PastSand

Tuan Ch'i-jui

2005-04-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

A student of military science in Germany, Tuan became President Yüan Shih-k'ai's minister of war following the Chinese Republican Revolution of 1911. Shortly before Yüan's death in 1916, Tuan became premier, and he kept the post in the new government. He restored the provisional

Backbone Mountain

2005-04-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Highest point in Maryland, U.S., reaching an elevation of 3,360 feet (1,024 metres). It is located on a ridge of the Allegheny and Appalachian mountains, located in Garrett county 12 miles (19 km) south of Oakland. The ridge is 35 miles (56 km) long and extends southwestward into Preston and Tucker counties of West Virginia.

Yundum

2005-04-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Town, western Gambia. Located 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Banjul, it is the site of a teacher-training college. The Gambia's international airport, originally a World War II Allied airfield, adjoins Yundum to the east. The Abuko Nature Reserve, 4 miles (6 km) to the northeast, features birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Pop. (1973) 1,240.

France, History Of, The end of Gaul (c. 400c. 500)

2005-04-03T03:23:00.000-07:00

From 395 the division of the Roman Empire between an eastern and a western half caused acute internal political stresses that encouraged barbarian penetration of the Danube region and even Italy. The Rhine frontier was again neglected, and the seat of the Gallic prefecture was moved to Arelate. The result was Germanic invasion and civil war. By 418, Franks and Burgundians

Indian Removal Act

2005-04-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

(May 28, 1830), first major legislative departure from the U.S. policy of respecting the legal and political rights of the American Indians. The act authorized the president to grant Indian tribes unsettled western prairie land in exchange for their desirable territories within state borders (especially in the Southeast), from which the tribes would be removed. The rapid

Tuan Ch'i-jui

2005-04-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Alder Dogwood (Rhamnus frangula) woody shrub or small tree, of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), native to western Asia, Europe, and northern Africa. It has been introduced into North America and other regions, where it is often cultivated as an ornamental. The plant grows rapidly, reaching a height of 5.5 m (about 18 feet); its dark, dense, and lustrous foliage turns yellow in autumn. The alternate,

Cosimo I

2005-03-31T22:41:00.000-08:00

Cosimo was the great-great-grandson of Lorenzo the Elder, the son of Giovanni di Bicci and brother of Cosimo the Elder, and was thus a member of a branch of the Medici family that had taken an active part in Medici affairs but had played no political role. Nevertheless, when

Moses De León

2005-03-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

The details of Moses de León's life, like those of most Jewish mystics,

Narita

2005-03-31T06:01:00.000-08:00

City, Chiba ken, central Honshu, Japan. It is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Tokyo, on the Ryoso Plateau. Originally an agricultural region producing rice, peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, Narita developed as a temple town of the Shinsho Temple, which is visited by millions of Buddhist pilgrims each year, thus generating an extensive

Clove

2005-03-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Small, reddish-brown flower bud of the tropical evergreen tree Syzygium aromaticum (sometimes Eugenia caryophyllata) of the family Myrtaceae, important in the earliest spice trade and believed indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia. Strong of aroma and hot and pungent in taste, cloves are used to flavour many foods, particularly

Allende, Isabel

2005-03-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

Allende worked as a journalist in Chile until she was forced to flee to Venezuela after the assassination (1973) of her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende Gossens. In 1981 she began writing a letter to her terminally ill grandfather

Taraori, Battles Of

2005-03-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

Muhammad had taken Lahore from the last of the

Zaanstad

2005-03-28T16:14:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Holland provincie, western Netherlands. It lies along the Zaan River near its junction with the North Sea Canal. An industrial area 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Amsterdam, Zaanstad was created in 1974 at the merger of the former gemeenten (communes) of Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan, Zaandijk, Wormerveer, Krommenie, Assendelft, and Westzaan. Zaandam was an important

