuleius, Lucius

2005-01-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Apuleius, who was educated at Carthage and Athens,

Adams, John Coolidge

2005-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Adams was

Scandinavian Literature, The modern Swedish novel

2005-01-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

The development of the novel was associated with Gustaf Hellström, Ludvig Nordström, Elin Wägner, and Sigfrid Siwertz. Hellström's work as a journalist in Europe, the United States, and England greatly influenced him. Irony and careful detail emerged in his best known novel, Snörmakare Lekholm får en idé (1927; Lacemaker Lekholm Has an Idea). Siwertz was a more elegant stylist,

Korsakoff Syndrome

2005-01-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Korsakoff psychosis , or Korsakoff disease neurological disorder characterized by severe amnesia (memory loss). Many cases result from severe chronic alcoholism, while others are due to a variety of brain disorders, severe head injury, or a thiamine deficiency. Patients with Korsakoff syndrome typically are unable to remember events in the recent or even the immediate past, and some can store information

Ahithophel

2005-01-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Achitophel, in the Old Testament, one of King David's most trusted advisers. He took a leading part in the revolt of David's son Absalom, and Ahithophel's defection was a severe blow to David. Having consulted Ahithophel about his plans to proceed against David, Absalom then sought advice from Hushai, another of David's counselors. Hushai, who remained secretly loyal to the king, betrayed

Anthropology

2005-01-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

Modern-day anthropology

Holbein Rug

2005-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

A different series, probably made in another area, have fields subdivided into rectangular panels, each

Babol

2005-01-18T02:25:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Babul, formerly Barfurush, city, northern Iran, on the Babol River, about 15 miles (24 km) south of the Caspian Sea. Babol gained importance during the reign (1797–1834) of Fath 'Ali Shah, though 'Abbas I (died 1629) had laid out a pleasure garden and summer palace there. The city has paved streets, large and crowded bazaars, well-built houses, and small, handsome mosques and funeral towers. There are some manufacturing activities, but

Algeria, World War II and the movement for independence

2005-01-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

World War II brought with it the collapse of France and, in 1942, the Anglo-American occupation of North Africa. The occupation forces were to some extent automatically agents of emancipation; both Allied and Axis radio stations began to broadcast in Arabic, promising a new world for formerly subject peoples. The effect was further heightened by the June 1941 promise of emancipation

Lend-lease

2005-01-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

System by which the United States aided its World War II allies with war materials, such as ammunition, tanks, airplanes, and trucks, and with food and other raw materials. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had committed the United States in June 1940 to materially aiding the opponents of fascism, but, under existing U.S. law, Great Britain had to pay for its growing arms purchases

Deere, John

2005-01-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

Apprenticed to a blacksmith at age 17, Deere set up his own smithy trade four years later and, for 12 years, did work in various towns of his native Vermont. In 1837, when 33 years old, he headed west and eventually settled in Grand Detour, Ill., where he set up a blacksmith's shop, and

Lai

2005-01-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Medieval poetic and musical form, cultivated especially among the trouvères, or poet-musicians, of northern France in the 12th and 13th centuries but also among their slightly earlier, Provençal-language counterparts, the troubadours, and, called Leich, by the German minnesingers. The lai was a long poem having nonuniform stanzas of about 6 to 16 or more lines of 4 to 8 syllables.

United States Naval Academy

2005-01-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

The academy was founded as a Naval School on Oct. 10, 1845, by George Bancroft, historian, educator, and secretary of the Navy, to improve the then-unsatisfactory

Plock

2005-01-13T00:14:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Plock województwo (province), central Poland, on the Vistula River. First chronicled in the 10th century, Plock is the oldest community in Mazowsze (Mazovia), having served as the seat of Polish rulers from 1079 to 1138. It received town privileges in 1237 and prospered as a trading centre through the 17th century. In 1793 Plock passed to Prussia; it was returned to Poland in 1918. The town

