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Claremont

2005-04-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

City, Sullivan county, western New Hampshire, U.S., on the Sugar River near its junction with the Connecticut River. Settled in 1762, Claremont was organized as a town in 1764 and was probably named for the duke of Newcastle's country estate in England. Waterpower for early industry was provided by the Sugar River, and completion of the Concord and Claremont Railroad (1871–72) gave impetus

Leah

2005-04-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

After Jacob had deprived his brother Esau of his birthright

Rommel, Erwin

2005-04-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Less than a year later, in February 1941, Rommel was appointed commander of the German troops dispatched to aid the all but defeated Italian army in Libya. The deserts of North Africa became the scene of his greatest successes—and of his defeat at the hands of a vastly superior enemy. In the North African theatre of war, the “Desert Fox,” as he came to be called by both friend and

Chiang-men

2005-04-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Jiangmen, also called Kongmoon, city in central Kwangtung sheng (province), China. The city is situated on the west bank of the main channel of the Hsi River, at the southwest corner of the Canton Delta, some 45 miles (70 km) from Canton. It has excellent waterway communications and is the chief collecting centre and agricultural market for the coastal region west of Canton. Chiang-men was opened as a treaty

Pale

2005-04-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

In imperial Russia, what came to be called the Pale of Settlement (Cherta Osedlosti) came into being as a result of the introduction

Sucre, Antonio José De

2005-04-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

At the age of 15 Sucre entered the

Nove Ware

2005-03-31T03:56:00.000-08:00

Primarily majolica, or tin-glazed earthenware, made in Nove, Italy, in the 18th century. The factory was founded by Giovanni Battista Antonibon in 1728, and in the latter part of the century it had connections with a factory in nearby Bassano, where majolica had been made two centuries earlier. Most Nove ware was in the prevalent Rococo style. From 1752 the factory also produced a

Closed Shop

2005-03-31T02:53:00.000-08:00

By the 1930s the closed shop had become a commonly negotiated agreement meant to protect labour organizations. This and other

Alemanni

2005-03-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alamanni, or Alamani, a Germanic people first mentioned in connection with the Roman attack on them in AD 213. In the following decades, their pressure on the Roman provinces became severe; they occupied the Agri Decumates c. 260, and late in the 5th century they expanded into Alsace and northern Switzerland, establishing the German language in those regions. In 496 they were conquered by Clovis and incorporated

Chan Chan

2005-03-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Great ruined and abandoned pre-Inca city on the present-day northern Peruvian coast, the capital of the Chimú kingdom (c. AD 1200–1400). The site is about 300 miles (480 km) north of Lima in the Moche Valley, between the Pacific and the city of Trujillo. The ruins, which cover nearly 14 square miles (36 square km), are in good condition because the area is rainless. The city was watered by irrigation ditches,

Botswana

2005-03-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Botswana, formerly Bechuanaland, country in the centre of southern Africa. It has an area of 224,607 square miles (581,730 square kilometres). The territory is roughly square—approximately 600 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west—with its eastern side protruding into a sharp point. Its eastern and southern borders are marked by river courses and an old wagon road; its western borders are lines of longitude

Chronology

2005-03-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

The era at present in vogue among the Jews, counted from the creation of the world (anno mundi; abbreviated to AM), came into popular use about the 9th century AD. Traceable in dates recorded much earlier, this era has five styles conventionally indicated by Hebrew letters used as numerals and combined into mnemonics, which state the times of occurrence of the epochal mean

United States V. E.c. Knight Company

2005-03-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

President Grover Cleveland ordered the government to

Compurgation

2005-03-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

The essence of the procedure lay in oath making. The party responsible for proving a fact had to produce a number of witnesses (usually 12) who would swear that he was

Wessex

2005-03-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

One of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, whose ruling dynasty eventually became kings of the whole country. In its permanent nucleus, its land approximated that of the modern counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, and Somerset. At times its land extended north of the River Thames, and it eventually expanded westward to cover Devon and Cornwall. The name Wessex