Computers, PC clones

2005-03-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

In 1982 a well-funded start-up firm called Compaq Computer Corporation came out with a portable computer that was compatible with the IBM PC. These first portables resembled sewing machines when they were closed and weighed about 28 pounds (approximately 13 kg)—at the time a true lightweight. Compatibility with the IBM PC meant that any software or peripherals, such as printers,

Gyllenborg, Gustaf Fredrik, Greve (count)

2005-03-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Swedish poet known for his satirical and reflective poetry. Although members of his family were prominent in political life, as a courtier he took no part in politics and attacked the weaknesses of modern society in the spirit of the French Romantic philosopher Rousseau in such poems as “Verldsföraktaren

Dinawari, Ad-

2005-03-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Ad-Dinawari studied philology in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Kufah. The systematic approach to learning that he acquired there is reflected in the preserved fragments of

Framingham

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

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Sudbury River, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston. Settled in 1650, it was incorporated in 1700 and derived its name from Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Framingham Center, just north of the downtown area, was the original village. Framingham's industrial development dates from 1835, with the utilization of local

Koch, Kenneth

2005-03-25T00:44:00.000-08:00

Koch attended Harvard University (B.A., 1948) and Columbia University (M.A., 1953; Ph.D., 1959), where he subsequently taught for many years. With the publication of Poems (1953), his first collection, he became

Nahuel Huapí, Lake

2005-03-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

Largest lake (210 sq mi [544 sq km]) and most popular resort area in Argentina's lake district, lying in the wooded eastern foothills of the Andes at an altitude of 2,516 ft (767 m). Nahuel Huapí (Araucanian Indian for “island of the jaguars”) was discovered in 1670 by the Jesuit priest Nicolás Mascardi, who built a chapel on the lake's Huemul Peninsula and established an Indian reducción (work mission).

Hohenlohe-ingelfingen, Kraft, Prinz Zu

2005-03-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

The son of Adolf, Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, he joined the Prussian Guard Artillery in 1845. During the Seven Weeks' War, Hohenlohe led the Guard Reserve Artillery with great success against the Austrian right wing in the decisive Prussian victory of Königgr

Epistemology, Epistemology as a discipline

2005-03-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

Why should there be such a subject as epistemology? Aristotle provided the answer when he said that philosophy begins in wonder, in a kind of puzzlement about things. Nearly all human beings wish to comprehend the world they live in, a world that includes the individual as well as other persons, and most people construct hypotheses of varying degrees of sophistication

Photography, Technology Of, Gamma radiography

2005-03-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

The technique of gamma-ray radiography is similar to that of X-ray radiography except that it relies on rays emitted by radioactive substances. Gamma rays have wavelengths from 100 to 1,000 times shorter than X rays and correspondingly greater penetrating power. Small gamma-ray sources are placed in areas inaccessible to X-ray tubes, such as inside pipelines. In all radiographic

Xenophon

2005-03-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

Greek historian, author of the Anabasis. Its prose was highly regarded by literary critics in antiquity and had strong influence on Latin literature.

Aerospace Industry, The space age

2005-03-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

Both the Soviet and the American space industries had much the same origins and impetus. The development of intermediate-range and intercontinental missiles provided not only the critical electronic technologies but also the rockets necessary to boost small payloads into orbit. Thus, the launch of Sputnik in 1957 signaled not only Soviet technical leadership

Niuatoputapu

2005-03-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Also called Keppel Island one of the northernmost islands of Tonga, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Of volcanic origin, the island has an area of 7 square miles (19 square km) and rises to 350 feet (110 m). Although the island lacks an adequate anchorage, it serves as a regular port of call for interisland shipping between Tonga and Samoa. Copra and breadfruit are produced. Pop. (1986) 1,616.

