HollowTongue

Papermaking

2005-04-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

The word paper

Abbreviation

2005-04-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

In communications (especially written), the process or result of representing a word or group of words by a shorter form of the word or phrase. Abbreviations take many forms and can be found in ancient Greek inscriptions, in medieval manuscripts (e.g., “DN” for “Dominus Noster”), and in the Qur'an. Cicero's secretary, Marcus Tullius Tiro, devised many abbreviations that have survived

Antandroy

2005-04-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Small, lightly built predatory or omnivorous dinosaur that brooded its eggs in a manner similar to birds. Found as fossils in deposits from the Late Cretaceous Period (99 million to 65 million years ago) of eastern Asia and North America, Oviraptor was about 1.8 metres (6 feet) long and walked on two long, well-developed hind limbs. The forelimbs were long

Bracknell Forest

2005-04-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Old Bracknell town was unimportant until the 19th century, when its cattle market replaced one at Wokingham that dated from the early 13th century. The population was about 5,000 when the new town of Bracknell

Cereal Farming, Weeds

2005-04-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

Weeds present difficulties, as they compete with cereal crops for water, light, and mineral nutrients. The infestation of annual seeds planted in a field may cause many weeds in that field for successive years. Charlock or wild mustard, wild oats, crouch grass, and other common weeds are disseminated by wind, water, and birds.

Argonaut

2005-04-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

First submarine to navigate extensively in the open sea, built in 1897 by the American engineer and naval architect Simon Lake. Designed to send out divers rather than to sink ships, the Argonaut was fitted with wheels for travel on the bottom of the sea and had an airtight chamber with a hatch that could be opened to the sea when the air pressure of the chamber and of the water

Pornography

2005-03-31T06:40:00.000-08:00

Little is known of the origins and earliest forms of pornography

Yukon-charley Rivers National Preserve

2005-03-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

National preserve in east-central Alaska, U.S., on the Canadian border. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area underwent boundary and name changes in 1980, becoming a national preserve in the latter year. Preserving the entire 88-mile (142-kilometre) Charley River basin and 115 miles (185 km) of the 1,980-mile (3,190-kilometre) Yukon River, the area contains numerous cabins and other relics of the

Carlsbad

2005-03-30T01:33:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1889) of Eddy county, southeastern New Mexico, U.S. It lies on the right bank of the Pecos River. Founded in 1887 and first known as Eddy (for its founder Charles B. Eddy), it was renamed in 1899 for the European spa of Carlsbad (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), because of nearby mineral springs that reputedly had the same mineral content as that of their namesake. The centre (since

Anville, Jean-baptiste Bourguignon D'

2005-03-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

From an early age d'Anville continued the reform of French cartography begun by Guillaume Delisle, but he was also a reputable classical scholar, and many of his memoirs and maps relate to ancient and medieval geography. He displayed exceptional judgment

Tadpole

2005-03-29T01:01:00.000-08:00

Most tadpoles are vegetarians, although those of some species are carnivorous or even cannibalistic. Tadpole metamorphosis follows

Mayon Volcano

2005-03-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Active volcano, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, dominating the city of Legaspi. Called the world's most perfect cone, it has a base 80 miles (130 km) in circumference and rises to 7,943 feet (2,421 m) from the shores of Albay Gulf. Popular with climbers and campers, it is the centre of Mayon Volcano National Park (21 square miles [55 square km]). There are large abaca plantations on its lower slopes.

