GoodToe

Burakumin

2005-04-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Although the class was officially abolished in 1871 (under the Emancipation Act of the Meiji period),

Argentina, Perón in power

2005-04-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Perón campaigned for the presidency in the elections of 1946. He organized the Labour Party, which was resisted by all the old parties and by the major vested-interest groups. His victory, though narrow, gave him control of both houses of Congress and all the provincial governorships. Perón's political strategy and tactics were authoritarian and personalistic. He politically

Line Islands

2005-03-31T04:07:00.000-08:00

The Line Islands extend 1,600 miles (2,600 km) northwestward from French Polynesia. They have a land area of 193 square miles (500 square km) and are divided into Northern, Central, and Southern groups.

Berg

2005-03-30T01:56:00.000-08:00

In the 11th century the counts of Berg came into possession of Westphalian lands east of Cologne. From 1161 these were divided between the senior branch of Berg and the junior branch of Altena (later Mark), which acquired the countship

Chaco War

2005-03-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

(1932–35), costly conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay. Hostile incidents began as early as 1928 over the Chaco Boreal, a wilderness region of about 100,000 square miles (259,000 square km) north of the Pilcomayo River and west of the Paraguay River that forms part of the Gran Chaco. The conflict stemmed from the outcome of the War of the Pacific (1879–84), in which Chile defeated Bolivia and annexed that nation's

Evolution, Selection against one of the homozygotes

2005-03-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

Suppose that one homozygous genotype, say A2A2, has lower fitness than the other two genotypes, A1A1 and A1A2. (This is the situation in many human diseases, such as phenylketonuria [PKU] and sickle-cell anemia. The heterozygotes and the homozygotes for the normal allele have equal fitness, higher than that of the homozygotes for the deleterious allele.) Call the fitness of these

Agra

2005-03-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Uttar Pradesh state, north-central India, on the Yamuna (Jumna) River. Founded by Sikandar Lodi in the early 16th century, it was the Mughal capital during some periods of their empire. In the late 18th century the city fell successively to the Jats, the Marathas, the Mughals, and the ruler of Gwalior and, finally, to the British in 1803. It was the capital of Agra (later North-Western)

García Lorca, Federico

2005-03-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

The publication in 1928 of Romancero gitano (written 1921–27; Gypsy Ballads), a poetry sequence inspired by the traditional Spanish romance, or ballad, catapulted Lorca into the national spotlight. A lyrical evocation of the sensual world of the Andalusian Gypsy, the collection enthralled Spanish readers, many of whom mistook Lorca for a Gypsy. The book's first edition sold out

Athabasca River

2005-03-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

River in northern Alberta, Canada, forming the southernmost part of the Mackenzie River system. From its source in the Columbia Icefield (Canadian Rocky Mountains) near the Continental Divide, the river flows through Jasper National Park, site of the spectacular Athabasca Falls, northeastward across Alberta to its mouth and delta on Lake Athabasca. Its 765-mi (1,231-km) course

Antbird

2005-03-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

Family name Formicariidae, any of numerous birds of the American tropics (order Passeriformes). There are about 230 species in more than 50 genera. Like their near relatives the Furnariidae, antbirds are highly diverse; all are of small to medium size (9.5 to 37 centimetres [4 to 14 inches]), with drab, fluffy plumage (sexes usually unlike); short, rounded wings; variable

Sawhaj

2005-03-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sohag, or Suhag, town and capital of Sawhaj muhafazah (governorate) in the Nile River valley of Upper Egypt. The town is located on the Nile's western bank between Asyut and Jirja, immediately across from Akhmim on the eastern bank. It has cotton-ginning, textile-weaving, and food-processing factories. Automobile parts are distributed, and it is a centre for vehicle repair. The Sawhaj Institute

Sukhothai Style

2005-03-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

The most direct influence on Sukhothai style

Cabot Family

2005-03-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

John and his son Joseph were highly successful merchants, trading in rum and slaves and also operating a fleet of privateers. Joseph's son George Cabot furthered the family fortune, but he is best remembered for

Henequen

2005-03-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

(Agave fourcroydes), plant of the family agave (Agavaceae) and its fibre, third in importance among the leaf fibre (q.v.) group. Varieties of A. fourcroydes include ixtli, longifolia, minima, and rigida. The henequen plant is native to Mexico, where it has been a source of textile fibre since pre-Columbian times. It was introduced to Cuba in the 19th century, becoming the country's

