PhysicalWheel

Lower Canada

2005-11-18T02:45:00.000-08:00

In Canadian history, the region in Canada now known as Quebec. Known as Lower Canada from 1791 to 1841, the region became known as Canada East (q.v.) with the Act of Union of 1841. See also Quebec.

Molasses Act

2005-10-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

(1733), in American colonial history, a British law that imposed a tax on molasses, sugar, and rum imported from non-British foreign colonies into the North American colonies. The act specifically aimed at reserving a practical monopoly of the American sugar market to British West Indies sugarcane growers, who otherwise could not compete successfully with French and

Earth, Faulting

2005-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Extension of the Earth's crust may result in the formation of numerous parallel ridges and valleys

Hackl, Georg

2005-07-27T02:15:00.000-07:00

Hackl was born and raised in the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden, just four miles from the Königssee luge

Offa Of Angel

2005-07-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

According to the Old English poem “Widsith,” Offa saved his aged father, King Wermund, from falling under Saxon domination by defeating a Saxon king's son in single combat. Later Offa became ruler of the large kingdom of Angel, and he is said to have established Fifldor

Gainsborough

2005-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

(foaled 1915), English racehorse (Thoroughbred) who won the British Triple Crown, consisting of the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, the Derby at Epsom Downs, and the Saint Leger at Doncaster in 1918. The horse later became a stud of worldwide importance, being the sire of the famous stallion Hyperion. Sired by Bayardo and foaled by Rosedrop, Gainsborough was owned by Lady James

Newington

2005-07-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Area in the borough of Southwark, London. It lies southeast of Waterloo Station and west of Bermondsey. In the 19th century the area was developed as a residential suburb, and several roads and railways were built, converting Newington into a transportation hub for London south of the River Thames. Central to the area is the Elephant and Castle, a large traffic roundabout

La Louvière

2005-06-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Town, Hainaut province, southwestern Belgium, on the Central Canal, about 11 mi (17 km) east of Mons. It has been a centre of coal mining since the 14th century. La Louvière is also a major centre of steel manufacturing and produces sheet metal, furniture, and ceramics. Nearby is the park of Mariemont, named for Mary of Hungary, sister of Charles V and queen of the Netherlands, who first

Tacloban

2005-06-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Chartered city, northeastern Leyte, Philippines, on San Pedro Bay at the southern entrance to San Juanico Strait. It is the largest city and distributing centre in the eastern Visayas (Leyte and Samar). A port since 1874, Tacloban has a long deepwater wharf, a bulk petroleum depot, and an airport. Hemp, copra, and lumber are exported, and commercial fishing is important. The city

Bendis

2005-05-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Apart from areas adjacent to Thrace, the cult of Bendis gained prominence only in Athens. At the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians allowed the founding of a sanctuary for the goddess and shortly afterward created a

Adamnán, The Vision Of

2005-05-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Irish Fís Adamnáín in the Gaelic literature of Ireland, one of the earliest and most outstanding medieval Irish visions. This graceful prose work dates from the 10th century and is preserved in the later The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100). Patterned after pagan voyages (immrama) to the otherworld, The Vision of Adamnán vividly describes the journey of Adamnán's soul—guided by an angel—first through

Rinzai

2005-05-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of two major Zen Buddhist sects in Japan; it stresses the abrupt awakening of transcendental wisdom, or enlightenment. Among the methods it practices are shouts (katsu) or blows delivered by the master on the disciple, question-and-answer sessions (mondo), and meditation on paradoxical statements (koan), all intended to accelerate a breakthrough of the normal boundaries

Italy, The rise of Mussolini

2005-03-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

The political crisis of the postwar years provided an opportunity for militant, patriotic movements, including those of ex-servicemen and former assault troops, radical students, ex-syndicalists, and former pro-war agitators. D'Annunzio in Fiume led one such movement, but the ex-Socialist journalist Benito Mussolini soon became even more prominent, founding his

Oscillograph

2005-03-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

Instrument for indicating and recording time-varying electrical quantities, such as current and voltage. The two basic forms of the instrument in common use are the electromagnetic oscillograph and the cathode-ray oscillograph; the latter is also known as a cathode-ray oscilloscope (q.v.), which, strictly speaking, is purely an indicating instrument, while the oscillograph

