ViolentEarth

M.v.o.

2005-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Member, either fourth or fifth class, of the Royal Victorian Order. This rank of the order does not confer knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

Arwad, Jazirat

2005-04-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Greek Arados , Phoenician Arvad island in the eastern Mediterranean off the Syrian coastal town of Tartus. Originally settled by the Phoenicians in the early 2nd millennium BC, it formed an excellent base for their commercial operations, into both the Orontes Valley and the hinterland as far as the Euphrates, and also to Egypt. Arwadian soldiers fought against the Egyptians at the Battle of Kadesh (c. 1299 BC). From

Argentite

2005-04-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Argentite, like several other sulfides, selenides, and tellurides of silver and copper, forms isometric crystals at high temperatures, but upon

Ancient Rome, The reign of Valentinian and Valens

2005-04-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Once again the general staff unanimously chose a Pannonian officer—Valentinian, an energetic patriot and, like Jovian, a moderate Christian—but he had to yield to the rivalry of the armies by dividing authority. Taking the West for himself, Valentinian entrusted the East to his brother Valens, an inexperienced man whom he raised to the rank of Augustus. For the first

Argentina, The Pampas

2005-04-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

The principal Pampas vegetation is monte forest in the Dry Pampa and grassland in the Humid Pampa. The boundary between the Dry and Humid Pampas lies approximately along longitude 64° W. Knee-high grasses are found in the most humid areas, whereas to the north, west, and south, where precipitation decreases, tougher grasses give way to the monte of the Dry Pampa. Planted

Axis Powers

2005-04-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

The coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that opposed the Allied Powers in World War II. The alliance originated in a series of agreements between Germany and Italy, followed by the proclamation of an “axis” binding Rome and Berlin (Oct. 25, 1936) and then by the German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact against the Soviet Union (Nov. 25, 1936). The connection was strengthened by a full

Seven Oaks Massacre

2005-03-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

On June 19, 1816, a party of about 60 Métis (persons of mixed European and Indian blood) under Cuthbert Grant, a North West Company employee, set out to run provisions for North West Company canoes past the Red River colony; they plundered some

Alcoholism

2005-03-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

The conception of inveterate drunkenness as a disease appears to be rooted in antiquity. The Roman philosopher Seneca classified it as a form of insanity. The term alcoholism, however, appeared first in the classical essay “Alcoholismus

Kocaeli

2005-03-30T23:09:00.000-08:00

Il (province), of northwestern Turkey, with an area of 1,428 sq mi (3,698 sq km), bounded on the north by the Black Sea and on the west by the Sea of Marmara. It is drained by the lower course of the Sakarya River. It was once part of the kingdom of Bithynia (3rd century BC), and Hannibal was buried there (at modern Gebze) in 183 BC. The area was taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century.

Kaminaljuyú

2005-03-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

Historic centre of the highland Maya, located near modern Guatemala City, Guat. The site was inhabited from the Formative Period (1500 BC–AD 100) until its decline after the Late Classic Period (c. AD 600–900). About 200 burial sites from the Late Formative Period (300 BC–AD 100) have been uncovered. From the Early Classic Period (c. AD 100–600), a number of more elaborate tombs containing Teotihuacán-style pottery have been

Baghdad

2005-03-29T01:05:00.000-08:00

Among the most important of Baghdad's museums are the Iraqi Museum (1923), containing important archaeological treasures from ancient Mesopotamian history; the National

Peneplain

2005-03-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Gently undulating, almost featureless plain that, in principle, would be produced by fluvial erosion that would, in the course of geologic time, reduce the land almost to baselevel (sea level), leaving so little gradient that essentially no more erosion could occur. The peneplain concept was named in 1889 by William M. Davis, who believed it to be the final stage of his geomorphic

Quicksand

2005-03-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

State in which saturated sand loses its supporting capacity and acquires the character of a liquid. Quicksand is usually found in hollows at the mouths of large rivers or along flat stretches of streams or beaches where pools of water become partially filled with sand and an underlying layer of stiff clay or other dense material prevents drainage. Mixtures of

Aha Of Shabha

2005-03-27T13:28:00.000-08:00

Aha's She'eltot (“Questions,” or “Theses”), published in Venice in 1546, was an attempt to codify and explicate materials contained in the Babylonian Talmud. Written in Aramaic and unique in its organization, the text connects

