GreyWindow

France, History Of, Seeds of discord

2005-04-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

Security could not be taken for granted, however, because the Revolution progressively alienated or disappointed important elements of French society. Among the elites, opposition began almost immediately when some of the king's close relatives left the country in disgust after July 14, thus becoming the first émigrés. Each turning point in the Revolution touched

Middlesex

2005-04-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

The River Thames was the key to the history of Middlesex. From about 8000 BCE traders and settlers used the Thames as their waterway. During the Iron Age

Epilepsy

2005-04-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

Chronic neurological disorder characterized by sudden and recurrent seizures which are caused by excessive signaling of nerve cells in the brain. Seizures may include convulsions, momentary lapses of consciousness, strange movements or sensations in parts of the body, odd behaviours, and emotional disturbances. Epileptic seizures typically last one to two

Asia, Rivers

2005-04-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

Asia is a land of great rivers. The Ob, Irtysh, Yenisey with the Angara, Lena (with the waters of the Aldan and the Vilyuy), Yana, Indigirka, and Kolyma rivers all flow into the Arctic Ocean. Among rivers draining into the Pacific Ocean are the Anadyr, Amur (combined with the Sungari and the Ussuri), Huang He, Yangtze (Chang), Xi, Red, Mekong, and Chao Phraya. The Salween, Irrawaddy, Brahmaputra

Amos, Book Of

2005-04-01T04:48:00.000-08:00

The third of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in one book under the Jewish canon titled The Twelve. Amos, a Judaean prophet from the village of Tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (c. 786–746 BC). According to 7:14, Amos was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet; i.e., he was not a member of a professional

Boileau(-despréaux), Nicolas

2005-03-31T22:32:00.000-08:00

He was the son of a government official who had started life as a clerk. Boileau made good progress at the Collège d'Harcourt and was encouraged to take up literary work by his brother Gilles Boileau, who

Robert Of Gloucester

2005-03-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

Early Middle English chronicler known only through his connection with the work called “The Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester”—a vernacular history of England from its legendary founding by Brut (Brutus), great-grandson of Aeneas, to the year 1270. It was written, probably around 1300, in rhymed couplets. Two versions exist, and it is now believed that only one part, dealing with

Abel, Theodora Mead

2005-03-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

Abel was educated at Vassar College (B.A., 1921), Columbia University (M.A., 1924), and the University of Paris, where she received a diploma in psychology (1923). After earning a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1925, she taught at numerous institutions, including

Cinque Ports

2005-03-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

Medieval confederation of English Channel ports in southeastern England, formed to furnish ships and men for the king's service. To the original five ports—Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, New Romney, and Hastings—were later added the “ancient towns” of Winchelsea and Rye with the privileges of “head ports.” More than 30 other towns in the counties of Kent and Sussex were also attached.

Yün-lin

2005-03-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yün-lin slopes from the foothills of the A-li Mountains in the east to the fertile alluvial plains in the west. The Cho-shui and Pei-kang rivers run parallel to the northern and southern boundaries, respectively, and are sources of hydroelectricity.

Tzetzes, John

2005-03-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

Tzetzes was for a time secretary to a provincial governor, then earned a meagre living by teaching and writing. He has been described as the perfect specimen of the Byzantine pedant.

Sokutai

2005-03-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

The

Beira

2005-03-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

Port city, central Mozambique. Beira is situated on the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) at the mouths of the Púngoè and Búzi rivers. It was founded in 1891 as the headquarters of the Companhia de Moçambique (“Mozambique Company”) on the site of an old Muslim settlement. The city's administration passed from the trading company to the Portuguese government in 1942 and then to independent

China, The rise of monarchy

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

In the state of Chin the influence of kinsmen of the ruling house had

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2005-03-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Rachmaninoff went into his second self-imposed exile, dividing his time between residences in Switzerland and the United States. Although for the next 25 years he spent most of his time in an English-speaking country, he never mastered its language or thoroughly acclimatized himself. With his family and a small circle of friends, he