Eliade, Mircea

2005-03-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

Eliade took an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Bucharest

Bellay, Guillaume Du, Seigneur (lord) De Langey

2005-03-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

The eldest of six brothers of a noble Angevin family, du Bellay was educated at the Sorbonne. He fought in Flanders and in Italy and was eventually, with Francis I, taken prisoner by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V's troops

Everson, William

2005-03-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Raised by Christian Scientist parents, Everson became an agnostic in his teens; while attending Fresno (California) State College, he read the verse of Robinson Jeffers and resolved to become a poet. His

Earth Exploration, Geothermal methods

2005-03-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

Temperature-gradient measurements are sometimes made to detect heat-flow anomalies; however, most exploration for geothermal resources (e.g., superheated water and steam) is done with indirect methods. Resistivity or seismic methods, for example, may be used to map the magma chamber, which is the source of the heat, or to detect faults or other features that control

Downing, Sir George

2005-03-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

The son of a Puritan lawyer, Downing was one of the first graduates of Harvard College,

Wace

2005-03-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

The Rou was commissioned by Henry II of England, who sometime before 1169 secured for Wace a canonry at Bayeux in northwestern France. The Brut may have been dedicated to Henry's queen,

Spokane River

2005-03-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

River rising in Coeur d'Alene Lake, Kootenai county, northern Idaho, U.S., and flowing west across the Washington border through Spokane for about 50 miles (80 km) to the Columbia River. The Spokane is 100 miles (160 km) long and has several dams, including Long Lake Dam (1915).

Mindoro

2005-03-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

A mountainous core extending for 100 miles (160 km) along the

Yamamoto Gonnohyoe, Count

2005-03-22T00:56:00.000-08:00

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

Livingston, Henry Brockholst

2005-03-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Livingston joined the Continental Army at the age of 19 and saw action with Benedict Arnold and as an aide to General Philip John Schuyler and General Arthur St. Clair before accompanying his brother-in-law, John Jay, on his mission to solicit aid from Spain in 1779. On his return

Toponymy

2005-03-21T00:27:00.000-08:00

Taxonomic study of place-names, based on etymological, historical, and geographical information. A place-name is a word or words used to indicate, denote, or identify a geographic locality such as a town, river, or mountain. Toponymy divides place-names into two broad categories: habitation names and feature names. A habitation name denotes a locality that is peopled

Mies Van Der Rohe, Ludwig

2005-03-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

Original name Maria Ludwig Michael Mies German-born American architect whose rectilinear forms, crafted in elegant simplicity, epitomized the International Style (q.v.) of architecture.

Drag Racing

2005-03-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Contestants line

Arminius

2005-03-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Arminius was a chief

Loren, Sophia

2005-03-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Before working in the cinema, Sofia Scicolone changed her name to Sofia Lazzaro for work in the foto-romanzo, popular pulp magazines that used still photographs

Anthony, Michael

2005-03-18T02:40:00.000-08:00

In the mid-1950s Anthony left Trinidad to live in England, where he worked at Reuters News Agency

Kabila, Laurent-désiré

2005-03-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Congolese political leader (b. Nov. 27, 1939, Jadotville, Katanga province, Belgian Congo—confirmed dead on Jan. 18, 2001, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC; formerly Zaire]), was president of the DRC from 1997 until his death. In 1960, after studying in France and Tanzania, Kabila became a youth leader in a political party allied to Congo's first postindependence prime minister, Marxist-Maoist

Soissons, Louis De Bourbon, Count (comte) De

2005-03-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

The only son of Charles de Bourbon, he inherited his father's Soissons title in 1612. After taking the side of Marie de Médicis, the queen mother, in 1620, he served Louis XIII against the Huguenots in 1622. Later involved in intrigues against Cardinal

Kagoshima

2005-03-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

City and ken (prefecture), southernmost Kyushu, Japan, including the island groups of Osumi, Tokara, and Amami. It occupies an area of 3,539 square miles (9,167 square km). Its southern coast is deeply indented by Kagoshima Bay. The active volcano, On-take, was an island in the bay until an eruption in 1914 connected it to the eastern shore. Rough topography, volcanic-ash soil, and relative isolation

Floire Et Blancheflor

2005-03-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

French metrical romance known in two versions from the 12th and 13th centuries and thought to be of Greco-Byzantine or Moorish origin. Its theme of separation and reunion of young lovers is the same as that treated in Aucassin et Nicolette, though the roles and religion of the two main characters are reversed. Floire is the son of a Saracen king; Blancheflor, his beloved,