Halibut

2005-03-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic halibut (H. hippoglossus) is found on both sides

Faribault

2005-03-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Rice county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S., at the confluence of the Cannon and Straight rivers, in a mixed-farming and lake area, 53 mi (85 km) south of St. Paul. Established in 1826 as a fur-trading post by Alexander Faribault (whose house [1853] still stands), it was the centre for the Indian missions of Henry B. Whipple, first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, who organized Seabury Divinity

Wrought Iron

2005-03-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

One of the two forms in which iron is obtained by smelting; the other is cast iron (q.v.). Wrought iron is a soft, ductile, fibrous variety that is produced from a semifused mass of relatively pure iron globules partially surrounded by slag. It usually contains less than 0.1 percent carbon and 1 or 2 percent slag. It is superior for most purposes to cast iron, which is overly hard and

Black Sabbath

2005-03-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Osbourne, Butler, Iommi, and Ward, schoolmates in Birmingham in the late 1960s, formed the

Arts, Islamic, Roba'iyat: Omar Khayyam

2005-03-23T03:50:00.000-08:00

The work done in mathematics by early Arabic scholars and by al-Biruni was continued by Omar Khayyam (died 1122), to whom the Seljuq empire in fact owes the reform of its calendar. But Omar has become famous in the West through the free adaptations by Edward FitzGerald of his roba'iyat. These quatrains have been translated into almost every known language and are largely responsible

Quicherat, Jules (-étienne-joseph)

2005-03-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

Quicherat

Faridkot

2005-03-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Punjab state, northwestern India, 70 miles (116 km) southwest of Ludhiana town. It was founded by Bhallan of the Burai Jat (a warrior community of northern India) during the 16th-century reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. It later came under British rule. Seized in 1803 by Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of the historic Punjab, it was subsequently restored to the British by

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations

2005-03-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

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

Lloyd, John Henry

2005-03-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

Lloyd's well-traveled Negro league career began in 1905, when he was a catcher for the Macon Acmes. He played second base for the Cuban X-Giants the following year. For the bulk of his career, Lloyd played

Yust, Walter

2005-03-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Yust began his journalism career with the Philadelphia Evening Ledger in 1917 and later worked for newspapers in New Orleans and for other

S Doradus

2005-03-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Variable supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (the latter is one of two galactic companions to the Milky Way Galaxy). S Doradus (and the Large Magellanic Cloud) is visible to viewers in the Southern Hemisphere in the constellation Dorado. It is one of the most luminous stars known, radiating almost 1,000,000 times as much energy as the Sun.

Metabolism, Oxidation of the carbon skeleton

2005-03-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

As indicated in Figure 2, the carbon skeletons of amino acids (i.e., the portion of the molecule remaining after the removal of nitrogen) are fragmented to form only a few end products; all of them are intermediates of either glycolysis or the TCA cycle. The number and complexity of the catabolic steps by which each amino acid arrives at its catabolic end

Mickiewicz, Adam

2005-03-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Born into an impoverished noble family, Mickiewicz studied at the University of Wilno (now the V. Kapsukas State University of Vilnius, Lithuania) between

Madhya Pradesh, Industry

2005-03-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Overall, Madhya Pradesh remains an industrially underdeveloped state. In 1981 the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. was established to improve the infrastructure in the state's identified growth centres. Before this planned development took place, western Madhya Pradesh was the main industrial area—primarily producing consumer goods—but

Ulan-ude

2005-03-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

The city's development was greatly stimulated when the Trans-Siberian

Shih Ta-k'ai

2005-03-17T03:29:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Shi Dakai one of the leaders of the Taiping Rebellion, the widespread uprising that gripped South China between 1850 and 1864. The most literate of the Taipings, Shih was an avowed enemy of the alien Ch'ing (Manchu) rulers of China. In the early part of the 20th century, he came to be revered as a hero of the Chinese nationalist

Economic Affairs

2005-03-17T02:16:00.000-08:00

Industrywide consolidation, including significant cross-border transactions involving European banks and American securities firms, continued to reshape the global banking and financial services landscape in 2000. At the same time, however, enactment of sweeping financial modernization legislation in the United States did not trigger significant merger

Bérégovoy, Pierre

2005-03-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

In 1941, at the age of 15, Bérégovoy left school to work as a machinist. He later worked for the national railways and joined the French Resistance. In 1950 he took a job at Gaz de France, the national gas utility. He remained with this company for 31 years, eventually rising to an executive