China, The United Front against Japan

2005-03-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

Fearing that, if Chiang were killed, China would be plunged into renewed disorder, the nation clamoured for his release. The Soviet Union quickly denounced the captors and insisted that Chiang be freed (the Soviet Union needed a united China opposing Japan, its potential enemy on the east). The CCP leaders also decided that Chiang's release would serve China's interests

Shrove Tuesday

2005-03-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

The day immediately preceding Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent in the Christian churches in the West). It occurs between February 2 and March 9, depending on the date of Easter. Shrove, derived from “shrive,” refers to the confession of sins usual in the European Middle Ages as a preparation for Lent. Shrove Tuesday eventually acquired the character of a carnival or festival

Biblical Literature

2005-03-12T04:21:00.000-08:00

History is a central element of the Old Testament. It is the subject of narration in the specifically historical books and of celebration, commemoration, and remonstration in all of the books. History in the Old Testament is not history in the modern sense; it is the story of events seen as revealing the divine presence and power. Nevertheless, it is the account of an

Vision Quest

2005-03-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

Among the American Indian hunters of the eastern woodlands and the Great Plains, an essential part of a young boy's (or, more rarely, a girl's) initiation into adulthood. The youth was sent out from the camp on a solitary vigil involving fasting and prayer in order to gain some sign of the presence and nature of his guardian spirit (q.v.). The specific techniques varied from

Ligase

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

Also called Synthetase any one of a class of about 50 enzymes that catalyze reactions involving the conservation of chemical energy and provide a couple between energy-demanding synthetic processes and energy-yielding breakdown reactions. They catalyze the joining of two molecules, deriving the needed energy from the cleavage of an energy-rich phosphate bond (in many cases, by the simultaneous

Aerospace Industry, Research

2005-03-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

The world's aerospace industry undertakes research and development alone and in conjunction with governmental agencies and academia. The ultimate aim of the effort is the creation of flight vehicles more advanced than their predecessors. Because of the complexity—i.e., the “systems” nature—of the industry's end products, advancements commonly require improvements

Gnetaceae

2005-03-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

A family of tropical gymnosperms in the order Gnetales, composed of one genus, Gnetum, with 30 or more species. Trees predominate among the African species; most of the Asian varieties are woody vines, but among the exceptions is G. gnemon, a tree about 20 metres (65 feet) tall that yields a useful fibre and an edible, plumlike fruit. The conspicuous, netlike veining of the broad leaves

Skagway

2005-03-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Alaska, U.S., at the north end of the Lynn Canal, the northernmost point on the Inside Passage (Alaska Marine Highway). Founded in the 1890s as the gateway to the Yukon and Klondike goldfields, it owed its importance to being the Pacific coastal terminus of the White Pass (2,913 feet [888 m]) through the Boundary Ranges and of the White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR) railway from

Switzerland

2005-02-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

The history of Switzerland, a complex series of events, provides the background for an understanding of the country's present-day cultural differences. Because of its central location in western Europe and pass routes through the Alps, which linked French and German lands with the Italian peninsula, Switzerland was coveted by surrounding powers. Swiss history,

Alisar Hüyük

2005-02-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

Site of an ancient Anatolian town southeast of Bogazköy in central Turkey. Thorough and extensive excavations there by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (1927–32) were the first systematic stratigraphic investigations on the Anatolian plateau. In the long succession of strata revealed at Alisar Hüyük—from Chalcolithic (c. 4000–c. 2600 BC) to Phrygian (c. 1200– c. 700 BC)—the only era

Augusta

2005-02-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

Capital (1831) of Maine, U.S., seat (1799) of Kennebec county, at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River, 57 miles (92 km) northeast of Portland. The city's establishment and early prosperity, which began with the arrival of traders from the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts in 1628, can be attributed to its location on navigable tidewater 39 miles (63 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. A trading post was

Pluralism And Monism

2005-02-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

All philosophy as well as science may be regarded as a search

Quadrature

2005-02-18T01:52:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, that aspect of a heavenly body in which its direction as seen from the Earth makes a right angle with the direction of the Sun. The Moon at First or Last Quarter is said to be at east or west quadrature, respectively. A superior planet (outside the Earth's orbit) is at west quadrature when its position is 90° west of the Sun. It rises around midnight, reaches the meridian

