TrueBucket

Palaeologus Family

2005-04-04T03:41:00.000-07:00

Palaeologus also spelled Palaiologos Byzantine family that became prominent in the 11th century, the members of which married into the imperial houses of Comnenus, Ducas, and Angelus. Michael VIII Palaeologus, emperor at Nicaea in 1259, founded the dynasty of the Palaeologi in Constantinople in 1261. His son Andronicus II (reigned 1282–1328) and his grandson Michael IX (died 1320) succeeded him as coemperors. Michael IX's son Andronicus

Adelaide, Saint

2005-04-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

The daughter of Rudolf II (d. 937), king of Burgundy, and Bertha of Swabia, Adelaide was married (947) to Lothair, who succeeded his father, Hugh of Arles, as king of Italy

Skate Sailing

2005-04-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

The skate sail is generally rectangular or triangular in shape and about 50 to 60 square feet (5 to 6 square m) in area. It is stretched to

East Hampton

2005-04-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Suffolk county, southeastern New York, U.S. It lies on the southern shore of Long Island, 100 miles (161 km) east of New York City, and includes East Hampton village and Gardiners Island. Settled in 1648 by English yeomen from Kent and first called Maidstone, the town prospered as a whaling and fishing centre. Several colonial homes have survived. Lyman Beecher, father

China, Industrialization for self-strengthening

2005-04-01T02:41:00.000-08:00

Stimulated by the military training and techniques exhibited during the Westerners' cooperation against the Taiping and supported by Prince Kung in Peking, the Self-Strengthening Movement was launched by the anti-Taiping generals Tseng Kuo-fan, Li Hung-chang, and Tso Tsung-t'ang, who sought to consolidate the Ch'ing power by introducing Western technology. The

China, Archaeology in China

2005-03-31T05:26:00.000-08:00

The practice of archaeology in China has been rooted in modern Chinese history. The intellectual and political reformers of the 1920s challenged the historicity of the legendary inventors of Chinese culture, such as Shen Nung, the divine farmer, and Huang Ti, the Yellow Emperor. At the same time, scientific study of the prehistoric period was being sponsored by Western

Opera, Viennese masters

2005-03-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Italian opera buffa strongly attracted Viennese audiences, and Austrian composers were naturally influenced by it. Perhaps the most interesting of the Vienna-born composers of 18th-century comic opera was Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, whose Italianate Doktor und Apotheker (1786; libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie), though successful and lively, was overshadowed by the

Gnadenhütten Massacre

2005-03-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

(March 8, 1782), murder of 96 Ohio Indians, mostly Delawares, by an American Revolutionary War officer, Captain David Williamson, and his militia at Gnadenhütten Village south of what is now New Philadelphia, Ohio. The Indians, who had been converted by Moravian Brethren and were peaceful Christians, were under suspicion because of their neutrality in the war. Williamson and

Minden

2005-03-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Kearney county, southern Nebraska, U.S., on a branch of the Little Blue River, 16 miles (26 km) south-southeast of Kearney city. Founded in 1876 and named for Minden, Ger., it became a service point for a diversified farming area (grain, livestock, dairying, poultry). Minden is mainly known for the Harold Warp Pioneer Village, which is one of the state's top tourist attractions

F-117

2005-03-29T04:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Nighthawk, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter-bomber built by the Lockheed Corporation (now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation) for the U.S. Air Force. It was the first stealth aircraft—i.e., an aircraft designed entirely around the concept of evading detection by radar and other sensors. After a difficult development period, during which several prototypes crashed during

Applied Logic

2005-03-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

The applications of logic cover a vast range, relating

Arguello, Alexis

2005-03-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

Arguello, who became a professional fighter in 1968, fought only in his homeland until 1974, when he went to Panama to seek the World Boxing Association's featherweight title. Arguello lost this match in a 15-round decision to Ernesto

Denis, Saint

2005-03-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

According to St. Gregory of Tours's 6th-century Historia Francorum, Denis was one of seven bishops sent to Gaul to convert the people in the reign of the Roman emperor Decius. Little is known of his life; it is believed that he was martyred

Rayleigh Scattering

2005-03-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

The angle through which sunlight in the atmosphere is scattered by molecules of the constituent gases varies inversely as