Tallchief, Marjorie

2005-03-16T03:58:00.000-08:00

Born in a town on an Osage Indian reservation in Oklahoma, Marjorie and her sister Maria were of Osage and Scotch-Irish descent. Both sisters began dancing as children and later studied with Bronislava Nijinska and David Lichine,

Actinium

2005-03-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

(Ac), radioactive chemical element, in Group IIIb of the periodic table, atomic number 89. Actinium was discovered (1899) by André-Louis Debierne in pitchblende residues left after Pierre and Marie Curie had extracted radium and was also discovered (1902) independently by Friedrich Otto Giesel. A ton of pitchblende ore contains about 0.15 mg of actinium. The rare, silvery-white metal

France, History Of, The Enlightenment

2005-03-14T21:44:00.000-08:00

The industrial and commercial developments, already significant by themselves, were the cause, and perhaps also the effect, of a wider and still more momentous change preceding the Revolution—the Enlightenment. Today the Enlightenment can be understood as the conscious formulation of a profound cultural transformation. Epistemologically, the French Enlightenment

Jewish Religious Year

2005-03-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

Scholars have not succeeded in tracing the origin of the seven-day week, nor can they account for the origin of the Sabbath.

Coruña, La

2005-03-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Corunna , French La Corogne , formerly The Groyne city, capital of La Coruña province, in the autonomous community (region) of Galicia. It lies in extreme northwestern Spain, on Ría de la Coruña, an inlet of the Atlantic. Under the Romans, La Coruña was the port of Brigantium, but its present name is probably derived from Coronium, by which it was known in the Middle Ages. It was held by the Moors during the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries,

Biblical Literature, The canon of the Prophets

2005-03-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

The Hebrew canon of the section of the Old Testament known as the Nevi'im, or the Prophets, is divided into two sections: the Former Prophets and the Latter Prophets. The Former Prophets contains four historical books—Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; the Latter Prophets includes four prophetic works—the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve (Minor) Prophets.

Epistemology, Analytic versus synthetic propositions

2005-03-13T02:48:00.000-08:00

A proposition is often said to be analytic if the meaning of the predicate term is contained in the meaning of the subject term. Thus, “All husbands are married” is analytic because the term “husband” includes as part of its meaning “being married.” A term is said to be synthetic if this is not so. Therefore, “All Model-T Fords are black” is synthetic since the term “black” is not included

Genesius, Joseph

2005-03-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

The details of Genesius' life are unknown. He apparently composed his history between 945 and 959 at the order of Emperor Constantine VII, using his high social position to gain eyewitness reports of events from

Gravesham

2005-03-12T01:14:00.000-08:00

Borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. Its centre is the town of Gravesend, but it includes a section of the south bank of the River Thames above and below the town, and it runs inland to the crest of the chalk hills (North Downs) that traverse the county from west to east. The borough was once agricultural, with areas of orchards

Smorgasbord

2005-03-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Swedish Smörgåsbord, in Swedish cuisine, buffet offering a variety of fish, cheeses, and hot and cold dishes. In the country districts of Sweden, it was customary for guests to contribute to the fare at large gatherings. The foods were set out on long tables from which the diners helped themselves. By the 18th century, festive meals were preceded by appetizers from a bannvinsbord, offering aquavit,

Biblical Literature, The rise and fall of Saul

2005-03-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

The man selected to become the first monarchical ruler of Israel was Saul, son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite landowner. Because Kish had lost some donkeys, Saul was sent in search of them. Unsuccessful in his search, he went to the seer-prophet Samuel at Ramah. In the early source, from which this narrative comes, he did not know Samuel's name. The day before Saul went to Ramah,

Annenberg, Walter H.

2005-03-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Annenberg was the only son of Moses Annenberg (1878–1942), a poor immigrant from East Prussia who became the millionaire publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the horse-racing publications Daily Racing Form and Morning Telegraph. In 1939 Moses Annenberg was

Allegheny River

2005-03-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

River rising in the hilly plateau region of Potter county, Pa., U.S., and flowing generally northward for about 80 miles (130 km). The river enters New York state where the Allegheny Reservoir is impounded at Allegany State Park; turning southwest, it continues for 120 miles (190 km), meandering to the southeast and again southwest and eventually joining the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh

Ms.