Prévost D'exiles, Antoine-françois, Abbé

2005-03-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

Originally published as the final installment of a seven-volume novel, Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité qui s'est retiré du monde (1728–31; “Memories

Aquaviva, Claudio

2005-03-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

He was elected general in 1581, and his major political achievement

Advocates, Faculty Of

2005-03-18T03:23:00.000-08:00

The members of the bar of Scotland. Barristers are the comparable group in England. The faculty grew out of the Scots Act of 1532, which established the Court of Session in Scotland. The advocates had, and still have, the sole right of audience in the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary. They constitute a self-governing faculty under annually elected officers. When

National Monument

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

In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national

Merchant Of Venice, The

2005-03-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

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

Arias Dávila, Pedro

2005-03-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

A soldier in his youth, Arias Dávila served with distinction in wars against the Moors in Granada in the 1490s and in North Africa in 1508–11. It is believed that he owed his appointment as captain

Ancient Lights

2005-03-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

In English property law, the right of a building or house owner to the light received from and through his windows. Windows used for light by an owner for 20 years or more could not be obstructed by the erection of an edifice or by any other act by an adjacent landowner. This rule of law originated in England in 1663, based on the theory that a landowner acquired an easement to the

Abduction

2005-03-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

In law, the carrying away of any female for purposes of concubinage or prostitution. The taking of a girl under a designated age for purposes of marriage is in most jurisdictions also included in the crime of abduction. Abduction is generally regarded as a form of kidnapping (q.v.).

War Hawk

2005-03-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, any of the expansionists primarily composed of young Southerners and Westerners elected to the U.S. Congress in 1810, whose territorial ambitions in the Northwest and Florida inspired them to agitate for war with Great Britain. The War Hawks, who included such future political leaders as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, fiercely and aggressively resented

Woolsey, Sarah Chauncey

2005-03-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

Woolsey displayed a love for reading and writing stories at an early age. In 1855 she moved with her family to New Haven, Connecticut (her uncle, Theodore Dwight Woolsey, was president of Yale College). During the

Alabama Platform

2005-03-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, Southern political leader William L. Yancey's response (1848) to the antislavery Wilmot Proviso (q.v.). The Alabama platform insisted that the U.S. government protect slavery in territories ceded to the United States by Mexico and that no territorial legislature be allowed to prohibit slavery. The Democratic Party declined to adopt Yancey's platform at the

Italian Popular Party

2005-03-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

In January 1919 a Sicilian priest, Luigi Sturzo, founded the original Italian Popular Party.

Hank

2005-03-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

In textile manufacture, unit of measure applied to a length of yarn or to a loose assemblage of fibres forming a single strand, and varying according to the fibre origin. A hank of cotton or of the spun silk made from short lengths of waste silk is 840 yards (770 m) long. A hank of linen is 300 yards (270 m). In worsted yarn, made from combed fibre, there are 560 yards (510 m) to a hank.

Sendak, Maurice (bernard)

2005-03-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Sendak was the son of Polish immigrants and received his formal art training at the Art Students' League in New York City. While attending school he drew backgrounds for All-American Comics and did window displays for a toy store. The first children's books he illustrated were Marcel

Alcalde

2005-03-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

(from Arabic al-qadi, “judge”), the administrative and judicial head of a town or village in Spain or in areas under Spanish control or influence. The title was applied to local government officials whose functions were various but always included a judicial element. Types of alcaldes were differentiated according to the specialized nature of their judicial functions:

Yukaghir

2005-03-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yukagir or Jukagir , self-name Odul remnant of an ancient human population of the tundra and taiga zones of Arctic Siberia east of the Lena River in Russia, an area with one of the most severe climates in the inhabited world. Brought close to extinction by privation, encroachment, and diseases introduced by other groups, they numbered some 1,100 in the late 20th century. Although they still generally inhabit

Chasuble

2005-03-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

Liturgical vestment, the outermost garment worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops at mass and by some Anglicans and Lutherans when they celebrate the Eucharist. The chasuble developed from an outer garment worn by Greeks and Romans called the paenula or casula (“little house”), a conical or bell-shaped cloak made from a semicircular piece of cloth sewn partially

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations

2005-03-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

A major source of variations in the Earth's magnetic field is magnetohydrodynamic waves. These waves originate in the outer magnetic field and propagate along field lines to the Earth's surface. On reaching the surface they cause minute oscillations in the magnetic field (hence their older name, micropulsations). These waves typically have amplitudes ranging

