PastArm

Smith, Jessie Willcox

2005-03-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

At age 16 Smith entered the School of Design for Women in Philadelphia, and from 1885 to 1888 she studied with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of

Seylac

2005-03-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Zeila, town and port, extreme northwest Somalia, on the Gulf of Aden. From the 9th century to the end of the 19th, it was the most important Arab settlement on the Somali coast, serving as the centre for trade between the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia and Muslim Arabia. The trade then consisted of ivory, slaves, skins, and incense from Ethiopia and the interior, which were exchanged

Arundel, Thomas Howard, 2nd (or 14th) Earl Of, Earl Of Surrey, Earl Of Norfolk

2005-03-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

The son of Philip Howard, the first earl of the Howard line, he was educated at Westminster School and at Trinity College, Cambridge. On April 18, 1604, he was restored to his father's earldom of Arundel and to the

Sotho

2005-03-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, most Sotho groups relied both on cultivation

Hip-hop

2005-03-11T03:09:00.000-08:00

Although widely considered a synonym for rap music, the term hip-hop refers to a complex culture comprising four elements: deejaying

Kwanza River

2005-03-09T02:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Coanza, Cuanza, Quanza, or Kuanza, river in central Angola, rising about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Chitembo in the Bié Plateau at 5,000 feet (1,500 m). It flows northward for about 320 miles (510 km) and then curves westward to enter the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles (48 km) south of Luanda, after a course of 600 miles (960 km). The Kwanza drains much of central Angola and is the only Angolan river of economic significance. At intervals during much of its

Dan Patch

2005-03-07T02:58:00.000-08:00

(foaled 1896), American harness racehorse (Standardbred), a nearly legendary horse in his time, who established in 1905 a world pacing record of 1:55 1/4 that endured for 33 years. (In 1906 he paced a mile in 1:55 flat—Billy Direct's record-breaking time in 1938—but this feat was not officially recognized.) He paced a mile in 2 minutes or less on 30 occasions, a world record that was not surpassed until the 1960s (by Bret

Guatemala, Transportation

2005-03-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

Two primary highways extend east-west across Guatemala.

Dardanus

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

According to tradition, having slain his brother Iasius, or Iasion, Dardanus fled from Arcadia across the sea to Samothrace. When that island was visited by a flood, he crossed over to

Aestheticism

2005-03-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

The movement began in reaction to prevailing utilitarian social philosophies and to what was perceived as the ugliness and philistinism of the industrial age. Its philosophical foundations

Bradley, Edward Riley

2005-02-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Bradley worked in steel mills, then went to the Southwest, where he became a cowboy and fought Indians and was briefly a miner before he turned to gambling, which became a lifelong passion. Before the turn of the century,

Transalpine Gaul

2005-02-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Romans first ventured into Transalpine Gaul in 121 BC to subdue the Celtic tribes along the Mediterranean coast. All of Transalpine Gaul was annexed by Julius

Venison

2005-02-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Venison resembles beef and mutton in texture, colour, and other general characteristics. It has virtually the same chemical composition as beef but is less fatty. Lean venison roast, before cooking, contains by weight approximately 75 percent water, 20 percent

Rivoli

2005-02-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

Town, Torino provincia, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northwestern Italy, just west of Turin (Torino). Once the favourite resort of the counts of Savoy, the town is dominated by a castle begun by Victor Amadeus II, king of Sicily and Sardinia, in 1712 on the site of an older structure. The house of the Green Count (Amadeus VI), dating from the 14th–15th century, is typical of the elegant patrician

Fish, Stanley

2005-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Fish was educated at the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1959) and Yale University (M.A., 1960; Ph.D., 1962). He taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1974 to 1985 and at Duke University

Lågen

2005-02-16T03:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Numedalslågen river, southeastern Norway. Rising in the Hardanger Plateau, the Lågen flows generally east and north, then southeast through Numedalen, a valley in Buskerud fylke (county), past Rødberg and Kongsberg, through Vestfold fylke and into the Skagerrak (an arm of the North Sea) at Larvik. With a total length of 209 miles (337 km), it is the third longest river in the country. Near Kongsberg,

