GoodArmy

Frank, Jacob

2005-04-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Frank often traveled in the Balkans and there met followers of Shabbetai. An uneducated visionary,

Mercury Poisoning

2005-04-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

Harmful effects of various mercury compounds on body tissues and functions. Certain modern industrial and biological processes concentrate mercury compounds to dangerous levels. Mercury is used on a substantial scale in numerous industries, such as the manufacture of chemicals, paints and various household items, pesticides, and fungicides. In addition to

Arts, Islamic, Architectural decoration

2005-04-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Early Islamic architecture is most original in its decoration. Mosaics and wall paintings followed the practices of antiquity and were primarily employed in Syria, Palestine, and Spain. Stone sculpture existed, but stucco sculpture, first limited to Iran, spread rapidly throughout the early Islamic world. Not only were stone or brick walls covered with large panels

Iceland, The status of women

2005-04-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Outwardly the feminist movement may seem uniquely strong in Iceland. A woman, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, served as president of the republic for four terms (1980–96), enjoying great popularity. A Women's Alliance has been represented in the parliament since 1983. However, the Icelandic president typically is not influential in politics, and the Women's Alliance has yet to participate

Coin, Switzerland

2005-04-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

The coinage of Switzerland illustrates its varying fortunes. First there was the gold money of the Merovingian kings, among whose mints were Basel, Lausanne, St. Maurice-en-Valais, and Sitten (Sion). The silver deniers that Charlemagne made the coinage of the empire were issued by fewer mints. The dukes of Swabia began to strike at Zürich in the 10th century, and the empire

Mahasanghika

2005-04-01T23:37:00.000-08:00

Its emergence about a century after the death of the Buddha (483 BC) represented the first major schism in the Buddhist community. Although traditional accounts of the second council, at Vaisali (now in Bihar state), attribute

Tare

2005-03-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

Also called Darnel, noxious weed of the ryegrass (q.v.) genus Lolium.

Manchester Ship Canal

2005-03-31T04:04:00.000-08:00

Waterway opened in 1894 linking Eastham, Merseyside, Eng., to the city of Manchester. The canal made Manchester accessible to large oceangoing vessels. It is 36 miles (58 km) long, 45–80 feet (14–24 m) wide, and varies in depth from 28 to 30 feet (about 9 m); it has five locks.

Ansett Transport Industries Limited

2005-03-30T01:43:00.000-08:00

Ansett (Sir Reginald since 1969) began in 1931 with a motorcar passenger service in the Western District of the state of Victoria. In 1936 he founded the airline company for service between Melbourne and Hamilton. After World War II the company began new interstate

Lancet Window

2005-03-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Narrow, high window capped by a lancet, or acute, arch. The lancet arch is a variety of pointed arch in which each of the arcs, or curves, of the arch have a radius longer than the width of the arch. It takes its name from being shaped like the tip of a lance. The lancet window is one of the typical features of the Early English (13th century) period in Gothic architecture.

Man Ray

2005-03-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

The son of an artist and photographer, he grew up in New York City, where he studied architecture, engineering, and art, and became a painter. As early as 1911, he took up the pseudonym of Man

Alabama Platform

2005-03-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, Southern political leader William L. Yancey's response (1848) to the antislavery Wilmot Proviso (q.v.). The Alabama platform insisted that the U.S. government protect slavery in territories ceded to the United States by Mexico and that no territorial legislature be allowed to prohibit slavery. The Democratic Party declined to adopt Yancey's platform at the

Bendigo

2005-03-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

Founded as a sheep run in 1840, the city's official name was Sandhurst until 1891, when it was formally changed to honour a local prizefighter who compared his own prowess to that of the English pugilist known as Bendigo. An important gold discovery on Bendigo

Indigestion

2005-03-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

Also called dyspepsia any or all of the symptoms—abdominal discomfort, belching, flatulence, aversion to eating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn—associated with the malfunctioning of the digestive system. Indigestion may be caused by disease, but it primarily occurs because of stress, improper eating habits, excessive smoking, exorbitant consumption of coffee or