Aesthetics, Expressionism

2005-03-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

After Kant and Hegel, the most important influence on modern aesthetics has been Croce. His oft-cited Estetica come scienza dell' espressione e linguistica generale (1902; Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistics, or Aesthetic) presents, in a rather novel idiom, some of the important insights underlying the theories of his predecessors. In this work,

Dai Jiten

2005-03-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

The work is a reduced-size reprint of the 26-volume edition of 1934–36, augmented substantially with new entries. Dai jiten contains more than 400,000 modern, classical, dialect, and technical words, many of them, especially in the technical and modern categories, of foreign origin.

Maya Languages

2005-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

The family may be subdivided into the Huastec, Yucatec, Western Maya, and Eastern Maya groups. The most important Eastern Maya languages are Quiché and Cakchiquel; but there are also Mam, Teco,

China, The Chou and Ch'in dynasties

2005-03-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

This transitional period is examined in Chi Li, The Formation of the Chinese People (1928, reprinted 1967), useful for information on the ethnic history of ancient China; Herlee Glessner Creel, The Birth of China (1937, reprinted 1954), still regarded as one of the standard references, and The Origins of Statecraft in China, vol. 1 (1970), the first Western book to include extensive materials from bronze inscriptions—especially significant on the activities of non-Chou peoples; Cho-yun Hsu, Ancient China in Transition (1965), a standard work on social structure and social mobility in the Chou period; Derk Bodde, China's First Unifier (1938, reprinted 1967), and Statesman, Patriot, and General in Ancient China (1940, reprinted 1967), works covering the effort of the first emperors and their courts to accomplish unification; Arthur Cotterell, The First Emperor of China (1981), a popular history that includes a description and historical analysis of 7,000 terra-cotta life-size figures buried in 210 BC; Yu-ning Li, The First Emperor of China (1975), Yu-lan Fung, A History of Chinese Philosophy, 2nd ed., 2 vol., trans. from the Chinese (1952–53, reprinted 1983), coverage of the thought of different schools in ancient China; and Xueqin Li, Eastern Zhou and Qin Civilizations (1986), an account of archaeological findings of the period from the 8th to the 3rd century BC.

Aethelweard

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

Also spelled Ethelwerd English chronicler and ealderman of the western provinces (probably the whole of Wessex), a descendant of King Alfred's brother Aethelred. He wrote, in elaborate and peculiar Latin, a chronicle for his continental kinswoman, Matilda, abbess of Essen. In the printed version of the text, the chronicle stops in 975, but fragments of the burned manuscript show that it continued

Resende, Garcia De

2005-03-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

Resende began to serve John II as a page at the age of 10, becoming his private secretary in 1491. He continued to enjoy royal favour under King Manuel and later under John III. In 1498 he accompanied Manuel to Castile and in 1514 went to Rome with the admiral Tristã

Vaganova, Agrippina (yakovlevna)

2005-03-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Ballerina and teacher who developed a technique and system of instruction based on the classic style of the Imperial Russian Ballet but which also incorporated aspects of the more vigorous, acrobatic Soviet ballet developed after the Revolution. Her pupils included such outstanding dancers as Marina

Alcohol Consumption

2005-03-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Alcoholic beverages include wines, beers, and spirits. Wines are fermented

Sicani

2005-03-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

English Sicans according to ancient Greek writers, the aboriginal inhabitants of western Sicily, as opposed to the Siculi of eastern Sicily. Archaeologically there is no substantial difference between Sicani and Siculi (Sicels) in historical times; but ancient authorities believed the Sicani to be Iberians from Spain who were driven by the invading Siculi into the western

Jacquard Loom

2005-03-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Jacquard system was developed in 1804–05 by Joseph-Marie Jacquard (q.v.) of France, but it soon spread elsewhere.