Gray Fox

2005-03-25T01:06:00.000-08:00

(Urocyon cinereoargenteus), grizzled, gray-furred New World fox of the family Canidae. It is found in forested, rocky, and brush-covered country from Canada to northern South America. Distinguished by the reddish colour on its neck, ears, and legs, the gray fox grows to a length of about 50–75 cm (20–30 inches), excluding its 30–40-centimetre tail, and a weight of about

Robert

2005-03-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

Robert's early years were clouded by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–88), in which his father, Charles II of Anjou, was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. By the terms of the treaty Charles was freed, and Robert took his place as hostage at the Aragonese court. Taking the title of duke of Calabria

Dezhnyov, Semyon Ivanov

2005-03-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

Dezhnyov served as a Cossack in Siberia, where he traveled a great deal in the north beginning in the early 1640s. In 1648 he sailed from the Kolyma River eastward to the Bering Strait, rounding the northeast tip of Asia (now called Cape Dezhnyov) and reaching

Aeneas

2005-03-22T23:34:00.000-08:00

Mythical hero of Troy and Rome, son of the goddess Aphrodite and Anchises. Aeneas was a member of the royal line at Troy and cousin of Hector. He played a prominent part in the war to defend his city against the Greeks, being second only to Hector in ability. Homer implies that Aeneas did not like his subordinate position, and from that suggestion arose a later tradition

Mckenzie, Sir John

2005-03-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

McKenzie's deep antagonism toward land monopolists was rooted in his boyhood in Scotland, where he witnessed the dispossession of small farmers by Highland landlords. After

Nitro Compound

2005-03-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

Any of a family of chemical compounds in which the nitro group (-O-N=O) forms part of the molecular structure. The most common examples are organic substances in which a carbon atom is linked by a covalent bond to the nitrogen atom of the nitro group. Nitro compounds are polar, and those with no other chemically reactive grouping are colourless or pale yellow liquids that

Acre

2005-03-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

Unit of land measurement in the British Imperial and United States Customary systems, equal to 43,560 square feet, or 160 square rods. One acre is equivalent to 0.4047 hectares (4,047 square metres). Derived from Middle English aker (from Old English aecer) and akin to Latin ager (“field”), the acre had one origin in the typical area that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen pulling a wooden

Paul Of Samosata

2005-03-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Paul

Mexico, Gulf Of, Physiography and geology

2005-03-19T03:28:00.000-08:00

The Gulf of Mexico consists of several ecological and geologic provinces, chief of which are the coastal zone, the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the abyssal plain. The coastal zone consists of tidal marshes, sandy beaches, mangrove-covered areas, and many bays, estuaries, and lagoons. The continental shelf forms an almost continuous terrace around

Latent Image

2005-03-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

According to current theories of latent image formation, small specks of silver atoms (one ten-millionth

Height, Dorothy

2005-03-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Reared in Rankin, Pennsylvania, Height graduated in 1933 from New York University with both bachelor's and master's degrees in educational psychology.

Lode

2005-03-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

In mining, ore body disseminated within definite boundaries in unwanted rock. See vein.

Burgos

2005-03-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Province, in the Castile-León comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), north-central Spain. Created in 1833, it has an area of 5,525 square miles (14,309 square km) and includes the enclave of Treviño, which is administratively part of Álava province. Burgos is crossed by the Ebro (north) and the Duero (south) rivers, neither of which is navigable. Burgos is one of the great forested provinces

Czech Republic, Flag Of The

2005-03-16T00:23:00.000-08:00

The ancient duchy (later kingdom) of Bohemia, a rich and powerful state in the late Middle Ages, had a coat of arms dating from the 12th century that showed a double-tailed and crowned lion, in white, rampant on a red shield. For centuries, however, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman Empire and, later, Austria-Hungary. As it was not independent, it had no recognized need for a national

Narashino

2005-03-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

City, Chiba ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. Narashino is situated on the northeastern shore of Tokyo Bay. Formed in 1951 by the merger of Minomi, Maka, Tsuda-numa, and Okubo, the settlement has no city centre because the former towns are lined up along two railways to Tokyo. Truck farming is an important economic activity. Narashino is a weekend vacation area because of its proximity

Polanyi, John C.

