BlueCart

Earth, The ancients

2005-03-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Credit for the idea that the Earth is spherical is usually given to Pythagoras (flourished 6th century BC) and his school, who reasoned that, because the Moon and the Sun are spherical, the Earth is too. Notable among other Greek philosophers, Hipparchus (2nd century BC) and Aristotle (4th century BC) came to the same conclusion. Aristotle devoted a part of his book De caelo (On the

Clanny, William Reid

2005-03-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Edinburgh (M.D.), Clanny served with the navy before becoming a private practitioner. In

Mahabharata

2005-03-15T03:34:00.000-08:00

One of the two major Sanskrit epics of India, valued for its high literary merit and its religious inspiration. The Mahabharata consists of a mass of legendary and didactic material surrounding a central heroic narrative that tells of the struggle for supremacy between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Together with the second major epic, the Ramaya

Computers And Information Systems, E-commerce.

2005-03-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

E-commerce continued to grow with meteoric speed in 1999, powered by Internet retailers such as Amazon.com, which, under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos (see Biographies), expanded beyond selling books on-line to offering toys, consumer electronics, videos, music, auctions, gifts, and electronic greeting cards and prepared to get into the on-line grocery business.

Paragenesis

2005-03-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

The sequence in which the minerals are formed in an ore deposit. Variations in the pressure and temperature and in the chemical constituents of a hydrothermal solution will result in the precipitation of various minerals at different times within the same ore deposit. The general sequence of deposition is gangue minerals (silicates and carbonates) first; oxide

Hyder Ali

2005-03-08T01:48:00.000-08:00

After studying the military tactics of the Frenchman Joseph-François Dupleix, Hyder induced his older brother, a brigade commander in the Mysore army, to obtain military equipment from the Bombay government

Computers, Interpreters

2005-03-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

HLL coding was attempted right from the start of the stored-program era in the late 1940s. Shortcode, or short-order code, was the first such language actually implemented. Suggested by John Mauchly in 1949, it was implemented by William Schmitt for the BINAC computer in that year and for UNIVAC in 1950. Shortcode went through multiple steps: first it converted the alphabetic statements

Arabia, History Of, Regional centres

2005-03-05T22:58:00.000-08:00

Once Mu'awiyah and the Umayyads had seized overlordship of the far-flung Islamic empire, which they ruled from Damascus, the Holy Cities remained only the spiritual capitals of Islam. The Umayyad caliphs appointed governors over the three crucial areas of the Hejaz, Yemen, and Oman; but in Iraq occasional powerful governors managed to control the Persian Gulf provinces,

Babeuf, François-noël

2005-03-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

John Anthony Scott (ed. and trans.), The Defense of Gracchus Babeuf Before the High Court of Vendôme, trans. from French (1964); R.B. Rose, Gracchus Babeuf: The First Revolutionary Communist (1978).

Alicyclic Compound

2005-03-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, any of a large class of organic compounds in which three or more atoms of the element carbon are linked together in a ring. The bonds between pairs of adjacent atoms may all be of the type designated single bonds (involving two electrons), or some of them may be double or triple bonds (with four or six electrons, respectively); six-membered rings for which a system

Antanaclasis

2005-02-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

The first use of “sleep” refers to nocturnal rest, the second to death.

Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl Of, Baron Of Raby

2005-02-25T03:28:00.000-08:00

Leading adviser of England's King Charles I. His attempt to consolidate the sovereign power of the king led to his impeachment and execution by Parliament.

Kochanowski, Jan

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

Born into the country nobility, Kochanowski studied at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and later, between 1552 and 1559, at the University of Padua in Italy. On his return to Poland in 1559, he served as a secretary at the royal court in Kraków. He married about 1575 and retired to his family

U2

2005-02-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

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

Bone Black

2005-02-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Bone Char, or Bone Charcoal, a form of charcoal (q.v.) produced by heating bone in the presence of a limited amount of air. It is used in removing coloured impurities from liquids, especially solutions of raw sugar. Bone black contains only about 12 percent elemental carbon, the remainder being made up principally of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate.

