FlatRod

Framed Building

2005-11-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

Structure in which weight is carried by a skeleton or framework, as opposed to being supported by walls. The essential factor in a framed building is the frame's strength. Timber-framed or half-timbered houses were common in medieval Europe. In this type the frame is filled in with wattle and daub or brick. A modern lightweight wood-frame structure, the balloon-frame

Paprika

2005-07-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

C. annuum is cultivated throughout most of the world for its pods, often called chili peppers, or chilies. The species includes most of

Cd

2005-07-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

Abbreviation of Córdoba Durchmusterung (q.v.), an astronomical catalog.

Earth Sciences, Crystallography

2005-07-07T04:10:00.000-07:00

In the 19th century crystallographers were only able to study the external form of minerals, and it was not until 1895 when the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X rays that it became possible to consider their internal structure. In 1912 another German physicist, Max von Laue, realized that X rays were scattered and deflected at regular angles when they passed

Argentina, The arts

2005-07-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

The fine arts of Argentina historically found their inspiration in Europe, particularly in France and Spain, but the turbulence and complexity of Argentine national life—and of Latin America in general—have also found expression in the arts. In literature the Modernismo movement of the late 19th century and the Ultraísmo of the early 20th were both influenced by the

Farinelli

2005-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

He studied in Naples under Nicola Porpora, one of the leading 18th-century opera composers and the outstanding voice teacher of the century. At 16 he

Médéa

2005-06-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Also called Lemdiyya, town, north-central Algeria. It is situated on a plateau 56 miles (90 km) south of Algiers. Shadowed by Mount Nador (3,693 feet [1,126 m]) to the northwest, the town is surrounded by fertile, well-watered soil that forms the watershed for the Chelif River and the Wadis Chiffa and Isser. Located on the site of Lambdia, a Roman military post, Médéa was founded in the 10th century by Yusuf Buluggin I ibn

Pacino, Al

2005-06-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

After growing up in East Harlem and the Bronx, Pacino moved at age 19 to Greenwich Village, where he studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio and appeared in many Off-Broadway and out-of-town productions, including Hello, Out There (1963) and Why Is a Crooked Letter (1966). He took further

Nastase, Ilie

2005-06-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

A Davis Cup player since 1966, Nastase almost single-handedly powered Romania to the finals in 1969, 1971, and 1972, although the United States won each time. The most heartbreaking

France, History Of, The Carolingians

2005-06-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Representatives of the Merovingian dynasty continued to hold the royal title during most of the first half of the 8th century. They were captive monarchs, according to a contemporary biographer of Charlemagne. In actual fact, effective power was in the hands of the Pepinids, who, thanks to their valuable landholdings and loyal retainers, maintained a monopoly on

Paer, Ferdinando

2005-05-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

American symphony orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pa. It was founded as the Pittsburgh Orchestra in 1896; its first conductor was Frederick Archer (1896–98). Music director Victor Herbert (1898–1904) was followed by permanent conductor Emil Paur (1904–10), after which the orchestra was disbanded until 1926, when the newly formed autonomous Pittsburgh Symphony Society presented a concert conducted

Terni

2005-05-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

City, capital of Terni provincia, Umbria regione, central Italy. It lies along the Nera River, north of Rome. The city was founded on the site of the ancient city of Interamna Nahars and in the 14th century became a dominion of the papacy. Terni's important archaeological remains include a Neolithic village, cemeteries of the Villanovan period, and a Roman amphitheatre

Insurance, Liability insurance

2005-05-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

There are at least four major types of liability insurance contracts:

Henry I

2005-03-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

The son of Otto the Illustrious, the Liudolfing duke of Saxony, Henry became duke at his

Latitudinarian

2005-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Any of the 17th-century Anglican clerics whose beliefs and practices were viewed by conservatives as unorthodox or, at best, heterodox. After first being applied to the Cambridge Platonists, the term was later used to categorize churchmen who depended upon reason to establish the moral certainty of Christian doctrines rather than argument from tradition. Limiting

Fra Mauro

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

Crater on the Moon that appears to be heavily eroded, named for a 15th-century Italian monk and mapmaker. The site of the third manned lunar landing, the Apollo 14 mission in February 1971, is several miles north of the crater. About 80 km (50 miles) in diameter, Fra Mauro lies in Mare Nubium (the Sea of Clouds) at about 6� south latitude, 17� west longitude.

