ShortCloud

Moravian Karst

2005-04-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

Czech Moravský Kras karst in Jihomoravský kraj (region), eastern Czech Republic. It is a limestone area containing a labyrinth of swallow holes, underground passages and lakes, caverns, and calcareous formations. One of several small, disconnected karst areas, it is situated north of Brno, along the eastern bank of the Svitava River, and eastward along the latter's underground tributaries,

Gumma

2005-04-05T02:39:00.000-07:00

Soft, granulomatous, tumourlike mass, sometimes appearing during the late stages of syphilis, that occurs most often beneath the skin and mucous membranes but that may also be found in the bones, nervous system, and other organs and tissues. See also syphilis.

Bazzaz, 'abd Al-rahman Al-

2005-04-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

From 1955 to 1956 Bazzaz was dean of the Baghdad Law School. Following the coup that overthrew the Hashimite monarchy of Faysal II in 1958, he became president of the Court of Cassation. In 1960 he fell afoul of the president, General 'Abd al-Karim Qasim, and was briefly imprisoned before

China, Civil war (194549)

2005-04-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

In a little more than four years after Japan's surrender, the CCP and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) conquered mainland China, and, on Oct. 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was established, with its capital at Peking. The factors that brought this about were many and complex and subject to widely varying interpretation, but the basic fact was a Communist military triumph

Irkutsk

2005-04-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Irkutsk oblast (province), east-central Russia. The city lies along the Angara River at its confluence with the Irkut River. It was founded as a wintering camp in 1652, during the first Russian colonization of the area; a fort was built in 1661, and Irkutsk rapidly became the main centre of Cisbaikalia and of the Russian trade route to China and

Lentulus, Publius Cornelius

2005-03-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

In 81 Lentulus was quaestor to Lucius Cornelius Sulla. When Sulla later accused him of having squandered public funds, Lentulus scornfully held out the calf of his leg, a gesture normally used by ball-playing boys inviting punishment for an error. He was praetor in 74 and consul

Biblical Literature, Early stages

2005-03-30T02:43:00.000-08:00

The beginnings of biblical exegesis are found in the Old Testament itself, where earlier documents are interpreted in later documents, as in the recasting of earlier laws in later codes, or the Chronicler's reworking of material in Samuel and Kings. In addition, even before the Babylonian Exile (586 BC) there is evidence of the kind of midrashic exposition (nonliteral interpretations)

Beilstein, Friedrich Konrad

2005-03-30T00:12:00.000-08:00

In 1866 Beilstein was appointed professor of chemistry at the Imperial Technological Institute, St. Petersburg. The first edition of his Handbuch gave a full account of the physical

Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich

2005-03-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Russian poet, scientist, and grammarian who is often considered the first great Russian linguistic reformer. He also made substantial contributions to the natural sciences, reorganized the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Sciences, established in Moscow the university that today bears

Gabon, History Of

2005-03-26T00:57:00.000-08:00

Little is known about the history of the Gabon region prior to the arrival of the first Portuguese navigators in the Gabon Estuary in 1472, for the Bantu-speaking peoples inhabiting the region lacked writing. At that time portions of southern Gabon were loosely linked to the state of Loango, which in turn formed a province of the vast Kongo kingdom. From the offshore islands

Cyprus, Church Of

2005-03-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Orthodox Church Of Cyprus, one of the oldest autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion. Its independence, first recognized by the third ecumenical Council of Ephesus (431), was reaffirmed by the Council in Trullo (692) and was never lost, not even during the occupation of the island by the crusaders. Under the feudal French dynasty of the Lusignans (1191–1489) and

Fabricius Luscinus, Gaius

2005-03-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

Originally from Aletrium in Latium, Fabricius settled in Rome and c. 285 negotiated a dispute for the Romans with the people of Tarentum. He was consul in 282 and 278 and censor in 275. During the first consulship he rescued Thurii from defeat

Lower Hutt

2005-03-22T01:14:00.000-08:00

City, Wellington local government region, southern North Island, New Zealand, about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Wellington. It is the major business centre for the highly urbanized Hutt River valley and is within the Wellington urban area. Its heavy-industrial facilities include auto-assembly plants and oil installations; plastics, paint, footwear, and glass factories;

April

2005-03-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Fourth month of the Gregorian calendar. See month and the accompanying Table.