X Ray

2005-03-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

There are two methods in general use for detecting X rays. The first method relies on the X rays producing a photochemical change in a photographic emulsion. The blackening of the film is related to the

Zanzibar

2005-03-09T02:14:00.000-08:00

City and port of the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The island's principal port and commercial centre, it is on the western side of the island behind a well-protected natural deepwater harbour. In 1824 Sultan Sa'id ibn Sultan of Oman established his capital there, shifting it from Muscat on the Arabian Peninsula. During the remainder of the 19th century, the city flourished as the

Lennoaceae

2005-03-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

The sand food family, composed of three genera and four to six species of curious, parasitic plants, which send out rootlike structures (haustoria) that penetrate the roots of other plants for food. Once the parasite's haustoria have entered the host roots, the parasite develops its aboveground portions, usually club-shaped, fleshy, yellowish or brownish stems on which

Coleopteran, Beetles as prey

2005-03-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

In general, beetles are very well armoured insects and thus are reasonably protected against enemies; most, however, have parasites. Some tachinid flies, for example, lay their eggs on adult beetles, and the larvae feed inside their bodies. Beetle larvae also often have hymenopterous parasites; e.g., wasps. Wood-boring long-horned beetle larvae (Cerambycidae) are parasitized

Austin, Stephen

2005-03-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

Raised on the Missouri frontier, Austin was educated at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., and served in the Missouri territorial legislature (1814 - 19). The economic panic of 1819 led his father, Moses Austin

Mormon

2005-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

An excellent sociological treatment of Mormonism is Thomas F. O'Dea, The Mormons (1957, reissued 1964). Jan Shipps, Mormonism (1985), argues that Mormonism is separate from the Judeo-Christian tradition. The church's 19th-century history is treated in Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (1984); Marvin S. Hill, Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism (1989), setting the early history of Mormonism in the larger context of contemporary American religious experience; Klaus J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience (1981), analyzing the cross-influence of the early church and American culture in the formative period 1820 - 1890; and Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience, 2nd ed. (1992), a topically arranged interpretive history to the turn of the century. Thomas G. Alexander, Mormonism in Transition (1986), examines the church's changing positions on various issues during the critical period 1890 - 1930. Daniel H. Ludlow (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vol. (1992), is a well-organized reference work with numerous entries on contemporary topics; it is written primarily by Mormons.

Puerto Rico, Flag Of

2005-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

In the late 19th century, as pro-independence sentiment grew in the Caribbean islands under Spanish dominion, many activists in Cuba and Puerto Rico were exiled to the United States or elsewhere. In New York City a flag was chosen in exile by the Puerto Rican section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party on December 22, 1895. The design was simply the Cuban flag with a reversal of the

Aldabra Islands

2005-03-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Atoll, one of the world's largest, in the Indian Ocean about 600 miles (1,000 km) southwest of the Seychelles group, and part of the Republic of the Seychelles. The Aldabras, together with Farquhar and Desroches islands and the Chagos Archipelago, formed part of the British Indian Ocean Territory from 1965 to 1976. The Aldabra Islands were formerly under the hegemony of the Seychelles, to

Ardea

2005-03-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Ancient town of the Rutuli people, and now a modern village in Roma provincia, Lazio regione, west-central Italy. It lies 23 miles (37 km) south of Rome. In ancient times it was an important centre of the cult of Juno. Ardea developed into one of the most important Latin cities and was a member of the Latin leagues of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In 444 the town signed a treaty with the Romans,

Albany River

2005-03-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

River, north central Ontario, Canada, rising in Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 1,218 ft (371 m) and flowing generally eastward into James Bay. For 250 mi (400 km) of its 610-mi course, the river is navigable, and it served as an important route during the fur-trading days, when boats sailed inland from the Hudson's Bay Company post of Ft. Albany (established 1684) at the mouth. Its largest tributary is the

Eden, Garden Of

2005-02-28T06:27:00.000-08:00

In the Old Testament Book of Genesis, biblical earthly paradise inhabited by the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, prior to their expulsion for disobeying the commandments of God. It is also called in Genesis the Garden of Yahweh, the God of Israel, and, in Ezekiel, the Garden of God. The term Eden probably is derived from the Akkadian word edinu, borrowed from the

Huysmans, Camille

2005-02-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

Trained as a philologist, Huysmans taught at the coll�ge at Ieper, Belg., the Atheneum at Ixelles, Belg., and the Universit� Nouvelle (French: �New University�) in Brussels.

