CheapPluto

Flanders

2005-03-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Flemish Vlaams , formally Flemish Region , Flemish Vlaamse Gewest region that comprises the northern half of Belgium. Flanders was created in 1995 in the reorganization of Belgium's provincial administration along ethnic-linguistic lines. It includes the Flemish-speaking provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, and West Flanders (qq.v.). The Brussels-Capital Region lies within but is administratively separate

Eisenerz

2005-03-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

Town, Bundesland Steiermark (federal province of Styria), Austria, in the Erzbach Valley, at the northern foot of the Erzberg (Ore Mountain; 5,033 ft [1,534 m]), northwest of Leoben. Iron has been mined on the Erzberg by terraced open-pit methods since Roman times, and Eisenerz (“iron ore”) is the principal centre of Austrian iron mining, supplying most of the nation's total output. Notable

Welch, Adam Cleghorn

2005-03-19T03:13:00.000-08:00

The son of a United Presbyterian missionary, he attended Edinburgh University (1879–83) and the United Presbyterian Hall (1883–85), spending the summer term of 1885 at Erlangen, Ger. As minister of Waterbeck (1887–92), Helensburgh (1892–1902), and Claremont, Glasgow (1902–13), he became known as a preacher. He played a notable

Vanderbilt, William Henry

2005-03-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

A frail and seemingly unambitious youth, William was dismissed by his strong and dynamic father as incompetent to run the family business. The two split on

Liquid Crystal

2005-03-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

A substance that flows as a liquid but maintains some of the ordered structure characteristic of a crystal. Certain organic substances when heated will not melt directly but will turn from a crystalline solid to a liquid-crystal (mesomorphic) state. Upon further heating, a temperature is reached at which a true (isotropic) liquid is formed. The liquid-crystal state

Eakins, Thomas

2005-03-15T02:40:00.000-08:00

Although always respected for his ability, Eakins remained throughout his years something of an outcast. His contemporaries, rather than allowing themselves to be shaken by his frank statements of the human condition and his joyous appreciation of the human body, ignored him. He sold few pictures, but fortunately a small private income matched his modest needs.

Bothwell, Francis Stewart Hepburn, 5th Earl Of

2005-03-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

Nephew of the 4th earl; by his dissolute and proud behaviour he caused King James VI of Scotland (afterward James I of Great Britain) gradually to consider him a rival and a threat to the Scottish crown and was made an outlaw. Through his father, John Stewart, prior of Coldingham, he was a grandson of King James V and was thus related to Mary, Queen of Scots,

Bingham, Hiram

2005-03-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

As a boy Bingham learned mountaineering from his father, a well-known Pacific missionary. This skill vastly aided

Chamberlain, Owen

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

Chamberlain worked on the U.S. atom bomb project from

Biblical Literature, The medieval period

2005-03-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

In the early Middle Ages the fourfold sense of Scripture—developed from Origen's threefold

Glacial Landform, Permafrost, patterned ground, solifluction deposits, and pingos

2005-03-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

Permafrost is ground that remains perennially frozen (see permafrost). It covers about 20–25 percent of the Earth's land surface today. The “active layer” of soil close to the surface of permafrost regions undergoes many seasonal and daily freeze-thaw cycles. The constant change in the volume of water tends to move the coarser particles in the soil to the surface. Further

Regium Donum

2005-03-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

(Latin: “royal gift”), annual grant made from public funds to Presbyterian ministers in Ireland and to Nonconformist ministers (those not part of the Church of England) in Great Britain. It originated in Ireland in 1690, when the English king William III made a grant to Presbyterian ministers in Ulster as a reward for their services during his struggles with former king James

'amarah, Al-

2005-03-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Iraq. Situated on a low ridge beside the Tigris River, it is Iraq's chief port on that waterway south of Baghdad. It is a trade centre for agricultural produce, livestock, wool, and hides and is known for weaving and silverware. In World War I it was captured by the British during their 1915 Mesopotamia campaign. Before 1958, al-'Amarah was an outstanding example of

Balaghat Range

2005-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Series of hills in western Maharashtra state, western India. Originating in the Western Ghats at the Harishchandra Range, the range extends southeastward for about 200 miles (320 km) to the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka states. Its width varies from 3 to 6 miles (5 to 9 km). Higher in the west, the Balaghat hills have elevations of 1,800–2,700 feet (550–825 m), gradually diminishing eastward until they end at