Hilo

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

City, seat of Hawaii county, northeastern Hawaii Island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies along Hilo Bay and is the island's business centre. The city is surrounded by sugarcane fields and supports a thriving orchid industry. Its deepwater harbour (once a whaling port) is protected by a breakwater and has bulk sugar-loading facilities. Exports also include orchids, anthuriums, macadamia

Sicilian School

2005-03-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

A group of Sicilian, southern Italian, and Tuscan poets centred in the courts of Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250) and his son Manfred (d. 1266); they established the vernacular, as opposed to Provençal, as the standard language for Italian love poetry, and they also, under the influence of Provençal, northern French, and possibly Arabic poetic traditions, are credited with the invention

Guinea-bissau, Relief

2005-03-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

The coastal area is demarcated by a dense

Tzaddiq

2005-03-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tsaddik, or Zaddik (Hebrew: “righteous man”), plural Tzaddiqim, Tsaddikim, or Zaddikim, one who embodies the religious ideals of Judaism. In the Bible, a tzaddiq is a just or righteous man (Genesis 6:9), who, if a ruler, rules justly or righteously (II Samuel 23:3) and who takes joy in justice (Proverbs 21:15). The Talmud (compendium of Jewish law, lore, and commentary) asserts that the continued existence of the world is due to the merits of 36 individuals, each of whom is gamur

Zane, Betty

2005-03-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

Zane lived in her native Virginia (now part of West Virginia) in the town of Wheeling, which was founded in 1769 by her older brothers Ebenezer,

Byng Of Vimy (of Thorpe-le-soken), Julian Hedworth George Byng, Viscount

2005-03-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

A career soldier from 1883, Byng was promoted to major general in 1909. As commander of the Canadian Corps in France (from May 1916), he was responsible for one of the most famous Canadian victories in either world war, the capture of Vimy Ridge, north of Arras (April 9, 1917). As commander of

Gamma Decay

2005-03-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Type of radioactivity in which some unstable atomic nuclei dissipate excess energy by a spontaneous electromagnetic process. In the most common form of gamma decay, known as gamma emission, gamma rays (photons, or packets of electromagnetic energy, of extremely short wavelength) are radiated. Gamma decay also includes two other electromagnetic processes, internal

Mountain, Tectonic processes that produce high elevations

2005-03-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

As noted above, individual mountains, mountain ranges, mountain belts, and plateaus exist because tectonic processes have elevated terrains faster than erosion could destroy them. High elevations are created by three major processes: volcanism, horizontal crustal shortening as manifested by folding and by faulting, and the heating and thermal expansion of

Swarthmore

2005-02-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

Borough (town), Delaware county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. It is a southwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The community developed around Swarthmore College, which was founded in 1864. The borough is mainly residential, its economy based on services associated with the college. Inc. 1893. Pop. (1990) 6,157; (2000) 6,170.

Plant, Principal pathways and cycles

2005-02-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

The 6-carbon sugar glucose, a product of photosynthesis, may be translocated in the form of sucrose (a 12-carbon sugar) to nourish nonphotosynthesizing parts of the plant, or it may be polymerized into starch for storage. (Trehalose, another 12-carbon sugar, replaces sucrose in some nonvascular plants.) When required, sucrose and starch are hydrolyzed to glucose and then enter

Palau, Flag Of

2005-02-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

As part of the United States-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), Palau was under the flags of the United Nations, the United States, and the Trust Territory. Local desire for a separate state and government was realized on January 1, 1981, and a Palauan flag was hoisted on that occasion. A competition had been held in 1979 that resulted in more than a thousand

Kamehameha V

2005-02-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

Succeeding to the throne on the death of his younger brother, Kamehameha IV, he immediately revealed his intention to rule with a strong hand, refusing at his inauguration to take the oath to maintain the existing, comparatively liberal constitution. After calling and dismissing a constitutional

Caucasian Languages, Linguistic characteristics

2005-02-27T06:04:00.000-08:00

Correspondences between sounds and meanings in words and word elements provide a basis for considering the Kartvelian languages as being closely related and descended from a common ancestral language (a protolanguage).