Elgin

2005-03-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

On a hill to the west stood the 12th-century castle that in 1291 marked the northern limit of the English occupation of Scotland. The castle was destroyed after the Battle of Bannockburn (1314), which

Acts Of The Apostles, The

2005-03-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation Acts, fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by the Evangelist Luke, whose gospel concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christ's Ascension into heaven. Acts was apparently written in Rome, perhaps between AD 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier date is also possible. After an introductory

Arndt, Johann

2005-03-24T00:41:00.000-08:00

Arndt studied at Helmstadt, Wittenberg, Strasbourg, and Basel. In 1583 he became a pastor at Badeborn, but in 1590 he was deposed for refusing to remove pictures from his church and to discontinue the use of exorcism in Baptism. Both were

O'higgins, Bernardo

2005-03-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Bernardo O'Higgins was born in Chillán, a town in southern Chile, then a colony of Spain. As noted in his certificate of Baptism, he was the illegitimate

Kyonggi

2005-03-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

Do (province), northwestern South Korea. It is bounded by the truce line with North Korea (north), by the do of Kangwon (east) and Kyongsang-puk and Ch'ungch'ong-nam (south), and by the Yellow Sea (west). The nation's capital, Seoul, is in the middle of the province but was separated from it administratively in 1946 as a special city. Formerly Kyonggi do was the granary of Seoul; the Kyonggi plain,

Anastasius The Librarian

2005-03-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

Related to an Italian bishop, Anastasius became cardinal priest of the Church of St. Marcellus, Rome, about 848, after gaining prominence as a Greek scholar. Deposed in 853 because of political activity, he stood for a short time as antipope to Benedict III (855–858). After

Maxwell, William

2005-03-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Illinois (B.A., 1930) and Harvard University (M.A., 1931), Maxwell taught English at the University of Illinois before joining the staff of The New Yorker magazine, where he worked

Lanarkshire

2005-03-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Lanark historic county of south-central Scotland, roughly coinciding with the basin of the River Clyde. It is bounded to the south by the historic county of Dumfriesshire, to the east by Peeblesshire, Midlothian, and West Lothian, to the north by Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, and to the west by Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. It encompasses all of the council areas of South

Carnivore, Distribution and abundance

2005-03-20T01:12:00.000-08:00

Carnivores are found worldwide. Terrestrial forms are absent from most oceanic islands, though the coastlines are usually visited by seals (pinnipeds). Except for the dingo (which probably was introduced by aboriginal man), Australia has no native terrestrial members of the Carnivora. Man has taken his pets, as well as a number of wild species, to most islands. For example,

Saracen

2005-03-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

In the Middle Ages, any person—Arab, Turk, or other—who professed the religion of Islam. Earlier in the Roman world, there had been references to Saracens (Greek: Sarakenoi) by late classical authors in the first three centuries AD, the term being then applied to an Arab tribe living in the Sinai Peninsula. In the following centuries the use of the term

Sorus

2005-03-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

Plural Sori, in botany, brownish or yellowish cluster of spore-producing structures (sporangia) on the lower surfaces of fern leaves. A sorus may be protected during development by a scale or film of tissue called an indusium. In rust and smut fungi, a sorus is a spore mass produced on the leaf of an infected plant. Reproductive structures called sori also occur in various species

Botev, Khristo

2005-03-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

In 1863 Botev was sent to complete his education in Russia, where he was much influenced by nihilist ideas. He returned to Bulgaria in 1867 but then fled to Romania. There he lived in poverty,

Roxana

2005-03-18T02:19:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Roxane wife of Alexander the Great. The daughter of the Bactrian chief Oxyartes, she was captured and married by Alexander in 327, during his conquest of Asia. After Alexander's death (323) she had his second wife, Stateira (Barsine), killed, and she gave birth at Babylon to a son (Alexander IV), who was accepted by the Macedonian generals as joint king with the idiot Philip

Ray, James Earl

2005-03-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Ray had been a small-time crook, a robber of gas stations and stores, who had served time in prison, once in Illinois and twice in Missouri, and received a suspended sentence in Los Angeles. He escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary on April 23, 1967; and in Memphis,

