OldUmbrella

Auk

2005-04-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Birds of the auk family, often called alcids, range in length from about 15 to 40 cm (6 to 16 inches), though

Auk

2005-04-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

A soft, silvery-white or grayish metal in Group IVa of the periodic table. Lead is very malleable, ductile, and dense and is a poor conductor of electricity. Known in antiquity and believed by the alchemists to be the oldest of metals, lead is highly durable and resistant to corrosion, as is indicated by the continuing use of lead water pipes installed by the ancient

Avignon Papacy

2005-04-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

Distressed by factionalism in Rome and pressed to come to France by Philip IV, Pope Clement V moved the papal capital to Avignon, which at that time belonged to vassals of the pope. In 1348 it became direct papal property.

Garibaldi, Giuseppe

2005-03-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento, a republican who, through his conquest of Sicily and Naples with his guerrilla Redshirts, contributed to the achievement of Italian unification under the royal House of Savoy.

Dabrowska, Maria

2005-03-28T05:05:00.000-08:00

Born into a relatively impecunious family of landowners, Dabrowska was educated in Poland, at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and then in Belgium. Afterward, she lived in France and Great Britain until World War II. In 1909 she had begun to write articles

German Literature, Aestheticism

2005-03-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

In the final decades of the 19th century the literary scene was divided between naturalism and its opposites, variously collected under terms such as Neoromanticism, Impressionism, Jugendstil, and Decadence. Aestheticism—the belief that the work of art need have no moral or political use beyond its existence as a beautiful object—may prove to be the most appropriate

Denmark, Flag Of

2005-03-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

According to tradition, the Danish flag fell from heaven on June 15, 1219, during the Battle of Lyndanisse (near modern Tallinn, Estonia) as a sign from God of his support for King Valdemar II against the pagan Estonians. Contemporary references to this flag date from a century later, and evidence suggests that the flag was not unique to Denmark. Many small states in the Holy Roman

Exuma Cays

2005-03-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Group of some 365 cays and islands, part of the Bahama Islands, situated in the Atlantic Ocean. The Exuma Cays begin some 35 miles (56 km) east-southeast of Nassau, stretch southeast in a gently curving arc for about 90 miles (145 km), and have an area of 112 square miles (290 square km). Most of the inhabitants live on the islands of Great Exuma and Little Exuma. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, which includes

Irish Harp

2005-03-22T16:08:00.000-08:00

Irish clairseach, Scottish Gaelic clarsach traditional harp of medieval Ireland and Scotland, characterized by a huge soundbox carved from a solid block of wood; a heavy, curved neck; and a deeply outcurved forepillar—a form shared by the medieval Scottish harp. It was designed to bear great tension from the heavy brass strings (normally 30 to 50), which were plucked by the fingernails to produce a ringing, bell-like

Pierce, Franklin

2005-03-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

(For an additional writing by Pierce, see The Military Academy.)

Subjective Idealism

2005-03-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

A philosophy based on the premise that nothing exists except minds and spirits and their perceptions or ideas. A person experiences material things, but their existence is not independent of the perceiving mind; material things are thus mere perceptions. The reality of the outside world is contingent on a knower. The 18th-century Anglo-Irish philosopher George

Psa Peugeot Citroën Sa

2005-03-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

Peugeot was founded in 1890 by Armand Peugeot (1849–1915), one of a large family of industrialists

Kekri

2005-03-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Keyri, or Käyri, in ancient Finnish religion, a feast day marking the end of the agricultural season that also coincided with the time when the cattle were taken in from pasture and settled for a winter's stay in the barn. Kekri originally fell on Michaelmas, September 29, but was later shifted to November 1, All Saints' Day. In the old system of reckoning time, Kekri was a critical period between

Suez Canal

2005-03-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Arabic Qanat as-Suways, sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. The canal separates the African continent from Asia, and it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes. The canal

Halfmoon

2005-03-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

(Medialuna californiensis), edible Pacific fish of the family Kyphosidae (order Perciformes). Some authorities place it in the subfamily Scorpidinae, as distinct from the other Kyphosidae, which are known as sea chubs. Halfmoons are bluish gray in colour, with dark gray fins. They normally reach a length of about 30 centimetres (1 foot). They inhabit Pacific coastal areas