Henrician Articles

2005-03-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Polish Artykuly Henrykowskie (1573) statement of the rights and privileges of the Polish gentry (szlachta) that all elected kings of Poland, beginning with Henry of Valois (elected May 11, 1573), were obliged to confirm and that severely limited the authority of the Polish monarchy. After King Sigismund II Augustus died (July 1572), Henry of Valois, duc d'Anjou and the future Henry III of France, emerged as the favourite

Mufti

2005-03-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

Arabic Mufti, an Islamic legal authority who gives a formal legal opinion (fatwa) in answer to an inquiry by a private individual or judge. A fatwa usually requires knowledge of the Qur'an and Hadith (narratives concerning the Prophet's life and sayings), as well as knowledge of exegesis and collected precedents, and might be a pronouncement on some problematic legal matter. Under the Ottoman

Dennis, Eugene

2005-03-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

Having worked at various trades in Seattle, Dennis joined the Industrial Workers of the World and in 1926 the Communist Party. Later he went to California to

Wade-davis Bill

2005-03-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

(1864), unsuccessful attempt by Radical Republicans and others in the U.S. Congress to set Reconstruction policy before the end of the Civil War. The bill, sponsored by senators Benjamin F. Wade and Henry W. Davis, provided for the appointment of provisional military governors in the seceded states. When a majority of a state's white citizens swore allegiance to the Union, a

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

2005-03-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Jakarta Zoological Gardens , Indonesian Kebun Binatang Ragunan , or Kebun Binatang Jakarta zoo in Jakarta, Indon., that is one of the world's notable collections of Southeast Asian flora and fauna. More than 3,500 specimens of approximately 450 animal species are exhibited on the 200-hectare (494-acre) park grounds. Among these are the orangutan, Sumatran serow, and various other rare animals of Indonesia. The zoo was founded in 1864 on a 4-hectare (11-acre) site and was moved to a new and much

China, The Taiping Rebellion

2005-03-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

In the first half of the 19th century the province of Kwangtung, the homeland of the Taiping people, was beset with accelerating social unrest. After the first Opium War, government prestige declined, and officials lost their capacity to reconcile communal feudings. The greatest among such conflicts was that between the native settlers and the so-called guest

Gong Xian

2005-03-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

Short, broad vertical strokes characterize Gong's paintings, which, like those of Ni Zan in the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), typically contain no human figures; yet in contrast

Skelton Glacier

2005-03-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

Antarctic glacier situated on the Hillary Coast of Victoria Land, to the northeast of the Cook Mountains, near McMurdo Sound. It flows sluggishly southward into the Ross Ice Shelf. The greatest known thickness of ice along its 39-mi (62-km) length occurs at a point about 30 mi from the tip of its floating terminus. There the ice is about 4,760 ft (1,450 m) thick. The east side of the glacier is covered

Tskhinvali

2005-03-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cchinvali, formerly (1934–61) Staliniri, city, north-central Georgia, on the Bolshaya Liakhvi River. It is the leading city of an area populated by a Caucasian people known as Ossetians, or Ossetes. Tskhinvali has varied industries, including electrical and mechanical engineering and food-processing and wood-working concerns. It also has a local museum, a teacher-training institute, and a medical school.

