GreatCup

Jacksonville

2005-04-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

City, Pulaski county, central Arkansas, U.S., 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Little Rock. The locality was settled before the American Civil War but did not develop until the 1860s, when a local resident, Nicholas Jackson, offered land for a Cairo and Fulton (now Union Pacific) Railroad depot. The town, named for him in 1870, became a distribution point for farm produce. The economy diversified

Reggae

2005-04-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

According to an early definition in The Dictionary of Jamaican English (1980), reggae is

Ursuline

2005-04-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

Member of Order of Saint Ursula (O.S.U.) a Roman Catholic religious order of women founded at Brescia, Italy, in 1535, by St. Angela Merici, as the first institute for women dedicated exclusively to the education of girls. Angela and her 28 companions placed themselves under the protection of St. Ursula, a legendary 4th-century martyr whose cult was popular in medieval Europe. The original Ursulines remained in their

Nore, The

2005-04-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

Sandbank in the Thames Estuary, extending between Shoeburyness (north) and Sheerness (south), county of Kent, southeastern England. The Nore Lightship, anchored 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Shoeburyness, was the first to be established in English waters (1732). The Nore anchorage was much-used by the English fleet in the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1797 sailors at The Nore mutinied

Lightning

2005-04-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

A brief description of lightning follows. For a longer discussion of lightning within its meteorological context, see thunderstorm electrification in the article

Trademark

2005-04-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Any visible sign or device used by a business enterprise to identify its goods and distinguish them from those made or carried by others. Trademarks may be words or groups of words, letters, numerals, devices, names, the shape or other presentation of products or their packages, colour combinations with signs, combinations of colours, and combinations of any of the

China, Period of division

2005-03-31T04:09:00.000-08:00

The most extensive modern account of the period of division is that found in the general history by Franke cited above, vol. 2, with copious notes in vol. 3; this is a traditional chronological history, which pays little attention to nonpolitical matters and absolutely none to modern historical writing on the period in Chinese and Japanese. Other works on this important period include Wolfram Eberhard, Das Toba-Reich Nordchinas: eine soziologische Untersuchung (1949), a Western-language study on the T'o-pa Wei—controversial and interesting but highly technical; W.J.F. Jenner, Memories of Loyang (1981), a political history of the Wei dynasty during the Pei-ch'ao (Northern Dynasties) period; Étienne Balazs, “Les Courants intellectuels en Chine au IIIe siècle de notre ère,” Études Asiatiques, vol. 2 (1948), the best Western-language study on the rise of “Neo-Taoism” and other schools of thought after the breakdown of the Han Empire; Henri Maspero, Taoism and Chinese Religion (1983; originally published in French, 1950), a collection of essays dealing mainly with T'ang dynasty Taoism, still the most important general survey of the Taoist religion of this period, written mainly in the 1930s and '40s by a great authority for the general public; Holmes Welch, Taoism: The Parting of the Way, rev. ed. (1965), a general history of the Taoist movement with about one-third of the book devoted to the development of Taoist religion in the Six Dynasties period; Michel Strickmann, Le Taoïsme du Mao Chan: chronique d'une révélation (1981), a scholarly account of one of the main schools of medieval Taoism; Arthur F. Wright, Buddhism in Chinese History (1959, reprinted 1971), a popular but authoritative survey of Chinese Buddhism as a whole, two chapters of which are devoted to the Six Dynasties period; Kenneth K.S. Chen, Buddhism in China (1964, reprinted 1972), an extensive history of Chinese Buddhism by an eminent specialist; Erik Zürcher, The Buddhist Conquest of China, 2 vol. (1959, reprinted 1972), a detailed, rather technical study of the formation of gentry Buddhism; and Jacques Gernet, Les Aspects économiques du bouddhisme dans la société chinoise du Ve au Xe siècle (1956), an indispensable but rather technical work on the economic functions of the Buddhist monasteries from the 5th to the 10th century.