Costa Rica, Flag Of

2005-02-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

Like other parts of the United Provinces of Central America, Costa Rica originally flew the federal flag of blue-white-blue stripes with a coat of arms in the centre. Adopted when Central America freed itself from Mexico in 1823, it drew its design inspiration from the flag of Argentina, one of the earliest Spanish colonies to proclaim independence. Even after the five

Inter-american Regional Organization Of Workers

2005-02-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Spanish Organización Regional Interamericana de Trabajadores (ORIT) ,Latin-American labour union federation that was established in 1951 as a regional organization for the Latin-American members of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, which had been founded in 1949 primarily by the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) of the United States and the Trades Union Congress of Great Britain.

Aubignac, François Hédelin, Abbé D'

2005-02-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Although trained as an advocate, Aubignac

Silvassa

2005-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Silvasa town, capital of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Union Territory, western India. The town is located about 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Daman on the Daman Ganga River some 15 miles (25 km) inland from the Arabian Sea. It is the economic centre of the territory, which is primarily agricultural and produces rice, pulses, and fruit crops. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 11,720.

Shochiku Co., Ltd.

2005-02-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

Leading Japanese motion-picture studio, the films of which are usually home-centred dramas aimed toward an audience of women. The company was formed in 1902 as a production company for kabuki performances. The business was expanded in 1920 to include motion-picture production, and, shortly afterward, the corporation established the Shochiku Kinema Company to train actors

Castile-la Mancha

2005-02-02T01:54:00.000-08:00

The autonomous community, established in 1982, is bounded by the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz to the west, Córdoba, Jaén, and Murcia to the south, Alicante, Valencia, and Teruel to the east, and Zaragoza,

Dandolo Family

2005-01-30T02:04:00.000-08:00

An ancient Italian family distinguished in the history of Venice. It rose quickly to prominence when expansion from the lagoons to the mainland began. By the 11th century it was rich, and by the 12th (when the branches of San Luca, San Severo, and San Moisè can already be distinguished) it was competing for the highest posts in church and state. In the middle decades of the 12th

Aromatic Compound

2005-01-25T19:56:00.000-08:00

Any of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecular structure includes one or more planar rings of atoms joined by covalent bonds of two different kinds. The term aromatic was first applied about 1860 to a group of hydrocarbons isolated from coal tar and distinguished by their odours, which are much stronger than those of other groups of hydrocarbons; in chemistry,

Japanese Spaniel

2005-01-24T01:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Japanese Chin, breed of toy dog that originated in China and was introduced to Japan, where it was kept by royalty. The breed became known in the West when Commodore Matthew Perry returned from Japan in 1853 with several dogs that had been presented to him. The Japanese spaniel is a compact, dainty-looking dog with large, dark eyes, a short muzzle, and a heavily plumed tail that curls over its

Arunachal Pradesh, Climate

2005-01-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

The climate of Arunachal Pradesh varies with topography and altitude. The foothill zone is subtropical and has a hot and humid climate; in the lower valleys, maximum summer temperatures reach 95° F (35° C), while winter minimums drop below 57° F (14° C). Annual rainfall in the state averages about 80 inches (2,000 millimetres), falling mostly between April and September; in East and West Siang districts

Steglitz

2005-01-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

The district was among the most severely damaged parts of Berlin in World War II; bombs destroyed nearly half its houses. Today northern Steglitz is urban in character,

Hanabilah

2005-01-17T03:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Madhhab Hanbal , English Hanbalites in Islam, the most fundamentalist of the four Sunni schools of religious law. Based on the teachings of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855), the Hanbali legal school (madhhab) emphasized virtually complete dependence on the divine in the establishment of legal theory and rejected personal opinion (ra'y), analogy (qiyas), and the Hellenistic dogma of the Mu'tazilah school of theology, on the grounds

Calder, Alexander (stirling)