Moscheles, Ignaz

2005-03-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

Moscheles studied at the Prague Conservatory and later at Vienna under J.G. Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. In 1814, commissioned by Artaria & Co., publishers, he made the first piano arrangement of Ludwig van

Madison

2005-03-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1811) of Jefferson county, southeastern Indiana, U.S. It lies along the Ohio River (bridged), opposite Milton, Ky. Settled about 1808 and named for President James Madison, it flourished as a river port until overshadowed by Louisville (46 miles [74 km] southwestward downstream) and Cincinnati (88 miles [142 km] upstream). Madison is now an important tobacco market and agricultural trading

Bala

2005-03-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Welsh Y Bala market town, Gwynedd county, historic county of Merioneth (Meirionnydd), Wales, in Snowdonia National Park at the northern end of mountain-girt Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), the largest natural lake in Wales. The town was founded under a charter of 1324. In the 18th century it became famous both for its knitted stockings and for its huge Methodist revival meetings; it was the home of the

China, Invasion of the Sung

2005-03-15T23:38:00.000-08:00

During the next decades there was an uneasy coexistence between the Mongols in northern China and the Sung state in the south. The Mongols resumed their advance in 1250 under the grand khan Möngke and his brother Kublai Khan—grandsons of Genghis Khan. Their armies outflanked the main Sung defenses on the Yangtze River and penetrated deeply into southwestern China,

Alum

2005-03-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of hydrated double salts, usually consisting of aluminum sulfate, water of hydration, and the sulfate of another element. A whole series of hydrated double salts results from the hydration of the sulfate of a univalent cation (e.g., potassium) and the sulfate of any one of a number of trivalent cations (e.g., aluminum). Aluminum sulfate can thus form alums with

Ruysdael, Salomon Van

2005-03-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Originally named de Goyer, as was his brother Isaak (also a painter and the father of Jacob van Ruisdael), Salomon entered the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke in 1628. His first dated pictures are from 1627. He spent his whole life in Haarlem,

Black Lead

2005-03-14T01:40:00.000-08:00

Graphite (q.v.), though the term is a misnomer, since graphite does not contain any lead.

Croce, Benedetto

2005-03-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Historian, humanist, and foremost Italian philosopher of the first half of the 20th century.

Netherlands, The, Plant and animal life

2005-03-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

Most wild Dutch plant species are of the Atlantic district within the Euro-Siberian phytogeographic region. Gradients of salt and winter temperature variations cause relatively minor zonal differences in both wild and garden plants from the coast to more continental regions. The effects of altitude are negligible. Vegetation from coastal sand dunes, muddy

Ramadier, Paul

2005-03-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate in law from the University of Paris, Ramadier became an advocate at the Paris Court of Appeals. He became mayor of Decazeville in 1919 and represented Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the Chamber of Deputies from 1928 to 1940. In 1936–37 Ramadier served in the public

Elgin, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl Of, 11th Earl Of Kincardine

2005-03-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

Third son of Charles Bruce, the 5th earl (1732–71), he succeeded his brother William Robert, the 6th earl, in 1771 at the age of five. Entering the army in 1785 and rising later to the rank of major general, Elgin began his diplomatic career in 1790. Envoy at Brussels

Catalog Verse

2005-03-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Verse that presents a list of people, objects, or abstract qualities. Such verse exists in almost all literatures and is of ancient origin. The genealogical lists in the Bible and the lists of heroes in epics such as Homer's Iliad are types of catalog verse, as are more modern poems such as Gerard Manley Hopkins's “Pied Beauty,” which begins: Glory be to God for dappled

Amalthea

2005-03-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Small, inner satellite of Jupiter discovered in 1892 by the American astronomer E.E. Barnard. It circles Jupiter once every 11 h 57 min at a distance of 181,000 km (112,220 miles) in a nearly circular, uninclined orbit. Photographs transmitted by the U.S. probes Voyagers 1 and 2 in 1979 show that Amalthea is an irregular body measuring 270 ´ 166 ´ 150 km (167 ´ 103 ´ 93 miles); the long axis always points toward Jupiter. Amalthea has a very