Ear, Human, Transmission of sound by bone conduction

2005-03-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

There is another route by which sound can reach the inner ear: by conduction through the bones of the skull. When the handle of a vibrating tuning fork is placed on a bony prominence such as the forehead or mastoid process behind the ear, its note is clearly audible. Similarly, the ticking of a watch held between the teeth can be distinctly heard. When the external canals

Hajjaj (ibn Yusuf Ath-thaqafi), Al-

2005-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Al-Hajjaj was a schoolteacher in his native town as a young man, but little else is known of his earlier years. He first became

Claudius Pulcher, Appius

2005-03-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

From 72 to 70 Claudius served in Anatolia under his brother-in-law, Lucius Licinius Lucullus, in the war against Mithradates VI, king of Pontus. He was praetor in 57, governor in Sardinia in 56–55, and consul in 54. Although Claudius had opposed the return of Cicero from exile in 57, the

Boucher, François

2005-03-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

Trained by his father, a lace designer, Boucher won the Prix de Rome in 1723. He was influenced by the works of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Peter Paul Rubens, and his teacher François Le Moine (Le Moyne). Boucher's first major commission

Lochnagar

2005-03-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

Scenic mountain of coarse red granite, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, south of the River Dee in the Grampian Mountains. The mountain ridge, popularized in the 19th century by Lord Byron's poem “Lachin y Gair,” has 11 summits with elevations greater than 3,000 feet (900 metres); the highest is Cac Carn Beag, at 3,786 feet (1,154 metres). The name Lochnagar (“Goat Lake”) originally applied only to the small loch

Moses De León

2005-03-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

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

Coving

2005-02-28T13:52:00.000-08:00

Rococo architecture exploits

Art And Architecture, Egyptian, Domestic architecture

2005-02-28T07:38:00.000-08:00

The best preserved private houses are those of modest size in the workmen's village of Dayr al-Madinah. Exceptional in that they were built of stone, they

Altai Mountains

2005-02-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

The system has three main subdivisions: the Altai proper (formerly

Ivano-frankivsk

2005-02-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

Russian Ivano-frankovsk , formerly (until 1962) StanisLawów , or Stanislav city and administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast (province), western Ukraine. It lies along the Bystritsa River just above its confluence with the Dniester River. Founded in 1661 as the Polish town of Stanislawów, it occupied an important position on the northern approach to the Yablonitsky Pass over the Carpathians. From 1772 to 1919 it was held by Austria; in 1945 it was ceded

Hess, Walter Rudolf

2005-02-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

Originally an ophthalmologist (1906–12), Hess turned to the study of physiology at the University of Bonn

Anterus, Saint

2005-02-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

Pope for several weeks at the end of 235 and the beginning of 236. He was elected (possibly Nov. 21, 235) while St. Pontian, his predecessor, was condemned to the Sardinian mines. Anterus was soon prosecuted and sentenced to death. According to the Liber pontificalis, he was martyred for having ordered a collection of the acts of the martyrs to be made and

Buddhacarita

2005-02-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

In full Buddhacarita-kavya-sutra (Sanskrit: “Poetic Discourse on the Acts of the Buddha”), poetic narrative of the life of Buddha by the Sanskrit poet Asvaghosa, one of the finest examples of Buddhist literature. The author, who lived in northern India in the 1st–2nd century AD, created a loving account of the Buddha's life and teachings, one that—in contrast to other treatments such as the Mahavastu (“Great Story”) and

Petroleum Refining, Aromatics

2005-02-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

The aromatic compounds, produced in the catalytic reforming of naphtha, are major sources of petrochemical products. In the traditional chemical industry, aromatics such as benzene, toluene, and the xylenes were made from coal during the course of carbonization in the production of coke and town gas. Today a much larger volume of these chemicals are made as refinery

Hayes, Helen

2005-02-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

(HELEN HAYES BROWN), U.S. actress (b. Oct. 10, 1900, Washington, D.C.--d. March 17, 1993, Nyack, N.Y.), as the luminous first lady of the American theatre, enraptured audiences with her twinkling eyes and elfin smile and, though diminutive in stature (1.5 m [5 ft]), she exuded a majestic stage presence that made her regal performances in Maxwell Anderson's Mary of Scotland (1933) and Laurence Housman's Victoria

China, Reconstruction and consolidation, 194952

2005-02-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

During this period, the CCP made great strides toward bringing the country through three critical transitions: from economic prostration to economic growth, from political disintegration to political strength, and from military rule to civilian rule. The determination and capabilities demonstrated during these first years—and the respectable showing (after

Khitan

2005-02-19T01:57:00.000-08:00

Any member of a Mongol people that ruled Manchuria and part of North China from the 10th to the early 12th century under the Liao dynasty (q.v.). See also Manchuria.