Mysticism, Other definitions and experiences of mysticism

2005-02-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

Such undifferentiated unity or union between the individual and the supreme self is unacceptable to certain traditions and temperaments. The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber emphasized an “I–Thou” relationship: “All real living is meeting,” and one Thou cannot become It. But even his own “unforgettable experience” of union he would explain as “illusory.” With a wider

Red Oak

2005-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Any member of a group or subgenus (Erythrobalanus) of North American ornamental and timber shrubs and trees of the genus Quercus, in the beech family (Fagaceae), that have bristle-tipped leaves, acorns with hairy shell linings, and bitter seeds that mature in two seasons. Black oak, live oak, willow oak (including water oak, laurel oak, shingle oak), and pin

Art For Art's Sake

2005-02-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

A slogan translated from the French l'art pour l'art, which was coined in the early 19th century by the French philosopher Victor Cousin. The phrase expresses the belief held by many writers and artists, especially those associated with Aestheticism, that art needs no justification, that it need serve no political, didactic, or other end.

Race

2005-02-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

Although they are easily and often confused, race and racism must be distinguished from ethnicity and ethnocentrism. While extreme ethnocentrism may take the same offensive form and may have the same dire consequences as extreme racism, there are significant differences between the two concepts. Ethnicity, which relates to culturally contingent features,

Gaultier, Denys

2005-02-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Gaultier came from a renowned family of lutenists that also included Jacques and Ennemond Gaultier. Little is known of his life except that he resided for many years in Paris. He was the last great representative of the Parisian school of

Finsen, Niels Ryberg

2005-02-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

Finsen was born into a prominent Icelandic family that was involved in the administration of

Zoroastrianism, Post-Islamic Iranian Zoroastrianism

2005-02-04T03:55:00.000-08:00

Islam won a decisive victory at al-Qadisiyah in 635 over the armies of Yazdegerd III, the last Sasanid. Islam, in principle, tolerated the ancient religion, but conversions by persuasion or force were massive in many provinces. Zoroastrianism fomented rebellion and brought persecutions upon itself. There were pockets of survival, notably in Persis, the ancient centre of the

Haddock

2005-02-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

(Melanogrammus aeglefinus), valuable North Atlantic food fish of the cod family, Gadidae, that is often smoked and sold as “finnan haddie.” The haddock is a bottom dweller and a carnivore, feeding on invertebrates and some fishes. It resembles the cod and, like its relative, has a chin barbel and two anal and three dorsal fins. It is identified, however, by a dark, rather than

Thompson, Sir John (sparrow David)

2005-01-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

Thompson was called to the bar in Nova Scotia in 1865 and appointed queen's counsellor in 1879. He entered politics in 1877 as Liberal-Conservative member for Antigonish in the provincial legislature, becoming attorney general in 1878; he became

Argentina, Demographic trends

2005-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

The population of Argentina has increased 20-fold since 1869, when 1.8 million people were recorded there by the first census. Population growth was rapid through the early part of the 20th century, but it declined thereafter as both the birth rate and immigration began to drop off; the proportion of young people also declined. Argentina's rates of birth and population growth

Saint Charles

2005-01-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

City, seat of St. Charles county, eastern Missouri, U.S., on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, there bridged to St. Louis, 22 miles (35 km) southeast. One of the earliest white settlements on the Missouri, it was founded in 1769 by Louis Blanchette as Les Petites Côtes (“The Little Hills”). The site, transferred to Spain in 1770, was dedicated in 1771 as the village of San Carlos Borromeo after a church

Annelid, Nervous system

2005-01-26T02:41:00.000-08:00

The nervous system of free-moving polychaetes is similar to that of oligochaetes. It consists of a dorsal brain, or supraesophageal ganglion, which is a discrete mass of nervous tissue in the prostomium; a pair of nerves united ventrally to form the ventral subesophageal ganglion; and paired nerve cords with one ganglion per segment. In sedentary polychaetes, the

Lismore

2005-01-24T23:42:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern New South Wales, Australia, on the north arm of the Richmond River. It is situated between rainforest and sea, 18 miles (29 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, and has its outport at Ballina. Ward Stephens first settled the site in 1843; it was later occupied by William Wilson and named by him, probably for the Scottish island of Lismore. It is a farm processing centre

