LeftSnake

Atkinson, Sir Harry

2005-04-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Atkinson left England for Taranaki province, N.Z., in 1853 and attained distinction as a soldier in the wars of 1860 and 1863 against the native Maoris. As minister of defense (1864–65) in the administration

Spanish Literature, Revival of the Spanish novel

2005-04-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

For more than two centuries the novel, with which Spain had made its greatest contribution to literature, had been almost extinct. The first novels of the revival were more interesting for powers of observation and description (a continuation of costumbrismo) than for imaginative or narrative quality. A woman novelist, Fernán Caballero, determined the technique

Smith, George

2005-04-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

English Assyriologist who advanced knowledge of the earliest (Sumerian) period of Mesopotamian civilization with his discovery of one of the most important literary works in Akkadian, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Moreover, its description of a flood, strikingly similar to the account in Genesis, had a stunning effect on Smith's

Ascomycetes

2005-04-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

The sac fungi are separated into subgroups based on whether asci arise singly or are borne in one of several types of fruiting structures, or ascocarps, and

Augustus Ii

2005-04-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

The second son of Elector John George III of Saxony, Augustus succeeded his elder brother John George IV as elector in 1694. After

Seleucus I Nicator

2005-04-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

Macedonian army officer, founder of the Seleucid kingdom. In the struggles following the death of Alexander the Great, he rose from governor of Babylon to king of an empire centring on Syria and Iran.

Sun Rose

2005-04-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

Helianthemum apenninum, H. cinereum, H. glaucum, and H. hirsutum are dwarf

Malacca, Sultanate Of

2005-04-01T02:39:00.000-08:00

(1403?–1511), Malay dynasty that ruled the great entrepôt of Malacca (Melaka) and its dependencies and provided Malay history with its golden age, still evoked in idiom and institutions. The founder and first ruler of Malacca, Paramesvara (d. 1424, Malacca), a Sumatran prince who had fled his native Palembang under Javanese attack, established himself briefly in Tumasik (now Singapore)

Mott, Sir Nevill Francis

2005-04-01T00:13:00.000-08:00

British physicist (b. Sept. 30, 1905, Leeds, Eng.--d. Aug. 8, 1996, Milton Keynes, Eng.), shared the 1977 Nobel Prize for Physics with Philip Anderson and John Van Vleck for research into the electronic properties of noncrystalline, or amorphous, solids. This work showed that amorphous materials, which are easier and less expensive to manufacture than crystalline substances, could be used in such

Hippocratic Oath

2005-03-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

Ethical code attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, adopted as a guide to conduct by the medical profession throughout the ages and still used in the graduation ceremonies of many medical schools. Although little is known of the life of Hippocrates—or, indeed, if he was the only practitioner of the time using this name—a body of manuscripts, called

Deira

2005-03-30T03:24:00.000-08:00

A northern Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Britain which, by the last quarter of the 7th century AD, had been united with its neighbour Bernicia (q.v.) to form the kingdom of Northumbria. Deira stretched from the Humber to the Tees River. There is a tradition that its first recorded king, Aelle, reigned from 560 and that, on his death in 588 or 590, Deira was seized by Aethelric of Bernicia, whose son

Berezina River

2005-03-29T05:02:00.000-08:00

River in Belarus, a tributary of the Dnieper, which it joins near Rechitsa. Its 381-mile (613-kilometre) length drains 9,450 square miles (24,500 square km). Rising north of the Minsk Elevation, it flows to the south-southeast in a meandering course through a swampy, forested basin. It is navigable only by small craft. During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in 1812, a bitter engagement was fought on

Croesus

2005-03-28T00:04:00.000-08:00

A member of the Mermnad dynasty, Croesus succeeded to the throne of his father, Alyattes, after a struggle with his half brother. Croesus is said to have acted as viceroy and commander in

Altman, Sidney

2005-03-27T23:51:00.000-08:00

Altman attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1960, in physics) and the University of Colorado (Ph.D., 1967, in biophysics). He was a molecular biology fellow at Harvard University