Hess's Law Of Heat Summation

2005-02-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Rule first enunciated by Germain Henri Hess, a Swiss-born Russian chemist, in 1840, stating that the heat absorbed or evolved in any chemical reaction is a fixed quantity and is independent of the path of the reaction or the number of steps taken to obtain the reaction. Hess's law is a consequence of the first law of thermodynamics and need not be considered a separate thermodynamic

Radiation Injury

2005-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Tissue damage or changes caused by exposure to ionizing radiation—namely, gamma rays, X rays, and such high-energy particles as neutrons, electrons, and positrons. Sources of ionizing radiation may be natural (e.g., radioactive substances such as the element radium or the radioisotopes potassium-40 and carbon-14) or man-made (X-ray machines, nuclear reactors, particle accelerators,

Social Protection, Repression in Myanmar.

2005-02-25T00:22:00.000-08:00

Morton Sklar

Girl Scouts

2005-02-24T23:37:00.000-08:00

Also called (in Great Britain and some other countries) Girl Guides worldwide organization for girls, dedicated to training them in citizenship, good conduct, and outdoor activities. Robert (later Lord) Baden-Powell founded the Girl Guides in Great Britain in 1910 in response to the requests of girls who were interested in the Boy Scout movement established by him in 1908. The first Girl Scout troop in the United States was formed in 1912 by Juliette

National Capital Parks

2005-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today there are more than 300 park units with a combined area of 10 square miles (26 square km). The overwhelming majority of units are located in Washington, D.C.;

Callas, Maria

2005-02-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants and early developed an interest in singing. Accompanied by her mother, she left the United States in 1937 to study at the Athens Conservatory with soprano Elvira

Udayagiri

2005-02-23T02:47:00.000-08:00

Village and archaeological site, south-central Orissa state, eastern India. In the village are located several Jaina and Buddhist rock-cut caves. One of these is a double-storied cave with ranges of cells cut into three sides of an open courtyard. Inscriptions in the caves date from the 2nd century BC to the 10th century AD.

France, History Of, The failure of reunification (613714)

2005-02-23T02:25:00.000-08:00

Territorial crisis was partially and provisionally averted during the first third of the 7th century.

Priesthood, Christianity

2005-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

At this critical juncture in Judaism, Christianity, with its own particular conception of priesthood and sacrificial redemption, began in Palestine and rapidly spread throughout the surrounding regions in the Greco-Roman world. In the New Testament the imminent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and its worship is predicted, and the culmination of its high

Hindenburg

2005-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

German dirigible, the largest rigid airship ever constructed, and the victim of a spectacular disaster. The Hindenburg was an 804-foot- (245-metre-) long airship of conventional Zeppelin design that was first launched at Friedrichshafen, Germany, in April 1936. It had a maximum speed of 84 miles per hour (135 km/h) and a cruising speed of 78 miles per hour (126 km/h). In 1936 the Hindenburg inaugurated commercial

Amu Darya

2005-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

English Amu River, Tajik Daryoi Amu, Turkmen Amyderya, Uzbek Amudaryo, ancient name Oxus River one of the longest rivers of Central Asia. It is formed by the confluence of the Vakhsh and Panj (Pyandzh) rivers and flows west-northwest to its mouth on the southern shore of the Aral Sea. In its upper course the Amu Darya forms part of Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then flows across the desert of eastern Turkmenistan

Primate, General structure

2005-02-21T03:22:00.000-08:00

The basis of the success of the order Primates is the relatively unspecialized nature of their structure and the highly specialized plasticity of their behaviour. This combination has permitted the primates throughout their evolutionary history to exploit the wide variety of novel ecological opportunities that have come their way. Although there are a few

Davenport, Edward Loomis

2005-02-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

In spite of family opposition, Davenport went on the stage, making his debut in 1836 under the stage name Mr. E. Dee, playing Parson