Wythe, George

2005-03-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

Admitted to the bar in 1746, Wythe was a member

Hanamichi

2005-03-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

An integral part of the Kabuki

Leonardo Pisano

2005-03-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Joseph Gies and Frances Gies, Leonard of Pisa and the New Mathematics of the Middle Ages (1969), summarizes Leonardo's life and surveys his works, and contains a brief overview of the history of numerical notation and of medieval Pisa. Specialized treatments include Verner E. Hoggatt, Jr., Fibonacci and Lucas Numbers (1969), an introduction to the Fibonacci numbers and sequence, with propositions and exercises for mathematics students; N.N. Vorobev, The Fibonacci Numbers (1961); and Andreas N. Philippou, Gerald E. Bergum, and Alwyn F. Horadam (eds.), Fibonacci Numbers and Their Applications (1986).

West Indies Associated States

2005-03-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

Former political organization of islands in the Caribbean Sea that were British colonies whose status changed to free association with the United Kingdom in 1967. This status provided for internal self-government, with Britain responsible for external affairs and defense. The islands attempted several kinds of federation between 1958 and 1966 (see Leeward Islands), but the

Algeria, The Sahara

2005-03-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

The Algerian Sahara may be divided roughly into two depressions of different elevation, separated from one another by a central north-south rise called the M'zab (Mzab). Each zone is covered by a vast sheet of sand dunes called an erg. The Great Eastern Erg (Grand Erg Oriental) and the Great Western Erg (Grand Erg Occidental), which average 1,300 to 2,000 feet (400 to 600 metres) in height, decline

Reflex

2005-03-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

Many reflexes of placental mammals appear to be innate. They are hereditary and are a common feature of the species and often of the genus. Reflexes include not only such simple

Ear, Human, Tympanic membrane

2005-03-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

The thin, semitransparent tympanic membrane, or eardrum, which forms the boundary between the outer and middle ear, is stretched obliquely across the end of the external canal. Its diameter is about 9 millimetres (0.35 inch), its shape that of a flattened cone with its apex directed inward. Thus, its outer surface is slightly concave. The edge of the membrane is thickened and

Hei River

2005-03-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Hei Ho , Pinyin Hei He river rising in central Kansu province, China, and flowing into the western Ala Shan Desert in western Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The river is formed by a series of small glacier-fed rivers flowing north from the Nan and Ch'i-lien mountain ranges in Kansu, between Chang-yeh and Chiu-ch'üan. It then flows northward across the desert into a depression filled with

Oates, Joyce Carol

2005-03-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

Oates's life and work are discussed in Eileen Teper Bender, Joyce Carol Oates, Artist in Residence (1987); Joanne V. Creighton, Joyce Carol Oates (1979), and Joyce Carol Oates: Novels of the Middle Years (1992); Greg Johnson, Understanding Joyce Carol Oates (1987), Joyce Carol Oates: A Study of the Short Fiction (1994), and Invisible Writer: A Biography of Joyce Carol Oates (1998); and Brenda Daly, Lavish Self-Divisions: The Novels of Joyce Carol Oates (1996).

Eybeschütz, Jonathan

2005-03-19T02:44:00.000-08:00

As a rabbi in a number of European towns, Eybeschütz became a celebrated master of the Talmud (the rabbinical compendium of law, lore, and commentary),

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield

2005-03-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

Canfield received a Ph.D. in Romance languages from Columbia University in 1904, a rare accomplishment for a woman of her generation. In 1907 she married John Redwood Fisher and, under the pen name Dorothy Canfield, published her first novel,

X Ray

2005-03-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

There are two methods in general use for detecting X rays. The first method relies on the X rays producing a photochemical change in a photographic emulsion. The blackening of the film is related to the

Moray

2005-03-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

Formerly called Elginshire council area and historic county of northeastern Scotland, extending inland from the southern shore of the Moray Firth. The council area and the historic county occupy somewhat different areas. Most of the historic county of Moray lies within the council area of the same name, but the southern portion of the county, including Grantown-on-Spey, is part of the Highland

Hughes Electronics Corporation

2005-03-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

American provider of wireless telecommunication services and formerly a leading manufacturer of satellites. The company was formed in 1985 as GM Hughes Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation, and renamed in 1995 as Hughes Electronics Corporation. In 2000 Hughes sold its satellite-manufacturing business to Boeing Company. Headquarters are