2005-03-15T04:36:00.000-08:00

Born to an expatriate Hungarian family, Polanyi was reared in England and attended Manchester University (Ph.D., 1952; D.Sc., 1964). He accepted a research position with the National Research Council

Allegheny

2005-03-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., consisting of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau bounded to the southeast by the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and to the northeast by the Allegheny River. The Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers converge in the centre of the county to form an area known as the Golden Triangle; this was a strategic point of contention

Azhar University, Al-

2005-03-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Chief centre of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, centred on the mosque of that name in the medieval quarter of Cairo, Egypt. It was founded by the Fatimids in AD 970 and was formally organized by 988. The basic program of studies was, and still is, Islamic law, theology, and the Arabic language. Late in the European Middle Ages philosophy and medicine were added to the curriculum,

Ansongo

2005-03-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Mali, West Africa, on the Niger River. It is a mining (antimony) and agricultural (grains, livestock) marketing centre. Prospecting for uranium began in the late 1970s. The Niger is navigable for about 1,000 mi (1,600 km) above Ansongo. Directly to the east is the Ansongo-Ménaka animal reserve, which covers an area of more than 4,300,000 ac (1,750,000 ha). Pop. (1976) 3,483.

Nadi, Nedo; And Nadi, Aldo

2005-03-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Italian brothers who were among the greatest and most versatile fencers in the history of the sport. At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, the Nadi brothers led Italy to a sweep of the gold medals in the three team events. Nedo also captured the gold medal in the individual foil and

Saxifrage

2005-03-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Also called rockfoil (genus Saxifraga) any of a genus of flowering plants, of the family Saxifragaceae, native in temperate, subarctic, and alpine areas. About 300 species have been identified. Many of them are valued as rock-garden subjects, and some are grown in garden borders. As a group they are notable for their small bright flowers and fine-textured foliage. Alpine species are the earliest to flower in

Fellenberg, Philipp Emanuel Von

2005-03-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

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

Tábor

2005-03-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

City, Jihoceský kraj (region), Czech Republic. It lies along a bend in the Luznice River 50 miles (80 km) south of Prague. Founded in 1420 by Jan Zizka and other followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus, Tábor became the radical centre of the more militant members of the movement, known as the Taborites. These people fostered the national spirit and the preservation of the Czech

Grumiaux, Arthur, Baron

2005-03-11T02:38:00.000-08:00

Grumiaux studied at the Charleroi and Royal conservatories in Brussels and later with Georges Enescu in Paris. In 1939 he won the Vieuxtemps Prize, and a year later he became the first recipient of the Belgian government's Prix de Virtuosité. Shortly after his debut

Sublime

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

The author

Wolf, Rudolf

2005-03-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

Wolf studied at the universities of Zürich, Vienna, and Berlin and in 1839 went to the University of Bern as a teacher of mathematics and physics; he became professor of astronomy there in 1844. In 1855 he accepted a professorship of astronomy at both the University of Zürich and the Federal

Kamensk-shakhtinsky

2005-03-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kamensk-šachtinskij, city, Rostov oblast (province), southwestern Russia, on the Seversky (“Northern”) Donets River. Founded in 1686 as a Cossack settlement, it became a city in 1927. Once a major coal-mining centre of the eastern Donets Basin, it primarily manufactures agricultural and mining machinery, artificial fibres, and glass. Pop. (1993 est.) 73,500.