Scheler, Max

2005-01-21T02:45:00.000-08:00

In 1901 Scheler became a lecturer at the University of Jena; by that time he had already been influenced by Husserl. Scheler later met several of Husserl's disciples

Uccello, Paolo

2005-01-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

Uccello was long thought to be significant primarily for his role in establishing new means of rendering perspective that became a major component of the Renaissance style. The 16th-century biographer Giorgio Vasari said that Uccello was “intoxicated” by perspective. Later historians found the unique charm and decorative genius evinced by his compositions to

Henri Pittier National Park

2005-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Rancho Grande National Park, park in the Cordillera de la Costa, Aragua state, Venezuela, occupying an area of 350 sq mi (900 sq km) between Lago (lake) de Valencia and the Caribbean. It was established in 1937, largely through the efforts of Henri Pittier, a Venezuelan naturalist, who convinced his government that the destruction of mountain forests would create droughts in the Aragua Valley and hasten the drying

Botucatu

2005-01-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

City, central São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies near the Pardo River in the Serra de Botucatu at 2,549 feet (777 m) above sea level. It was given town status in 1855 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1876. Crops (including coffee, cotton, rice, sugarcane, feijão [beans], and potatoes) grown in the region are processed in the city, which also has foundries, textile mills, bakeries, and factories

Akund Floss

2005-01-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Calotropis Floss, downy seed fibre obtained from Calotropis procera and C. gigantea, plants of the Asclepiadaceae family. The plants are native to southern Asia and Africa and were introduced to South America and the islands of the Caribbean. The yellowish material is made up of thin fibres 2 to 3 cm (0.75 to 1.12 inches) long and 12 to 42 microns (a micron is about 0.00004 inch) in diameter and is harvested by hand.

Craggs, James

2005-01-12T05:18:00.000-08:00

English politician implicated in the South Sea Bubble (1720), a widespread speculation in shares of the South Sea Company, which had taken over most of the British national debt. The company persuaded investors to exchange their state annuities for the greatly overvalued stock, which rose as high as 1,000 during the summer of 1720 and fell to 124 in December.

Akola

2005-01-09T04:03:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, on the Murna River. An important road and rail junction in the Tapti River valley, it is a commercial centre trading chiefly in cotton. There are also textile and vegetable-oil industries. In the past it was incorporated in turn into several local Muslim kingdoms. Akola is an important educational centre with several

America's Cup

2005-01-07T03:58:00.000-08:00

One of the oldest and best-known trophies in international sailing yacht competition. It was first offered as the Hundred Guinea Cup in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain for a race around the Isle of Wight. The cup was won by the America, a 100-foot (30-metre) schooner from New York City, and subsequently became known as the America's Cup. The American winners

Placidia, Aelia Galla

2005-01-05T02:41:00.000-08:00

Captured in Rome when the city fell to the Goths in 410, she was carried off to Gaul and married (414) to the Visigothic chieftain Ataulphus, who was

Sweyn Ii Estridsen

2005-01-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

The son of Ulf, a Danish earl, and Estrid, a sister of Canute I the Great, Sweyn fled to Sweden after his father was murdered in 1027 on orders of Canute. After the death of Canute (1035), when Hardecanute was ruling in Denmark and Magnus in Norway, the young kings agreed that whoever lived longer

Van Vechten, Carl

2005-01-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Van Vechten was graduated from the University of Chicago in 1903 and worked as assistant music critic for The New York Times (1906–08), then as that paper's Paris correspondent. His elegant,

Monclova

2004-12-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

During the colonial period, Monclova served as the capital of Nueva Extremadura

Gum Nebula

2004-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Largest known nebula in terms of angular diameter as seen from Earth, extending over at least 40° in the southern constellations Puppis and Vela. A complex of diffuse, glowing gas too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, it was discovered by the Australian-born astrophysicist Colin S. Gum, who published his findings in 1955. The Gum Nebula lies roughly 1,000 light-years from the Earth

Arévalo Martínez, Rafael

2004-12-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

Arévalo Martínez was director of the Guatemalan National Library from 1926 until 1946, when

Piccard, Jacques (-ernest-jean)

2004-12-24T02:46:00.000-08:00

He was born in Brussels while his Swiss-born father was professor at the University of Brussels. After graduating from the École

Orange

2004-12-22T04:37:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of small trees or shrubs of the genus Citrus of the family Rutaceae and their nearly round fruits, which have leathery and oily rinds and edible, juicy inner flesh. The species of orange most important commercially are the China orange, also called the sweet, or common, orange; the mandarin orange, some varieties of which are called tangerine

