MixedBell

Heinsius, Daniël

2005-04-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

At Leiden, Heinsius produced classical editions, verses, and orations from an early age. He annotated many Latin poets and Greek writers from Hesiod to Nonnus, and the popularity of his lectures dazzled his colleagues. By 1614 he was professor of history, librarian, and secretary to the senate,

Domestic System

2005-04-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Also called Putting-out System production system widespread in 17th-century western Europe in which merchant-employers “put out” materials to rural producers who usually worked in their homes but sometimes laboured in workshops or in turn put out work to others. Finished products were returned to the employers for payment on a piecework or wage basis. The domestic system differed from the handicraft

Jackson, Charles Thomas

2005-04-04T04:02:00.000-07:00

Jackson received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1829. He continued his medical studies at the University of Paris, also attending lectures on geology at the Royal School of Mines. He returned to Boston in 1832 and started a private medical practice but abandoned

Falkland Current

2005-04-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

Branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Southern Hemisphere, flowing northward in the South Atlantic Ocean along the east coast of Argentina to about latitude 30° to 40° S, where it is deflected eastward after meeting the southward-flowing Brazil Current. Characterized by cold temperatures varying from 41° to 66° F (5° to 19° C), the current has a relatively low salinity averaging

Shamanism

2005-04-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

The shaman attains the ecstasy necessary for communicating with the spirits through the performance of the shaman rite, which requires certain appurtenances.

Somalia, Somali clans and foreign traders

2005-04-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

Thus, by the latter part of the 19th century the coastal and hinterland traditions had merged, and the centre of pressure had swung from the coast to the interior. In the north the ancient ports of Berbera and Seylac, much reduced in prosperity and importance, were now controlled by Somali nomads, and the position with the old ports of Marka, Baraawe, and Mogadishu was very

Venetian School

2005-04-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty of painters that was most important

Kiribati

2005-03-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

In October 2000, in anticipation of hosting the Pacific Islands Forum (formerly the South Pacific Forum), Kiribati completed construction of its new parliamentary complex. The Forum, a meeting of heads of government of 16 countries in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, adopted the Biketawa Declaration, which addressed issues of political instability in

Hemel Hempstead

2005-03-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

Town, Dacorum district, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London. The first charter was granted in 1539. The new town, one of eight designed by British planners to accommodate London's overspill population, has been grafted onto the old market town since 1947. Landscaping has been assisted by the presence of the picturesque River Gade.

Agrimony

2005-03-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the genus Agrimonia, of the rose family (Rosaceae). The name particularly denotes A. eupatoria, an herbaceous, hardy perennial that is native to Europe but is widespread in other northern temperate regions, where it grows in hedge banks and the borders of fields. A. eupatoria grows to about 120 cm (4 feet) tall and has alternate feather-formed

Hess's Law Of Heat Summation

2005-03-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Rule first enunciated by Germain Henri Hess, a Swiss-born Russian chemist, in 1840, stating that the heat absorbed or evolved in any chemical reaction is a fixed quantity and is independent of the path of the reaction or the number of steps taken to obtain the reaction. Hess's law is a consequence of the first law of thermodynamics and need not be considered a separate thermodynamic

Price, Thomas

2005-03-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

A stonecutter in England, Price emigrated to South Australia in 1883, continued his trade, and served as secretary of the masons and bricklayers union (1891–93). At one time he worked in

Muezzin

2005-03-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

Arabic Mu'addin, in Islam, the official who proclaims the call to prayer (adhan) on Friday for the public worship and the call to the daily prayer (salat) five times a day, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nightfall. To summon worshipers the Jews use a trumpet and the Christians use a bell, but the Muslims use the human voice. The muezzin is the servant of the mosque and is chosen for his good

Patristic Literature, The schools of Edessa and Nisibis

2005-03-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

Parallel with its richer and better-known Greek and Latin counterparts, an independent Syriac Christian literature flourished inside, and later outside (in Persia), the frontiers of the Roman Empire from the early 4th century onward. Aphraates, an ascetic cleric under whose name 23 treatises written between 336 and 345 have survived, is considered the first Syriac Father.