Morocco, Decline of traditional government (18301912)

2005-01-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

During the French invasion of Algeria in 1830, the sultan of Morocco, Moulay (Mawlay) Abd ar-Rahman (1822–59), briefly sent troops to occupy Tlemcen but withdrew them after French protests. The Algerian leader Abdelkader in 1844 took refuge from the French in Morocco. A Moroccan army was sent to the Algerian frontier; the French bombarded Tangier on August 4, 1844, and Essaouira (Mogador) on August

Argentina, Mesopotamia

2005-01-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

The northern part of the Mesopotamian region was first settled by Spaniards from Asunción, who in 1588 founded the city of Corrientes near the confluence of the Alto Paraná and Paraguay rivers. In the south settlers from Santa Fe crossed the Paraná River and established what became the city of Paraná. Having founded towns along navigable rivers, the Spanish secured

France, History Of, The conquests

2005-01-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Charlemagne consolidated his authority up to the geographic limits of Gaul. Though he put down a new insurrection in Aquitaine (769), he was unable to bring the

Dendrobium

2005-01-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

Genus of as many as 1,500 species of orchids that grow on other plants and are native to tropical and subtropical Asia, many Pacific islands, and Australia. Some species have small, pale flowers; others have large, showy ones. The flowers may be borne singly, in groups, or on arching spikes. The lateral sepals of all Dendrobium flowers are joined at the base, forming

Biblical Literature, Anglo-Norman versions

2005-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

The displacement of the English upper class, with the consequent decline of the Anglo-Saxon tradition attendant upon the Norman invasion, arrested for a while the movement toward the production of the English Bible. Within about 50 years (c. 1120) of the Conquest, Eadwine's Psalterium triplex, which contained the Latin version accompanied by Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Saxon

Obia

2005-01-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Obeah, in west African folklore, a gigantic animal that steals into villages and kidnaps girls on the behalf of witches. In certain cultures of the Caribbean, the term denotes forms of sorcery and witchcraft, usually overpowering and extremely evil. Potent or bewitched objects buried for the purpose of bringing misfortune upon a particular party are sometimes known

Humanism, The English humanists

2005-01-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Though continental humanists had held court positions since the days of Humphrey

Ovando, Nicolás De

2005-01-03T01:30:00.000-08:00

The son of a noble family, Ovando grew up close

Pendleton

2005-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1868) of Umatilla county, northeastern Oregon, U.S., on the Umatilla River, adjacent to the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Situated on the Oregon Trail, it was founded in 1869 by G.W. Bailey and named for George Hunt Pendleton, a prominent Ohio senator. It became a wheat and cattle centre after the arrival of the railroad in 1889 and remains a centre of grain and vegetable production

Kirkpatrick, Ralph

2005-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

Kirkpatrick studied piano from age six and began to play harpsichord in 1930. He graduated from Harvard University in 1931 and then went to Paris to continue his studies. His teachers included Wanda Landowska, the French conductor

Gyrfalcon

2004-12-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

(Falco rusticolus), Arctic bird of prey of the family Falconidae, the world's largest falcon (q.v.). The gyrfalcon may reach 60 cm (2 feet) in length. Confined as a breeder to the circumpolar region except for isolated populations in Central Asian highlands, it is sometimes seen at lower latitudes in winters when food is scarce. The gyrfalcon varies from pure white with black speckling

Italian Literature, Fiction at the turn of the 21st century

2004-12-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

The competitive world of media- and market-driven culture thrives on self-promotion, provocation, “discoveries,” and “revelations.” Publishers and their talent scouts are eager to add “new voices.” The Sardinian Salvatore Satta, for example, was a professor of law whose considerable literary production—his best-known novel is Il giorno del giudizio (1979; The Day of

Biblical Literature, Rule by the Herods

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

The Herods who followed were under the control of Rome. Herod the Great, son of Antipater of Idumaea, was made king of Judaea, having sided with Rome, and he ruled with Roman favour (37–4 BC). Though he was a good statesman and architect, he was hated by the Jews as a foreigner and semi-Jew. Jesus was born a few years before the end of his reign, and “the slaughter of the innocents,” young children

Chellean Industry

2004-12-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

An early Stone Age industry characterized by crudely worked hand axes. The implements from Chelles in France that gave the industry its name are now grouped with the Acheulian industry. The term Chellean, in the sense of earliest hand-ax culture, has been replaced by Abbevillian industry.