Patron Saint

2005-03-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated. The choice is often made on the basis of some real or presumed relationship with the persons or places involved. St. Patrick, for example, is the patron saint of Ireland because he is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people. In some cultures national or local

France, History Of, France from 1789 to 1815

2005-03-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

The best overview of the period is D.M.G. Sutherland, France 1789–1815: Revolution and Counter-Revolution (1985). General surveys of the French Revolution include William Doyle, The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989); and Norman Hampson, A Social History of the French Revolution (1963, reprinted 1982). The origins and the first phase of the Revolution are treated in Michel Vovelle, The Fall of the French Monarchy, 1787–1792 (1984; originally published in French, 1972). The best book on the Terror is still R.R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution (1941, reissued 1989). Martyn Lyons, France Under the Directory (1975), surveys the Revolution's later phase. François Furet and Mona Ozouf (eds.), A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (1989; originally published in French, 1988), is an important and original collection of short essays on selected events, actors, institutions, ideas, and historians of the French Revolution. Lynn Hunt, Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution (1984), analyzes the imagery and sociology of revolutionary politics. Notable thematic studies include Georges Lefebvre, The Great Fear of 1789: Rural Panic in Revolutionary France (1973, reissued 1989; originally published in French, 1932); P.M. Jones, The Peasantry in the French Revolution (1988); Albert Soboul, The Parisian Sans-culottes and the French Revolution, 1793–4, trans. from French (1964, reprinted 1979); George Rudé, The Crowd in the French Revolution (1959, reprinted 1986); John McManners, The French Revolution and the Church (1969, reprinted 1982); Jean-Paul Bertaud, The Army of the French Revolution (1988; originally published in French, 1979); Emmet Kennedy, A Cultural History of the French Revolution (1989); and Jacques Godechot, The Counter-Revolution: Doctrine and Action, 1789–1804 (1971, reissued 1981; originally published in French, 1961). The international dimension of the Revolution is interpreted in R.R. Palmer, The World of the French Revolution (1971). The best biography of a revolutionary leader is Leo Gershoy, Bertrand Barère: A Reluctant Terrorist (1962). A lively introduction to the Napoleonic era is J. Christopher Herold, The Age of Napoleon (1963, reprinted 1987). Informative volumes on the life and times of Napoleon include Felix Markham, Napoleon (1963); and Jean Tulard, Napoleon: The Myth of the Saviour (1984; originally published in French, 1977). The best volume on the Napoleonic regime in France is Louis Bergeron, France Under Napoleon (1981; originally published in French, 1972). Owen Connelly, Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (1987), is a critical and incisive analysis. For the views of historians across the generations, see Pieter Geyl, Napoleon: For and Against (1949, reissued 1976; originally published in Dutch, 1946).

Wyndham

2005-03-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

Most northerly seaport of Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the King River, on the West Arm of Cambridge Gulf (an inlet of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf of the Timor Sea). Founded in 1885 as a port for the Kimberley goldfield, it was named after the son of Sir Napier Broome, governor at the time. In 1919 the state government selected Wyndham as the site of a meatworks, which now serves

Equestrian Sports

2005-03-29T01:01:00.000-08:00

In April 1997 Memo Gracida, the new leader of Isla Carroll, won his sixth consecutive and a record 15th career U.S. Open by defeating White Birch in the final at the Palm Beach (Fla.) Polo Club. Isla Carroll also gained the World Cup and the Gold Cup of the Americas, and White Birch won its eighth USPA Gold Cup. Grant's Farm Manor and Peapacton obtained the Sterling and Challenge cups,

Allman Brothers Band, The

2005-03-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

American rock band whose bluesy, jam-oriented sound helped spark the Southern rock movement of the 1970s and set the stage for several generations of roots-oriented improvisational rock bands. The members were Duane Allman (in full Howard Duane Allman; b. Nov. 20, 1946, Nashville, Tenn., U.S.—d. Oct. 29, 1971, Macon, Ga.), Gregg Allman (in full Gregory Lenoir Allman; b. Dec. 8, 1947, Nashville), Berry Oakley (in full

Fyodor I

2005-03-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

The son of Ivan IV the Terrible and his first wife, Anastasiya Romanovna Zakharina-Yureva, Fyodor succeeded his father on March 19, 1584. Being both physically weak and feebleminded, however, he took no part in government affairs, which were dominated by his wife's