Attalus, Priscus

2005-02-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

Attalus was born a pagan and was baptized by an Arian bishop. He was a senator at the time of Alaric's second siege of Rome, and he was named emperor of the West by the Goths after the city surrendered in 409. Attalus then urged the legitimate emperor, Honorius, to vacate his throne.

Persian Gulf, Transportation

2005-02-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

For centuries a considerable sea trade has been carried on by local craft between the Persian Gulf and Africa and India; this has become completely dominated by an incessant traffic of large tankers that carry oil from the large marine terminals at Khark Island (Iran), Kuwait, Dhahran (Az-Zahran, in Saudi Arabia), Bahrain, Das Island (United Arab Emirates), and other locations

Biblical Literature, The Gospel According to Mark: unique structure

2005-02-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

“The beginning of the Gospel” in the first words

Mierkat

2005-02-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Meerkat, common name for certain carnivores of the civet family (Viverridae): the suricate (q.v.) and various mongoose (q.v.) species.

Caccini, Giulio

2005-02-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Giulio Romano singer and composer whose songs greatly helped to establish and disseminate the new monodic music introduced in Italy about 1600. This is music in which an expressive melody is accompanied by evocative chords, as opposed to the traditional polyphonic style with its complex interweaving of several melodic

Smith, Samuel

2005-02-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Smith fought in the American

Defiance

2005-02-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1845) of Defiance county, northwestern Ohio, U.S., where the Auglaize and Tiffin rivers meet the Maumee, 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Toledo. Laid out in 1822, Defiance became a market for the farm produce of the Maumee valley and developed industrially after the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal (1845). Manufactures now include screw machine products, hand tools, ferrous castings,

Sea Turtle

2005-01-31T01:59:00.000-08:00

Any of the marine turtles of the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback turtle) and Cheloniidae (green turtle, loggerhead, hawksbill, and ridley). Sea turtles, in adaptation to an aquatic life, have limbs modified into flippers for efficient swimming. They generally leave the water only during the breeding season, when the female emerges to dig

La Palma

2005-01-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

In full San Miguel De La Palma island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincia in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Canary Islands, Spain. Located in the North Atlantic off the northwestern coast of Africa, it has an area of 281 square miles (728 square km). Its central geographic feature is La Caldera de Taburiente, a national park and a large volcanic caldera (6 miles [10 km] in diameter). The rim is breached

Cozens, John Robert

2005-01-27T22:18:00.000-08:00

The son of the watercolourist Alexander Cozens, John began to exhibit drawings with the Society of Artists in 1767. The two long visits he paid to the Continent, 1776–79 and 1782–83, were the formative and decisive events in his career. On the first

Trafalgar, Battle Of

2005-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

At the end of September 1805, Villeneuve had

Paracanthopterygian

2005-01-24T02:50:00.000-08:00

Any member of the superorder Paracanthopterygii, a predatory, primarily marine group that forms one of about six major branches of the Teleostei, or bony fishes, the dominant modern aquatic vertebrates. Approximately 1,160 living species of paracanthopterygian fishes have been described. They range in length from just a few centimetres to roughly two metres (more

Biblical Literature, Slavic versions

2005-01-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

The earliest Old Church Slavonic translations are connected with the arrival of the brothers Cyril and Methodius in Moravia in 863, and resulted from the desire to provide vernacular renderings of those parts of the Bible used liturgically. The oldest manuscripts derive from the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest complete Bible manuscript, dated 1499, was used for the first

Chub

2005-01-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

The European chub (Leuciscus cephalus) is a popular, though not especially palatable, game fish found in Europe and Great Britain, primarily in rivers. A large-mouthed fish with

Agriculture

2005-01-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

The science or art of cultivating the soil, growing and harvesting crops, and raising livestock. The art of making land more productive is practiced throughout the world—in some areas by methods not far removed from the conditions of several thousands of years ago and in other areas, with the aid of science and mechanization, as a highly commercial type of endeavour.