Caudata, Bones and cartilage

2005-03-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

The rather weak skull of adults is composed of various paired and unpaired bones. These bones may fuse or be lost in different groups, and their presence and arrangement are important in classification. Much of the fusion and loss of skull bones is associated with a trend toward tongue feeding. Small, double-cusped teeth line the margins of the jaw and spread over parts

Mola Di Bari

2005-03-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Town, Bari provincia, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southern Italy. In the European Middle Ages it was an embarkation point for the crusaders, and it has a 13th-century cathedral of Renaissance reconstruction. A fishing port and bathing resort, the modern town has tanneries and soap and button factories. Pop. (1989 est.) mun., 26,942.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

2005-03-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Archaeological site in northwestern New Mexico, U.S., on the Animas River, just north of the city of Aztec. The national monument was established in 1923 and has an area of 0.5 square mile (1.3 square km). The site, mistakenly called Aztec by early white settlers, actually contains the excavated ruins of a 12th-century Pueblo Indian town built of masonry and timber. Many Indian artifacts

Ram Allah

2005-03-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

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

Wesak

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

Also spelled Vesak, Sanskrit Vaishakha, Pali Vesakha most important of the Theravada Buddhist festivals, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. The event is observed on the full-moon day of the lunar month Vesakha, which falls in April or May. The day is observed as a public holiday in many Southeast Asian countries. It is marked by special devotional services and various deeds intended to be

Kabwe

2005-03-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

Formerly Broken Hill, town, central Zambia. It is an important transportation and mining centre north of Lusaka on the Great North Road, at an elevation of 3,879 feet (1,182 m). The Rhodesian Broken Hill Development Company (formed 1903) was instrumental in opening the region to foreign mining interests. After the mine was sunk for extraction of the high-grade zinc, vanadium, and lead ores, the first railway

Bondi, Sir Hermann

2005-03-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Bondi received his M.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge. During World War II he worked in the British Admiralty (1942–45). He then taught mathematics at Cambridge (1945–54) and at King's College, London (1954–85; emeritus 1985); he served as master of Churchill

France, History Of, Foreign policy

2005-03-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, some important successes were being scored in the field of foreign policy. For two decades after 1871 France had remained diplomatically isolated in Europe. Bismarck, to ward off potential ideas of revenge in France, had shrewdly encouraged French governments to embark on colonial conquest overseas and had negotiated alliances with all those European

Classical Scholarship, Late 19th-century developments in German scholarship

2005-03-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

Germany made so vast a contribution to 19th-century classical scholarship that it would be impossible to name all of the eminent scholars of the period. But from a time rather earlier than the establishment of the German Empire (1871), signs of decline might be observed; the new methods had begun to harden into orthodoxy, mechanically applied by a mass of inferior practitioners.

Akselrod, Pavel Borisovich

2005-03-20T02:34:00.000-08:00

Akselrod participated in the Narodnik (populist) movement during the 1870s and formed the revolutionary

Uttlesford

2005-03-19T07:19:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Essex, England. It occupies the northwestern corner of the county, where it borders Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. A low ridge of chalk hills runs from southwest to northeast through a rolling countryside. The district is largely rural. The main town is Saffron Walden; there are also many smaller old parishes, such

Aquamarine

2005-03-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Pale greenish blue or bluish green variety of beryl (q.v.) that is valued as a gemstone. The most common variety of gem beryl, it occurs in pegmatite, in which it forms much larger and clearer crystals than emerald (one completely transparent crystal from Brazil weighed 110 kg [243 pounds]). It can also be found in mica schists. Aquamarine occurs in Brazil, which is the chief source;