Aletsch Glacier

2005-03-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

The Alps' largest and longest glacier, lying in the Bernese Alps of south-central Switzerland. Covering an area of 66 square miles (171 square km), it is divided into the Great Aletsch (main) and the Middle and Upper Aletsch (branches). The main glacier is 15 miles (24 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. It extends generally southward from the Concordia Platz (where several other glaciers meet) to

Closet Drama

2005-03-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

A drama suited primarily for reading rather than production. Examples of the genre include John Milton's Samson Agonistes (1671) and Thomas Hardy's The Dynasts (three parts, 1903 - 08). Closet drama is not to be confused with readers' theatre, in which actors read or recite without decor before an audience.

Dinosaur, The K - T boundary event

2005-03-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

It was not only the dinosaurs that disappeared 65 million years ago at the Cretaceous - Tertiary, or K - T, boundary. Many other organisms became extinct or were greatly reduced in abundance and diversity, and the extinctions were quite different between, and even among, marine and terrestrial organisms. Land plants did not respond in the same way as land animals, and not

Goodall, Sir Reginald

2005-03-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

Goodall studied at the Royal College of Music in London and in Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna before joining the Sadler's Wells company in 1944. The next year he conducted the first performance of Benjamin Britten's opera

China, Fine arts

2005-03-02T02:08:00.000-08:00

In the realm of the arts, the Ming period has long been esteemed for the variety and high quality of its state-sponsored craft goods - cloisonn� and, particularly, porcelain wares. The sober, delicate monochrome porcelains of the Sung dynasty were now superseded by rich, decorative polychrome wares. The best known of these are of blue-on-white decor, which gradually changed

Brecknockshire

2005-03-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Brecknockshire is a region of mountainous

Ibn Zuhr

2005-02-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

An intensely practical man, Ibn Zuhr disliked medical speculation; for that reason, he opposed the teachings of the Persian master physician Avicenna. In his Taysir fi al-mudawat wa al-tadbir (�Practical Manual of Treatments and Diet�), later translated

Topazolite

2005-02-27T02:49:00.000-08:00

Yellowish andradite garnet, named for its resemblance to topaz. See andradite.

1945--a Watershed Year

2005-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Test.--The first atomic bomb in the history of mankind was exploded at 5:30 A.M. on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo air base in the desert 120 mi. southeast of Albuquerque, N.M. The bomb had been placed on a tall steel tower while scientists and military experts occupied

Swansea

2005-02-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

Welsh �Abertawe� county, southwestern Wales, comprising the city of Swansea as well as the entire peninsula of Gower in the south and west, the lower valley of the River Loughor in the northwest, and the foothills of Black Mountain in the north. Gower is a rolling plateau noted for its sandy beaches and scenic rocky cliffs. The valleys of the Rivers Loughor and Tawe broaden in their lower

Pluto

2005-02-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Pluto, designated {Pluto symbol} in astronomy, is so distant that sunlight traveling at 299,792 km per second takes more than five hours to reach the planet. An observer standing on the planet's surface would see the Sun as an extremely bright star in the

Raden

2005-02-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Japanese decorative technique used for lacquerware and woodenware, in which linings of mother-of-pearl or of abalone shells are cut into designs and either glued onto or inserted into the surface of the lacquer or wood. There are several varieties of raden lacquerware. Atsugai-ho, a technique using thick shell, consists of two methods, one of which is inlay: the shell

Furniture, Fixed and mechanical tables

2005-02-22T03:29:00.000-08:00

In general, tables can be divided into fixed and mechanical types. The fixed table, consisting of a square or round top supported by one or more legs, is the least complicated from the viewpoint of craftsmanship. It is a form that requires wood of thick dimensions in order to make the joints by which the top is fastened to the legs strong enough to resist lateral pressure.

Bonnie And Clyde

2005-02-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

Barrow had been a criminal long before he met Parker in January 1930. After 20 months in prison

Stage Design

2005-02-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

The aesthetic composition of a dramatic production as created by such aspects of stagecraft as lighting, set, costume, sound, and stage architecture and machinery.

