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Anne Of Austria

2005-04-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

The eldest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria, Anne was married to the 14-year-old Louis XIII in November 1615. Throughout his life Louis treated her with a cool reserve. In 1625 the English George

China, Confucianism

2005-04-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

Confucianism was perceived by the Mongols as a Chinese religion, and it had mixed fortunes under their rule. The teachings of the Neo-Confucian school of Chu Hsi from the Sung period were introduced to the Mongol court at Chung-tu in the late 1230s but were confined to limited circles there and in North China. Confucian scholars enjoyed the benefits extended to the clergy

Stage Design

2005-04-05T02:26:00.000-07:00

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

Quiller-couch, Sir Arthur Thomas

2005-04-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

He was educated at Newton Abbot College, Clifton College, and Trinity College, Oxford, where he became lecturer in classics (1886–87). In 1887 he wrote Dead Man's Rock, the first of several novels of Cornwall

Bharavi

2005-04-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bharavi probably hailed from southern India and flourished during the reigns of

Ear, Human

2005-04-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

The vestibular system is the sensory apparatus of the inner ear that helps the body maintain its postural equilibrium. The information furnished by the vestibular system is also essential for coordinating the position of the head and the movement of the eyes. There are two sets of end organs in the inner ear, or labyrinth: the semicircular canals, which respond to

Adelard Of Bath

2005-04-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Adelard translated into Latin an Arabic version of Euclid's Elements, which for centuries served as the chief geometry textbook in the West. He studied and taught in France and traveled in Italy, Cilicia, Syria, Palestine, and perhaps also in Spain (c. 1110–25) before returning

Alabama, Government

2005-04-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

Alabama is governed by a bicameral legislature and a governor and cabinet. The legislature consists of 35 senators and 105 representatives who meet annually in regular sessions and are elected for four-year terms. The constitution, a complex and, some have claimed, outdated and often inadequate document, dates from 1901. After various poll tax and other tax provisions aimed

Slave Dynasty

2005-03-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

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

Chafarinas Islands

2005-03-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Zafarin, or Djaferin, three small rocky islets of the Spanish plaza (enclave) of Melilla, located off northeastern Morocco, 7 mi (11 km) northwest of the mouth of the Oued Moulouya. Probably the tres insulae (three islands) of the 3rd-century Roman roadbook Itinerarium Antonini, they have been occupied by Spain since 1847. Waterless and uncultivated, they form the best anchorage along the Moroccan Mediterranean

Arena Chapel

2005-03-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Scrovegni Chapel (consecrated March 25, 1305) small chapel built in the first years of the 14th century in Padua, Italy, by Enrico Scrovegni and containing frescoes by the Florentine painter Giotto (see photograph). A “Last Judgment” covers the entire west wall. The rest of the chapel is covered with frescoes in three tiers representing scenes from the lives of Saints Joachim and Anna,

Mammal, Populations

2005-03-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

A population consists of individuals of three “ecological ages”—prereproductive, reproductive, and postreproductive. The structure and dynamics of a population depend, among other things, on the relative lengths of these ages, the rate of recruitment of individuals (either by birth or by immigration), and the rate of emigration or death. The reproductive potential

Amazon

2005-03-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, member of a race of women warriors. The story of the Amazons probably originated as a variant of a tale recurrent in many cultures, that of a distant land organized oppositely from one's own. The ascribed habitat of the Amazons necessarily became more remote as Greek geographic knowledge developed. When the Black Sea was colonized by Greeks, it

Marquand, J(ohn) P(hillips)

2005-03-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

Marquand grew up in New York City and suburban Rye in comfortable circumstances until his father's business failure, when he was sent to live with relatives in Newburyport. This experience of reduced status and

Amalgam

2005-03-27T00:42:00.000-08:00

A sodium amalgam is formed during the

Genet, Jean

2005-03-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

Genet, an illegitimate child abandoned by his mother, Gabrielle Genet,

American Evangelical Lutheran Church

2005-03-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

Church established by Danish immigrants who in 1874 took the name Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and formally organized as a synod in Neenah, Wis., in 1878. A constitution was accepted in 1879, and the present name was adopted in 1954. In 1962 the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (with about 24,000 members), the United Lutheran Church in America, the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran

Asia

2005-03-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

The world's largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and the use of the term to describe this vast area always carries the potential of obscuring the enormous diversity among the the regions it encompasses. Asia has both the highest and the lowest

Gainsborough

2005-03-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

Town, West Lindsey district, administrative and historic county of Lincolnshire, England. It stands on the River Trent, bordering Nottinghamshire. Gainsborough's early importance as a Saxon settlement was augmented when it became a military centre under the Danes (9th–11th centuries). Its position on a navigable river and a main road between London and the north of England

Irish Language

2005-03-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Grammatically, Irish still has a case system, like Latin or German, with four cases to show differing functions of nouns and pronouns in a sentence. In phonology

Meynell, Sir Francis

2005-03-23T01:14:00.000-08:00

The son of Wilfrid and Alice Meynell, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1914 he set up the Romney Street

Irish Language

2005-03-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

Cable News Network was created in June 1980 by Ted Turner (q.v.), founder of the Turner Broadcasting System. He established news bureaus in major American cities and in other cities throughout the world. The resulting continuous live news coverage,

Ram Allah

2005-03-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ramallah, town, central Palestine, adjacent to the town of Al-Birah (east) and north of Jerusalem. Ram Allah (Arabic: “Height of God”) has since the Six-Day War of 1967 been under Israeli administration as part of the West Bank territory. An ancient settlement, it has buildings incorporating masonry from the time of Herod the Great (reigned 37–4 BC), but no complete structure antedates the Crusades of

Ogot, Grace

2005-03-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

One of the few well-known woman writers in Kenya, Ogot was the first woman to have fiction published by the East African Publishing House. Her stories—which appeared in European and African journals such as Black Orpheus and Transition and in collections

Narragansett

2005-03-20T04:35:00.000-08:00

Town (township), southeastern Washington county, southern Rhode Island, U.S., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. The Pettaquamscutt River (north) and Point Judith Pond (south) form the western boundary of the town, which includes the village of Narragansett Pier and the fishing villages of Galilee and Jerusalem. Near Galilee is Point Judith Lighthouse (1816), an important

John

2005-03-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

The son of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and Margaret of Flanders, John was born in the ducal castle at Rouvres, where he spent the greater part of his childhood. In 1385 he married Margaret of Bavaria, and in the following decade

Waite, Morrison Remick

2005-03-19T01:40:00.000-08:00

Seventh chief justice of the United States (1874–88), who frequently spoke for the Supreme Court in interpreting the post-Civil War constitutional amendments and in redefining governmental jurisdiction over commerce in view of the great expansion of American business. Reacting against the extreme nationalism predominant during

Kodiak Island

2005-03-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

Island, southern Alaska, U.S. It lies in the Gulf of Alaska and is separated from the Alaska Peninsula by Shelikof Strait. Kodiak Island is 100 miles (160 km) long and 10–60 miles (16–96 km) wide. It has an area of 3,588 square miles (9,293 square km). Heavily forested in the higher eastern regions and covered with grasses in lower areas, it is primarily hilly (exceeding 5,000 feet [1,500 metres] near the eastern coast). The

Catatumbo River

2005-03-18T23:57:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Catatumbo, river rising in northern Colombia. It flows northeast across the Venezuelan border, crosses rich oil-bearing regions in the Maracaibo Lowland, and empties into Lake Maracaibo after a course of about 210 miles (338 km). It is navigable in its lower course and receives Zulia River 4 miles (6 km) west of Encontrados, Venez., in the Maracaibo Lowland.

Antarctica, Plant life

2005-03-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

The cold desert climate of Antarctica supports only an impoverished community of cold-tolerant land plants that are capable of surviving lengthy winter periods of total or near-total darkness during which photosynthesis cannot take place. Growth must occur in short summer bursts lasting only a few days, a few weeks, or a month or two, depending upon such diverse

Amphibian, Food and feeding

2005-03-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

Adult amphibians consume a wide variety of foods. Earthworms are the main diet of burrowing caecilians, anurans feed primarily on insects and other arthropods, and large salamanders and some large anurans eat small vertebrates, including birds and mammals. Most anurans and salamanders locate prey by sight, although some use their sense of smell. The