Argentina, Forestry and fishing

2005-02-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

The forestry industry does not supply all of Argentina's needs. Most of the harvest is used for lumber, with smaller amounts for firewood and charcoal. In Mesopotamia the Paraná pine is harvested for its timber; there are also plantations of poplar and willow. The Northwest highlands produce pine and cedar, used for pulp and industry. The red quebracho of the Chaco region

Amatique Bay

2005-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Spanish Bahía De Amatique, inlet of the Gulf of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea, indenting eastern Guatemala and southeastern Belize (formerly British Honduras). Extending northwestward for about 40 miles (64 km) from Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala, it is some 15 miles (24 km) from northeast to southwest. Amatique Bay receives the Dulce River, which drains Izabal Lake; the Sarstoon (Sarstún) River, which

Gaucho

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

Gauchos were usually mestizos (persons

Euwe, Max

2005-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Euwe won his first (minor) tournament at the age of 10 but played little thereafter until he had completed his formal education in 1926 at the University

Tasmania, Soils

2005-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Most Tasmanian soils are leached, acidic, poorly drained, high in humus, and low in fertility. Least fertile and most extensive are the soils, especially the moor peats, of the west and northeast. Fertile areas occur extensively in the northwest and locally elsewhere, notably in the northeast. Brown earths occupy the drier areas east of the Central Plateau; black earths,

Durham

2005-02-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1881) of Durham county, north-central North Carolina, U.S. It is situated about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Chapel Hill and 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Raleigh, the three cities forming one of the state's major urban areas—the Research Triangle. The first settlement (about 1750) in what is now Durham was called Prattsburg for William Pratt, a landowner. When Pratt refused to give land

Yamantaka

2005-02-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

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

Lindsay, Vachel

2005-02-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

After three years at Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, Lindsay left in 1900 to study art in Chicago and New York City. He supported himself in part by lecturing

Sol

2005-02-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

In physical chemistry, a colloid (aggregate of very fine particles dispersed in a continuous medium) in which the particles are solid and the dispersion medium is fluid. If the dispersion medium is water, the colloid may be called a hydrosol; and if air, an aerosol. Lyophobic (Greek: “liquid-hating”) sols are characterized by particles that are not strongly attracted to

Selangor

2005-02-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

Region of western West Malaysia (Malaya), occupying part of a coastal alluvial plain on the Strait of Malacca. In 1974, a 94-square-mile (243-square-kilometre) portion of Selangor, centring on Kuala Lumpur, was designated a wilayapersekutuan (federal territory). Selangor's history and economic development have been closely linked with two rivers, the Kelang and the Langat, which

Williams, Hank

2005-02-15T02:34:00.000-08:00

Williams began playing the guitar at the age of 8, made his radio debut at 13, and formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14. His series of recordings in 1947 on the M-G-M label won

Automobile Racing

2005-02-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Two Canadians, Jacques Villeneuve (see BIOGRAPHIES) and Scott Goodyear, figured in another astonishing finish at the 1995 Indianapolis 500. Goodyear, in a Reynard-Honda, was in the lead when he passed the Chevrolet Corvette pace car illegally just after the 190th lap of the 200-lap race; officials stopped scoring his laps on the 196th, and Goodyear finished 14th. Ironically, Villeneuve earlier

Theodahad

2005-02-13T03:52:00.000-08:00

The son of Theodoric's sister, Theodahad was invited to share the throne with Amalasuntha in 534, after the death of her son. Theodahad

Abstraction-création

2005-02-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

The immediate predecessor of the Abstraction-Création group was the Cercle et Carré (“Circle and Square”) group, founded by Michel Seuphor and Joaquin Torres-Garcia in 1930. Artists Georges Vantongerloo, Jean Hélion, and Auguste Herbin worked together

Lenngren, Anna Maria

2005-02-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

Educated by her father, a lecturer at Uppsala University, Lenngren began to publish poetry at age 18. In 1780 she married Carl Lenngren, founder (with

Tebaldi, Renata

2005-02-12T04:06:00.000-08:00

Tebaldi received her early musical training from her mother, a singer, and studied at the Parma Conservatory. At age 18 she sang for Carmen Melis, of the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Pesaro, who accepted her as a student. She made her debut in Rovigo in 1944 as Elena