Andalusia

2005-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Andalusia possesses the most varied terrain and vegetation in all Spain. Striking contrasts exist between alpine mountains and pine forests at high elevations, arid and barren deserts, and fertile irrigated plains that support plantations of subtropical fruits. The topography of Andalusia is divided by mountain ranges into several distinct zones, each running

Earth Exploration, Magnetic methods

2005-01-17T23:37:00.000-08:00

Measurements can be made of the Earth's total magnetic field or of components of the field in various directions. The oldest magnetic prospecting instrument is the magnetic compass, which measures the field direction. Other instruments include magnetic balances and fluxgate magnetometers. Most magnetic surveys are made with proton-precession or optical-pumping

Romanian Orthodox Church

2005-01-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Christianity first reached Dacia (roughly coextensive with modern Romania) under the Roman Empire at least as early as the 4th century

Cancan

2005-01-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

Lively and risqué dance of French or Algerian origin, usually performed by four women. Known for its high kicks in unison that exposed both the petticoat and the leg, the cancan was popular in Parisian dance halls in the 1830s and appeared in variety shows and revues in the 1840s. The cancan is in a lively 2/4 time and was at first danced to quadrille or galop music. Specific cancans

Albany

2005-01-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1851) of Linn county, western Oregon, U.S., in the Willamette Valley, at the juncture of the Willamette and Calapooia rivers, 26 miles (42 km) south of Salem. Established in 1848 by Walter and Thomas Monteith and named for the New York state capital, it became a shipping point for wool, grain, and cascara bark (which is used medicinally). The Oregon and California (now Southern Pacific)

Rayy

2005-01-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

A settlement at the site dates from the 3rd millennium BC. Rayy is featured in the Avesta (the original document of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion) as a sacred place, and it is

Ararat, Mount

2005-01-13T01:42:00.000-08:00

Turkish Agri Dagi, extinct volcanic massif in extreme eastern Turkey overlooking the point at which the frontiers of Turkey, Iran, and Armenia converge. Its northern and eastern slopes rise from the broad alluvial plain of the Aras River, about 3,300 ft (1,000 m) above sea level; its southwestern slopes rise from a plain about 5,000 ft above sea level; and on the west a low pass separates it from a long range

Kohala Mountains

2005-01-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Volcanic range, northern Hawaii Island, Hawaii, U.S. The mountains extend 21 miles (34 km) north from Waimea to Upolu Point and reach a high point at Kaunu-o-Kaleoohie (5,505 feet [1,678 m]). The mountains consist of an eroded dome, 22 miles long and 15 miles wide, and cover an area of 234 square miles (606 square km). The younger western slopes have a thin soil covering, in contrast with the eastern slopes. The southern

Mithradates Vi Eupator

2005-01-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

Byname Mithradates The Great king of Pontus in northern Anatolia (120–63 BC). Under his energetic leadership, Pontus expanded to absorb several of its small neighbours and, briefly, contested Rome's hegemony in Asia Minor.

Ford, Edmund Brisco

2005-01-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

Ford joined the faculty at the University of Oxford in 1927; he was made professor of ecological genetics in 1963, becoming emeritus professor in 1969. He

Ekoi

2005-01-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

Group of peoples situated in extreme southeastern Nigeria and extending eastward into neighbouring Cameroon. Ekoid Bantu languages are spoken by many groups, including the Atam, Boki, Mbembe, Ufia, and Yako. The Ekoi live in proximity to the Efiks of southeastern Nigeria and claim to have migrated from the north to that area. The inhabitants of Kwa, located near Calabar,

Barry, Philip

2005-01-06T00:47:00.000-08:00

Barry was educated at Yale and in 1919 entered George Pierce Baker's 47 Workshop at Harvard. His A Punch for Judy was produced by the workshop in 1920. You and I, also written while Barry was a student, played 170 performances on Broadway in 1923. Over the next 20 years

Dualism

2005-01-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

In religion, the doctrine that the world (or reality) consists of two basic, opposed, and irreducible principles that account for all that exists. It has played an important role in the history of thought and of religion.

