PossibleComb

Argentina

2005-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Argentina's varied geography can be grouped into four major regions: the Andes, the North, the Pampas, and Patagonia. The Andean region extends some 2,300 miles (3,700 km) along the western edge of the country from Bolivia to southern Patagonia, forming most of the natural boundary with Chile. It is commonly subdivided into two parts: the Northwest and the Patagonian Andes, the latter

Furniture, Egypt

2005-04-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

Beds, stools, throne chairs, and boxes were the chief forms of furniture in ancient Egypt. Although only a few important examples of actual furniture survive, stone carvings, fresco paintings, and models made as funerary offerings present rich documentary evidence. The bed may have been the earliest form; it was constructed of wood and consisted of a simple framework

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation

2005-04-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

Burlington Northern, Inc., arose out of the merger of the Great Northern Railway Company, the Northern Pacific Railway Company, and the Chicago,

Argentina, The Pampean zone

2005-04-02T04:46:00.000-08:00

The Pampas occupy a transitional area between high summer temperatures to the north and cooler summers to the south. Buenos Aires, located on the northern edge of the Pampas, has a climate similar to that of cities in the southeastern United States, with hot, humid summers and cool, mild winters. The range of mean temperatures for summer months (December to February)

Hylozoism

2005-03-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

(from Greek hyle, “matter”; zoe, “life”), in philosophy, any system that views all matter as alive, either in itself or by participation in the operation of a world soul or some similar principle. Hylozoism is logically distinct both from early forms of animism, which personify nature, and from panpsychism, which attributes some form of consciousness or sensation to all

Nageire

2005-03-31T03:51:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “thrown in”), in Japanese floral art, the style of arranging that stresses fresh and spontaneous designs adhering only loosely to the classical principles of triangular structure and colour harmony. A single long branch with shorter branches and flowers at the base arranged in a tall upright vase are characteristic of the nageire style. Nageire was originally

Baader, Franz Xaver Von

2005-03-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Abandoning a profitable career as a mining engineer in 1820, he turned his attention to a study of politics and religion. His earlier efforts to achieve ecumenical and political unity contributed to the formation in 1815 of the Holy Alliance, a

Holberg, Ludvig, Friherre Holberg

2005-03-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Gerald S. Argetsinger, Ludvig Holberg's Comedies (1983); F.J. Billeskov Jansen, Ludvig Holberg (1974); and Sven Hakon Rossel (ed.), Ludvig Holberg—A European Writer: A Study in Influence and Reception (1994).

Sinkiang, Uighur Autonomous Region Of

2005-03-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Hsin-chiang Wei-wu-erh Tzu-chih-ch'ü , Pinyin Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu autonomous region occupying the northwestern corner of the People's Republic of China. The region is bordered by Mongolia to the northeast, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to the northwest, Afghanistan and the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the southwest, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the southeast, and the Chinese provinces of Tsinghai and

Vairagin

2005-03-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Most vairagins, when not wandering or on pilgrimage,

Devil's Advocate

2005-03-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Latin Advocatus Diaboli, in the Roman Catholic church, the promoter of the faith, who critically examines the life of and miracles attributed to an individual proposed for beatification or canonization. He is popularly called the devil's advocate because his presentation of facts includes everything unfavourable to the candidate. Pope Leo X, in the early 15th century, seems to have introduced

Hale, Horatio (emmons)

2005-03-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

While a student at Harvard University (1833–37), Hale studied the language of some

Ford, Francis Xavier

2005-03-23T03:17:00.000-08:00

Ford was ordained in 1917 and went to China the next year in the first group of Maryknoll missionaries sent to that country. He founded the Maryknoll Seminary for Chinese Boys in Yang-chiang in 1921 and in 1922 established the first overseas convent

Acanthus

2005-03-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

In architecture and decorative arts, a stylized ornamental motif based on a characteristic Mediterranean plant with jagged leaves, Acanthus spinosus (for illustration, see order). It was first used by the Greeks in the 5th century BC on temple roof ornaments, on wall friezes, and on the capital of the Corinthian column. One of the best examples of its use in the Corinthian

Tatarstan

2005-03-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

The Volga flows north-south across the western end of the republic, while the Kama, the Volga's largest tributary, forms a roughly east-west axis through the greater part. The Vyatka and the Belaya