Aschelminth, Adaptations

2005-03-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

The ability of some nematodes and rotifers to survive drying or freezing conditions in a state of suspended animation, i.e., cryptobiosis or anabiosis, has enabled them to inhabit the driest deserts and the coldest polar regions, as long as free water occurs occasionally and for long enough periods of time for them to reproduce. This ability also allows both groups

Basanite

2005-03-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

In basanites and tephrites, the plagioclase occurs as large, single crystals (phenocrysts). The feldspathoid (nepheline)

Adams, Roger

2005-03-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

Receiving

Asteridae

2005-03-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

The Asteridae, one of the six subclasses in the class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons), consists of 11 orders, 49 families, and nearly 60,000 species. About one-third of the species of Asteridae belong to the family Asteraceae (of the order Asterales), which is the largest family of dicotyledons and one of the two largest

West Covina

2005-03-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, California, U.S. It lies at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley and is about 20 miles (32 km) east of the city centre of Los Angeles. Settled in 1905, it began as an agricultural community surrounded by citrus and walnut groves. After World War II it experienced rapid growth with the urbanization of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. West Covina consists

Honduras, Gulf Of

2005-03-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Bay Of Honduras, wide inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. It extends from Dangriga (formerly Stann Creek), Belize, southeastward to La Ceiba, Honduras, a straight-line distance between the two localities of about 115 miles (185 km). The gulf receives many rivers, including the Ulúa and the Motagua, and it contains the reefs known as the Pelican Cays

Aurora

2005-03-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Auroras are caused by the interaction of energetic particles (electrons and protons) from outside the atmosphere

Antarctica

2005-03-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

The 40 Antarctic Treaty nations met in Italy in November

Danewirk

2005-03-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Danewerk, Dannewirk , or Dannewerk , Danish Dannevirke , or Danevirke (Danes' Bulwark) the ancient frontier rampart of the Danes against the Germans, extending 10.5 miles (17 kilometres) from just south of the town of Schleswig to the marshes of the river Trene near the village of Hollingstedt. The rampart was begun about AD 808 by Godfred (Gudfred), king of Vestfold. In 934 it was penetrated by the German king Henry I, after which it was extended by King Harald I Bluetooth

Ausonius, Decimus Magnus

2005-03-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ausonius taught in the famous schools of Burdigala (now Bordeaux, Fr.), first as a grammarian and then as a rhetorician, so successfully that Valentinian I called him to Trier to tutor Gratian, who, on his

Behring, Emil Von

2005-03-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

Behring received his medical degree in 1878 from the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Institut,

Mu'allaqat, Al-

2005-03-12T03:45:00.000-08:00

Taken together, the poems of the Mu'allaqat provide an excellent picture

Presidency Of The United States Of America, King Caucus

2005-03-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

While popular voting was transforming the electoral college system, there were also dramatic shifts in the method for nominating presidential candidates. There being no consensus on a successor to Washington upon his retirement after two terms as president, the newly formed political parties quickly asserted control over the process. Beginning in 1796, caucuses of the parties' congressional delegations met informally to nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates, leaving the general public with no direct input. The subsequent demise in the 1810s of the Federalist Party, which failed even to nominate a presidential candidate in 1820, made nomination by the Democratic-Republican caucus tantamount to election as president. This early nomination system—dubbed “King Caucus” by its critics—evoked widespread resentment, even from some members of the Democratic-Republican caucus. By 1824 it had fallen into such disrepute that only one-fourth of the Democratic-Republican congressional delegation took part in the caucus that nominated Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford instead of more popular figures such as John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Jackson, Adams, and Henry Clay eventually joined Crawford in contesting the subsequent presidential election, in which Jackson received the most popular and electoral votes but was denied the presidency by the House of Representatives (which selected Adams) after he failed to win the required majority in the electoral college. Jackson, who was particularly enraged following Adams's appointment of Clay as secretary of state, called unsuccessfully for the abolition of the electoral college, but he would get his revenge by defeating Adams in the presidential election of 1828.