Gauss, Carl Friedrich

2005-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

Gauss was the only child of poor parents.

Argentia

2005-02-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

Formerly a herring- and salmon-fishing port known as Little Placentia, it was renamed Argentia (derived from argentum, Latin for �silver�) when silver was discovered in the vicinity. Most

Dadu

2005-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

A cotton carder by profession, Dadu became a religious wanderer and preacher, settling for periods of time at Sembhar, Amber, and finally at Naraina, near Jaipur (Rajasthan state), which remains the centre of his following. Dadu rejected the authority of the Vedas (earliest Hindu

Sagua La Grande

2005-02-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Villa Clara provincia, north-central Cuba. Lying on the Sagua la Grande River, 15 miles (24 km) from its mouth, the city is a major port and regional manufacturing and commercial centre. The area is known primarily for its sugarcane, but rice, black beans, and livestock also are economically significant. Foundries, distilleries, railroad shops, lumberyards,

Fujiwara Tokihira

2005-02-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

Japanese Imperial minister who checked the efforts of the emperor Uda (reigned 887 - 897) to halt the domination of the Japanese government by the Fujiwara family. Tokihira's father, Fujiwara Mototsune, had created and occupied the post of kampaku, or chancellor, a position that gave him virtual control of Japan by allowing him to issue commands on behalf of

Fuji Bank

2005-02-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Fuji Bank originated from a money-lending operation established in the 1860s by Yasuda Zenjiro, the founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu (business combine). In 1880 the business became

Tegea

2005-02-13T02:04:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek city of eastern Arcadia, 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of the modern town of Tr�polis. The Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea was described by the Greek geographer Pausanias (2nd century AD) as excelling all others in the Peloponnese. Originally built by the city's traditional founder, Aleus, the temple was later rebuilt by Scopas, the famous sculptor. Fragments of the temple

English Literature, The later Romantics: Shelley, Keats, and Byron

2005-02-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

The poets of the next generation shared their predecessors' passion for liberty (now set in a new perspective by the Napoleonic wars) and were in a position to learn from their experiments. Percy Bysshe Shelley in particular was deeply interested in politics, coming early under the spell of the anarchistic views of William Godwin, whose Enquiry Concerning Political

Faber, Peter

2005-02-11T04:12:00.000-08:00

French �Pierre Lefevre, or Pierre Favre, �Latin �Petrus Faber� French Jesuit theologian and a cofounder of the Society of Jesus, who was tutor and friend of Ignatius Loyola at Paris. He was appointed professor of theology at Rome by Pope Paul III (1537), founded Jesuit colleges at Cologne and in Spain, and was a delegate to the Council of Trent.

Esquipulas

2005-02-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Guatemala, in the central highlands near the borders of Honduras and El Salvador at an elevation of 3,018 feet (920 m). The town itself is not large; it derives its great importance from its magnificent colonial church, now Central America's greatest pilgrimage centre, built in 1737 by the archbishop of Guatemala to house the spectacular Black Christ. The figure,

Chagas' Disease

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

Also called �American trypanosomiasis � infection with the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. It is transmitted to humans by bloodsucking reduviid bugs and is endemic in most rural areas of Central and South America. The disease is most often transmitted by contact with the feces of infected insects, commonly through scratching of the skin at the site of the insects' bites, or through the mucous

Saint-barth�lemy

2005-02-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Also called �Saint Bart's, � island at the northern end of the Windward group of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It constitutes a commune and, together with Saint Martin, forms an arrondissement of Guadeloupe, an overseas d�partement of France. The island is 120 miles (200 km) north of Guadeloupe island. It is 11 miles (17.5 km) long and 2.5 miles (4 km) wide, with an area of 8 square miles (21 square km). The island is both

Nagaur

2005-02-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Nagor� town, administrative headquarters of Nagaur district, Rajasthan state, western India. Nagaur, a walled town held successively by the 12th-century Hindu ruler of Dilli (Delhi), Prthviraja, by the 12th- and 13th-century Muslim conqueror Muhammad of Ghur, and by Bikaner and Jodhpur chieftains, is said to take its name from its traditional founders, the Naga Rajputs (warrior rulers of the historic

