LastBall

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

2006-10-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are a specialist in estate agent fitzrovia, amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

Alcántara, Order Of

2005-03-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Major military and religious order in Spain. It was founded in 1156 or 1166 by Don Suero Fernández Barrientos and was recognized in 1177 by Pope Alexander III in a special papal bull. Its purpose was to defend Christian Spain against the Moors. In 1218 King Alfonso IX of Leon gave to the order the town of Alcántara, and during the next two centuries its knights defended the southern borders

Puerto Maldonado

2005-03-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Capital of Tambopata provincia and of Madre de Dios departamento, southeastern Peru. It lies at the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers, at 840 feet (256 m) above sea level in the hot, humid rain forest known as the selva. It was named for Dom Pedro Maldonado, an 18th-century Spanish explorer, but was not mentioned in official documents until 1902. The smallest of all Peruvian

France, History Of, Urban prosperity

2005-03-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Town life continued to flourish. A few places, favoured by political and ecclesiastical as well as by economic circumstances, grew far larger than the rest. Paris could probably count more than 100,000 inhabitants by the late 13th century, possibly many more than that; some great provincial centres—e.g., Toulouse, Bordeaux, Arras, Rouen—may have surpassed 25,000, but most of the older cities

Interest

2005-03-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

Interest may also be viewed as the income derived from the possession of contractual promises from others to pay sums in the future. The question may be asked, “What is the value today of a promise to pay $100 a year from now?” If the answer is $100, then no interest income is generated.

Kamidana

2005-03-10T22:57:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “god-shelf”), in the Shinto religion of Japan, a miniature shrine, the centre of daily worship in a household or a shop. The kamidana usually consists of a small cupboard or shelf on which are displayed articles of veneration and daily offerings. At the centre of the shrine stands the taima, an inscribed board from the main Shinto shrine at Ise, which represents a universal

Ashford

2005-03-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, England. It was established in 1974 from the former urban district of Ashford, rural districts of East and West Ashford, and the metropolitan borough and rural district of Tenterden. The old town of Ashford was granted a market in the 13th century that later became a stock market for the pastoral farms

China, Culture

2005-03-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

The predominance of state power also marked the intellectual and aesthetic life of Ming China. By requiring use of their interpretations of the Classics in education and in the civil service examinations, the state prescribed the Neo-Confucianism of the great Sung thinkers Ch'eng I and Chu Hsi as the orthodoxy of Ming times; by patronizing or commandeering craftsmen

Pinar Del Río

2005-03-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Pinar del Río provincia, western Cuba. Founded in 1775, the city is situated near the base of the Sierra de los Órganos. In 1800 it was officially named Nueva Filipina and was made capital of the western jurisdiction of Cuba. Its economic importance dates from about 1830, when the tobacco industry of the Vuelta Abajo region was developed. With the completion of the railroad

Penang

2005-03-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Penang Island , Malay Pinang, or Pulau Pinang island of Malaysia, lying off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaya, from which it is separated by a strait whose smallest width is 2.5 miles (4 km). Its area is about 113 square miles (293 square km). Penang Island is roughly oval, with a granitic, mountainous interior (highest point 2,428 feet [740 m]) and narrow coastal plains, most extensive in the northeast, where Malaysia's chief port, George

Southern Connecticut State University

2005-03-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher education in New Haven, Conn., U.S. It is one of four institutions in the Connecticut State University system; the others are located in New Britain (Central Connecticut State), Willimantic (Eastern Connecticut State), and Danbury (Western Connecticut State). Southern Connecticut State offers bachelor's and master's degrees

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The land

2005-02-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Some islands have flat coral-covered surfaces, while the others, such as Great Nicobar, are hilly. Great Nicobar, rising to 2,106 feet (642 metres) and containing numerous fast-flowing streams, is the only island with sufficient fresh surface water. Lying between latitudes 6°45¢ and 9°15¢ N, the Nicobars experience temperatures between 64° and 92° F (18° and 33° C). The southwest monsoon (May through September)

Ghi

2005-02-25T21:57:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. See butterfat.

