MaterialEarth

Shifting Attitudes In A Changing World

2005-03-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

It was once said that "almost everything in history almost never happened"--a feeling, perhaps, that many of us have had about our own lives. When we look back, we often find an awkward chain of events that escapes logic, and only by willful disregard of such complicating factors as facts will we succeed in finding anything resembling a pattern or a plan guiding us. In westernized

Arabia, An-Nafud (Great Nafud)

2005-03-21T03:47:00.000-08:00

The second largest sand desert in the Arabian Peninsula, An-Nafud, marks the northern limit of Najd. Lying just beyond the shield, it occupies an area of about 25,000 square miles. Its sands almost reach the oasis towns of Tayma' (Taima) in the west, Al-Jawf and Sakakah in the north, and Ha'il in the south. The sands are gradually moving toward the southeast, where they enter either the Mazhur

Cartwright, Alexander Joy

2005-03-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

A surveyor by profession, Cartwright was one of the founders of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, an organization of amateur players in New York City. He was chairman of a club committee that prepared a set of baseball rules, which were adopted in September

Outer Space Treaty

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

Formally Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967), international treaty binding the parties to use outer space only for peaceful purposes. In June 1966 the United States and the Soviet Union submitted draft treaties on the uses of space to the United Nations. These were reconciled during several months of negotiation in the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and the resulting

Turboprop

2005-03-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

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

Maccabeus, Judas

2005-03-14T23:32:00.000-08:00

The son of Mattathias, an aged priest who took to the mountains in rebellion when Antiochus attempted to impose the Greek religion on the Jews, Judas took over the rebel

Czernin, Ottokar, Count

2005-03-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Czernin, born into the Czech aristocracy, entered the Austro-Hungarian diplomatic service in the

Solaro Della Margarita, Clemente, Count

2005-03-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

Entering the Piedmontese diplomatic service in 1816, Solaro della Margarita rose to become foreign minister in 1835. He pursued a policy of cautious neutrality between France and Austria while opposing constitutional reform at home. When agitation

Athanasius The Athonite, Saint

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

Originally named Abraham, he took the monastic name of Athanasius when he retired to Mt. Athos after forsaking the sophisticated, urban monastic life in Constantinople;

Lanchester, Frederick William

2005-03-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

In 1891, after attending Hartley University College (now the University of Southampton) and the National School of Science, Lanchester went to work for a gas-engine works in Birmingham. During his employment at the firm he improved its products

Bradstreet, Anne

2005-03-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

Née Anne Dudley one of the first poets to write English verse in the American colonies. Long considered primarily of historical interest, she won critical acceptance in the 20th century as a writer of enduring verse, particularly for her sequence of religious poems, “Contemplations,” written

Teasel

2005-03-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

Any of about 15 species constituting the genus Dipsacus of the family Dipsacaceae, native to Europe, the Mediterranean area, and tropical Africa. Many teasels are prickly, coarse biennials with opposite leaves that join at the base to form a rainwater-holding trough around the stem. The tall-domed heads of numerous, four-lobed flowers sit on a crownlike circle

Gaiseric

2005-03-01T00:34:00.000-08:00

Gaiseric succeeded his brother Gunderic at a time when the Vandals were settled in Baetica (modern Andalusia, Spain). In May 428 Gaiseric transported all his people, purported by him to number 80,000, to Africa. Evidently he was invited to Africa by the governor,

Ghibli

2005-02-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hot and dusty wind descending from the interior highlands of Libya toward the Mediterranean Sea. See foehn.

David Ap Gruffudd

2005-02-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

David's grandfather, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, had made Gwynedd the centre of Welsh power. After failing to prevent his brother, Llywelyn ap

Ara Pacis

2005-02-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Ara Pacis Augustae (Latin: “Altar of the Augustan Peace”) shrine consisting of a marble altar in a walled enclosure erected in Rome's Campus Martius by the emperor Augustus and dedicated on Jan. 30, 9 BC. The sculptures on the walls and the altar representing the shrine's dedication ceremonies, scenes from Roman legend, and floral motifs are considered to be among the finest examples of Roman art.