Neuropteran

2005-03-20T02:51:00.000-08:00

All three orders may have evolved from an early mecopteran (scorpionfly) ancestral stem, prior to the Trichoptera–Lepidoptera offshoot (see section on Trichoptera). Carnivorous insects of varied structure and habit, both freshwater and terrestrial members of the three orders, are widely distributed with the exception of the snakeflies (which are confined to the

Eck, Johann

2005-03-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

Early in his career Maier adopted the name of his home village, Egg (or Eck), as his surname. He studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Tübingen, Cologne, and Freiburg im Breisgau. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1508 and became a doctor

Sea Walnut

2005-03-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

Any member of a common genus (Mnemiopsis) of gelatinous, planktonic marine invertebrates of the class Tentaculata (phylum Ctenophora). The sea walnut resembles the sea gooseberry morphologically, but as in many ctenophores the body is prolonged into eight lobes. Full-grown individuals may be as long as 15 cm (6 inches). They lead a wholly planktonic existence and are found

Mahajanga

2005-03-18T03:36:00.000-08:00

Formerly Majunga, town and major port, northwestern Madagascar. It lies on the island's northwest coast, at the mouth of the Betsiboka River, whose estuary widens there into Bombetoka Bay. The town was the capital of the 18th-century kingdom of Boina. The French occupied Mahajanga in 1895 at the beginning of their conquest of Madagascar. The town's old sector is confined mainly to the harbour

Saronic Gulf

2005-03-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Saronikós Kólpos, also called Gulf Of Aegina, gulf of the Aegean Sea between Ákra (cape) Soúnion of the Attica peninsula and Ákra Skíllaion of the Argolis peninsula of the Greek Peloponnese. A maximum of 50 mi (80 km) long northwest–southeast and about 30 mi wide, it is linked on the west to the Gulf of Corinth by the Corinth Canal. At its widest point the gulf is divided by three of the Saronic islands: Salamís, Aíyina (Aegina), and

Sarangi

2005-03-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Short-necked fiddle used throughout South Asia, particularly for folk and classical Hindustani music. Measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) long, its roughly rectangular, slightly waisted body and broad, fretless neck are generally carved from a single piece of wood. It has three melody strings made of gut, sometimes a fourth of metal, and as many as 40 sympathetically

Eureka

2005-03-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

City, port, and seat (1856) of Humboldt county, northern California, U.S., on Humboldt Bay. A major lumber and commercial-fishing centre and headquarters for the Six Rivers National Forest, it was laid out in 1850 and named for the Greek motto (meaning “I have found it”) on the state seal. Site of Fort Humboldt (now a state historic monument) and scene of several Indian uprisings (1853–65), it developed

Mellophone

2005-03-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

The mellophone, a circular tenor horn (althorn), is usually built right handed and looks like a French horn. It bears

Australia, Flag Of

2005-03-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

Thought was given to an all-Australian flag long before confederation was achieved on January 1, 1901. For example, in 1823 a National Colonial Flag displayed four white eight-pointed stars on a red cross on a white field with the Union Jack. From 1831 until as late as the 1920s there was a somewhat similar design known as the Australian Federation Flag, with a blue cross and five white stars.

Teagarden, Jack

2005-03-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Beginning on trombone at age seven, Teagarden was entirely self-taught. After drifting across the Southwest, he eventually arrived in New York City in 1927 and made his recording debut; from that moment he was the acknowledged

Baal

2005-03-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

God worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon. As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew ba'al) meant “owner” or “lord,” although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of the hydrologic cycle

2005-03-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

The idea of the hydrological cycle developed independently in China as early as the 4th century BC and was explicitly stated in the L

Asvalayana

2005-03-12T02:26:00.000-08:00

Author of the Asvalayana-srauta-sutra, Vedic manual of sacrificial ceremonies composed for the use of the class of priests called hotar, or hotr, whose main function was to invoke the gods. Belonging to the “forest tradition” of hermits and wandering holy men rather than to that of the priesthood, Asvalayana is mentioned as a teacher as well as a sage in Vedic litanies and in the

Nagoya

2005-03-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

The history of Nagoya dates from 1610, when a great castle was erected by the Owari branch of the powerful Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), which marked the end of shogunal government, Nagoya continued as a commercial