Salesian

2005-03-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

The founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco (formally, the Society of St. Francis de Sales; S.D.B.) was St. John Bosco (Don Bosco), a young priest who focused his concern on the orphaned and homeless child labourers

Aaron

2005-03-14T04:45:00.000-08:00

Aaron continued to live as a symbol in Jewish religion and traditions, and the position of the priests was strengthened after the exile. Also, in the Qumran sect, a Jewish community that flourished in the era just before and contemporary with the birth of Christianity, Aaron was a symbol for a strong priesthood, as can be seen from the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of time,

Nahuel Huapí National Park

2005-03-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

Spanish Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapí, national park in Río Negro and Neuquén provinces, southwestern Argentina; it encompasses Lake Nahuel Huapí in the Andes adjacent to the Chilean border. It originated as a reserve in 1903 with a private donation of 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares). It became Argentina's first national park in 1934 and has an area of 2,927 square miles (7,581 square km). The park and adjacent nature reserve include a region

Chanel, Gabrielle

2005-03-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

Byname Coco French dress designer who ruled over Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. Her elegantly casual designs inspired women of fashion to abandon complicated, uncomfortable clothes and to adopt her now-classic innovations—i.e., jersey dresses and suits, bell-bottom trousers, bobbed hair, trench coats, turtleneck sweaters, costume jewelry,

Ca' Da Mosto, Alvise

2005-03-11T01:50:00.000-08:00

Retained by Prince Henry the Navigator, he set sail on March 22, 1455, visited Madeira and the Canary Islands, and coasted along Africa past the mouth of the Senegal River. He ascended some distance up the Gambia River, but, finding the people hostile, he returned to

Heijermans, Herman

2005-03-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

After failing in business, Heijermans became a journalist in Amsterdam. His novel Kamertjeszonde (1898; “Petty Sin”), published under the pseudonym Koos Habbema, sharply criticizes prevailing sexual attitudes, and,

Kucha

2005-03-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization K'u-ch'e, Pinyin Kuqa, oasis city in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. The oasis of Kucha lies at the foot of the southern slope of the Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) on the northern rim of the Tarim Basin. It is watered by the Kucha and Mu-cha-t'i rivers, which during rainy spells flow into the Tarim River but which for most of the year lose themselves in the salt marshes on the northern

Switzerland, Economic development

2005-03-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

A major period of economic growth began after 1815. There was a general improvement in agriculture, and tourism, especially from England, began to develop. But the industrial sector of the economy made the most significant gains. The exclusion of the English from European markets by the continental blockade, while initially detrimental to the textile industry, forced

Kucha

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

French Agence Spatiale Européenne (ASE) western European space and space-technology research organization founded in 1975 from the merger of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), both established in 1964. Members include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

Insurance, Perils clause

2005-03-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

Until 1978 the main insuring clause of modern ocean marine policies was preserved almost unchanged from the original 1779 Lloyd's of London form. The clause is as follows:Touching the adventures and perils which we the assurers are contented to bear and do take upon us in this voyage: they are of the seas, men-of-war, fire, enemies, pirates, rovers, thieves, jettisons, letters of mart

Trade, Board Of

2005-03-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

The first grain futures exchange in the United States, organized in 1848 in Chicago. The Board of Trade began as a voluntary association of prominent Chicago grain merchants. In 1849 it received a charter from the Illinois legislature, and in 1859 it was incorporated by a special legislative act. At first grain was sold by sample, but soon a system of inspection and grading was introduced

Anderson, Regina M.

2005-03-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

Anderson attended several colleges, including Wilberforce University in Ohio and the University of Chicago. She received a Master of Library Science degree from Columbia University

Gwynn, Tony

2005-03-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Gwynn attended San Diego (California) State University on a basketball scholarship, where he set a school record for assists as the team's point guard. He also excelled at baseball and was drafted in 1981 by

Molasses

2005-03-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Also called Treacle, syrup remaining after sugar is crystallized out of cane or beet juice. Molasses syrup is separated from sugar crystals by means of centrifuging. Molasses is separated from the sugar crystals repeatedly during the manufacturing process, resulting in several different grades of molasses; that obtained from the first extraction contains more sugar, tastes sweeter,

Pitt, William, The Elder

2005-03-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Also called (from 1766) 1st Earl of Chatham, Viscount Pitt of Burton-Pynsent , byname The Great Commoner British statesman, twice virtual prime minister (1756–61, 1766–68), who secured the transformation of his country into an imperial power.