Orange-tip Butterfly

2005-02-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Member of the cosmopolitan insect family Pieridae (order Lepidoptera), which also includes the white and sulfur butterflies and contains more than 1,000 species. Adults have a wingspan of 37 to 63 mm (1.5 to 2.5 inches). The orange-tips (so called because most species have an orange spot on the top of the forewings) have whitish wings with black markings and green

Mujur Rug

2005-02-11T01:12:00.000-08:00

The characteristic design in older examples, from the 19th century, is a prayer niche with a stepped arch crowned by a

Ardon, Mordecai

2005-02-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

Ardon emigrated from his native Poland to Germany, spending the years 1921–25 at the Weimar Bauhaus, where he mainly studied with

Yozgat

2005-02-10T02:52:00.000-08:00

City, central Turkey. The city lies on the site of a Bronze Age settlement 100 miles (160 km) east of Ankara in a valley of the Ak Mountains, at an elevation of 4,360 feet (1,329 m). The main road between Sivas and Ankara passes through it, but the rail line bypasses it to the southwest, and the city functions primarily as a local market and administrative centre. Mohair, wool, grain, gum, and lead are

Argentina, The conservative restoration and the Concordancia, 193043

2005-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

During the next 13 years, which have often been termed “the Infamous Decade,” the armed forces sponsored a conservative restoration. After expelling Irigoyen, they installed General José Félix Uriburu in the presidency (1930–32). Uriburu was a descendent of an old, conservative northern family, and he leaned toward fascism. His influence with the army, however, was not as great

PastSand

Tuan Ch'i-jui

Backbone Mountain

Yundum

France, History Of, The end of Gaul (c. 400c. 500)

Indian Removal Act

Tuan Ch'i-jui

Cosimo I

Moses De León

Narita

Clove

Allende, Isabel

Taraori, Battles Of

Zaanstad

Computers, PC clones

Gyllenborg, Gustaf Fredrik, Greve (count)

Dinawari, Ad-

Framingham

Koch, Kenneth

Nahuel Huapí, Lake

Hohenlohe-ingelfingen, Kraft, Prinz Zu

Epistemology, Epistemology as a discipline

Photography, Technology Of, Gamma radiography

Xenophon

Aerospace Industry, The space age

Niuatoputapu

Prévost D'exiles, Antoine-françois, Abbé

Aquaviva, Claudio

Advocates, Faculty Of

National Monument

Merchant Of Venice, The

Arias Dávila, Pedro

Ancient Lights

Abduction

War Hawk

Woolsey, Sarah Chauncey

Alabama Platform

Italian Popular Party

Hank

Sendak, Maurice (bernard)

Alcalde

Yukaghir

Chasuble

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations

Aesthetics, Expressionism

Dai Jiten

Maya Languages

China, The Chou and Ch'in dynasties

Aethelweard

Resende, Garcia De

Vaganova, Agrippina (yakovlevna)

Alcohol Consumption

Sicani

Jacquard Loom

Hilo

Sicilian School

Guinea-bissau, Relief

Tzaddiq

Zane, Betty

Byng Of Vimy (of Thorpe-le-soken), Julian Hedworth George Byng, Viscount

Gamma Decay

Mountain, Tectonic processes that produce high elevations

Swarthmore

Plant, Principal pathways and cycles

Palau, Flag Of

Kamehameha V

Caucasian Languages, Linguistic characteristics

Hess's Law Of Heat Summation

Radiation Injury

Social Protection, Repression in Myanmar.

Girl Scouts

National Capital Parks

Callas, Maria

Udayagiri

France, History Of, The failure of reunification (613714)

Priesthood, Christianity

Hindenburg

Amu Darya

Primate, General structure

Davenport, Edward Loomis

France, History Of, The end of Gaul (c. 400c. 500)

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations

France, History Of, The failure of reunification (613714)

Argentina, The conservative restoration and the Concordancia, 193043