2005-01-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

U.S. sculptor best known as the originator of the mobile, a type of kinetic sculpture, the delicately balanced or suspended components of which move in response to motor power or air currents; by contrast, Calder's stationary sculptures are called stabiles. He also produced numerous wire figures, notably for a vast miniature

Manresa

2005-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Town, Barcelona provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It lies along the Cardoner River. The town—which probably originated as Minorisa, the Roman capital of Jacetani—was important during the European Middle Ages. Three bridges span the Cardoner, and on a rock above the oldest bridge stands the yellow Church

Victor (iv)

2005-01-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Made cardinal by Pope Innocent II in 1138, he was elected by a minority of cardinals in September 1159, while, concurrently, a majority elected Alexander

Yessentuki

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

Also spelled Jessentuki , or Essentuki city, Stavropol kray (region), southwestern Russia, in the valley of the Podkumok River. It was founded in 1798, developed as a fortress in the 1830s, and became a city in 1917. It is located at mineral springs at the base of the Caucasus Mountains. The city is composed of an old Cossack village in the southern sector and a newer city in the north. It is a major health resort, with sanatoriums

Oakley, Annie

2005-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Walter Havighurst, Annie Oakley of the Wild West (1954, reissued 1992); Shirl Kasper, Annie Oakley (1992); and Glenda Riley, The Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley (1994), cover Oakley's life and career. Isabelle S. Sayers, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill's Wild West (1981), contains many contemporary photographs.

Claudius

2005-01-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

In full Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , original name (until AD 41) Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus Roman emperor (AD 41–54), who extended Roman rule in North Africa and made Britain a province.

Wolsey, Thomas, Cardinal

2005-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

The son of a butcher of Ipswich, Wolsey was educated at the University of Oxford. In 1498 he was ordained

Manx

2005-01-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

Breed of tailless domestic cat of unknown origin but presumed by tradition to have come from the Isle of Man. Noted for being affectionate, loyal, and courageous, the Manx is distinguished both by its taillessness and by its characteristic hopping gait. It is compactly built, with a rounded head; large, round eyes; and small, wide-set ears. The rump is also rounded and, because

Ventnor

2004-12-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Isle of Wight, historic county of Hampshire, England. The town lies along the southeastern coast of the Isle of Wight. From a small fishing hamlet it grew in the 19th century into a fashionable resort, noted for its mild climate and long hours of sunshine. The novelist Charles Dickens lived for a time nearby, and the poet Algernon Swinburne is buried in

Costello, John A(loysius)

2004-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

A prosperous lawyer who had served as attorney general, he owed his selection as prime minister to a coalition of several parties (including his own Fine Gael) and prominent independent politicians united in opposition to Eamon De Valera's Fianna Fáil (Republican Party). During his first

Manas

2004-12-26T01:20:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “thought”), in Indian philosophy, the human “mind,” that faculty which coordinates sensory impressions before they are presented to the consciousness. Thus, when a person sees, hears, and smells an object—three different and not necessarily related impressions—the manas makes certain that he is conscious that it is the same object.

Swamp

2004-12-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

Wetland ecosystem characterized by mineral soils with poor drainage and by plant life dominated by trees. The latter characteristic distinguishes a swamp from a marsh, in which plant life consists largely of grasses. Swamps are found throughout the world. They exist in areas with poor drainage and sufficient water supply to keep the ground waterlogged, and they

Amadeus Viii

2004-12-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

The sudden death of Amadeus VII in 1391 left his eight-year-old son

Flood, Curt

2004-12-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Flood began playing baseball as a youth and was signed in 1956 by the National League Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958 and played

Framingham

2004-12-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Sudbury River, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston. Settled in 1650, it was incorporated in 1700 and derived its name from Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Framingham Center, just north of the downtown area, was the original village. Framingham's industrial development dates from 1835, with the utilization of local

Caudata, Bones and cartilage

2004-12-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

The rather weak skull of adults is composed of various paired and unpaired bones. These bones may fuse or be lost in different groups, and their presence and arrangement are important in classification. Much of the fusion and loss of skull bones is associated with a trend toward tongue feeding. Small, double-cusped teeth line the margins of the jaw and spread over parts