Fabales

2005-02-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

O.N. Allen and Ethel K. Allen, The Leguminosae: A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses, and Nodulation (1981), a descriptive summary, with an alphabetical listing of legume genera; J.B. Harborne, D. Boulter, and B.L. Turner (eds.), Chemotaxonomy of the Leguminosae (1971); R.M. Polhill and P.H. Raven (eds.), Advances in Legume Systematics (1981 - ), an updated evolutionary classification of the Fabales; R.J. Summerfield and A.L. Bunting (eds.), Advances in Legume Science (1980); C.H. Stirton and J.L. Zarucchi (eds.), Advances in Legume Biology (1989); James A. Duke, Handbook of Legumes of World Economic Importance (1981), also with an alphabetical listing of genera; D. Isely, �Leguminosae and Homo sapiens,� Economic Botany, 36(1):46 - 70 (1982), a succinct summary of the contributions of legumes to human welfare; National Research Council (U.S.), Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation, Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future (1979), a descriptive listing of utilized but undeveloped tropical legumes; J. Smartt, Tropical Pulses (1976); Harold J. Evans (ed.), Enhancing Biological Nitrogen Fixation (1975); J.R. Postgate, The Fundamentals of Nitrogen Fixation (1982); R.O.D. Dixon and C.T. Wheeler, Nitrogen Fixation in Plants (1986); J.M. Vincent (ed.), Nitrogen Fixation in Legumes (1982); W.J. Broughton (ed.), Nitrogen Fixation, vol. 3, Legumes (1982); J. Smartt, Grain Legumes: Evolution and Genetic Resources (1990); A. Geoffrey Norman (ed.), Soybean Physiology, Agronomy, and Utilization (1978); C. Webb and G. Hawtin (eds.), Lentils (1981).

Waite, Morrison Remick

2005-02-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

Seventh chief justice of the United States (1874 - 88), who frequently spoke for the Supreme Court in interpreting the post-Civil War constitutional amendments and in redefining governmental jurisdiction over commerce in view of the great expansion of American business. Reacting against the extreme nationalism predominant during

North Polar Sequence

2005-02-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

Group of 96 stars near the north celestial pole, used from about 1900 to 1950 as standards of magnitude and colour by which other stars are measured. First proposed by the American astronomer Edward Charles Pickering, the system has been largely superseded by the UBV system (q.v.).

Drummond, William Henry

2005-02-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Drummond immigrated to Canada about 1864, left school at the age of 15 to help support his family, but at 30 took a degree in medicine at Bishop's College in Quebec. After

Spacecraft

2005-02-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

Although early conceptions of spaceflight usually depicted streamlined spacecraft, streamlining has no particular advantage in the vacuum of space. Actual vehicles are designed with a variety of shapes depending on the mission. The first spacecraft,

Lath

2005-02-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

One of the most common laths is gypsum lath. It is manufactured with an air-entrained gypsum core sandwiched between two layers of fibrous absorbent

Pietra Dura

2005-02-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

(Italian: �hard stone�), in mosaic, any of several kinds of hard stone used in commesso mosaic work, an art that flourished in Florence particularly in the late 16th and 17th centuries and involved the fashioning of highly illusionistic pictures out of cut-to-shape pieces of coloured stone. The resulting decorative mosaics were used primarily for tabletops and small wall

Wollongong

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

City, coastal New South Wales, Australia, in the Illawara district. The village of Wollongong (founded 1816) became a town in 1843, a municipality in 1859, and a city in 1942. It was amalgamated with other municipalities and shires in 1947 to form the City of Wollongong, which extends for 30 miles (48 km) along the coast and occupies 276 square miles (715 square km). Originally dependent upon grazing and lumbering,

