WetDrawer

Salem

2005-03-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

Salem's manufactures include

Zamora

2005-03-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

In full Zamora De Hidalgo, city, northwestern Michoacán state, west-central Mexico. It lies at an elevation of 5,141 feet (1,567 m) above sea level in the Zamora valley, formed by the Duero River. It was founded in 1540 as an outpost to guard against Indians. Commerce, agriculture, and livestock raising are the principal sources of income. Corn (maize), wheat, beans, and numerous fruits and vegetables are grown in the

Atami

2005-03-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

City, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the northeastern coast of the Izu Peninsula, facing Sagami Gulf of the Pacific Ocean. The city occupies the crater of the extinct volcano Mount Atami. The surrounding hills are remnants of the crater wall, which has been drowned by the sea on the east. Atami's mild and warm climate, scenic seascape, and hot springs have

Jhang Maghiana

2005-03-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

City consisting of twin towns, headquarters of Jhang Maghiana District, Sargodha Division, Punjab Province, Pakistan, just east of the Chenab River. Maghiana lies on the edge of the highlands overlooking the alluvial valley, while Jhang occupies the lowlands at its foot. They are connected by two roads and by the Grand Trunk Road with Peshawar and Lahore. Maghiana, founded

Ani

2005-03-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

Any of three species of big-billed, glossy black birds of the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family (Cuculidae), of tropical America. These insect eaters forage on the ground in close and noisy flocks, often in fields with cattle. The bill is high-arched, bladelike, and hook-tipped; the tail is long and broad; the wings are short; and the plumage is floppy, so that

Burgred

2005-03-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

In 852 or 853 he called upon Aethelwulf of Wessex to aid him in subduing the North Welsh. The request was granted and the campaign proved successful, the alliance being sealed by the marriage of Burgred to Aethelswith, daughter of Aethelwulf. In 868 the Mercian king appealed to Aethelred and Alfred for assistance

Masochism

2005-03-06T04:04:00.000-08:00

Psychosexual disorder in which erotic release is achieved through having pain inflicted on oneself. The term derives from the name of Chevalier Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian who wrote extensively about the satisfaction he gained by being beaten and subjugated. The amount of pain involved can vary from ritual humiliation with little violence to severe

Classical Scholarship, The 18th century: the age of Bentley

2005-03-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

Since the late 16th century little had been heard of English scholarship; once the study of Greek had been established by Linacre, Grocyn, Sir John Cheke, and their contemporaries, the English preoccupation with education had set in. John Selden is the most notable of few exceptions, and he was a jurist and antiquary, not an academic, though his De Diis Syris (1617) laid the foundations

Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali

2005-03-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

Born into a noble Rajput family that had accepted Islam, Bhutto was the son of a prominent political figure in the Indian colonial government. He was educated in Bombay and at the University

Furniture, 17th century: the Baroque style

2005-03-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

During the 17th century, the Baroque style had a marked effect upon furniture design throughout western Europe. Large wardrobes, cupboards, and cabinets had twisted columns, broken pediments, and heavy moldings. In Baroque furniture the details are related to the whole; instead of a framework of unrelated surfaces, each detail contributes to the harmonious movement

Caldas

2005-03-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

Departamento, west-central Colombia. It is situated in the Cordillera Central of the Andes Mountains and is bounded by the Magdalena River on the east and the Cauca River on the west. Penetrated by Spaniards early in the 16th century, Caldas gained prominence as a gold-mining region. It was created a department in 1905. Coffee is the chief product, but other agricultural products

Wurlitzer Family

2005-03-01T00:50:00.000-08:00

Rudolph Wurlitzer (b. Jan. 30, 1831, Schöneck, Saxony [Germany]—d. Jan. 14, 1914, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), emigrated to the United States in 1853, settling in Cincinnati. He began dealing in musical instruments, which had been the traditional family business since the time of lute-maker Heinrich Wurlitzer (1595–1656). By 1861 he was no longer able to fill all

Great Basin

2005-02-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

Also called Great Basin Desert

Hippocrateaceae

2005-02-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

Family of woody vines, shrubs, and trees, belonging to the order Celastrales, comprising 21 genera common in the tropics. They have simple leaves and small, greenish flowers. The genus Hippocratea has 80 or more species, including H. ovata, a high-climbing vine—in tropical America and the West Indies—with leathery, oval leaves. Salacia, with 200 species, differs from Hippocratea