Stanford University

2005-03-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Official name Leland Stanford Junior University private coeducational institution of higher learning at Stanford, Calif., U.S. The university was founded in 1885 and opened in 1891 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane (née Lathrop), and was dedicated to their deceased only child, Leland, Jr. The doors were opened in 1891 to 559 students. The university campus consists largely of Stanford's former Palo Alto farm. The buildings,

Game

2005-03-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

A universal form of recreation generally including any activity engaged in for diversion or amusement and often establishing a situation that involves a contest or rivalry. Card games are the games most commonly played by adults. Children's games include a wide variety of amusements and pastimes primarily for children. See also card game; children's game.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2005-03-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

National park, in north central Colorado, U.S., established in 1915. Enclosing part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, it is 262,191 ac (106,109 ha) in area. The park contains numerous high peaks exceeding 10,000 ft (3,000 m), including Longs Peak (14,256 ft), as well as broad valleys, gorges, alpine lakes, and plunging streams. Ice Age glacial deposition is evidenced by meadows and rolling moraines. A great variety

Thomas, D.m.

2005-03-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

Thomas served in the British army and then studied at the University of Oxford (B.A., 1958; M.A., 1961). He made his initial reputation as a poet whose subjects range from eroticism to science fiction to his native Cornwall; his later collections,

Igneous Rock, Classification of plutonic rocks

2005-03-15T03:32:00.000-08:00

A plutonic rock may be classified mineralogically based on the actual proportion of the various minerals of which it is composed (called the mode). In any classification scheme, boundaries between classes are set arbitrarily; however, if the boundaries can be placed closest to natural divisions or gaps between classes, they will seem less random and subjective,

Ecosphere

2005-03-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

The sum of the Earth's ecological systems (ecosystems), all living organisms interacting with the physical environment. It is almost equivalent to the term biosphere (q.v.), with the further implication of a conscious ecological management of the Earth's resources.

Probate

2005-03-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American law, the judicial proceedings by which it is determined whether or not a paper purporting to be the last will of a deceased person is the legally valid last will. What appears to be a valid will may not be so: it may have been forged, not executed in the way required by law, signed by the testator while mentally incompetent or under duress, or subsequently

Eiseley, Loren (corey)

2005-03-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

Eiseley was educated at the University of Nebraska (B.A., 1933) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1935; Ph.D., 1937) and began his academic career at the University of Kansas (1937–44) and Oberlin College (1944–47). In his long association with the University

Computers, The graphical user interface

2005-03-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

In 1982 Apple introduced its Lisa computer, a much more powerful computer with many innovations. The Lisa used a more advanced microprocessor, the Motorola 68000. It also had a different way of interacting with the user, called a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI replaced the typed command lines common on previous computers with graphical icons on the screen that invoked

Morgan City

2005-03-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Port on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, in St. Mary parish, southeastern Louisiana, U.S. It lies along Berwick Bay (bridged to Berwick) of the Atchafalaya River (there widened into Six Mile Lake), about 30 miles (50 km) west of Houma. Founded in 1850, it was incorporated (1860) as Brashear City but was renamed in 1876 for Charles Morgan, then president of the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western

Asbury, Francis

2005-03-12T02:23:00.000-08:00

After limited schooling Asbury was licensed as a local preacher, and at the age of 21 he was admitted to the Wesleyan Conference. For four years

Norfolk Island Pine

2005-03-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

The wood of large trees is used in construction, furniture,

Byrds, The

2005-03-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

American band of the 1960s who popularized folk rock, particularly the songs of Bob Dylan, and whose changes in personnel created an extensive family tree of major country rock bands and pop supergroups. The principal members were Roger McGuinn (original name James Joseph McGuinn III; b. July 13, 1942, Chicago, Ill., U.S.), Gene Clark (in full Harold Eugene Clark; b. Nov. 17, 1941, Tipton, Mo.—d. May 24, 1991, Sherman

Gabelich, Gary

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

Gabelich began racing hot-rod cars while he was in high school. In the late 1950s he competed as a drag racer of both automobiles and boats. In 1969 he set a drag-boat record of 200.44 miles per hour (322.38 km/h). He achieved his 1970 one-mile land-speed record