Turboprop

2005-02-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

The first experimental turboprop aircraft, a modified Gloster Meteor fighter equipped with two Rolls-Royce

Avon, River

2005-02-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Also called �East Avon� or �Hampshire Avon� river that rises 3 miles (5 km) east of Devizes, Wiltshire, England, on the north side of the Vale of Pewsey and flows generally southward for 48 miles (77 km) to the English Channel. The river shares the name Avon (derived from a Celtic word meaning �river�) with several other rivers in Great Britain, including the Avon of Bristol (or Lower Avon) and the Avon of Warwickshire (or Upper

Ara

2005-02-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Arrah� city, Bihar state, northeastern India. The city is a major rail and road junction. Agricultural trade and oilseed milling are carried on there. It is the site of several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. The Little House at Ara is a building that was defended by the British against Kunwar Singh during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. Ara was constituted a municipality

Mahmud

2005-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

In full� Yamin Al-daula Abu'l-qasim Mahmud Ibn Seb�ktigin � sultan of the kingdom of Ghazna (998 - 1030), originally comprising modern Afghanistan and northeastern modern Iran but, through his conquests, eventually including northwestern India and most of Iran. He transformed his capital, Ghazna, into a cultural centre rivalling Baghdad.

Colby, Frank Moore

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

Early in his career Colby taught history and economics at Columbia University, Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.), and New York University (New York City). To supplement his income, he began writing for encyclopaedias, and so began his lifelong career. In 1898 he became editor of the International

Ferdinand Ii

2005-02-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

The son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (and cousin of Prince Albert of Great Britain), he was married to Maria in January 1836, only 10 months after the sudden death of

Jackson, Reggie

2005-01-31T18:14:00.000-08:00

Jackson was encouraged in sports by his father and became a star athlete at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania, excelling in track and football as well as baseball. He was a good pitcher as well as a hitter, batting and throwing left-handed. He continued his athletic career at Arizona State University

Leakey, Richard

2005-01-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

In full �Richard Erskine Frere Leakey� Kenyan physical anthropologist, paleontologist, and politician responsible for extensive fossil finds of human ancestral forms in East Africa. His investigations suggested that relatively intelligent, tool-using ancestors of true man lived in eastern Africa as early as 3 million years ago, or almost twice the time span of previous

Kern, Jerome (david)

2005-01-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

Kern studied music in New York City and in 1903 in Heidelberg, Ger., later gaining theatrical experience in London. After his return to New York in 1905, he worked as a pianist and salesman for

Armillaria

2005-01-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 40 species of fungi of the order Agaricales (q.v.), in the class Basidiomycetes, found throughout northern North America and Europe, principally in forests of hardwoods or mixed conifers. In suitable environments, members of this genus may live for hundreds of years, and certain specimens have been identified as among the largest and oldest living

Arakan Mountain Range

2005-01-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

Burmese �Arakan Yoma� mountain arc in western Myanmar (Burma), between the Arakan coast and the Irrawaddy River valley. The arc extends northward for about 600 miles (950 km) from Cape Negrais (Myanmar) to Manipur (India) and includes the Naga, Chin, Lushai, and Patkai hills. The mountain range itself is about 250 miles (400 km) long. Its highest point is Mount Victoria (10,150 feet [3,094 m]). Dividing the Arakan coast from the rest

China, Later innovations

2005-01-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

In the 15th century new institutions were gradually devised to provide needed coordination both in the central government and in regional administration. Later emperors found the Hung-wu emperor's system of highly centralized power and fragmented government structure inefficient and inconvenient. Litterateurs of the traditional and prestigious Hanlin

Salem

2005-01-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It is on the Tirumanimuttar River near Attur Gap between the Kalrayan and Pachamalai hills. Situated at the junction of the Bangalore, Tiruchchirappalli, and Cuddalore roads, 200 miles (332 km) southwest of Madras, the town's name derives from sela nad (a corruption of cera nad), a term denoting the visit of an early Cera king. Well-known

Ulam, Stanislaw Marcin

2005-01-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

Ulam received a doctoral degree (1933) at the Polytechnic Institute in Lvov (now Lviv). At the invitation of John von Neumann, he worked at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New