Mah-jongg

2005-03-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

A game of Chinese origin, played with tiles, or p'ais, similar in physical description to those used in dominoes but engraved with Chinese symbols and characters and divided into suits and honours. A fad in England, the United States, and Australia in the mid-1920s, the game was revived in the United States after 1935 but never regained its initial popularity. In the United States,

Switzerland, Climate

2005-03-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Four major European climates affect Switzerland. From the west, influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, come mild and moist air masses; dry and cold air arrives from the North Arctic areas; continental air from the east brings dry colder air in winter and warmer air in summer; relatively moist and warm air flows northward from the Mediterranean. The mixing of these

Fuel Cell

2005-03-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity by electrochemical reactions. A fuel cell is much more efficient than most other types of energy converters.

Palace

2005-03-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

After the Middle Ages the ornate homes of the nobility of all ranks in England, France,

Romanian Literature

2005-03-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Several famous writers continued to write after World War II. Arghezi reached new lyric heights in 1907 and in a hymn praising humanity's will to live and struggle for freedom. Geo Bogza joined the Social Realist movement. Mihail Beniuc became (as he said) “the drummer of the new age” and, in stirring lyrics, celebrated achievements of the postwar period. Demostene Botez, whose

Abqaiq

2005-03-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Arabic Buqayq, town, eastern Saudi Arabia, about 25 miles (40 km) west of the Persian Gulf. It is situated in the southern end of the Abqaiq oil field, one of the largest and most productive in the kingdom. Abqaiq grew rapidly following the discovery of the field in 1940. By 1950 the town was the southern terminus of the Tapline (Trans-Arabian Pipeline), a 1,068-mile- (1,718-kilometre-) long pipeline to Sayda (Sidon), Lebanon;

Euripides

2005-03-23T00:25:00.000-08:00

The Greek fleet is becalmed at Aulis and is thus unable to convey the expeditionary force against Troy. Agamemnon learns that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia as a means of appeasing the goddess Artemis, who has caused the unfavourable weather. Agamemnon lures his daughter into coming to Aulis to be sacrificed by pretending that she will marry Achilles.

Ammonite

2005-03-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Any member of an ancient Semitic people whose principal city was Rabbath Ammon, in Palestine. The “sons of Ammon” were in perennial, though sporadic, conflict with the Israelites. After a long period of seminomadic existence, the Ammonites established a kingdom north of Moab in the 13th century BC. With difficulty, their fortress capital was captured by Israel's King David.

Cellarette

2005-03-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Small, movable wine cooler and, later, also a deep, metal-lined tray with compartments for holding bottles in a sideboard. The term was first used by 18th-century cabinetmakers. Most movable cellarettes were made of mahogany, and designs were varied, the shape governed to some degree by the shapes of wine bottles. Early wine bottles were short and squat, but in the late 18th

Dire Wolf

2005-03-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

(species Canis dirus), wolf that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago). It is probably the most common mammalian species to be found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California. The dire wolf differed from the modern wolf in several ways: it was larger and it had a more massive skull, a smaller brain, and relatively light limbs. It is probable that

La Guardia, Fiorello H.

2005-03-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

La Guardia was reared in Arizona and at the age of 16 moved to Budapest with his mother. He was employed at the U.S. consulate there, and he later served in the American consulates at Trieste and Fiume, returning to the United States in 1906. While working at Ellis Island

Agni

2005-03-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Fire”), fire-god of the Hindus, second only to Indra in the Vedic mythology of ancient India. He is equally the fire of the sun, of lightning, and of the hearth that men light for purposes of worship. As the divine personification of the fire of sacrifice, he is the mouth of the gods, the carrier of the oblation, and the messenger between the human and the divine orders.