Saint Vincent And The Grenadines

2005-03-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

In April 2000 the House of Assembly's passage of a bill that would increase the pensions and gratuities of parliamentarians proved to be the spark that ignited an already tense political situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Organisation in Defence of Democracy (ODD)—which brought together the official opposition Unity Labour Party, trade union leaders, businessmen,

Misrule, Lord Of

2005-03-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Abbot Of Misrule, or King Of Misrule, official of the late medieval and early Tudor period in England, who was specially appointed to manage the Christmas festivities held at court, in the houses of great noblemen, in the law schools of the Inns of Court, and in many of the colleges at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford. During his reign, which lasted anywhere from 12 days to 3 months, the Lord of Misrule

Asilah

2005-03-24T23:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Arzila, Spanish Arcila, city on the Atlantic coast of western Morocco. Built on the site of an ancient Phoenician-Carthaginian settlement (Zili), it later fell to the Romans. It passed to the Idrisids, who in the early 11th century repulsed several attacks by Normans. From AD 972 on, it was dominated by the Marinids, until in 1471 the Portuguese occupied Asilah, which they fortified as a military base (the walls

Babar Island

2005-03-23T17:40:00.000-08:00

Bahasa Indonesia Pulau Babar island and island group in the Banda Sea, Maluku propinsi (province), Indonesia. Located between Timor to the west and the Tanimbar Islands to the east, the group consists of Babar, the largest island, surrounded by the five islets of Wetan, Dai, Dawera, Daweloor, and Masela, and the six cover an area of about 314 sq mi (822 sq km). Babar is roughly circular, about 20 mi (32 km) in diameter and mostly

Ambulatory

2005-03-23T01:03:00.000-08:00

In architecture, continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave (central part of the church) around the apse (semicircular projection at the east end of the church) or chancel (east end of the church where the main altar stands) to form a continuous processional way. The ambulatory often provided improved sites for the numerous altars for saints, which formerly

Järta, Hans

2005-03-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

In the 1790s Hans Hierta began his career as a publicist and a left-wing member of the noble estate of the Riksdag (estates general). In sympathy with the French Revolution

Allman Brothers Band, The

2005-03-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

American rock band whose bluesy, jam-oriented sound helped spark the Southern rock movement of the 1970s and set the stage for several generations of roots-oriented improvisational rock bands. The members were Duane Allman (in full Howard Duane Allman; b. Nov. 20, 1946, Nashville, Tenn., U.S.—d. Oct. 29, 1971, Macon, Ga.), Gregg Allman (in full Gregory Lenoir Allman; b. Dec. 8, 1947, Nashville), Berry Oakley (in full

Mitchell, Sir Thomas Livingstone

2005-03-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

As a soldier in the Peninsular War in Spain (1811–14), Mitchell worked in topographical intelligence. He became a major in 1826 but was placed on half pay. In 1827 he went to New South Wales as assistant surveyor general to John Oxley at Sydney.

Deer

2005-03-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

(family Cervidae), any of the ruminant mammals (order Artiodactyla) having two large and two small hooves on each foot and having antlers in the males of most species and in the females of some species. Indeed, the feature most commonly associated with deer is the presence of antlers. Deer occur mainly in forests but may be found in habitats as diverse as deserts, tundra,

Cartesianism

2005-03-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

The philosophical and scientific traditions derived from the writings of the French philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650).

Leahy, Frank

2005-03-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

Leahy played at Notre Dame under Rockne in 1929, but a knee injury

Tibet, Health and welfare

2005-03-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

Under the health program of the Tibetan government, medical advice and medicine were provided free to expectant mothers. In addition to free vaccinations, sacred pendants known as rims-srungs were distributed annually to prevent epidemics. The construction and maintenance of proper drainage systems, wells, and canals—and security facilities to guard against

Buhturi, Al-

2005-03-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Al-Buhturi devoted his early poetry, written between the ages of 16 and 19, to his tribe, the Tayyi'. Sometime after 840 he came to the attention of the prominent poet Abu Tammam, who encouraged his panegyrics and brought him to the caliphal capital of Baghdad. Al-Buhturi met with little success there and returned

Mormon

2005-03-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

Mormon doctrine diverges from the orthodoxy of established Christianity, particularly in its polytheism, in affirming that God has evolved from man and that men might evolve into gods, that the Persons of the Trinity are distinct beings, and that human souls have preexisted. Mormons accept that Christ came to earth so that all might be saved and raised from the dead

Hove

2005-03-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Town, unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, historic county of Sussex, England, on the English Channel, adjoining Brighton to the east and Portslade to the west. Hove, which grew with Brighton as a seaside resort and residential town in the 19th century, has excellent road and rail connections with London to the north. Pop. (1991) 67,602.