Szombathely

2005-02-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

German �Steinamanger, � town and seat of Vas megye (county), northwestern Hungary. Szombathely is situated on the Gy�ngy�s River, near the frontier with Austria, south-southeast of Vienna and west of Budapest. The town is the successor to the Roman settlement of Savaria (Sabaria), the capital of Pannonia, founded in AD 43 by Claudius I at the intersection of two Roman roads still extant. There is in the

Computers, The Altair

2005-02-17T02:21:00.000-08:00

In September 1973 Radio Electronics published an article describing a �TV Typewriter,� which was a computer terminal that could connect a hobbyist with a mainframe computer. It was written by Don Lancaster, an aerospace engineer and fire spotter in Arizona who was also a prolific author of do-it-yourself articles for electronics hobbyists. The TV Typewriter provided

Louvet, Jean

2005-02-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Louvet was the son of a miner. As a young man, he was influenced by Existentialism, and left-wing politics led him into work in the theatre. Strongly autobiographical, his work goes beyond ideology to embrace the history of the Walloon people of southern

Osaka-kobe Metropolitan Area, The city site

2005-02-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

The city of Osaka is situated on the delta of the Yodo River. To the east of the central city, Osaka Castle, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, stands on a northern extension of the upland (about 65 feet [20 metres] above sea level) that rises in the southern part of Osaka urban prefecture to more than 3,000 feet. The metropolitan area spreads over the deltas of the Yodo, Yamato, and other

Dziady

2005-02-14T01:29:00.000-08:00

In Slavic religion, all the dead ancestors of a family, the rites that are performed in their memory, and the day on which those rites are performed. Dziady take place three or four times a year; though the dates vary in different localities, dziady are generally celebrated in the winter before the beginning of Advent and in the spring on the Sunday of Doubting Thomas.

Aylesbury

2005-02-13T05:27:00.000-08:00

Town, Aylesbury Vale district, administrative and historic county of Buckinghamshire, England. The town lies at the centre of a rich clay vale. It was once an important market town for ducks and dairy produce but is now an expanding centre of industry, which includes food processing, light engineering, and especially printing. The town's market square is surrounded

Stratemeyer, Edward

2005-02-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

Stratemeyer worked as a store clerk and, on the side, began writing stories in imitation of those of Horatio

Chang Ch�-cheng

2005-02-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

Chang gained power through his position as tutor

Aulis

2005-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek town in Boeotia, separated from Chalcis (on the island of Euboea) three miles to the north by the Euboean Channel. Aulis was traditionally held to be the port from which the Greek fleet set off to the siege of Troy and the scene of the related sacrifice of Iphigenia, the eldest daughter of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.

Argentaffin Cell

2005-02-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

One of the round or partly flattened cells occurring in the lining tissue of the digestive tract and containing granules thought to be of secretory function. These epithelial cells, though common throughout the digestive tract, are most concentrated in the small intestine and appendix. The cells locate randomly within the mucous membrane lining of the intestine

Berazategui

2005-02-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

Partido (county) at the southeastern limits of Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Buenos Aires provincia. It lies along the R�o de la Plata estuary. The subdivision was created in October 1960 out of the existing partido of Quilmes. Berazategui was originally the property of the Barrag�n family when it was sold in 1860 to Jos� Clemente Berazategui and Juan Etcheverry.

Xerxes I

2005-02-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Soured by this failure, which modern historians consider the beginning of Achaemenian decline, Xerxes retired to Susa and Persepolis. He then furthered the depletion of the once-enormous resources he had gathered, through multiple taxation, by launching a vast construction program. At the capital city of Persepolis, Darius' architects, working from a unified plan

Back Swimmer

2005-02-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Any insect of the family Notonectidae (order Heteroptera), containing approximately 200 species. These relatively small insects occur worldwide. Most are less than 15 mm (0.6 inch) in length. Their long, oarlike legs are used when they swim on their backs, which are shaped like the keel and sides of a boat. The back swimmer has an oval head and an elongated body. It is a good example