Visayas

2005-01-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Bisayas island group, central Philippines. The Visayas group consists of seven large and several hundred smaller islands clustered around the Visayan, Samar, and Camotes seas. They have a total area of 23,582 square miles (61,077 square km). The seven main islands are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar (qq.v.). These islands and their smaller neighbours make up the central group

Eyre, Lake

2005-01-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

Great salt lake in central South Australia, with a total area of 3,700 square miles (9,300 square km). It lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin, a closed inland basin about 440,150 square miles (1,140,000 square km) in area that is drained only by intermittent streams. Normally dry but susceptible to occasional flooding, the lake occupies the lowest part of the Australian continent.

Coimbra, Pedro, 1o Duque De

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

The second of the “illustrious generation,” comprising the sons of John I and Philippa of Lancaster, Pedro was present at the conquest of Ceuta from the Muslims in 1415 and later traveled abroad in Europe,

Ojin

2005-01-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

In full Ojin Tenno, personal name Hondawake No Mikoto semilegendary 15th emperor of Japan, who according to tradition flourished in the 3rd–4th century. Ojin is believed to have consolidated imperial power, spearheaded land reform, and actively promoted cultural exchanges with Korea and China. It is said that highly skilled weaving techniques were brought from Korea during his reign. Chinese scholars introduced

Condor

2004-12-31T23:54:00.000-08:00

The Andean condor has slightly longer wings, reaching 3 m (10 feet)

Land Mine

2004-12-31T15:29:00.000-08:00

Stationary explosive charge used against military troops or vehicles. See mine.

Avvakum Petrovich

2004-12-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

Archpriest, leader of the Old Believers, conservative clergy who brought on one of the most serious crises in the history of the Russian church by separating from the Russian Orthodox church to support the “old rite,” consisting of many purely local Russian developments. He is also considered to be a pioneer of modern Russian

Alessandro

2004-12-29T01:12:00.000-08:00

Alessandro was an illegitimate child, whose paternity is ascribed either to Lorenzo de' Medici (1492–1519), Duke di Urbino, or, with more likelihood, to Cardinal Giulio, nephew of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Cardinal Giulio received the lordship of Florence in 1519; but, upon being elected pope in 1523 (Clement VII), he made Silvio, Cardinal

East Dunbartonshire

2004-12-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Council area, west-central Scotland. East Dunbartonshire's largest towns, Bearsden and Milngavie in the southwest and Kirkintilloch in the southeast, lie within the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The council area also includes a small area in the south around the town of Bishopbriggs in the historic county of Lanarkshire and a more extensive area in the northeast

Latin America, History Of

2004-12-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands

Fu-hsin

2004-12-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Fuxin, city, northwestern Liaoning sheng (province), China. It is located near the border with the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and serves as a centre for the administration of the large Mongolian population of the border area. Until 1902 the border area remained a pasture ground reserved for the Mongolians. It was legally opened to Chinese colonization in that year, although

Devolution, War Of

2004-12-25T06:13:00.000-08:00

Devolution was a local custom governing the inheritance of land in certain provinces of the Spanish Netherlands, by which daughters of a first marriage were preferred to sons of subsequent marriages; and Louis XIV of France began the war on the pretext that this

Ibáñez Del Campo, Carlos

2004-12-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

After a military career of 30 years, Ibáñez participated in a revolt in September 1924 against the government of Arturo Alessandri Palma. From 1925 to 1927 Ibáñez in effect controlled Chile while

Anhwei, Relief

2004-12-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

The northern portion of Anhwei Province is occupied by the North China Plain—an immense level surface that has periodically been flooded by its dominant rivers. The southern section of the province, the Yangtze Valley, is separated from the northern plain by a series of mountains that stretch roughly from west to east. The Ta-pieh Mountains—an extension of the

Augustus, Caesar

2004-12-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

In the following year the balance of power began to change: whereas Antony's eastern expedition failed, Octavian's fleet, commanded by his former schoolmate, Marcus Agrippa, who, although unpopular with the influential nobles, was an admiral of genius, totally defeated Sextus Pompeius off Cape Naulochus (Venetico) in Sicily. At this point the third triumvir, Lepidus,