2005-03-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Periodical, launched in 1972 by American feminists Gloria Steinem, Patricia Carbine, and others, that was the first nationally circulated women's magazine to bring feminism and the issues of the women's movement into the mainstream. From the beginning, the editors of the magazine assumed that their readers were interested in more than new recipes and household hints.

Aymara

2005-03-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Large South American Indian group living in the vast windy Titicaca plateau of the central Andes in modern Peru and Bolivia. They speak languages of the Aymaran group. In colonial times the Aymara tribes were the Canchi, Colla, Lupaca, Collagua, Ubina, Pacasa, Caranga, Charca, Quillaca, Omasuyo, and Collahuaya. In addition, the Aymaran language was anciently spoken in

'abd Al-mu'min

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

'Abd al-Mu'min came from a humble family: his father had been a potter. He seems to have been well instructed in the Muslim faith and must have had a good knowledge of Arabic, for he wished to continue his studies at one of the centres of Muslim learning in the East. A chance meeting with Ibn Tumart, a Berber religious reformer, made him abandon this idea and begin his brilliant

France, History Of, Industrial production

2005-03-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

After 1740 overall production in France rose annually by about 2 percent, and even more in some sectors. During the later decades of the 18th century, French industrial production grew rapidly, although not on the same scale as in Britain, whose industrial development had begun 60 years before that of the French. Coal mining was a major industry by 1789, its production being nearly

Adams, Douglas Noël

2005-03-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

British novelist (b. March 11, 1952, Cambridge, Eng.—d. May 11, 2001, Santa Barbara, Calif.), was the creator of the satiric science-fiction whimsy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which first saw life as a radio series and then became a book, a television series, a play, record albums, comic books, and a computer game, gaining cult status along the way. The book and its sequels feature British

Pyroxene, Igneous rocks

2005-03-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

Uninverted pigeonites(monoclinic) are common as phenocrysts in high-temperature,

Juruá River

2005-03-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Juruá, Spanish Río Yuruá, river that rises in the highlands east of the Ucayali River in Loreto department, Peru. It flows northward through Acre state, Brazil. Entering Amazonas state, Brazil, it meanders eastward and then east-northeastward, emptying into the stretch of the Amazon River known as the Solimões River, near Tamaniquá. The most winding river in the Amazon basin, the Juruá is calculated

Yamm

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

Also spelled Yam ancient West Semitic deity who ruled the oceans, rivers, lakes, and underground springs. He also played an important role in the Baal myths recorded on tablets uncovered at Ugarit, which say that at the beginning of time Yamm was awarded the divine kingship by El, the chief god of the pantheon. One day, Yamm's messengers requested that the gods surrender Baal to be a bond

Bandar-e 'abbas

2005-03-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Bandar-e 'Abb

Jacobs, Helen Hull

2005-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Jacobs was the national junior tennis champion in 1924–25 and attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 1926 to 1929. She was defeated by Helen Wills in the 1928 finals at Forest Hills, New York, and in the Wimbledon

Cloaca Maxima

2005-03-04T02:57:00.000-08:00

Ancient Roman sewer, one of the oldest monuments in the Roman Forum. Originally an open channel constructed in the 6th century BC by lining an existing stream bed with stone, it was enclosed, beginning in the 3rd century BC, with a stone barrel (semicircular) vault. Its primary function was to carry off storm water from the Forum district to the Tiber, but in Imperial times large

Mahamudra

2005-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “the great seal”), in Tantric Buddhism, the final goal, the union of all apparent dualities. Mudra, in addition to its more usual meaning, has in Tantric Buddhism the esoteric meaning of “female partner,” which in turn symbolizes prajna (“wisdom”). The union of the Tantric initiate with his sexual partner signifies the symbolic union of the upaya (the “means,” or method of

Outer Banks

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

Also called the Banks chain of barrier islands extending southward more than 175 miles (280 km) along the coast of North Carolina, U.S., from Back Bay, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. From north to south they comprise Currituck Banks; Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke, and Portsmouth islands; and North Core, South Core, and Shackleford banks. The Outer Banks form a bowlike arc that curves southeastward

Havana, The city layout

2005-03-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Several broad

Middle Passage

2005-03-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

In the days of the African slave trade to the New World, the middle part of the slave's journey—i.e., the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. From about 1518 to the mid-19th century, millions of African men, women, and children made the 21-to-90-day voyage aboard grossly overcrowded sailing ships manned by crews mostly from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France. Slaver captains