Alliance For Progress

2005-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

International economic development program established by the United States and 22 Latin American countries in the Charter of Punta del Este (Uruguay) in August 1961. Objectives stated in the charter centred on the maintenance of democratic government and the achievement of economic and social development; specific goals included a sustained growth in per capita

Montgomery (of Alamein, Of Hindhead), Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount

2005-02-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Of Ulster stock, Montgomery was educated at St. Paul's School, London, and the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst). He distinguished himself during World War I and remained in the army, acquiring a reputation as an efficient and tough leader. Early

Gaines, William Maxwell

2005-02-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

Gaines served in the U.S. Army during World War II, which interrupted his studies at New York University (B.S., 1948). He inherited EC (Educational Comics)

Arron, Henck

2005-02-02T03:12:00.000-08:00

Arron worked in banks in The Netherlands and Dutch Guiana before entering politics in 1963. He was elected to the Staten (Suriname legislature) that

Florian

2005-02-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Latin in full �Marcus Annius Florianus � Roman emperor from June to September 276. The brother, by a different father, of the emperor Tacitus, he at once seized power on the death of his brother. Although his action was tolerated by the Senate and the armies of the West, the legions in Syria promoted their own general, Probus. A civil war broke out but ended in the sudden death of Florian, either at the hands of

Offa Of Angel

2005-01-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

According to the Old English poem �Widsith,� Offa saved his aged father, King Wermund, from falling under Saxon domination by defeating a Saxon king's son in single combat. Later Offa became ruler of the large kingdom of Angel, and he is said to have established Fifldor

Mosaferid Dynasty

2005-01-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Mohammad ebn Mosafer (ruled c. 916 - 941), military commander of the strategic mountain fortresses of Tarom and Samiran in Daylam, in northwestern Iran. With the increasing weakness of the Justanid dynasty that ruled the region, Mohammad increased his power and gained control of most of Daylam. After

Huynh Phu So

2005-01-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

Frail and sickly in his youth, he was educated by a Buddhist monk and at the age of 20 was apparently miraculously cured. He then set about

Peter Nolasco, Saint

2005-01-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

Peter dedicated himself to helping the poor.

Mountain

2005-01-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Mountains and mountain belts exist because tectonic processes have created and maintained high elevations in the face of erosion, which works to destroy them. The topography of a mountain belt depends not only on the processes that create the elevated terrain but also on the forces that support this terrain and on the types of processes (erosional or tectonic)

Bacheller, Irving (addison)

2005-01-26T05:09:00.000-08:00

Bacheller graduated from St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y., in 1882 and entered journalism. In 1883 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he founded the first modern newspaper syndicate and through

Aegilops

2005-01-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Genus of grasses (order Cyperales) that has become an agricultural contaminant. Members of the genus grow with wheat, mature at the same time, and, unless care is taken, are harvested along with it. One Aegilops species was an ancestor of bread wheat. Its origin was in southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and western Iran.

Jackson, John

2005-01-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

American blues guitarist (b. Feb. 25, 1924, Woodville, Va. - d. Jan. 20, 2002, Fairfax, Va.), was considered a master of the Piedmont blues tradition. While playing guitar for friends at a gas station in Fairfax, Va., in 1964, Jackson was discovered by University of Virginia folklorist Charles L. Perdue, who subsequently arranged for Jackson to go on tour and introduced him to record company executives.

Gastronomy, Triumph of French grande cuisine

2005-01-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

During the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, culinary methods were refined and a new order and logic were introduced into the French cuisine. Brillat-Savarin noted that in the reign of Louis XVthere was generally established more orderliness of meals, more cleanliness and elegance, and those refinements of service, which having increased steadily to our own time

Auseklis

2005-01-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

Related in name to the Vedic Usas and the Greek Eos, goddesses of dawn, Auseklis is associated in Latvian solar mythology with Meness (Moon) and Saule (Sun), being subordinate to the former and along with him a rival suitor of Saule's daughter, Saules

Albani, Francesco

2005-01-21T04:27:00.000-08:00

Albani lived for several years in Rome, where

Jack-o'-lantern

2005-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

In meteorology, a mysterious light seen at night flickering over marshes; when approached, it advances, always out of reach. The phenomenon is also known as will-o'-the-wisp and ignis fatuus (Latin: �foolish fire�). In popular legend it is considered ominous and is often purported to be the soul of one who has been rejected by hell carrying its own hell coal on its wanderings.