Ocaña

2005-03-15T03:17:00.000-08:00

City, Norte de Santander departamento, northern Colombia, in the Hacarí valley. Founded (c. 1570) as Nueva Madrid by Francisco Fernández, the city was renamed for Ocaña in New Castile, Spain. An independence convention that was held there in 1828 is commemorated by a triumphal arch. Barium mining and onion growing are basic economic activities. Ocaña is the superior court of a judicial

Monemvasía

2005-03-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

Ancient Minoa town, Laconia nomós (department), southern Greece, on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese. Monemvasía lies at the foot of a rock that stands just offshore and that is crowned by the ruins of a medieval fortress and a 14th-century Byzantine church. It is joined to the mainland by a causeway, from which it derives its modern name meaning “city of the single approach.” The

Light Curve

2005-03-15T01:39:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, graph of the changes in brightness with time of a star, particularly of the variable type. The light curves of different kinds of variable stars differ in the degree of change in magnitude (i.e., the amount of light flux observed), in the degree of regularity from one cycle to the next, and in the length of the cycle—i.e., the period. Variations in magnitude range

Merchant Taylors' School

2005-03-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

One of the major public (privately endowed) schools in England. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge, at the northwestern extreme of London. The school was founded (1561) by the Merchant Taylors' Company of London, an incorporated group of craftsmen tailors. It was located at Suffolk Lane until 1875, when it was moved to Charterhouse Square. Richard Mulcaster was the first headmaster,

Tur, At-

2005-03-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Janub Sina' muhafazah (governorate), southwestern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Suez. At-Tur has been an administrative centre and seaport since the Roman and Byzantine periods. In the town the Byzantine emperor Justinian (527–565) built a monastery, its ruins still extant. From the medieval period into the early 20th century, the town served as a

Fusulina

2005-03-12T23:31:00.000-08:00

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

Moses, Robert

2005-03-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

U.S. state and municipal official whose career in public works planning resulted in a virtual transformation of the New York landscape. Among the works completed under his supervision were a network of 35 highways, 12 bridges, numerous parks, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Shea Stadium, many housing projects, two hydroelectric

Swayne, Noah H.

2005-03-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

Swayne chose the law after briefly studying medicine and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He immediately moved from Virginia to Ohio because of his antislavery views and set up a successful practice at Coshocton. He was appointed county prosecuting attorney in 1826 and was elected

Azerbaijan, Flag Of

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

Prior to the Russian Revolution, when Azerbaijan was part of the tsar's domain, the leading Azerbaijani nationalist, 'Ali bay Huseynzada, exhorted his followers to “Turkify, Islamicize, Europeanize” in order to emphasize ethnic pride, religious devotion, and modernization. The colours associated with those principles were light blue (a traditional Turkish flag colour),

Amphetamine

2005-03-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

Prototype of a series of synthetic drugs, all called amphetamines, that have pronounced stimulatory actions on the central nervous system. Amphetamine itself is a colourless liquid with an acrid taste and a faint odour; the most widely used preparation of the drug is amphetamine sulfate, marketed under the name Benzedrine, a white powder with a slightly bitter,

Fusulina

2005-03-11T01:50:00.000-08:00

The C&O acquired the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1963 but continued to operate it as a separate system. In 1973 the

Russell Family

2005-03-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

A famous English Whig family, the senior line of which has held the title of duke of Bedford since 1694. Originating in Dorset, the family first became prominent under the Tudor sovereigns, John Russell (died 1555) being created earl of Bedford for his part in suppressing a rebellion in 1549 against the Protestant innovations of Edward VI's reign. The family was connected with the

Pacatus Drepanius, Latinius

2005-03-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

It is uncertain whether Pacatus was pagan or Christian; in his speech he denounced Maximus' persecution of the Priscillianist heretics.