Melbourne (of Kilmore), William Lamb, 2nd Viscount, Lord Melbourne, Baron Of Kilmore, Baron Melbourne Of Melbourne

2004-12-21T05:50:00.000-08:00

British prime minister from July 16 to Nov. 14, 1834, and from April 18, 1835, to Aug. 30, 1841. He was also Queen Victoria's close friend and chief political adviser during the early years of her reign (from June 20, 1837). Although a Whig and an advocate of political rights for Roman Catholics, he was essentially conservative. Not believing that the

Middle Ages

2004-12-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

The period in European history from the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century AD to the period of the Renaissance (variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century, depending on the region of Europe and on other factors). The term and its conventional meaning were introduced by Italian humanists with invidious intent; the humanists were engaged

Alba, Fernando álvarez De Toledo Y Pimentel, 3er Duque De

2004-12-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

Alba was born into a rich family

Plain Weave

2004-12-18T05:13:00.000-08:00

Also called Tabby Weave, simplest and most common of the three basic textile weaves. It is made by passing each filling yarn over and under each warp yarn, with each row alternating, producing a high number of intersections. Plain-weave fabrics that are not printed or given a surface finish have no right or wrong side. They do not ravel easily but tend to wrinkle and have less absorbency than

Thomas, Ambrose

2004-12-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Thomas attended the Paris Conservatory, concluding his studies by winning the Prix de Rome in 1832 for his cantata Hermann et Ketty. Upon his return from Rome in 1835 he launched himself on a career as an opera composer and began teaching at the conservatory

Maine, Explorations and disputes

2004-12-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

The first European explorations of Maine are shrouded in mystery. Evidence that Norsemen landed on the coast is scant and disputed, and serious questions exist about some of the early British claims based on John Cabot's voyages in the late 1490s. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English explorers did probe the islands, the bays, and the rivers of the “maine” throughout the

Foreman, George

2004-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Foreman grew up in Houston, Texas, and learned to box in a U.S. Job Corps camp in Oregon. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, he won the gold medal in the heavyweight boxing competition.

Quionga

2004-12-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Formerly Kionga, village, Cabo (Cape) Delgado province, extreme northeastern Mozambique, East Africa, just south of the Rio Rovuma. In 1886 Germany and Portugal had agreed on the Rovuma as the boundary between then German East Africa (now Tanzania) and Portuguese Mozambique, but the Germans later claimed (1892) that Portugal had no rights north of Cabo Delgado, approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of the Rovuma's

Rabe, David

2004-12-12T03:49:00.000-08:00

Rabe was educated at Loras College, Dubuque (B.A., 1962), and Villanova University, Pennsylvania (M.A., 1968). He completed his graduate studies

Antiope

2004-12-11T04:34:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, the mother, by the god Zeus, of the twins Amphion and Zethus. According to one account, her beauty attracted Zeus, who, assuming the form of a satyr, took her by force. Pregnant, she escaped the threats of her father by running away and marrying Epopeus, king of Sicyon; she was later brought back and imprisoned by her uncle Lycus. On the way back from Sicyon, or after

Dow Chemical Company

2004-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Dow Chemical Company was founded in 1897 by chemist Herbert H. Dow of Midland to supplement the Midland Chemical Company (1890) and Dow Process Company (1895). Created in part because Dow required

Romilly, Sir Samuel

2004-12-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

English legal reformer whose chief efforts were devoted to lessening the severity of English criminal law. His attacks on the laws authorizing capital punishment for a host of minor felonies and misdemeanours, such as begging by soldiers and sailors without a permit, were partly successful during his lifetime and contributed to reforms

Antarctica, Plant and animal life

2004-12-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Aschelminth, Distribution and abundance

2004-12-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

Nematodes are the most abundant of all multicellular animals and are found wherever life can be supported. They reach their greatest numbers in estuarine mud flats, up to 20,000,000 per square metre, decreasing in density in marine muds and sands but often reaching one to several million per square metre. Typical densities for terrestrial soils, including forests, grasslands,