Atahuallpa

2005-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Atahuallpa was a younger son of the Inca ruler Huayna Capac and an Ecuadoran princess; although not the legitimate heir, he seems to have been his father's

Ear Disease, Exposure to noise

2005-02-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

The effects of noise exposure on hearing depend on the intensity and duration of the noise. The effects may be temporary or permanent. A single exposure to an extremely intense sound, such as an explosion, may produce a severe and permanent loss of hearing. Repeated exposures to sounds in excess of 80 to 90 decibels may cause gradual deterioration of hearing by destroying

Computers, Herman Hollerith's census tabulator

2005-02-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be performed every 10 years. The first attempt at any mechanization of the census was in 1870, when statistical data were transcribed onto a rolling paper tape displayed through a small slotted window. As the size of America's population exploded in the 19th century, and the number of census questions expanded, the

Sunspot

2005-02-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

Vortex of gas on the surface of the Sun associated with strong local magnetic activity. Spots look dark only by contrast with the surrounding photosphere, which is several thousand degrees hotter. The dark centre of a spot is called the umbra; the outer, lighter ring, the penumbra. Spots may be several times larger than the Earth or so small that telescopic observation

Biblical Literature, Ecclesiastes

2005-02-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

Offaly

2005-02-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

Irish Uibh Fhailaí county in the province of Leinster, Ireland. With an area of 771 square miles (1,998 square km), it is bounded by Counties Westmeath and Meath (north), Kildare (east), Laoighis and Tipperary (south), and Galway and Roscommon (west). The River Shannon forms its western boundary. Offaly consists mainly of a large section of the central lowland, though its southwestern boundary runs along

Fuller, R(ichard) Buckminster

2005-02-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

U.S. engineer and architect who developed the geodesic dome, the only large dome that can be set directly on the ground as a complete structure, and the only practical kind of building that has no limiting dimensions (i.e., beyond which the structural strength must be insufficient). Among the most noteworthy geodesic domes is the United

Davidovic, Ljubomir

2005-02-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

Entering the Serbian Parliament in 1901, Davidovic helped found the Independent Radical Party in the same year. He was elected leader of his party in 1912 and served as minister of education (1914–17) in Nikola Pašic's coalition Cabinet and in the

Eguren, José María

2005-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

His first book of poetry, Simbólicas (1911; “Symbolisms”), signaled a break with the Modernismo tradition, while still maintaining contacts with the Romantic and early French Symbolist poets who had influenced the Modernist movement. Eguren's often fantastic creations reflect his

Hooks, Benjamin L.

2005-02-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

Hooks attended Le Moyne College in Memphis (1941–43) and Howard University, Washington, D.C. (1943–44; B.A., 1944), served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and later studied law at De Paul University in Chicago (J.D., 1948); no

Accelerator

2005-02-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

The use of alkaline compounds of metals as vulcanization

Salih, 'ali 'abd Allah

2005-02-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

Salih attended the local Qur'anic school and joined the army at age 16. Four years later, on September 26, 1962, he led a military coup that replaced the Islamic monarch of North Yemen with

Dzierzoniów

2005-02-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

German Reichenbach, city, Walbrzych województwo (province), southwestern Poland, on the Pilawa River. The community was founded as Reichenbach in the 12th century and received town rights in the 13th. The Duke of Ziebice (Münsterberg) pledged the town to Bohemia (1335), whence it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1742 it was surrendered, with Silesia, to Prussia; it returned to Poland in 1945 and was renamed for the Polish

Nilo-saharan Languages

2005-02-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

The considerable typological diversity that characterizes the Nilo-Saharan languages corresponds to their wide geographic spread. Structural properties—for example, with respect to sound systems and word order—often are shared with unrelated neighbouring language groups. Thus, rich and complex consonant systems with universally rare distinctions—such