Carton De Wiart, Henri(-victor), Comte (count)

2004-12-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Elected in 1896 to the Belgian House of Representatives as a member of the Catholic Party's reform-oriented left wing, he served as minister of justice (1911–18) and helped secure passage of child-welfare legislation (1912). Subsequently, he served

Algeria, The Sahara

2004-12-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Algerian Sahara may be divided roughly into two depressions of different elevation, separated from one another by a central north-south rise called the M'zab (Mzab). Each zone is covered by a vast sheet of sand dunes called an erg. The Great Eastern Erg (Grand Erg Oriental) and the Great Western Erg (Grand Erg Occidental), which average 1,300 to 2,000 feet (400 to 600 metres) in height, decline

Fellenberg, Philipp Emanuel Von

2004-12-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

In 1799 Fellenberg purchased the estate of Hofwil, where he founded a school combining manual training and agricultural and academic instruction. His social aim, to be achieved through education, was to try to raise the living conditions of the poor and to weld them and the upper classes together.

Yacht

2004-12-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ocean racing began in 1866 with a match race held under NYYC rules from Sandy Hook, Conn., to Cowes, Isle of Wight, Eng., by three schooners of 32- to 32.6-metre length: Fleetwing, Vesta, and Henrietta. Henrietta, owned by the American newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett, won in 13 days of sailing. The first single-sailor transatlantic voyage was made in a 6-metre boat by Alfred Johnson in

Tiv

2004-12-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Tiv are subsistence farmers whose main crops are yams, millet, and sorghum, all of which are eaten as porridge

Skandha

2004-12-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

Pali Khandha according to Buddhist thought, the five elements that sum up the whole of an individual's mental and physical existence. The self (or soul) cannot be identified with any one of the parts, nor is it the total of the parts. They are: (1) matter, or body (rupa), the manifest form of the four elements—earth, air, fire, and water; (2) sensations, or feelings (vedana); (3) perceptions of sense objects (Sanskrit:

Brentano, Lujo

2004-11-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

Brentano received his Ph.D. in economics in 1867 from the University of Göttingen and was professor of political theory from 1871 to 1931, successively, at the Universities

Procedural Law, Common law

2004-11-28T04:15:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American legal systems, a convicted defendant may move in the trial court to arrest judgment, or he may file a motion for a new trial. The legality of the conviction may also be challenged by appeal to a higher court. Criminal appeals were unknown in the traditional common law, but today they are universally granted by statute. In the United Kingdom, the Criminal

Sublimation

2004-11-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

In physics, conversion of a substance from the solid to the vapour state without its becoming liquid. An example is the vaporization of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) at ordinary atmospheric pressure and temperature. The phenomenon is the result of vapour pressure and temperature relationships. Freeze-drying of food to preserve it involves sublimation of water

France, History Of, Philip Augustus

2004-11-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Philip's outstanding achievement was to wrest control from the Plantagenets of most of the domains they held in France. Intervening in struggles between Henry II of England and his sons, Philip won preliminary concessions in 1187 and 1189. He acquired strategic lands on the Norman borders following wars with Henry's sons, King Richard and King John (1196 and 1200). And when, in 1202, John failed

Technical Assistance

2004-11-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

Form of aid given to less-developed countries by international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and its agencies, individual governments, foundations, and philanthropic institutions. Its object is to provide those countries with the expertise needed to promote development. Most technical-assistance programs began after World War II, when much of

Price System

2004-11-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

A means of organizing economic activity. It does this primarily by coordinating the decisions of consumers, producers, and owners of productive resources. Millions of economic agents who have no direct communication with each other are led by the price system to supply each other's wants. In a modern economy the price system enables a consumer to buy a product he

Valence

2004-11-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Drôme département, Rhône-Alpes région, southeastern France. Valence lies on the left bank of the Rhône River. Built on a succession of terraces bordering the Rhône, the town is dominated by the ancient Cathedral of Saint-Apollinaire, which was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1095 and completed early in the 12th century. Damage done to the cathedral during the