Ash Wednesday

2005-01-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

In the Christian church, the first day of Lent, occurring 6 1/2 weeks before Easter (between February 4 and March 11, depending on the date of Easter). In the early Christian church, the length of the Lenten celebration varied, but eventually it began 6 weeks (42 days) before Easter. This provided only 36 days of fast (excluding Sundays). In the 7th century, 4 days were added before the first Sunday

Performing Arts

2005-01-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

Ribbon Fall

2005-01-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Cataract on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite National Park, east-central California, U.S. With a drop of 1,612 feet (491 m), it is one of the world's highest waterfalls and one of the park's most scenic features. Reaching a peak volume during May and June, it is fed mainly by melting snow; hence, it is sometimes dry for part of the year.

San Francisco Peaks

2005-01-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Peaks, known by various Indian language names, are sacred to

Biblical Literature, Instructions on the Tabernacle

2005-01-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

Also interspersed in the story (chapters 25 - 31) are God's detailed instructions to Moses for building and furnishing the Tabernacle, the clothing and ordination of priests, and other liturgical matters. According to this segment (evidently P in inspiration), an elaborate structure is to be set up in the desert, in the centre of the camp, taken apart, transported, and assembled

Table Tennis

2005-01-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

The Chinese continued their domination of table tennis in 1996, collecting all the gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games. Liu Guoliang, the men's singles runner-up in 1995, won men's singles by besting Wang Tao of China. Deng Yaping, the women's world singles champion in 1991 and 1995, successfully defended her 1992 Olympic singles title by beating Chen Jing of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). Liu joined the

Mughal Painting

2005-01-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Mogul, � style of painting, confined mainly to book illustration and the production of individual miniatures, that evolved in India during the reigns of the Mughal emperors (16th - 18th century). In its initial phases it showed some indebtedness to the Safavid school of Persian painting but rapidly moved away from Persian ideals. Probably the earliest example of Mughal painting

National Museum Of Western Art

2005-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

The basis of the collection was a group of more than 400 French paintings, sculptures, and drawings that had been collected by Matsukata Kojiro but held by the French government during World War II.

Arab Legion

2005-01-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Al-jaish Al-'arabi, � police force raised in 1921 by British Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake in what was then the British protectorate of Transjordan, to keep order among Transjordanian tribes and to safeguard Transjordanian villagers from Bedouins. In 1939 Major (later General) John Bagot Glubb, called Glubb Pasha, became the legion's commander and transformed it into the most effective

Niceforo, Alfredo

2005-01-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Italian sociologist, criminologist, and statistician who posited the theory that every person has a �deep ego� of antisocial, subconscious impulses that represent a throwback to precivilized existence. Accompanying this ego, and attempting to keep its latent delinquency in check, according to his concept, is

Industrial Espionage

2005-01-08T04:04:00.000-08:00

A considerable amount of data on what the

Kirov

2005-01-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

Formerly �(until 1934) Vyatka, or Viatka, � city and administrative centre of Kirov oblast (province), western Russia, on the Vyatka River. The city was founded as Khlynov in 1181 by traders from Novgorod and became the centre of the �Vyatka Lands,� settled by Russians in the 14th to the 15th century. In 1489 it was captured by Moscow. Renamed Vyatka in 1780, it became a provincial seat, but development was slow, and it was used as a place

France, History Of, Gaul and Germany at the end of the 5th century

2005-01-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

Preceding the arrival of the Franks, other Germans had already entered Gaul. The area south of the Loire was divided between two groups. One, the Visigoths, occupied Aquitaine, Provence, and most of Spain. Their king, Euric (ruled 466 - 484), was the most powerful monarch in the West. The other group, the Burgundians, ruled much of the Rh�ne valley. In northern Gaul the Alemanni occupied