Biblical Literature, The Thomas Matthew version

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

In the same year that Coverdale's authorized version appeared, another English Bible was issued under royal license and with the encouragement of ecclesiastical and political power. It appeared (Antwerp?) under the name of Thomas Matthew, but it is certainly the work of John Rogers, a close friend of Tyndale. Although the version claimed to be “truly and purely translated

Europe, Concert Of

2005-03-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

In the post-Napoleonic era, the vague consensus among the European monarchies favouring preservation of the territorial and political status quo. The term assumed the responsibility and right of the great powers to intervene and impose their collective will on states threatened by internal rebellion. The powers notably suppressed uprisings in Italy (1820) and Spain

Robert-houdin, Jean-eugène

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

Original name Jean-Eugène Robert French magician who is considered to be the father of modern conjuring. He was the first magician to use electricity; he improved the signalling method for the “thought transference” trick; and he exposed “fakes” and magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats. Although he did not do away with apparatus, he

Sabha

2005-03-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sebha, town, southwestern Libya, in a Saharan oasis. It was an active caravan centre from the 11th century. The modern town of stark white buildings and wide streets is surrounded by older settlements of mud-walled dwellings and covered alleyways. The former Italian Fort Elena, on a nearby hill, is now used for offices, shops, and a hospital. The town continues as a trade and transport

China, The practice of government

2005-03-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

As the final arbiter of power, the emperor—and at times the empress dowager—issued edicts declaring the Imperial will. Such instructions often took the form of repeating officials' proposals with a note of approval. Some edicts were couched as comments on the current situation and called in general terms for an improvement in the quality of government or for more

Ghats

2005-03-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Two mountain ranges forming the eastern and western edges, respectively, of the Deccan (q.v.) plateau of peninsular India. In Hindi ghat means “river landing stairs” or “mountain pass” and has been extended in its Anglicized plural form (formerly “ghauts”) to include the mountains themselves. The word refers as well to riverbanks that have been artificially terraced for bathing

Fardd, Eben

2005-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Fardd's best-known poems include Dinystr Jerusalem (“Destruction of Jerusalem”), an ode that won the prize at the Welshpool eisteddfod (1824); Job, which won at Liverpool (1840); and Maes

Aldrin, Edwin Eugene, Jr.

2005-03-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (1951), Aldrin became an air force pilot. He flew 66 combat missions in Korea and later served in West Germany. In 1963 he wrote a dissertation on orbital mechanics to earn his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute

21-centimetre Radiation

2005-03-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Electromagnetic radiation of radio wavelength emitted by cold, neutral, interstellar hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atom is composed of a positively charged particle, the proton, and a negatively charged particle, the electron. These particles can be considered as spinning around their own axes of rotation. When the spins of the two particles are antiparallel, then

Armistice

2005-03-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

An agreement for the cessation of active hostilities between two or more belligerents. Generally, the terms, scope, and duration of an armistice are determined by the contracting belligerents. An armistice agreement may involve a partial or temporary cessation of hostilities—called a local armistice or truce—established for a variety of specific purposes, such

Averroës

2005-03-04T02:51:00.000-08:00

Medieval Latin Averrhoës , also called Ibn Rushd , Arabic in full Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd influential Islamic religious philosopher who integrated Islamic traditions with ancient Greek thought. At the request of the Almohad caliph Abu Ya'qub Yusuf, he produced a series of summaries and commentaries on most of Aristotle's works (1169–95) and on Plato's Republic, which exerted considerable influence in

Ammonia

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

Ammonia is highly

Peter Ii

2005-03-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

Peter married (1204) Mary, lady of Montpellier, and thus greatly extended Aragonese power in southern France. Despite the violent objections of his subjects, he had himself crowned by Pope Innocent III in Rome and declared his kingdom a feudatory of the Holy See (1204). Peter, with other Spanish kings,

Aldrin, Edwin Eugene, Jr.