Bohomolec, Franciszek

2005-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

After completing his studies in Rome for the Jesuit priesthood, Bohomolec taught in Warsaw and began to adapt the comedies of Carlo Goldoni and Molière for performance by his

Yamm

2005-02-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

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

Barreto, Francisco

2005-02-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

Barreto served in the East Indies, was governor of Portuguese India, and was probably instrumental in exiling Luís de Camões to Macau after the poet had published criticisms of Portuguese administration in India. In 1569 Barreto was entrusted by King Sebastian of Portugal with an expedition to

Ovington, Mary White

2005-02-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

Born three days before the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ovington was reared in an upper-middle-class home by abolitionist

Cyrus The Younger

2005-02-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Cyrus was the favourite of his mother, who hoped to secure the succession for him instead of her eldest son, Arsaces. When Darius decided to continue the war against Athens and give support to the Spartans, Parysatis persuaded him to appoint the young Cyrus as satrap

Racine, Jean

2005-02-13T00:50:00.000-08:00

In full Jean-baptiste Racine French dramatic poet and historiographer renowned for his mastery of French classical tragedy. His reputation rests on the plays he wrote between 1664 and 1677, notably Andromaque (1667), Britannicus (1669), Bérénice (1670), Bajazet (1672), and Phèdre (1677).

Mauch, Karl

2005-02-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

After an unsatisfying few years as a private tutor, Mauch gave up teaching and hired on with a shipping company. He arrived in South Africa in 1865, found

Nabighah, An-

2005-02-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Nabighah belonged to the tribe of Dhubyan. The origin of his name is uncertain, as are details of his early life. He lived in luxury and favour for many years at the court of the Lakhmid Arab kings of al-Hirah in Iraq, incurring the jealousy of the other courtiers. According to one story, which seems to

Newfoundland And Labrador, Transportation

2005-02-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

Until the end of the 19th century, virtually all communication among the coastal settlements was by sea; St. John's remains one of the country's major Atlantic harbours. A narrow-gauge railway was built during the 1880s from St. John's to Channel-Port-aux-Basques along a route that touched the major bays. Subsequently, branch lines were developed to serve population centres

Sarangpur

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

City, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, just east of the Kali Sindh River. Sarangpur is located on an ancient site. It has a number of Jaina and Hindu ruins, including a 12th-century Jaina statue. It rose to importance in the 13th century under Sarang Singh Khichi, after whom it is named, and was a chief Mughal trade centre. It passed to Dewas princely state by treaty

Atar

2005-02-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Mauritania. It is an oasis and a caravan stopping point and lies on a road leading southwest to Nouakchott, the national capital. The oasis produces dates and grains and supports cattle, sheep, and goat grazing. Atar is the site of an airstrip; it also has a school for traditional weaving, and it is an important source of rugs. Pop. (1977) 16,326; (1988) 21,366.

Bar Form

2005-01-31T00:19:00.000-08:00

In music, the structural pattern aab as used by the medieval German minnesingers and meistersingers, who were poet-composers of secular monophonic songs (i.e., those having a single line of melody). The modern term Bar form derives from a medieval verse form, the Bar, consisting of three stanzas, each having the form aab. The musical term thus refers to the melody of a single

Fore-and-aft Sail

2005-01-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

One of the two basic types of sailing rig, the other being the square sail. The fore-and-aft sail, now usually triangular, is set completely aft of a mast or stay, parallel to the ship's keel, and takes the wind on either side. The mainsail always has a boom, pivoted on the mast. Historically, it represented an important advance over the ancient square sail; it first appeared in

Interior Design, Kinds of interiors

2005-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

Although the foregoing sections have mentioned different kinds of interiors, in reference to both aesthetic and physical components of design, there has been no specific discussion of different design considerations for varying interiors. The aesthetic criteria suggested in earlier sections are subject to considerable variation, depending on the kind

Aeroflot

2005-01-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

The Soviet state airline was founded in 1928 under the name Dobroflot and was reorganized under the name Aeroflot in 1932. Dobroflot, or Dobrovolny Flot, grew out of two former airlines: Dobrolyot, founded in 1923, and Ukvozdukhput, or Ukrainian Airways, founded in 1925. These airlines together connected such

Viganò, Salvatore

2005-01-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

Viganò was born of a family of dancers and was the nephew

Greece, History Of

2005-01-19T01:41:00.000-08:00

Geographically, Greece forms the southernmost extension of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a region dominated by mountain systems, and, although not particularly high, these cover some 80 percent

Kielland, Alexander Lange

2005-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

The scion of an aristocratic family, Kielland took a law degree in 1871 and purchased a brickyard, which he managed for nine years. Discontented, he went to Paris in 1878 and the next year published a collection