Contract Bridge

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

Two world championship tournaments took place during 2000, the first time that had happened since 1976. The Bermuda Bowl is normally played in odd-numbered years, but because Bermuda requested to host the 50th anniversary competition, the World Bridge Federation (WBF) agreed to postpone the 1999 event to January 2000. In the final the United States defeated Brazil 506–288. The second U.S. entry

Quinton, Amelia Stone

2005-03-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Amelia Stone grew up in a deeply religious Baptist household. As a young woman, she worked as a teacher and did charitable work at almshouses and prisons. She joined the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1874 and worked as its New York organizer until 1877, when she

Maine, Explorations and disputes

2005-03-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

The first European explorations of Maine are shrouded in mystery. Evidence that Norsemen landed on the coast is scant and disputed, and serious questions exist about some of the early British claims based on John Cabot's voyages in the late 1490s. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English explorers did probe the islands, the bays, and the rivers of the “maine” throughout the

Wolfe, Charles

2005-03-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

Irish poet and clergyman, whose “Burial of Sir John Moore” (1817), commemorating the commander of the British forces at the Battle of Corunna (La Coruña, Spain) during the Peninsular War, is one of the best-known funeral elegies in English. Wolfe attended Trinity College, Dublin, was ordained in 1817, and held curacies in County Tyrone.

Wick

2005-03-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Thread, strip, or bundle of fibres that, by capillary action, draws up the oil of a lamp or the melted wax in a candle to be burned. By 1000 BC, wicks of vegetable fibres were used in saucer-type vessels containing olive oil or nut oil in order to provide light, and by 500–400 BC these wicks were in general domestic use. See lamp.

Biblical Literature

2005-02-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

History is a central element of the Old Testament. It is the subject of narration in the specifically historical books and of celebration, commemoration, and remonstration in all of the books. History in the Old Testament is not history in the modern sense; it is the story of events seen as revealing the divine presence and power. Nevertheless, it is the account of an

Arnulf

2005-02-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Arnulf was the illegitimate son of Charles the Fat's eldest brother, Carloman, who was king of Bavaria. Arnulf inherited the march of Carinthia from his father but was excluded from the succession to the kingdom

Gabon, History Of

2005-02-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

History of the area from the explorations of Europeans, beginning in the 15th century, to the present.

Natal

2005-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Rio Grande do Norte estado (“state”), northeastern Brazil, situated near the mouth of the Potengi River, or Rio Grande do Norte, on the Atlantic coast. Founded by the Portuguese in 1597 near the site of a fort (Tres Reis Magos, or “The Three Magi”), Natal was given town status in 1611. The state's principal commercial centre, it produces silk and cotton textiles, sugar, salt, hides,

Kadet

2005-02-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

The Kadets dominated the first Duma in 1906, but the tradition

Gama, Vasco Da, 1er Conde (1st Count) Da Vidigueira

2005-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Portuguese navigator whose voyages to India (1497–99, 1502–03, 1524) opened up the sea route from western Europe to the East by way of the Cape of Good Hope and thus ushered in a new era in world history. He also helped make Portugal a world power.

Hyattsville

2005-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

City, Prince George's county, central Maryland, U.S., a northeastern residential suburb of Washington, D.C., at the head of the Anacostia River. Settled about the time of the American Civil War as Hart, it was renamed at its incorporation (1886) for its founder, Christopher Clarke Hyatt. In 1892 it became the first community to adopt the controversial single-tax system of providing public

Cambon, Paul

2005-02-23T03:18:00.000-08:00

A law graduate (1870) and an ardent republican, Cambon served as secretary to the future statesman Jules Ferry, then mayor of Paris. Sent to the département of Bouches-du-Rhône as secretary-general of the prefecture

Kunlun Mountains, Physiography

2005-02-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Throughout much of their alignment, the Kunluns comprise two or three parallel ridges rather than a single crest. This is especially true in the western reaches. At the Sarykol Range where the Kunluns forge out from the Pamirs, a short spur to the north called the Aghil Mountains actually has some of the highest summits, Mount Kung-ko-erh (Kongur), at 25,324 feet (7,719 metres), as well