China, Yüan China and the West

2005-03-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

As mentioned above, Mongol rulers favoured trade in all their dominions. In China, too, they eliminated state trade controls that had existed under the Sung and Chin, so that internal and external trade reached unprecedented proportions. It seems, however, that China's transcontinental trade with the Middle East and Europe was in the hands of non-Chinese (Persians,

Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

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

A precocious musician who remained successful, C.P.E. Bach was his father's true successor and an important figure in his own right. In his autobiography he writes: “For composition and keyboard-playing, I have never had

Outram, Sir James, 1st Baronet

2005-03-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

Outram was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, Scot., and went to Bombay as a cadet in 1819. After serving with distinction in the

Plaice

2005-03-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

(Pleuronectes platessa), commercially valuable European flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. The plaice, like others of its family, normally has both eyes on the right side of the head. It also has about four to seven bony bumps near its eyes. It reaches a maximum length of about 90 centimetres (36 inches) and is strikingly coloured, with red or orange

Syrian Wars

2005-03-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

(3rd century BC), five conflicts fought between the leading Hellenistic states, chiefly the Seleucid kingdom and Ptolemaic Egypt, and, in a lesser way, Macedonia. The complex and devious diplomacy that surrounded the wars was characteristic of the Hellenistic monarchies. The main issue in dispute between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies was control of southern Syria.

Economic Affairs

2005-03-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

The U.S. economy was skirting the edge of recession before the attacks; afterward it tumbled. Already-suffering

Maule

2005-03-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Región, central Chile. It faces the Pacific Ocean on the west and borders Argentina on the east. Created in 1974, it comprises Curicó, Talca, Cauquenes, and Linares provincias. Its area spans coastal mountains, the Central Valley, and the Andean cordillera. The region is drained in the north by the Mataquito River, the tributaries of which (the Teno and Lontué rivers) rise in the

Aerospace Industry, Special requirements of military aircraft

2005-03-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Military aircraft demand lightweight structures to achieve high performance. Moreover, the materials used must be able to withstand the temperatures created by air friction when the vehicle is flying at high speeds. These requirements have fostered the use of new metals such as aluminum-magnesium alloys and titanium, as well as composites and polymers for many

Gumplowicz, Ludwig

2005-03-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

The son of Jewish parents, Gumplowicz

San Felipe

2005-03-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Historic town, Austin county, southeastern Texas, U.S. It lies along the Brazos River, some 45 miles (70 km) west of Houston. Known as the “birthplace of Anglo-American settlement in Texas,” it was founded in 1824 as headquarters for the colony of Stephen Austin, who there first employed the Texas Rangers as a defense force. In 1829 the colony, then known as San Felipe de Austin, published the

Dollarization: Is It Worth It?

2005-03-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

To many analysts the trend toward dollarization was unexpected, since adopting a new currency can be quite costly. One major expense is the loss of seigniorage, the profit that a country earns when it issues a currency. For example, the cost to the U.S. of printing its currency is estimated at less than 0.1% of the currency's face value, yet the notes are sold at face value to banks.

Dagobert I

2005-03-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

The son of Chlotar II, Dagobert became king of Austrasia in 623 and of the entire Frankish realm in 629. Dagobert secured his realm by making a friendship treaty with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, defeating the Gascons and Bretons, and campaigning against

Ortelius, Abraham

2005-03-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

Trained as an engraver, Ortelius about 1554 set up his book and antiquary business. About 1560, under the influence of Gerardus Mercator, Ortelius became interested in mapmaking.

Metamorphic Rock, Reactions in a kaolinite-quartz system

2005-03-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

A very simple mineralogical system and its response to changing pressure and temperature provide a good illustration of what occurs in metamorphism. An uncomplicated sediment at the Earth's surface, a mixture of the clay mineral kaolinite [Al4Si4O10(OH)8] and the mineral quartz (SiO2), provides a good example. Most sediments have small crystals or grain sizes but great porosity

Shiraz Rug

2005-03-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Handwoven floor covering made in the district around the city of Shiraz in southern Iran. The best known are the Qashqa'i rugs, products of nomadic tribesmen. A group of tribes—some Arab, some Turkish, forming the Khamseh Confederation—weaves rugs somewhat similar to the Qashqa'i pieces in a variety of patterns, as do the inhabitants of certain Iranian weaving villages in

Interior Design, France

2005-03-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

From the middle of the 15th century, ideas from Italy began to change the face of French buildings; this change came gradually, first in the applied decorative detail superimposed on basically Gothic designs, then extending to a symmetry and regularity of the whole. Indeed, one of the basic differences between the Renaissance in France and in Italy is that in the latter

Furniture, Middle Ages

2005-03-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

Viollet-le-Duc, Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier français de l'époque carlovingienne à la Renaissance, 6 vol. (1858–75), an authoritative work.