Flood, Henry

2005-03-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of Warden Flood, chief justice of the King's Bench in Ireland, Henry entered the Irish Parliament in 1759. Irish Protestants were becoming impatient with the British Parliament's right to legislate

F-15

2005-03-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

The F-15 has

Teutonic Order

2005-03-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

In 1189–90, when crusading forces were besieging Acre, some German merchants from Bremen and Lübeck formed a fraternity to nurse the sick there. After the capture of Acre (1191), this fraternity took over a hospital in the town and began to describe itself as the Hospital of St. Mary of the German House in Jerusalem. Pope Clement III approved it, and it adopted a rule like that of the original

Antarctica, Climate

2005-03-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

The unique weather and climate of Antarctica provide the basis for its familiar appellations—Home of the Blizzard and White Desert. By far the coldest continent, Antarctica has winter temperatures that range from -128.6° F (-89.2° C), the world's lowest recorded temperature, measured at Vostok Station (Russia) on July 21, 1983, on the high inland ice sheet to -76° F (-60° C) near sea level. Temperatures

China, Struggles within the two-party coalition

2005-03-09T01:42:00.000-08:00

After Sun's death the KMT went through a period of inner conflict, although it progressed steadily, with Russian help, in bringing the Kwangtung base under its control. The conflict was caused primarily by the radicalization of the party under the influence of the Communists. They organized labour unions and peasant associations and pushed class struggle and the

Theileriasis

2005-03-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of livestock diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Theileria (Gonderia), transmitted by tick bites. The most serious is East Coast fever of cattle, caused by T. parva; it has 90–100 percent mortality in Africa. Tropical theileriasis, from T. annulata (T. dispar), is a milder disease of cattle along the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. Theileriases

Basedow, Johann Bernhard

2005-03-07T01:28:00.000-08:00

Basedow as a boy revolted

Benda, Frantiek

2005-03-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of Jan Jirí Benda and his wife Dorota Brixi, both talented musicians, Benda studied under Johann Gottlieb Graun and joined the orchestra of Frederick II the Great (then crown prince). On Frederick's accession (1740) to the Prussian

Aegean Civilizations, The Early Bronze Age (c. 30002200)

2005-03-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

The transition from Neolithic to Bronze Age in the Aegean was marked by changes in pottery and other aspects of material culture. These changes may reflect the arrival in Crete and the Cyclades of new people from lands farther east bringing knowledge of metalworking with them. In Crete and the islands, the changes that inaugurated the Bronze Age were more or less

Scandinavian Literature, Icelandic letters

2005-03-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

In Iceland the foremost poet of the 17th century was Hallgrímur Pétursson, a Lutheran pastor who struggled against poverty and ill health. His Passíusálmar (1666; “Hymns on the Passion”) is among the most popular books in Iceland. Another interesting poet was Stefán Ólafsson, remembered for both religious and secular works, the latter notable for exuberantly humorous portrayals

Ibar River

2005-03-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

River in south central Yugoslavia, rising in the Mokra Planina (mountains) and flowing eastward to Kosovska Mitrovica, then northward to join the Zapadna Morava River. Its length is 171 mi (276 km), and it has a drainage area of 3,100 sq mi (8,000 sq km). Major tributaries are the Raška, Studenica, and Sitnica. The adjacent upland is forested, but there are croplands in the stream valleys, where the

Hypostyle Hall

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

In architecture, interior space whose roof rests on pillars or columns. The word means literally “under pillars,” and the design allows for the construction of large spaces—as in temples, palaces, or public buildings—without the need for arches. It was used extensively in ancient Egypt—where the Temple of Amon at Karnak provides a good example—and in Persia—where the

Kamerny Theatre

2005-03-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Russian Kamerny Teatr, small, intimate theatre founded in Moscow in 1914 by the Russian director Aleksandr Tairov (q.v.) to support his experimental synthetic theatre that incorporated all theatrical arts—ballet, opera, music, mime, and drama—as an alternative to the naturalistic presentations of Konstantin Stanislavsky's realism at the Moscow Art Theatre. Instead of staging plays of everyday