Halton

2005-01-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

Unitary authority, geographic county of Cheshire, England. The unitary authority comprises Widnes and surrounding suburban areas, on the north shore of the River Mersey in the historic county of Lancashire, and Runcorn and its suburbs, on the south shore of the Mersey in the historic county of Cheshire. The name Halton is ancient, and the barony of Halton created after

Malaria

2005-01-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

A serious, acute and chronic relapsing infection in humans, characterized by periodic attacks of chills and fever, anemia, splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen), and often fatal complications. Malaria also is found in apes, monkeys, rats, birds, and reptiles. It is caused by various species of protozoa (one-celled organisms) called sporozoans (subphylum Sporozoa) that

Adelantado

2005-01-09T03:11:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “one who goes before”), representative of the kings of Castile (Spain) who in the early European Middle Ages headed military expeditions and, from the reign of Ferdinand III (1217–52) until the 16th century, held judicial and administrative powers over specific districts. Greater adelantados (adelantados mayores) served as appeal judges and in times of war were responsible

Dewar, Sir James

2005-01-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Dewar became a professor at the University of Cambridge (1875) and at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London

Resserella

2005-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of brachiopods (lamp shells) that occurs as fossils in marine rocks of Middle Ordovician to Lower Silurian age (421 to 478 million years old).Resserella has a dorsal shell whose margin is horizontal, and a distal, or upper, shell with an arcuate (bow-shaped) margin. Both valves are often gently convex. Surface markings consist of fine lines, and the internal structure

Mormon

2005-01-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

Mormon doctrine diverges from the orthodoxy of established Christianity, particularly in its polytheism, in affirming that God has evolved from man and that men might evolve into gods, that the Persons of the Trinity are distinct beings, and that human souls have preexisted. Mormons accept that Christ came to earth so that all might be saved and raised from the dead

Ghazan, Mahmud

2005-01-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Ghazan's early childhood was spent largely in the company of his grandfather, the Il-Khan Abagha (1265–82), and he was brought up in the Buddhist faith that both his father and his grandfather professed. Upon his father's accession to the throne in 1284, Ghazan was appointed viceroy of the provinces of northeastern Persia, where he resided for the next 10 years and defended the frontier against

Venezuela, Climate

2004-12-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Venezuela lies well within the tropics, and the country's temperatures are relatively uniform with little seasonal variation. Elevation, however, produces significant local differences in temperature, precipitation, and vegetation. More than nine-tenths of Venezuela has a mean annual temperature above 75 °F (24 °C). The average mean temperature for Caracas, lying in a

Strachwitz, Moritz (karl Wilhelm Anton), Graf Von

2004-12-28T02:06:00.000-08:00

After studying in Breslau and Berlin, Strachwitz settled on his estate in Moravia, where he did his writing. He was involved with a Berlin literary club, Tunnel über

Ford, John

2004-12-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

In 1602 Ford was admitted to the Middle Temple (a training college for lawyers), and he remained there, except for a period of suspension (1606–08), until at least 1617. He

Tirpitz, Alfred Von

2004-12-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

Original name Alfred Tirpitz German admiral, the chief builder of the German Navy in the 17 years preceding World War I and a dominant personality of the emperor William II's reign. He was ennobled in 1900 and attained the rank of admiral in 1903 and that of grand admiral in 1911; he retired in 1916.

Chac

2004-12-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

Like other major Mayan gods, Chac also appeared as four gods, the Chacs. The four gods were associated with the points of the compass and their colours: white, north; red, east; black, west; and yellow,

André, John

2004-12-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

Sent to America in 1774, André became chief intelligence officer to the British commander in chief, General Sir Henry Clinton, in New York City. From May 1779 he carried on a secret correspondence

Craft Union

2004-12-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Trade union combining workers who are engaged in a particular craft or skill but who may work for various employers and at various locations. Formed to improve wage levels and working conditions, craft unions were established in Britain and the United States in the middle of the 19th century. They derive their power from their control over the supply of skilled

Mclennan, John Ferguson

2004-12-17T01:46:00.000-08:00

McLennan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and he became a parliamentary draftsman for Scotland in 1871. His interest in survivals of practice and behaviour from earlier cultures

Marschner, Heinrich August

2004-12-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

Marschner studied law at Leipzig, but, encouraged by Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he met in Vienna in 1817, and others, he turned to composing. In 1820 his close friend Carl Maria von Weber produced Marschner's opera Heinrich IV und d'Aubigné at Dresden. Marschner was later appointed

Tarbell, Ida M.