Brown, Ronald Harmon

2005-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

U.S. politician (b. Aug. 1, 1941, Washington, D.C.--d. April 3, 1996, near Dubrovnik, Croatia), was regarded as an adroit deal maker and political strategist who helped resuscitate both the Democratic Party as its national chairman (1989-93) and the U.S. Department of Commerce as its secretary (1993-96). A prominent member of Pres. Bill Clinton's Cabinet, he wielded heavy influence in international trade but was

Prodigy

2005-02-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

An extraordinary person, particularly a child, who shows spontaneous early signs of genius or exceptional ability along certain lines. Among these are the arithmetical prodigies, the chess prodigies, and the lightning calculators who have a remarkable memory for figures. Best known are the musical prodigies—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Felix

Harbour Grace

2005-02-22T06:07:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Newfoundland, Canada. It lies on the northeast coast of Avalon Peninsula, 32 miles (51 km) west-northwest of St. John's, across Conception Bay. Settled about 1550, it was probably named for Le Havre-de-Grâce (Le Havre, France). Peter Easton, the pirate, had his headquarters there about 1600. Since 1856 the town has been the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop. Until the 1920s it was one of the

Muhammad Ibn Al-hanafiyah

2005-02-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would

Ealing Studios

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

Also called Associated Talking Pictures, Ltd. English motion-picture studio, internationally remembered for a series of witty comedies that reflected the social conditions of post-World War II Britain. Founded in 1929 by two of England's best known producers, Basil Dean and Reginald Baker, with the financial support of the Courtauld family, manufacturers of textiles, the company opened its own distribution outlet

Textile

2005-02-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

The term is derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally referred only to woven fabrics. It has, however, come to include fabrics produced by other methods. Thus, threads, cords, ropes, braids, lace, embroidery, nets, and fabrics made

Adams, Franklin Pierce

2005-02-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

Adams' newspaper career began in 1903, with the Chicago Journal. The next year he went to New York, where

Earth, Variation with elevation

2005-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

At sea level the gradient is equivalent to -0.3086 milligal per metre;

Adelantado

2005-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “one who goes before”), representative of the kings of Castile (Spain) who in the early European Middle Ages headed military expeditions and, from the reign of Ferdinand III (1217–52) until the 16th century, held judicial and administrative powers over specific districts. Greater adelantados (adelantados mayores) served as appeal judges and in times of war were responsible

Locomotion, Invertebrates

2005-02-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

As in the protozoans, aquatic locomotion in invertebrates (animals without backbones) consists of both swimming and bottom movements. In swimming, the propulsive force is derived entirely from the interaction between the organism and the water; in bottom movements, the bottom surface provides the interacting surface. Whereas some bottom movements are identical

A-mdo

2005-02-14T03:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Mdo-smad, one of three regions into which the area of central Asia inhabited by Tibetans is traditionally divided. During the 7th to 9th centuries, the central Tibetan kingdom was extended until it reached the Tarim Basin on the north, China on the east, India and Nepal on the south, and Kashmir on the west. The newly added dominions to the east and northeast were called Mdo-Khams.

Aerospace Industry, Use of computers

2005-02-13T04:53:00.000-08:00

The computer has also fundamentally changed the development process by permitting digital modeling and simulation as well as computer-aided design in conjunction with computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM; see computer-aided engineering). In the early design stage of a flight vehicle, digital computer modeling of prospective designs enables rapid examination

R.e.m.

2005-02-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

R.E.M., named for a dream-state condition (rapid eye movement), formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, a university town about 65 miles

Abbotsford

2005-02-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Former home of the 19th-century novelist Sir Walter Scott, situated on the right bank of the River Tweed, Scottish Borders council area, historic county of Roxburghshire, Scotland. Scott purchased the original farm, then known as Carley Hole, in 1811 and transformed it (1817–25) into a Gothic-style baronial mansion now known as Abbotsford House. Still the home of Scott's direct descendants,

Lochmaben

2005-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Royal burgh (town), Dumfries and Galloway council area, historic county of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, situated near several small lochs in Annandale valley. Robert the Bruce, who ruled Scotland as Robert I from 1306 to 1329, had close associations with the town and, according to local tradition, was born in Lochmaben Castle in 1274. In 1290 a peel tower (small fortified tower) was erected by

Quicklime

2005-02-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

Calcium oxide, an alkaline inorganic compound of calcium (q.v.).