Aeschylus

2005-03-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Studies of special topics relating to Aeschylus' plays include Anthony J. Podlecki, The Political Background of Aeschylean Tragedy (1966); A.F. Garvie, Aeschylus' “Supplices”: Play and Trilogy (1969); George Thomson, Aeschylus and Athens: A Study in the Social Origins of Drama, 4th ed. (1973), a Marxist study; Anne Lebeck, The Oresteia: A Study in Language and Structure (1971), on the significant connections of imagery; R.P. Winnington-Ingram, Studies in Aeschylus (1983), a collection of insightful essays; Thomas G. Rosenmeyer, The Art of Aeschylus (1982), a critical study; D.J. Conacher, Aeschylus' “Prometheus Bound”: A Literary Commentary (1980); Mark Griffith, The Authenticity of “Prometheus Bound” (1977), a powerful attack on authenticity; and Oliver Taplin, The Stagecraft of Aeschylus: The Dramatic Use of Exits and Entrances in Greek Tragedy (1978), on dramatic techniques and meanings.

Taedong River

2005-02-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

Korean Taedong-gang river, southern North Korea, rising in the Nangnim Mountains in Hamgyong-nam do (province). It flows 273 miles (439 km) southwestward to enter Korea Bay, an arm of the Yellow Sea, at Namp'o. With its tributaries it forms a drainage basin of 7,855 square miles (20,344 square km). Because of its deep water and the tidal influence of the Yellow Sea, it is useful for water transportation, and many river ports,

Lewes

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

Town (“parish”), Lewes district, administrative county of East Sussex, historic county of Sussex, England. Lewes lies at a gap in the South Downs and along the River Ouse where it is still tidal. A castle was built there in the 11th century, and its ruins still dominate the town, which grew as a market centre and river port of some importance, although the port later gave way to Newhaven

Fish River

2005-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Visrivier, stream in southern Namibia. It rises in Namaqualand and flows south across the Great Namaqualand plateau, where it cuts a spectacular gorge 1,000 to 2,300 feet (300 to 700 m) deep, to empty into the Orange River. It is about 375 miles (600 km) long and is intermittent.

Bridge

2005-02-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

In stringed musical instruments, piece of elastic wood that transmits the vibrations of the string to the resonating body. Bridges are of two kinds. In the pressure bridge, the string is fastened at one end to a tuning peg or a wrest pin and at the other to a pin or a tailpiece; it passes over the bridge (or bridges), which may be glued to the soundboard (as in the piano) or held

Amakusa Islands

2005-02-26T04:03:00.000-08:00

Japanese Amakusa-shoto, archipelago off western Kyushu, Japan, in the Amakusa Sea. Administered by Kumamoto ken (prefecture), it includes about 100 islands, the largest of which are Kami (“Upper”) Island and Shimo (“Lower”) Island. There is little farming because of the rough, mountainous terrain, and there are few industries, but forestry, orange cultivation, and offshore fishing are actively

North America, 30 to 2.5 million years ago

2005-02-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

About 30 million years ago North America began to override the East Pacific Rise, an oceanic spreading ridge. This activity placed a progressively longer segment of the coast in contact with the plate west of the ridge. The western plate—which contains the Pacific Coast Ranges of California—has been moving to the northwest relative to North America along the San Andreas

Lod

2005-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Lydda, city, central Israel, on the Plain of Sharon southeast of Tel Aviv–Yafo. Of ancient origin, it is mentioned several times in the Bible: in a New Testament account (Acts 9:32), the apostle Peter healed the paralytic at Lod. The city was a well-known centre of Jewish scholars and merchants from the 5th century BC until the Roman conquest in AD 70. It was the Roman colony of Diospolis after AD 200 and

Pacific Scandal

2005-02-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

One of the conditions under which British Columbia entered the Dominion of Canada (1871) was that a railway to link that province with the east be constructed

East Germany

2005-02-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

Formally German Democratic Republic , German Ostdeutschland , or Deutsche Demokratische Republik European state (1945–90) that now constitutes the eastern portion of the Federal Republic of Germany. See Germany.