Kagu

2005-02-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

(Rhynochetus jubatus), nearly extinct and virtually flightless bird of New Caledonia, sole member of the family Rhynochetidae (order Gruiformes). About 55 cm (22 inches) long, it is a chunky bird with loose, gray plumage, including an erectile crest. The bill, legs, and eyes are reddish orange. In courtship the kagu dances with wings spread to show attractive

Adenauer, Konrad

2005-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

First chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany; 1949–63), presiding over its reconstruction after World War II. A Christian Democrat and firmly anticommunist, he supported NATO, and he worked to reconcile Germany with its former enemies, especially France.

Agriculture And Food Supplies, Company Developments.

2005-02-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Nestlé SA of Switzerland retained its position as the world's largest food producer, its sales increasing by 3.4% in the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 1995. Nestlé sold Wine World Estates, which owned 2,630 ha (6,500 ac) of vineyards in California, to a newly formed U.S. consortium comprising Silverado Partners and Texas Pacific Group. Nestlé sold twice the amount of soft drinks in Europe as PepsiCo,

Miracle, Judaism

2005-02-15T06:05:00.000-08:00

Miracles are taken for granted throughout the Old Testament. God does “wondrous things” according to Psalms, chapter 72, and “great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number” according to the Book of Job, chapter 5; these things are done in his creation in general and in the history of his people in particular (e.g., the 10 plagues of Egypt and the events of the Exodus).

Latin Literature, History

2005-02-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

Quintus Fabius Pictor wrote his pioneering history of Rome during the Second Punic War, using public and private records and writing in Greek. His immediate successors followed suit. Latin historical writing began with Cato's Origines. After him there were as many historiasters, or worthless historians, as the poetasters disdained by Cicero. The first great exception

Chandrasekhar Limit

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

This limiting value was named for the Indian-born astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who formulated it in 1930. Using Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity and the principles of quantum physics, Chandrasekhar showed that it is impossible for a white dwarf star, which

Catalase

2005-02-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

An enzyme that brings about (catalyzes) the reaction by which hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to water and oxygen. Found extensively in mammalian tissues, catalase prevents the accumulation of and protects the body tissues from damage by peroxide, which is continuously produced by numerous metabolic reactions.

Olympic National Park

2005-02-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

National park, northwestern Washington, U.S., established in 1938 to preserve the Olympic Mountains and their magnificent forests and wildlife. The park, which covers 1,442 square miles (3,735 square km), includes a strip of Pacific Northwest shoreline geographically separated from the rest of the park. There are active glaciers on the highest peak, Mount Olympus (7,965 feet [2,428 m]), and others,

Fu-chou

2005-02-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

Fu-chou was one of the first places in Fukien to be settled. At the beginning of the 2nd

Ghaghara River

2005-02-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gogra, Ghaghra , or Ghagra , Nepali Kauriala major left-bank tributary of the Ganges River, rising as the Karnali River (Chinese: K'ung-ch'iao Ho) in the Tibetan Himalayas and flowing southeast into Nepal. Cutting southward across the Siwalik Hills, it splits into two branches, to rejoin south of the Indian border and form the Ghaghara proper. It flows southeast through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states to enter the Ganges

Sanlúcar De Barrameda

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

Port city, Cadiz provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. It lies on the south bank of the Guadalquivir River estuary, north of Cádiz city. Built on the site of Luciferi-Fani, a Roman settlement, the town was taken from the Moors in 1256 and given to the soldier Alonso Pérez de Guzmán the Good, who was its first lord and builder

Biblical Literature, Redaction criticism

2005-02-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Redaction criticism concentrates on the end product, studying the way in which the final authors or editors used the traditional material that they received and the special purpose that each had in view in incorporating this material into his literary composition. It has led of late to important conclusions about the respective outlooks and aims of Matthew,