Leafhopper

2005-03-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Any of the small, slender, often beautifully coloured and marked sap-sucking insects of the large family Cicadellidae (Jassidae) of the order Homoptera. They are found on almost all types of plants; however, individual species are host specific. Although a single leafhopper does no damage to a plant, collectively they can be serious economic pests. Their

Frame Story

2005-03-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Also called frame tale overall unifying story within which one or more tales are related. In the single story, the opening and closing constitutes a frame. In the cyclical frame story—that is, a story in which several tales are related—some frames are externally imposed and only loosely bind the diversified stories. For example, the Jataka, a treasury of some 550 ancient Indian folktales, is cast

New Zealand, Annexation and further settlement

2005-03-13T03:55:00.000-08:00

In 1838 the British government decided upon at least partial annexation. In 1839 it commissioned William Hobson, a naval officer, as lieutenant governor and consul to the Maori chiefs, and he annexed the whole country, the North Island by the right of cession from the Maori chiefs and the South Island by the right of discovery. At first New Zealand was legally part of New South

Duchamp-villon, Raymond

2005-03-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

In 1900 Duchamp-Villon gave up medical school for sculpture, often working closely with his brothers, the artists Gaston (better known by his pseudonym, Jacques Villon) and Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp-Villon's early work was influenced

Astronomy

2005-03-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Without doubt the most exciting event in astronomy was the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, but studies of other small bodies in the solar system provided their own delights and surprises. Although the solar system is traditionally viewed as comprising the Sun, nine planets, their moons, and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the discovery in

Cambay, Gulf Of

2005-03-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Gulf of Khambhat trumpet-shaped gulf of the Arabian Sea, indenting northward the coast of Gujarat state, western India, between Bombay and the Kathiawar Peninsula. It is 120 miles (190 km) wide at its mouth between Diu and Daman, but it rapidly narrows to 15 miles (24 km). The gulf receives many rivers, including the Sabarmati, Mahi, Narmada (Narbada), and Tapti. Its shape and its orientation in relation to the southwest

Ratite

2005-03-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Any bird whose sternum (breastbone) is smooth, or raftlike, because it lacks a keel to which flight muscles could be anchored. All species of ratites are thus unable to fly. They are a peculiar and puzzling group, with anatomic anomalies. The group includes some of the largest birds of all time, such as the moa (q.v.) and the elephant bird (Aepyornis). Extant ratites include the

Rhynie Plants

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

Several genera of fossil plants uncovered near Rhynie, Aberdeen, Scot., of significance in tracing the evolution of vascular plants (plants with special cells that conduct water and food). The rocks containing these fossils are of Devonian age (the Devonian Period lasted from 408 to 360 million years ago) and are part of a geological formation called the Old Red

Rabelais, François

2005-03-07T01:24:00.000-08:00

Details of Rabelais's life are sparse and difficult to interpret. He was the son of Antoine Rabelais, a rich Touraine landowner and a prominent lawyer who deputized for the lieutenant-général of Poitou in 1527. After apparently studying law, Rabelais became a Franciscan novice at La Baumette (1510?) and later moved to the Puy-Saint-Martin convent at Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou.

Dom

2005-03-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Domra, or Domb, widespread and versatile caste of scavengers, musicians, vagabonds, traders, and, sometimes, weavers in northern India and the Himalayas. Some scholars regard the Doms as originating from an aboriginal tribe. They list seven endogamous subcastes. The Doms are completely outside Brahminic control. They have their own deities and an elaborate demonology. Considerable

Ghent, Treaty Of

2005-03-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 24, 1814), agreement in Belgium between Great Britain and the United States to end the War of 1812 on the general basis of the status quo antebellum (maintaining the prewar conditions). Because the military positions for each side were so well balanced, neither country could obtain desired concessions. No mention was made in the peace settlement of neutral rights, particularly

Computer Science

2005-03-03T23:58:00.000-08:00

The study of computers, including their design (architecture) and their uses for computations, data processing, and systems control. The field of computer science includes engineering activities such as the design of computers and of the hardware and software that make up computer systems. It also encompasses theoretical, mathematical activities, such as the