Sprague, Kate Chase

2005-03-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Educated by her father and in private schools, Kate Chase became the emotional focus of her father's life after the deaths of

Turbojet

2005-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

The first turbojet-powered

Arts, Native American, Andean peoples

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

Andean tribes, across the mountains from the Jívaro, also favour pentatonic scales, but they evolved a more sophisticated musical style during prehistory and in the period of Spanish colonization. They retain fragments of ancient ceremonial music, such as the invocation to the rain god on the Island of Taquila in Lake Titicaca—a repetitious tune for whistle and

Anne Boleyn

2005-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Anne's father was Sir Thomas Boleyn, later Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde.

Padilla, Heberto

2005-03-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

After elementary and secondary education in his native province of Pinar del Río, Padilla studied law at the University of Havana but did not finish a degree. From 1949 to 1952 and 1956 to 1959, he lived in the United

Encephalitis

2005-03-06T03:36:00.000-08:00

Plural encephalitides inflammation of the brain, from Greek enkephalos (“brain”) and itis (“inflammation”). Inflammation affecting the brain may also involve adjoining structures; encephalomyelitis is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and meningoencephalitis is inflammation of the brain and meninges (the membranes covering the brain). Encephalitis is most often caused by an infectious

Shichi-fuku-jin

2005-03-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

The Shichi-fuku-jin are a favourite

Hei Tiki

2005-03-05T02:17:00.000-08:00

Small neck pendant in the form of a human fetus, used by the Maori of New Zealand as a fertility symbol. Usually carved of green nephrite or a jadelike stone called pounamu that is found along the western coast of the South Island, hei tikis normally are worn only by women. The object is believed to possess magical powers that increase as it is passed on from generation

Belcher Islands

2005-03-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

Archipelago in southeastern Hudson Bay, north of the mouth of James Bay, Baffin region, Nunavut territory, Canada. The islands, low-lying and striated, cover a total area of about 5,000 square miles (13,000 square km), of which 1,118 square miles (2,896 square km) is land. The group, first sighted by the English navigator Henry Hudson in 1610 and named for Sir Edward Belcher, who commanded an Arctic expedition

Spain, Society

2005-03-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

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

Azorín

2005-03-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Azorín studied law at Valencia, Granada,

Gur-e Amir

2005-03-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Mausoleum in Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan, of the 14th-century Mongol conqueror Timur, or Tamerlane. Though it has suffered from time and earthquakes, it is still sumptuous. It consists of a chapel crowned with a dome, enclosed by a wall, and fronted by an archway. The interior walls are covered with elegant turquoise arabesques and inscriptions in gold.

World War I, The German invasion

2005-03-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

For the smooth working of their plan for the invasion of France, the Germans had preliminarily to reduce the ring fortress of Liège, which commanded the route prescribed for their 1st and 2nd armies and which was the foremost stronghold of the Belgian defenses. German troops crossed the frontier into Belgium on the morning of August 4. Thanks to the resolution of a middle-aged

San Antonio Zoological Gardens And Aquarium

2005-03-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

One of the largest animal collections in the southwestern United States, located in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1914, the zoo and accompanying aquarium are operated by the San Antonio Zoological Society and occupy a 35-acre (14-hectare) site with natural springs and rock cliffs. More than 3,500 specimens of approximately 750 terrestrial and aquatic species are bred and exhibited.

Spadebill

2005-03-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Any of six species of New World flycatchers (family Tyrannidae, order Passeriformes) whose triangular bill is very broad and flat. The white-throated, or stub-tailed, spadebill (Platyrinchus mystaceus), scarcely 10 centimetres (4 inches) long, is the most widespread species; it inhabits forest undergrowth from southern Mexico to Argentina in southern South America.