Christianity, New forms of worship

2004-12-18T01:02:00.000-08:00

The veneration of martyrs and the growth of pilgrimages stimulated liturgical elaboration. Great centres (Jerusalem and Rome, in particular) became models for others, which encouraged regional standardization and cross-fertilization. Though the pattern of the eucharistic liturgy was settled by the 4th century, there were many variant forms, especially of the

Middlesex

2004-12-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

County, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S., west and northwest of Boston and bordered on the north by New Hampshire. The county consists of an upland region drained by the Merrimack, Nashua, Assabet, Concord, Sudbury, and Shawsheen rivers. Other waterways include Whitehall and Cambridge reservoirs, Lake Cochituate, and historic Walden Pond. Parklands include more than

Accipiter

2004-12-15T03:50:00.000-08:00

Any bird of the genus Accipiter, largest genus of the birds of prey, consisting of about 50 species of falconiform birds, or “bird” hawks, of the family Accipitridae. Sometimes accipiters are referred to as the “true” hawks. They have broad, short wings and comparatively long legs and tail. They range in size from the little sparrowhawk (A. minullus) of Africa,

Ear, Human, Organ of Corti

2004-12-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Arranged on the surface of the basilar membrane are orderly rows of the sensory hair cells, which generate nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations. Together with their supporting cells they form a complex neuroepithelium called the basilar papilla, or organ of Corti. The organ of Corti is named after the Italian anatomist Alfonso Corti, who first described

Wollastonite

2004-12-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

White, glassy silicate mineral that commonly occurs as masses or tabular crystals with other calcium-containing silicates (e.g., diopside, tremolite, garnet, and epidote) in metamorphosed limestones. Deposits are found in Ciclova Romîna, Rom.; Monte Somma, Italy; and Pargas, Fin. Occurrences in the United States include Utah; Isle Royale, Mich.; Riverside, Calif.; and Essex county,

Abu Al-faraj Al-isbahani

2004-12-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

Abu al-Faraj was a descendant of Marwan II, the last Umayyad caliph of Syria. Despite the enmity of this family and the 'Alids, he was a Shi'ite Muslim, upholding the rights of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law

Kamil, Al-malik Al-

2004-12-07T02:39:00.000-08:00

On his accession to the sultanate, al-Kamil engaged the armies of the Fifth Crusade and eventually negotiated their withdrawal from Egypt in 1221. During this conflict he had an interview with St. Francis of Assisi, who wished to convert him to Christianity. In 1229 al-Kamil ceded

Plum

2004-12-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Fruit of the genus Prunus of the rose family (Rosaceae). Like the peach and cherry, it is a stone, or drupe, fruit. Trees of some plum species reach a height from 6 to 10 metres (20 to 33 feet), while others are much smaller; some species are small shrubs with drooping branches. The flower buds on most varieties are borne on short spurs or along the terminal shoots of the main branches. Each

Tasmania

2004-12-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Formerly Van Diemen's Land island state of Australia, lying about 150 miles (240 kilometres) south of the state of Victoria, from which it is separated by the relatively shallow Bass Strait. Physically, Tasmania forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The state comprises a main island called Tasmania; Bruny Island, nestling close to the southeastern coast; King and Flinders islands in Bass Strait; numerous

Lipton, Sir Thomas Johnstone, 1st Baronet

2004-11-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Lipton, whose Irish parents ran a small grocery, immigrated to the United States in 1865. After five years at various jobs, he returned to Glasgow and opened a small provision shop, whose success led him to open other shops throughout the United Kingdom. To supply his retail

Performing Arts, Jazz.

2004-11-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Though no new trends or fads appeared and only one new star emerged, jazz and related musics at last crossed a final frontier in 2002. The jazz idiom, originally created by African Americans, had been played on six continents, but in 2001–02 guitarist Henry Kaiser spent two months in Antarctica, the last continent. Kaiser, with extensive experience playing free improvisations

Trafford

2004-11-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Metropolitan borough in the southwest of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Most of the borough's area, including towns such as Sale and Altrincham, lies south of the River Mersey in the historic county of Cheshire, but the historic county of Lancashire encompasses the urban core of the borough north of the Mersey, including Stretford, the Trafford

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

2004-11-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

In his youth Campbell studied abroad but returned to Scotland in 1649. He fought at Dunbar (Sept. 3, 1650) and, after the Battle of Worcester, joined the Royalist leader Glencairn in the Highlands. Ultimately he fell foul of

Tariff

2004-11-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

Tariffs may be levied either to raise revenue or to protect domestic industries, but a tariff designed primarily to raise revenue may exercise a strong protective influence and a tariff

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2004-11-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

French mathematician, philosopher, and writer, who achieved fame as a mathematician and scientist before acquiring a considerable reputation as a contributor to and editor of the famous Encyclopédie.