Elda

2004-11-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

City, Alicante province, in the autonomous community (region) of Valencia, southeastern Spain, northwest of Alicante city. Of ancient origin, Elda was called Idella by the Iberians, early peoples of Spain. The city first achieved importance under the Moors, who occupied it in the 8th century and built a castle (ruins remain); it was re-Christianized by James I of Aragon in

United Nations

2004-11-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

The Arab League on September 21 voted to defy UN sanctions by permitting planes carrying Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, to land on the territory of member nations and to permit flights to Libya for humanitarian and religious purposes. The sanctions were imposed on Libya in 1992 over its refusal to surrender suspects wanted in the U.S. and Britain in connection

Sacred Kingship, The king as judge

2004-11-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

From earliest times, in addition to other functions, the chief was the judge of his tribe; he personified the protection that the community provided for the individual. Providing for a balance of power in the community, mediating quarrels, and protecting individual rights, the chief or king was the lawgiver and the highest administrator for all community affairs.

Tasmania, Health and welfare

2004-11-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

The state government controls directly or through hospital boards the general hospitals at Hobart, Launceston, Latrobe, and Burnie-Wynyard; numerous district hospitals; a mental hospital at New Norfolk; a maternity hospital at Launceston; district nursing centres; and nursing homes for the aged and invalid. It also provides district medical officers for the more

Girtin, Thomas

2004-11-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

While still boys, Girtin and his friend J.M.W. Turner were employed to wash in skies for architectural drawings

Macdonald, John Sandfield

2004-11-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

Macdonald was called to the bar in 1840, and the next year he was elected to the Canadian Parliament for Glengarry, a seat he held for 16 years. He supported constitutional government and in 1849–51 served as solicitor general. He held the posts of speaker

Nam Viet

2004-11-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

The kingdom was formed in 207 BC, during the breakup of the Ch'in dynasty (221–206 BC), when the Ch'in governor of Yüeh (now Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces) declared his territory independent. His son Chao T'o (Trieu Da) expanded the new kingdom southward, incorporating

Tamanghasset

2004-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Also called (after 1981) Tamenghest, formerly Fort Laperrine, town, southern Algeria. Located in the mountainous Ahaggar (Hoggar) region on the Wadi Tamanghasset, the town originated as a military outpost, guarding trans-Saharan trade routes. It has become an important way station on the north-south asphalt road called the Trans-Sahara Highway via northern Algeria, which reached Tamanghasset in 1980. Although the desert climate

Asylum

2004-11-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

In international law, the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen against his own state. The person for whom asylum is established has no legal right to demand it, while the sheltering state, which has the legal right to grant asylum, is under no obligation to give it. Asylum is thus a right of the state, not of the individual. The right of asylum falls into three

Pueblo Incident

2004-11-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

Capture of the USS “Pueblo,” a Navy intelligence ship, and its 83 crewmen by North Korean patrol boats off the coast of North Korea on Jan. 23, 1968. The United States, maintaining that the “Pueblo” had been in international waters, began a military buildup in the area. It also initiated negotiations that resulted in an agreement that secured the release of the 82 surviving crewmen (one

Esslingen

2004-11-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

On a commanding height above the city stands the old citadel, and in the inner

Brân

2004-11-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

(Celtic: “Raven”), gigantic Celtic deity who figured in the Mabinogion (a collection of medieval Welsh tales) as “crowned king over this Island” (i.e., Britain). Because of his stature, he and his court had to live in a tent, as no house had ever been built large enough to contain him. The most important aspect of Brân's myth concerned his wondrous severed head. The ancient Celts worshiped

Gruiform

2004-11-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

(order Gruiformes), any member of a rather loose assemblage of 12 families of birds that are generally agreed to be related but that differ widely in many aspects. They are an ancient group with a rich fossil history, but many are now restricted in range and few in number. Members of the order occur on every continent, but the only family with worldwide distribution is the