Tagalog Language

2005-02-05T05:40:00.000-08:00

Member of the Central Philippine branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family and the base for Pilipino, an official language of the Philippines, together with English. It is most closely related to Bicol and the Bisayan (Visayan) languages—Cebuano, Hiligaynon (Ilongo), and Samar. Native Tagalog speakers form the second largest linguistic and cultural

Technology

2005-02-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

The subject of technology is treated in a number of articles. For general treatment, see technology, history of; hand tool. For description of the materials that are both the object and means of manipulating

Ray, Satyajit

2005-02-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Bengali motion-picture director, writer, and illustrator who brought the Indian cinema to world recognition with Pather Panchali (1955; The Song of the Road) and its two sequels, known as the Apu Trilogy. As a director Ray was noted for his humanism, his versatility, and his detailed control over his films and their music. He was one of the greatest

Tigris-euphrates River System

2005-02-01T03:47:00.000-08:00

Outside the cities and towns, the Arab population on the rivers' banks practice stock breeding

Valerian

2005-01-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

Licinius Valerianus was consul under Severus Alexander (emperor 222–235) and played a leading role in inducing the Senate to risk support for Gordian I's rebellion against the emperor Maximinus (238). He may have been one of the 20 consulars who successfully defended Italy against the emperor. He is not again mentioned until the reign of Decius (emperor 249–251). Under

Penelope

2005-01-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. In the Odyssey is told the story of how, during her husband's long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands became her suitors. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes,

Caazapá

2005-01-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Paraguay. Founded in 1607 by Friar Bolaños, the town is situated on the edge of the westward extension of the Brazilian Highlands, including the Cordillera (mountains) de Ybytyruzú. Caazapá is a lumbering and agricultural centre, and tanneries are also located there. The town has a regional hospital, various educational institutions including an agricultural

Switzerland, Visual arts

2005-01-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

The Protestantism of 16th-century Switzerland had a strongly inhibiting effect on Swiss painting and sculpture in general. The peculiar lack of either French or Italian Renaissance influence left Swiss artists in a limbo from which they began to emerge only in modern times. Artists of international renown have included Alberto Giacometti, who derived much of

Carlism

2005-01-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

Spanish Carlismo a Spanish political movement of traditionalist character, originating in the 1820s in the apostólico or extreme clerical party and mobilized in 1827 in the form of paramilitary Royalist Volunteers. This opposition to liberalism crystallized in the 1830s around the person of Carlos María Isidro de Borbón (Don Carlos), younger brother of King Ferdinand VII, and afterward conde

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Commentaries on Aristotle

2005-01-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

In octo libros Physicorum expositio (1268–71; Commentary on Aristotle's Physics, 1963); In tres libros De anima (undated; The Commentary of St. Thomas Aquinas on Aristotle's Treatise on the Soul, 1946); In librum De sensu et sensato expositio (1270–71); In decem libros Ethicorum expositio (1271–72; Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics, 1964); In duodecim libros Metaphysicorum expositio (c. 1272; Commentary on the Metaphysics of Aristotle, 1961); In libros De caelo et mundo expositio (1272–73); In libros Posteriorum analyticorum expositio (undated; probably late).

Carlism

2005-01-25T17:23:00.000-08:00

An extinct bird of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes) that was native to New Zealand. It was last seen in the early 1900s. Laughing owls nested on the ground, where they fell prey to cats, rats, goats, and weasels. About 40 cm (1.3 feet) long and brownish in colour, they ate rodents, lizards, and insects.

Computers, Compilers

2005-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

In 1952 Heinz Rutishauser,

Mammal, Excretory system

2005-01-22T22:23:00.000-08:00

The mammalian kidney is constructed of a large number of functional units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of a distal tubule, a medial section termed the loop of Henle, a proximal tubule, and a renal corpuscle. The renal corpuscle is a knot of capillaries, called a glomerulus, surrounded by a sheath, Bowman's capsule. The renal corpuscle is a pressure filter, relying

Argentina, Trade

2005-01-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

In the 19th century Argentine beef and grain helped feed Britain's rapidly rising urban population, and

Bharhut Sculpture

2005-01-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

The Bharhut style, though at times archaic and primitive in its conception, marks the beginnings of a tradition

Chambord, Henri Dieudonné D'artois, Count (comte) De, Duke (duc) De Bordeaux

2005-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

The posthumous son of the assassinated Charles-Ferdinand, Duke de Berry, and grandson of King Charles X, he was forced to flee France in 1830 when his cousin Louis-Philippe seized the throne. He spent most of his young life in Austria, where