Basketball, International competition

2005-01-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

The success of international basketball was greatly advanced by Forrest C. (�Phog�) Allen, a Naismith disciple and a former coach at the University of Kansas, who led the movement for inclusion of basketball in the Olympic Games in 1936 and thereafter. Basketball has also been played in the Pan-American Games since their inauguration in 1951. The international game is governed

Dryden, John

2005-01-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

The abdication of James II in 1688 destroyed Dryden's political prospects, and he lost his

Anglo-norman Literature

2005-01-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Also called �Norman-french Literature, or Anglo-french Literature, � body of writings in the Old French language as used in medieval England. Though this dialect had been introduced to English court circles in Edward the Confessor's time, its history really began with the Norman Conquest in 1066, when it became the vernacular of the court, the law, the church, schools, universities, parliament, and later of municipalities and of trade. For the

Ezekiel

2005-01-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Ezechiel, �Hebrew �Yehezqel� prophet-priest of ancient Israel and the subject and in part the author of an Old Testament book that bears his name. Ezekiel's early oracles (from c. 592) in Jerusalem were pronouncements of violence and destruction; his later statements addressed the hopes of the Israelites exiled in Babylon. The faith of Ezekiel in the ultimate establishment of a new covenant

Henbane

2005-01-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

(Hyoscyamus niger), any plant of the family Solanaceae (q.v.), indigenous to Great Britain and found growing wild in waste places and on rubbish heaps. It also occurs in central and southern Europe and in western Asia extending to India and Siberia, and has long been naturalized in the United States. There are two forms of the plant, an annual and a biennial. The annual grows

Drug, Antacids

2005-01-17T16:28:00.000-08:00

Excess acid may be neutralized in the stomach with antacid tablets. The main constituents of antacids are aluminum and magnesium hydroxides. There are three side effects of antacid therapy, which depend on the compound used. First, many have an action on the bowel: some have a mild laxative effect, and some are constipating. Second, if the positively charged compounds

Powderly, Terence V.

2005-01-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

The son of Irish immigrants to the United States, Powderly went to work at the age of 13 for the railroad in Carbondale, Pa. At 17 he became a machinist's apprentice and then worked at that trade until age 28. He meanwhile had joined the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' Union in 1871 and steadily

Murmansk

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

Oblast (province), northwestern Russia, with an area of 55,950 sq mi (144,900 sq km) occupying the Kola Peninsula between the White and Barents seas. Its upland blocks and mountain massifs, rising to 3,907 ft (1,191 m) in the Khibiny Mountains, are covered by tundra in the north and swampy forest, or taiga, in the south. The economy is dominated by mineral exploitation, principally apatite, nepheline,

Allport, Gordon W(illard)

2005-01-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Appointed a social science instructor at Harvard University in 1924, he became professor of psychology six years later and, in the last year of his life, professor of social ethics. He consistently related his approach to the study of personality to

Gatlinburg

2005-01-13T05:27:00.000-08:00

City, Sevier county, eastern Tennessee, U.S. It lies about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Knoxville, at the northwestern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. English and Scotch-Irish settlers began to arrive along the Little Pigeon River about 1795; by 1835 the settlement was called White Oak Flats. It was renamed in 1860 for Radford Gatlin, who opened a store there in 1855. In an American

Schapera, Isaac

2005-01-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Schapera received an M.A. from the University of Cape Town and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His work was influenced by his instructors A.R.

Szechwan, Relief

2005-01-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

Szechwan is bordered on all sides by lofty highlands. To the north, the Tsinling Mountains extend from east to west and attain an elevation between 11,000 and 13,000 feet (3,300 and 4,000 metres) above sea level. The limestone Ta-pa Mountains rise to approximately 9,000 feet on the northeast, while the Ta-lou Mountains, a lower and less continuous range, with an average elevation of 5,000 to 7,000 feet, border the

Pacific Islands, Regional cooperation

2005-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

The average Pacific island state is too small and limited in human and natural resources to function well on the world stage and has sought the advantages of joint action through regional cooperation among governments, churches, educational institutions, businesses, workers' unions, and cultural organizations. Over 200 regional bodies operate in the Pacific Islands.