Brother Adam

2005-02-22T03:12:00.000-08:00

(KARL KEHRLE), German-born Benedictine monk and bee breeder (b. Aug. 3, 1898, Mittlebiberach, Ger.--d. Sept. 1, 1996, Buckfast, South Devon, Eng.), was regarded as an authority on bees for his revolutionary work, most notably the development of the Buckfast bee, a breed that was considered one of the hardiest and most prolific producers of honey ever bred. At the age of 11 he was sent from his home in Germany

Córdoba

2005-02-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Provincia, central Argentina, with an area of 65,161 square miles (168,766 square km). From the Sierra Grande in the west, which rises to 9,462 feet (2,884 m), the land slopes eastward to the great Pampa grasslands, being drained by the Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto rivers. Only the Tercero reaches the Paraná River; the others terminate in swamps or in the saline Laguna Mar Chiquita in the

Leo Africanus

2005-02-20T01:57:00.000-08:00

Educated at Fès, in Morocco, Leo Africanus travelled widely as a young man on commercial and diplomatic missions through North Africa and may also have visited the city of Timbuktu, now in Mali, as well as the valley of the

Zanardelli, Giuseppe

2005-02-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

A combatant in the volunteer corps during the war of 1848, he returned to Brescia

Platt, Orville Hitchcock

2005-02-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Platt began the practice of law in Meriden, Conn., in 1850 and was active in Connecticut politics, serving as secretary of state (1857), state senator (1861–62), and member of the

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

2005-02-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Compiled by official censors, the Index was an implementation of one part of the teaching function of the Roman Catholic

Kebbi

2005-02-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

State, northwestern Nigeria. It was created in 1991 from the southwestern half of Sokoto (q.v.) state. Kebbi borders the nations of Niger to the west and Benin to the southwest, and it borders the Nigerian states of Sokoto to the north and east and Niger to the south. Kebbi's area consists of short-grass savanna that is drained southwestward by the Niger River and its tributary,

Tsun-i

2005-02-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

The city was brought under regular Chinese administration only in the early 7th century AD. A county was set up there in 640, and its present name, Tsun-i, was given in 642. It remained the seat of Tsun-i hsien (county), but the area did not begin to be developed

Volkova, Vera

2005-02-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

Volkova studied at the Imperial Ballet Academy and later at Volynsky's Russian Choreographic School in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) under Agrippina Vaganova. Volkova became an expert of the Vaganova school of technique and moved to Shanghai to dance

Fuller's Earth

2005-02-15T01:22:00.000-08:00

Any fine-grained, naturally occurring earthy substance that has a substantial ability to adsorb impurities or colouring bodies from fats, grease, or oils. Its name originated with the textile industry, in which textile workers (or fullers) cleaned raw wool by kneading it in a mixture of water and fine earth that adsorbed oil, dirt, and other contaminants from the

Schally, Andrew V.

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

In full Andrew Victor Schally Polish-born American endocrinologist and corecipient, with Roger Guillemin and Rosalyn Yalow, of the 1977 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He was noted for isolating and synthesizing three hormones that are produced by the region of the brain known as the hypothalamus; these hormones control the activities of other

Schaff, Philip

2005-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

Schaff was educated at the universities of Tübingen, Halle, and Berlin and was made a lecturer in 1842 at Berlin, where his interest in church history was aroused

Altranstädt, Treaties Of

2005-02-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

Shortly after Augustus was crowned king of Poland (Sept. 15, 1697), he formed an alliance with Denmark and Russia against Sweden (autumn 1699) that precipitated the Second Northern War. Charles,

Pacheco, José Emilio

2005-02-12T00:50:00.000-08:00

Pacheco was educated at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He wrote several plays there that were never produced, and he edited the literary supplement of the review Estaciones (1957–58). His first published

Jaca

2005-02-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

City, Huesca provincia, in the communidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Aragon, northeastern Spain, on the plateau on the southern bank of the Aragón River, just south of the French border. Of ancient origin, the city was captured by the Romans in 194 BC and surrounded by walls, which, with medieval additions, still partly stand. In 716 it was taken by the Moors and, under the name