Columbus, Christopher, Early career and preparation for the first voyage

2005-02-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Columbus's early life. The vast majority of scholars, citing Columbus's testament of 1498 and archival documents from Genoa and Savona, believe that he was born in Genoa to a Christian household; however, it has been claimed that he was a converted Jew or that he was born in Spain, Portugal, or elsewhere. Columbus was the eldest son of Domenico Colombo, a Genoese

Parnaíba

2005-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Port city, northwestern Piauí state, northeastern Brazil, on the Rio Igaraçu, an outlet of the Rio Parnaíba, 9 mi (14 km) upstream from the Atlantic Ocean. Founded in 1761 and given city status in 1884, Parnaíba is the most important trade and distributing centre of the river valley. The chief products shipped from Parnaíba and its outport, Luís Correia (just to the northeast), are carnauba

Panama Canal, The canal

2005-02-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

The Panama Canal lies at a latitude of 9° N. The canal does not, as is generally supposed, cross the isthmus from east to west. It runs due south from its entrance at Colón on the Atlantic side through the Gatún (Gatun) Locks to a point in the widest portion of Gatún Lake; it then turns sharply toward the east and follows a course generally to the southeast until it reaches the

Wells

2005-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

City, Mendip district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the foot of the Mendip Hills. The name derives from the many springs rising near the cathedral, which was begun in the 12th century and dominates the city. In general, Wells has been little affected by modern industry and growth. It remains a modest service centre, its Market Place and shopping

Baybars I

2005-02-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Baybars was born

Skibobbing

2005-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Also called skibiking or snowbiking a winter sport using a guidable, single-track vehicle that has features of the bicycle, the bobsled, and skis. The longer rear ski is fixed, and the shorter front ski is mobile for steering; a saddle like that of a bicycle and a steering bar with handles complete the rig. The assembly is kept flexible to provide smooth passage over bumps and is lightweight, made of wood, aluminum,

Astronomy

2005-02-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Without doubt the most exciting event in astronomy was the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, but studies of other small bodies in the solar system provided their own delights and surprises. Although the solar system is traditionally viewed as comprising the Sun, nine planets, their moons, and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the discovery in

Arts, South Asian, Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries AD: Andhradesa

2005-02-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

Besides the schools of Mathura and Gandhara, a most accomplished school of sculpture flourished in Andhradesa during the three centuries after Christ, the most important centres being Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda. The remains consist mainly of carved railings and rectangular slabs that decorated the great Buddhist stupas, which have largely disappeared. The finds are

Christian Reformed Church In North America

2005-02-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

Protestant denomination that developed in the United States from a group that separated in 1857 from the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church (now the Reformed Church in America) and called itself the True Holland Reformed Church. It was strengthened in 1882 when joined by other dissenters from the Reformed Church in America who believed that the parent church should reject

Qatar

2005-01-31T19:43:00.000-08:00

A monarchy (emirate) on the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar occupies a desert peninsula and the nearby small Hawar Islands (also claimed by Bahrain) on the west coast of the Persian Gulf. Area (including Hawar Islands): 11,427 sq km (4,412 sq mi). Pop. (1995 est.): 579,000. Cap.: Doha. Monetary unit: Qatar riyal, with (Oct. 6, 1995) an official rate of 3.64 riyals to U.S. $1 (5.76 riyals = £1 sterling). Emirs and prime ministers in 1995, Sheikh Khalifah ibn

Cyprus, Religions

2005-01-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

The Greek Cypriots are primarily Eastern Orthodox Christians. Their church, the Church of Cyprus, is autocephalous (not under the authority of any patriarch); this privilege was granted to Archbishop Anthemius in AD 488 by the Byzantine emperor Zeno. Under the Ottoman Empire, the archbishop of the Church of Cyprus was made responsible for the secular as well as the religious

Karakum Desert, Climate

2005-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

The climate of the Turkmen Karakum is continental, with long, hot, dry summers and unpredictable but relatively warm winters. The average temperature in July in the north and along the shore of the Caspian Sea ranges from 79 to 82 °F (26 to 28 °C), and in the central part of the Central Karakum from 86 to 93 °F (30 to 34 °C). In January, average temperatures are 25 °F (-4 °C) in the north and 39 °F (4 °C) in the south, but temperatures