Crusca Academy

2005-02-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Founded by five members of the

Queen Anne's

2005-02-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Maryland, U.S., bordered by the Chester River to the north, Delaware to the east, and Chesapeake Bay to the west. It consists of a coastal lowland and includes Kent Island, which is linked across the bay to Anne Arundel county by the William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge (completed 1952). The southeastern corner of the county includes part of Tuckahoe State

Grady, Henry Woodfin

2005-02-06T02:09:00.000-08:00

In 1876 Grady became a special reporter in Georgia for The New York Herald, and three years later he bought a quarter interest in The Atlanta Constitution, which under his

Tachylyte

2005-02-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled tachylite glassy igneous rocks low in silica, such as basalt or diabase. Tachylytes are black with a pitchlike or resinous lustre; in thin sections they are characteristically brown and translucent, and the glass is crowded with granules of magnetite. Tachylytes are found only under conditions that imply rapid cooling, and they are much less common than are the corresponding

épinal

2005-02-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of the Vosges département, Lorraine région, eastern France, on the Moselle River, south-southeast of Nancy. The town, located on two arms of the Moselle, is divided into four parts. The town proper, known as the grande ville (“large town”), or vieille ville (“old town”), stands on the right bank of the main river. The petite ville (“little town”) is on an island between the two

Adams, Douglas

2005-02-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

Adams received an M.A. (1974) in English literature

Learning Theory

2005-02-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

A common goal in defining any psychological concept is a statement that corresponds to common usage. Acceptance of that aim, however, entails some peril. It implicitly assumes that common language categorizes in scientifically

Gatling, Richard Jordan

2005-02-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Gatling's career as an inventor began when he assisted his father in the construction and perfecting of machines for sowing cotton seeds and for thinning cotton plants. In 1839 he perfected a practical

Fucino Basin

2005-01-31T06:16:00.000-08:00

Italian Conca Del Fucino, formerly Lago Fucino, or Lago Di Celano, Latin Lacus Fucinus, former lake bed in L'Aquila province, Abruzzi region, central Italy, just east of Avezzano. The lake was once 37 mi (59 km) in circumference and about 100 ft (30 m) deep, although its level was subject to great variations because of the lack of an outlet. As early as AD 52 the emperor Claudius had a tunnel constructed, 3 1/2 mi (5 1/2 km) long, as an outlet to the Liri (Liris) River. The tunnel, still evident but no

Argentina, Agriculture

2005-01-29T02:01:00.000-08:00

Argentina is one of the world's major exporters of soybeans and wheat, as well as meat. It is also one of the largest producers of wool and wine, but most of its wine is consumed domestically. Although agriculture is an important source of export earnings, it now accounts for a small percentage of the overall GDP, and it employs only a tiny portion of the nation's

Drachmann, Holger Henrik Herholdt

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

The son of a physician, Drachmann studied painting and also began to write. A visit to London in 1871 awakened an interest in social problems, and after his return he joined the new radical movement of which Georg Brandes was the central

Tradescant, John

2005-01-28T05:49:00.000-08:00

Tradescant added to his father's collection of natural history objects, ultimately forming a significant collection acquired principally from Algiers and Virginia. After the younger

World War I, The German invasion

2005-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

For the smooth working of their plan for the invasion of France, the Germans had preliminarily to reduce the ring fortress of Liège, which commanded the route prescribed for their 1st and 2nd armies and which was the foremost stronghold of the Belgian defenses. German troops crossed the frontier into Belgium on the morning of August 4. Thanks to the resolution of a middle-aged

Affenpinscher

2005-01-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Monkey Terrier, breed of toy dog known since the 17th century. The affenpinscher stands 26 cm (10 inches) or less and weighs 3 to 3.5 kg (7 to 8 pounds). A sturdily built, terrier-like dog, it has small, erect ears, round black eyes, and a short, docked tail. Its wiry, preferably black coat is short on parts of the body but longer on the legs and on the face, where it produces the monkey-like expression for which the

Black Powder

2005-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

First type of explosive mixture invented for use in firearms and for blasting (see gunpowder).