Austin, Alfred

2005-01-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

Before his official appointment, Austin studied law and was called to the bar, tried to enter

Handcuffs

2005-01-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

Device for shackling the hands, used by police on prisoners under arrest. Until modern times, handcuffs were of two kinds: (1) the figure 8, which confined the hands close together either in front of or behind the body, and (2) rings that fitted around the wrists and were connected by a short chain, these being somewhat like those used by modern police forces. The old names were

Brentano, Lujo

2005-01-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Brentano received his Ph.D. in economics in 1867 from the University of Göttingen and was professor of political theory from 1871 to 1931, successively, at the Universities

Mountain, Volcanism

2005-01-15T20:26:00.000-08:00

Most, but not all, volcanoes consist of material that is thought to have melted in the mantle (at depths of tens of kilometres), which rose through the overlying crust and was erupted onto the surface. To a large extent, the physical characteristics of the erupted material determines the shape and height of a volcano. Material of low density can produce taller mountains

Manasseh, Prayer Of

2005-01-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), one of a collection of songs appended to the Old Testament book of Psalms in several manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible). The Prayer of Manasseh, best known of the collection, is a penitential prayer written as an extension of 2 Chronicles 33:11–13, wherein Manasseh, successor to Hezekiah

Nahuel Huapí, Lake

2005-01-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

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

Thompson, E.p.

2005-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

E.P. Thompson was born

Hyacinth

2005-01-12T01:32:00.000-08:00

Most species have narrow, untoothed leaves at the base of the plant and fragrant flowers that usually are blue

Neogrammarian

2005-01-11T04:45:00.000-08:00

German Junggrammatiker, any of a group of German scholars that arose around 1875; their chief tenet concerning language change was that sound laws have no exceptions. This principle was very controversial because there seemed to be several irregularities in language change not accounted for by the sound laws, such as Grimm's law (q.v.), that had been discovered by that time. In 1875, however, the Danish

Ascanian Dynasties

2005-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Albert the Bear (see Albert I under Albert [Brandenburg]) was the first to raise the family's rank from that of

India, From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh

2005-01-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

The quelling by Mughal forces of the Sikhs under Banda did not mean an end to Sikh resistance to Mughal claims. In the 1720s and '30s, Amritsar emerged as a centre of Sikh activity, partly because of its preeminence as a pilgrimage centre. Kapur Singh, the most important of the Sikh leaders of the time, operated from its vicinity and gradually set about consolidating a revenue-cum-military

Ka'bah

2005-01-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

The cube-shaped

Ekelöf, Gunnar

2005-01-06T23:37:00.000-08:00

Ekelöf exerted great influence on his contemporaries. His radically modern style was influenced by such poets as Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot. In such poetry from the 1930s as Sent på jorden (1932; “Late on Earth”), Ekelöf was drawn to the Surrealist technique of automatism

Robert

2005-01-06T02:57:00.000-08:00

Robert's early years were clouded by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–88), in which his father, Charles II of Anjou, was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. By the terms of the treaty Charles was freed, and Robert took his place as hostage at the Aragonese court. Taking the title of duke of Calabria

Thelodus

2005-01-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of early and primitive jawless vertebrates that is known from impressions on rocks of Silurian age in Europe and North America, although the genus persisted into the Early Devonian epoch (the Silurian period began 438 million years ago and ended 408 million years ago). The structure of Thelodus and its relatives, the coelolepids, is poorly known; but it is probable

Kahn, Herman

2005-01-04T01:43:00.000-08:00

Kahn graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1945. Over the next three years he worked for several aircraft-manufacturing companies and completed his master's degree at the California Institute of Technology.

Chandernagore

2005-01-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Chandannagar city, southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, just west of the Hooghly River and part of the Calcutta urban agglomeration. It is connected by road and rail with Calcutta and Burdwan. Settled in 1673 by the French and expanded commercially, it was captured by the English in 1757 and again in 1794 but was restored to France in 1815. Following the 1949 plebiscite, it merged with India.

Aung San Suu Kyi

2005-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Aung San Suu Kyi was two years old when her father, then the de facto prime minister of what would shortly become independent Burma, was assassinated.