2004-12-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Tarbell was educated at Allegheny College (Meadville, Pennsylvania) and taught briefly before becoming an editor for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (1883–91). In 1891 she took her

Definite Proportions, Law Of

2004-12-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

Statement that every chemical compound contains fixed and constant proportions (by weight) of its constituent elements. Although many experimenters had long assumed the truth of the principle in general, the French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust first accumulated conclusive evidence for it in a series of researches on the composition of many substances, especially

Coimbra

2004-12-09T00:24:00.000-08:00

City, capital, and concelho (municipality), Coimbra district, north-central Portugal, on the northern bank of the Mondego River. A 4th-century Latin inscription identifies Coimbra with Aeminium, while Condeixa, 8 miles (13 km) southwest, was the ancient Conimbriga or Conimbrica. Aeminium was for more than a century a Moorish stronghold, but in 878 it was recaptured by Alfonso III

Mckay, David O(man)

2004-12-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

He served as a missionary in Scotland (1897–99) and then returned to Utah to become instructor and principal (1899–1908) of the Weber State Academy, now Weber State College. In 1906 he was elected a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and in 1950 he

Danané

2004-12-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

Town, western Côte d'Ivoire. It lies along the Boan River, a tributary of the Nuon (Nipoué, Cestos) River, and at the intersection of roads from Liberia, Guinea, and the Ivoirian town of Man. It is the chief trade centre (rice, coffee, and kola nuts) of a forested region mainly inhabited by the Dan people. Pop. (1975) town, 19,608.

Biblical Literature, Ecclesiastes

2004-12-03T03:48:00.000-08:00

The book of Ecclesiastes is a work of the Hebrew wisdom movement, associated by its title and by tradition with King Solomon. It is evident, however, that the book is of much later composition; the author may have identified himself with the famous king and wise man of the past to give greater authority to his work. The language of the book, including the relatively large

Bachmann, Ingeborg

2004-11-30T02:15:00.000-08:00

Bachmann grew up in Kärnten during World War II and was educated at the Universities of Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna. She received a doctoral degree in philosophy from

Molde

2004-11-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

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

Selinus

2004-11-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Selinus was founded in 651 or 628 BC by colonists from Megara Hyblaea and from Megara in Greece. The city got its name from the wild celery (Greek: selinon) that still grows in the locality. It achieved great prosperity in the 5th century BC, when its

Abbotsford

2004-11-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Former home of the 19th-century novelist Sir Walter Scott, situated on the right bank of the River Tweed, Scottish Borders council area, historic county of Roxburghshire, Scotland. Scott purchased the original farm, then known as Carley Hole, in 1811 and transformed it (1817–25) into a Gothic-style baronial mansion now known as Abbotsford House. Still the home of Scott's direct descendants,

Coho

2004-11-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Silver Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), species of salmon, family Salmonidae, prized for food and sport. The coho weighs about 4.5 kg (10 pounds) and is recognized by the small spots on the back and upper tail-fin lobe. Young coho stay in fresh water for about one year before entering North Pacific waters; they mature in about three years. Some populations, called landlocked,

Luther V. Borden

2004-11-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

In the spring of 1842, Rhode Island had two governors and two legislatures. One government was committed to retaining the old colonial charter, which severely limited voting rights, as the state's constitution. The other government, led by Thomas W. Dorr and providing for white

Gable, Clark

2004-11-18T01:03:00.000-08:00

The only son of an itinerant oil-field worker, Gable embarked on an acting career while in his early 20s

Silverius, Saint

2004-11-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

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

Murad Iii

2004-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Externally Murad continued the military offensive of his predecessors. He took Fez (now Fès, Mor.) from the Portuguese in 1578. He fought an exhausting war against

Asyndeton

2004-11-13T02:17:00.000-08:00

The omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses, as in the phrase “I came, I saw, I conquered” or in Matthew Arnold's poem The Scholar Gipsy:Thou hast not lived, why should'st thou perish, so?Thou hadst one aim, one business, one desire; Else wert thou long since numbered with the dead!