Stazewski, Henryk

2005-01-28T06:07:00.000-08:00

Educated at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts (1913–19), Stazewski was a founding member of three Polish artist groups during the 1920s and a member of the Cercle

Catacomb

2005-01-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

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

Gauguin, Paul

2005-01-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

In full Eugène-Henri-Paul Gauguin French painter, printmaker, and sculptor who sought to achieve a “primitive” expression of spiritual and emotional states in his work. The artist, whose work has been categorized as Post-Impressionist, Synthetist, and Symbolist, is particularly well known for his creative

Chesterton, G(ilbert) K(eith)

2005-01-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

Chesterton was educated at St. Paul's School and later studied art at the Slade School and literature at University College, London. His writings to 1910 were of three kinds. First, his social

Keen, William Williams

2005-01-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

After graduating (M.D., 1862) from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Keen was a surgeon for the U.S. Army in 1862–64 during the American Civil War. The next two years he did postgraduate work in Paris and Berlin. On his return to the United States, he became a lecturer in surgical pathology

Thun Und Hohenstein, Friedrich, Count (graf) Von

2005-01-23T01:18:00.000-08:00

After the suppression of the 1848–49 revolutions in Germany and Austria, Thun, an astute politician, headed

Nagaland, The people

2005-01-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

The Nagas, classified among the Indo-Asiatic peoples, form more than 20 tribes, as well as numerous subtribes, each having a specific geographic distribution. Though sharing many cultural traits, these tribes have maintained a high degree of isolation and lack cohesion as a single people. The Konyaks are the largest tribe, followed by the Aos, Tangkhuls, Semas, and Angamis.

Physical Science, Principles Of, Application of Newton's laws

2005-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

In the same way that the timing of a pendulum provided a more rigorous test of Galileo's kinematical theory than could be achieved by direct testing with balls rolling down planes, so with Newton's laws the most searching tests are indirect and based on mathematically derived consequences. Kepler's laws of planetary motion are just such an example, and in the two centuries

Nagaland

2005-01-20T00:51:00.000-08:00

State of India. It lies in the hills and mountains of the northeastern part of the country. One of the smallest states of India, it has a total area of just 6,401 square miles (16,579 square kilometres). It is bordered by the states of Manipur on the south, Assam on the west and northwest, and Arunachal Pradesh on the northeast. Myanmar (Burma) lies to the east. The capital is Kohima.

F-86

2005-01-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Also called Sabre U.S. single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by North American Aviation, Inc., the first jet fighter in the West to exploit aerodynamic principles learned from German engineering at the close of World War II. The F-86 was built with the wings swept back in order to reduce transonic drag rise as flight speed approached the sound barrier, and it was capable of exceeding

Scandinavian Literature, The Eddaic verse forms

2005-01-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

Three metres are commonly distinguished in Eddaic poetry: the epic measure, the speech measure, and the song measure. Most narrative poems were in the first measure, which consisted of short lines of two beats joined in pairs by alliteration. The number of weakly stressed syllables might vary, but the total number of syllables in the line was rarely fewer than four.

Metallgesellschaft Ag

2005-01-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

Established in 1881 by Wilhelm Merton (1848–1916), the company originally confined its activities

Azazel

2005-01-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

In Jewish legends, a demon or evil spirit to whom, in the ancient rite of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), a scapegoat was sent bearing the sins of the Jewish people. Two male goats were chosen for the ritual, one designated by lots “for the Lord,” the other “for Azazel” (Leviticus 16:8). The ritual was carried out by the high priest in the Second Temple and is described in the Mishna. After

Philby, H. Saint John

2005-01-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

Philby was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and joined the Indian Civil Service in 1907. In 1917, as political officer of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary force, he was dispatched on a diplomatic

Côte D'ivoire, Flag Of

2005-01-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

In the mid-20th century Félix Houphouët-Boigny, an African from the French colony then known as Ivory Coast, served many years as a member of the National Assembly and then of the governing cabinet of France before becoming president of his homeland. He had great admiration for the achievements of French culture, and his country maintained close relations with France.