Venetic Language

2005-01-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

A language spoken in northeastern Italy before the Christian era. Known to modern scholars from some 200 short inscriptions dating from the 5th through the 1st century BC, it is written either in Latin characters or in a native alphabet derived from Etruscan, the Etruscans having established settlements in the Po Valley in the 6th century BC. Authorities are undecided as to

Sea Buckthorn

2004-12-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Sallow Thorn (Hippophae rhamnoides, family Elaeagnaceae), willowlike shrub growing to about 2.5 m (about 8 feet) high with narrow leaves that are silvery on the underside and globose, orange-yellow fruits about 8 mm ( 1/3 inch) in diameter. It is common on sand dunes along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Great Britain and is widely distributed in the mountains of Europe and Asia. The sea

Biblical Literature, Exodus and conquest

2004-12-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

According to biblical tradition, the clan migrated to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Canaan, were later enslaved and oppressed, and finally escaped from Egypt to the desert east of the Isthmus of Suez under a remarkable leader, Moses. The account—a proclamation, celebration, and commemoration of the event—is replete with legendary elements, but present-day

France, History Of, The Reformation

2004-12-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

The professional class that grew up in the 16th century, however, was different in one respect from those that had gone before: it represented a predominantly secular culture—the product of Renaissance humanism. Nevertheless, in the second half of the 16th century the Reformation was to embroil France in a series of religious wars that were to pose a serious threat to

Visscher, Roemer (pieterszoon)

2004-12-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

Poet and moralist of the early Dutch Renaissance who was at the centre of the cultural circle that included the young poets Pieter C. Hooft, Joost van den Vondel, and Gerbrand Bredero. A friend of Henric L. Spieghel and Dirck Coornhert, he was foremost in the movement for the purification and standardization

Nahan

2004-12-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

City, southern Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. It lies south-southeast of Simla, the state capital, at the foot of the Siwalik Range and is a trade centre for agricultural produce and timber. Its industries include handweaving, wood carving, and ironworking. Nahan was the capital of the Punjab Hill State of Sirmur during the British rule in India. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 21,867.

Peter I

2004-12-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

King of Aragon from June 1094. The son of Sancho Ramírez, the third in order of the historic kings of Aragon, Peter belonged to times anterior to the authentic written history of his kingdom; and little is known of him save that he conquered Huesca (1096) and Barbastro (1100) from the Moors of Saragossa. He was twice married but left no children and was succeeded by his brother Alfonso

Strange Particle

2004-12-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

Subatomic particle, either a meson or baryon, that contains a strange quark (q.v.).

Gabon

2004-12-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

In May 1996 opposition parties and the government finally reached agreement over the long-disputed

Port Angeles

2004-12-22T00:04:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1890) of Clallam county, northwestern Washington, U.S., on Juan de Fuca Strait, linked by ferry to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 18 miles (29 km) north across the strait. Located at the base of Ediz Hook (a 3.5-mile- [5.6-km-] long, curving sand bar), the site was visited in 1791 by the Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza, who named the harbour Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles. Permanently

Rancé, Armand-jean Le Bouthillier De

2004-12-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Rancé became commendatory

Douglas, Keith Castellain

2004-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Douglas' education at Oxford University was cut short by the outbreak of war. By 1941 he was serving as a tank commander in North Africa, where some of his most powerful poems were

Alunogen

2004-12-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

A sulfate mineral formed by sulfate solutions that attack aluminous minerals; alunogen is hydrated aluminum sulfate, formulated Al2(SO4)3×18H2O. It typically occurs as an efflorescence or crevice filling in pyrite-containing coal formations, shales, or slates, as well as in the gossan (weathered capping) of sulfide ore deposits and in volcanic fumarole deposits. In older

Ta-pieh Mountains

2004-12-17T18:09:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Ta-pieh Shan, Pinyin Dabie Shan, mountain range in central China. It has a roughly northwest-to-southeast axis, which forms the watershed between the upper Huai River and the Yangtze River and also marks the boundary between Hupeh province and its eastern and northern neighbours, the provinces of Honan and Anhwei. The name Ta-pieh Mountains properly belongs to the southeastern, higher section

Nahyan, Shaykh Shakhbut Ibn Sultan An-

2004-12-17T03:45:00.000-08:00

As ruler of the largest emirate within the British-controlled Trucial Coast, Shakhbut maintained friendly relations with the United Kingdom and successfully resisted territorial incursions in a prolonged border dispute with Saudi Arabia. He was