Basel, Council Of

2005-03-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

A general council of the Roman Catholic church held in Basel, Switz. It was called by Pope Martin V a few weeks before his death in 1431 and then confirmed by Pope Eugenius IV. Meeting at a time when the prestige of the papacy had been weakened by the Great Schism (1378–1417), it was concerned with two major problems: the question of papal supremacy and the Hussite heresy. (The Hussites were

Kirby, Rollin

2005-03-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

Kirby studied painting in New York City and Paris as a young man but switched to magazine illustrating and then cartooning. Kirby made his reputation during the 18 years (1913 to 1931) he spent on the New York

Alaska, Government

2005-03-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Alaska's economy has been dominated by government since territorial days. From 1940 to 1960 the federal government invested nearly $2 billion in the development of military bases in Alaska. Nothing else in Alaska's history has produced such long-term results, bringing thousands of residents into the territory and creating jobs and a vast array of transportation and communications

Priestley, J(ohn) B(oynton)

2005-03-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

Priestley served in the infantry in World War I (1914–19) and then studied English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1922). He thereafter worked as a journalist and first

Habakkuk, The Book Of

2005-03-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

It is difficult to fix the date of the book, but the mention of the Chaldeans as Yahweh's agent (1:6) suggests the period

Mcmahon, Sir William

2005-03-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

He was educated at the University of Sydney, where he earned a degree in law. After practicing as a solicitor in Sydney he enlisted in the Australian Army in 1939 and rose to the rank of major. He served in the House of Representatives for Lowe (New South Wales)

China, The international alliance against Japan

2005-03-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

The United States had broken the Japanese diplomatic code, and by July 1941 it knew that Japan hoped to end the undeclared war in China and was preparing for a southward advance toward British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, planning first to occupy southern Indochina and Thailand even at the risk of war with Britain and the United States.

Arfons, Art

2005-03-14T02:41:00.000-08:00

Arfons worked in his father's feed-mill business in Akron, Ohio, before and after service in the U.S. Navy (1943–46), which trained him in diesel mechanics. He began his career as a drag racer in the early 1950s with his brother Walter, with whom he built a series of racing

Eureka

2005-03-13T02:23:00.000-08:00

Gold and silver mining is the chief economic activity, although there is some agriculture. The county was created in 1873, and its seat is Eureka. Area 4,176 square miles (10,816 square

Individual Psychology

2005-03-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Body of theories of the Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler, who held that the main motives of human thought and behaviour are individual man's striving for superiority and power, partly in compensation for his feeling of inferiority. Every individual, in this view, is unique, and his personality structure—including his unique goal and ways of striving for it—finds

Abductor Muscle

2005-03-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

Any of the muscles that cause movement of a limb away from the midplane of the body or away from a neighbouring part or limb (compare adductor muscle), as in raising the arms to the side (effected by the deltoideus muscle) or spreading the fingers or toes. In man certain muscles of the hands and feet are named for performing this function. In the hand, the abductor digiti minimi

China, Sung culture

2005-03-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

An agricultural revolution produced plentiful supplies for a population of

Good Neighbor Policy

2005-03-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

Popular name for the Latin American policy pursued by the administration of the U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Suggested by the president's commitment “to the policy of the good neighbor” (first inaugural address, March 4, 1933), the approach marked a departure from traditional American interventionism. Through the diplomacy of Secretary of State Cordell Hull, the

Swiss Literature

2005-03-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

Properly, the writings in the only language peculiar to Switzerland, the Rhaeto-Romanic dialect known as Romansh, though broadly it includes all works written by Swiss nationals in any of the three other languages of their country: German, French, and Italian, or the Swiss dialect forms of any one of them. It also should be noted that the earliest literature produced