African American Literature, The Black Arts movement

2004-11-10T02:42:00.000-08:00

The assassination of Malcolm X, eloquent exponent of black nationalism, in 1965 in New York and the espousal of “Black Power” by previously integrationist civil rights organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) helped to galvanize a generation of young black writers into rethinking the purpose

Sanger, Frederick

2004-11-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

English biochemist who was twice the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He was awarded the prize in 1958 for his determination of the structure of the insulin molecule. He shared the prize (with Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert of the United States) in 1980 for his determination of the sequence of nucleotides in the DNA of a virus. Sanger

Narashino

2004-11-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

City, Chiba ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. Narashino is situated on the northeastern shore of Tokyo Bay. Formed in 1951 by the merger of Minomi, Maka, Tsuda-numa, and Okubo, the settlement has no city centre because the former towns are lined up along two railways to Tokyo. Truck farming is an important economic activity. Narashino is a weekend vacation area because of its proximity

Digestive System Disease, Roundworms

2004-11-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Roundworms, particularly Ascaris lumbricoides, may cause intestinal obstruction if present in sufficient numbers. As they mature from the larval state to the adult worm, roundworms migrate through the body, causing ascariasis, an infection characterized by fever, pneumonitis (lung inflammation), cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts), and pancreatitis

Mountain

2004-11-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Mountains and mountain belts exist because tectonic processes have created and maintained high elevations in the face of erosion, which works to destroy them. The topography of a mountain belt depends not only on the processes that create the elevated terrain but also on the forces that support this terrain and on the types of processes (erosional or tectonic)

Aschelminth, Importance

2004-10-31T01:56:00.000-08:00

The aschelminths are primarily particle feeders, grazing on bacteria, microfungi, algae, and protozoans, though some are predators on other aschelminths. As such they play important roles in recycling nutrients, which then become available for plant growth, and in promoting the decomposition of dead organic matter. Aschelminths are at the base of many food

Valenciennes

2004-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

The town flourished under the counts

Arrhenius, Svante (august)

2004-10-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Swedish physical chemist best known for his theory that electrolytes, certain substances that dissolve in water to yield a solution that conducts electricity, are separated, or dissociated, into electrically charged particles, or ions, even when there is no current flowing through the solution. In 1903 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for

Arts, South Asian, Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC: relief sculpture of Andhradesa

2004-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Besides the schools of northern India, a very accomplished style also existed in southeast India; the most important sites are Jaggayyapeta and Amaravati, activity at the latter site extending well into the 2nd century AD. The early remains are strikingly similar to those at Bharhut, the relief generally even shallower and the modelling comparatively flat. In contrast

G.c.

2004-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

The George Cross, a British decoration for bravery. See George Cross.

Calcarenite

2004-10-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Sedimentary rock formed of calcareous particles ranging in diameter from 0.06 to 2 mm (0.002 to 0.08 inch) that have been deposited mechanically rather than from solution. The particles, which consist of fossil materials, pebbles and granules of carbonate rock, and oölites (spherical nodules with concentric structure), are transported and sorted by flowing water. When formed almost

Fish Processing, Vitamins and minerals

2004-10-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

Fish provide a number of important vitamins and minerals to the diet. They are a good source of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine. The mineral content includes calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.

Hop-hornbeam

2004-10-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Any of about seven species of ornamental trees constituting the genus Ostrya of the birch family (Betulaceae), native to Eurasia and North America. A hop-hornbeam has shaggy, scaling bark and thin, translucent, green leaves with hairy leafstalks. The hoplike, green fruits are composed of many bladderlike scales, each bearing a small, flat nut. The European

Basel-stadt

2004-10-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

French Bâle-ville, Halbkanton (“demicanton”), northern Switzerland, consisting of the city of Basel (q.v.) and two small villages north of the Rhine. Occupying an area of 14 square miles (37 square km), it was formed in 1833 by the division of Basel canton into two half cantons, or demicantons. Its present constitution dates from 1889. The population is mainly German speaking and Protestant. Pop. (1988 est.) 192,559.