Cylinder Recording

2005-01-24T23:43:00.000-08:00

Earliest form of phonograph record, invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1877. The sound to be recorded was focused by a horn onto a diaphragm, causing it to vibrate; the vibrations were transmitted to a stylus and modulated its motion as it followed a helical path along the surface of a yielding material (such as wax) that coated a cylinder rotating under the stylus. See also phonograph

Mosaic

2005-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

In art, decoration of a surface with designs made up of closely set, usually variously coloured, small pieces of material such as stone, mineral, glass, tile, or shell. Unlike inlay, in which the pieces to be applied are set into a surface that has been hollowed out to receive the design, mosaic pieces are applied onto a surface that has been prepared with an adhesive. Mosaic

Botha, P(ieter) W(illem)

2005-01-22T01:08:00.000-08:00

A native of the Orange Free State, he studied law at the University of Orange Free State at Bloemfontein from 1932 to 1935 but left without graduating. Already active in politics in his teens, he moved to Cape Province at age 20 to become a full-time organizer for the National Party. He was

Amorphous Solid, Models of atomic scale structures

2005-01-20T02:15:00.000-08:00

Amorphous solids, like crystalline solids, exhibit a wide variety of atomic-scale structures. Most of these can be recognized as falling within one or another of three broad classes of structure associated with the following models: (1) the continuous random-network model, applicable to covalently bonded glasses, such as amorphous silicon and the oxide glasses, (2) the

Macarius

2005-01-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

A monk of the monastery of St. Paphnutius in Borovsk, southwest of Moscow, Macarius became archbishop of Novgorod in 1526. After his elevation in 1542 as metropolitan of Moscow and of all Russia, Macarius gathered a

Gad Al-haq Ali Gad Al-haq

2005-01-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

Egyptian religious leader who, as grand sheikh of al-Azhar, the Muslim world's highest religious body, issued rulings based on strict Islamic orthodoxy, including support for female circumcision and harsh punishment for those breaking the fast during Ramadan (b. April 5, 1917--d. March 15, 1996).

Sarapis

2005-01-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Serapis Greco-Egyptian deity of the sun first encountered at Memphis, where his cult was celebrated in association with that of the sacred Egyptian bull Apis (who was called Osorapis when deceased). He was thus originally a god of the underworld but was reintroduced as a new deity with many Hellenic aspects by Ptolemy I Soter (reigned 305–284 BC), who centred the worship of the deity at

Balchin, Nigel

2005-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

After studying natural science at the University of Cambridge, Balchin divided his time between research work in science and industry (as an industrial psychologist) and writing. During World War II he was deputy scientific adviser to the Army

Religion

2005-01-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

The year 1993 began amid the turmoil generated by the destruction on Dec. 6, 1992, of the medieval mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, by Hindu militants, who believed the building was originally an ancient Hindu temple marking the birthplace of the god Rama. The ensuing bloody clashes between Hindus and Muslims throughout the nation claimed at least 2,000 lives within a few weeks, most

Setouchi

2005-01-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

Industrial region, southern Japan. Setouchi includes the southern portion of Chugoku chiho (region) on the island of Honshu, the northern part of Shikoku, and many nearby industrial areas on islands of the Inland Sea. Setouchi is neither an administrative nor a political entity; it includes portions of the ken (prefectures) of Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi on Honshu,

Adams, Samuel Hopkins

2005-01-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

One of the so-called muckrakers of the period, Adams

Antarctica, Plant and animal life

2005-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

Eric Hosking and Bryan Sage, Antarctic Wildlife (1982), is an authoritative discussion of the fauna of Antarctica. Biology of the Antarctic Seas (irregular), contains technical accounts of Antarctic sea life; a more popular summary is Robert C. Murphy, “The Oceanic Life of the Antarctic,” Scientific American, 207(3):186–194 (September 1962). Technical accounts of terrestrial life are in J. Linsley Gressitt (ed.), Entomology of Antarctica (1967); and S.W. Greene et al., Terrestrial Life of Antarctica (1967); a nontechnical review is provided by George A. Llano, “The Terrestrial Life of the Antarctic,” Scientific American, 207(3):212–218 (September 1962). Oliver L. Austin, Jr. (ed.), Antarctic Bird Studies (1968), is a technical publication; whereas John Sparks and Tony Soper, Penguins, 2nd ed. (1987), comprehensively but nontechnically describes the characteristic flightless birds of subantarctic and Antarctic coasts. George Gaylord Simpson, Penguins: Past and Present, Here and There (1976), is an authoritative, popularly written account of penguins and their fossil record. David G. Campbell, The Crystal Desert (1992), evocatively portrays the natural history of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands.