Passeriform, Incubation and parental care

2005-03-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Passerines lay clutches of one to 14 eggs, clutch size being unrelated to the size of the bird. The largest species, the two lyrebirds (Menura), lay a single egg; some of the smaller titmice (Parus) have been recorded with the biggest clutches. In most passerines the female incubates the eggs alone, but in some groups—such as the antbirds (Formicariidae), certain grosbeaks (Pheucticus

Ryan, Nolan

2005-03-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

Ryan was taught to play baseball by an elder brother and was a wild but fast pitcher in high school before he was signed by the National League New York Mets in 1965. He pitched for their minor league

Fruehauf Trailer Corporation

2005-03-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

The founder, August Charles Fruehauf (1868–1930), began as a blacksmith and carriage builder around Detroit. In 1914, at the request of a local lumber merchant, he built a trailer to carry the merchant's pleasure boat, to be hauled by a Ford automobile. The trailer was

Korçë

2005-03-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Korça, Korcha , or Kortcha , Old Slavonic Koritsa , Italian Corizza city, southeastern Albania. It began as a feudal estate in the 13th century, and in 1484 the local lord, Koja Mirahor Ilyas Bey, a Muslim convert active in the Ottoman siege of Constantinople (1453), returned to the site and built the mosque that bears his name. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries Korçë was a centre of commerce and trade. The first school to use the Albanian language opened there

Nahhas Pasha, Mustafa An-

2005-03-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

A lawyer by profession, Nahhas was appointed a judge in 1904. Soon after World War I he joined the recently formed Wafd, assuming the chairmanship upon Sa'd Zaghlul's death in 1927. Thus he embarked upon a career during which

Mercury Processing, Secondary mercury

2005-03-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

Significant quantities of mercury have been reclaimed from dental amalgams, oxide and acetate sludges, and battery scrap. Virtually all the metal can be recovered from scrapped mercury cells, mercury boilers, electrical apparatuses, and control instruments.

Agusan River

2005-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

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

Thomas, George H(enry)

2005-03-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1840, Thomas served in the Mexican War (1846–48) and as an instructor at West Point. Despite his Southern birth

Conakry

2005-03-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Konakry, national capital, largest city, and chief Atlantic port, western Guinea. Conakry lies on Tombo (Tumbo) Island and the Kaloum Peninsula. Founded by the French in 1884, it derived its name from a local village inhabited by the Susu (Soussou) people. Subsequently it became capital of the protectorate of Rivières du Sud (1891), of the colony of French Guinea (1893), and of independent Guinea (1958). Tombo

Taconic Orogeny

2005-03-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

A mountain-building event that affected the Appalachian Geosyncline along the eastern coast of the United States. Evidence for the orogeny is most pronounced in the northern Appalachians, but its effects can be noted in the Ridge and Valley Province as far south as Tennessee and in the Piedmont Province as far south as Georgia. Originally thought to have occurred

China, A race for territory

2005-03-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

As soon as Japan's impending surrender was known, the commander of the Communist armies, Gen. Zhu De, ordered his men, on August 11, to move into Japanese-held territory and take over Japanese arms, despite Chiang's order that they stand where they were. The United States aided the Chinese government by flying many divisions from the southwest to occupy the main eastern cities,

Hojo Yoshitoki

2005-03-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Yoshitoki succeeded his father, Hojo Tokimasa (q.v.), as regent, making this office the hereditary post of the Hojo family. Thereafter, although the emperor at Kyoto was the official

Bridgewater, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke Of, Marquess Of Brackley, Earl Of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Baron Of Ellesmere

2005-03-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere. Francis Egerton succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his brother, the 2nd duke, in 1748. Retiring

Bertillon, Alphonse

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

The younger brother of the statistician and demographer Jacques Bertillon, Alphonse Bertillon in 1882 introduced his system

Bohemond Vi

2005-03-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

The son of Bohemond V by Luciana, he succeeded his father in 1252. In 1250 his sister Plaisance had married Henry I of Cyprus, the son of Hugh I, and the Cypriot connection of Antioch was thus maintained. In 1252 Bohemond VI established himself in Antioch, leaving Tripoli to itself, and in February 1258 he procured the recognition of his nephew, Hugh II