Kirkwall

2005-03-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Royal burgh (town), seaport, and chief town of the Orkney Islands, Scotland, off the northern tip of the Scottish mainland. It was designated a royal burgh in 1486. Early Norse influence persisted as late as the building of the 12th-century red sandstone St. Magnus Cathedral, a dominant feature of the present town. The ruins of the Earl's Palace and 17th-century houses standing gable-end

Narbonensis

2005-03-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

The area first entered ancient history when the Greek colony of Massilia (modern Marseille) was founded about 600 BC. Roman armies first entered the area in 154 BC to help defend Massilia against Celtic invaders. The Romans conquered

Peru-chile Trench

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

The Peru-Chile Trench marks the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate

Siliguri

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

Also spelled Shiliguri, city, northern West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just west of the Mahananda River. The terminus of the roads from Kalimpang (Kalimpong) and Sikkim and of road and rail connections with Darjiling (Darjeeling) and Jalpaiguri, Siliguri is the hub for trade among Darjiling, Sikkim, and Tibet. Sawmilling and jute milling are important industries; there are also tea

Fu'ad I

2005-03-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

After serving in a number of administrative posts, Fu'ad became sultan of Egypt in 1917, at which time Egypt was still a British protectorate. In 1919 Britain indicated a willingness to negotiate a treaty that would give Egypt more independence. Most Egyptians welcomed this prospect,

Terman, Frederick Emmons

2005-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

Terman, the son of the noted psychologist Lewis Madison Terman, earned his undergraduate degrees from Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute

Epi

2005-03-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Formerly Tasiko, or Volcano, island of Vanuatu, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Volcanic in origin, it is 27 mi (43 km) long and 11 mi wide, with an area of 171 sq mi (444 sq km), and rises to 2,733 ft (833 m). Although it is fertile, Epi's copra plantations are deteriorating. There is a Presbyterian hospital at Vaémali, on the north coast. Pop. (1979 prelim.) 2,304.

Makar

2005-03-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

Because Geoffrey Chaucer was their acknowledged master and they often employed his verse forms and themes, the

Hadad

2005-03-05T01:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Had, Hadda , or Haddu the Old Testament Rimmon, West Semitic god of storms, thunder, and rain, the consort of the goddess Atargatis. His attributes were identical with those of Adad of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon. He was the chief baal (“lord”) of the West Semites (including both sedentary and nomadic Aramaeans) in north Syria, along the Phoenician coast, and along the Euphrates River. As Baal-Hadad

Cramlington

2005-03-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Town, Blyth Valley borough, administrative and historic county of Northumberland. It lies north-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne on the northern edge of the Tyne and Wear (Tyneside) metropolitan area. Cramlington is a new town developed to provide alternative, diversified employment in a former coal-mining area. Nearby is the noted country house Seaton Delaval

Heike Monogatari

2005-03-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

English The Tale of the Heike medieval Japanese heroic epic, which is to Japanese literature what the Iliad is to Western literature, a prolific source of later dramas, ballads, and tales. It stems from unwritten traditional tales and variant texts composed between 1190 and 1221, which were gathered together (c. 1240) by an unknown author to form a single epic. Its poetic prose is intended to be chanted to the accompaniment

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke Of, Duke Of Greenwich, Marquess Of Kintyre And Lorne, Earl Of Campbell And Cowall, Earl Of Greenwich, Viscount Of

2005-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

Campbell served in the army for a short time under the Duke of Marlborough, but he was appointed treasurer of Scotland in 1705 and the following year was one of the commissioners for negotiating the union of the two

Lever Art Gallery

2005-03-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

In full Lady Lever Art Gallery, in Port Sunlight, a model village founded for workers in Bebington, Cheshire (now in Merseyside), Eng. The museum was a gift to the public of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme, as a memorial to his wife, who died in 1913. The building was begun in 1914 and opened in December 1922. The collection of works exhibited at the gallery was formed by Lord Leverhulme and records his personal taste, which

Cumanagoto

2005-03-03T02:37:00.000-08:00

Indians of northeastern Venezuela at the time of the Spanish conquest. Since the 17th century they have not existed as a tribal or cultural unit. The Cumanagoto spoke a Cariban language, related to that of the Palenque. They were agricultural, growing corn (maize), manioc, sweet potatoes, and other native crops, as well as coca trees, source of the drug cocaine. Wild foods were

Smith, Sir Harry (george Wakelyn), Baronet

2005-03-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

Smith began his career in the army as an ensign in 1805 and served with distinction in South America (1807) and, during the Napoleonic Wars, in Spain (1808–14). In the War of 1812 Smith was with the British forces that captured and burned Washington, D.C. He returned to