U2

2004-12-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

At a 1993 U2 concert all eyes focused on a darkened stage lit only by the flashing headlights of several suspended Trabant automobiles. Giant video monitors projected Nazi propaganda footage punctuated by staccato bursts of slogans--"The Media Is the Anti-Christ," "Everything You Know Is Wrong," "Everyone's a Racist Except You"--reminiscent of some kind of bizarre brainwashing

Salcedo

2004-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

City, northern Dominican Republic. It lies in the fertile Cibao Valley between the mountain chains of the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Septentrional. Salcedo serves as a commercial centre for the agricultural hinterland, which yields principally cacao, coffee, and corn (maize). It is accessible by secondary highway from San Francisco de Macorís and Moca.

Amphitrite

2004-12-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the goddess of the sea, wife of the god Poseidon, and one of the 50 (or 100) daughters (the Nereids) of Nereus and Doris (the daughter of Oceanus). Poseidon chose Amphitrite from among her sisters as the Nereids performed a dance on the isle of Naxos. Refusing his offer of marriage, she fled to Atlas, from whom she was retrieved by a dolphin sent by Poseidon. Amphitrite

Shamanism

2004-12-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

The residues of shamanism may be found among peoples who have been converted to religions of a later stage of culture—e.g., Finno-Ugric peoples who became Christians, Turkic peoples in Central Asia and Asia Minor who became Muslim, and Mongols who became Buddhists. Among the Finns, the tietäjä, a figure equivalent to the shaman, also is born with one more tooth than normal.

Manchuria

2004-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Prior to the 17th century, the history of Manchuria was shaped by three converging ethnic groups: the Chinese, the people collectively known as the Tungus, and the Mongols and Proto-Mongols. The Tungus (from which several groups emerged) were forest and plain dwellers who had a mixed economy of primitive agriculture, fishing, hunting, and livestock breeding. Those in Manchuria

Antarctica

2004-12-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

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

Nuclear Family

2004-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Also called elementary family in sociology and anthropology, a group of persons united by ties of marriage and parenthood or adoption and consisting of a man, a woman, and their socially recognized children. This unit was once widely held to be the most basic and universal form of social organization. Anthropological research, however, has illuminated so much variability of this form that it is

China, The Manchurian Plain

2004-12-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Manchurian Plain (also known as the Northeast Plain and the Sung-liao Plain) is located in China's Northeast, the region formerly known as Manchuria. An undulating plain split into northern and southern halves by a low divide rising from 500 to 850 feet, it is drained in its northern part by the Sungari River and tributaries and in its southern part by the Liao River. Most

Jewish Daily Forward

2004-12-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Forward was founded in 1897 by the Jewish Socialist Press Federation as a civic aid and a cohesive device for Jewish immigrants from Europe. It quickly became the leading Yiddish-language newspaper in the United States. Under the guidance of Abraham Cahan, who was

Hatif

2004-12-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

In Arab folklore, a mysterious nocturnal voice that is sometimes prophetic. A hatif is mentioned in the Bible (Ezekiel 21:2 and 7; Amos 7:16) as a prophet's voice, and it seems to have presaged Muhammad's prophetic mission. It is said that the hatif can rise from within a calf sacrificed to an idol or from the idol itself. The Bedouin believe that it most often announces the death of some

Ryokan

2004-12-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of a village headman, he became a Buddhist priest at about the age of 17 under the religious name of Taigu Ryokan. When he was 21 he met an itinerant monk, Kokusen, and followed him to his temple, Entsu-ji, at Tamashima,