Hippodrome

2005-03-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. Its Roman counterpart was called a circus and is best represented by the Circus Maximus (q.v.). The typical hippodrome was dug into a hillside and the excavated material used to construct an embankment for supporting seats on the opposite side. In shape the hippodrome was oblong, with one

France, History Of, Louis VIII

2005-03-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

The reign of Louis VIII (ruled 1223–26) had an importance out of proportion to its brevity. It was he (this frail husband of the formidable Blanche of Castile and father of famous sons) who first brought Languedoc under the crown of France and who inaugurated the appanages—grants of patrimonial land to members of the royal family or royal favourites—thereby creating a familial

Silverius, Saint

2005-03-26T03:39:00.000-08:00

Silverius was born to the future pope St. Hormisdas before Hormisdas had entered the priesthood. Silverius was a subdeacon when the Ostrogothic king Theodahad nominated him to the papacy. He was consecrated

Keck Observatory

2005-03-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

Construction of the Keck Observatory was funded

Costello, John A(loysius)

2005-03-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

A prosperous lawyer who had served as attorney general, he owed his selection as prime minister to a coalition of several parties (including his own Fine Gael) and prominent independent politicians united in opposition to Eamon De Valera's Fianna Fáil (Republican Party). During his first

Felix Iii (or Ii), Saint

2005-03-24T03:48:00.000-08:00

Pope from 483 to 492. He succeeded St. Simplicius on March 13. Felix excommunicated Acacius, patriarch of Constantinople, in 484 for publishing with the emperor Zeno a document called the Henotikon, which appeared to favour Monophysitism, a doctrine that had been denounced at the Council of Chalcedon (451). The excommunication created the 35-year Acacian

Botta, Paul-émile

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

The son of a distinguished historian, Carlo Botta, he was educated as a physician. In 1842 he secured an appointment

Insurance, Personal liability insurance

2005-03-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

The most common form of personal liability insurance is issued as part of the homeowner's liability insurance policy. It is an all-risk agreement and contains relatively few exclusions. The policy covers any act of negligence of the insured or residents of the home that results in legal liability. It may also include medical payments insurance covering accidental

Thomas, Lewis

2005-03-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Lewis attended Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., and Harvard Medical School (M.D., 1937). He served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps and taught at Johns Hopkins and Tulane universities

Kerr, Jean

2005-03-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Jean Collins graduated from Marywood College in Scranton in 1943, and in August of that year she married Walter F. Kerr, who was then a professor of drama at Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and who later became

Kogi

2005-03-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

The state consists of a wooded savanna region bisected by the southward-flowing

Leadwork

2005-03-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

Sculpture, ornamental objects, and architectural coverings and fittings made of lead. Although the ease with which lead is smelted from lead ores ensured its early discovery, the softness of the metal restricted its use until Roman times. The earliest known use of lead dates from about 3000 BC in Egypt and Asia Minor, when it was used in making small statuettes and votive

Buckthorn

2005-03-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

The common, or European, buckthorn (R. cathartica), about 3.5 m (12 feet) high, native to Eurasia, is widely naturalized. It has dark bark, often

Cyril Of Alexandria, Saint

2005-03-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

He succeeded his uncle Theophilus

China, Urban areas

2005-03-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

The dramatic change in the urban landscape is the result of the rapid development of modern manufacturing industries and of communications. Many new towns and cities

Aethelflaed

2005-03-18T06:01:00.000-08:00

The daughter of King Alfred the Great, she helped her brother Edward the Elder, king of the West Saxons (reigned 899–924), in conquering the Danish armies occupying eastern England. Aethelflaed became the effective ruler of Mercia some years before the death (911) of her husband, Aethelred, ealdorman of the Mercians. While

France, History Of, Colonial independence movements

2005-03-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

A less fortunate aspect of the national urge to reassert France's stature in the world was the Fourth Republic's costly effort to hold the colonial empire. France's colonies had provided de Gaulle with his first important base of support as leader of Free France, and as the war continued they had furnished valuable resources and manpower. The colonial peoples, therefore,