Mark

2005-02-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Former German monetary unit. In the 19th century the mark was a common small coin in the German states, but its value varied between states. In 1873, soon after the creation of the German empire, the gold mark, equal to 100 pfennigs, was adopted as the standard of value and the money of account for the empire. In 1948 the deutsche mark (DM; “German mark”) was introduced in West Germany, and in 1990 it

Hula Valley

2005-02-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hebrew 'emeq Hula, valley in upper Galilee, northeastern Israel. The valley occupies most of the course of the Jordan River north of the Sea of Galilee. It is bounded by Dan and the settlement of Ma'yan Barukh (north), the Golan Heights (east), and the Hills of Naphtali (west), and on the south it slopes gradually down to the Sea of Galilee. It is approximately 16 miles (25 km) long, 4 miles (6 km) wide, and covers

All Souls' Day

2005-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

In the Roman Catholic church, a day for commemoration of all the faithful departed, those baptized Christians who are believed to be in purgatory because they have died with the guilt of lesser sins on their souls. It is celebrated on November 2. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that the prayers of the faithful on earth will help cleanse these souls in order to fit them

Mun River

2005-02-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

Thai Mae Nam Mun main river system of the Khorat Plateau, in eastern Thailand. The Mun rises in the San Kamphaeng Range northeast of Bangkok and flows east for 418 miles (673 km), receiving the Chi River, its main tributary, and entering the Mekong River at the Laotian border. Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani are the chief towns on its banks. The river is seasonally navigable below Ubon

Chiang K'ang-hu

2005-02-21T01:34:00.000-08:00

Born into a scholar-official family, Chiang studied at home and briefly in Japan before returning to China in 1901 to take charge of the compilation of elementary-school textbooks for the schools of five northern

Thomson, Sir J.j.

2005-02-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

In full Sir Joseph John Thomson English physicist who helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure by his discovery of the electron (1897). He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906 and was knighted in 1908.

Beirut, American University Of

2005-02-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

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

Italian Socialist Party

2005-02-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

The original basis of the party lay among trade unions, socialist circles, and cooperative

Adelantado

2005-02-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “one who goes before”), representative of the kings of Castile (Spain) who in the early European Middle Ages headed military expeditions and, from the reign of Ferdinand III (1217–52) until the 16th century, held judicial and administrative powers over specific districts. Greater adelantados (adelantados mayores) served as appeal judges and in times of war were responsible

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

2005-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

Muslim theologian, jurist, and martyr for his faith. He was the compiler of the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (Musnad) and formulator of the Hanbali, the most strictly traditionalist of the four orthodox Islamic schools of law. His doctrine influenced such noted followers as the 13th–14th-century theologian Ibn Taymiyah, the Wahhabiyah, an 18th-century reform

Earth Sciences, Geologic time and the age of the Earth

2005-02-16T03:48:00.000-08:00

By mid-century the fossiliferous strata of Europe had been grouped into systems arrayed in chronological order. The stratigraphic column, a composite of these systems, was pieced together from exposures in different regions by application of the principles of superposition and faunal sequence. Time elapsed during the formation of a system became known as a

Pietism

2005-02-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

German Pietismus influential religious reform movement that began among German Lutherans in the 17th century. It emphasized personal faith against the main Lutheran church's perceived stress on doctrine and theology over Christian living. Pietism quickly spread and later became concerned with social and educational matters. As a phenomenon of personal religious renewal, its

San Francisco, University Of

2005-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning, located near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calif., U.S. It is affiliated with the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs through six academic divisions: the College of Arts and Sciences, McLaren School of Business, the College of Professional

Sill, Anna Peck

2005-02-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Sill began teaching school at the age of 20, and in 1843 she opened a seminary in Warsaw, New York. From 1846 to 1849 she headed the female department of the Cary Collegiate Institute in Oakfield, New York. For some years she had wavered between teaching

Zaccaria, Benedetto

2005-02-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

In 1264 Zaccaria was named Genoese ambassador to the Byzantine emperor, Michael VIII Paleologus, who bestowed on him and his brother Manuele the fief of Phocaea, north of Smyrna, with its alum mines. On this foundation the brothers built a commercial empire,

Sarcoidosis

2005-02-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

Systemic disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the formation of granulation (scarlike) tissue. Sarcoidosis often disappears spontaneously within two or three years but may progress to involve more than one organ. It is observed in the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, salivary glands, muscles, liver, spleen, and the connective tissues of the nervous system. Skin

Ahmed Hasim

2005-02-12T06:28:00.000-08:00

Born into a prominent family, Hasim developed his knowledge of French literature and his fondness for poetry at Galatasaray Lycée in Constantinople (now Istanbul). After briefly studying law, he worked for the government tobacco offices.