Cellophane

2005-02-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

In the manufacturing process, an alkaline

Gauteng

2005-02-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

Province, northeastern South Africa. It consists of the cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Germiston, and Vereeniging and their surrounding metropolitan areas in the eastern part of the Witwatersrand region. Gauteng is the smallest South African province. It is bordered by the provinces of Northern on the north, Mpumalanga on the east, Free State on the south, and

Baltic Sea

2005-02-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

The largest expanse of brackish water in the world, the semienclosed and relatively shallow Baltic Sea is of great interest to scientists, while to historians it

Haratin

2005-02-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

Scholars speculate that the Haratin came into being as a result of ancient interbreeding between indigenous blacks and Indo-Europeans, possibly Berbers. In the 17th century they were forcibly recruited

China, The Sui dynasty

2005-02-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Sui dynasty (581–618), which reunified China after nearly four centuries of political fragmentation during which the north and south had developed in different ways, played a part far more important than its short span would suggest. In the same way that the Ch'in rulers of the 3rd century BC had unified China after the Chan-kuo (Warring States) period, so the Sui brought China

Swamp

2005-02-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Wetland ecosystem characterized by mineral soils with poor drainage and by plant life dominated by trees. The latter characteristic distinguishes a swamp from a marsh, in which plant life consists largely of grasses. Swamps are found throughout the world. They exist in areas with poor drainage and sufficient water supply to keep the ground waterlogged, and they

Conservative Baptist Association Of America

2005-02-07T03:08:00.000-08:00

Association of independent, autonomous Baptist churches in the United States, organized May 17, 1947, in Atlantic City, N.J. The founders originally organized the Fundamentalist Fellowship in 1920 but remained within the American (then Northern) Baptist Convention. Disputes over interpretation of Scripture and theology, as well as fundamentalist objections to sending liberal

Denbigh

2005-02-07T01:57:00.000-08:00

Welsh Dinbych market town, historic and present county of Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych), Wales. After the English king Edward I conquered Wales, Henry de Lacy, 3rd earl of Lincoln, founded a borough there in 1283 and built a castle, which withstood attack in 1402 by the rebel Owen Glendower, though the town itself was razed. In the 15th and 16th centuries Denbigh was one of the most important towns in Wales.

Nordica, Lillian

2005-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Nordica grew up from the age of six in Boston, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, and then gave recitals in the United States and London before resuming study

Kuchipudi

2005-02-06T01:21:00.000-08:00

One of six classical dance styles of India. Kuchipudi is indigenous to the state of Andhra Pradesh and differs from the other five classical styles by the inclusion of singing. Kuchipudi originated in the 17th century with the creation by Sidhyendra Yogi of the dance-drama Bhama Kalapam, a story of Satyabhama, the charming but jealous wife of the god Krishna. The dance

Sinaitic Inscriptions

2005-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

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

Mitford, Nancy

2005-02-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Nancy Mitford was one of six daughters (and one son) of the 2nd Baron Redesdale; the family name was actually Freeman-Mitford. The children were educated at home and were all highly original. Nancy's sister Unity (d. 1948) was notorious in Great Britain for her admiration of Adolf

Accent

2005-02-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Accent has various

Fishing Cat

2005-02-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

(species Felis viverrina), tropical cat of the family Felidae, found in India and Southeast Asia. The coat of the fishing cat is pale gray to deep brownish gray and marked with dark spots and streaks. The adult animal stands about 40 cm (16 inches) at the shoulder, weighs 8–11 kg (18–24 pounds), and is from 60 to 85 cm long, excluding the black-ringed tail, which accounts for an additional 25–30 cm. The fishing

Bridge Whist

2005-02-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Card game popular from the 1890s through 1910, and the second step in the historical progression from whist to bridge whist to auction bridge to contract bridge. See whist.