Wethered, Joyce (lady Heathcoat-amory)

2005-03-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

British golfer (b. Nov. 17, 1907, Brook, Surrey, Eng.--d. Nov. 18, 1997, London, Eng.), dominated women's golf in the 1920s and was considered one of the best female players in the history of the sport. Wethered, who took up golf as a child, received only one formal lesson. Instead, she studied the play of others, including her brother Roger, himself an accomplished golfer, to improve her game. In 1920 she won her first

Scalawag

2005-03-01T01:27:00.000-08:00

Scalawags came from various segments of Southern society. In the Deep South many were apt to be former Whigs of the planter–merchant aristocracy.

Heiberg, Johanne Luise

2005-02-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Heiberg began performing at an early age, singing for the patrons of her father's tavern and billiard parlour. She made her initial appearance as a singer-dancer at the Royal Theatre at age 14. In 1828 she played the role of Agnete in a new vaudeville production, Elverh

Toowoomba

2005-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Great Dividing Range. The principal inland city in the state, Toowoomba is a rail and road junction, tourist resort, service centre for Darling Downs (a livestock, grain, and dairying region of about 3,500,000 acres [1,400,000 hectares]), and site of the Perseverence Creek Water Supply Scheme. The town's industries include engineering works,

Mammal, Reproduction

2005-02-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

In reproductively mature female mammals an interaction of hormones from the pituitary gland and the ovaries produces a phenomenon known as the estrous cycle. Estrus, or “heat,” typically coincides with ovulation, and during this time the female is receptive to the male. Estrus is preceded by proestrus, during which ovarian follicles mature under the influence of

Houma

2005-02-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1834) of Terrebonne parish, southeastern Louisiana, U.S., situated about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of New Orleans. It lies along Bayou Terrebonne and the Intracoastal Waterway and is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Houma Navigation Canal, 36 miles (58 km) long. In the 1760s, Acadians originally from Nova Scotia settled in the area, which was then occupied by the Houma Indians.

Acadian Orogeny

2005-02-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

A mountain-building event that affected the northern portion of the Appalachian Geosyncline from present-day New York to Newfoundland during the Devonian Period (408 to 360 million years ago). Orogenic activity began during the Early Devonian in Gaspé, spread westward throughout Devonian time, and affected the western margins of the geosyncline in Late Devonian time.

Uzaemon Xvii, Ichimura

2005-02-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

Japanese actor (b. 1916, Tokyo, Japan—d. July 8, 2001, Tokyo), was one of the greatest tachiyaku (male-role) actors in Japan's traditional kabuki theatre. Ichimura was the nephew of Kikugoro Onoe VI, one of the foremost interpreters of kabuki plays. After debuting at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo at the age of five, Ichimura went on to star in numerous dramas, one of the most memorable of which

Ikot Abasi

2005-02-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Opobo, formerly Egwanga, port town, Akwa Ibom state, southern Nigeria. The town lies near the mouth of the Imo (Opobo) River. Situated at a break in the mangrove swamps and rain forest of the eastern Niger River delta, it served in the 19th century as a collecting point for slaves. In 1870 Jubo Jubogha, a former Igbo (Ibo) slave and ruler of the Anna Pepple house of Bonny (28 miles [45 km] west-southwest), came to Ikot Abasi

Audit

2005-02-25T07:03:00.000-08:00

Examination of the records and reports of an enterprise by accounting specialists other than those responsible for their preparation. Public auditing by independent accountants has acquired professional status and become increasingly common with the rise of large business units and the separation of ownership from control. The public accountant performs

Saragat, Giuseppe

2005-02-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

A University of Turin graduate in economics and commerce, Saragat joined the Socialist Party in 1922. An opponent of the Fascists, he was exiled by them from 1926 to 1943; upon returning to Rome in

Wilhelmj, August (emil Daniel Ferdinand Viktor)

2005-02-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

A prodigy, he gave his first concert at the age of eight in Wiesbaden. He studied with Ferdinand David at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1861 to 1863, and with Joachim Raff