Penguin

2005-01-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

(order Sphenisciformes), any of the flightless marine birds of the family Spheniscidae. They are limited in distribution to the Southern Hemisphere. Although a few penguins inhabit temperate regions and one, the G�lapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), lives at the Equator, the majority of the 18 species breed on islands in subantarctic

Dream Allegory

2005-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

Also called �Dream Vision, � allegorical tale presented in the narrative framework of a dream. Especially popular in the Middle Ages, the device made more acceptable the fantastic and sometimes bizarre world of personifications and symbolic objects characteristic of medieval allegory. Well-known examples of the dream allegory include the first part of Roman de la rose (13th century); Chaucer's

Mole Valley

2005-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Surrey, England. The River Mole, from which the district takes its name, flows northward across it to join the Thames at Hampton Court, west of London; the river cuts through a line of chalk hills (the North Downs) in a steep-sided valley that is followed by road and rail routes. South of the Downs is a narrow lowland and then

Calculus

2005-01-06T03:26:00.000-08:00

Branch of mathematical analysis concerned with the rates of change of continuous functions as their arguments change. Two men are now credited with discovering calculus, Sir Isaac Newton of England and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz of Germany. For almost a century, development of the subject was inhibited by a bitter controversy over priority between supporters

Cat, Domestic

2005-01-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

Also called� house cat,� (species Felis catus), domesticated member of the family Felidae, order Carnivora. Like all felids, domestic cats, the smallest members of the family, are characterized by supple, low-slung bodies, finely molded heads, long tails that aid in balance, and specialized teeth and claws that adapt them admirably to a life of active hunting. Domestic cats possess other features

Br�hl, Heinrich, Graf Von (count Of)

2005-01-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

Rising rapidly under Augustus II the Strong,

Sauerland

2005-01-02T04:02:00.000-08:00

Region, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It is bounded on the north by the Ruhr River and its tributary, the M�hne, and on the south by the Sieg River and the Wester Forest, a mountainous area east of the Rhine. It lies to the east of the Bergisches Land (plateau) and has historically centred on the city of Arnsberg (q.v.). Its name (meaning �Bitter Land�) is

Iridaceae

2005-01-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Iridaceae contains some 80 genera and an estimated 1,700 species of mostly perennial herbs; there are a few shrubs and evergreen herbs as well. The family is nearly worldwide in distribution, but it is

Gauging Station

2004-12-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of gauge height (water level) or discharge are obtained. From the continuous records obtained at these stations, hydrologists make predictions and decisions concerning water level, flood activity and control, navigation, and the like. Among the measuring devices used are a staff gauge, which

Calculus Of Variations

2004-12-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

The isoperimetric problem - that of finding,

Romania, The Slavs

2004-12-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

For nearly eight centuries after the withdrawal of the Roman administration and army, Dacia was overrun by a series of migratory peoples. The earliest of them - the Visigoths (275 - 376), the Huns (end of the 4th century to 454), and the Germanic Gepidae (454 - 567) - had little impact on the Daco-Roman population. But the Avars' defeat of the Gepidae in 567 opened the way for a massive advance of Slavs into

Gu

2004-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

The bronze gu was produced during

Elijah

2004-12-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

One of the most important moments in the history of monotheism is the climax of Elijah's struggle with Baalism. His momentous words, �If Yahweh is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him� - especially when taken with the prayer �Hear me, Yahweh, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God� - show that more is at stake than simply allotting to divinities their particular

Tseng-tzu

2004-12-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

Tseng-tzu was highly influential in reaffirming the Confucian emphasis on the virtue of hsiao

Mace, James

2004-12-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

Traveling as a youth with a show booth in which he played the violin and gave boxing exhibitions, Mace attracted

Pacific Mountain System, Recreation

2004-12-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Pacific mountain system is one of North America's great playgrounds. Large numbers of tourists and outdoors enthusiasts are attracted to the region's magnificent scenery and its varied, year-round recreational opportunities. More than a dozen national parks, monuments, and recreation areas are scattered throughout the ranges, as well as dozens of provincial,