Shaddock

2005-03-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Pummelo (Citrus grandis), citrus tree of the family Rutaceae, reaching 6–13 m (20–43 feet) in height. Shaddock is allied to the orange and the lemon and is presumably native to Malaysia and Polynesia. The name shaddock is said to have derived from that of a captain who introduced the tree to the West Indies. The leaves are like those of the orange but have broadly winged petioles

Mercy D'argenteau, Florimund, Graf (count)

2005-03-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Entering the diplomatic service in 1751, Mercy served at the Sardinian court, as ambassador to Russia, and, from 1766, as ambassador in Paris. An adviser

Liturgical Music

2005-03-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Church Music, music written for performance in a religious rite of worship; the term is most commonly associated with the Christian tradition. Developing from the musical practices of the Jewish synagogues, which allowed the cantor an improvised charismatic song, early Christian services contained a simple refrain, or responsorial, sung by the congregation. This evolved

Abstract Art

2005-03-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Nonobjective Art, or Nonrepresentational Art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays no part. All art consists largely of elements that can be called abstract—elements of form, colour, line, tone, and texture. Prior to the 20th century these abstract elements were employed by artists to describe, illustrate, or reproduce the world of nature and of human

Payroll Tax

2005-03-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Taxes on payrolls are seldom used as a source of general revenues, although in some developing countries the income tax base may actually include little beyond wages and salaries, the equivalent of the payroll

Dacang Jing

2005-03-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ta-ts'ang Ching Japanese Daizo-kyo the total body of Buddhist literature deemed canonical in China and Japan and comprising works of the most varied character numbering more than 2,000 in the standard Chinese edition and more than 3,000 in the latest Japanese edition. Unlike canons of the southern Buddhist schools, this vast “storehouse” continued to expand for many centuries. It began with translations of

Camden

2005-03-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Fort Nassau, near present-day Gloucester City, was one of the first colonial settlements in New Jersey (1623). At that time Delaware

Childhood Disease And Disorder, Respiratory disorders

2005-03-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Tonsillitis (acute infection of the tonsils) is more properly considered a part of the acute-pharyngitis (throat-inflammation) syndrome. Enlargement

Chemical Bonding

2005-03-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

Any of the interactions that account for the association of atoms into molecules, ions, crystals, and other stable species that make up the familiar substances of the everyday world. When atoms approach one another, their nuclei and electrons interact and tend to distribute themselves in space in such a way that the total energy is lower than it would be in any alternative

China, The role of the government

2005-03-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

China is a socialist country, and the government plays a predominant role in the economy. In the industrial sector, for example, the state owns outright firms that produce more than 60 percent of the gross value of industrial output, and all but a small portion of the remainder is owned collectively. In the urban sector the government has set the prices for key commodities,

Vietnam War

2005-03-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

(1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina

Powers, Francis Gary

2005-03-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Powers was tried and convicted of espionage and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released

Hines, Earl (kenneth)

2005-03-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Byname Fatha American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer who was one of the strongest influences in the first 30 years of jazz history. He improvised lines with his right hand that were phrased like those of a trumpeter and—with the use of octave voicings, tremolos, and his powerful attack—caused the piano to seem almost brassy. This style,

Berengar Of Tours

2005-03-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Having studied under the celebrated Fulbert at Chartres, Berengar returned to Tours after 1029 and became canon of its cathedral and head of the School of Saint-Martin,

Novokuybyshevsk

2005-03-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Novokujbyševsk, or Novokuibyshevsk, city, Samara oblast (province), western Russia, near the Volga River. It was founded in 1948 in connection with the development of the oil industry and received city status in 1952. Novokuybyshevsk is situated amid the Volga-Urals oil field and has oil refining, petrochemicals, and associated industries. Synthetic alcohol, synthetic rubber, and plastics are also manufactured.