Furniture, France

2004-12-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

The furniture of France was among the first to be influenced by the Italian Renaissance. Louis XII and many of his court visited Italy and soon took Italian artists and craftsmen and works of art into France. The French Renaissance of furniture can be divided into two stages. First was a period of transition and adaptation; during the reign of Louis XII and the first

Pacemaker

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

A healthy human heart contains its own electrical conducting system capable of controlling both the rate and the order of cardiac contractions. Electrical impulses are generated at

Catastrophe

2004-12-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

In literature, the final action that completes the unraveling of the plot in a play, especially in a tragedy. Catastrophe is a synonym of denouement. The term is sometimes applied to a similar action in a novel or story.

Conti, Louis-armand Ii De Bourbon, Prince De

2004-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Only surviving son of François-Louis, the Great Conti. He was treated with great liberality by Louis XIV and also by the regent, Philippe, duc d'Orléans. He served under Marshal Villars in the War of the Spanish Succession, but he lacked the soldierly qualities of his father. In 1713 he married Louise-Élisabeth (1693–1775), daughter of Louis-Henri de Bourbon, 7th prince

Azeotrope

2004-12-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, a mixture of liquids that has a constant boiling point because the vapour has the same composition as the liquid mixture. The boiling point of an azeotropic mixture may be higher or lower than that of any of its components. The components of the solution cannot be separated by simple distillation.

Subbituminous Coal

2004-12-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Black Lignite, dark brown to black coal intermediate in rank between lignite and bituminous coal. Subbituminous coals often have a silky lustre and sometimes are macroscopically indistinguishable from the bituminous variety. The fibrous structure characteristic of lignite is absent in subbituminous coals, many of which have evolved alternating dull and bright bands

Naruto

2004-12-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

City, Tokushima ken (prefecture), eastern Shikoku, Japan. The city lies along the Naruto Strait (Naruto-kaikyo), which connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The narrow strait separates Naruto from Awaji Island, a large island of the eastern Inland Sea. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) Naruto was a flourishing port and centre of salt production. Since the late 19th century,

Nabighah, An-

2004-12-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

Nabighah belonged to the tribe of Dhubyan. The origin of his name is uncertain, as are details of his early life. He lived in luxury and favour for many years at the court of the Lakhmid Arab kings of al-Hirah in Iraq, incurring the jealousy of the other courtiers. According to one story, which seems to

Smith, Lee

2004-12-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

Smith was educated at Hollins College, Roanoke, Va. (B.A., 1967), and the Sorbonne in Paris; she taught at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Her first novel, The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed (1968), was written while she was in college. Her stories are set in the

Doyle, Richard

2004-12-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

A student of his father, Doyle regularly contributed (from 1843) decorations, theatre sketches, and political caricatures to Punch. The cover

Jesse

2004-12-04T03:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Isai, in the Old Testament, the father of King David. Jesse was the son of Ohed, and the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He was a farmer and sheep breeder in Bethlehem. David was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons. The appellation “son of Jesse” served as a synonym for David both at Saul's court and, subsequently, when David became king. It became a standard poetic metaphor in the Bible. Phrases

Moscherosch, Johann Michael

2004-12-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

Moscherosch was educated at Strassburg (now Strasbourg)

B-29

2004-12-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Superfortress was designed to meet Army Air Corps specifications written in January 1940 and was then modified to provide heavier armament and bomb load. First

Peru-chile Trench

2004-11-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Peru-Chile Trench marks the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate

John

2004-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

John began his public career in 1505 as a member of the Diet of Rákos; it was upon his motion that the Diet voted that no foreign prince would ever again be elected king of Hungary after the death of King Ulászló II, who also