China, Population growth

2005-03-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

Historical records show that, as long ago as 800 BC, in the early years of the Chou dynasty, China was already inhabited by about 13,700,000 people. Until the last years of the Hsi (Western) Han dynasty, about AD 2, comparatively accurate and complete registers of population were kept, and the total population in that year was given as 59,600,000. This first Chinese census was intended mainly as a preparatory

National Women's Hall Of Fame

2005-03-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

Not-for-profit educational institution founded in 1969 to honour the accomplishments of outstanding American women. The Hall of Fame is located in Seneca Falls, New York, the site of the first Women's Rights Convention, in 1848. It contains information and exhibits about each of its inductees and also sponsors traveling exhibits, poster and essay contests, and other educational

Agribusiness

2005-03-09T03:02:00.000-08:00

In highly industrialized countries, many activities essential to agriculture are carried on separately from the farm. These include the development and production of

Wakayama

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

City, Wakayama ken (prefecture), south-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated at the mouth of the Kino River, on the Kii Peninsula, and lies along the Kii Strait, which leads from the Pacific Ocean into the Inland Sea. It is the capital and largest city of Wakayama prefecture. The settlement's growth began in 1585 with the construction of a castle there by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Wakayama

Lockout

2005-03-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

In the United States, lockouts became a common

Kuala Lipis

2005-03-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Town, central West Malaysia (Malaya), situated along the Jelai River. It is a commercial centre for nearby villages and the riverine Aboriginals who inhabit the dense jungle to the north. Some of its residents live on the slopes of the surrounding hills, while many Malay families cluster in communities of raft huts along the river. The terminus of the central Malayan

Turgay Valley

2005-03-06T04:06:00.000-08:00

Kazak Torghay depression in western Kazakstan. Some 12–125 miles (20–200 km) wide, it runs roughly north-south for about 375 miles (600 km) through the middle of the Torghay Plateau. It was formed by a caving-in of the ancient foundation, and in the Ice Age, water flowed along it from the West Siberian Plain to the Turan Plain. Today it contains a chain of fresh and saline lakes, with the Ubagan River flowing north

Inland Sea

2005-03-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

Japanese Seto-naikai, the body of water lying between the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It is composed of five distinct basins linked together by channels. Its east-west length is about 270 miles (440 km), and its waters are easily navigable. The sea has an irregular coastline and is dotted with hundreds of small islands, the largest of which is Awaji Island in the east. Entrance to

Ashbourne

2005-03-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Derbyshire Dales district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England. Ashbourne is a centre for the surrounding agricultural districts and for tourists visiting nearby Dovedale and the Manyfold Valley. Its buildings include the Church of St. Oswald, dating from 1241 and possessing an octagonal spire (212 feet [65 metres]). The oldest of the famous

Cartilage

2005-03-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Dense connective tissue forming the skeleton of mammalian embryos before bone formation begins and persisting in parts of the human skeleton into adulthood. Cartilage is the only component of the skeletons of certain primitive vertebrates, including lampreys and sharks. It is composed of a dense network of collagen fibres embedded in a firm, gelatinous ground

Wigeon

2005-03-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Widgeon, any of four species of dabbling ducks (family Anatidae), popular game birds and excellent table fare. The European wigeon (Anas, or Mareca, penelope) ranges across the Palaearctic and is occasionally found in the Nearctic regions. The American wigeon, or baldpate (A. americana), breeds in northwestern North America and winters along the U.S., Mexican, Central American, and

Jackfruit

2005-03-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

(species Artocarpus heterophyllus), tree native to tropical Asia and widely grown throughout the wetland tropics for its large fruits and durable wood. Like its relative the breadfruit, it belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is 15 to 20 m (50 to 70 feet) tall at maturity, has large stiff, glossy green leaves 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) long, and fruit up to 60 cm (about 2 feet) long

Uthai Thani

2005-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Town and changwat (province) in the Northern region of Thailand, west of the Mae Nam (river) Chao Phraya. The provincial capital, Uthai Thani, is a market town in the eastern lowland part of the province. The province (area 2,598 sq mi [6,730 sq km]) includes a fertile lowland in the east and the Prathet Thai highlands in the west. Somewhat isolated from the country's main transportation