Iblis

2005-01-12T02:31:00.000-08:00

At the creation of man, God ordered all his angels to bow down in obedience before Adam. Iblis refused, claiming he was a nobler being

Melbourne

2005-01-09T05:42:00.000-08:00

City, capital of the state of Victoria, Australia. It is located at the head of Port Phillip Bay, on the southeastern coast. Although the central city is the home of fewer than 100,000 people, it is the core of an extensive metropolitan area—the world's most southerly with a population of more than 1,000,000. In Australia it is second only to Sydney in population, and there is a good-natured

Spoon River

2005-01-09T01:18:00.000-08:00

River in west-central Illinois, U.S. It rises in southwestern Bureau county and flows south and southwest to a point near Lewistown, where it turns southeast, joining the Illinois River opposite Havana after a course of 160 miles (257 km). The Dickson Mounds, a rich archaeological area, are near the confluence of the two rivers. Spoon River was made famous by Edgar Lee Masters, the

Marpurg, Friedrich Wilhelm

2005-01-07T05:29:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of his musical education. In 1746 he was secretary to a Prussian general in Paris, where he met Voltaire and the composer Jean Rameau. He later lived in Berlin and Hamburg and from 1763 to 1795 directed the Prussian

Development

2005-01-07T02:45:00.000-08:00

The simplest form of development is a change (usually an increase) in size of an organ system or structure; simple growth, however, seldom occurs without accompanying chemical

Bka'-brgyud-pa

2005-01-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kagyupa (Tibetan: “Transmitted Word”), third largest Buddhist sect in Tibet. Its members are followers of the 11th-century teacher Mar-pa, who distinguished himself as a translator of Buddhist texts while continuing to live the life of a householder. Mar-pa studied in India under the master yogin (spiritual adept, or ascetic) Naropa, and the school stresses the more severe practices

Ligurian Republic

2005-01-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

French République Ligurienne, Italian Repubblica Ligure, republic created by Napoleon Bonaparte on June 15, 1797, organizing the conquered city of Genoa and its environs. The government was modeled on that of the Directory in France, and the republic was tied to France by alliance. In 1803 it became also a military district, closely linked to France, and its chief of state became appointable by Napoleon. In May 1805 the Ligurian Republic was

Palawan

2005-01-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Island, the southwesternmost large island of the Philippines. Palawan is long and narrow and trends northeast-southwest between the South China and Sulu seas. It has an area of 4,550 square miles (11,785 square km), a maximum width of 24 miles (39 km), and a mountainous backbone that runs its entire 270-mile (434-kilometre) length, with Mount Mantalingajan (6,840 feet [2,085 m]) in the south as its highest peak. The

Adam, Robert

2005-01-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

Having nearly exhausted his money and anxious to return to England, Adam had to forgo the pleasures of further expeditions to Greece and Egypt. He returned to London in January 1758, his head full of details of Roman antiquities. Palladianism was losing its appeal, and the public was ready for a new architectural style. Adam lost no time in making his reputation, and by the

Erik I

2005-01-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Byname Erik Bloodax, Norwegian Eirik BlodØks king of Norway (c. 930–935) and later king of Northumberland (948, 952–954). On the death of his father, Harald I Fairhair, first king of united Norway, Erik attempted to make himself sole king of Norway, defeating and slaying two of his brothers to whom vassal kingdoms had been assigned by their father; but his tyranny fostered the reaction that had set in against the strong rule

Sea-urchin Cactus

2004-12-31T00:55:00.000-08:00

Any of the genus Echinopsis, family Cactaceae, about 30 species native to South America at medium elevations in desert shrublands or grasslands. Several species, but most especially the Easter lily cactus (E. multiplex), are valued for their ease of growth and large flowers on tubes up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) long. Most are hardy outdoors in Mediterranean

Heinlein, Robert A(nson)

2004-12-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929 and serving in the Navy for five years, Heinlein pursued graduate studies in physics and mathematics at the University of California at

Perfect Gas

2004-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Also called ideal gas a gas that conforms, in physical behaviour, to a particular, idealized relation between pressure, volume, and temperature called the general gas law. This law is a generalization containing both Boyle's law and Charles's law as special cases and states that for a specified quantity of gas, the product of the volume v and pressure p is proportional to the absolute temperature

Conté, Nicolas-jacques

2004-12-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

At 14 he took up portrait painting, from which he derived a considerable income. Passionately interested in mechanical arts and science, he began displaying his inventive faculty during the French Revolution. With the supply