Nationalism

2004-11-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Nationalism began to appear in Asia and Africa after World War I. It produced such leaders as Kemal Atatürk in Turkey, Sa'd Pasha Zaghul in Egypt, Ibn Sa'ud in the Arabian peninsula, Mahatma Gandhi in India, and Sun Yat-sen in China. Atatürk succeeded in replacing the medieval structure of the Islamic monarchy with a revitalized and modernized secular republic in 1923. Demands

Ottonian Art

2004-11-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Painting, sculpture, and other visual arts produced during the reigns of the German Ottonian emperors and their first successors from the Salic house (950–1050). As inheritors of the Carolingian tradition of the Holy Roman Empire, the German emperors also assumed the Carolingian artistic heritage, the conscientious revival of late antique and Early Christian art forms

English Literature, The later Romantics: Shelley, Keats, and Byron

2004-11-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

The poets of the next generation shared their predecessors' passion for liberty (now set in a new perspective by the Napoleonic wars) and were in a position to learn from their experiments. Percy Bysshe Shelley in particular was deeply interested in politics, coming early under the spell of the anarchistic views of William Godwin, whose Enquiry Concerning Political

Jili, Al-

2004-11-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Little is known about al-Jili's personal life. Possibly after a visit to India in 1387, he studied in Yemen during 1393–1403. Of his more than 30 works, the most famous is Al-Insan al-kamil fi ma'rifat al-awakhir wa al-awa 'il (partial Eng. trans., Studies in Islamic

Abbreviation

2004-11-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

In communications (especially written), the process or result of representing a word or group of words by a shorter form of the word or phrase. Abbreviations take many forms and can be found in ancient Greek inscriptions, in medieval manuscripts (e.g., “DN” for “Dominus Noster”), and in the Qur'an. Cicero's secretary, Marcus Tullius Tiro, devised many abbreviations that have survived

Safe-conduct

2004-11-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Procedure by which a person is permitted to enter or leave a jurisdiction in which he would normally be subject to arrest, detention, or other deprivation. Historically, the habit of princes in granting safe-conducts to foreigners who, as aliens, did not ordinarily enjoy the full protection of the host-country's law developed into the system of diplomatic

Painting, Western, Archaic period (c. 625500 BC)

2004-10-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Corinth remained the leading exporter of Greek vases until about 550 BC, though mass production quickly led to a drop in quality. These later vases were decorated with unambitious and stereotyped groups of animal or human figures; there was little or no interest in narrative. By the late 7th century BC Athenian artists had adopted many of the stylistic features of Corinthian

Caracalla

2004-10-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Caracallus, byname of Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus, original name (until AD 196) Septimius Bassianus, also called (AD 196–198) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Caesar Roman emperor, ruling jointly with his father, Septimius Severus, from 198 to 211 and then alone from 211 until his assassination in 217. His principal achievements were his colossal baths in Rome and his edict of 212, giving Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire. Caracalla, whose reign contributed to the decay

Gobind Singh

2004-10-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Gobind Singh inherited his grandfather Guru Hargobind's love of the military life and was also a man of great intellectual attainments. He was also the son of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the

Aliphatic Compound

2004-10-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Any chemical compound belonging to the organic class in which the atoms are not linked together to form a ring. One of the major structural groups of organic molecules, the aliphatic compounds include the alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes, and substances derived from them—actually or in principle—by replacing one or more hydrogen atoms by atoms of other elements or groups

France, History Of

2004-10-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

History of the area from the time of ancient Gaul and the period of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties of the Early Middle Ages to the subsequent emergence of the modern nation and developments to the present.

Porirua

2004-10-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

City, Wellington local government region, southern North Island, New Zealand. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) north of Wellington city, at the head of Porirua Harbour. The earliest inhabitants were aboriginal moa hunters in the 12th century. European whalers and traders occupied nearby Mana Island from 1832 to 1834, and in 1836 a permanent whaling station was built near Porirua. The city

Colbert, Jean-baptiste, Marquis De Seignelay

2004-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

As the eldest son of the famous secretary of state of that name, Colbert was given the best possible tutors, who found him bright but lazy. In 1683 Colbert became head of the navy and performed brilliantly at the post. He showed an excellent knowledge of naval affairs and personally supervised innovations