East Grinstead

2005-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Mid Sussex district, administrative county of West Sussex, historic county of Sussex, England, lying south of London in the wooded countryside of the Weald within easy commuting range of the metropolis. Its market charter dates to 1121, and the town centre contains old buildings, as well as modern shops that serve an extensive residential district. The Queen

Procellariiform

2005-03-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Also called tubinares (order Procellariiformes), any of the seabirds that include the albatrosses (family Diomedeidae); shearwaters, fulmars, prions, and large petrels (Procellariidae); storm petrels (Hydrobatidae); and diving petrels (Pelecanoididae). There are approximately 87 living and 36 fossil species of diverse sizes and ranges. All Procellariiformes are recognizable by their conspicuous

Watercolour

2005-02-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Watercolor, pigment ground in gum, usually gum arabic, and applied with brush and water to a painting surface, usually paper; the term also denotes a work of art executed in this medium. The pigment is ordinarily transparent but can be made opaque by mixing with a whiting and in this form is known as body colour, or gouache (q.v.); it can also be mixed with casein, a phosphoprotein of

Argentina, Music and dance

2005-02-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Another cultural hybrid is the tango, a music style and dance that emerged from the poor immigrant quarters of Buenos Aires toward the end of the 19th century and quickly became famous around the world as a symbol of Argentine culture. Influenced by the Spanish tango and, possibly, the Argentine milonga, it was originally a high-spirited local phenomenon, but, after it

Wu Changshuo

2005-02-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

Wu was born into a scholarly family and began writing poems and carving seals by age 10. As a young man, Wu passed the civil service examinations and started a family, while still pursuing art and poetry during his free

Parafusulina

2005-02-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct fusulinid foraminiferans (single-celled animals with a hard, complexly constructed shell) found as fossils in Permian marine rocks (the Permian Period began 286 million years ago and ended 245 million years ago). Parafusulina is more specifically restricted to the Leonardian and Guadalupian stages, smaller divisions of Permian rocks and time, and is

Ramanuja

2005-02-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Ramanuja's chief contribution to philosophy was his emphasis that discursive thought is necessary in man's search for the ultimate verities, that the phenomenal world is real and provides real knowledge, and that the exigencies of daily life are not detrimental or even contrary to the life of the spirit. In this emphasis he is the antithesis of Sankara, of whom he was sharply

La Follette, Robert M

2005-02-26T03:15:00.000-08:00

Resigning as governor in 1906, he was elected to the Senate at a time when that institution was widely believed to be a refuge for millionaires. La Follette acquired instant fame as a new type of senator, one who was not controlled by “the interests,” and in his first three years there La Follette achieved the passage of laws aimed against the freight rates, labour policies,

Annelid, Leeches

2005-02-26T01:23:00.000-08:00

Leeches have 34 segments, and elongation occurs by the subdivision of these segments. Leeches have a small sucker at the anterior end and a large sucker at the posterior end. A clitellum is present in the mid-region during the reproductive period. The poorly developed eyes are paired structures at the anterior end. Setae are absent.

Frame, Janet

2005-02-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Frame's early years were traumatic. Her childhood was marked by poverty and the drowning deaths of two sisters, and in 1945, while studying to be a teacher, she suffered a breakdown. Misdiagnosed

Crab-eating Fox

2005-02-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Savanna Fox, or Crab-eating Dog (Cerdocyon thous), South American member of the dog family (Canidae), found in grassy or forested areas. It attains a length of 60–70 cm (24–28 inches), excluding a 30-centimetre tail, and has a gray to brown coat that is frequently tinged with yellow. It generally lives alone or in pairs and spends the day in a burrow, emerging at night to hunt for such foods as small animals, fruit, insects, turtle

Mahavamsa

2005-02-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

The text—written in

Augusta

2005-02-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

City, river port, and seat (1777) of Richmond county, eastern Georgia, U.S. It lies on the Savannah River (there bridged to North Augusta, South Carolina), on the fall line where the Piedmont Plateau meets the Coastal Plain. The area was explored in 1540 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto, but not until 1735 was a fortified fur-trading post established on the site (now marked by a Celtic

Kinship

2005-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Freud's concern was with the origin of the incest taboo, which is practically universal in human society. He believed that children have a secret desire to commit incest

Augsburg

2005-02-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Traces of an Early Bronze Age settlement have been found at the site. The town was founded as a Roman colony