Wollaston, William

2004-12-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

After studies at the University of Cambridge, Wollaston became a schoolteacher in Birmingham (1682) and soon afterward was ordained a priest. In 1688 he inherited the major part of his

Culmann, Carl

2004-12-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

In 1841 Culmann entered the Bavarian civil service as a cadet bridge engineer with the Hof railway construction division. He was eventually appointed professor of engineering sciences at the

Tigerware

2004-12-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tygerware, 16th- and 17th-century German stoneware having a brown, mottled glaze, and made in the Rhenish centres of Cologne and Frechen, Ger. Tigerware was imported to England and imitated there in the different medium of delft, or tin-glazed earthenware; the imitations were also called tigerware. Tin-glazed jugs in this style—called Malling jugs—are among the earliest class of English

Arnaud, Henri

2004-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

After studying theology in Switzerland, Arnaud returned to Piedmont and established himself as pastor at Torre Pellice (1685), where he

Triberg

2004-12-02T00:15:00.000-08:00

In full Triberg Im Schwarzwald, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Gutach River, northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. Situated in a gorgelike valley among tall pinewoods near Triberg Falls, the highest (535 feet [163 m]) waterfall in Germany, Triberg is one of the oldest Black Forest resorts and is noted for its beneficial climate and its winter-sports facilities. The

Fusulina

2004-12-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct fusulinid foraminiferans (protozoans with a shell) found as fossils in marine rocks of Late Carboniferous age (286 to 320 million years old). Fusulina, an excellent index fossil for Late Carboniferous rocks, enables widely separated rocks to be correlated.

Malan, Daniel F(rançois)

2004-11-30T03:34:00.000-08:00

Malan was educated at Victoria College, Stellenbosch, and at the University

Dalhousie, James Andrew Broun Ramsay, Marquess And 10th Earl Of

2004-11-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

Dalhousie also took advantage of every opportunity to acquire territory by peaceful means. The East India Company, which was no longer an independent corporation but largely under the control of the British government, was rapidly becoming the predominant power in India. It had concluded alliances with Indian rulers, promising to support them and their heirs

Lowell, Amy

2004-11-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Lowell came from a prominent Massachusetts family (her brothers were Abbott Lawrence Lowell, later president of Harvard, and astronomer Percival Lowell). She was educated in private schools and by her mother, and until she was 28 she did little but alternately live

Polenta Family

2004-11-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

Italian noble family, named for its castle of Polenta (located in the Romagna, southwest of Cesena), which dominated the city-state of Ravenna from the end of the 13th century to the middle of the 15th. The family's ascendancy began with Guido da Polenta (d. 1310), known as Guido Minore, or Guido the Old, who led the Guelf, or pro-papal, faction in Ravenna against the Ghibelline, or pro-emperor,

Tapestry, 15th century

2004-11-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

The greatest tapestries of the 15th century were produced in the Flemish cities of Arras, Tournai, and Brussels. In the first half of the century it was Arras that particularly prospered under the patronage of the dukes of Burgundy. Duke Philip the Good (1396–1467) had a specially designed building erected in the city to allow for better conservation of his tapestry collection.

Watanabe Osamu

2004-11-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

Watanabe won his first national championship at the age of 19 and defended this title four times (1960–64) while attending Chuo University in Tokyo. He startled observers

Molde

2004-11-23T04:03:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. It lies along Molde Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea. A port since the 15th century, Molde was partially destroyed by fire in 1916, damaged during World War II, then rebuilt completely. During April 1940 it was the temporary home of the Norwegian government. Local industry includes fish export, textile mills, and furniture

Yamamoto Gonnohyoe, Count

2004-11-22T01:31:00.000-08:00

Yamamoto's well-placed political contacts aided his rapid rise in the navy. During the Sino-Japanese War he served as aide-de-camp to general headquarters and in 1898 was appointed minister of the navy in the Japanese cabinet with the rank of vice admiral. Promoted

Saarbrücken

2004-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

City, capital (1959) of Saarland Land (state), southwestern Germany, on the Saar River at the mouth of the Sulz River, a frontier station opposite Forbach, Fr. There were Celtic and Roman settlements in the vicinity, but the name is derived from the Frankish royal castle of Sarrabrucca, referring to a bridge across the river dating from Roman times. Its early rulers were the bishops

Rjr Nabisco, Inc.