Clonorchiasis

2005-03-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Chronic infection caused by Clonorchis sinensis, or liver fluke, a parasitic worm some 10 to 25 mm (0.4 to 1 inch) long that lives in the bile ducts of the liver in humans and other mammals. Clonorchiasis is a common disease in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan and is acquired by eating freshwater fish containing the fluke larvae. The fish are themselves infected by swallowing the

Gaucho

2005-03-17T01:32:00.000-08:00

Gauchos were usually mestizos (persons

Dix, John Adams

2005-03-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

He entered the U.S. Army at the age of 14 and served in the War of 1812 and the U.S. Civil War (1861–65). Following a period of law practice

Shensi, The 19th and 20th centuries

2005-03-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

By the 19th century Shensi was seriously impoverished. Although only marginally affected by the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64) in its last stages, eastern and southern Shensi were slightly disturbed by the Nien Rebellion between 1853 and 1868. It then suffered the terrible Muslim rebellion of 1862 to 1878, which affected much of the western and northern parts of the province. Although the effects

Burgomaster

2005-03-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

German Bürgermeister (“town master”), mayor or chief magistrate of a German town, city, or rural commune. The title is also used in such countries as Belgium (bourgmeistre) and The Netherlands (burgemeester). Most German towns have a burgomaster, but larger cities may have several, one being the chief burgomaster (oberbürgermeister). Burgomasters may be elected by the voters or by a council, and

Sunderland, Henry Spencer, 1st Earl Of, Baron Spencer Of Wormleighton

2005-03-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Born to great wealth, he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (M.A., 1636), and succeeded his father as Baron Spencer in 1636. A firm Royalist, he served as Charles I's negotiator in the early years of the conflict with Parliament—a conflict that evolved into the Civil Wars. On June 8, 1643, he

Leaf-rolling Weevil

2005-03-14T00:51:00.000-08:00

Any of the beetles of the subfamily Attelabidae of the family Curculionidae (order Coleoptera), so named because of the way in which females protect their newly laid eggs by rolling them up inside a growing leaf. After hatching, the larvae eat the leaf from within. Adults are free-living but associated with certain tree species. Attelabus nitens, for example, is associated

Cladonia

2005-03-13T23:50:00.000-08:00

Genus of lichens that includes those species commonly known as cup lichen, reindeer moss, and British soldiers (qq.v.).

Fire!!

2005-03-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

The idea for the experimental, apolitical Negro literary journal was conceived in Washington, D.C., by poet Langston Hughes and writer and graphic artist Richard Nugent. The two, along with an editorial board comprising Zora

Caries

2005-03-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Diet,

Biblical Literature, The Hellenistic period

2005-03-12T02:17:00.000-08:00

The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek by Alexandrian Jews in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC provided opportunities for recording interpretations that were probably current in Hellenistic Judaism. Literal translations might be misleading to Greek readers; metaphors natural in Hebrew were rendered into less figurative Greek. “Walking with God” or “walking

Triceps Muscle

2005-03-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

Any muscle with three heads, or points of origin, particularly the large extensor along the back of the upper arm in humans. It originates just below the socket of the scapula (shoulder blade) and at two distinct areas of the humerus, the bone of the upper arm. It extends downward and inserts on (attaches to) the upper part of the ulna, in the forearm. Its major action is extension

Hypothec

2005-03-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

In Roman law, a type of security for a debt in which the creditor had neither ownership nor possession. It arose in cases in which a renter needed the use of the things that he pledged as security for his continued payment of rent, usually tools or equipment necessary for working the land he was renting. Possession could be taken by the creditor only when the debt, or, in

Ambiguity

2005-03-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

Use of words that allow alternative interpretations. In factual, explanatory prose, ambiguity is considered an error in reasoning or diction; in literary prose or poetry, it often functions to increase the richness and subtlety of language and to imbue it with a complexity that expands the literal meaning of the original statement. William Empson's Seven Types

Abolitionism

2005-03-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

Also called abolition movement (c. 1783–1888), in western Europe and the Americas, the movement chiefly responsible for creating the emotional climate necessary for ending the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery. With the decline of Roman slavery in the 5th century, the institution waned in western Europe and by the 11th century had virtually disappeared. Portuguese exploration of the west coast