Absurd, Theatre Of The

2005-01-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

Dramatic works of certain European and American dramatists of the 1950s and early '60s who agreed with the Existentialist philosopher Albert Camus's assessment, in his essay �The Myth of Sisyphus� (1942), that the human situation is essentially absurd, devoid of purpose. The term is also loosely applied to those dramatists and the production of those works. Though no formal Absurdist

Saw, U

2005-01-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

Unlike most other Burmese politicians, U Saw was not university-educated. He held a license to plead some types of legal cases, however, and helped in the defense

Adalbert, Saint

2005-01-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

Descended from the Slavn�k princes of Bohemia, he was trained in theology at Magdeburg (Germany). At his confirmation he received his name from St. Adalbert, first archbishop of Magdeburg. As bishop (elected 982), Adalbert promoted the political

Mondov�

2005-01-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1198 by refugees from the regional wars between the city-states and communes, it was independent until the 13th century, when it was subordinated to the Angevins (French counts of Anjou). Regaining its freedom in 1290, it fell to Anjou again

Amphioxus

2005-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

Amphioxi are seldom more than 8 cm (3 inches) long, and in appearance they resemble small, slender fishes without eyes or definite heads. They

Clapham Sect

2004-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

Group of evangelical Christians, prominent in England from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. The group centred on the church of John Venn, rector of Clapham in south London. Its members included William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton, James Stephen, Zachary Macaulay, and others. Many were members of

Yesenin, Sergey Aleksandrovich

2004-12-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

The son of a peasant family of Old Believers, he left his

Caboolture

2004-12-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Caboolture River. The town was originally a livestock station. Its name was derived from cabul-tur, the Aboriginal word for the carpet snake. To relieve shortages brought about by the American Civil War in the 1860s, Caboolture became a cotton-farming centre. Today, citrus fruits, tobacco, and vegetables are grown, and dairy

China, Efforts to prevent civil war

2004-12-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Between May and September 1944, representatives of the government and the CCP carried on peace negotiations at Sian. The main issues were the disposition, size, and command of the Communist armies; the relationship between Communist-organized regional governments and the National Government; and problems of civil rights and legalization of the CCP and its activities

Kidney

2004-12-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

In vertebrates and some invertebrates, organ that maintains water balance and expels metabolic wastes. Primitive and embryonic kidneys consist of two series of specialized tubules that empty into two collecting ducts, the Wolffian ducts (see Wolffian duct). The more advanced kidney (metanephros)

Hojo Yasutoki

2004-12-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

The office of shogun originated with Minamoto Yoritomo in 1185, but after his death in 1199 Yasutoki's grandfather,

Puerperal Fever

2004-12-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

Also called �childbed fever� infection of some part of the female reproductive organs following childbirth or abortion. Cases of fever of 100.4� F (38� C) and higher during the first 10 days following delivery or miscarriage are notifiable to the civil authority in most developed countries, and the notifying physician clarifies the diagnosis later, if possible. Puerperal infection is most commonly of