Qadarif, Al-

2005-03-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled El-gedaref, town, east-central Sudan. It is situated about 120 miles (200 km) southwest of Kassala town. Located at an elevation of 1,975 feet (608 m), it is a commercial centre for the cotton, cereals, sesame seeds, and fodder produced in the surrounding area. The Gash Irrigation Project is located to the northwest of al-Qadarif. Light industries include cotton ginning and spinning mills and soap factories.

Artemisa

2005-03-11T03:05:00.000-08:00

City, western La Habana provincia, western Cuba, situated east of the Sierra del Rosario. Artemisa is a key commercial and processing centre of the region. Sugarcane, tobacco, and pineapples and other fruits are its major agricultural products. Liquor and soap are made in the city, and sugar refineries are nearby. Artemisa lies on the main highway and main railroad line

Horse, Arabian

2005-03-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Its long history is obscured by legend, but the Arabian breed, prized for its stamina, intelligence, and character, is known to have been developed in Arabia by the 7th century AD. It is a compact horse with a small head, protruding eyes, wide nostrils, marked withers, and a short back. It usually has only 23 vertebrae, while 24 is the usual number for other breeds. Its legs are strong

Wagner, (wilhelm) Richard

2005-03-09T02:42:00.000-08:00

German dramatic composer and theorist whose operas and music had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music, either by extension of his discoveries or reaction against them. Among his major works are The Flying Dutchman (1843), Tannhäuser (1845), Lohengrin (1850), Tristan und Isolde (1865), Parsifal (1882), and his great tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung (1869–76).

Pyrrole

2005-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of organic compounds of the heterocyclic series characterized by a ring structure composed of four carbon atoms and one nitrogen atom. The simplest member of the pyrrole family is pyrrole itself, a compound with molecular formula C4H5N. The pyrrole ring system is present in the amino acids proline and hydroxyproline; and in coloured natural products,

Tigris-euphrates River System, Physiography of the Euphrates

2005-03-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

The headwaters of the Euphrates are the Murat and the Karasu rivers in the Armenian Highland of northeastern Turkey. Considerably altered in the 20th century by water-control projects, they join to form the Euphrates at Keban, near Elazig, where the Keban Dam, completed in 1974, spans a deep gorge. The river breaks through the Taurus Mountains and descends to the high plain of

Západoceský

2005-03-08T01:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Západní Cechy , English Western Bohemia kraj (region), western Czech Republic. It is bordered by Germany on the north and west and by Severoceský, Stredoceský, and Jihoceský kraje on the east. It is surrounded by mountains on its external boundaries and contains a series of hilly ranges running southwest to northeast. The region's only lowland areas are the valleys of the Berounka River and its several tributaries

Toprakkala

2005-03-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Topraq-qal'ah, or Toprak Kale, site of a Khwarezmian walled city near modern Dashhowuz in Uzbekistan. The city was inhabited from about the 1st century BC until the 6th century AD, a period during which Khwarezm was an independent feudal state. A palace at Toprakkala, which may have been the capital of that state, contained lifelike paintings and sculptures executed in a style reflecting the influence

Levinson, Salmon Oliver

2005-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

Levinson practiced law in Chicago from 1891 and became noted for his skill in reorganizing the finances of distressed corporations. In an article in the New Republic, March 9, 1918, he argued that violence by nation-states should be declared illegal.