Galiwinku

2005-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Formerly Elcho Island, island in the Arafura Sea, 2 miles (3 km) across Cadell Strait from Napier Peninsula, a part of Northern Territory, Australia, and of the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve. It is low-lying, 30 miles (48 km) long by 7 miles (11 km) wide, and is separated from the Wessel Islands (east) by Brown Strait. The town of Galiwinku, on the southwestern coast, which began as a Methodist mission (established

Yamantaka

2005-02-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

In northern Buddhism, one of the eight fierce protective deities. See dharmapala.

Fiscus

2005-02-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Vespasian created the fiscus Alexandrinus and fiscus Asiaticus to receive Egyptian and Asian revenues, formerly directed to the aer

Arnaud, Georges

2005-02-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Arnaud's father was Georges Girard, a state official and noted historian who was killed along with Arnaud's aunt on the family estate near Perigueux in central France (1941). Accused of the murders, Arnaud spent 19 months in jail before he was declared innocent in 1943. Disgusted with the judicial system,

Fujiwara Tokihira

2005-02-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Japanese Imperial minister who checked the efforts of the emperor Uda (reigned 887–897) to halt the domination of the Japanese government by the Fujiwara family. Tokihira's father, Fujiwara Mototsune, had created and occupied the post of kampaku, or chancellor, a position that gave him virtual control of Japan by allowing him to issue commands on behalf of

Ironclad

2005-02-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Type of warship developed in Europe and the United States in the mid-19th century, characterized by the iron casemates that protected the hull. In the Crimean War (1853–56) the French and British successfully attacked Russian fortifications with “floating batteries,” ironclad barges mounting heavy guns, that were towed into position. The French built the first iron

Peter Nolasco, Saint

2005-02-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

Peter dedicated himself to helping the poor.

Hierta, Lars Johan

2005-02-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hierta's work as a clerk for the noble estate of the Riksdag (estates assembly) in the 1820s acquainted him with the operation of the increasingly conservative Swedish regime and made him its critic. He established the Aftonbladet (“Evening

Francesca Da Rimini

2005-02-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

Dante was the first to make a literary

Amnesty International

2005-02-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

(AI), international organization headquartered in London that seeks to inform public opinion about violations of human rights, especially the abridgments of freedom of speech and of religion and the imprisonment and torture of political dissidents, and which actively seeks the release of political prisoners and the relief, when necessary, of their families. In

Frederick Augustus I

2005-02-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his father in 1763 as the elector Frederick Augustus III, he brought order and efficiency to his country's finances and administration. In foreign policy, he was neutralist but

Zoetermeer

2005-02-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Zuid-Holland provincie, western Netherlands. Zoetermeer is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Rotterdam and is situated on a polder created during the 17th century. Industries in the town produce machinery, tobacco products, and foodstuffs, the latter using cereals and livestock raised in the vicinity. Oil and gas fields are exploited nearby. Zoetermeer

Kerensky, Aleksandr Fyodorovich

2005-02-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

While studying law at the University of St. Petersburg, Kerensky was attracted to the Narodniki (or populist) revolutionary movement. After graduating (1904), he joined the Socialist

Wang Mang

2005-02-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wang Mang , posthumous name, or shih (Wade-Giles romanization) Chia Huang-ti , or She Huang-ti founder of the short-lived Hsin dynasty (AD 9–25). He is known in Chinese history as the “Usurper.”

Biblical Literature, The united monarchy

2005-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

The monarchy was initiated during the career of Samuel, a prophet of great influence and authority who was also recognized as a judge and is depicted in varying biblical accounts as either favouring or not favouring the reign of a human king over Israel. In any case, he anointed Saul, a courageous military leader of the tribe of Benjamin, as king (c. 1020 BCE). Saul won substantial

Seleucia Pieria

2005-01-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

Greek Seleukeia, in ancient Syria, port of Antioch and frontier fortress on the Cilician border (near modern Samandag, Turkey), 4 miles (6 km) north of the mouth of the Orontes River. With Antioch, Apamea, and Laodicea it formed the Syrian tetrapolis. The town occupied the rocky slopes of Musa Dagi, and its natural fortifications and good harbour soon made it the port for the important city of Antioch.