Technicolor

2005-02-02T03:47:00.000-08:00

(trademark), motion-picture process using dye-transfer techniques to produce a colour print. The Technicolor process, perfected in 1932, originally used a beam-splitting optical cube, in combination with the camera lens, to expose three black-and-white films. The light beam was split into three parts as it entered the camera, one beam favouring the red portion of the spectrum,

Mahavira

2005-02-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

Also known as Vardhamana Epithet of Vardhamana, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (“Ford-makers,” i.e., saviours who promulgated Jainism), and the reformer of the Jain monastic community. According to the traditions of the two main Jain sects, the Shvetambara (“White-robed”) and the Digambara (“Sky-clad,” i.e., naked), Mahavira became

United States, Black Codes

2005-02-01T03:25:00.000-08:00

Given little guidance from Washington, Southern whites turned to the traditional political leaders of their section for guidance in reorganizing their governments; and the new regimes in the South were suspiciously like those of the antebellum period. To be sure, slavery was abolished; but each reconstructed Southern state government proceeded to adopt a “Black Code,” regulating the rights and privileges of freedmen. Varying from state to state, these codes in general treated blacks as inferiors, relegated to a secondary and subordinate position in society. Their right to own land was restricted, they could not bear arms, and they might be bound out in servitude for vagrancy and other offenses. The conduct of white Southerners indicated that they were not prepared to guarantee even minimal protection of Negro rights. In riots in Memphis (May 1866) and New Orleans (July 1866), black persons were brutally assaulted and promiscuously killed.

Madeleine

2005-02-01T00:12:00.000-08:00

Delicate, scallop-shaped French tea cake often served with fruit or sherbet. In its preparation, flour, eggs, and sugar are beaten with a large proportion of butter, incorporating as much air as possible; then grated lemon rind and vanilla extract, and sometimes rum, are added. After baking in the customary 12-shell tin, the pastry is served plain or dusted with confectioner's

Astor (of Hever Castle), Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount, Baron Astor Of Hever Castle

2005-01-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

He was the elder son of William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, and a great-great-grandson

Montreal Aquarium

2005-01-31T01:57:00.000-08:00

French Aquarium De Montréal, municipally owned aquarium located on St.-Helen's Island, Montreal, Can. It was built in 1966 for Expo 67, an international exhibition that was held in the city. The aquarium complex consists of two large buildings, one of which contains exhibits of marine and freshwater fishes and invertebrates. The other building is exclusively for marine mammals. The aquarium's fish collection

Guadiana River

2005-01-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

Arabic Wadi Ana, Portuguese Rio Guadiana, Spanish Río Guadiana, one of the longest streams of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing generally westward through south-central Spain and southeastern Portugal to the Gulf of Cádiz in the Atlantic Ocean. The river has a drainage area of 23,455 square miles (60,748 square km), a length of 483 miles (778 km), and about 30 major tributaries. Its flow is relatively meagre—only about half that of the Tagus or the Douro—because

Italian Literature

2005-01-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

The body of written works produced in the Italian language that had its beginnings in the 13th century. Until that time nearly all literary work composed in the Middle Ages was written in Latin. Moreover, it was predominantly practical in nature and produced by writers trained in ecclesiastical schools. Literature in Italian developed later than literature in French

China, Foreign policy

2005-01-29T00:34:00.000-08:00

While taking their principal cues in their foreign policies from domestic developments and generally adhering to the initial pro-Soviet line, the Chinese began to act—on the basis of several important lessons gained during the Korean struggle—to reduce Peking's militant and isolationist attitudes in international affairs. Peking had recognized that the great

Central African Republic, Settlement patterns

2005-01-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

About three-fifths of the population is rural, residing primarily in the southern and western parts of the country. The eastern and northeastern sections of the country are less populated. Of the urban population, a significant proportion lives in Bangui. Other major towns are Berbérati, Bossangoa, and Bouar in the west, Bambari and Bria in the central plains, and Bangassou

Gaylani, Rashid 'ali Al-

2005-01-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

The son of an aristocratic Sunnite family, Gaylani studied law at Baghdad Law School. After several years of practice, he entered public life, holding several cabinet