Ubico (castañeda), Jorge

2005-03-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

Ubico received a commission in the Guatemalan army in 1897, distinguished himself in several campaigns, and rose to the rank of colonel. In 1907 he was appointed governor of Alta Verapaz and in 1911 governor of Retalhuleu, where he served with efficiency and honesty. In the following

Armstrong

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

County, west-central Pennsylvania, U.S., bounded to the north by the Allegheny River and Redbank Creek and to the south by the Kiskiminetas River. It consists of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau, through which the Allegheny River has cut a deep valley roughly north-south in the western part of the county. Other waterways include Mahoning, Buffalo, and Crooked creeks,

Tlalnepantla

2005-03-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

In full Tlalnepantla De Comonfort, city, northeastern México state, central Mexico. At an altitude of 7,474 ft (2,278 m) above sea level on the Río Tlalnepantla, it was founded by the Otomi Indians and conquered by the Aztecs; archaeological remains have been found on the site, and two Aztec pyramids are nearby. The city's church was begun in 1583. Originally an agricultural and livestock-raising centre, Tlalnepantla has

Aerarium

2005-03-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

Treasury of ancient Rome, housed in the Temple of Saturn and the adjacent tabularium (record office) in the Forum. Under the republic (c. 509–27 BC) it was managed by two finance magistrates, the urban quaestors, and controlled by the Senate. In theory all revenues were paid into the aerarium, and all public payments were made from it. In practice, money was moved from the provinces

Araliaceae

2005-03-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

The ginseng family of flowering plants, in the order Apiales, comprising approximately 700 species centred in Southeast Asia and tropical America. Most members are shrubs or trees, though there are a number of climbers and a few herbs. The family has large, usually alternate, compound leaves, five-parted flowers arranged in compound umbels (flat-topped clusters), and a

Memory Abnormality, Traumatic amnesia

2005-03-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

On recovery of consciousness after trauma, a person who has been knocked out by a blow on the head at first typically is dazed, confused, and imperfectly aware of his whereabouts and circumstances. This so-called posttraumatic confusional state may last for an hour or so up to several days or even weeks. While in this condition, the individual appears unable to store

Redgrave, Vanessa

2005-03-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Called “the greatest actress of our time” by the playwright Tennessee Williams, Vanessa Redgrave came from a legendary theatrical family. Her father, Sir Michael Redgrave, was one of Britain's most popular and respected actors, and her mother, Rachel Kempson, was a noted stage

Albano, Lake

2005-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Italian Lago Albano, crater lake in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), southeast of Rome. Elliptical in shape, formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters, it lies 961 feet (293 m) above sea level and has an area of 2 square miles (5 square km) and a maximum depth of 558 feet (170 m). It is fed by underground sources and drained by an artificial outlet, reputedly built in 398–397 BC because the oracle at Delphi said that the

Aurelian Wall

2005-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

It was originally constructed of tufa concrete, with a facing of triangular

Insurance, FPA clause

2005-03-01T01:53:00.000-08:00

The FPA, or “free of particular average,” clause excludes from coverage partial losses to the cargo or to the hull except those resulting from stranding, sinking, burning, or collision. Under its provisions, losses below a given percentage of value, say 10 percent, are excluded. In this way the insurer does not pay for relatively small losses to cargo. The percentage deductible

Puerto Princesa

2005-03-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

City, east-central Palawan, Philippines. It is an important port on a sheltered inlet of the Sulu Sea, south of Honda Bay, and it has an airport. The city was formerly called Cuyo. The site of a penal colony during the Spanish regime, Puerto Princesa has become one of several resettlement sites on the island for migrants from Luzon and the western Visayan region. Copra, lumber,

Antarctica, National rivalries and claims

2005-02-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

The early discoveries led to a few controversies not only for territorial claims but also in geographic nomenclature. The struggle for national influence was especially acute in the slender peninsular landmass south of Scotia Sea that became known as O'Higgins Land (Tierra O'Higgins) to Chileans and San Martin Land (Tierra San Martín) to Argentines, named for national

Bondfield, Margaret (grace)

2005-02-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

Bondfield had little schooling. Starting as a draper's assistant at 14, she found conditions miserable and joined the National Union of Shop Assistants at its formation. In 1899 she was the only woman delegate to the Trades Union Congress, and