Theodosius I

2005-03-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

In 379 and 380 Theodosius resided chiefly in Thessalonica. He sought first to rebuild the army, the discipline of which was considerably impaired, and to consolidate Rome's position on the Balkan peninsula. Military unpreparedness could not be overcome by conscription alone, which applied only to certain classes. Theodosius therefore directed that large numbers of

Keeler, Wee Willie

2005-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Keeler was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. He played in the major leagues from 1892 to 1910 and achieved a career batting average

Scandinavian Literature, The impact of the reformation on Swedish letters

2005-03-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Two dates mark the beginning of modern Swedish history: 1523—the breach with Denmark and Gustav I Vasa's accession; and 1527—the breach with Rome and the establishment of a national Lutheran Church. The political revolution that eventually brought Sweden to the position of a European power had no considerable effect on literature until a century later, but the Reformation

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint

2005-02-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

Escape from the feudal world, rapid commitment

Hurdle Race

2005-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Horse race over a course on which a number of obstacles, called hurdles, must be jumped. Hurdle racing, a kind of preparation for steeplechasing, originated in England and Ireland in the 18th century and by the second half of the 20th century had spread to Commonwealth countries, Europe, and the eastern United States. Its hurdles are light and movable and are lower than steeplechase

Roman-fleuve

2005-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

(French: “novel stream”), series of novels, each one complete in itself, that deals with one central character, an era of national life, or successive generations of a family. Inspired by Honoré de Balzac's Comédie humaine and Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle, the roman-fleuve was a popular literary genre in France during the first half of the 20th century. Examples include

Self-realization Fellowship

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

Spiritual society founded in the United States by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952), a teacher of yoga, who was one of the first Indian spiritual teachers to reside permanently in the West. His lecturing and teaching led to the chartering of the fellowship in 1935, with headquarters in Los Angeles; there are now centres worldwide, as well as several independent groups influenced

Holbach, Paul-henri Dietrich, Baron D'

2005-02-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

French encyclopaedist and philosopher, a celebrated exponent of atheism and Materialism, whose inherited wealth allowed him to entertain many of the noted philosophers of the day, some of whom (Comte de Buffon, J.-J. Rousseau, d'Alembert) reportedly withdrew from his gatherings, frightened by the audacity

Eijkman, Christiaan

2005-02-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

Eijkman received a medical degree from the University of Amsterdam (1883) and served as a medical officer in the Dutch East

Abbott, Sir John

2005-02-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

Educated at McGill University, Montreal, Abbott became a lawyer in 1847 and was made queen's counsel in 1862. He served as dean of the McGill faculty of law from 1855 to 1880. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the then-united province of Canada in 1857 and

Switzerland, History

2005-02-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Historical overviews are provided by Handbuch der schweizer Geschichte, 2 vol. (1972–77); Peter Dürrenmatt, Schweizer Geschichte (1957, reissued in 2 vol., 1976); Edgar Bonjour, H.S. Offler, and G.R. Potter, A Short History of Switzerland (1952, reprinted 1985); Georg Thürer, Free and Swiss: The Story of Switzerland (1970; originally published in German, 3rd ed., 1964); Marc-R. Sauter, Switzerland, from Earliest Times to the Roman Conquest (1976); and William Martin, Switzerland: From Roman Times to the Present (1971; originally published in French, 6th ed., 1966). Hektor Ammann and Karl Schib (eds.), Historischen Atlas der Schweiz, 2nd ed. (1958), is an excellent atlas of Swiss history.

Chancel

2005-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

This lattice is now more commonly

Kirkwall

2005-02-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

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

Nordic Skiing

2005-02-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

Also called classic skiing techniques and events that evolved in the hilly terrain of Norway and the other Scandinavian countries. The modern Nordic events are the cross-country races (including a relay race) and ski-jumping events. The Nordic combined is a separate test consisting of a 15-km cross-country race and special ski-jumping contest, with the winner determined on the basis of points

La Mettrie, Julien Offroy De

2005-02-18T04:25:00.000-08:00

La Mettrie obtained a medical degree at Reims, studied medicine in Leiden under Hermann Boerhaave (some of whose

Arts, Islamic, Architecture in Iraq, Syria, and Anatolia

2005-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

In Iraq, northern Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt (after 1171), the architectural monuments do not, on the whole, appear as overwhelmingly impressive as those of Iran, largely because the taste of Umayyad and 'Abbasid times continued to dominate mosque architecture. It is in the construction of new building types, particularly the madrasah, that the most originality is apparent.