Feng Yün-shan

2005-03-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Feng Yunshan Chinese missionary and social reformer, one of the original leaders of the Taiping Rebellion, an uprising that occupied most of South China between 1850 and 1864, brought death to an estimated 20,000,000 people, and radically altered governmental structure. Feng was a neighbour and schoolmate of Hung Hsiu-ch'üan, the religious

Wage And Salary

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

The purchasing-power theory of wages involves the relation between wages and employment and the business cycle and is not, therefore, a theory of wage determination. It stresses the importance of spending through consumption and investment as an influence upon the activity of the economy. The theory gained prominence during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when

Insurance, Liability law

2005-02-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Legal liability exists when an individual commits a legal injury that wrongly encroaches on another person's rights. Such injuries include slander, assault, and negligent

Alas (y Ureña), Leopoldo

2005-02-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Byname Clarín novelist and the most influential literary critic of Spain in the late 19th century. His biting and often bellicose articles, sometimes called paliques (“chit-chat”), and his advocacy of naturalism and anticlericalism not only made him the nation's most feared critical voice but also created many enemies and greatly obscured his

Defoliant

2005-02-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

A chemical dust or spray applied to plants to cause their leaves to drop off prematurely. Defoliants sometimes are applied to crop plants such as cotton in order to facilitate harvesting. They are also used in warfare to eliminate enemy food crops and potential areas of concealment by enemy forces. Defoliants were employed for these purposes by South Vietnamese

Ouaddaï

2005-02-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

Crossed by caravans linking the Sahara with equatorial Africa and by Muslim pilgrim routes from West Africa toward Mecca,

Ambato

2005-02-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

City, central Ecuador. It lies along the Ambato River in an intermontane basin near the northeastern foot of Mount Chimborazo, at an elevation of about 8,500 feet (2,600 m) above sea level. It was the scene of a decisive victory in 1821 by Antonio José de Sucre, lieutenant of the liberator Simón Bolívar, against the Spanish during the wars for Latin-American independence. Ambato has frequently

Mitral Stenosis

2005-02-27T03:20:00.000-08:00

Narrowing of the mitral valve, the function of which is to permit blood to flow from the atrium, or upper chamber, to the ventricle, or lower chamber, of the left side of the heart and to prevent its backflow. Narrowing of the mitral valve is usually a result of rheumatic fever; rarely, the narrowed valve is a congenital defect. The condition, most common in women under 45, is diagnosed

Chateaubriand, François-auguste-rené, Viscount (vicomte) De

2005-02-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

The youngest child of an eccentric and impecunious noble, Chateaubriand spent his school holidays largely with his sister in the romantic

Polish Literature, The literature of Socialist Realism

2005-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

During 1949–55, the only officially acceptable literature conformed to the Soviet version of Socialist Realism, and those who wrote it followed the dictates of the Communist Party. A new type of hero was created—the ordinary man or woman actively engaged in “productive” work. Those elements in the social scene that served to present an idea of revolutionary progress were

Abu Hanifah

2005-02-25T04:44:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Shibli Numani, Imam Abu Hanifah: Life and Work (1972), provides an introduction. Discussions of his work in its larger context can be found in Joseph Schacht, An Introduction to Islamic Law (1964, reprinted 1982); A.J. Wensinck, The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development, 2nd ed. (1979); and John Alden Williams (ed.), Islam (1961).