Renkum

2005-02-27T03:23:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Gelderland provincie, central Netherlands. Renkum is situated on the Lower Rhine (Neder Rijn) River, immediately west of Arnhem, and comprises the communities of Oosterbeek (the local government centre), Renkum, Doorwerth, Heelsum, and Wolfheze. The locality was especially associated with the Battle of Arnhem in World War II; on the Oosterbeek village

Macadamia

2005-02-27T01:19:00.000-08:00

Macadamias originated in the coastal rain forests and scrubs of what is now Queensland in northeastern Australia. The macadamias grown commercially in Hawaii and Australia are principally

Catalyst Poison

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

Substance that reduces the effectiveness of a catalyst in a chemical reaction. In theory, because catalysts are not consumed in chemical reactions, they can be used repeatedly over an indefinite period of time. In practice, however, poisons, which come from the reacting substances or products of the reaction itself, accumulate on the surface of solid catalysts and

Musical Notation, Alphabetical notations

2005-02-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

Alphabets are historically a phenomenon of the Middle East, Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. Their ordering of letters provides a convenient reference system for the notes of musical scales in ascending or descending order. Alphabetical notations are among the most ancient musical scripts. Two Greek notations were of this type, the earlier using an archaic

Dome Of The Rock

2005-02-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

Arabic Qubbat as-Sakhrah shrine in Jerusalem that is the oldest extant Islamic monument. The rock over which the shrine was built is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, is traditionally believed to have ascended into heaven from the site. In Jewish tradition, it is here that Abraham, the progenitor and first patriarch of the Hebrew people, is said to have prepared

Tricellular Theory

2005-02-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

Obsolescent model of the Earth's wind systems that represents them as three parallel wind cells or belts in each hemisphere. First advanced by T. Bergeron (1928) and further developed by C.-G. Rossby, it replaced the Hadley-cell model (proposed by George Hadley in 1735): a single cell in each hemisphere with westward and Equatorward flow at low levels and eastward and poleward flow

Avignon Papacy

2005-02-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

Distressed by factionalism in Rome and pressed to come to France by Philip IV, Pope Clement V moved the papal capital to Avignon, which at that time belonged to vassals of the pope. In 1348 it became direct papal property.

Both, Pieter

2005-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

After sailing as an admiral in the Indies (1599–1601), he was sent in November 1609 to govern the colony, with instructions to see to it that the Netherlands had the entire monopoly of the trade with the islands and that no other nation had any share whatever. He

Smith, Red

2005-02-23T06:04:00.000-08:00

Byname of Walter Wellesley Smith American sports columnist whose literary craftsmanship, humorous and iconoclastic approach, and deep knowledge of sports made him one of the United States' most popular sportswriters. His columns were literate, and he shunned the jargon of the genre. His popularity persisted nevertheless, and his work profoundly influenced

Strassmann, Fritz

2005-02-22T04:17:00.000-08:00

Strassmann received his Ph.D. from the Technical University in Hannover in 1929. He helped develop the rubidium-strontium method of dating widely used in geochronology. Beginning in 1934 he joined

East Indiaman

2005-02-22T03:45:00.000-08:00

Large sailing vessel of the type built from the 16th to the 19th century for the trade between Europe and southern Asia. The first were Portuguese and Dutch; English Indiamen appeared late in the 16th century and eventually came to dominate the trade. The ships varied in size from about 400 to 1,500 tons and more; often they were larger than contemporary men-of-war. They were three-masted

Ubv System

2005-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

System of classifying stars by spectral type, based on photometric measurements of the ultraviolet (U), blue (B), and visual (V [yellow]) magnitudes. It was introduced in the early 1950s by the American astronomers Harold Lester Johnson and William Wilson Morgan and has largely superseded the less accurate system using the north polar sequence.