Obihiro

2005-03-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

City, southern Hokkaido, Japan, on the Tokachi River. Founded in 1883, it became the administrative capital of Tokachi subprefecture in 1897. The arrival of two railway lines in the early 1900s made Obihiro a trade centre of agricultural products grown in the surrounding Tokachi Plain. Obihiro's industries are based on food processing; the city contains one of the largest beet-sugar

Shichi-fuku-jin

2005-03-09T01:44:00.000-08:00

The Shichi-fuku-jin are a favourite

Kádár, János

2005-03-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Original name János Czermanik, Czermanik also spelled Csermanek premier of Hungary (1956–58, 1961–65) and first secretary (1956–88) of Hungary's Communist Party who played a key role in Hungary's transition from the 1956 anti-Soviet government of Imre Nagy to the pro-Soviet regime that followed. Kádár managed to convince the Soviet Union to withdraw its troops and allow Hungary a modicum of internal independence

Oral Surgery

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

Dental specialty that deals with the diagnosis and surgical treatment of the diseases, injuries, and defects of the human mouth, jaw, and associated structures. The most common oral surgery procedure is tooth extraction. Other dental problems that require the skill of an oral surgeon include treatment of cysts (liquid- or semisolid-filled sacs), tumours, lesions, and

Algebra, Quaternions and vectors

2005-03-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

Remaining doubts about the legitimacy of complex numbers were finally dispelled when their geometric interpretation became widespread among mathematicians. This interpretation, initially and independently conceived by the Norwegian surveyor Caspar Wessel and the French bookkeeper Jean-Robert Argand (see Argand diagram), was made known to a larger audience

I-yang

2005-03-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yiyang, city, northern Hunan sheng (province), China. The city is situated approximately 47 miles (75 km) northwest of Ch'ang-sha on the Tzu River, to the south of Lake Tung-t'ing, on the main highway from Ch'ang-sha to Ch'ang-te. An ancient county, it was established in the 2nd century BC. Its seat was originally sited northeast of the present city, but it moved in T'ang (618–907) times. From 589 it was a county subordinate

1812, War Of

2005-03-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

(June 18, 1812–Dec. 24, 1814), inconclusive British–U.S. conflict arising chiefly out of U.S. grievances over oppressive maritime practices during the Napoleonic Wars. The long struggle between Great Britain and France, fought intermittently between 1793 and 1815, led both belligerents to infringe on the rights and impair the interests of neutrals. Napoleon averted hostilities

Awaji Island

2005-03-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Japanese Awaji-shima island, Hyogo ken (prefecture), Japan. The island lies at the eastern end of the Inland Sea, between west-central Honshu and eastern Shikoku. The narrow straits of Akashi (north) and Kii (southeast) separate it from the city of Kobe on Honshu, while Naruto Strait to the southwest, well known for its whirlpools, separates it from Shikoku. Most of the island's area of 229 square miles

Race, Transforming race into species

2005-03-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

One of those whose direct experience of African slaves and assessment of them was given great weight was Edward Long (1734–1813), a former plantation owner and jurist in Jamaica. In a book entitled The History of Jamaica (1774), Long asserted that “the Negro” was “void of genius” and “incapable” of civilization; indeed, he was so far inferior as to constitute a separate species of mankind. Long's

Roman De Fauvel

2005-03-05T01:57:00.000-08:00

A manuscript of the poem dated

Sogn Og Fjordane

2005-03-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

Fylke (county), western Norway, bordering the North Sea. Its inland extension includes the Jostedals Glacier and part of the Jotunheim Mountains. In the northern part of the fylke is Nord Fjord, which penetrates 55 miles (90 km) inland, and in the south is Norway's longest fjord, Sogn Fjord (q.v.). Centrally located on the northern bank of Sogn Fjord is the village of Leikanger, administrative

Sinaitic Inscriptions

2005-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Proto-sinaitic Inscriptions, archeological remains that are among the earliest examples of alphabetic writing; they were inscribed on stones in the Sinai Peninsula, where they were first discovered in 1904–05 by the British archaeologist Sir William Flinders Petrie. Apparently influenced both by Egyptian hieroglyphic writing and by the Canaanitic writing system (1900–1800 BC; probably ancestral to the North