Clammyweed

2004-12-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

(Polanisia trachysperma), North American herb of the caper family (Capparaceae). The plant is 60 cm (2 feet) tall and has leaves that give off a foul odour when bruised. The stems and three-parted leaves are hairy and sticky. Bladelike bracts (leaflike appendages) are crowded along the flowering stalks. The flowers have four sepals, four white petals, and eight-to-many protruding

Kochi

2004-12-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Ken (prefecture), southern Shikoku, Japan, stretching in an arc around Tosa Bay of the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest prefecture on the island, with an area of 2,744 square miles (7,107 square km). The population is concentrated on the Tosa plain, which, except on the south, is surrounded by mountains. Although it is isolated by poor communications, there is a railway from Kochi, the prefectural

Atisa

2004-12-14T02:42:00.000-08:00

Traveling to Tibet in 1038 or 1042 from Nalanda, a centre of Buddhist studies in India, Atisa established monasteries there and wrote treatises emphasizing the three schools of Buddhism:

Arriaga, Juan Crisóstomo

2004-12-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

In full Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio Arriaga y Balzola Spanish violinist and composer of extraordinary precocity whose potential was cut short by his early death. Stylistically, his music stands between the Classical tradition of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Romanticism of Gioacchino Rossini and Franz Schubert; it shows abundant invention, freshness,

Chu Yü-chien

2004-12-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

A Ming prince, Chu was a direct descendant of the first Ming dynasty emperor, Hung-wu (reigned 1368–98). Upon the fall of the Ming capital, Peking,

Spoon River

2004-12-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

River in west-central Illinois, U.S. It rises in southwestern Bureau county and flows south and southwest to a point near Lewistown, where it turns southeast, joining the Illinois River opposite Havana after a course of 160 miles (257 km). The Dickson Mounds, a rich archaeological area, are near the confluence of the two rivers. Spoon River was made famous by Edgar Lee Masters, the

Roman De Fauvel

2004-12-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

A manuscript of the poem dated

Ta-t'ung

2004-12-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

During the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the region was the headquarters for the eastern frontier command of the Han armies protecting the region

CheapPluto

Flanders

Eisenerz

Welch, Adam Cleghorn

Vanderbilt, William Henry

Liquid Crystal

Eakins, Thomas

Bothwell, Francis Stewart Hepburn, 5th Earl Of

Bingham, Hiram

Chamberlain, Owen

Biblical Literature, The medieval period

Glacial Landform, Permafrost, patterned ground, solifluction deposits, and pingos

Regium Donum

'amarah, Al-

Balaghat Range

Ear, Human, Transmission of sound by bone conduction

Hajjaj (ibn Yusuf Ath-thaqafi), Al-

Claudius Pulcher, Appius

Boucher, François

Lochnagar

Moses De León

Coving

Art And Architecture, Egyptian, Domestic architecture

Altai Mountains

Ivano-frankivsk

Hess, Walter Rudolf

Anterus, Saint

Buddhacarita

Petroleum Refining, Aromatics

Hayes, Helen

China, Reconstruction and consolidation, 194952

Khitan

Kagu

Adenauer, Konrad

Agriculture And Food Supplies, Company Developments.

Miracle, Judaism

Latin Literature, History

Chandrasekhar Limit

Catalase

Olympic National Park

Fu-chou

Ghaghara River

Sanlúcar De Barrameda

Biblical Literature, Redaction criticism

Tagalog Language

Technology

Ray, Satyajit

Tigris-euphrates River System

Valerian

Penelope

Caazapá

Switzerland, Visual arts

Carlism

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Commentaries on Aristotle

Carlism

Computers, Compilers

Mammal, Excretory system

Argentina, Trade

Bharhut Sculpture

Chambord, Henri Dieudonné D'artois, Count (comte) De, Duke (duc) De Bordeaux

Austin, Alfred

Handcuffs

Brentano, Lujo

Mountain, Volcanism

Manasseh, Prayer Of

Nahuel Huapí, Lake

Thompson, E.p.

Hyacinth

Neogrammarian

Ascanian Dynasties

India, From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh

Ka'bah

Ekelöf, Gunnar

Robert

Thelodus

Kahn, Herman

Chandernagore

Aung San Suu Kyi

Venetic Language

Sea Buckthorn

China, Reconstruction and consolidation, 194952