Mer

2005-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Among the Cheremis and Udmurts (also called Votyaks), a district where people would gather periodically to hold religious festivals and perform sacrifices to nature gods. The word mer is derived from the Russian mir, “village community.” The people within the mer usually were of common origin; their customs were similar, and they may even have possessed names and ownership

Siwa Oasis

2005-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Arabic Wahat Siwah oasis in Matruh muhafazah (governorate), western Egypt. It lies near the Libyan frontier, 350 miles (560 km) west-southwest of Cairo. The oasis is 6 miles (10 km) long by 4–5 miles (6–8 km) wide and has about 200 springs. Two rock outcrops provide the sites of the old walled settlements of Siwa and Aghurmi, which are veritable fortresses. The oasis is inhabited by Berber-speaking Sudanic peoples who live in mud-brick

Socialism, Other early socialists

2005-02-14T03:36:00.000-08:00

The 1840s saw the rise of a number of other socialist doctrines, particularly in France. Louis-Auguste Blanqui evolved a radical socialist—or, as he called it, communist—doctrine based on a democratic populism and on the belief that capitalism as an inherently unstable order would soon be replaced by cooperative associations. Impatient with theorizing, given to a strong

Typhoon

2005-02-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

Local name in the western North Pacific area for any large, traveling tropical cyclone (q.v.).

Ataxia

2005-02-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

Most hereditary ataxias of neurological origin are caused by degeneration of the spinal cord and cerebellum; other parts of the nervous system are also frequently involved. The most common of these is Friedreich ataxia, named after the German neurologist

Badminton

2005-02-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

The temporary retirement of reigning Olympic badminton gold medalist Gong Zhichao opened the door for Denmark's Camilla Martin at the All England championships in Birmingham, Eng., in March 2002. Nevertheless, Martin had to overcome four formidable Chinese opponents on her way to her first All England title, including a semifinal victory over Dai Yun and a final-round

Medicine, India

2005-02-09T02:06:00.000-08:00

Ayurvedic medicine is an example of a well-organized system of traditional health care, both preventive and curative, that is widely practiced in parts of Asia. Ayurvedic medicine has a long tradition behind it, having originated in India perhaps as long as 3,000 years ago. It is still a favoured form of health care in large parts of the Eastern world, especially in India, where

Earth, Earthquakes

2005-02-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

Most Earth scientists believe that virtually all naturally produced earthquakes occur as a result of movements along faults. The reason that the majority of such earthquakes occur along plate boundaries is that most faults lie along those boundaries.

Alexis, Willibald

2005-02-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

Alexis grew up in Berlin. After service as a volunteer in the campaign of 1815, he studied law at Berlin and Breslau but abandoned his legal career for writing after the success of his literary hoax Walladmor (1824), a parody

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

2005-02-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

Area of the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, U.S., near the base of the Guadalupe Mountains (a segment of the Sacramento Mountains). It was established in 1923 as a national monument, designated a national park in 1930, and proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Beneath the park, which has a surface area of 73 square miles (189 square km), are 83 individual caves, including Carlsbad

Ear Disease, Osteoma of the bony ear canal

2005-02-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

Osteoma of the bony ear canal is a bony knob that grows close to the tympanic membrane, especially in those who swim a great deal in cold water. It is not dangerous and does not need to be removed unless the bony overgrowth becomes large enough to block the ear canal.