Aphrodisias

2005-01-28T00:46:00.000-08:00

Ancient city of the Caria region of southwestern Asia Minor (Anatolia, or modern Turkey), situated on a plateau south of the Maeander River (modern Büyük Menderes). Remains of an Ionic temple of Aphrodite and of a stadium and portions of a bathhouse have long been evident, but, beginning in 1961, excavations revealed such structures as a theatre, an odeon, a basilica, a market,

Paphlagonia

2005-01-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

Ancient district of Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea, bounded by Bithynia in the west, Pontus in the east, and Galatia in the south. The Paphlagonians were one of the most ancient peoples of Anatolia. Passing under the rule of Lydia and Persia, they submitted to Alexander the Great (333 BC), after which they enjoyed a measure of independence. In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC Paphlagonia

Hay River

2005-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Fort Smith region, Northwest Territories, Canada, on the southwestern shore of Great Slave Lake. The settlement, at the mouth of the Hay River, was established in 1868 as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post. With the arrival of the Mackenzie Highway in 1949 and the Great Slave Lake Railway in 1964, Hay River (82 miles [132 km] north of the Alberta border) became a busy commercial fishing

Beresford, Charles William De La Poer Beresford, 1st Baron

2005-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

Second son of the 4th Marquess of Waterford, Beresford distinguished himself as commander of the gunboat Condor at Alexandria (1882) and as commander

Manas Wild Life Sanctuary

2005-01-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Kamrup Sanctuary, wildlife sanctuary in western Assam state, eastern India. It is situated at the foot of the Himalayas on the eastern bank of the Manas River, 92 miles (153 km) west of Gauhati town. Established in 1928, it has an area of 151 square miles (391 square km) and lies in a dense, mixed semievergreen, evergreen, and wet-deciduous forest region. The southern part of the preserve is grassland. Wildlife includes

Kuala Lumpur

2005-01-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

Capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central West (Peninsular) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the federation's largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity

Daniels, Charles

2005-01-25T05:07:00.000-08:00

At the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, Daniels was America's star swimmer, winning gold medals in the 220-yard and 440-yard freestyle and the 4 ´ 50-yard freestyle relay, a silver in the

ShortCloud

Moravian Karst

Gumma

Bazzaz, 'abd Al-rahman Al-

China, Civil war (194549)

Irkutsk

Lentulus, Publius Cornelius

Biblical Literature, Early stages

Beilstein, Friedrich Konrad

Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich

Gabon, History Of

Cyprus, Church Of

Fabricius Luscinus, Gaius

Lower Hutt

April

Henrician Articles

Mufti

Dennis, Eugene

Wade-davis Bill

Ragunan Zoological Gardens

China, The Taiping Rebellion

Gong Xian

Skelton Glacier

Tskhinvali

Salesian

Aaron

Nahuel Huapí National Park

Chanel, Gabrielle

Ca' Da Mosto, Alvise

Heijermans, Herman

Kucha

Switzerland, Economic development

Kucha

Insurance, Perils clause

Trade, Board Of

Anderson, Regina M.

Gwynn, Tony

Molasses

Pitt, William, The Elder

Contract Bridge

Quinton, Amelia Stone

Maine, Explorations and disputes

Wolfe, Charles

Wick

Biblical Literature

Arnulf

Gabon, History Of

Natal

Kadet

Gama, Vasco Da, 1er Conde (1st Count) Da Vidigueira

Hyattsville

Cambon, Paul

Kunlun Mountains, Physiography

Brother Adam

Córdoba

Leo Africanus

Zanardelli, Giuseppe

Platt, Orville Hitchcock

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

Kebbi

Tsun-i

Volkova, Vera

Fuller's Earth

Schally, Andrew V.

Schaff, Philip

Altranstädt, Treaties Of

Pacheco, José Emilio

Jaca

Cellophane

Gauteng

Baltic Sea

Haratin

China, The Sui dynasty

Swamp

Conservative Baptist Association Of America

Denbigh

Nordica, Lillian

Kuchipudi

Sinaitic Inscriptions

Mitford, Nancy

China, Civil war (194549)

United States, Black Codes