Uíge

2005-03-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

Formerly Carmona, town, northwestern Angola. Uíge grew from a small market centre in 1945 to become Angola's major centre for coffee production in the 1950s. The Portuguese designated Uíge a city in 1956. Its prosperity was short-lived, however, as recurrent fighting between the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), one of three preindependence guerrilla movements, and Portuguese forces

Tobey, Mark

2005-03-02T04:53:00.000-08:00

Tobey studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and worked for a time as a fashion illustrator and portraitist in New York City. He converted

Oron

2005-03-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Idua Oron town, Akwa Ibom state, southeastern Nigeria. It lies at the mouth of the Cross River and is the terminus of roads from Uyo and Opobo. Oron is a coastal trade centre for the yams, cassava, fish, and palm oil and kernels produced by the Ibibio people of the hinterland. The town is the site of a hospital, a teacher-training college, the Federal Nautical College of Nigeria, and several

Eystein I Magnusson

2005-02-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

An illegitimate son of Magnus III Barefoot, Eystein succeeded to the throne in 1103 with his younger brothers Sigurd I and Olaf (IV); the latter, a child, died in 1115, but Sigurd outlived Eystein. While Sigurd was off on crusades in Moorish Spain and the Holy

Alexis

2005-02-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Alexis came from Thurii but apparently lived most of his long life in Athens; he was said to have been Menander's uncle. According to Plutarch, he lived to the age of 106 and died on the stage while being crowned. Alexis is

Copenhagen

2005-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. In 1167 Bishop Absalon of Roskilde built a castle on an islet off the coast and fortified the town with

Kwa Languages

2005-02-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Kwa languages are divided into two groups. The larger Nyo group comprises 35 languages situated in southern Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. It includes

Interior Design, Residential interiors

2005-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

Residential interiors are obviously much freer and much more personal for both the interior designer and the occupants than other types of interiors. In fact, homes that have been designed unconsciously by creative occupants without any standard decorative rules are often the most beautiful ones. Certain planning and functional considerations are constant

Amar Das

2005-02-27T03:44:00.000-08:00

Third Sikh Guru, appointed at the advanced age of 73, noted for his division of the Punjab into 22 Sikh dioceses and his dispatch of missionaries to spread the faith. Realizing that periodical meetings of all Sikhs would strengthen the faith, he ordered three great festivals a year. He was much revered for his wisdom and piety, and it was said that even

Biblical Literature, Minuscules

2005-02-26T23:38:00.000-08:00

Although there are many minuscules, most of them come from the 9th century on; a few, however, shed significant light on earlier readings, representing otherwise not well attested texts or textual “families.” In the early 20th century, the English scholar Kirsopp Lake (hence, Lake group) discovered a textual family of manuscripts known as Family 1:1, 118, 131, and 209 (from the 12th to 14th centuries)

Nabatiyah At-tahta, An-

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

Town, southern Lebanon. It is the major centre of tobacco growing in Lebanon. Other agricultural products are grapes, olives, figs, and grains. Most of the inhabitants of the town are Shi'ite Muslims. A main road crosses the region connecting an-Nabatiyah at-Tahta to Sidon via the road along the Mediterranean Coast, to Marj 'Uyun, and southeastward to the Israeli border and the

Audiencia

2005-02-25T01:06:00.000-08:00

In the kingdoms of late medieval Spain, a court established to administer royal justice; also, one of the most important governmental institutions of Spanish colonial America. In Spain the ordinary judges of audiencias in civil cases were called oidores and, for criminal cases, alcaldes de crimen. The presiding officer of the audiencia was called gobernador, or

Robert

2005-02-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

Robert's early years were clouded by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–88), in which his father, Charles II of Anjou, was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. By the terms of the treaty Charles was freed, and Robert took his place as hostage at the Aragonese court. Taking the title of duke of Calabria

Sacagawea

2005-02-24T21:25:00.000-08:00

Historians have been hard put to separate the facts from the body of folklore that have made this brave

Group F.64

2005-02-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Loose association of California photographers who promoted a style of sharply detailed, purist photography. The group, formed in 1932, constituted a revolt against the soft-focused, academic photography that was then prevalent among West Coast artists. The name of the group is taken from a setting of a camera diaphragm aperture that gives particularly good resolution

Ealdred

2005-02-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Ealdred became abbot of Tavistock, Devon, about 1027, and bishop of Worcester in 1046. Made archbishop of York by Pope Nicholas

Venetan

2005-02-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Group of dialects of Italian spoken in northeastern Italy. It includes the dialects spoken in Venice (Venetian), Verona (Veronese), Treviso (Trevisan), and Padua (Paduan).