John Bartholomew And Son

2005-02-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

Mapmaking and publishing company of the United Kingdom, located in Edinburgh and specializing in the use of hypsometric (layer) colouring in relief maps. The company was established in 1826 by John Bartholomew. It originally published such diverse items as checkbooks, election literature, and maps. In 1856 his son John George Bartholomew (1831–93), the well-known Scottish cartographer,

Abelard, Peter

2005-02-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

The outline of Abelard's career is well known, largely because he described so much of it in his famous Historia calamitatum (“History of My Troubles”). He was born the son of a knight in Brittany south of the Loire River. He sacrificed his inheritance and the prospect of a military career in order to study philosophy, particularly logic, in France. He provoked bitter quarrels

Ducas Family

2005-02-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

Ducas also spelled Dukas or Doukas Byzantine family that supplied several rulers to the empire. First prominent in the 10th century, the family suffered a setback when Constantine Ducas, son of General Andronicus Ducas, lost his life attempting to become emperor in 913. Another Ducas family, perhaps connected with the earlier one through the female line, appeared toward the end of the 10th century. A member

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

2005-02-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

The fire started on the eighth floor of the Asch Building just east of Washington Square Park and quickly spread upward to the two top floors of the building. Some workers, having no way of opening the doors that

German Literature, Bourgeois Realism

2005-01-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

The deaths of Hegel in 1831 and of Goethe in 1832 released many German writers from the feeling that they stood in the shadow of great men. A new group of writers, only very loosely connected, began to emerge who felt that the aesthetic models of the age of Goethe could be laid aside in favour of a distinctly political form of literature. Inspired by the July Revolution in France

San Angelo

2005-01-30T01:34:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1875) of Tom Green county, west-central Texas, U.S. It lies about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Abilene. Founded in 1869 near Fort Concho (now a museum) at the confluence of the North, South, and Middle Concho rivers, it was first known as Over-the-River but was renamed Santa Angela (later masculinized) for a sister-in-law of Bart J. DeWitt, one of the founders. The rivers have there been impounded

Orwell, George

2005-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell never entirely abandoned his original name, but his first book (Down and Out in Paris and London) appeared as the work

Yobe

2005-01-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

Yobe's terrain consists of plains that are drained by the seasonal Komadugu Yobe River and its tributaries in the north and by the Gongola

Grace, William R.

2005-01-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

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

Xhosa

2005-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

In the late 18th and the 19th centuries, a series of conflicts popularly called

Molecular Biology

2005-01-25T02:29:00.000-08:00

Field of science concerned with studying the chemical structures and processes of biological phenomena at the molecular level. Of growing importance since the 1940s, molecular biology developed out of the related fields of biochemistry, genetics, and biophysics. The discipline is particularly concerned with the study of proteins, nucleic acids, and enzymes—i.e., the

Indigo Snake

2005-01-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

(Drymarchon corais), docile, nonvenomous member of the family Colubridae found from the southeastern United States to Brazil. It is the largest snake in the United States—record length is 2.8 metres (9.2 feet)—and one of the largest of all colubrids. In the United States its colour is blue-black; southward it may have brown foreparts, and in the tropics members

Florence

2005-01-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

The

Aterian Industry

2005-01-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

Stone tool tradition of the Middle and Late Paleolithic, found widespread in the late Pleistocene throughout northern Africa. The Aterian people were among the first to use the bow and arrow. Aterian stone tools are an advanced African form of the European Levalloisian tradition, adapted to desert use. A distinctive Aterian sign is the formation of stems, or tangs,

Dacite

2005-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Volcanic rock that may be considered a quartz-bearing variety of andesite. Dacite is primarily associated with andesite and trachyte and forms lava flows, dikes, and sometimes massive intrusions in the centres of old volcanoes. Like andesite, dacite consists mostly of plagioclase feldspar with biotite, hornblende, augite, or enstatite and generally has a porphyritic

Biblical Literature, Later and modern versions: English

2005-01-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

Knowledge of the pre-Wycliffite English renditions stems from the many actual manuscripts that have survived and from secondary literature, such as booklists, wills, citations by later authors, and references in polemical works that have preserved the memory of many a translation effort.