Antigonus Ii Gonatas

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

Antigonus II was the son of Demetrius I Poliorcetes and grandson of Antigonus I. While Demetrius was busy fighting in Macedonia and Asia Minor, Antigonus, as his regent, was engaged in maintaining Macedonian hegemony in Greece, which had been achieved in 287 BC. Demetrius was

Abu Bakr

2005-03-01T02:44:00.000-08:00

Of a minor clan of the ruling merchant tribe of Quraysh at Mecca, Abu Bakr purportedly was the first male convert to Islam, but this view is doubted by a majority of Muslim historians. Abu Bakr's prominence

Andaman Sea

2005-02-28T22:47:00.000-08:00

Sea, part of the northeastern Indian Ocean, with an area of 308,000 square miles (798,000 square km). Through such ports as Bassein, Moulmein, Tavoy, and Mergui—as well as Yangôn (Rangoon) itself—it forms the most important sea link between Myanmar (Burma) and other nations; it also forms part of a shipping route between India and China, via the Strait of Malacca. The Andaman Sea is bounded to

V-2 Missile

2005-02-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

Developed in Germany from 1936 through the efforts of scientists led by Wernher von Braun, it was first successfully launched on October 3, 1942, and was fired against Paris on September 6, 1944. Two days later the first of more than 1,100 V-2s was fired against Great Britain (the last on March

Airplane, Primary flight controls

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

All four forces—lift, thrust, drag, and weight—interact continuously in flight and are in turn affected by such things as the torque effect of the propeller, centrifugal force in turns, and other elements, but all are made subject to the pilot by means of the controls.

Hull, Albert Wallace

2005-02-26T13:09:00.000-08:00

American physicist who independently discovered the powder method of X-ray analysis of crystals, which permits the study of crystalline materials in a finely divided microcrystalline, or powder, state. He also invented a number of electron tubes that have found wide application as components in electronic

Wellesley (of Norragh), Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess

2005-02-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

British statesman who, as governor of Madras and governor general of Bengal (both 1797–1805), greatly enlarged the British Empire in India and who, as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821–28, 1833–34), attempted to reconcile

Arts, Islamic, Turkish

2005-02-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

In Turkey, the adoption of Western forms began in the 1920s. Of major importance in modern Turkish literature was Orhan Veli Kanik, who combined perfect technique with “Istanbulian” charm. His work is sometimes melancholy, sometimes frivolous, but always convincing. He strongly influenced a group of poets whose names are connected with the avant-garde literary magazine

Norfolk, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke Of, Earl Of Surrey, Earl Marshal

2005-02-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who was put to death for alleged treasonable activities in 1547. Restored to his father's title on the accession of Queen Mary

Star, Line spectrum

2005-02-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

Spectral lines are produced by transitions of electrons within atoms or ions. As the electrons move closer to or farther from the nucleus of an atom (or of an ion), energy in the form of light (or other radiation) is emitted or absorbed. The yellow “D” lines of sodium or the “H” and “K” lines of ionized calcium are produced by discrete quantum jumps from the lowest energy levels

Generative Grammar

2005-02-24T05:12:00.000-08:00

A precisely formulated set of rules whose output is all (and only) the sentences of a language—i.e., of the language that it generates. There are many different kinds of generative grammar, including transformational grammar as developed by Noam Chomsky from the mid-1950s. Linguists disagree as to which, if any, of these different kinds of generative grammar will serve as

Ten Days Of Penitence

2005-02-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Aseret Yeme Teshuva, the first 10 days of the Jewish religious year. See yamim nora'im.

Deerfield Beach

2005-02-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

City, Broward county, southeastern Florida, U.S., on the Atlantic Ocean, just south of Boca Raton. The site, once a pineapple- and vegetable-growing area, was first settled about 1890; in 1896 the Florida East Coast Railway came through the community, which was named Deerfield for the deer that roamed along the Hillsboro River. It developed as a shipping centre for fruits and vegetables.