Lahn River

2005-02-22T04:29:00.000-08:00

River, a right-bank tributary of the Rhine River, rising on the Jagd Berg (2,218 feet [676 m]), a summit of the Rothaar Hills in western Germany. The river, which is 152 miles (245 km) long, first flows eastward and then southward to Giessen, before turning southwestward and, with a winding course, reaching the Rhine at Lahnstein. Small barges are able to navigate to Giessen on the partly canalized

Bear

2005-02-21T02:38:00.000-08:00

Large carnivore of the family Ursidae, closely related to the dog (family Canidae) and raccoon (Procyonidae). The bear is the most recently evolved of carnivores. Its ancestral line appears to have diverged from canid stock during the Miocene and to have developed, through such forms as the Pliocene Hyaenarctos (of Europe, Asia, and North America), into modern types such

Ghent-bruges School

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

Group of manuscript illuminators and scribes active during the last quarter of the 15th and first part of the 16th centuries, principally in the Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges. Credit for founding the tradition that included such masters as Nicolas Spierinc, Liévin van Lathem, Alexander and Simon Bening, and Gerard Horenbout was formerly given to the Master of Mary

Hyde De Neuville, Jean-guillaume, Baron

2005-02-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Devoted to Louis XVI, Hyde de Neuville remained a royalist agent after the outbreak of the Revolution. After taking part in a royalist insurrection in Berry (1796), he attempted first to discredit the Directory, then to convince Napoleon to reestablish the Bourbons on the

Metallgesellschaft Ag

2005-02-20T04:09:00.000-08:00

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

Arnim, Hans Georg Von

2005-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Soldier and statesman prominent in German affairs during the Thirty Years' War. He served (1613–17) with the Swedes under Gustaf II Adolf, with the Poles (1621), with Wallenstein's imperial army (1626) as a field marshal, and with the Saxons (1631–35, 1638–41). A strict Lutheran, Arnim resigned his imperial commission in protest against the Edict

Reforma, La

2005-02-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

La Reforma period began with the issuance in 1854 of the Plan de Ayutla, a liberal pronouncement calling for the removal of the dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna. After Santa Anna's fall in 1855, Juárez and the liberals enacted the Ley Juárez,

Moreau, (jean-) Victor (-marie)

2005-02-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

The son of a lawyer, Moreau studied law at Rennes, where, in 1788, he led a student riot in protest against King Louis XVI's attempts to restrict the authority of the Parlements (high courts of justice). Moreau welcomed the

France, History Of, Foreign policy

2005-02-18T00:17:00.000-08:00

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

Performing Arts, Classical Music.

2005-02-17T02:26:00.000-08:00

At 8:46 AM local time on Sept. 11, 2002, 51 snowbound scientists at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Brücke, Ernst Wilhelm Von

2005-02-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

Brücke was a member of a school of physiologists (including

Bartoli, Daniello

2005-02-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

Bartoli entered the Society of Jesus in 1623 and wrote the well-known and frequently translated L'uomo di lettere difeso ed emendato (1645; The Learned Man Defended and Reformed). In addition to writing a history of the Jesuits in Italian, Istoria della Compagnia

Low Countries, History Of, Lower and Middle Paleolithic (250,00035,000 BP)

2005-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

The earliest well-dated remains of human habitation in the region are flint objects that reflect the Levalloisian stone-flaking technique. Found in the loess-covered Belvedere quarry near Maastricht on the Netherlands-Belgium border, these objects have been dated to about 250,000 years BP, correlating with an early interstadial period during the Saale Glacial Stage.