Pacific Ocean, Exploration in the 20th century

2005-02-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

Among the most important 20th-century expeditions to the Pacific were those of the American ship Carnegie (1928–29), the Danish vessel Dana II (1928–1930), the Swedish ship Albatross (1947–48), and the Danish ship Galathea (1950–52). In the late 1950s the Soviet vessel Vityaz carried out detailed soundings of the deep trenches of the western Pacific, and in 1960 the American bathyscaphe Trieste descended to the bottom

Neolithic Period

2005-02-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Also called New Stone Age final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans. It was characterized by stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, dependence on domesticated plants or animals, settlement in permanent villages, and the appearance of such crafts as pottery and weaving. The Neolithic followed the Paleolithic Period, or age of chipped-stone

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl Of, Earl Of Morton

2005-02-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

During the regency of his uncle, the Earl of Morton, he rose rapidly to power. He became privy councillor

Furniture, Bookcases

2005-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Bookcases or bookshelves are a less interesting form of storage furniture from the viewpoint of furniture history. Perhaps the most significant innovation appeared in 18th-century England in the bookcase with adjustable shelves and a closed-off lower section for folio files. The shelves were protected by glass doors consisting of an ingenious trelliswork of

Fadeyev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2005-02-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

Fadeyev passed his youth in the Ural Mountains and in eastern Siberia, receiving his schooling in Vladivostok. He joined the Communist

Moline

2005-02-18T04:34:00.000-08:00

City, Rock Island county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies just above the upper rapids of the Mississippi River (there crossed by the Twin Bridges to Iowa). With East Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport (qq.v.), Iowa, it forms the Quad Cities. The site was laid out in 1843 by a milling firm. Its name is apparently from the French moulin (“mill”). John Deere, inventor of an improved steel plow,

Bahadur Shah I

2005-02-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

As Prince Mu'azzam, the second son of the emperor Aurangzeb, he was prospective heir apparent after his elder brother defected to join their father's brother and rival, Shah Shuja'. Prince Mu'azzam was sent to represent his father in the Deccan Plateau region of south and central India in 1663. He led an army in 1683–84 against the

Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke Of, Earl Of Nottingham, Earl Marshal

2005-02-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

The son of John, 4th Lord Mowbray, Thomas was made Earl of Nottingham

Amiel, Henri Frédéric

2005-02-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Swiss writer known for his Journal intime, a masterpiece of self-analysis. Despite apparent success (as professor of aesthetics, then of philosophy, at Geneva), he felt himself a failure. Driven in on himself, he lived in his Journal, kept from 1847 until his death and first published in part as Fragments d'un journal intime (1883–84; later enlarged editions;

National Aquarium In Baltimore

2005-02-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

One of the largest public aquariums in the United States. The aquarium, which opened in 1981 in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Md., was financed largely by the city but was designated a “national” aquarium by the U.S. Congress. Of the more than 10,000 marine and freshwater animals maintained by the aquarium, many are marine mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The decor and effect

Middle West

2005-02-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

Also called Midwest, or North Central States, region, northern and central United States, lying midway between the Appalachian and Rocky mountains and north of the Ohio River and the 37th parallel. The Middle West, as defined by the federal government, comprises the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Actually composed of

Cambridge

2005-02-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

City (district), administrative and historic county of Cambridgeshire, England, home of the internationally known University of Cambridge. The city lies immediately south of the fen country (a flat alluvial region only slightly above sea level) and is itself only 20 to 80 feet (6 to 24 metres) above sea level. Most of the city is built on the east bank of the River Cam, a tributary

Aswan

2005-02-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Assuan, or Assouan, Greek Syene, city, capital of Aswan muhafazah (governorate), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile just below the First Cataract. It faces the island of Elephantine (modern Jazirat Aswan), on which stand the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb. Aswan was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Its local quarries supplied granite for many ancient Egyptian monuments and are still operated. On the

Acceleration Stress

2005-02-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Physiological changes that occur in the human body in motion as a result of rapid increase of speed. Rapid acceleration and surges in acceleration are felt more critically than are gradual shifts. Pilots are especially subject to the effects of acceleration because of the high speeds at which they travel. Acceleration forces are measured in units of gravitational

Astome

2005-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

Any uniformly ciliated protozoan of the order Astomatida, commonly found in annelid worms and other invertebrates. As the name implies, this parasite has no mouth. Some astomes attach themselves to their hosts by suckers; others use various types of hooks or barbs. Asexual reproduction is by transverse fission. In some cases, chains of individuals form by repeated