Thomas à Kempis,

2004-12-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

About 1392 Thomas went

Yangtze River, The upper course

2004-12-27T03:27:00.000-08:00

The upper course of the Yangtze flows across the Plateau of Tibet and descends through deep valleys in the mountains east of the plateau, emerging onto the Yunnan-Kweichou (Yunkwei) Plateau. The summers are warm and the winters cold. The source of the Yangtze is the Wu-lan-mu-lun (Ulan Muren) River, which originates in glacial meltwaters on the slopes of the T'ang-ku-la

Cyrenaica

2004-12-25T03:09:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cirenaica , Arabic Barqah historic region of North Africa and until 1963 a province of the United Kingdom of Libya. As early as c. 631 BC Greek colonists settled the northern half of ancient Cyrenaica, known then as Pentapolis for the five major cities they established: Euhesperides (Banghazi), Barce (al-Marj), Cyrene (Shahhat), Apollonia (Marsa Susah), and Tenchira (Tukrah). In later times Ptolemais (Tulmaythah) and Daims-Zarine

Abstract Expressionism

2004-12-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Broad movement in American painting that began in the late 1940s and became a dominant trend in Western painting during the 1950s. The most prominent American Abstract Expressionist painters were Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. Others included Clyfford Still, Philip Guston, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, Adolph Gottlieb, Robert

Spooner Amendment

2004-12-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

Filipinos fought the imposition of American rule, and it was believed in the United States that their

Haavelmo, Trygve

2004-12-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

After the outbreak of World War II, Haavelmo left Norway and delivered his doctoral dissertation, “The Probability Approach in Econometrics,” at Harvard University in 1941. Although he had two doctorates

Habib, Philip Charles

2004-12-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Habib, the son of a Lebanese grocer, was raised in a Jewish section of Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Idaho (1942) and was studying for his doctorate in agricultural

Ukko

2004-12-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

In Finnish folk religion, the god of thunder, one of the most important deities. The name Ukko is derived from ukkonen, “thunder,” but it also means “old man” and is used as a term of respect. Ukko had his abode at the centre of the heavenly vault, the navel of the sky; hence he was often called Jumala, “Heaven God.” Ukko was believed to control rainfall and thus the fertility of the land,

Karatepe

2004-12-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

(Turkish: “Black Hill”), site of a Late Hittite fortress city, located in the piedmont country of the Taurus Mountains in south-central Turkey. The city, dating from the 8th century BC, was discovered in 1945 by Helmuth T. Bossert and Halet Çambel. It was built with a polygonal fortress wall and an upper and lower gateway of monumental proportions. The gate chambers are lined with inscribed

Pittsburg

2004-12-19T04:07:00.000-08:00

City, Crawford county, southeastern Kansas, U.S., near the Missouri border. Laid out in 1876, it developed as a zinc- and coal-mining town and railroad centre and was named after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Besides strip coal-mining operations, it has large plants that produce coal-preparation equipment and ammonium nitrate. Pittsburg State University was founded in 1903. The city

Lutheran Churchmissouri Synod

2004-12-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Conservative Lutheran church in the United States, organized in Chicago in 1847 by German immigrants from Saxony (settled in Missouri) and Bavaria (settled in Michigan and Indiana) as the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. C.F.W. Walther, a seminary professor and pastor ordained in Germany, was president of the church from 1847 to 1850 and from 1864 to

Faraday's Laws Of Electrolysis

2004-12-17T02:56:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, quantitative laws used to express magnitudes of electrolytic effects, first described by the English scientist Michael Faraday in 1833. The laws state that (1) the amount of chemical change produced by current at an electrode-electrolyte boundary is proportional to the quantity of electricity used, and (2) the amounts of chemical changes produced by the same

Schaffner, Franklin (james)

2004-12-15T02:45:00.000-08:00

The son of Protestant American missionaries, Schaffner lived in the United States after the age of five and attended Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania (A.B., 1942). During World War II he served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. In 1948 he became a director for CBS television;

Tsushima

2004-12-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Archipelago, Nagasaki ken (prefecture), off the coast of southeastern Japan. The islands lie in the Korea Strait separating Japan and Korea, and divide the strait into the Tsushima Strait (west) and the Korea Strait (east). The archipelago consists principally of two rocky islands, Kami and Shimo, which are separated at one point by only a narrow channel. Kami has an area