Draco

2005-02-21T02:36:00.000-08:00

The six junior archons (thesmotetai), or magistrates, are said by Aristotle to have been instituted in Athens after 683 BC to record the laws. If this is correct, Draco's code,

Forde, Francis Michael

2005-02-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Active in state politics as a young man, Forde was a member of the Australian House of Representatives (1922–46) and deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (1932–46). In the cabinet he served as minister for the army (1941–46), minister for defense (1946), and deputy prime minister

Macapagal, Diosdado

2005-02-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Philippine politician who was president of the country from 1961 until his defeat by Ferdinand Marcos in 1965; during his term Macapagal instituted land reform policies, but they were largely ineffectual (b. Sept. 28, 1910--d. April 21, 1997).

Vrjji

2005-02-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Pali Vajji confederacy of the Licchavis and neighbouring peoples in Bihar, India, that existed from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. Its capital was at Vaisali (in modern Besarh). It was governed as an aristocratic republic. Gautama Buddha is said to have modeled the organizational structure of the Buddhist monastic order, sangha, on the government of the Vrjji. In the 4th century BC the

Indo-iranian Languages

2005-02-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Group of languages constituting the easternmost major branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Indo-Aryan (Indic) languages are spoken by some 800 million persons in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other areas of the Himalayan region. In addition, languages of the Indo-Aryan group are spoken by about 5,000,000 people in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania:

Croker Island

2005-02-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Island in Northern Territory, Australia, lying 2 miles (3 km) across Bowen Strait in the Arafura Sea from Coburg Peninsula. Low and swampy, the island rises only to 50 feet (15 m). It is 30 miles (50 km) long by 4 miles (6 km) wide and has an area of 126 square miles (326 square km). Visited by Captain Phillip Parker King of the Royal Navy about 1818, the island was probably named for John Wilson Croker, then chief

Domett, Alfred

2005-02-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

Following study at Cambridge and being admitted to the bar, Domett travelled to New Zealand (1842) and, after a half-hearted attempt at farming, devoted his time to

Sickingen, Franz Von

2005-02-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

A member of the Reichsritterschaft, or class of free knights, Sickingen acquired considerable wealth and estates in the Rhineland as the result of campaigns against private individuals and against cities, including Worms (1513) and Metz

Aeg Ag

2005-02-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

The company was founded in Berlin in 1883 when the industrialist

Yugoslavia

2005-02-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

Three federations have borne the name Yugoslavia (“Land of the South Slavs”). The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Kraljevina Jugoslavija), officially proclaimed in 1929 and lasting

Catacomb

2005-02-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

Latin catacumba , Italian catacomba subterranean cemetery composed of galleries or passages with side recesses for tombs. The term, of unknown origin, seems to have been applied first to the subterranean cemetery under the Basilica of San Sebastiano (located on the Appian Way near Rome), which was reputed to have been the temporary resting place of the bodies of Saints Peter and Paul in the last half

Raymond Iv

2005-02-15T04:11:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his countship, Raymond was a pious

Antarctica, Plant and animal life

2005-02-13T23:02:00.000-08:00

Eric Hosking and Bryan Sage, Antarctic Wildlife (1982), is an authoritative discussion of the fauna of Antarctica. Biology of the Antarctic Seas (irregular), contains technical accounts of Antarctic sea life; a more popular summary is Robert C. Murphy, “The Oceanic Life of the Antarctic,” Scientific American, 207(3):186–194 (September 1962). Technical accounts of terrestrial life are in J. Linsley Gressitt (ed.), Entomology of Antarctica (1967); and S.W. Greene et al., Terrestrial Life of Antarctica (1967); a nontechnical review is provided by George A. Llano, “The Terrestrial Life of the Antarctic,” Scientific American, 207(3):212–218 (September 1962). Oliver L. Austin, Jr. (ed.), Antarctic Bird Studies (1968), is a technical publication; whereas John Sparks and Tony Soper, Penguins, 2nd ed. (1987), comprehensively but nontechnically describes the characteristic flightless birds of subantarctic and Antarctic coasts. George Gaylord Simpson, Penguins: Past and Present, Here and There (1976), is an authoritative, popularly written account of penguins and their fossil record. David G. Campbell, The Crystal Desert (1992), evocatively portrays the natural history of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands.