2005-03-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

World congresses of the BWA are held every

Grain

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

In metallurgy, any of the crystallites (small crystals or grains) of varying, randomly distributed, small sizes that compose a solid metal. Randomly oriented, the grains contact each other at surfaces called grain boundaries. The structure and size of the grains determine important physical properties of the solid metal. Grains of a metal ingot can be elongated and

Trichina

2005-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Mating takes place in the host's small intestine, after which the fertilized female trichinae

Apurímac River

2005-03-01T03:22:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Apurímac, river in southern Peru. Owing to its lengthy Andean tributaries, it is the farthermost source of the Amazon River. Arising at roughly 17,000 feet (5,200 m) from the snowmelts of Mount Mismi in Arequipa departamento, Peru, it flows northwest through the Andes, descending to less than 860 feet (260 m) to join the Urubamba and form the Ucayali River. For most of its 430-mile (700-kilometre) length, it flows

Abscess

2005-02-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

A localized collection of pus in a cavity formed from tissues that have been broken down by infectious bacteria. An abscess is caused when such bacteria as staphylococci or streptococci gain access to solid tissue (e.g., by means of a small wound on the skin). The toxins released by these multiplying bacteria destroy cells and thus trigger an acute inflammation at the

Eichler, August Wilhelm

2005-02-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

Eichler studied mathematics and natural science at the University of Marburg (Ph.D., 1861). He then went to Munich, where he became a private assistant to the naturalist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, with whom he edited Flora

Aakjær, Jeppe

2005-02-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

Aakjær grew up in the Jutland farming area and so was well aware of the harsh conditions endured by farm labourers in his country. His early novels deal primarily with this theme. As a young man he went to study in Copenhagen,

Guadalajara

2005-02-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Guadalajara province, in the autonomous community (region) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain, northeast of Madrid, situated on the Río Henares. The city, the ancient Arriaca, is Iberian in origin and was for a time held by the Romans, but its name is derived from Arabic (Wadi al-Hijarah, River of Stones). Taken by Christian forces in 1085, the city from the 15th to the 17th century

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Of Antioch And All The East

2005-02-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

The authority of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East was limited after the Council of Chalcedon (451) to the community known as Romans,

National Archaeological Museum

2005-02-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Among the

Han-t'eng-ko-li Peak

2005-02-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Hantengri Feng, also called Khan Tengri, peak in the Tien Shan (mountains) of Central Asia, on the boundary between Kazakstan and the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. Situated in a heavily glaciated mountain knot, the mountain rises to 22,949 feet (6,995 m). Until Soviet explorers found that nearby Pik Pobeda (Victory Peak; 24,406 feet [7,439 m]) was higher, Han-t'eng-ko-li was thought to be the highest elevation of the Tien Shan. The

Straight-rail Billiards

2005-02-25T05:50:00.000-08:00

Billiard game played with three balls (one red and two white) on a table without pockets. The object is to score caroms by hitting both object balls with a cue ball. A player may use either white ball as cue ball but not one that has been placed on one of the small spots marked on the table, as at the start of the game or after one is knocked off the table. Only three caroms may be

Orange, Councils Of

2005-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

Two church synods held in Orange, France, in 441 and 529. The first, under the presidency of St. Hilary of Arles, dealt mainly with disciplinary matters. The second, and by far the more important, was concerned with refuting the Semi-Pelagianism of Faustus of Riez. It was attended by 15 bishops and was under the presidency of Caesarius of Arles. Caesarius had sought the aid of Rome against

Quantum Computer

2005-02-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

As early as 1959 the American physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman noted that, as electronic components begin to reach microscopic scales, effects predicted by quantum mechanics occur—which, he suggested, might be exploited in the design of more powerful computers. In

Gruffydd, William John

2005-02-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, Gruffydd was appointed professor of Celtic at University College in Cardiff, Wales, a position