Ahl Al-kitab

2005-02-23T04:53:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “People of the Book”), in Islamic thought, those religionists such as Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians who are possessors of divine books (i.e., the Torah, the Gospel, and the Avesta), as distinguished from those whose religions are not based on divine revelations. The latter are an imprecisely identified group referred to as Sabaeans but also considered “People of

Stone, Fred (andrew)

2005-02-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Stone was raised in Topeka, Kan., making his stage debut there at age 11, and soon joined his brother on tour with a number of small circuses. In the 1890s he teamed up with Dave Montgomery and together they toured in vaudeville and minstrel shows before appearing in their first Broadway

Claesz, Pieter

2005-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Pieter Claesz Van Haarlem Dutch painter who achieved a striking simplicity and atmospheric quality in still-life representations. Avoiding the crowded compositions and strong local colouring of the Mannerist tradition, he concentrated on the monochrome “breakfast piece,” the depiction of a simple meal

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

None of Augustine's other works has the currency or readership of his two masterpieces. Of greatest interest are the following:

Felsenmeer

2005-02-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

(German: “sea of rock”), exposed rock surfaces that have been quickly broken up by frost action so that much rock is buried under a cover of angular shattered boulders. These mantles principally occur in Arctic regions and high mountain areas. Their continuity and depth varies with climate, vegetation, and rock type, but they may be as much as 4 metres (12 feet) deep. Felsenmeer

Steel, Annealing

2005-02-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

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

Tracy, Benjamin F(ranklin)

2005-02-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

Tracy began his career as a lawyer; he was admitted to the bar in 1851 and served as district attorney of Tioga County, N.Y., from 1853 to 1859. A founder of the local Republican Party, he served briefly in the state legislature (1862) and fought for the Union

Talbot, William Henry Fox

2005-02-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

English chemist, linguist, archaeologist, and pioneer photographer. He is best known for his development of the calotype (q.v.), an early photographic process that was an improvement over the daguerreotype of the French inventor L.-J.-M. Daguerre. Talbot's calotypes involved the use of a photographic

Chemistry

2005-02-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

For the first two-thirds of the 20th century, chemistry was seen by many as the science of the future. The potential of chemical products for enriching society appeared to be unlimited. Increasingly, however, and especially in the public mind, the negative aspects of chemistry have come to the fore. Disposal of chemical by-products at waste-disposal sites of limited capacity

Cat Shark

2005-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

(family Scyliorhinidae), any of more than 80 species of small, mottled sharks (order Lamniformes). Although many bottom-dwelling species are rare and poorly known ecologically, representatives have been found in all major marine environments of the tropical and temperate regions. Most cat sharks are small (less than 90 cm [3 feet]), and many have bold body markings. They have

Field, John

2005-02-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

Field first studied music at home with his father and grandfather and afterward in London with Muzio Clementi, under whose tuition, given in return for Field's services as a piano demonstrator and salesman, the boy made rapid progress. In 1802 Clementi took Field

Bruise

2005-02-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

A visible bluish or purplish mark or patch occurring beneath the surface of unbroken skin, resulting from the rupture of blood vessels in the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissues. Bruises are usually caused by a blow or pressure but, in aged persons, may occur spontaneously. In healing, the colour of the bruise gradually fades away into a yellowish hue, as a result

Earth, Crustal magnetization

2005-02-16T02:21:00.001-08:00

Magnetic fields measured at the Earth's surface are not entirely produced by the internal dynamo. Radially outward from the Earth's core, the next major source of magnetic field is crustal magnetization. The temperature of the materials constituting the crust is cool enough for them to exist in solid form. The solids may become magnetized by the Earth's main field

Epidemic

2005-02-16T02:21:00.000-08:00

An occurrence of disease that is temporarily of high prevalence. An epidemic occurring over a wide geographical area is called a pandemic. The rise and decline in epidemic prevalence of an infectious disease is a probability phenomenon dependent upon transfer of an effective dose of the infectious agent from an infected individual to a susceptible one. After

Cabrol, Fernand

2005-02-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

One of the most important of Cabrol's works was his widely circulated Livre de la

Bioherm

2005-02-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

Ancient organic reef of moundlike form built by a variety of marine invertebrates, including corals, echinoderms, gastropods, mollusks, and others; fossil calcareous algae are prominent in some bioherms. A structure built by similar organisms that is bedded but not moundlike is called a biostrome. Bioherms and biostromes occur in sedimentary rock strata of all

Jussieu, Joseph De

2005-02-15T00:25:00.000-08:00

French botanist who accompanied the French physicist Charles-Marie de la Condamine's expedition to Peru to measure an arc of meridian. He remained in South America for 35 years, returning to Paris in 1771. He introduced the common garden heliotrope (Heliotropium peruvianum) into Europe. Joseph was a brother of Antoine and Bernard.