Sea Gooseberry

2005-03-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

Either of two cosmopolitan genera of invertebrate marine animals in the phylum Ctenophora: the Hormiphora and the Pleurobrachia. The genera, widely distributed in all the oceans, are represented by 90 species. Sea gooseberries are wholly planktonic in their life cycle, lacking any sessile (attached) stages. They feed on other small planktonic animals such as arrow

Switzerland

2005-03-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

With its economy in good shape and a substantial budget surplus expected, Switzerland sailed through the year 2000. The nation's exports, particularly pharmaceuticals and watches, benefited from the strong dollar. While strains were experienced in some industrial sectors, average unemployment remained under 3%. Despite a sharp rise in fuel prices, long lines at filling

Pendant

2005-03-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore pendants that were sometimes of huge dimensions,

Malagasy Languages

2005-03-01T02:06:00.000-08:00

A cluster of languages spoken on Madagascar and adjacent islands and belonging to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family of languages. The various Malagasy dialects are all closely related, having diversified only in the last 2,000 years when Madagascar was settled by an Indonesian people. The languages contain some words of Bantu, Swahili, Arab, English, and French

North America, 30 to 2.5 million years ago

2005-02-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

About 30 million years ago North America began to override the East Pacific Rise, an oceanic spreading ridge. This activity placed a progressively longer segment of the coast in contact with the plate west of the ridge. The western plate—which contains the Pacific Coast Ranges of California—has been moving to the northwest relative to North America along the San Andreas

Henrietta Anne Of England

2005-02-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

The youngest child of England's King Charles I (beheaded 1649), she was reared as an exile by her mother, Henrietta Maria, in Paris. Her brother Charles II was restored to the English throne in 1660, and on March 30, 1661, Henrietta was

Ilam

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

The surrounding region is a continuation of the valley of Mesopotamia

Doyle, Richard

2005-02-27T05:01:00.000-08:00

A student of his father, Doyle regularly contributed (from 1843) decorations, theatre sketches, and political caricatures to Punch. The cover

Feme Sole

2005-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American common law, a woman in the unmarried state or in the legally established equivalent of that state. The concept derived from feudal Norman custom and was prevalent through periods when marriage abridged women's rights. Feme sole (Norman French meaning “single woman”) referred to a woman who had never been married or who was divorced or widowed or to

Tool And Die Making

2005-02-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

The fabrication of pressworking dies constitutes the major part of the work done in tool and die shops. Most pressworking dies are utilized in the fabrication of sheet-metal parts that range in size from the finger stop on a dial

Narni

2005-02-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Latin Narnia, town, Terni provincia, Umbria regione, central Italy, situated on a hilltop above the Nera River. It originated as the Umbrian Nequinum (later Narnia, after the Roman conquest) and was the birthplace of Pope John XIII (10th century), the Roman emperor Nerva (1st century), and the condottiere Erasmo da Narni (15th century). The town's ruined castle dates from the 14th century; the Palazzo

Biblical Literature, Amos

2005-02-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

The Book of Amos, the third of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets, has been one of the most significant and influential books of the Bible from the time it was written (8th century BCE) down to the 20th century. Comprising only nine chapters of oracles, it was composed during the age of Jeroboam II, king of Israel from 786 to 746 BCE. His reign was marked by great economic prosperity, but the rich were

Vadstena Bracteate

2005-02-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

Gold coin-like ornament with runic inscriptions and rich designs, discovered in Östergötland, Swed., probably dating from the 5th century. A 24-character futhark (runic alphabet), arranged in three groups of eight symbols, is engraved on it, followed by eight characters, tuwa tuwa, of unknown, perhaps magical, significance. The bracteate is the oldest and best record of the

Wynn, Ed

2005-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Usually about 18 metres (60 feet) tall but occasionally reaching 40 m, the tree has ovate, dark-green, sharp-pointed leaves about 10 centimetres long. The bark, brown at first, whitens and peels into paper-thin layers, marked by narrow horizontal pores, or lenticels. On the copper-coloured

Affidavit

2005-02-23T01:57:00.000-08:00

A written statement of fact made voluntarily, confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it, and signed before a notary or other officer empowered to administer such oaths. Affidavits generally name the place of execution and certify that the person making it states certain facts and appeared before the officer on a certain date and “subscribed and