Black Mass

2005-03-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

In the Roman Catholic church, a requiem mass during which the celebrant wears black vestments. The term is more commonly used, however, for a blasphemous and usually obscene burlesque of the true mass performed by satanic cults. The naked back of a woman often serves as an altar, and a validly consecrated host is generally used to intensify the mockery. The rite commonly

Steel, Annealing

2005-03-08T03:11:00.000-08:00

To make steel ductile for subsequent forming operations, an annealing treatment is applied. In annealing, the steel is usually held for several hours at several degrees below Ar1 (shown by the P-S-K line in the figure) and then slowly cooled. This precipitates and coagulates the carbides and results in large ferrite crystals. Cold-formed steel is usually annealed and

La Salle University

2005-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is operated by the Christian Brothers, a teaching order of the Roman Catholic church. It comprises schools of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, and Nursing, offering a range of bachelor's and master's degree programs in nursing, education, business, computer sciences,

Devrient, Karl August

2005-03-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Nephew of the great Romantic actor Ludwig Devrient, he began his career in 1819 in Brunswick. From 1821 to 1835 he acted in Dresden, where he married his first wife, the singer

France, History Of, Germans and Gallo-Romans

2005-03-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

The settlement of Germanic peoples in Roman Gaul brought people from two entirely different backgrounds into contact. Linguistic barriers were quickly overcome, for the Germans adopted Latin. At the same time, German names were preponderant. Although there were religious difficulties in those regions settled by peoples converted to Arianism (Visigoths, Burgundians),

Trailing Arbutus

2005-03-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

Also called Ground Laurel, Winter Pink, or Mayflower (species Epigaea repens), trailing plant of the heath family (Ericaceae), native to sandy or boggy, acid woodlands of eastern North America. It has oblong, hairy evergreen leaves 2–6 cm (0.75–2.5 inches) long. The highly fragrant white, pink, or rosy flowers have a five-lobed corolla (the petals, collectively) and grow in dense clusters. Trailing arbutus grows in shady wildflower

Latin-american Literature

2005-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

The national literatures of the Spanish-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere and of Portuguese-speaking Brazil. Historically, it also includes the literary expression of the highly developed American Indian civilizations conquered by the Spaniards. Over the years, Latin-American literature has developed a rich and complex diversity of themes, forms,

Cividale Del Friuli

2005-03-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Town, Udine province, Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, northeastern Italy, on the Natisone River just northeast of Udine city. Founded in Roman times as Forum Julii, perhaps by Julius Caesar, it gave its name to, and was the capital of, Friuli, the first Lombard duchy formed in Italy. From 730 to 1238 it was the residence of the patriarchs of Aquileia. It fell to Venice with the rest of

Sea Power

2005-03-05T03:32:00.000-08:00

Means by which a nation extends its military power onto the seas. Measured in terms of a nation's capacity to use the seas in defiance of rivals and competitors, it consists of such diverse elements as combat craft and weapons, auxiliary craft, commercial shipping, bases, and trained personnel. Aircraft used in the control of seaborne transportation function as an

Anzali, Bandar-e

2005-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Founded in the early 19th century, the town lies on both sides of the entrance to Mordab Lagoon. It was occupied by the Russians in 1920; they declared a Soviet Republic of Gilan, but that entity

Hess, Victor Francis

2005-03-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Graz, Hess received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1906. His research

Social Insurance

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

The first compulsory social insurance programs on

Chancre

2005-03-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Typical skin lesion of the primary stage of infectious syphilis, usually appearing on the penis, labia, cervix, or anorectal region. (Because in women the chancre often occurs internally, it may go unnoticed.) The lesion often occurs in combination with a painless swelling of the regional lymph nodes, and together these symptoms are the major characteristics of syphilis

Bouvard, Alexis

2005-03-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Astronomer and director of the Paris Observatory, who is noted for discovering eight comets and writing Tables astronomiques of Jupiter and Saturn (1808) and of Uranus (1821). Bouvard's tables accurately predicted orbital locations of Jupiter and Saturn, but his tables for Uranus failed, leading him to hypothesize that irregularities in Uranus'