Qa

2004-11-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled qû or ka ancient Babylonian liquid measure equal to the volume of a cube whose dimensions are each one handbreadth (3.9 to 4 inches, or 9.9 to 10.2 cm) in length. The cube held one great mina (about 2 pounds, or 1 kg) of water by weight. Five qa made up a šiqlu, 100 qa equaled an imeru (donkey load), and 300 qa equaled a gur. The gur was the equivalent of about 80 U.S. gallons (302 litres).

Fabiola, Saint

2004-11-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

After her conversion to Christianity, she worked closely with St. Jerome, dedicating her wealth and life to the church. In addition to the hospital founded in Rome, she later founded, with St. Pammachius, a hospice for pilgrims at Porto, Italy,

Thomas, Edward

2004-11-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

Thomas was educated at St. Paul's School and the University of Oxford and spent most of his life unhappily

Telephone And Telephone System, Analog telephone facsimile

2004-11-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Further deployment of fax transmission had to await the development of improved long-distance telephone service. Between 1920 and 1923 the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) worked on telephone facsimile technology, and in 1924 the telephotography machine was used to send pictures from political conventions in Cleveland, Ohio, and Chicago to New York City for publication

Forbes, James David

2004-11-06T03:13:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Forbes became a professor there in 1833. Between 1836 and 1844 he published four series of “Researches on Heat” in which he described the polarization (alignment of waves to vibrate in a plane) of radiant infrared heat by the mineral

China, The struggle for central authority

2004-11-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Under Hsien-tsung (reigned 805/806–820) the T'ang regained a great deal of its power. Hsien-tsung, a tough and ruthless ruler who kept a firm hand on affairs, is notable chiefly for his successful policies toward the provinces. Rebellions in Szechwan (806) and the Yangtze Delta (807) were quickly put down. After an abortive campaign (809–810) that was badly bungled by a favourite eunuch commander, the

Race, New World

2004-11-02T22:14:00.000-08:00

Detailed descriptions of 17th- and 18th-century colonial history, including analyses of the English attitudes toward the Irish and the persistence of such attitudes in the New World and descriptions of the events leading to the enslavement of Africans, are discussed in Edmund Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom (1975); Theodore Allen, The Invention of the White Race, vol. 2 (1997); Philip D. Morgan, Slave Counterpoint (1998); Winthrop D. Jordan, White over Black (1968); and Gary B. Nash, Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early America, 3rd ed. (1992).

Wilhelmina

2004-11-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

She shared the unhappy childhood of her brother, whose friend and confidante she remained most of her life. She married Frederick, hereditary prince of Bayreuth, in 1731; when he became margrave in 1735, the pair set about making Bayreuth a miniature Versailles.

Alkaptonuria

2004-10-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

Rather rare (one in 200,000 births) inherited disorder of protein metabolism characterized by an inability of the body to metabolize the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. In the normal metabolic pathway of tyrosine, homogentisic acid is converted to maleylacetoacetate in the liver by the enzyme homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase. This enzyme is not active in individuals

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Old Testament

2004-10-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Old Testament, including its prophetic books, has a core of historical record focusing on the trials of the tribes of Israel. In their own view an elect nation, the Israelites believe their history spells out a providential design. The Prophets understand the earliest texts, Genesis and Exodus, in terms of this providential scheme. Hebraic texts are interpreted

Leap Year

2004-10-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Year containing some intercalary period, especially a Gregorian year having a 29th day of February instead of the standard 28 days. The astronomical year, the time taken for the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun, is about 365.242 days, or, to a first approximation, 365.25 days. To account for the odd quarter day, an extra calendar day is added every four years, as was first done in 46 BC, with