Hyesan

2005-02-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

City, northern North Korea. As a frontier city lying on the upper stream of the Yalu River (Amnok-kang), it was a fortress during the Yi dynasty (1392–1910), under the name of Hyesanjin. In winter it is one of the coldest places in Korea; a temperature of -44° F (-42° C) was recorded in 1915. It is the starting point of water transportation on the Yalu. Logs from the nearby Paektu Mountain area, which contains

Wabash

2005-02-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1835) of Wabash county, northeastern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 45 miles (72 km) west-southwest of Fort Wayne. It was settled in 1835 on land ceded to the U.S. government by the Potawatomi Indian chief Pierish in the Treaty of Paradise Springs signed on a local hilltop in 1826. Completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1850s stimulated the community's growth. Wabash was one of the

Macbeth

2005-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

King of Scots from 1040, the legend of whose life was the basis of Shakespeare's Macbeth. He was probably a grandson of King Kenneth II (reigned 971–995), and he married Gruoch, a descendant of King Kenneth III (reigned 997–1005). About 1031 Macbeth succeeded his father, Findlaech (Sinel in Shakespeare), as mormaer, or chief, in the province

Land League

2005-02-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Irish agrarian organization that worked for the reform of the country's landlord system under British rule. The league was founded in October 1879 by Michael Davitt, the son of an evicted tenant farmer and a member of the Fenian (Irish Republican) Brotherhood. Davitt asked Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Home Rule Party in the British Parliament, to preside

Islam

2005-02-21T02:48:00.000-08:00

The third pillar is the obligatory tax called zakat (“purification,” indicating that such a payment makes the rest of one's wealth religiously and legally pure). This is the only permanent tax levied by the Qur'an and is payable annually on food grains, cattle, and cash after one year's possession. The amount varies for different categories. Thus, on grains and fruits it is 10 percent

Adamsite

2005-02-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

In chemical warfare, sneeze gas developed by the United States and used during World War I. Adamsite is an arsenical diphenylaminechlorarsine and an odourless crystalline organic compound employed in vaporous form as a lung irritant. It appears as a yellow smoke that irritates eyes, lungs, and mucous membranes and causes sneezing, vomiting, and acute discomfort

Vanadic Anhydride

2005-02-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

Vanadium pentoxide, a compound of vanadium and oxygen widely used as an oxidation catalyst, as in the oxidation of unburned hydrocarbons in automobile exhaust (see vanadium).

Udhampur

2005-02-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir state, situated at an elevation of 2,500 feet (760 m). It is named for Udham Singh, eldest son of Gulab Singh, the founder and ruler of the Jammu and Kashmir state. Situated on the Pathankot-Uri national highway connecting Srinagar via Udhampur to the rest of India, Udhampur town is an important military cantonment in northern India. Krimchi,

Southampton, William Fitzwilliam, Earl Of

2005-02-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

A son of Sir William Fitzwilliam of Aldwarke, near Rotherham, Fitzwilliam was a companion in boyhood of Henry VIII and was knighted for his services at the siege of Tournai in 1513. Later he was treasurer of Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey's household and was sent several times to France

Congo

2005-02-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Congo's many ethnic groups and regions have developed a mosaic of traditional arts, including painting, sculpture, music, and dance. There has been a tendency to classify sculpture and carving according to the styles of the areas from which they originate. The South-West Group is represented by the Kongo people and is known for stone and nail-studded statues; the Yaka,

D'urfey, Thomas

2005-02-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

Patronized by King Charles II, whom he entertained as a jester

Shellfish

2005-02-18T02:09:00.000-08:00

Bivalve mollusks, including oysters, mussels, scallops, and clams, rank among the most commercially

B-24

2005-02-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

The

Brühl, Heinrich, Graf Von (count Of)

2005-02-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

Rising rapidly under Augustus II the Strong,

Eight Masters Of Nanjing

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

Pinyin Jinling Bajia , Wade-Giles romanization Chin-ling Pa-chia group of Chinese artists who lived and worked during the late 17th century in Nanjing (known as Jinling during the early Tang dynasty, c. 7th century). Although their group identity derives largely from the locale in which they worked, certain aesthetic similarities are discernible: their paintings, usually landscapes, are often uneven in quality and