Rouen

2005-03-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

Known to the Romans as Rotomagus, the town first became important in the 3rd century AD, when Christianity was brought there by St. Mellon, who was its first bishop. Invaded by the Normans in 876, it became subject to the English crown after

Nepal, Flag Of

2005-03-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of independent states existed on the Indian subcontinent prior to the period of British control there in the 17th–19th centuries. Many of these countries, including Nepal, had state flags of their own, their symbols usually representing the ruling dynasty. Frequently, the flag designs, shapes, and colours were (by European standards) unusual. Most of those flags

Texas, Annexation and statehood

2005-03-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

As early as 1836, Texans had voted for annexation by the United States, but the proposition was rejected by the Jackson and Van Buren administrations. Great Britain favoured continued independence for Texas in order to block further westward expansion of the United States, but this attitude only helped to swing Americans toward annexation. Annexation was approved

Great Leap Forward

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

The campaign undertaken by the Chinese Communists between 1958 and early 1960 to organize its vast population, especially in large-scale rural communes, to meet China's industrial and agricultural problems. The Chinese hoped to develop labour-intensive methods of industrialization, which would emphasize manpower rather than machines. Thereby, it was hoped, the country

ávila Camacho, Manuel

2005-03-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

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

Middlesex

2005-03-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

County, south-central Connecticut, U.S. It is bordered to the south by Long Island Sound and to the southwest by the Hammonasset River, and the Connecticut River bisects the county from north to south. Other waterways are the Menunketesuck River, the Moodus Reservoir, and Bashan Lake. The topography is mostly upland terrain, with river valleys and coastal lowlands. Parklands

Canasta

2005-03-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Canasta originated in Uruguay in the late 1940s. By 1948 it was the most popular game in the fashionable clubs

Babylon

2005-03-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

Babylonian Bab-ilu , Old Babylonian Bab-ilim , Hebrew Bavel or Babel , Arabic Atlal Babil one of the most famous cities of antiquity. It was the capital of southern Mesopotamia (Babylonia) from the early 2nd millennium to the early 1st millennium BC and capital of the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) empire in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when it was at the height of its splendour. Its extensive ruins, on the Euphrates River about 55 miles (88 km) south of Baghdad, lie near the modern

Czerny, Carl

2005-03-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

He studied piano, first with his father, Wenzel Czerny, and later with Ludwig van Beethoven and knew and was influenced by Muzio Clementi and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. He began teaching in Vienna at the age of 15; among his pupils were Franz Liszt and Beethoven's

Graves' Disease

2005-03-06T02:50:00.000-08:00

Also called toxic diffuse goitre , or exophthalmic goitre endocrine disorder that is the most common type of hyperthyroidism, or thyrotoxicosis (oversecretion of thyroid hormone). In Graves' disease the excessive secretion of thyroid hormone is usually accompanied by diffuse primary overgrowth of the thyroid gland (which results in goitre) and by exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyeballs), with eyelid retraction and

Anbar

2005-03-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Massice , or Fairuz Sapur ancient Mesopotamian town located on the left bank of the Euphrates River, downstream from modern Ar-Ramadi in central Iraq. Originally called Massice and Fairuz Sapur, it was destroyed by the Roman emperor Julian in AD 363. The town was rebuilt and became known from at least the 6th century as Anbar (“Stores”). Jews from the academy of Pumbedita took refuge there from Sasanian persecution

Metabolic Disease

2005-03-05T01:45:00.000-08:00

Any of the diseases or disorders that disrupt normal metabolism. They may arise from nutritional deficiencies, especially of vitamins or proteins; in connection with diseases of the endocrine system, the liver, or the kidneys; or as a result of genetic defects.