Peru, Drainage

2005-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Distinctive drainage patterns dissect the Costa, Sierra, and Montaña. Of the more than 50 rivers that flow west from the Andes across the Costa, most are short (usually less than 200 miles long) and precipitous, with highly seasonal rates of flow. Most have a period of peak flow (usually during the December to March rainy season) followed by a long dry period; only the largest of

Armour

2005-01-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Types of armour generally fall into one of three main categories: (1) armour made of leather, fabric, or mixed layers of both, sometimes reinforced by quilting or felt, (2) mail, made of interwoven rings of iron or steel,

Ugaki Kazushige

2005-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Japanese soldier-statesman, who in the years before World War II headed the so-called Control Faction of the Japanese army, a group that stressed the development of new weapons and opposed the rightist “Imperial Way” faction, which emphasized increased indoctrination of troops with ultranationalist ideology. Ugaki's

Prosody, The Renaissance

2005-01-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

Renaissance prosodic theory had to face the fact of an accomplished poetry in the vernacular that was not written in metres determined by “rules” handed down from the practice of Homer and Virgil. Nevertheless, the classicizing theorists of the 16th century made a determined attempt to explain existing poetry by the rules of short and long and to draft “laws” by which

French Literature, Secular drama

2005-01-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

The earliest comic plays extant date from the second half of the 13th century. Le Garçon et

Davies, Arthur B.

2005-01-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

Trained in Utica, New York City, and Chicago, Davies at first painted atmospheric landscapes

Cable

2005-01-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

In electrical and electronic systems, a conductor or group of conductors for transmitting electric power or telecommunication signals from one place to another. Electric communication cables transmit voice messages, computer data, and visual images via electrical signals to telephones, wired radios, computers, teleprinters, facsimile machines, and televisions.

Anbar

2005-01-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Massice , or Fairuz Sapur ancient Mesopotamian town located on the left bank of the Euphrates River, downstream from modern Ar-Ramadi in central Iraq. Originally called Massice and Fairuz Sapur, it was destroyed by the Roman emperor Julian in AD 363. The town was rebuilt and became known from at least the 6th century as Anbar (“Stores”). Jews from the academy of Pumbedita took refuge there from Sasanian persecution

Ska

2005-01-04T03:22:00.000-08:00

Pioneered by the operators of powerful mobile discos called sound systems, ska evolved in the late 1950s from an early Jamaican form of rhythm and blues that emulated American rhythm and blues, especially that produced in New Orleans, Louisiana. A new beat emerged that mixed the shuffling rhythm of American pianist Rosco Gordon

Animal Breeding

2005-01-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

Controlled propagation of domestic animals. Its aim is the improvement of qualities considered desirable by humans. Breeding procedures involve the application of several basic sciences, chiefly reproductive physiology, genetics, and statistics. This article deals with the practical application of scientific principles to the selection of superior animals

Crowe, Dame Sylvia

2005-01-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

British landscape architect who created designs for gardens at nuclear power stations, colleges, churchyards, reservoirs, office buildings, and new towns and wrote a number of books on the subject; she was created C.B.E. in 1967 and advanced to D.B.E. in 1973 (b. Sept. 15, 1901--d. June 30, 1997).

Botanical Gardens And Zoos

2004-12-31T14:50:00.000-08:00

The most important event of 1993--indeed of the past decade--was the publication of World Zoo Conservation Strategy. This 76-page document was conceived by the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG) and the Captive Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural

Masnawi

2004-12-31T02:59:00.000-08:00

The form originated in the Middle Persian period (roughly from the 3rd century BC to the 9th century AD). It became a favourite poetic form of the Persians and of those cultures

Botanical Gardens And Zoos

2004-12-29T02:09:00.000-08:00

Any of a number of contagious diseases that are most commonly acquired in sexual intercourse. See sexually transmitted disease.