Cottrell, Frederick Gardner

2004-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Cottrell taught chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1902 to 1911 and began his work on electrostatic precipitators in 1906. In 1912 he founded the Research Corporation, a nonprofit organization

China, Religious and intellectual life

2004-10-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Mongols did not try to impose their own religion (a cult of Heaven, the forces of nature, and shamanistic practices) on their subjects. This gave comparative freedom to the existing religions in China. These included what the Mongol rulers considered to be the san chiao (“three teachings”): Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Both Taoism and Buddhism retained their

Resources, Allocation Of

2004-10-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

In free-enterprise

Hawthorn, John Michael

2004-10-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hawthorn won his first motorcycle race at 18, turned to sports cars at 21, and two years later, driving a Cooper–Bristol, defeated Juan Manuel Fangio at Goodwood. In 1953, driving for Ferrari, he won the French Grand Prix from Fangio; in 1955 he won the tragic Le

Amphibolite

2004-10-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

A rock composed largely or dominantly of minerals of the amphibole group. The term has been applied to rocks of either igneous or metamorphic origin. In igneous rocks, the term hornblendite is more common and restrictive; hornblende is the most common amphibole and is typical of such rocks. Hornblendite is an ultramafic rock (dominantly dark minerals) and is also

Diffraction

2004-10-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

The spreading of waves around obstacles. Diffraction takes place with sound; with electromagnetic radiation, such as light, X-rays, and gamma rays; and with very small moving particles such as atoms, neutrons, and electrons, which show wavelike properties. One consequence of diffraction is that sharp shadows are not produced. The phenomenon is the result of interference

Guldberg, Cato Maximilian

2004-10-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Guldberg was educated at the University of Christiania and taught at the royal military schools before becoming professor of mathematics at the University

Bahram

2004-10-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

Foaled by Friar's Daughter and sired by Blandford, Bahram was owned by the Aga Khan and bred at his stud in Curragh, Ireland. Trained by Frank Butters at Newmarket, Bahram always came in first, from his first race in 1934, which he won by a neck. In 1935, ridden by his usual

Byzantium

2004-10-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

Later Constantinople , modern Istanbul ancient Greek city on the shore of the Bosporus; also, an alternative name for the Byzantine Empire, which had its capital at Constantinople. See also Istanbul.

Bridalveil Fall

2004-10-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Cataract on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite National Park, east-central California, U.S. Fed mainly by melting snow, the waterfall has a height of 620 feet (189 m) and forms one of the most scenic features in the park.

Holocaust, Non-Jewish victims of Nazism

2004-10-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Political dissidents, trade unionists, and Social Democrats were among the first to be arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Under

Bayinnaung

2004-10-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

In 1550 a revolt broke out among the Mons of southern Myanmar, and Bayinnaung's brother-in-law, Tabinshwehti, was assassinated at Pegu in 1551 by a Mon prince. Bayinnaung

China, Changes in outlying areas

2004-09-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

With the decline of the Ch'ing power and prestige, beginning in the early 19th century, China's peripheral areas began to free themselves from the Ch'ing influence.

Allen, Richard

2004-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Soon after Allen was born, to slave parents, the family was sold to a Delaware farmer. At age 17 he became a Methodist convert and at 22 was permitted to preach. Two years later (1784), at the first general conference of the

Papandreou, Georgios

2004-09-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

Papandreou studied at the University of Athens (L.L.D., 1911) and in Germany. He began his political career in 1915, served as governor of the Aegean Islands (1917–20), and was minister of education (1929–33) in the liberal antimonarchist government of Eleuthérios Venizélos. He broke away from

Qasr 'amrah

2004-09-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Qasr Al-'amrah, palace in Jordan, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Amman. Built about AD 712–715, it served as both a hunting lodge and a fortress, and it is one of the best-preserved monuments of Islamic architecture from the Umayyad period. Its main chamber is roofed with three parallel vaults that rest on broad arches. The vaults are covered with frescoes of people and animals in scenes from daily life; a

Mukhtar Ibn Abu 'ubayd At-thaqafl, Al-

2004-09-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

In his call for revolt, Mukhtar appealed to the pro-Shi'ite sentiments of Iraq's Arab tribesmen. He also rallied the mawali, non-Arab (mainly

Gable, Dan

2004-09-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

Gable was undefeated in high school competition and won three consecutive Iowa state high school championships. Competing for Iowa State University, he posted a near-perfect record. During his freshman year he entered the Midlands