Moses, Sir Charles (joseph Alfred)

2005-02-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

Moses graduated from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, Eng. (1918), and was stationed with the British army in Ireland before immigrating

Animal Breeding

2005-02-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

Controlled propagation of domestic animals. Its aim is the improvement of qualities considered desirable by humans. Breeding procedures involve the application of several basic sciences, chiefly reproductive physiology, genetics, and statistics. This article deals with the practical application of scientific principles to the selection of superior animals

Sachs, Nelly

2005-02-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

In full Nelly Leonie Sachs German poet and dramatist who was transformed by the Nazi experience from a dilettante into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of her fellow Jews. When, with Shmuel Yosef Agnon, she was awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize for Literature, she observed that Agnon represented Israel whereas “I represent the tragedy of the Jewish

Cloth Of Gold, Field Of

2005-02-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

In European history, the meeting place, between Guînes and Ardres near Calais in France, where Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France and their entourages gathered between June 7 and 24, 1520. The castles at both villages were in decay, and therefore splendid temporary palaces and pavilions were erected for Henry at Guînes and for Francis at Ardres. Henry's palace covered

Barasingha

2005-02-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Swamp Deer (species Cervus duvauceli), graceful deer, belonging to the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), found in open forests and grasslands of India and Nepal. The barasingha stands about 1.1 m (45 inches) at the shoulder. In summer, its coat is reddish or yellowish brown with white spots; in winter, its coat is heavier, particularly on the neck—brown with faint spots or none. The male

Shensi, Transportation

2005-02-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Wei Valley since prehistoric times has formed part of the main east–west route running from the North China Plain in the east to the Kansu Corridor and the steppelands in the west. Sian is a natural centre, where the great route east to west meets the routes that cross the Tsinling Mountains to the south and southeast, an alternative route to the northwest via the

Indian Philosophy, The Purva-mimamsa-sutras and Sabara's commentary

2005-02-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

The Purva-mimamsa (“First Reflection”), or Karmamimamsa (“Study of [Ritual] Action”), is the system that investigates the nature of Vedic injunctions. Though this is the primary purpose of the system, this task also led to the development of principles of scriptural interpretation and, therefore, to theories of meaning and hermeneutics (critical interpretations). Jaimini, who composed

Sabine, Wallace Clement (ware)

2005-02-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Ohio State University in 1886, Sabine did graduate work at Harvard University, where he later joined the faculty. A brilliant researcher, he enjoyed teaching and never bothered to get his doctorate; his papers were modest in number but exceptional

Agricultural Sciences, The

2005-02-20T04:13:00.000-08:00

Food is the most basic human need. The domestication and cultivation of plants and animals beginning almost 10,000 years

Cultivator

2005-02-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Horse-drawn cultivators were introduced in the mid-19th century; by 1870 a farmer with two horses could cultivate as much as 15 acres (6 hectares) a day with a machine the shovels (blades) of which straddled the crop rows. In the 20th century, with tractor power substituted

Alfonso V

2005-02-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

Byname Alfonso the Magnanimous , Spanish Alfonso el Magnánimo king of Aragon (1416–58) and king of Naples (as Alfonso I, 1442–58), whose military campaigns in Italy and elsewhere in the central Mediterranean made him one of the most famous men of his day. After conquering Naples, he transferred his court there.

Pythagoras

2005-02-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Pythagoras migrated in his youth to Rhegium. He made a statue of Philoctetes, noted for the physical

Schaff, Philip

2005-02-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

Schaff was educated at the universities of Tübingen, Halle, and Berlin and was made a lecturer in 1842 at Berlin, where his interest in church history was aroused

Allen, Viola (emily)

2005-02-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

Born into a theatrical family, Allen made her debut at age 14 in New York City in the title role of Burnett's Esmeralda. Between 1884 and 1886 she appeared

Pacific Grove

2005-02-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

Resort and residential city, Monterey county, western California, U.S. It lies along Monterey Bay and adjoins the city of Monterey. Founded in 1874 by Methodists as a religious retreat, the city remains a centre for conferences of religious and other groups. Pacific Grove is the northern terminus of the scenic Seventeen Mile Drive from Carmel. The famous Butterfly Trees

Menken, Adah Isaacs

2005-02-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

The facts concerning Menken's early life are obscured by later and confused publicity stories. On various occasions she claimed various original names, birthplaces, and histories. It seems likely that her

Interior Design, United States

2005-02-16T01:46:00.000-08:00

The story of the domestic interior and its decoration in the United States is inseparable both from its own architectural development and from the story of English architecture and decoration, from which it was largely derived even long after the American Revolution. Any discussion of United States decorative design, therefore, must refer constantly to the

Würzburg, University Of

2005-02-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

German in full Bayerische Julius-maximilians-universität Würzburg, autonomous, state-supported university in Würzburg, Ger., founded in 1582. Early a famous centre for the study of Roman Catholic theology, it was secularized in 1814 and became best known for its medical school. Among its teachers were the philosopher F.W. Schelling, the pathologist Rudolf Virchow, and the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X rays there in 1895.