Sculpture, Western, Late Gothic

2005-03-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

In the years around 1400, when International Gothic flourished, Italian and northern artists had achieved some sort of rapprochement. Under the renewed influence of antique art, Italy drew away again, and it was not until the 16th century that the north showed any real disposition to follow suit in the imitation of Classical models. While painting and architecture of the

Frederick William Ii

2005-03-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

The son of Frederick the Great's brother Augustus William, he became heir presumptive on his father's death in 1758. He was intellectually receptive and devoted to the

An Chung-shik

2005-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

As a promising young painter, An Chung-shik was sent to China for training by the Korean court. Upon his return he became a master of the popular Southern style, with its emphasis on fingertip technique. He was also a noted calligrapher who mastered all the writing styles. Interested in

F-86

2005-02-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Sabre U.S. single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by North American Aviation, Inc., the first jet fighter in the West to exploit aerodynamic principles learned from German engineering at the close of World War II. The F-86 was built with the wings swept back in order to reduce transonic drag rise as flight speed approached the sound barrier, and it was capable of exceeding

Xánthi

2005-02-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

Though the city's origins are obscure, it grew up beneath the Byzantine fortress of Xanthea and later became a summer colony of

Black Lead

2005-02-27T05:54:00.000-08:00

Graphite (q.v.), though the term is a misnomer, since graphite does not contain any lead.

Ba'al Shem Tov

2005-02-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

Dov Baer, Shivhé ha-Besht (1814), is the earliest collection of legends (in Hebrew) about the Ba'al Shem Tov. Dan Ben-Amos and Jerome R. Mintz (eds. and trans.), In Praise of Baal Shem Tov (1970), offers an English translation of Dov Baer's legends, based upon the 1814 edition. Meyer Levin, The Golden Mountain (1932); and Martin Buber, Die Legende des Baalschem (1932; The Legend of the Baal-Shem, 1955), retell with literary flair the legends of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Salomo Birnbaum, Leben und Worte des Baalschem (1920; The Life and Sayings of the Baal Shem, 1933), contains excerpts from the writings and teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov.

Infection, Common worm infections

2005-02-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

The worm Ascaris lumbricoides causes one of the most prevalent infections in the world. It lives in the soil and its eggs are ingested with contaminated food. The eggs hatch in the human intestine and the worms then travel through the bloodstream to the liver, heart, and lungs. They can cause pneumonia, perforations of the intestine, or blockage of the bile ducts, but

Kuala Lumpur

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

Capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central West (Peninsular) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the federation's largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity

Local Colour

2005-02-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Style of writing derived from the presentation of the features and peculiarities of a particular locality and its inhabitants. The name is given especially to a kind of American literature that in its most characteristic form made its appearance just after the Civil War and for nearly three decades was the single most popular form of American literature, fulfilling

Kiel Canal

2005-02-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

German Nord-ostsee-kanal (“North Sea–Baltic Sea Canal”), waterway extending eastward for 61 miles (98 km) from Brunsbüttelkoog (on the North Sea, at the mouth of the Elbe River) to Holtenau (at Kiel Harbour on the Baltic Sea), in northern Germany. The canal is 338 feet (103 m) wide and 37 feet (11 m) deep and is spanned by seven high-level bridges (about 140 feet high). It constitutes the safest, most convenient, shortest, and cheapest

Telephone And Telephone System, Digital facsimile

2005-02-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Although the Group 2 fax machines proved to be successful in business applications where electronic transmission of documents containing nontextual information such as drawings, diagrams, and signatures was required, the slow transmission rate and the cost of the terminals ultimately limited the growth of fax services. In response, the CCITT developed standards

Switzerland

2005-02-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

Etruscans, Rhaetians, Celts, Romans, and Germanic peoples have left their imprint on Switzerland in the course of its historical evolution. The present population shows traces mainly of the Alpine, “Nordic,” and southern Slav or Dinaric peoples. To survive as a cohesive unit, the disparate elements of the Swiss people have had to learn a mutual cooperation to protect