Vries, Hugo (marie) De

2005-03-04T23:21:00.000-08:00

Dutch botanist and geneticist who introduced the experimental study of organic evolution. His rediscovery in 1900 (simultaneously with the botanists Carl Correns and Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg) of Gregor Mendel's principles of heredity and his theory of biological mutation, though considerably different from a modern understanding

Zacharias, Saint

2005-03-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Of Greek parentage, Zacharias was supposedly a Roman deacon when he succeeded Pope St. Gregory III in November/December 741. His pontificate was devoted to diplomatic relations with the Lombard and Frankish kingdoms and with the Byzantine Empire. He initiated a policy of conciliation with

Economic Indicator

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

Statistic used, along with other indicators, in an attempt to determine the state of general economic activity, especially in the future. A “leading indicator” is one of a statistical series that fairly reliably turn up or down before the general economy does. Common leading indicators are building permits (suggesting the future volume of new construction), common

Fredegarius

2005-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

The supposed author of a chronicle of Frankish history composed between 658 and 661. All the extant manuscripts of this chronicle are anonymous, and the attribution of it to “Fredegarius” dates from the edition of it by Claude Fauchet in 1579. The author set a fairly detailed history of his own times in the framework of a universal chronicle, drawing, for early Merovingian

Môle Saint-nicolas

2005-03-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

Village, just northeast of Cap Saint-Nicolas, on the northwestern coast of Haiti. Situated on an inlet of the Windward Passage (a strait between Haiti and Cuba), it was the site where Christopher Columbus first landed (Dec. 6, 1492) on the island, which he named La Isla Española (taken into English as Hispaniola). Saint-Nicolas was named for the saint on whose day it was discovered.

Daimbert

2005-03-02T02:42:00.000-08:00

Named bishop in 1088 and elevated to archbishop when Pisa was made an archdiocese in 1092, Daimbert accompanied Pope Urban II to France in 1095 to preach the First Crusade. Returning to Pisa the following year, he raised a

Jharia

2005-03-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jherria city and coalfield in southern Bihar state, eastern India. The coalfield lies in the Damodar Valley, covers about 110 square miles (280 square km), and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from the Jharia and Raniganj fields in the valley. The coal is worked from open pits, but wages and safety conditions are poor. The miners are usually from local groups

Azua

2005-02-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

In full Azua De Compostela, city, southwestern Dominican Republic. Founded in 1504 on the Caribbean coast, the original town was destroyed by an earthquake; the town was reestablished 3 miles (5 km) inland at its present site at the foot of the Ocoa Mountains. It is one of the leading cities in the region, trading mainly in agricultural products grown in the surrounding region: sugarcane, coffee, rice, corn

Cabra

2005-02-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

Cabra has a ruined Moorish castle, and its parish church (the former cathedral) was originally a mosque. Called Baebro or Aegabro in ancient times, it was

John

2005-02-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

John was the younger son of Joachim I, elector of Brandenburg,

Oman

2005-02-26T20:46:00.000-08:00

Officially Sultanate of Oman, Arabic Saltanat 'Uman country occupying the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bounded to the southwest by Yemen, to the south and east by the Arabian Sea, to the north by the Gulf of Oman, to the northwest by the United Arab Emirates, and to the west by Saudi Arabia. A small enclave, the Ru'us Al-Jibal (“the Mountaintops”), occupies the northern tip of the Musandam Peninsula at the Strait

Merchant Of Venice, The

2005-02-26T15:34:00.000-08:00

Bassanio, a noble but penniless Venetian, asks his wealthy merchant friend Antonio for a loan so as to impress and woo the heiress

Shan

2005-02-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Shan Tai Southeast Asian people who live primarily in eastern and northwestern Myanmar (Burma) and also in Yunnan province, China. The Shan are the largest minority group in Myanmar, making up nearly one-tenth of the nation's total population. In the late 20th century they numbered more than 4 million. Their language, commonly known as Shan, belongs to the Tai linguistic group, which

Auster, Paul

2005-02-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Columbia University (M.A., 1970), Auster moved to France, where he began translating the works of French writers and publishing his own work in American journals. He gained renown for

Algeria, The Algerian War of Independence

2005-02-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

Nationalist parties had existed for many years, but they became increasingly radical as they realized that their goals were not going to be achieved through peaceful means. Prior to World War II the Party of the Algerian People (Parti du Peuple Algérien) had been founded by Messali Hadj. The party was banned in the late 1930s and replaced in the mid-1940s by the Movement for the