Janequin, Clément

2005-02-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

He worked in Bordeaux in the service of Lancelot du Fau, who became bishop of Luçon, and later for the bishop of Bordeaux. He entered the priesthood and in 1525 became canon of St. Emilion.

Cozens, Alexander

2005-02-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Son of Richard Cozens, shipbuilder to the tsar of Russia, Alexander settled in England after visiting Rome in 1746 and became a fashionable drawing master. William Beckford, author of the Oriental

National Aquarium

2005-02-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

The facility houses more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of fishes in 54 individual display tanks ranging in capacity from 285 to

Aswan

2005-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Assuan, or Assouan, Greek Syene, city, capital of Aswan muhafazah (governorate), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile just below the First Cataract. It faces the island of Elephantine (modern Jazirat Aswan), on which stand the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb. Aswan was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Its local quarries supplied granite for many ancient Egyptian monuments and are still operated. On the

Kabyle

2005-02-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

Berber people of Algeria inhabiting a partially mountainous region stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the southern slopes of the Great Kabylie mountains and from Dellys to Cape Aokas. Numbering about 2,000,000 in the late 20th century, they are mainly Muslims with a few Christians and are predominantly agricultural, growing grains and olives and herding goats. Their

Brazil, Minerals

2005-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Brazil contains extremely rich mineral reserves that are only partly exploited, including iron ore, tin, copper, pyrochlore (from which ferroniobium is derived), and bauxite. There are also significant amounts of granite, manganese, asbestos, gold, gemstones, quartz, tantalum, and kaolin (china clay). Most industrial minerals are concentrated in Minas Gerais and

Bloodfin

2005-02-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Freshwater fish, a species of characin (q.v.).

Vestris, Auguste

2005-02-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

Vestris's greatest roles were in Télémaque and as Amour in Pierre

Gümüspala, Ragip

2005-02-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

A career army officer, Gümüspala served as the chief of the General Staff after the military coup of May 27, 1960, but was forcibly retired by the new government shortly thereafter. In February 1961 Gümüspala formed the JP in opposition to the ruling Republican People's Party (RPP). The JP, in actuality, proved

Armstrong, Neil (alden)

2005-02-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Armstrong became a licensed pilot on his 16th birthday and a naval air cadet in 1947. His studies in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., were interrupted in 1950 by the Korean War, in which he was shot down once and was awarded three Air Medals. In 1955 he became a civilian research

Eichmann, Adolf

2005-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Eichmann's family moved from Germany to Linz, Austria. His pre-Nazi life was rather ordinary. He worked as a traveling salesman in Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) for an

Nitroglycerin

2005-02-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

Pure nitroglycerin is a colourless, oily, somewhat toxic liquid having a sweet, burning taste. It was first prepared in 1846 by the Italian

Hal

2005-02-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Plural Ahwal, in Sufi Muslim mystical terminology, a spiritual state of mind that comes to the Sufi from time to time during his journey toward God. The ahwal are graces of God that cannot be acquired or retained through an individual's own efforts. When the soul is purified of its attachments to the material world, it can only wait patiently for those spiritual gifts of God, which, when they

Dvur Králové Nad Labem

2005-02-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

City, Východoceský kraj (region), Czech Republic. The city lies just north of Hradec Králové, on the left bank of the Elbe (Czech: Labe) River. The name in both Czech and German (Königinhof an der Elbe) means ”the court of the queen on the Elbe,” recalling the founding of the town by King Wenceslas II at the end of the 13th century and the gift of the place to his queen, Elisabeth. It was the