Ritual, The history of religions approach

2005-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

A third approach to the study of ritual is centred on the studies of historians of religion. The distinction between this approach and the first two is that though many historians of religions agree with functionalists that the origin-evolutionary theories are useless as hypotheses, they also reject functionalism as an adequate explanation of ritual. Most historians

Ramiro Ii

2005-02-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

King of Leon and Asturias in Christian Spain from 931 to 951. The second son of King Ordoño II, he became king on the abdication of his elder brother, Alfonso IV. Ramiro was an exceptional general who scored several major victories (e.g., the Battle of Simancas, 939) over the caliphate of Córdoba in Muslim Spain. In 944 he negotiated a five-year truce with the caliph 'Abd

Cyril Of Alexandria, Saint

2005-02-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

He succeeded his uncle Theophilus

Eymeric, Nicholas

2005-02-14T03:20:00.000-08:00

After joining the Dominican Order in 1334, Eymeric wrote on theology and philosophy. Appointed grand inquisitor about 1357, he performed his duties zealously and made so many enemies that he was removed from office in 1360. He continued to teach and write

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

De doctrina christiana (books 1–3 396/397, book 4 426; Christian Doctrine) was begun in the first years of Augustine's episcopacy but finished 30 years later. This imitation of Cicero's Orator for Christian purposes sets out a theory of the interpretation of scripture and offers practical guidance to the would-be preacher. It was widely influential in the Middle Ages as an educational

Alaska

2005-02-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

Clarence C. Hulley, Alaska: Past and Present, 3rd ed. (1970, reprinted 1981), provides a general history from the Russian days to the 1960s. William R. Hunt, Alaska: A Bicentennial History (1976), is another overview. Claus-M. Naske and Herman E. Slotnick, Alaska: A History of the 49th State, 2nd ed. (1987), includes chapters on native land claims, conservation, and the oil boom. Current research is reported in Alaska History (semiannual).

Ryder, Albert Pinkham

2005-02-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

About 1870 Ryder settled permanently in New York City, where he briefly studied painting. His formal training, however, did little to affect his early work, consisting largely of naive and idyllic landscapes. He made several short trips

Arts, Islamic, Early period: the Umayyad and 'Abbasid dynasties

2005-02-11T17:23:00.000-08:00

Of all the recognizable periods of Islamic art, this is by far the most difficult one to explain properly, even though it is quite well documented. There are two reasons for this difficulty. On the one hand, it was a formative period, a time when new forms were created that identify the aesthetic and practical ideals of the new culture. Such periods are difficult to define

Biblical Literature, Form and content of John

2005-02-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

In John there is a mixture of long meditational discourses on definite themes and concrete events recalling the structure of Matthew (with events plus discourses); and, although the source problem is complex and research is still grappling with it, there can be little doubt that John depended on a distinct source for his seven miracles (the sign [or semeia] source): (1) turning

Rab

2005-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Italian Arbe, island in the Adriatic Sea forming the northernmost part of Dalmatia in Croatia. With an area of 35 sq mi (91 sq km), it reaches a maximum altitude of 1,339 ft (408 m) at Mt. Kamenjak and comprises three ridges of limestone. Over 300 freshwater springs provide a valuable water supply to the population of the island—which, in contrast to most of the Adriatic islands, is increasing, in part because

Lignin

2005-02-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Complex oxygen-containing organic substance that, with cellulose, forms the chief constituent of wood. It is second only to cellulose as the most abundant organic material on Earth, though it has found relatively few industrial uses other than as a fuel. It is a mixture of complex, apparently polymeric compounds of poorly known structure. Lignin is concentrated

Bristol Bay

2005-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Arm of the Bering Sea, indenting for 200 mi (320 km) the southwest coast of Alaska, U.S.; its mouth extends for 270 mi between Cape Newenham (north) and the southwest end of the Alaska Peninsula (south). Its shoreline includes the individually named bays at the mouths of the Togiak, Nushagak, Kvichak, and Ugashik rivers. The shallowness of Bristol Bay limits navigation to small salmon-fishing