2004-11-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Former conglomerate corporation formed by the merger in 1985 of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (a diversified company specializing in tobacco and food products), and Nabisco Brands, Inc., an international manufacturer of snack foods. In what was the biggest merger of its time, RJR Nabisco became privately owned in 1989 when it was merged into investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

Wright, James

2004-11-20T13:06:00.000-08:00

After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, Wright studied under John Crowe Ransom at Kenyon College in

Bloodhound

2004-11-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

Breed of dog unsurpassed by any other in scenting ability and from which most of the scent-hunting hounds have been derived. It was known, although not in its present form, in the Mediterranean area in pre-Christian times. Typically calm and affectionate, it has been used in tracking animals and in trailing persons. A large, strong dog, it stands 23 to 27 inches (58 to 69 centimetres)

Interest Group

2004-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Also called special-interest group, any aggregate of individuals that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, makes claims upon groups or society in general in order to promote its objectives.

Pauling, Linus

2004-11-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

In full Linus Carl Pauling American chemist who applied quantum mechanics to the study of molecular structures, particularly in connection with chemical bonding. Pauling received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1962 (the latter in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the international control of nuclear weapons and his

Amadeus Vii

2004-11-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Son of Amadeus VI and Bonne of Bourbon, Amadeus married (1377) the daughter of Jean, duc de Berry, brother of the king of France. His father, the “Green Count,” wore his customary emerald-green livery at the wedding, and the groom earned his

Earth, Force

2004-11-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

This is a vector quantity that changes or tends to produce a change in the motion of a body. It is a push or pull and must be specified as to its direction and magnitude. If there is no acceleration of a body, the forces that act on it are balanced. There are four types: compression, tension (or extension), shear, and torsion. During compression, rocks are squeezed together by two

Sokol

2004-11-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

(Czech: “Hawk,” or “Falcon”), gymnastic society, originating in Prague in 1862 to develop strength, litheness, alertness, and courage. Originally patterned after the German turnverein, the Sokol traditionally emphasized mass calisthenics as a means of promoting communal spirit and physical fitness. Banned during the Nazi occupation, the Sokol movement was revived in 1945 but

Rambutan

2004-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Rambotan, Ramboetan, Ramboutan, or Rambustan (Nephelium lappaceum), tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). It is native to Malaysia, where it is commonly cultivated for its tasty fruit, also called rambutan. The bright-red, oval fruit, about the size of a small hen's egg, is covered with long, soft spines and has a tasty acid pulp. The tree grows to about 10.5–12 metres (35–40 feet).

La Matanza

2004-11-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

Partido (political subdivision) of Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Arg., directly southwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires province. The present-day partido was part of the Pago (country district) de las Conchas during the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1730 the Pago de las Conchas was divided into four rural settlement areas, one of which was the Pago de la Matanza. The

Responsorial Singing

2004-11-10T23:10:00.000-08:00

Style of singing in which a leader alternates with a chorus. Responsorial singing is found in the folk music of many cultures—e.g., American Indian, African, and African American. One example from the rural United States is the lining out of hymns in churches: a leader sings a hymn line, which is then repeated by the congregation. Responsorial singing of the psalms was practiced

Grabau, Amadeus William

2004-11-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Grabau was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, from 1892 until 1897 and of the Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute from 1899 until 1901, when he became a professor at Columbia

Metallurgy

2004-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Art and science of extracting metals from their ores and modifying the metals for use. Metallurgy customarily refers to commercial as opposed to laboratory methods. It also concerns the chemical, physical, and atomic properties and structures of metals and the principles whereby metals are combined to form alloys.