Scandinavian Literature, The influence of Georg Brandes

2005-01-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

About 1870 there arose in Denmark a new movement, led by Georg Brandes, from which a modern (i.e., a Naturalistic or Realistic) literature emerged. His Hovedstrømninger i det 19de aarhundredes litteratur (1872–90; Main Currents in 19th Century Literature), describing the growth and defeat of reaction, caused a great sensation. As noted earlier, he influenced Ibsen and Strindberg and wrote

India, Developments in the Deccan

2005-01-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

Toward the last years of Akbar's reign, the Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar in the Deccan had engaged the attention of the emperor considerably. The main objective of his intervention in Ahmadnagar was to gain Berar, which had been recently acquired by Ahmadnagar from Khandesh, and Balaghat, which had been a bone of contention between Ahmadnagar and Gujarat. By 1596 Berar was conquered

Gun

2005-01-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Weapon consisting essentially of a metal tube from which a missile or projectile is shot by the force of exploding gunpowder or some other propellant. In military science, the term is often limited to cannon larger than a howitzer or mortar, although these latter two types, like all tube-fired artillery pieces, also fall within the general definition of a gun. Guns

Asheville

2005-01-16T02:38:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Buncombe county, west-central North Carolina, U.S. Asheville lies in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at the junction of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers. It has a mild climate and is built on an uneven plateau at an elevation of about 2,200 feet (670 metres). Asheville is the eastern gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation and

Great Escarpment

2005-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Plateau edge of southern Africa that separates the region's highland interior plateau from the fairly narrow coastal strip. It lies predominantly within the Republic of South Africa and Lesotho but extends northeastward into eastern Zimbabwe (where it separates much of that country from Mozambique) and northwestward into Namibia and Angola (where it separates

Holmium

2005-01-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

(Ho), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table, one of the most paramagnetic substances known. Among the least abundant of the rare-earth elements, holmium and its compounds have limited application except for research. Holmium has been used as a component of some electronic devices; the trivalent ion has been used as a catalyst

Ramla

2005-01-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

City in Israel, on the coastal plain southeast of Tel Aviv–Yafo. Ramla is the only city founded by the Arabs in Palestine. It was established in 716 by the caliph Sulayman ibn 'Abd al-Malik (reigned 715–717), who made it the administrative capital of Palestine, replacing nearby Lod (Lydda). He built marketplaces, fortifications, and, above all, the White Mosque (Al-Jami' al-Abyad). Only ruins of

Death Valley

2005-01-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

Structural depression in Inyo county, southeastern California, U.S., that is the lowest, hottest, driest portion of the North American continent. Death Valley is about 140 miles (225 km) long, trends roughly north-south, and is from 5 to 15 miles (8 to 24 km) wide. The valley is bounded on the west by the Panamint Range and on the east by the Black, Funeral, and Grapevine mountains of the Amargosa

Gonçalves, Nuno

2005-01-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Apparently Gonçalves was appointed court

Arguello, Alexis

2005-01-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Arguello, who became a professional fighter in 1968, fought only in his homeland until 1974, when he went to Panama to seek the World Boxing Association's featherweight title. Arguello lost this match in a 15-round decision to Ernesto

Catalog Verse

2005-01-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

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

Algeria, Manufacturing

2005-01-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

The manufacturing sector was mainly confined to food processing, textiles, cigarettes, and clothing before independence. Since 1967, however, the main emphasis has shifted toward heavy industry. The state steel corporation, for example, completed its large El-Hadjar steelworks complex at Annaba in the early 1970s and has constructed a zinc electrolysis plant near the El-Abed

Gad

2005-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

After entering the Promised Land, each tribe was assigned a territory by Joshua, who replaced Moses as leader after the latter's death. The tribe

Military Aircraft, Reconnaissance

2005-01-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

For military staffs contemplating offensive operations, aerial photography became the most important source of detailed information on enemy dispositions. British reconnaissance aircraft were especially capable. Modified versions of the Spitfire and Mosquito, stripped of armament and fitted with extra fuel tanks, proved essentially immune to interception

Murad Iii

2005-01-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Externally Murad continued the military offensive of his predecessors. He took Fez (now Fès, Mor.) from the Portuguese in 1578. He fought an exhausting war against

Yarim

2005-01-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Yemen. It lies in the heart of the Yemen Highlands, on an upland plateau dominated by the massif of nearby Mount Sumarah, which rises to about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level. In antiquity the Yarim area was the core of the state of Himyar, which ruled over much of southern Arabia from about 115 BC to about AD 575; the Himyarite capital of Zafar (q.v.) was about 9 miles (15 km) south of Yarim. The

Spanish Treasure Fleet

2005-01-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

Beginning in the 1560s, shipping between Spain and the Americas was organized on a regular basis. Two fleets of between 30 and 90 vessels sailed from Seville to