Clodia

2005-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Profligate Roman beauty and sister of the demagogue Publius Clodius. She was married in 63 BC to Quintus Metellus Celer and was suspected of responsibility for his death in 59 BC. She was mistress to the poet Catullus, who wrote of her as Lesbia, and was the most important influence in his life. Another of her lovers was Marcus Caelius Rufus, whom Cicero defended against

Näfels, Battle Of

2005-02-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

(April 9, 1388), major victory for the Swiss Confederation in the first century of its struggle for self-determination against Habsburg overlordship. Though the catastrophic defeat of the Austrians at Sempach in 1386 had been followed by a truce, hostilities against the Habsburgs were subsequently continued by the rebellious men of Glarus, a district that had adhered to the

Rinzai

2005-02-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

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

David De Mayrena, Marie-charles

2005-02-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

After defrauding French authorities in Saigon, David de Mayrena fled to Kontum in the Central Highlands, where he impressed the French missionaries and persuaded the members

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The land

2005-02-20T03:56:00.000-08:00

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

Catapult

2005-02-19T23:10:00.000-08:00

Mechanism for forcefully propelling stones, spears, or other projectiles, in use since ancient times. The Romans used the word ballista to designate an engine used to hurl stones and catapulta for one that shot arrows and darts, although the larger catapults mounted a single long arm, which hurled stones and other objects. Nearly all catapults employed in ancient

Agrihan

2005-02-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Formerly Grigan or Agrigan one of the Mariana Islands, part of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It lies in the western Pacific Ocean, 350 miles (563 km) north of Guam. An active volcano that last erupted in 1917, it has a total land area of 18 square miles (47 square km) and rises to 3,166 feet (965 metres), the highest point in the commonwealth. Agrihan was the site of the last stand the indigenous Chamorro people

Wichita

2005-02-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Sedgwick County, south central Kansas, U.S., on the Arkansas River near the mouth of the Little Arkansas. Founded in 1864 as a trading post on the site of a village of the Wichita Indians, it owed its early development to the Texas cattle trade along the Chisholm Trail and to the rapid spread of agricultural settlement along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway,

Audiencia

2005-02-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

In the kingdoms of late medieval Spain, a court established to administer royal justice; also, one of the most important governmental institutions of Spanish colonial America. In Spain the ordinary judges of audiencias in civil cases were called oidores and, for criminal cases, alcaldes de crimen. The presiding officer of the audiencia was called gobernador, or

Wyandotte

2005-02-18T01:03:00.000-08:00

City, Wayne County, southeastern Michigan, U.S., on the Detroit River, just southwest of Detroit. Settled in about 1820, it was laid out in 1854 on the site of the Indian village where Chief Pontiac had planned his attack on Detroit in 1763. Its name recalls the Wyandot (Wendat) Indians, a confederation of the Huron nation. The first commercial Bessemer steel in the United States was produced

Bonstetten, Karl Viktor Von

2005-02-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

Of a conservative and patrician family, Bonstetten for 12 years had to resist being forced into the traditional career of municipal magistrate. Instead he studied Horace and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, traveled abroad, and cultivated friendships in the liberal intellectual

Aryan

2005-02-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

(from Sanskrit arya, “noble”), a people who, in prehistoric times, settled in Iran and northern India. From their language, also called Aryan, the Indo-European languages of South Asia are descended. In the 19th century the term was used as a synonym for “Indo-European” and also, more restrictively, to refer to the Indo-Iranian languages (q.v.). It is now used in linguistics only in the

Insurance, Classes of benefits

2005-02-16T01:45:00.000-08:00

Four classes of benefits are provided by compulsory insurance, and, except for certain diseases, a right to them is acquired without any qualifying period of previous employment. First is a medical benefit, which includes all necessary treatment and the supply of artificial limbs. If its duration is limited, the maximum is likely to be one year. Second is a temporary

Taff Vale Case

2005-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

(1900–01), in Great Britain, the successful trial of a suit brought by the Taff Vale Railway Company against the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) in which the courts held that a union could be sued for damages caused by the actions of its officials in industrial disputes. Opposition to the decision did much to spur the growth of the nascent British Labour