Tractatus Coislinianus

2005-02-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

Statement of a Greek theory of comedy found in a 10th-century manuscript (published 1839) in the collection of Henri Charles du Cambout de Coislin. The treatment of comedy displays marked Aristotelian influence, even to the point of paralleling the model offered in the Poetics. The Tractatus is assumed to be either a version of a lost Aristotelian original or a statement

Fairfax

2005-02-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1779) of Fairfax county (though administratively independent of it), northeastern Virginia, U.S., about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Washington, D.C. It developed after 1799 with the construction of the county courthouse and relocation of the county seat from Alexandria. The wills of George and Martha Washington are displayed in the courthouse wing. Early known as Earp's Corner,

Per Ramessu

2005-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

Probably founded in the Old Kingdom, the city was overrun by Palestinian peoples in about 1700 BC and became the Hyksos capital about 1530 BC. Sacked by the victorious pharaoh Ahmose about 1521 BC, it

Domestic Service

2005-02-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

In ancient Greece, Rome, and various other early civilizations, domestic

Giry, Arthur

2005-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

After a brief career in administrative services and journalism, Giry devoted himself to scholarship. His first major work was Histoire de la ville de Saint-Omer et de ses institutions jusqu'au XIVe siècle (1877). The type of research involved in this work led him to similar studies

Naser Od-din Shah

2005-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

Although a younger son of Mohammad Shah, Naser od-Din was named heir apparent through the influence of his mother. Serious

Quaker

2005-02-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

Byname of Friend, member of a Christian group (the Society of Friends, or Friends church) that stresses the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that rejects outward rites and an ordained ministry, and that has a long tradition of actively working for peace and opposing war. George Fox, founder of the society in England, recorded that in 1650 “Justice Bennet of Derby first called us Quakers because

Steam Engine

2005-02-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

In a steam engine, hot steam, usually supplied by a boiler (q.v.), expands under pressure, and part of the heat energy is converted into work. The remainder of the heat may be allowed to escape, or, for maximum engine efficiency, the steam may be condensed in a separate apparatus, a condenser, at comparatively

Melanchthon, Philipp

2005-02-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

The year after Luther's death, when the Battle of Mühlberg (1547) had given a seemingly crushing blow to the Protestant cause, an attempt was made to unite the evangelicals and Roman Catholics in the provisional agreements of the Augsburg Interim. Melanchthon refused to accept the Interim until justification by faith was ensured as a fundamental doctrine. Then, for the

Byrd, William

2005-02-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

English organist and composer of the Shakespearean age who is best known for his development of the English madrigal. He also wrote virginal and organ music that elevated the English keyboard style.

Beirut, American University Of

2005-02-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

Private, nondenominational, coeducational international and intercultural university in Beirut, Lebanon, chartered in 1863 by the state of New York, U.S., as the Syrian Protestant College. Classes started in 1866. Although founded by the American Protestant Mission to Lebanon, the school was set up as an autonomous organization and has no official relationship with any religious

Dual Alliance

2005-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Franco-russian Alliance, a political and military pact that developed between France and Russia from friendly contacts in 1891 to a secret treaty in 1894; it became one of the basic European alignments of the pre-World War I era. Germany, assuming that ideological differences and lack of common interest would keep republican France and tsarist Russia apart, allowed its Reinsurance Treaty (q.v.) with

Keratitis

2005-02-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

Two types of keratitis result from dryness of the cornea. One of these, keratitis sicca, also

'alenu

2005-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew: “it is our duty”), the opening word of an extremely old Jewish prayer, which has been recited at the end of the three periods of daily prayer since the European Middle Ages. The first section of the 'alenu is a prayer of thanks for having set Israel apart for the service of God; the second section, omitted by those who follow the Sephardic (Spanish) rite, expresses a hope

Ijsselmeer Polders

2005-02-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Zuiderzee project, which involved the construction of a dam (Afsluitdijk; completed 1932) enclosing the IJsselmeer

Swanton, John Reed

2005-02-16T03:39:00.000-08:00

Swanton studied with anthropologist Franz Boas at Columbia University for two years but received