France, History Of, The July monarchy

2005-01-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

The renovated regime (often called the July monarchy or the bourgeois monarchy) rested on an altered political theory and a broadened social base. Divine right gave way to popular sovereignty; the social centre of gravity shifted from the landowning aristocracy to the wealthy bourgeoisie. The Charter of 1814 was retained but no longer as a royal gift to the nation; it

Zambezi River, Hydrology

2005-01-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

The Zambezi, according to measurements taken at Maramba (formerly Livingstone), Zambia, experiences its maximum flow in March or April. In October or November the discharge diminishes to less than 10 percent of the maximum. The annual average flow reaches about 247,000 cubic feet (7,000 cubic metres) per second. Measurements taken at Kariba Dam reflect the same seasonal pattern; the

Downing, Andrew Jackson

2004-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

Downing was born into horticulture, his father being a nurseryman. After finishing his schooling at 16, he worked in his father's nursery and gradually became interested in landscape gardening and architecture.

Kikwit

2004-12-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

Town and river port, southwestern Congo (Kinshasa). It lies along the Kwilu River, which is a tributary of the Kasai River. European settlement of the site began in 1901, and the town became a colonial administrative centre about 1910. Kikwit is now the largest community in the area. The production of palm oil and kernels, cassava, peanuts (groundnuts), and corn (maize) has replaced rubber

Mitchell, W.o.

2004-12-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Mitchell received favourable notice for his first novel, Who Has Seen the Wind? (1947), a sensitive picture of a grim prairie town seen from the point of view of a small boy. Mitchell's Jake and the Kid (1961) was later developed

Sedimentary Rock, Origin of ironstones

2004-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

The origin of ironstones also is not well understood, but most appear to be derived from the erosion and redeposition of lateritic (iron-rich, red) soils. Ironstones occur as thin (a few tens of metres at most) units interbedded with shallow marine and transitional carbonates, mudrocks, and sandstones. They generally have an oölitic texture. Cross-bedding, ripple marks,

Ussher, James

2004-12-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

Ordained priest in 1601, Ussher became professor (1607–21) and twice vice-chancellor (1614, 1617) at the university where he had received his B.A., Trinity College, Dublin.

Pugin, Augustus Welby Northmore

2004-12-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Pugin was the son of the architect Augustus Charles Pugin, who gave him his architectural and draftsmanship training. His mature professional life began in 1836 when he published Contrasts, which conveyed the argument with

Clarence River

2004-12-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

Coastal river, northeastern New South Wales, Australia, rising in the McPherson Range near the Queensland border, flowing south and northeast for 245 mi (394 km), and emptying into the Pacific 40 mi below Grafton. Its chief tributaries are the Timbarra, Mitchell, and Orara. Woodford, Chatsworth, and Harwood are the largest of its many islands, most of which are subject to floods. The

Ambo

2004-12-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

In the Christian liturgy, a raised stand formerly used for reading the Gospel or the Epistle, first used in early basilicas. Originally, the ambo took the form of a portable lectern. By the 6th century it had evolved into a stationary church furnishing, which reflected the development and codification of the Christian liturgy. By the Byzantine and early Romanesque

Mammal

2004-12-22T23:36:00.000-08:00

The evolution of the Mammalia has produced tremendous diversity in form and habits. Living kinds range in size from a bat weighing less than a gram and tiny shrews that weigh but a few grams, to the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which reaches a length of more than 30 meters (100 feet) and a weight of 136,000 kilograms (150 tons). Every major habitat has been invaded by mammals

Silver Age

2004-12-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

In Latin literature, the period from approximately AD 18 to 133, which was a time of marked literary achievement second only to the previous Golden Age (70 BC–AD 18). By the 1st century AD political patronage of the arts begun in the Augustan Age (43 BC–AD 18) and a stifling reverence for the literature of the Golden Age, particularly for the poetry of Virgil, had led to a general decline in original literary

Condé, Louis I De Bourbon, 1er Prince De (1st Prince Of)

2004-12-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

Louis de Bourbon was the hunchback youngest son of Charles, duc de Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon. Brought up among Huguenots, he was married in