Tapestry, General works

2004-12-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

W.G. Thomson, A History of Tapestry from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 3rd ed. rev. and ed. by F.P. Thomson and E.S. Thomson (1973), a standard work on the history of tapestry, which has been updated by F.P. Thomson, Tapestry: Mirror of History (1980); M.J. Guiffrey, E. Muntz, and A. Pinchart, Histoire generale de la tapisserie, 3 vol. (1978 - 85), French tapestries discussed by Guiffrey, Italian tapestries by Muntz, Flemish tapestries by Pinchart; M. Fenaille, �tat general des tapisseries de la manufacture des Gobelins depuis son origine jusqu'a nos jours, 1600 - 1900, 6 vol. (1903 - 23), a work of primary importance, presenting a detailed history of the Gobelins factory; J. Badin, La Manufacture de tapisseries de Beauvais, depuis ses origines jusqu'a nos jours (1909), a basic reference for the history of tapestry production at the Beauvais factory; Wandteppiche, 6 vol. (1923 - 34; Eng. trans. of pt. 1, Tapestries of the Lowlands, 1924), a general worldwide treatment of tapestry, with numerous black and white illustrations, although many of the European medieval attributions have been questioned or rejected; G.L. Hunter, The Practical Book of Tapestries (1925), precise and useful descriptions, with numerous reproductions; C.G. Janneau, �volution de la tapisserie (1947), illustrations and technical information on collections of European tapestries, some of which have been subsequently disbanded with works relocated; D. Heinz, Europ�ische Wandteppiche, vol. 1, Von den Anf�ngen der Bildwirkerei bis zum Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts (1963), a thorough treatment of tapestry up to the end of the 16th century, with a typological index, an extensive bibliography, and numerous illustrations; R.A. Weigert, La Tapisserie et le tapis en France (1964), a scholarly discussion of the history of French tapestry; P. Verlet et al., La Tapisserie: histoire et technique du 14e au 20e siecle (1977; Eng. trans., The Book of Tapestry: History and Technique, 1978), a well-illustrated volume on Western tapestry from the Middle Ages to the 20th century; Madeleine Jarry, La Tapisserie des origines a nos jours (1968; Eng. trans., World Tapestry, 1969), a well-documented study of tapestry throughout the world, including an extensive bibliography and many black and white and colour illustrations, and La Tapisserie: art du 20e siecle (1974), a study of the worldwide renascence of tapestry during the 20th century; V. Fougre, Tapisseries de notre temps (1969), a brief study of contemporary French tapestry, with an index of tapestry artists and illustrated with black and white and colour reproductions; R.A. d'Hulst, Flemish Tapestries (1967), an elaborate study of Flemish tapestry from the Middle Ages to the Baroque periods, with many colour illustrations; R. Kaufmann, The New American Tapestry (1968), a well-illustrated text dealing with technique as well as with the works of leading American tapestry designers and weavers; G. Sutherland, Coventry Tapestry (1964), an interesting account of the design, weaving, and installation of Sutherland's tapestry for Coventry cathedral; M.B. Freeman, The Unicorn Tapestries (1976), a detailed and well-illustrated history of these tapestries, which are housed at the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; P. Ackerman, Tapestry: The Mirror of Civilization (1933, reprinted 1970), one of the classic works in English dealing with the historical development of European tapestry. Laya Brostoff, Weaving a Tapestry (1982), is a brief overview with bibliography.

Argentina

2004-12-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

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

Baule

2004-12-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

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,

Hugh Capet

2004-12-20T00:40:00.000-08:00

Hugh was the eldest son of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks. On his father's death in 956, Hugh Capet inherited vast estates in the regions of Paris and Orl�ans, extending in some places south of the

Malayan Lar

2004-12-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

Species of gibbon (q.v.).

Basil I

2004-12-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

Basil came of a peasant family that had settled in Macedonia, perhaps of Armenian origin. He was a handsome and physically powerful man who gained employment in influential official circles in Constantinople and was fortunate

Eisenstein, Ferdinand Gotthold Max

2004-12-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

Eisenstein's family converted to Protestantism from Judaism just before his birth. He was the oldest of six children and the only one of them to survive childhood meningitis. Eisenstein entered the Friedrich Wilhelm University (now the Humboldt

Janub Sina'

2004-12-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

The topography of the

Araki Sadao

2004-12-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Japanese general, statesman, and a leader of the Kodo-ha (Imperial Way) faction, an ultranationalistic group of the 1930s. He strongly advocated the importance of character building through rigid mental and physical discipline, whereas the dominant Toseiha (Control) faction emphasized the importance of modernization along with

Tachos

2004-12-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

Also called �Takhor, �Teos�, or �Zedhor� second king (reigned 365 - 360 BC) of the 30th dynasty of Egypt; he led an unsuccessful attack on the Persians in Phoenicia. Tachos was aided in the undertaking by the aged Spartan king Agesilaus II, who led a body of Greek mercenaries, and by the Athenian fleet commander Chabrias. Tachos, however, insisted on leading the Egyptian army himself, and Agesilaus, after quarreling with his

Wren-babbler

2004-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Any of about 20 species of small Asian birds belonging to the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes). They are 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) long, rather short-tailed, and have a rather short and straight bill. These features differentiate wren-babblers from the closely related scimitar-babblers. Wren-babblers occur chiefly in southern Asia. An example is the streaked