House

2004-12-29T00:42:00.000-08:00

In astrology, 1 of the 12 sectors, or divisions, of the celestial sphere. See horoscope.

Eemian Interglacial Stage

2004-12-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Eemian Interglacial followed the Saale Glacial Stage and preceded the Weichsel Glacial Stage; the Eemian is correlated with the Ipswichian Interglacial of Britain and the Riss-Würm Interglacial Stage of the Alpine region of Europe.

Ursa Minor

2004-12-27T00:09:00.000-08:00

Also called The Little Bear, in astronomy, a constellation of the northern sky, seven of whose stars outline the Little Dipper. Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), at the end of the Little Dipper's handle, marks (roughly) the position of the north celestial pole. The constellation lies at about 15 hours right ascension and 80° north declination.

Ryabushinsky Family

2004-12-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Mikhayl Y. Ryabushinsky purchased a fabric store in Moscow in 1844 and two years later opened a cloth factory. His sons, Pavel and Vasily

Jhering, Rudolf Von

2004-12-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

Jhering taught Roman

Zagreus

2004-12-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

In Orphic myth, a divine child who was the son of Zeus (as a snake) and his daughter Persephone. Zeus intended to make Zagreus his heir and bestow on him unlimited power, but Hera out of jealousy urged the Titans to attack the child while she beguiled him with toys. The Titans, who were opposed to Zeus' power, tore Zagreus to pieces and consumed him except for his heart. Athena

Equestrian Sports

2004-12-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

In the 2001 U.S. high-handicap season, held in Palm Beach, Fla., from January to April, Outback, led by Argentine Adolfo Cambiaso, prevailed at the U.S. Open for the third straight year, and Boca Polo triumphed in the Gold Cup in Boca Raton, Fla. Peter Brant's White Birch, led by Mariano Aguerre and Carlos Gracida, won the Sterling Cup and the Gold Cup of the Americas. In the summer season,

Carpenter, John Alden

2004-12-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Carpenter studied at Harvard University under the conservative, German-influenced composer John Knowles Paine but then joined his father's shipping supply firm, of which he was vice president (1909–36). In 1906 he studied music under

Trichloroethane

2004-12-22T04:08:00.000-08:00

One isomer, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, is used as a replacement for carbon tetrachloride as a cold-cleaning solvent for machinery; it is not used in vapour degreasing processes because no stabilizer is available that will prevent its decomposition at high temperatures.

Sinhala Maha Sabha

2004-12-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Political group in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) that was founded in 1937 by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. It was a communally oriented group and promoted the interests of the Sinhalese sector of the population and of Buddhism. In 1945 Bandaranaike threw the support of the Sabha behind the newly created United National Party (UNP) of D.S. Senanayake, which was to dominate politics for the first

Kafue

2004-12-20T03:12:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Zambia, about 25 miles (40 km) south of Lusaka, the national capital. The town is located on the northern bank of the Kafue River, whose water is diverted northward by channel to Chilanga and Lusaka. The town's industrial area, which gets its power supply from the Kafue hydroelectric scheme, houses an ammonium nitrate fertilizer plant, a textile mill, an iron

Ashur

2004-12-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

The site was originally occupied about 2500 BC by a tribe that probably

Coin Collecting

2004-12-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

The history of coin collecting begins with the Italian Renaissance, and the 14th-century poet Petrarch was characteristic of his time in forming a series of ancient classical coins. During the 15th and 16th centuries many collections were made by princely or noble

Tool

2004-12-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

An instrument for making material changes on other objects, as by cutting, shearing, striking, rubbing, grinding, squeezing, measuring, or other process. A hand tool is a small manual instrument traditionally operated by the muscular strength of the user; a machine tool is a power-driven mechanism used to cut, shape, or form materials such as wood and metal. Tools are the