Xia Gui

2005-02-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

Xia's birth and death dates are unknown. According to most Chinese sources, however, he served in the Imperial Academy (Yuhuayuan) under the emperor Ning Zong (reigned 1194/95–1224/25), eventually attaining the rank of daizhao, or “painter in attendance,” and being awarded the highest honour a court painter could receive, the Golden Belt. The earliest source of information on him, however,

Adams, Louisa

2005-02-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

Following her husband's death in 1848, Louisa continued to live in Washington, where she died in 1852. In an unprecedented mark of respect for a former first lady, Congress adjourned for her funeral so that members could pay their respects. She was buried beside her husband and his parents at the First Church in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Price Maintenance

2005-02-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

Also called resale price maintenance measures taken by manufacturers or distributors to control the resale prices of their products charged by resellers. The practice is more effective in retail sales than at other levels of marketing. Only a few types of goods have come under such controls, the leading examples being drugs and pharmaceuticals, books, photographic supplies, liquors, miscellaneous

Arnsberg

2005-02-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), east-central North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. Arnsberg is bordered by Hesse Land to the east, Rhineland-Palatinate Land to the southwest, and the Regierungsbezirke of Köln and Düsseldorf to the west and Münster and Detmold to the north. The largest of five districts in North Rhine–Westphalia, it occupies

Rea Express, Inc.

2005-02-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

American Railway Express Company was established by the U.S. government in 1918, during World War I, at the same time that the government took over the nation's railroads. The domestic express businesses and property

Biblical Literature, The Acts of the Apostles

2005-02-22T23:38:00.000-08:00

As indicated by both its introduction and its theological plan (see The Gospel According to Luke), Acts is the second of a two-volume work compiled by the author of Luke. Both volumes are dedicated to Theophilus (presumably an imperial official), and its contents are divided into periods. In the Gospel, Luke describes first the end of the old dispensation and then the earthly

General Council Of Congregational Christian Churches

2005-02-22T01:40:00.000-08:00

The Congregational churches developed from the churches established by the settlers at Plymouth,

Ferreira, António

2005-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ferreira was a disciple of the poet Francisco de Sá de Miranda, who had introduced Renaissance styles of poetry into Portugal, and Ferreira did more

Scorpius

2005-02-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

In astrology,

Spain, Literature

2005-02-21T03:48:00.000-08:00

The most famous writer of the century, however, was poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (1898–1936). He was executed

Cytosine

2005-02-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

Cytosine is one of several types of bases that are incorporated into the nucleic acid molecule. Nucleic acids are composed of

Jhering, Rudolf Von

2005-02-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Jhering taught Roman

Spalding, Mother Catherine

2005-02-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Spalding was taken to frontier Kentucky by her widowed mother about 1799. She was later orphaned and reared by relatives. In December 1812 the Reverend (later Bishop)

Tapestry, Early Middle Ages in western Europe

2005-02-18T02:17:00.000-08:00

Numerous documents dating from as early as the end of the 8th century describe tapestries with figurative ornamentation decorating churches and monasteries in western Europe, but no examples remain, and the ambiguity of the terms used to refer to these hangings makes it impossible to be certain of the technique employed. The 11th-century so-called Bayeux

Wilberforce, William

2005-02-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

At Cambridge, where he became a close friend of the future prime minister William Pitt the Younger, Wilberforce was known as an amiable companion rather

Insurance, Contract law

2005-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

To meet the requirement of legal purpose, the insurance contract must

Earth, The global significance of gravity anomalies

2005-02-17T04:12:00.000-08:00

The investigations of isostasy described above are statistical in approach in that they are directed toward determining depth of compensation and lithospheric thickness from large data sets without reference to individual geologic structures. On the other hand, the study of gravity is capable of extending the understanding of such major features of global

Petermann Ranges

2005-02-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Low mountains extending for 200 miles (320 km) from east-central Western Australia southeast to the southwest corner of Northern Territory. A continuation of the granite and gneiss formations in the Musgrave Ranges to the southeast, the Petermanns rise to a height of 3,800 feet (1,158 metres). Visited (1874) by Ernest Giles, the mountains were named after August Petermann, a German geographer.