Austausch Coefficient

2004-10-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Also called Exchange Coefficient, Eddy Coefficient, or Eddy Diffusivity, in fluid mechanics, particularly in its applications to meteorology and oceanography, the proportionality between the rate of transport of a component of a turbulent fluid and the gradient of the component. In this context, the term component signifies not only material constituents of the fluid, such as dissolved or suspended substances, but also constituents

Arias Sánchez, Oscar

2004-10-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Born into one of the wealthiest coffee-growing families in Costa Rica, Arias studied economics at the University of Costa Rica and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Essex in England. In the 1960s he began working for the moderate socialist

Antietam, Battle Of

2004-10-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

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

Ziyarah

2004-10-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

(Arabic: “visit”), in Islam, a visit to the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in the mosque at Medina, Saudi Arabia; also a visit to the tomb of a saint or a holy person. The legitimacy of these latter visits has been questioned by many Muslim religious authorities, particularly by the Wahhabiyah, who consider ziyarah a bid'ah (innovation) that should be condemned by all true believers. The

Jahwarid Dynasty

2004-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled Córdoba, Spain, after the dissolution of the Umayyad caliphate of Córdoba (1031), one of the party kingdoms (ta'ifahs). Years of civil war following the breakdown of central caliphal authority in 1008 prompted the Cordoban council of notables, led by a prominent aristocrat, Abu al-Hazm Jahwar ibn Jahwar, to abolish the institution of the caliphate and

Roberts, Sir Charles G(eorge) D(ouglas)

2004-10-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

After graduating

Kwazulu

2004-10-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Former nonindependent black state, Natal, South Africa, that was the legal home of all of the nation's Zulus. Its area was scattered among 11 exclaves (detached sections) throughout Natal, occupying more than one-third of its territory. The capital, initially at Nongoma, was moved in 1980 to Ulundi, the last historic capital of the Zulu empire (founded in 1816 by Shaka), where the Zulu

Dee, John

2004-10-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Dee entered St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1542, where he earned a bachelor's degree (1545) and a master's degree (1548); he also was made a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, on its founding in 1546. Dee furthered his scientific studies on the Continent with a short visit

Acton, Sir John Francis Edward, 6th Baronet

2004-10-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Finding the French Navy unappreciative of his skills, Acton, the son of an expatriate Englishman, joined the forces of Peter Leopold (later Holy Roman emperor Leopold

Novelty Song

2004-10-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Popular song that is either written and performed as a novelty or that becomes a novelty when removed from its original context. Regardless of which of these two categories applies, the assumption is that the song is popular because of its novelty, because it sounds different from everything else being played on the radio or jukebox. It follows that novelty hits

Beagle

2004-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

HMS Beagle (the third of nine vessels to bear this name) was launched on May 11, 1820, at Woolwich, the

Fadiman, Clifton

2004-10-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Fadiman was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, and he early became an avid and voracious reader. After graduating from Columbia University, New York City, in 1925, he taught school and then became an editor in the publishing

Landa, Diego De

2004-10-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

Landa was born to a noble family and when quite young joined the Franciscans (1541). His religious fervour manifested itself early, and he asked to be sent as a missionary to the New World. Once in Mexico he tried to help the Indians, who

Bharavi

2004-10-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

Bharavi probably hailed from southern India and flourished during the reigns of

Elizabeth

2004-10-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

The daughter of Peter I the Great (reigned 1682–1725) and Catherine I (reigned 1725–27), Elizabeth grew up to be a beautiful, charming, intelligent, and vivacious young woman. Despite her talents and popularity, particularly among the guards, she played only a minor political role

Croft, William

2004-10-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Educated under John Blow, he was organist of St. Anne's, Soho (1700–12), of the Chapel Royal from 1707, and of Westminster Abbey from 1708. In 1700 he collaborated with Blow, Jeremiah Clarke, Francis Piggott, and John Barrett in a Choice Collection of Ayres

Tea

2004-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Beverage produced by steeping in freshly boiled water the young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). Hybrids of these two varieties are also grown. The leaves may be fermented or left unfermented.