Aerospace Industry, Mergers and divestitures

2005-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

With a decline in defense funding and a narrowing of commercial markets in the decades following World War II, the number of business opportunities shrank, and competition for each project became more intense. In response, aerospace companies sought mergers as a way to integrate strengths, to combine talent and other resources, and to reduce costs by eliminating

Outwash

2005-02-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

Deposit of sand and gravel carried by running water from the melting ice of a glacier and laid down in stratified deposits. An outwash may attain a thickness of 100 m (328 feet) at the edge of a glacier, although the thickness is usually much less; it may also extend many kilometres in length. For example, outwash deposits from the Wisconsin Glaciation can be traced to the mouth

Biblical Literature, The fall of Judah

2005-02-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

The southern kingdom of Judah, under the Davidic monarchy, was able to last about 135 years longer, often only as a weak vassal state. Hezekiah (reigned c. 715–c. 687), with the advice of the prophet Isaiah, managed to avoid conflict with or outlast a siege of the Assyrians. Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Manasseh, an apostate king who stilled any prophetic outcries, reintroduced Canaanite

Amaterasu

2005-02-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

In full Amaterasu Omikami (Japanese: “Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven”), the celestial sun goddess from whom the Japanese imperial family claims descent, and an important Shinto deity. She was born from the left eye of her father, Izanagi, who bestowed upon her a necklace of jewels and placed her in charge of Takamagahara (“High Celestial Plain”), the abode of all the kami. One of her brothers, the storm

Enceladus

2005-02-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Second major satellite outward from Saturn. Little was known about this object other than its orbit until the flyby of the American planetary probe Voyager 2 in 1981. Approaching as close as 87,140 km (54,146 miles), the spacecraft revealed that Enceladus is complex geologically; observations of its surface indicate that the satellite has undergone five distinct evolutionary periods.

Insurance, Theft insurance

2005-02-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Theft generally covers all acts of stealing. There are three major types of insurance contracts for burglary, robbery, and other theft. Burglary is defined to mean the unlawful taking of property within premises that have been closed and in which there are visible marks evidencing forcible entry. Such narrow definition is necessary to restrict burglary coverage

ávila Camacho, Manuel

2005-02-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

Ávila Camacho joined the army of Venustiano Carranza in 1914 and rose rapidly through the ranks. A skilled organizer and administrator,

Fishhook Cactus

2005-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Mammillaria, native from southwestern North America to the Caribbean, Colombia, and Venezuela, is a large and complex genus of about 150 species. Its species are

Armidale

2005-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the valley slopes of Dumaresq Creek in the New England Range. Founded in 1839 by G.J. Macdonald, commissioner of crown lands, and named for his father's Scottish baronial estate on the Isle of Skye, it developed a pastoral-agricultural economy. It has become a regional cultural centre with Anglican and Roman Catholic

Infection, Rabies

2005-02-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

Rabies virus is associated with dogs, foxes, jackals, and wolves, among other smaller animals, and has an odd association with vampire bats. In the plains of South America, these bats feed on the blood of cattle, and the death of cattle from paralytic rabies is a serious economic problem there. The bats themselves become rabid and bite other bats, but the spread of rabies

'amiriyah, Al-

2005-02-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

Formerly Maryut industrial district of al-Iskandariyah (Alexandria) muhafazah (governorate), northern Egypt. The centre of the 913-sq-mi (2,365-sq-km) district, which adjoins Lake Maryut (Mareotis) on the southwest, is al-'Amiriyah town. This town was originally a small gypsum-mining centre on the desert roads leading south to Cairo and west along the coast to Marsa Matruh. Al-'Amiriyah's modern development began in

Liquid

2005-02-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a consonant sound in which the tongue produces a partial closure in the mouth, resulting in a resonant, vowel-like consonant, such as English l and r. Liquids may be either syllabic or nonsyllabic; i.e., they may sometimes, like vowels, act as the sound carrier in a syllable. The r in “father” or Czech krk “neck” and the l in “rattle” are syllabic; the r in “rim” and the l in “lock

Religion

2005-02-09T03:10:00.000-08:00

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

Burckhardt, Johann Ludwig

2005-02-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Burckhardt went to England in 1806 and studied in London and at Cambridge University. In 1809, under the auspices of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, he visited Syria