Naber, John

2005-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

At the 1976 Olympics, Naber became the first swimmer to break the 2-minute barrier

Nagorno-karabakh

2005-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nagorno-karabach, region of southwestern Azerbaijan. It occupies an area of 1,700 square miles (4,400 square km) on the northeastern flank of the Karabakh Range of the Lesser Caucasus and extends from the crest line of the range to the margin of the Kura River lowland at its foot. Nagorno-Karabakh's environments vary from steppe on the Kura lowland through dense forest of oak, hornbeam, and beech

World War I, The Western Front, 1915

2005-02-13T04:35:00.000-08:00

Repeated French attacks in February–March 1915 on the Germans' trench barrier in Champagne won only 500 yards (460 metres) of ground at a cost of 50,000 men. For the British, Sir Douglas Haig's 1st Army, between Armentières and Lens, tried a new experiment at Neuve-Chapelle on March 10, when its artillery opened an intense bombardment on a 2,000-yard front and then, after 35 minutes, lengthened its range,

Tadjoura, Gulf Of

2005-02-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

French Golfe De Tadjoura, gulf indenting the coastline of Djibouti, eastern Africa, located at the extreme western end of the Gulf of Aden. It provides some shelter for the port of Djibouti on the southeastern shore of the gulf. The gulf is 35 miles (56 km) wide at the mouth and 50 miles long, with a depth of as much as 3,550 feet (1,082 m) near the centre. It is about 164 feet deep off the coast of Djibouti. The coastline is rather

Textile

2005-02-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

The term is derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally referred only to woven fabrics. It has, however, come to include fabrics produced by other methods. Thus, threads, cords, ropes, braids, lace, embroidery, nets, and fabrics made

Jackson, Andrew

2005-02-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Byname Old Hickory military hero and seventh president of the United States (1829–37). He was the first U.S. president to come from the area west of the Appalachians and the first to gain office by a direct appeal to the mass of voters. His political movement has since been known as Jacksonian Democracy. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President Andrew Jackson.)

Wang Yang-ming

2005-02-11T02:15:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wang Yangming , original name (Wade–Giles romanization) Wang Shou-jen , literary name Pe-an , canonized as Wen-ch'eng , Japanese Oyo-mei Chinese scholar-official whose Idealistic interpretation of Neo-Confucianism influenced philosophical thinking in East Asia for centuries. Though his government career was rather unstable, his suppression of rebellions brought a century of peace to his region. His philosophical doctrines, emphasizing understanding

Deng Yingchao

2005-02-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

Deng's involvement in political and social causes began in her youth. She joined the movement to abolish the custom of binding women's feet

Lauzun, Antonin-nompar De Caumont, Count And Duke (comte Et Duc) De

2005-02-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

The son of Gabriel de Caumont, comte de Lauzun, he was at first known as the marquis de Puyguilhem. In 1658 he was appointed colonel of Louis XIV's foreign dragoons.

Tiger

2005-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

The tiger is thought to have originated in northern Eurasia and to have moved southward; its present range extends from the

La Follette, Robert M(arion)

2005-02-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

U.S. leader of the Progressive Movement, who as governor of Wisconsin (1901–06) and U.S. senator (1906–25) was noted for his support of reform legislation. He was the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the League for Progressive Political Action (i.e., the Progressive party) in 1924, winning almost 5,000,000 votes, or about one-sixth of the total cast.

Cactus

2005-02-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

The Cactaceae are native through most of the length

Gracchus, Tiberius Sempronius

2005-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

Born into an aristocratic Roman family, Tiberius Sempronius was heir to a nexus of political connections with other leading families—most