Cabral, Pedro álvares

2005-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Fernão Cabral, a nobleman, and of Isabel de Gouveia, Pedro Cabral was heir to a long tradition of service to the throne. He himself enjoyed the esteem of King Manuel I of Portugal, from whom he received various privileges in 1497; these included a personal

Cassel, Gustav

2005-02-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Cassel was educated at the University of Uppsala and Stockholm University and served as a professor of economics at the latter (1904–33). His most

Clarence River

2005-02-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

River in eastern South Island, New Zealand. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Spenser Mountains, it flows south, then northeast between the Inland and Seaward Kaikoura ranges. Cutting eastward by a gorge 7 mi (11 km) long through the Seaward Kaikoura Range, the river flows south and east, entering the Pacific Ocean 20 mi north of the town of Kaikoura. The main stream, fed by Lake

Narmada River

2005-02-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Narbada , or Nerbudda river in central India, rising in the Maikala Range in east-central Madhya Pradesh state. Following a tortuous course through the hills of Mandla, it enters the structural trough between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges at Marble Rocks Gorge and then flows westward across Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states, entering the Gulf of Cambay through an estuary 13 miles (21 km) wide,

F-117

2005-02-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Nighthawk, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter-bomber built by the Lockheed Corporation (now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation) for the U.S. Air Force. It was the first stealth aircraft—i.e., an aircraft designed entirely around the concept of evading detection by radar and other sensors. After a difficult development period, during which several prototypes crashed during

Costa Rica

2005-02-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Coast Rica, Spanish República de Costa Rica, country of Central America, covering an area of 19,730 square miles (51,100 square kilometres). Extending from northwest to southeast, Costa Rica is bounded on the north by Nicaragua, along its 630-mile (1,015-kilometre) southwestern coastline by the Pacific Ocean, on the southeast by Panama, and along its 185-mile northeastern coastline by the Caribbean Sea. At the narrowest point, the distance

Interior Design, China

2005-02-19T02:02:00.000-08:00

Possessing the oldest Eastern civilization, China has powerfully influenced the others. Forms and motifs of decoration, which began as early as the Shang dynasty (18th to 12th century BC), or even before in the legendary Hsia dynasty, persist throughout Chinese history. Early forms of bronze altar vessels, for example, are found in porcelain in the 18th and 19th centuries, slightly

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

2005-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

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

Nicholas V

2005-02-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Original name Tommaso Parentucelli influential Renaissance pope (reigned 1447–55) and founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after his election, he brought to an end the schism caused by rivalries between popes and councils. By 1455 he had restored peace to the Papal States and to Italy. He began a program for the rebuilding of many of Rome's architectural wonders, including St. Peter's

Fukasaku, Kinji

2005-02-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Japanese filmmaker (b. July 3, 1930, Mito, Japan—d. Jan. 12, 2003, Tokyo, Japan), created a series of increasingly violent and well-received yakuza (gangster) movies. His first movie was Hakuchu no buraikan (1961; Greed in Broad Daylight). Standouts among the more than 60 films that he directed were Kurotokage (1968; Black Lizard), Gunki hatameku motoni (1972; Under the Flag of the Rising Sun), and Jingi naki

Tyr

2005-02-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Old Norse Týr , Old English Tiw , or Tiu one of the oldest gods of the Germanic peoples and a somewhat enigmatic figure. He was apparently the god concerned with the formalities of war—especially treaties—and also, appropriately, of justice. It is in his character as guarantor of contracts, guardian of oaths, that the most famous myth about him may be understood: as a guarantee of good faith, he placed his hand

Gabon, Resources

2005-02-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Gabon possesses important resources in woods and minerals and much hydroelectric potential. But its poor transportation infrastructure and lack of financing, as well as unfavourable world market conditions, hinder the development of some of these resources.