Sevagram

2005-02-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern Maharashtra state, western India. Originally called Segaon, the village was given its present name (Hindi: Village of Service) by Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian nationalist leader. In 1936 he left his ashram (hermitage) on the Sabarmati River, near Ahmadabad, and settled at Sevagram. There he founded another ashram and directed the independence movement. Within this he

Babel, Tower Of

2005-02-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

In biblical literature, structure built in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) some time after the Deluge. The story of its construction, given in Genesis 11:1–9, appears to be an attempt to explain the existence of diverse human languages. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and a tower “with its top in the heavens.” God

Tachyon

2005-02-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hypothetical subatomic particle whose velocity always exceeds that of light. The existence of the tachyon, though not experimentally established, appears consistent with the theory of relativity, which was originally thought to apply only to particles traveling at or less than the speed of light. Just as an ordinary particle such as an electron can exist only

Sabinian

2005-02-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

Under Pope Gregory I the Great, he served as papal ambassador at Constantinople, trying to reconcile the Roman Church with Patriarch John IV the Faster, whose claim to the title of ecumenical patriarch was regarded by Gregory to be a threat to Christian unity. Elected in 604 as Gregory's successor, Sabinian seems to have been markedly

Industrial Glass, Tableware

2005-02-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Tableware tumblers are made by blowing glass at the end of a blowing pipe into a split paste-mold. The paste-mold is made of cast iron and is lined with a wetted cork-type or pasted-sawdust material. The resulting steam cushion gives a smooth finish to the glass, which is rotated in the mold during the blowing step. The formed ware is then gently knocked off the pipe by a light

Kerr Electro-optic Effect

2005-02-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

In physics, the inducement of double refraction of light in a transparent substance when a strong electric field is applied in a direction transverse to the beam of light. In double refraction, the index of refraction (a measure of the amount the ray is bent on entering the material), and hence the wave velocity of light vibrating in the direction of the electric field,

Asma'i, Al-

2005-02-13T04:27:00.000-08:00

A gifted student of Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala', the founder of the Basra school, al-Asma'i joined the court of the 'Abbasid caliph Harun ar-Rashid in Baghdad. Renowned for his piety and plain living, he was a tutor to the caliph's son and a favourite of the Barmakid

Adal

2005-02-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

Historic Islamic state of eastern Africa, in the Danakil-Somali region southwest of the Gulf of Aden, with its capital at Harer (now in Ethiopia). Its rivalry with Christian Ethiopia began in the 14th century with minor border raids and skirmishes. In the 16th century, Adal rose briefly to international importance by launching a series of more serious attacks. The first phase,

Tigré Language

2005-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Semitic language of the Tigre people of northwestern Eritrea and smaller areas of neighbouring Sudan. It is closely related to the ancient Ge'ez language and modern Tigrinya. A few religious texts prepared by mission societies are the only documents in the language. Tigré serves as a second language for many nearby Cushitic and Nilotic peoples. There were more

'olam Ha-ba

2005-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

In Jewish theology, either “the world after death” or the new creation or restoration of the world that is to follow the messianic millennium. Because this latter interpretation stemmed from the teachings and exhortations of the prophets, it was especially prevalent during the period of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (516 BC–AD 70). Whatever the interpretation of 'olam ha-ba, it

Norfolk Island Pine

2005-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

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

Chisholm, Shirley

2005-02-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

Shirley St. Hill was the daughter of immigrants; her father was from British Guiana (now Guyana) and her mother from Barbados. She grew up in Barbados and in her native Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Brooklyn College

Byron, George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron

2005-02-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Byname Lord Byron English Romantic poet and satirist whose poetry and personality captured the imagination of Europe. Renowned as the “gloomy egoist” of his autobiographical poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812–18) in the 19th century, he is now more generally esteemed for the satiric realism of Don Juan (1819–24).

Sachs, Hans

2005-02-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

Wagner's opera is partly a tribute to the common people—and Sachs was one of them. The son of a tailor, he was apprenticed to a shoemaker in

Bharata-natya

2005-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

The principal of the main classical dance styles of India, the others being kuchipudi, kathak, kathakali, manipuri, and orissi. It is indigenous to the Tamil Nadu (Madras) region and prevalent in southern India. Bharata-natya serves the expression of Hindu religious themes and devotions, and its techniques and terminology have been traced back to ancient treatises such as