Breckinridge, Madeline Mcdowell

2005-02-13T02:42:00.000-08:00

Née Madeline McDowell American social reformer whose efforts focused on child welfare, health issues, and women's rights. Educated in Lexington, Kentucky, and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, she studied intermittently during 1890–94 at the State College (now University) of Kentucky. In 1898 she married Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington

Molde

2005-02-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. It lies along Molde Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea. A port since the 15th century, Molde was partially destroyed by fire in 1916, damaged during World War II, then rebuilt completely. During April 1940 it was the temporary home of the Norwegian government. Local industry includes fish export, textile mills, and furniture

Papyrus

2005-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Papyrus

Alytus

2005-02-11T01:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alitus, German and Polish Olita, city, southern Lithuania. It lies along the Neman (Lithuanian: Nemunas) River, 37 miles (60 km) south of Kaunas. The city dates from the 14th century. In the 20th century it developed as an industrial centre, with factories producing refrigerators, chemical products, linen, and clothing. Alytus is a rail terminus and road junction and has an agricultural college. Pop. (1994 est.) 77,400.

Arab Fund For Economic And Social Development

2005-02-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

By financing development projects, the fund encourages investment of public and private capital in Arab economies. It grants loans on easy terms to

Port

2005-02-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Porto, specifically, a sweet, fortified, usually red wine of considerable renown from the Douro region of northern Portugal, named for the town of Oporto where it is aged and bottled; also, any of several similar fortified wines produced elsewhere. The region of true port production is strictly delimited by Portuguese law. The soil and grapes, and the skill of Oporto vintners

Rovereto

2005-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

The 14th-century castle, once a Roman fortress, is now a war museum with the most extensive

Ghaghara River

2005-02-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

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

Kwolek, Stephanie

2005-02-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Kwolek's father, a foundry worker, died when she was 10 years old, and her mother raised her and a brother alone. In 1946 she received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Carnegie

Cronjé, Pieter Arnoldus

2005-02-07T04:14:00.000-08:00

Cronjé was born in the Cape Colony but was taken in early life to the Transvaal, during the Great Trek. In the Transvaal, in November 1880, he began a rebellion against British rule, leading resistance to the distraint

ViolentEarth

M.v.o.

Arwad, Jazirat

Argentite

Ancient Rome, The reign of Valentinian and Valens

Argentina, The Pampas

Axis Powers

Seven Oaks Massacre

Alcoholism

Kocaeli

Kaminaljuyú

Baghdad

Peneplain

Quicksand

Aha Of Shabha

Halibut

Faribault

Wrought Iron

Black Sabbath

Arts, Islamic, Roba'iyat: Omar Khayyam

Quicherat, Jules (-étienne-joseph)

Faridkot

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations

Lloyd, John Henry

Yust, Walter

S Doradus

Metabolism, Oxidation of the carbon skeleton

Mickiewicz, Adam

Madhya Pradesh, Industry

Ulan-ude

Shih Ta-k'ai

Economic Affairs

Bérégovoy, Pierre

Tallchief, Marjorie

Actinium

France, History Of, The Enlightenment

Jewish Religious Year

Coruña, La

Biblical Literature, The canon of the Prophets

Epistemology, Analytic versus synthetic propositions

Genesius, Joseph

Gravesham

Smorgasbord

Biblical Literature, The rise and fall of Saul

Annenberg, Walter H.

Allegheny River

Ms.

Aymara

'abd Al-mu'min

France, History Of, Industrial production

Adams, Douglas Noël

Pyroxene, Igneous rocks

Juruá River

Yamm

Bandar-e 'abbas

Jacobs, Helen Hull

Cloaca Maxima

Mahamudra

Outer Banks

Havana, The city layout

Middle Passage

East Grinstead

Procellariiform

Watercolour

Argentina, Music and dance

Wu Changshuo

Parafusulina

Ramanuja

La Follette, Robert M

Annelid, Leeches

Frame, Janet

Crab-eating Fox

Mahavamsa

Augusta

Kinship

Augsburg

Pacific Ocean, Exploration in the 20th century

Neolithic Period

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl Of, Earl Of Morton

Furniture, Bookcases

Earth, Magnetohydrodynamic wavesmagnetic pulsations