School Drama

2005-02-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Any play performed by students in schools and colleges throughout Europe during the Renaissance. At first these plays were written by scholars in Latin as educational works, especially in Jesuit schools, but they later were viewed as entertainment as well. The works included translations and imitations of such Latin authors as Terence and Plautus, as well as original

Philodemus

2005-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

After studying under the Epicurean Zeno of Sidon at Athens, he moved to Rome c. 75 BC and became the mentor of the Roman aristocrat Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who invited Philodemus to live in his villa at Herculaneum, near Naples. In the ruins of that villa

X-ray Source

2005-02-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

Advances in instrumentation and improved observational techniques have

France, History Of, Seeds of discord

2005-02-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

Security could not be taken for granted, however, because the Revolution progressively alienated or disappointed important elements of French society. Among the elites, opposition began almost immediately when some of the king's close relatives left the country in disgust after July 14, thus becoming the first émigrés. Each turning point in the Revolution touched

Binder

2005-02-12T03:57:00.000-08:00

Machine for cutting grain and binding it into bundles, once widely used to cut small grain such as wheat. The first patent was issued on a self-tie binder in 1850. The horse-drawn twine binder, first marketed in 1880, remained the chief method of harvesting small grain during the early decades of the 20th century. The mechanical twine knotter was patented in 1892 in the United States. Along

Arnolfo Di Cambio

2005-02-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Arnolfo studied painting under Cimabue and sculpture under Nicola Pisano. He served as assistant to Pisano in 1265–68 in the production of the pulpit for the Siena Cathedral. Arnolfo went to Rome

Switzerland, Trade and finance

2005-02-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

Switzerland must export finished products in order to pay for the imports of raw materials, oil, foodstuffs, and manufactured goods. The Swiss have traditionally been among the forerunners in liberalizing and facilitating international trade. The geographic distribution of the country's trade shows dependence on western Europe and especially on the EC countries.

Gag Rule

2005-02-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, any of a series of congressional resolutions that tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery; passed by the House of Representatives between 1836 and 1840 and repealed in 1844. Abolition petitions, signed by more than 2,000,000 persons, had inundated Congress after the establishment of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1833). Gag rules, supported by proslavery congressmen,

Lowell, Francis Cabot

2005-02-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

While visiting the British Isles (1810–12) Lowell closely studied the textile industries

Vyborg

2005-02-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1919–40) Viipuri, city, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia. The city stands at the head of Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). First settled in the 12th century, Vyborg was built as a fortress in 1293 by the Swedes after they had captured Karelia. In 1710 the fortress was captured by Peter I the Great, and Vyborg thenceforth remained

Gstaad

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

Alpine village and resort, Saanen commune, Bern canton, west-central Switzerland, lying in the valley of the Saane River. Situated on the northwest side of the Bernese Alps, the village is a summer resort (with golf and tennis tournaments) and is also a fashionable winter-sports centre. Winter events in Gstaad include an annual horse show, skijoring (a sport in which a horse

Grignard, Victor

2005-02-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

In 1898, while a student under Philippe Barbier at Lyon, Grignard began his prizewinning work with a study of the alkylzinc compounds

France, History Of, Diffusion of political power

2005-02-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

During the period of insecurity and turbulence that marked the end of the Merovingian epoch, bonds of personal dependence, present in both Roman and Germanic institutions, can be seen to compete with weakened governmental institutions. In the 7th century these bonds took one of two forms: commendation (a free man placed himself under the protection of a more powerful

Eyeglasses

2005-02-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Glasses, or Spectacles, lenses set in frames for wearing in front of the eyes to aid vision or to correct such defects of vision as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. In 1268 Roger Bacon made the earliest recorded comment on the use of lenses for optical purposes, but magnifying lenses inserted in frames were used for reading both in Europe and China at this time, and it is a matter of controversy