Taejon

2004-10-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Daejeon, city and provincial capital, Ch'ungch'ong-nam do (province), southeastern South Korea. Taejon has the status of a special city, with administrative status equal to that of a province. Until the end of the Yi dynasty (1392–1910) it was a poor village located on the Taejon River. Development began after the juncture of rail lines in 1905 and 1914. It is connected with Seoul (104 miles [167 km] to the north-northeast),

Slave Dynasty

2004-10-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Slave dynasty was founded by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, a favourite slave of the Muslim general and later sultan Muhammad of Ghur. Qutb-ud-Din had been among Muhammad's most trusted Turkish officers and had overseen his master's Indian conquests. When Muhammad was assassinated in 1206, Qutb took power

Bingham, Hiram

2004-10-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

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

Lowell, Amy

2004-10-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Lowell came from a prominent Massachusetts family (her brothers were Abbott Lawrence Lowell, later president of Harvard, and astronomer Percival Lowell). She was educated in private schools and by her mother, and until she was 28 she did little but alternately live

Mahakam River

2004-10-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Indonesian Sungai Mahakam , also called Koetai , or Kutai river rising in the mountains of central Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) and flowing about 400 miles (650 km) east-southeast to Makassar Strait, in a wide delta. The chief town along its course is Samarinda, capital of Kalimantan Timur (East Borneo) province, about 30 miles (48 km) above the river's mouth.

Condé, Louis-henri-joseph, 9e Prince De (9th Prince Of), Duc (duke) De Bourbon

2004-10-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

The 9th Prince of Condé was married in 1770 to Louise-Marie-Thérèse d'Orléans (1750–1822), who bore him a son, Louis-Antoine, duc d'Enghien, in 1772, but from whom he parted in 1780. Emigrating with his father and son

Japan

2004-10-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Japanese Nihon or Nippon country lying off the east coast of Asia. It consists of a great string of islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western Pacific Ocean. Japan has a total land area of 145,903 square miles (377,887 square km). Nearly this entire area is taken up by the country's four main islands; from north to south these are Hokkaido (Hokkaido), Honshu

Hooghly River

2004-10-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Hugli, river in West Bengal state, northeastern India, an arm of the Ganges, providing access to Calcutta from the Bay of Bengal. It is formed by the junction of the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers at Nabadwip. From there the Hooghly flows generally south for about 160 miles (about 260 km) to the Bay of Bengal, through a heavily industrialized area with more than one-half of West Bengal's population.

Paraguay, The Guaraní

2004-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Indian tribes speaking the Guaraní language occupied the region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers long before the arrival of Europeans. They were members of the Tupian language stock, which was widespread in South America, and in most respects resembled the other Indian tribes of the tropical forests. The women cultivated corn, manioc, and sweet potatoes,

Biblical Literature, Bel and the Dragon

2004-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

The third Greek addition to the Book of Daniel is the story of Bel and the Dragon. The Babylonians worshipped the idol of the god Bel and daily provided him with much food, but Daniel proved to the King that the food was in reality eaten by the priests. The priests were punished by death and Bel's temple destroyed. The Babylonians also worshipped a dragon, but Daniel declined

Cohort Analysis

2004-10-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

Method used in studies to describe an aggregate of individuals having in common a significant event in their life histories, such as year of birth (birth cohort) or year of marriage (marriage cohort). The concept of cohort is useful because occurrence rates of various forms of behaviour are often influenced by the length of time elapsed since the event defining the

Positron

2004-10-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

Also called positive electron, any positively charged subatomic particle having the same mass and magnitude of charge as the electron and constituting the antiparticle of a negative electron. Positrons were the first of the antiparticles to be predicted and discovered. P.A.M. Dirac postulated their existence (1930–31) to account for the otherwise superfluous negative energy states of the electron

Pemberton, John Clifford

2004-10-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Pemberton grew up and was educated in Philadelphia, entered West Point in 1833, and graduated four years later. He fought in the Mexican War and was cited for bravery while participating in many of

Madeleine

2004-10-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Napoleon, who had ordered its design and construction, originally intended the building

Heinkel, Ernst Heinrich

2004-10-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Heinkel's first plane, constructed in 1910, crashed and burned. Continuing his work, he became chief designer for the Albatros Aircraft Company in Berlin before the beginning of World War I. After the war he organized (1922) the Ernst

Yukon Territory, Flag Of

2004-10-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

The flag was adopted by the Territorial Council in 1967. Its unequal vertical stripes are referred to as a “Canadian pale” because they correspond to those in the Canadian national flag. (In heraldry, a pale is a central vertical stripe on a shield, normally covering one-third or less of the area.) The green stripe in the Yukon flag is for the territory's forests, while the blue

France, History Of, The conquests

2004-10-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Charlemagne consolidated his authority up to the geographic limits of Gaul. Though he put down a new insurrection in Aquitaine (769), he was unable to bring the