Kuchma, Leonid

2004-12-14T00:58:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Dnipropetrovsk State University in 1960, Kuchma embarked on a career as an engineer, serving as Communist

Vieille, Paul

2004-12-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

After studying with the chemist Marcellin Berthelot, Vieille collaborated with him in researches that led to important discoveries of the physics of shock waves (1881). He then undertook to solve the problem of harnessing the powerful but unstable substance nitrocellulose as a propellant

Francis Ferdinand, Archduke Of Austria-este

2004-12-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

Francis Ferdinand was the eldest son of the archduke Charles Louis, who was the brother of the emperor Francis Joseph. The death of the heir apparent, the archduke Rudolf, in 1889, made Francis Ferdinand next in succession to the Austro-Hungarian

Eliade, Mircea

2004-12-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Eliade took an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Bucharest

Germanic Peoples

2004-12-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

No trace of autocracy can be found among the Germans whom Caesar describes. The leading men of the pagi (kindred groups) would try to patch up disputes as they arose, but they acted only in those disputes that broke out between members of their own pagus. There appears to have been no mediatory body at this date. In fact, in peacetime there appears to have been no central

Vakataka Dynasty

2004-12-08T03:45:00.000-08:00

Indian ruling house originating in the central Deccan in the mid-3rd century AD, the empire of which is believed to have extended from Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east. The Vakatakas, like many of the contemporary dynasties of the Deccan, claimed Brahmanical origin. Little is known,

Mauritius

2004-12-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic Of Mauritius, island country, the central independent island state of the Mascarene group, lying about 500 miles (800 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is situated at latitude 20°18¢ S and longitude 57°36¢ E and extends 38 miles (61 km) from north to south and 29 miles (47 km) from east to west. Its outlying territories are Rodrigues Island, lying 344 miles (553 km) eastward, the Cargados Carajos Shoals, 250 miles (402 km) northeastward,

Wilhelmshaven

2004-12-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

City and port, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany, on the Jadebusen, a North Sea inlet on the coast of Ostfriesland (East Frisia). Founded in 1853 by Wilhelm I on land bought by Prussia from Oldenburg, it was given its present name in 1869. In 1937 it was united with Rüstringen and returned to Oldenburg Land. As the principal naval base for the Prussian (later German) navy, it suffered

Marées, Hans Von

2004-12-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

In 1853 Marées went to Berlin, where he studied for two years. For the next eight years he worked chiefly in Munich, coming under the influence of the historical school, and in 1864 he went to Italy, where he lived for about 20 years. In 1873 he received his most important commission, the painting of frescoes

Sarandon, Susan

2004-12-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

Original name Susan Abigail Tomalin American film actress who transcended the early roles of her career, when she often played characters who were highly sensual but little else, to become a performer of considerable versatility and emotional depth. In 1995 she won an Academy Award for her unglamorous yet engaging performance as a nun counseling death-row prisoners in Dead Man

Olympic Games, Lake Placid, New York, U.S., 1932

2004-12-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Controversies surrounding the speed skating

O'brien, William

2004-12-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

Irish journalist and politician who was for several years second only to Charles Stewart Parnell (1846–91) among Irish Nationalist leaders. He was perhaps most important for his “plan of campaign” (1886), by which Irish tenant farmers would withhold all rent payments from landlords who refused to lower their rents and would pay the money

Tarahumara

2004-12-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Rarámuri, Middle American Indians of southwestern Chihuahua state in northern Mexico. Their language, which belongs to the Sonoran division of the Uto-Aztecan family, is most closely related to Yaqui and Mayo. Culturally the Tarahumara show similarities to such neighbouring Uto-Aztecan peoples as the Cora, Huichol, Tepehuan, and Pima-Papago. The land inhabited by the Tarahumara

Problem Play

2004-11-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

Type of drama that developed in the 19th century to deal with controversial social issues in a realistic manner, to expose social ills, and to stimulate thought and discussion on the part of the audience. The genre had its beginnings in the work of the French dramatists Alexandre Dumas fils and Émile Augier, who adapted the then-popular formula of Eugène Scribe's “well-made

Hugh Iii

2004-11-29T01:28:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his cousin Hugh II as king of Cyprus in 1267, he obtained the disputed crown of the dwindling crusader kingdom of Jerusalem two years later. The efforts of his rival, Charles I of Anjou, king of Sicily, who also claimed his rights to be a king of Jerusalem, and the resistance