Raedwald

2005-01-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Raedwald became a Christian during a stay in Kent, but on his return to East Anglia he sanctioned the worship of both the Christian and the heathen religions. For a time he recognized the overlordship of Aethelberht, king of Kent, but he seems to have shaken off the

Grace, William R.

2005-01-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

Grace ran away to New York at the age of 14 but later returned to Ireland. In 1850 he visited Callao, Peru, where he entered

Connors, Jimmy

2005-01-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

Connors learned to play tennis from his mother at an early age, and when he was eight years old he competed in the U.S. boys' championship. A former student at the University of California at Los Angeles, he joined team tennis in 1972. In 1974 he won three of the Big Four tournaments

Cambridge

2005-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1686) of Dorchester county, eastern Maryland, U.S., on the Choptank River's south bank near Chesapeake Bay's eastern shore. Bisected by Cambridge Creek (a natural harbour), it was founded in 1684 as a plantation port and named in 1686 for the English university town. For more than two centuries it handled small coastwise traffic, but the addition of deepwater facilities and the

Tokyo-yokohama Metropolitan Area, Transportation

2005-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

The emergence of modern Tokyo came at the beginning of the transportation revolution of the late 19th century. The first railroad in Japan was put through from Tokyo to Yokohama in 1872. The city continues to be the most important transportation centre in the country. The busiest rail stations are those accommodating commuters to the western suburbs, but the traveler

Jezebel

2005-01-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jezabel in the Old Testament (Kings I and II), the wife of King Ahab, who ruled the kingdom of Israel; by interfering with the exclusive worship of the Hebrew god Yahweh, disregarding the rights of the common man, and defying the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, she provoked the internecine strife that enfeebled Israel for decades. She has come to be known as an archetype of the

Iran, Abu Muslim's revolution

2005-01-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

Less time was needed before a new Islamic beginning: Abu Muslim's movement, which began in Khorasan in 747 and was caused by Arab assimilation with Iranians in colonized regions. This revolution followed years of conspiracy directed from Medina and across to Khorasan along the trade route that linked East Asia with Merv and thence with the West. Along the route, merchants

Ealing

2005-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Outer borough of London, part of the historic county of Middlesex, midway between central London and the western periphery. The borough was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former municipal boroughs of Ealing, Acton, and Southall, all in the former county of Middlesex. It includes the districts and neighbourhoods of (from west to east) West End, Northolt, Southall,

Ecosystem

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

The principles underlying the study of ecosystems are based on the view that all the elements of a life-supporting environment of any size, whether natural or man-made, are parts of an integral network in which each element interacts directly

Gabor, Dennis

2005-01-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

A research engineer for the firm of Siemens and Halske in Berlin from 1927, Gabor fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and worked with the Thomson-Houston Company

Kuala Lipis

2005-01-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

Town, central West Malaysia (Malaya), situated along the Jelai River. It is a commercial centre for nearby villages and the riverine Aboriginals who inhabit the dense jungle to the north. Some of its residents live on the slopes of the surrounding hills, while many Malay families cluster in communities of raft huts along the river. The terminus of the central Malayan

Ascoli, Graziadio Isaia

2005-01-23T01:48:00.000-08:00

Ascoli did not receive any formal higher education, but he wrote his first major work, on Oriental languages, in 1854. While serving as a professor

Alcidae

2005-01-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

Bird family, order Charadriiformes, which includes the birds known as auk, auklet, dovekie, guillemot, murre, murrelet, and puffin (qq.v.).

Polio Vaccine

2005-01-22T00:29:00.000-08:00

Preparation of poliomyelitis virus given to prevent infection with the disease. The virus is grown in kidney tissue from rhesus monkeys. There are two types of vaccine: one with killed virus, which is injected, and the other with live, attenuated (weakened) virus, which is given orally. Vaccines, whether killed or live, must contain strains of all of the three poliovirus

Hackney Pony

2005-01-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

Heavy harness pony breed derived from the cross of a Hackney horse and a Welsh pony, used almost entirely as a show pony. It has the conformation and high-stepping action of the Hackney horse. Hackney ponies are shown in classes determined by height, which varies from 11.2 to 14.1 hands (about 46 to 57 inches, or 117 to 145 centimetres). They are registered in the same studbook as the Hackney horse