Earth Exploration, Remote sensing

2005-02-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

This comprises measurements of electromagnetic radiation from the ground, usually of reflected energy in various spectral ranges measured from aircraft or satellites. Remote sensing encompasses aerial photography and other kinds of measurements that are generally displayed in the form of photograph-like images. Its applications involve a broad range

Bottom Water

2005-02-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

Dense, lowermost layer of ocean water that can be distinguished clearly from overlying waters by its characteristic temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Most bottom waters of the South Pacific, southern Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, and portions of the North Atlantic are formed near Antarctica during the southern winter. The partial freezing of seawater

Osheroff, Douglas D.

2005-02-14T01:33:00.000-08:00

Osheroff received a bachelor's degree (1967) from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate (1973) from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He was a graduate student

Doolittle, Hilda

2005-02-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

Doolittle was the daughter of an astronomer, and she was reared in the strict Moravian tradition of her mother's family. She entered Bryn Mawr College in 1904 and while a student there formed friendships with

Locke, Bobby

2005-02-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

A meticulous putter who was considered among the best in golf, Locke won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average among male professional golfers in 1946, 1950, and 1954. Nine times the winner of the South African Open championship (1935, 1937–40, 1946, 1950–51, and 1955) and six times the winner of the South

'abd Al-qadir Al-jilani

2005-02-12T00:22:00.000-08:00

He studied Islamic law in Baghdad and was introduced to Sufism rather late in life, first appearing as a preacher in 1127. His great reputation as a preacher and teacher attracted disciples from the entire Islamic world, and he is said to have converted numerous Jews and Christians

Caucasian Languages

2005-02-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Paleo-Caucasian, or Ibero-Caucasian, group of languages indigenous to Transcaucasia and adjacent areas of the Caucasus region, between the Black and Caspian seas. As used in this article, the term excludes the Indo-European (Armenian, Ossetic, Talysh, Kurdish, Tat) and Turkic languages (Azerbaijani, Kumyk, Noghay, Karachay, Balkar) and some other languages of the area, all of which were introduced to the Caucasus

Spain, Society

2005-02-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

In discussing the influx of the Muslims into Spain, the various social groups into which the population was divided have already been pointed out: Arabs (baladiyyun and Syrians), Berbers, muwallads, Mozarabs, Jews, and slaves. The Muslim population continued to increase during the early centuries of the occupation because of the wave of conversions that markedly reduced

Conegliano

2005-02-11T00:29:00.000-08:00

Town, Treviso provincia, Veneto regione, northeastern Italy, near the Piave River, just north of the city of Treviso. It is dominated by a castle with a museum and a cathedral (1352), which has a bell tower (1497) and a fine altarpiece (1493) by the painter Cima da Conegliano, a native of the town. There is modern construction along the old perimeter of the town. Noted for its wines, Conegliano

Hawarden

2005-02-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Town, historic and present county of Flintshire (Sir Fflint), northeastern Wales. Hawarden Castle (1752) was the home of William E. Gladstone, the Victorian prime minister, for 60 years. St. Deiniol's Library was founded by Gladstone in 1895, and there is also a Gladstone museum in the community. Hawarden functions as both a commuter suburb for the city of Chester, England—7 miles (11 km)

Avionics

2005-02-09T03:17:00.000-08:00

Control apparatus includes the attitude gyro and

Biblical Literature, Later and modern versions: English

2005-02-09T03:01:00.000-08:00

Knowledge of the pre-Wycliffite English renditions stems from the many actual manuscripts that have survived and from secondary literature, such as booklists, wills, citations by later authors, and references in polemical works that have preserved the memory of many a translation effort.

France, History Of, Louis XIII

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

Henry's reign was followed by the regency of his widow, Marie de Médicis, who ruled on behalf of their young son Louis XIII (1610–43). Once more the security of the country was threatened as factions disputed around the throne. The work of Henry IV seemed likely to be undone. Crown and country, however, were rescued by probably the greatest minister of the whole Bourbon dynasty—Armand-Jean