Syria, Railways

2005-02-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

Syria's railways are well developed. A northern line runs northeastward from Aleppo into Turkey and then east along the border to al-Qamishli, where it crosses the northeastern extremity of Syria en route to Baghdad (Iraq). The Hejaz Railway runs from Damascus to Amman (Jordan), and a third runs from Aleppo to Tripoli (Lebanon). Aleppo and Damascus are also linked by rail. Smaller

Intelligence

2005-02-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

Much of the excitement among investigators in the field of intelligence derives from their trying to determine exactly what intelligence is. Different investigators have emphasized different aspects of intelligence in

Berat

2005-02-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Located strategically between the ancient regions of Illyria and Epirus, Berat was the

Santa Croce

2005-02-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

Church of the Franciscans in Florence, one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture. It was begun in 1294, possibly designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, and was finished in 1442, with the exception of the 19th-century Gothic Revival facade and campanile. On many of the interior walls are masterpieces of Tuscan Gothic or proto-Renaissance painting: the Bardi and Peruzzi

John

2005-02-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

The son of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and Margaret of Flanders, John was born in the ducal castle at Rouvres, where he spent the greater part of his childhood. In 1385 he married Margaret of Bavaria, and in the following decade

Pittsburgh, University Of

2005-02-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

Coeducational state system of higher learning in Pennsylvania, U.S., comprising a main campus in Pittsburgh and branches in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. The Pittsburgh campus is a comprehensive research institution of higher learning and includes 16 schools that offer more than 360 degree programs. Among these schools are those of Medicine, Dental

Music, Recordings.

2005-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

The record industry continued the trend toward huge boxed-set reissues of materials from its vaults. Without so much as an anniversary excuse, BMG came out with a 65-compact disc (CD) compilation of all of violinist Jascha Heifetz' RCA recordings, and Teldec issued a 60-CD repackaging of the pioneering period-instruments Bach cantata recordings of Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Rabbinical Council Of America

2005-02-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

Organization of Orthodox rabbis, almost all of whom have received their rabbinical training in the United States. The council's chief aims have been to promote the study and practice of Orthodox Judaism, to defend the basic rights of Jews in all parts of the world, and to support the State of Israel. It is the rabbinical arm of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations

Moscow

2005-02-10T03:52:00.000-08:00

Since it was first mentioned in chronicles of 1147, Moscow has played a vital role in Russian history; indeed the history of the city and of the Russian nation are closely interlinked. Today Moscow is not

Parturition, Lacerations of the perineum, vulva, and vagina

2005-02-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

Vaginal lacerations usually make themselves known by profuse bleeding after delivery of the baby. Not all extensive lacerations cause bleeding, however, and a large tear in the vaginal wall may not be discovered until the health-care provider inspects the vagina after the placenta is delivered. There is no difficulty in diagnosing lacerations near the external

Kiraly, Karch

2005-02-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

When Kiraly was four years old, he moved with his family to Santa Barbara, California. His father, Laszlo Kiraly, had played on the Hungarian national

Computers, Handheld computers

2005-02-09T01:46:00.000-08:00

The origins of handheld computers go back to the 1960s, when Alan Kay, a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, promoted the vision of a small, powerful notebook-style computer that he called the Dynabook. Kay never actually built a Dynabook (the technology had yet to be invented), but his vision helped to catalyze the research that would eventually make his dream

Ba'al Shem Tov

2005-02-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Dov Baer, Shivhé ha-Besht (1814), is the earliest collection of legends (in Hebrew) about the Ba'al Shem Tov. Dan Ben-Amos and Jerome R. Mintz (eds. and trans.), In Praise of Baal Shem Tov (1970), offers an English translation of Dov Baer's legends, based upon the 1814 edition. Meyer Levin, The Golden Mountain (1932); and Martin Buber, Die Legende des Baalschem (1932; The Legend of the Baal-Shem, 1955), retell with literary flair the legends of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Salomo Birnbaum, Leben und Worte des Baalschem (1920; The Life and Sayings of the Baal Shem, 1933), contains excerpts from the writings and teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov.