ImportantThroat

Tswana

2005-04-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Tswana live in a grassland environment where they practice animal

Ernest Augustus

2005-04-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

Ernest Augustus studied at Göttingen, entered the Hanoverian army, and served as a leader of cavalry when war broke out between Great Britain and France in 1793. When Hanover withdrew from the war in 1795 he returned to England, being made lieutenant general in

Komisarjevsky, Theodore

2005-04-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

Komisarjevsky studied architecture in Russia

Orange Walk

2005-04-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Belize, situated on the left (west) bank of the New River. Established in early colonial times, it was pillaged by hostile Indians in 1872. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it conducted a thriving trade in mahogany. The town declined after demand for mahogany lessened. Sugarcane and citrus fruit cultivation and rum distilling are the main economic

Andamanese Language

2005-04-01T02:47:00.000-08:00

Language spoken by the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands. The number of speakers of the language has been steadily decreasing. Andamanese dialects are usually classified into northern, central, and southern groups, with the southern dialects being the most archaic. The dialect of Little Andaman island is the southernmost of the Andamanese dialects and

Mason, John Mitchell

2005-03-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

Mason developed a plan for theological education and in 1804 founded a seminary of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in New York City. He believed that the

Scandinavian Literature, Major poets

2005-03-30T03:22:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the 20th century, poetry had lyricists in Thorsteinn Erlingsson, whose early delicacy later developed into a more powerful note in “Aldaslagur” (1911; “Sound of the Ages”) and in an incomplete epic, “Eidurinn” (1913; “The Oath”); in Einar Benediktsson, who wrote in an ornate style sometimes capable of greatness, as “Í dísarhöll” (“In the Hall of the Muses”) shows; and in Stephan

Madison, James

2005-03-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

Fourth president of the United States (1809–17) and one of the founding fathers of his country. At the Constitutional Convention (1787) he influenced the planning and ratification of the U.S. Constitution and collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in the publication of The Federalist Papers. As a member of the new House of Representatives, he sponsored the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, commonly called the Bill of Rights. He was secretary of state under President Thomas Jefferson when the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France. The War of 1812 was fought during his presidency. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President James Madison.)

Carthage

2005-03-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Hancock county, western Illinois, U.S., near the Mississippi River. Laid out in 1833 and named for the ancient North African city, the community was hostile to the Mormons who had settled at nearby Nauvoo. On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and his brother Hyrum, who were in the Carthage City Jail awaiting trial on charges of treason, were shot to death

Cordaitales

2005-03-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

An order of coniferophytes (class, sometimes division, Coniferophyta), fossil plants dominant during the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago). It is believed to be directly ancestral to the conifers (order Coniferales). Many were trees up to 30 metres (100 feet) tall, branched, and crowned with large, leathery, strap-shaped leaves. Three families are included—Pityaceae,

Performing Arts, North America.

2005-03-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Despite the vicissitudes of living in an awakened world following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., most plans in place for dance went forward in 2002. Though American Ballet Theatre (ABT) was forced for budgetary reasons to cancel plans for an all-Stravinsky program—featuring Firebird, a work created by James Kudelka for his National Ballet of Canada (NBC)—ABT managed to

Hypoparathyroidism

2005-03-26T00:39:00.000-08:00

Inadequate secretion of parathyroid hormone, usually caused by accidental surgical removal of large amounts of parathyroid tissue (during thyroid surgery) or, less frequently, by defective action of the parathyroid gland. This deficiency results in low calcium and high phosphorus levels in the blood, often causing tetany (increased nervous and muscular excitability,

Charadriiform, Molt

2005-03-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Most Charadriiformes have two molts between breeding periods, which are on an annual cycle in all except some populations of the sooty tern (Sterna fuscata). A partial body molt generally precedes breeding, and a complete molt follows breeding. In some species flight feathers of the wing and tail are molted before the fall migration; in others they are retained through

Eastern Africa, History Of, The Solomonids

2005-03-24T02:34:00.000-08:00

An amalgamated Christian state, led by Semitized Agew, had reappeared in the 12th century. This Zagwe dynasty gave way in the late 13th century to a dynasty that claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a genealogy providing the legitimacy and continuity so honoured in Ethiopia's subsequent national history. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Solomonid

Lebanon, Drainage

2005-03-24T00:54:00.000-08:00

Lebanese rivers, though numerous, are mostly winter torrents, draining the western slopes of the Lebanon Mountains. The only exception is the Litani (90 miles long), which rises near the famed ruins of Baalbek (Ba'labakk) and flows southward in al-Biqa' to empty into the Mediterranean near historic Tyre. The two other important rivers are the Orontes (Nahr al-'Asi), which rises in the north

Sabbatarianism

2005-03-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Doctrine of those Christians who believe that Sunday (the Christian Sabbath) should be observed in accordance with the Fourth Commandment, which forbids work on the Sabbath because it is a holy day. Some other Christians have contended that the Fourth (or Third in some systems) Commandment was a part of the Hebrew ceremonial, not moral, law. They believe that this law

Lanchester, Frederick William

2005-03-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

In 1891, after attending Hartley University College (now the University of Southampton) and the National School of Science, Lanchester went to work for a gas-engine works in Birmingham. During his employment at the firm he improved its products

Buddhism, All Souls festival

2005-03-21T04:06:00.000-08:00

The importance of the virtues of filial piety and the reverence of ancestors in China and Japan have established Ullambana, or All Souls Day, as one of the major Buddhist festivals in those countries. In China, worshipers in Buddhist temples make “boats of the law” ( fa-ch'uan) out of paper, some very large, which are then burned in the evening. The purpose of the celebration

Anziku, Kingdom Of

2005-03-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Kingdom of Teke, or Kingdom of Tyo, historic African state on and north of the Congo River in the vicinity of Malebo Pool. The Teke people lived on the plateaus of the region from early times. It is not known when they organized as a kingdom, but by 1600 their state was a rival of the Kongo kingdom south of the river. Controlling the lower Congo River and extending northwest to the upper Kouilou-Niari basin, Anziku

Sill, Anna Peck

2005-03-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

Arcturus

2005-03-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Boötis one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Boötes, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.00. It is an orange-coloured giant star about 40 light-years from the Earth. It lies in an almost direct line with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); hence its name, derived from the Greek words for “bear guard.”

Caucasian Languages, Grammatical characteristics

2005-03-17T06:27:00.000-08:00

The Kartvelian languages exhibit a developed system of word inflection (e.g., the use of endings, such as English “dish, dishes” or “walk, walks, walked”) and derivation (word formation). Derivation is characterized by compounding, the combination of words to form new words, as well as by affixation, the addition of prefixes and suffixes—e.g., Georgian kartvel-i “Georgian,” sa-kartvel-o

Perceptual Constancy

2005-03-17T05:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Object Constancy, or Constancy Phenomenon, the tendency of animals and humans to see familiar objects as having standard shape, size, colour, or location regardless of changes in the angle of perspective, distance, or lighting. The impression tends to conform to the object as it is or is assumed to be, rather than to the actual stimulus. Perceptual constancy is responsible for the ability to identify objects

Caribou

2005-03-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

City, Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Aroostook River, near the New Brunswick border, 13 miles (21 km) north of Presque Isle. Settled in 1824, it developed as a lumbering centre and was incorporated in 1859 as Lyndon. It was renamed Caribou in 1877 for the woodland caribou once plentiful in the region. The city is the shipping point for a large potato-growing region.

Persian Gulf, Transportation

2005-03-16T03:17:00.000-08:00

For centuries a considerable sea trade has been carried on by local craft between the Persian Gulf and Africa and India; this has become completely dominated by an incessant traffic of large tankers that carry oil from the large marine terminals at Khark Island (Iran), Kuwait, Dhahran (Az-Zahran, in Saudi Arabia), Bahrain, Das Island (United Arab Emirates), and other locations

Cereal Processing, Oats

2005-03-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Oats belong to the botanical genus Avena, which includes a large number of types, the principal being A. sativa (see photograph), A. sterilisand A. strigosa. Oats are widely grown in most countries but are not suitable for Mediterranean climates. Oats are frequently grown on farms as feed for the farm's livestock. They are well balanced chemically, with fairly

Nagaon

2005-03-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

The surrounding area encompasses a stretch of the Brahmaputra River valley and contains many

Kael, Pauline

2005-03-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Kael graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1940. For a number of years she made a precarious living with various minor jobs. She had been an avid fan of the movies since childhood, and in 1953 she published her first

Robertsport

2005-03-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

Robertsport

Welti, (friedrich) Emil

2005-03-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Political leader and Landammann (chief executive) of his native canton of Aargau in 1858, 1862, and 1866, Welti entered the federal Ständerat (council of cantons) in 1857 and subsequently served as assembly president (1860, 1866). Elected to the federal executive (Bundesrat)

Skelton, John

2005-03-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

His place of birth and childhood

Wieman, Carl E.

2005-03-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1973), Wieman earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1977. He then taught and conducted research

Chelyabinsk

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

The oblast, in the Urals

Neorealism

2005-03-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

The movement was rooted in the 1920s and, though suppressed for nearly two decades by Fascist control, emerged in great strength after the Fascist regime fell at the end of World War II. Neorealismo is similar in general aims to the earlier Italian movement verismo (Realism), from which it originated, but differs in that its upsurge was brought about by the intense feelings,

Kirkintilloch

2005-03-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Burgh (town), East Dunbartonshire council area, historic county of Dunbartonshire, west-central Scotland, on the northeastern periphery of the metropolitan area of Glasgow. It is situated on the Forth and Clyde Canal, and the River Kelvin flows past the town. There was a Roman fort on the site, part of the defensive Antonine Wall built in AD 142. The town was granted its charter

Mollisol

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

One of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Mollisols are characterized by a significant accumulation of humus in the surface horizon, or uppermost layer, which is almost always formed under native grass vegetation. They are highly arable soils used principally for growing grain and cereal crops, often inspiring the name “breadbasket” for the regions where they

Gong Xian

2005-03-08T02:09:00.000-08:00

Short, broad vertical strokes characterize Gong's paintings, which, like those of Ni Zan in the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), typically contain no human figures; yet in contrast

Neorealism

2005-03-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

One of the various plated dinosaurs (Stegosauria) of the Late Jurassic Period (159 million to 144 million years ago) recognizable by its spiked tail and series of large triangular bony plates along the back. Stegosaurus usually grew to a length of about 6.5 metres (21 feet), but some reached 9 metres (30 feet). The skull and brain were very small for such a large animal. The forelimbs were much

Masdevallia

2005-03-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

They have short stems and erect or slightly spreading leaves. The sepals are united at their bases and have one or more long taillike extensions.

Kaffir

2005-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kafir, Arabic Kafir (“Infidel”), member of a group of southern African Bantu-speaking peoples (see Xhosa); also, member of a people of the Hindu Kush in northeastern Afghanistan (see Nuristani). Use of the term for either group reflects a negative opinion. Especially in South Africa, kaffir (not capitalized) is used in a generally pejorative way to mean any African black.

General Santos

2005-03-05T05:19:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1954) Buayan, city, southern Mindanao, Philippines. The city is named for General Paulino Santos, who directed the pioneer settlement (mostly by Christian Filipino migrants) and development of the Koronadal Valley that began in the mid-1930s. General Santos city is located at the head of Sarangani Bay of the Celebes Sea along the southern shore of Mindanao. The city is a principal shipping

Akhisar

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

Historically Thyatira town, western Turkey, in a fertile plain on the Great Zab River (the ancient Lycus). The ancient town, originally called Pelopia, was probably founded by the Lydians. It was made a Macedonian colony about 290 BC and renamed Thyatira. It became part of the kingdom of Pergamum in 190 BC and was an important station on the ancient Roman road from Pergamum (Bergama) to Laodicea (near Denizli).

Han-chung

2005-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Hanzhong city in southern Shensi Province (sheng), China. It is a county-level municipality (shih) and the administrative centre of Han-chung Prefecture (ti-ch'ü). Han-chung is situated in a long, narrow, and fertile basin along the Han Shui (river), between the Tsinling Shan (mountains) and Mi-ts'ang Shan. To the north one of the few routes across the Tsinling Shan joins it to Pao-chi in Shensi,

Thompson, Jim

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

After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Thompson worked in a number of odd jobs before becoming affiliated with the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s. He later

Waiheke Island

2005-03-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

The island, whose Maori name means “cascading waters,” was the site of manganese

Catch-as-catch-can Wrestling

2005-03-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

Basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both upright and ground wrestling. Rules usually forbid only actions that may injure an opponent, such as strangling, kicking, gouging, and hitting with a closed fist. The object is to force the opponent into a position in which both shoulders touch the ground at the same time. Formerly known

Shochiku Co., Ltd.

2005-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Leading Japanese motion-picture studio, the films of which are usually home-centred dramas aimed toward an audience of women. The company was formed in 1902 as a production company for kabuki performances. The business was expanded in 1920 to include motion-picture production, and, shortly afterward, the corporation established the Shochiku Kinema Company to train actors

Gravure Printing

2005-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Photomechanical intaglio process in which the image to be printed consists of depressions or recesses on the surface of the printing plate. The process is the reverse of relief printing, in which the image is raised from the surface of the plate. The printer forms the image by cutting into the plate by hand or by using acids or other chemicals to etch the plate along

Itapetininga

2005-02-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

City, in the highlands of east-central São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies at 2,200 feet (670 m) above sea level, near the Itapetininga River. Formerly called Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres de Itapetininga, it was given town status in 1770 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1771. Agriculture and industry both contribute to Itapetininga's economy. The principal crops in the region are

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

2005-02-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

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

Earth Sciences, Paleontology and stratigraphy

2005-02-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

During the 17th century the guiding principles of paleontology and historical geology began to emerge in the work of a few individuals. Nicolaus Steno, a Danish scientist and theologian, presented carefully reasoned arguments favouring the organic origin of what are now called fossils. Also, he elucidated three principles that made possible the reconstruction

Profit Sharing

2005-02-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

System by which employees are paid a share of the profits of the business enterprise in which they are employed, in accordance with a scheme defined in advance. Such payments, which may vary according to salary or wage, are distinct from and additional to regular earnings. Profit-sharing plans were probably first developed in France before the middle of the 19th century

Carajá

2005-02-25T04:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Karajá, tribe of South American Indians living along the Araguaia River, near the inland island of Bananal, in central Brazil. Their language may be distantly related to Ge, which is spoken by most of the surrounding tribes. The three subtribes of the Carajá—the Carajá proper, the Shambioá, and the Javahé—have almost identical cultures and are all oriented toward the river

Jackson, Andrew

2005-02-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Whatever the motives, Jackson had preserved the integrity of the Union against the most serious threat it had yet faced. In contrast, he was remarkably complacent when Georgia defied the federal government. In 1829 Georgia extended its jurisdiction to about 9,000,000 acres (4,000,000 hectares) of land that lay within its boundaries but was still occupied by the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees' title to the land, on which gold had been discovered, having been guaranteed by a treaty with the United States, the Indians appealed to the federal courts. In two separate cases, the Supreme Court ruled against Georgia, but Georgia ignored those decisions and continued to enforce its jurisdiction within the territory claimed by the Cherokees. In contrast to his strong reaction against South Carolina's defiance of federal authority, Jackson made no effort to restrain Georgia, and those close to him felt certain that he sympathized with the position taken by that state. He is said to have declared privately, “John Marshall [the chief justice] has made his decision, now let him enforce it!” Jackson's failure to support the Supreme Court remains an indelible stain on his record. The Cherokee, left without a choice, signed another treaty in 1835 giving up their land in exchange for land in the Indian Territory west of Arkansas. Three years later, having been rounded up by General Winfield Scott, some 15,000 Cherokees were forced to wend their way westward, mostly on foot, on a journey that became known as the Trail of Tears. On the way, during the cold and wet of winter, nearly a quarter of them died of starvation, illness, and exposure (see primary source documents: On Indian Removal and A Permanent Habitation for the American Indian).

Philidor, François-andré

2005-02-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

The last member of a large and prominent musical family, Philidor was thoroughly trained in music, but at age 18 he turned entirely to chess competition throughout Europe. He was particularly well

Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramji

2005-02-24T00:52:00.000-08:00

Born of an untouchable Mahar family of western India, he was as a boy humiliated by his high-caste schoolfellows. His father was an officer in the Indian Army. Awarded a scholarship by the Gaekwar (the ruler) of Baroda, he studied at universities

Lustre

2005-02-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

In mineralogy, the appearance of a mineral surface in terms of its light-reflective qualities. Lustre depends upon a mineral's refractive power, diaphaneity (degree of transparency), and structure. Variations in these properties produce different kinds of lustre, whereas variations in the quantity of reflected light produce different intensities of the same

Sør-trøndelag

2005-02-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Fylke (county), central Norway. It extends from the Swedish border (east) to the coast of the Norwegian Sea (west). The mouth of the deeply indented Trondheim Fjord lies in the northern part of the fylke; parts of the Dovre Mountains are in the south. Adjacent to the Norwegian Sea coast are the large islands of Hitra and Frøya. The fylke's economy is based on fishing and agriculture

Addison, Thomas

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

In 1837 Addison became a full

Li Keran

2005-02-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

Li showed a gift for painting, calligraphy, and music as a child. When he was 13, he began to study landscape

Pyrenees, Peace Of The

2005-02-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

During the years from the end of the Thirty Years' War until 1659 Spain and France engaged in almost continuous warfare. During the struggle Spain found itself also involved in hostilities with England,

Dien Bien Phu, Battle Of

2005-02-19T00:20:00.000-08:00

The battle was joined in late 1953 when French forces, who had

Ribbentrop, Joachim Von

2005-02-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

Ribbentrop was the son of an army officer in a middle-class family. After attending schools in Germany, Switzerland, France, and England, he went to Canada (1910), but he returned to Germany at the outbreak of World

Antibiotic

2005-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Although antibiotics are released naturally into the soil by bacteria and fungi, they did not come into worldwide prominence until the introduction of penicillin in 1941. Since then they have revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections

Sax, Antoine-joseph

2005-02-17T02:58:00.000-08:00

Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791–1865), a maker of wind and brass instruments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibited the saxophone

Mountain, Mountain belts associated with crustal shortening

2005-02-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

Most mountain belts of the world and nearly all of those in Europe, Asia, and North America have been built by horizontal crustal shortening and associated crustal thickening. The landforms associated with such belts depend on the rates, amounts, and types of crustal deformation that occur and on the types of rocks that are exposed to erosion. To some extent the deformation

Good Shepherd Sister

2005-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

Member of The Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (R.G.S.) , also called Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd a Roman Catholic order of religious devoted particularly to the care, rehabilitation, and education of girls and young women who have demonstrated delinquent behaviour. The congregation traces its history to an order founded by St. John Eudes in 1641 at Caen, Fr. This order, known as the Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, was virtually destroyed during the French

Farim

2005-02-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Town, north central Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, on the Rio Cacheu. It is a market centre for the agricultural products of the interior; peanut (groundnut) cultivation, concentrated around the town, is mainly for export, and cattle are raised for domestic consumption in the northern savannas of the region. There are phosphate deposits near the town. Farim is connected

Calamian Group

2005-02-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

Islands lying between Mindoro and Palawan, west central Philippines. The group comprises Busuanga, Culion (q.v.), and Coron islands and about 95 lesser coral isles and islets, with a total area of 677 sq mi (1,753 sq km). The main islands are quite hilly and are densely settled, with relatively stable populations engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing. The principal settlement

Clarence River

2005-02-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

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

Gull

2005-02-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

Adult gulls are mainly gray or white, with variable head markings. In breeding season the

Wied, Gustav

2005-02-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Wied was the son of a well-to-do farmer. He spent most of his life in provincial surroundings, which provide the usual background for his works. He was a private tutor for years, and then an actor, before he became

Onyx

2005-02-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

Striped, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral agate with white and black alternating bands. Onyx is used in carved cameos and intaglios because its layers can be cut to show a colour contrast between the design and the background. Other varieties include carnelian onyx, with white and red bands, and sardonyx, with white and brown bands. The chief localities

Saint Bartholomew's Day, Massacre Of

2005-02-11T02:31:00.000-08:00

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day had for its background the political and religious

Simenon, Georges

2005-02-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

Simenon began working on a local newspaper at age 16, and at 19 he went to Paris determined to be a successful writer. Typing some 80 pages each day, he wrote, between 1923 and 1933, more than

Jacoba Of Bavaria

2005-02-09T00:13:00.000-08:00

Jacoba, the only daughter and heiress of William, count of Zeeland, Holland,

Epistemology, Impact of modern science on epistemology

2005-02-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), a cleric, argued in On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (1543) that the Earth revolves around the Sun. His theory was epistemologically shocking for at least two reasons. First, it goes directly counter to how humans experience their relation to the Sun; it is everyone's prescientific view that the Sun revolves around the Earth. If science can

Shigemitsu Mamoru

2005-02-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Shigemitsu, a graduate of Tokyo University, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1911. By 1918 he held a position in the embassy in Poland and, while in Europe, attended the Paris

Earth Sciences, Surface water discharge

2005-02-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

A complicated empirical formula for the discharge of streams resulted from the studies of Andrew Atkinson Humphreys and Henry Larcom Abbot in the course of the Mississippi Delta Survey of 1851–60. Their formula contained no term for roughness of channel and on this and other grounds was later found to be inapplicable to the rapidly flowing streams of mountainous regions.

Ashikaga Tadayoshi

2005-02-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

When in 1333 Takauji joined forces with the emperor Go-Daigo, Tadayoshi accompanied him, becoming a leading commander of the

Karbala', Battle Of

2005-02-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

(Oct. 10, 680 [10th of Muharran AH 61]), brief military engagement in which Husayn ibn 'Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and pretender to the caliphate, was defeated and killed by an army sent by the Umayyad caliph Yazid I. The battle helped secure the position of the Umayyads, but, among Shi'ite Muslims, followers of Husayn, the 10th of Muharran (or 'Ashura') became an annual holy day of public

Extravaganza

2005-02-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

A literary or musical work marked by extreme freedom of style and structure and usually by elements of burlesque or parody, such as Samuel Butler's Hudibras. The term extravaganza may also refer to an elaborate and spectacular theatrical production. The term once specifically referred to a type of 19th-century English drama made popular by J.R. Planché, a British playwright

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, India

2005-02-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Fables appeared early in India, but it is impossible to determine whether they are older or later than the Greek. Undoubtedly there was mutual influence from very early times, for indirect contacts between Greece and India (by trade routes) had existed long before the time of Alexander the Great. In the form in which they are now known, the Greek fables are the older, but

Novella

2005-02-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

Short and well-structured narrative, often realistic and satiric in tone, that influenced the development of the short story and the novel throughout Europe. Originating in Italy during the Middle Ages, the novella was based on local events that were humorous, political, or amorous in nature; the individual tales often were gathered into collections along with

Interior Design, 20th century

2005-02-04T03:43:00.000-08:00

The principle behind a great deal of 20th century interior decoration was first expounded in Chicago in 1896 in a magazine entitled the House Beautiful. This journal opposed both the perpetuation of vulgar display and the excess of ornament that had characterized most of the 19th century. Other American magazines like The Ladies Home Journal soon followed House

Crocker, Lucretia

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

Crocker graduated from the State Normal School in West Newton, Massachusetts, in 1850 and remained there for four more years as an instructor

Ammons, Gene

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

The son of outstanding boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons grew up in Chicago and first became nationally known as a member of Billy Eckstine's innovative bebop big band during 1944–47; he also played in Woody Herman's

Syracuse

2005-02-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Syracuse was settled about 734 BC by Corinthians led by the aristocrat Archias, and the city soon dominated the coastal plain and hill country beyond. The original Greek settlers of the city formed an elite (gamoroi

Samoa

2005-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

The assassination of the minister of public works in July 1999 continued to produce legal and political consequences in 2000. The two cabinet ministers who plotted the murder (and the son of one of them who actually committed the deed) were tried and found guilty, but their mandatory death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. By-elections were held following the

War Of The Sons Of Light Against The Sons Of Darkness, The

2005-01-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Megillat Milhamat B'ne, or Beb'ne Hoshekh, also called War Rule, or War Scroll, a Dead Sea Scroll, and one of the most important documents of the Essene sect of Jews that established a community at Qumran in the Judaean desert during the first half of the 2nd century BC. The Essenes thought themselves to be the holy elect of Israel, the Sons of Light, who would at the end of time engage in a catastrophic war with the enemies of Israel, the Sons of

Heike Monogatari

2005-01-30T00:55:00.000-08:00

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

Abu'l-wafa'

2005-01-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

Abu'l-Wafa' worked in a private observatory in Baghdad, where he made observations to determine, among other astronomical parameters, the obliquity of the ecliptic, the length of the seasons, and the latitude of the city.

Crane Fly

2005-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Daddy Long Legs, any insect of the family Tipulidae (order Diptera). In English-speaking countries other than the United States, the crane fly is popularly called daddy long legs because it has a slender, mosquito-like body and extremely long legs. (In the United States, “daddy longlegs” generally refers to an arachnid.) Ranging in size from tiny to almost 3 cm (1.2 inches) long, these

Hull House

2005-01-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

One of the first social settlements in North America. It was founded in Chicago in 1889 when Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr rented an abandoned residence at 800 South Halsted Street that had been built by Charles G. Hull in 1856. Twelve large buildings were added from year to year until Hull House covered half a city block and included a nearby playground and a large camp in

Radiation Measurement, Pair production

2005-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

A third gamma-ray interaction process is possible when the incoming photon energy is above 1.02 MeV. In the field of a nucleus of the absorber material, the photon may disappear and be replaced by the formation of an electron-positron pair. The minimum energy required to create this pair of particles is their combined rest-mass energy of 1.02 MeV. Therefore, pair production

Pere Ubu

2005-01-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

American avant-garde art rock band generally considered to be a major force and influence in postpunk music. The original members were David Thomas (b. June 14, 1953), Peter Laughner (b. c. 1953—d. June 22, 1977), Tom Herman (b. April 19, 1949), Allen Ravenstine (b. May 9, 1950), Scott Krauss (b. Nov. 19, 1950), and Tim Wright. Later members included Tony Maimone (b. Sept. 27, 1952, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.), Jim Jones (b. March 12, 1950), Chris Cutler (b. Jan. 4, 1947), Mayo

Mountain, Mountain belts associated with crustal shortening

2005-01-26T03:27:00.000-08:00

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The land

2005-01-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

The terrain of the Andamans is rough, with hills enclosing narrow longitudinal valleys. The highest elevation is 2,418 feet (737 metres) at Saddle Peak on North Andaman. Dense tropical forest covers the islands. No rivers and few perennial streams exist. The coral-fringed coasts of the Andamans are deeply indented, forming safe harbours and tidal creeks, often surrounded by

Pere Ubu

2005-01-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

Thomas E. Watson,

Arévalo (bermejo), Juan José

2005-01-24T03:09:00.000-08:00

Arévalo was educated at the University of Guatemala and the University of La Plata (1928–34) in Argentina, where he received a doctorate. After serving in the Guatemalan