Fisk, Wilbur

2004-11-29T02:44:00.000-08:00

Fisk studied at Peacham Academy and the University of Vermont and graduated from Brown University in 1815 (he received an M.A. in 1818). Licensed as a local preacher at Lyndon, Vt., in 1818, he was received into the New England

Dominica

2004-11-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

Officially Commonwealth of Dominica, island nation of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It lies between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante to the north and Martinique to the south. It has been a member of the Commonwealth since independence in 1978. It is 29 miles (47 kilometres) long, has a maximum breadth of 16 miles, and is 290 square miles (750 square kilometres) in area. The capital and chief port is

Egypt, Ancient, Amenhotep II

2004-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

About two years before his death Thutmose III appointed his 18-year-old son, Amenhotep II (ruled c. 1426–1400 BC), as co-regent. Just prior to his father's death, Amenhotep II set out on a campaign to an area near Kadesh, in Syria, whose city-states were now caught up in the power struggle between Egypt and Mitanni; Amenhotep II killed seven princes and shipped their bodies back to Egypt to be

Shilling Shocker

2004-11-25T02:03:00.000-08:00

A novel of crime or violence especially popular in late Victorian England and originally costing one shilling. Shilling shockers were usually characterized by sensational incidents and lurid writing. Compare dime novel; penny dreadful.

Basil I

2004-11-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

Basil came of a peasant family that had settled in Macedonia, perhaps of Armenian origin. He was a handsome and physically powerful man who gained employment in influential official circles in Constantinople and was fortunate

Culverin

2004-11-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

The culverin was adapted to field use by the French in the mid-15th century and to naval use by the English in the late 16th century. During the 17th century, cannons were classified according to the weight of projectiles fired, and

Väisälä, Yrjö

2004-11-22T01:03:00.000-08:00

After receiving his Ph.D. in 1922, Väisälä joined the faculty of the Geodetic Institute of Turku University (1925) and worked as an astronomer and surveyor, completing a magnetic survey of the Earth and inventing

QuickCoat

Ripken, Cal, Jr.

Kirovohrad

Medicine, Drug research

Togo, Transportation

Australia, Tasmania

Perception

Aksum

Earnshaw, Thomas

Sertorius, Quintus

Stalinism

Eugenikos, Markos

Gstaad

Eisner, Kurt

Poyet, Guillaume

Pacific Islands, Low coral islands

Photography, Technology Of, Aerial photography

Numerals And Numeral Systems, Multiplicative grouping systems

Yacht

Teraina Island

Yacht

Calcutta, University Of

Argentina, Confederation under Rosas, 182952

Nordraak, Rikard

Cord, Errett Lobban

Oss

Fibrous Dysplasia

Frederick

Aetheling

Russell, Bertrand

Udayanacarya

Midfa'i, Jamil Al-

Bulgakov, Mikhail Afanasyevich

Zipper

France, History Of, Kingship

Muromachi Period

Amirante Isles

Zeus

Earth, Expansion phase

Tragedy

Apuleius, Lucius

Adams, John Coolidge

Scandinavian Literature, The modern Swedish novel

Korsakoff Syndrome

Ahithophel

Anthropology

Holbein Rug

Babol

Algeria, World War II and the movement for independence

Lend-lease

Deere, John

Lai

United States Naval Academy

Plock

Morocco, Decline of traditional government (18301912)

Argentina, Mesopotamia

France, History Of, The conquests

Dendrobium

Biblical Literature, Anglo-Norman versions

Obia

Humanism, The English humanists

Ovando, Nicolás De

Pendleton

Kirkpatrick, Ralph

Gyrfalcon

Italian Literature, Fiction at the turn of the 21st century

Biblical Literature, Rule by the Herods

Chellean Industry

U2

Salcedo

Amphitrite

Shamanism

Manchuria

Antarctica

Nuclear Family

China, The Manchurian Plain

Jewish Daily Forward

Hatif

Ryokan

Furniture, France

Argentina, Confederation under Rosas, 182952

Morocco, Decline of traditional government (18301912)