T'ung-chih

2004-10-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ascending the throne at the age of six, the young ruler assumed the reign title of T'ung-chih (“Union for Order”). He ruled under the regency of a triumvirate that was headed by his

Cyprus, The Persian Empire

2004-10-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

In 525 BC the Cypriot kings transferred their allegiance to the Achaemenid (Persian) conquerors of Egypt. The Cypriots retained their independence until the accession of Darius I in 522 but were then incorporated into the fifth satrapy of the Persian Empire. When the Ionians revolted in 499, all the kingdoms of Cyprus except Amathus joined them; the revolt was subsequently suppressed,

Arts, Central Asian, Turkish literature

2004-10-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Philologiae Turcicae Fundamenta, vol. 2 (1965), a collection of monographs on literatures of Turkish-speaking peoples—see Alessio Bombaci, “The Turkic Literatures: Notes on the History and Style”; also his Letteratura turca (1969), an important survey with several chapters on Central Asian Turkish literature; Janos Eckmann, Chagatay Manual (1966), mainly a grammar containing selections of Central Asian literary texts and a vocabulary; Talat Tekin, A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (1968), an excellent introduction to the language and literature of the Central Asian Turks before Islam; Sir Gerard Clauson, An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-13th Century Turkish (1972), and Turkish and Monogolian Studies (1962); and the Handbuch der Orientalistik, vol. 5, pt. 1 (1963), three important studies of the arts of the Central Asian peoples; E. Denison Ross, “The Tonyukuk Inscription,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies (London University), vol. 6 (1930), English translation of one of the oldest Turkish inscriptions. (Tibetan literature): J. Bacot, F.W. Thomas, and G.C. Toussaint, Documents de Touen-houang relatifs à l'histoire du Tibet, (1940); J. Bacot, Trois mystères tibétains (1921); W.Y. Evans Wentz (ed.), Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines (1935), The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 3rd ed. (1957), The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation (1954), Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa, 2nd ed. (1951); H.V. Guenther, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by sGam-po-pa (1959), and The Life and Teaching of Naropa (1963). E. Obermiller, History of Buddhism by Bu-ston (1931); G.N. Roerich, The Blue Annals of gZhon-nu-dpal (1949, 1953); D.S. Ruegg, The Life of Bu-ston Rin-po-che (1966); R.A. Stein, Tibetan Civilization (1972); G.C. Toussaint, Le Dict de Padma (1933); T.V. Wylie, The Geography of Tibet According to the 'Dzam-ling rgyas-bshad (1963). (Mongolian literature): Richard P. Lister, The Secret History of Genghis Khan (1969), a retelling of the ancient chronicle of Genghis' life and successors; Charles R. Bawden, The Mongol Chronicle Altan Tobci (1955), a translation with notes of a major native historical work incorporating folk elements; The Mongolia Society, Mongolian Folktales, Stories, and Proverbs in English Translation (1967), a small collection of typical old tales; Ts. Zhamtsarano, The Mongol Chronicles of the Seventeenth Century, trans. by Rudolf Loewenthal (1955), a description of five major historical chronicles; Walther Heissig, “Mongolische Literature,” in Altaistik, vol. 5 of the Handbuch der Orientalistik, pt. 2, pp. 227–274 (1964), the best overall general sketch; Ludmilla K. Gerasimovich, History of Modern Mongolian Literature, 1921–1964 (1970; originally published in Russian), a careful survey of the modern decades and writers.

Lord Strange's Men

2004-09-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

Also called Strange's Men, prominent Elizabethan acting company. A household troupe of Lord Strange, they toured the provinces before appearing at court in 1582. From 1588 to 1594 they were associated with the Admiral's Men. It has been suggested that Lord Strange's Men were the first to employ William Shakespeare, though his role in the company is unclear. The troupe performed at The Theatre and at the Rose

Melancholia

2004-09-30T02:23:00.000-07:00

A mental condition characterized by extreme depression (q.v.) and feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. It is especially a part of manic-depressive psychosis (q.v.).

Laissez-faire

2004-09-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

(French: “allow to do”), policy based on a minimum of governmental interference in the economic affairs of individuals and society. The origin of the term is uncertain, but it is usually associated with the economists known as Physiocrats, who flourished in France from about 1756 to 1778. The policy of laissez-faire received strong support in classical economics as it developed