Amorphous Solid

2004-12-21T02:44:00.000-08:00

On amorphous solids in particular, a lucid introductory text accessible to a nontechnical reader is Richard Zallen, The Physics of Amorphous Solids (1983), with coverage of structural models for the various classes of amorphous solids as well as percolation theory, a modern paradigm for disordered systems. A classic advanced work is N.F. Mott and E.A. Davis, Electronic Processes in Non-crystalline Materials, 2nd ed. (1979), which features many of the theoretical contributions of Nobel Laureate coauthor Mott. A text providing a thorough treatment of oxide glasses is J. Zarzycki, Glasses and the Vitreous State (1991; originally published in French, 1982). A reference work with wide coverage of recent research topics, including detailed treatment of chalcogenide glasses, is S.R. Elliott, Physics of Amorphous Materials, 2nd ed. (1990). A comprehensive collection of detailed reviews is contained in R.W. Cahn, P. Haassen, and E.J. Kramer (eds.), Materials Science and Technology, vol. 6, Glasses and Amorphous Materials, ed. by J. Zarzycki (1991), including coverage of glass technology, formation, and structure, oxide glasses, chalcogenide glasses, metallic glasses, polymeric glasses, and the optical, electric, and mechanical properties of glasses. Amorphous silicon is treated in detail in another work, R.A. Street, Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon (1991).

Maccarthy, Sir Desmond

2004-12-20T01:47:00.000-08:00

MacCarthy was associated with the Bloomsbury group. He began his career as a freelance journalist, quickly moving to editorial work

Xuanzang

2004-12-19T02:07:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization �Hs�an-tsang�, original name �Chen Yi�, honorary epithet �San-tsang�, also called �Muchatipo�, Sanskrit �Mokshadeva�, or �Yuanzang� Buddhist monk and Chinese pilgrim to India who translated the sacred scriptures of Buddhism from Sanskrit into Chinese and founded in China the Buddhist Consciousness Only school. His fame rests mainly on the volume and diversity of his translations of the Buddhist sutras and on the record

Joule

2004-12-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Unit of work or energy in the International System of Units (SI); it is equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through one metre. Named in honour of the English physicist James Prescott Joule, it equals 107 ergs, or approximately 0.7377 foot-pounds. In electrical terms, the joule equals one watt-second - i.e., the energy released in one second by a current of one ampere through

Kora�s, Adam�ntios

2004-12-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

Kora

Switzerland

2004-12-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Baptist Union Of Great Britain And Ireland

2004-12-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

The Baptist Union is a voluntary organization made up of area associations of churches, individual churches, colleges,

Lai

2004-12-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

Medieval poetic and musical form, cultivated especially among the trouv�res, or poet-musicians, of northern France in the 12th and 13th centuries but also among their slightly earlier, Proven�al-language counterparts, the troubadours, and, called Leich, by the German minnesingers. The lai was a long poem having nonuniform stanzas of about 6 to 16 or more lines of 4 to 8 syllables.

Novikov, Nikolay Ivanovich

2004-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Russian writer, philanthropist, and Freemason whose activities were intended to raise the educational and cultural level of the Russian people and included the production of social satires as well as the founding of schools and libraries. Influenced by Freemasonry, Novikov converted his

Alexis

2004-12-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

Alexis was a hemophiliac, and at that time there was no medical treatment that could alleviate his condition or lessen his vulnerability

Zoo

2004-12-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

Also called �Zoological Garden�, or �Zoological Park� place where wild animals and, in some instances, domesticated animals are exhibited in captivity. In such an establishment animals can generally be given more intensive care than is possible in nature reserves or sanctuaries. Most long-established zoos exhibit general collections of animals, but some formed more recently specialize in particular groups - e.g.,

Toch, Ernst

2004-12-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Composer whose works, noted for their perfection of form, fused elements from the classical tradition with modern musical ideas. Although he rarely carried innovation to great lengths, he was considered a leader of the avant-garde composers in pre-Nazi Germany and, like many of them, went into exile when Adolf Hitler came

Wolgemut, Michael

2004-12-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

After an obscure early period Wolgemut married (1472) Barbara, widow of the N�rnberg painter Hans Pleydenwurff. In the next 40 years he produced a series of large altarpieces, rich with carving and gilding, as well as portraits and book illustrations. The altarpiece of St. Jacob, Straubing,