Waterfall

2004-12-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

Area where flowing river water drops abruptly and nearly vertically (see video). Waterfalls represent major interruptions in river flow. Under most circumstances rivers tend to smooth out irregularities in their flow by processes of erosion and deposition. In time, the long profile of a river (the graph of its gradient) takes the form of a smooth curve, steepest toward

Hailar

2004-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

The area was occupied by the Chinese in the 7th century AD under the early T'ang dynasty, when it was part of the Hei-shui protectorate general. Chinese occupation, however, was short-lived and never very

Biblical Literature, Biblical literature in the liturgy of Judaism

2004-12-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Because the synagogue arose in a land separated from the Jerusalem Temple with its sacrificial

Fibiger, Johannes

2004-12-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

A student of the bacteriologists Robert Koch and Emil von Behring in Berlin, Fibiger became professor of pathological

Ayre

2004-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Air, genre of solo song with lute accompaniment that flourished in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The outstanding composers in the genre were the lutanist John Dowland, whose “Flow, my teares” (“Lachrimae”) became so popular that a large number of continental and English instrumental pieces were based on its melody, and the poet and composer Thomas

Marseille

2004-12-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Marseilles, ancient Massilia, or Massalia, city, capital of Bouches-du-Rhône département, France, and also the administrative and commercial capital of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, one of France's fastest growing régions. Located west of the French Riviera, Marseille is one of the major ports of the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Lion within a semicircle of limestone hills and

Salado Formation

2004-12-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Salado Formation is a division of the Ochoan Stage of the Upper Permian Series of rock strata (formed from 256 to 248 million years ago). It overlies the Castile

Sibyl

2004-12-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Amalric I, Sibyl succeeded to the throne upon the death of her brother, Baldwin IV (1185). Baldwin had intended for the throne to pass directly to Sibyl's son Baldwin V, but Sibyl and her husband, Guy de Lusignan, conspired to seize the throne for themselves, embroiling the kingdom in a disastrous war with Saladin.

Rio De Janeiro Botanical Garden

2004-12-06T02:36:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro one of the great tropical botanical gardens and arboretums of the world. It was founded in 1808 by John, prince regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal (later King John VI), for introducing and acclimatizing economically beneficial plants brought from other tropical regions of the world. The garden, located on a 350-acre (141-hectare) site below high peaks, has a collection

Tapestry, 14th century

2004-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

In the 14th century the western European tradition of tapestry became firmly established. At that time the most sophisticated centres of production were in Paris and Flanders. Large numbers of tapestries are recorded in inventories. The more luxurious standards of living being adopted by the wealthy of the Gothic period extended the use of tapestries beyond the

Carte-de-visite

2004-12-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

Originally, a calling card, especially one with a photographic portrait mounted on it. Immensely popular in the mid-19th century, the carte-de-visite was touted by the Parisian portrait photographer André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, who patented the method in 1854. Disdéri used a four-lensed camera, which made eight 3.5- by 2.5-inch (8.89- by 6.35-cm) negatives on one full-sized plate. The large print

Saco

2004-12-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

City, York county, southwestern Maine, U.S., at the mouth of the Saco River opposite Biddeford. Founded with Biddeford in 1631 as a single plantation, it was the seat of Sir Ferdinando Gorges' government (1636–53) before passing to Massachusetts. It was called Saco until 1718 and Biddeford until it was separately incorporated (1762) as Pepperellboro Township. It developed a lumbering and seaport

Girodet-trioson, Anne-louis

2004-12-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

Girodet-Trioson won the Prix de Rome (1789) for his “Joseph Recognized by His Brothers,” which was influenced by the cold, sober Neoclassicism of his teacher, Jacques-Louis David. In “The Sleep of Endymion” (1792; Louvre, Paris)

Orange

2004-11-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

County, southeastern New York state, U.S., located mostly in the Hudson River valley. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the northwest (the Delaware River constituting the boundary), New Jersey to the southwest, and the Hudson River to the east. Among the other waterways are the Wallkill and Neversink rivers and Shawangunk Kill. Storm King Mountain is a massive granite

Anticlericalism

2004-11-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Three principal