Dublin

2005-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

Irish Dubh Linn, or Norse Dyfflin (“Black Pool”) , also called Baile Átha Cliath (“Town of the Ford of the Hurdle”), city, formally a county borough, and capital of County Dublin and of Ireland. Located in the east-central part of the country at the head of Dublin Bay on the Irish Sea, the city is the country's chief port, centre of financial and commercial power, and seat of culture. It is also a city of contrasts, maintaining an uneasy relationship between reminders of its colonial past

Pyroxene

2005-02-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of important rock-forming silicate minerals of variable composition, among which calcium-, magnesium-, and iron-rich varieties predominate.

Belafonte, Harry

2005-02-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Belafonte's parents were emigrants from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Jamaica, and he lived with his mother during her 1935–40 return to Jamaica. He left high school to serve in the U.S. Navy in the mid-1940s; after returning to New York City he studied

Ilebo

2005-02-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

Formerly Port-Francqui, town, south-central Congo (Kinshasa). The town lies along the Kasai River near its junction with the Sankuru River. Ilebo is a river port and has rail connections with Kananga and Lubumbashi. It is an important transshipment point in the transport of copper and other minerals from Katanga (Shaba) province to Kinshasa and Matadi. Ilebo is also a busy commercial, industrial,

Baule

2005-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

The ancestors of the Baule were a section of the Asante who immigrated to their present location under the leadership of Queen Awura Pokou about 1750, following a dispute over the chieftaincy,

K.c.v.o.

2005-02-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

Knight commander of the Royal Victorian Order, member of the second highest rank of a British order of knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

World War I, The final offensive on the Western Front

2005-02-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

It was eventually agreed among the Allied commanders that Pershing's American troops should advance across the difficult terrain of the Argonne Forest, so that the combined Allied offensive would consist of converging attacks against the whole German position west of a line drawn from Ypres to Verdun. Thus, the Americans from the front northwest of Verdun and

île-de-france

2005-02-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

Région encompassing the north-central French départements of Val-d'Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne, Essonne, and Yvelines and roughly coextensive with the historical region of the Île-de-France. The capital is Paris. The région is bounded by the départements of Eure to the northwest, Oise and Aisne to the north, Marne, Aube, and Yonne

Janssen, Johannes

2005-02-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Reared in a staunchly Catholic home, he attended local schools and then studied at Münster, the University of Louvain (1850–51), and the University of Bonn (1851–53). After

Devil

2005-02-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

In the monotheistic Western religions, the devil is viewed as a fallen angel who in pride has tried to usurp the position of

Coloration, Benzoquinones

2005-02-10T00:55:00.000-08:00

Benzoquinones occur in certain fungi and in roots, berries, or galls (abnormal growths) of higher plants, from which they can be recovered as yellow, orange, red, violet, or darker coloured crystals or solids. Small quantities of pale-yellow crystals of coenzyme Q, often called ubiquinones, are almost universally distributed in plants and animals. The ubiquinones impart

Allegany

2005-02-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

County, western Maryland, U.S. It consists of an irregular neck of land between Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south (the North Branch Potomac River constituting the border with West Virginia). The county rests on part of the Allegheny Plateau and includes Rocky Gap State Park, Green Ridge State Forest, and the scenic gorge of Cumberland Narrows (1,000 feet

Lathrop, Mother Alphonsa

2005-02-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

The daughter of the author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rose was an infant when her family moved to Liverpool, where her father

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Parable

2005-02-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

Parables do not analyze social systems so much as they remind the listener of his beliefs. The moral and spiritual stress of the form falls upon memory rather than on the critical faculty. The audience hearing the parable is assumed to share a communal truth but perhaps to have set it aside or forgotten it. The rhetorical appeal of a parable is directed primarily toward

China, Major cultures and sites

2005-02-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

There was not one Chinese Neolithic but a mosaic of regional cultures whose scope and significance are still being determined. Their location in the area defined today as China does not necessarily mean that all the Neolithic cultures were Chinese or even proto-Chinese. Their contributions to the Bronze Age civilization of the Shang, which may be taken as unmistakably