StiffGirl

Utraquist

2005-04-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

Also called Calixtin, or Calixtine, any of the spiritual descendants of Jan Hus who believed that the laity, like the clergy, should receive the Eucharist under the forms of both bread and wine (Latin utraque, “each of two”; calix, “chalice”). Unlike the militant Taborites (also followers of Hus), the Utraquists were moderates and maintained amicable relations with the Roman Catholic Church. As a consequence,

Carnivore, Form and function

2005-04-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

The possession of a long face or muzzle

Low Countries

2005-04-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Also called Benelux Countries coastal region of northwestern Europe, consisting of Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg (qq.v.). These are together known as the Benelux countries, from the initial letters of their names. The Low Countries are bordered by Germany to the east and France to the south. In 1947 the three nations formed the Benelux Customs Union, which broadened over the years into what a

Muromachi Period

2005-04-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

The most successful of the Ashikaga rulers, the third shogun Yoshimitsu, managed

Estates-general

2005-04-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

The origins of the Estates-General are to be found in traditions of counsel and aid and the development of corporate representation

Triberg

2005-04-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

In full Triberg Im Schwarzwald, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Gutach River, northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. Situated in a gorgelike valley among tall pinewoods near Triberg Falls, the highest (535 feet [163 m]) waterfall in Germany, Triberg is one of the oldest Black Forest resorts and is noted for its beneficial climate and its winter-sports facilities. The

Aphrodite

2005-03-30T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified by the Romans with Venus (q.v.). Because the Greek word aphros means “foam,” the legend arose that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshiped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she

Abbott, Edith

2005-03-29T02:05:00.000-08:00

Edith Abbott was the older sister of Grace Abbott, who would serve as chief of the United States Children's Bureau from 1921 to 1934. Both sisters were influenced by

Abbot, Charles Greeley

2005-03-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

An informal autobiography is provided by Charles Greeley Abbot, Adventures in the World of Science (1958). David H. DeVorkin, “Charles Greeley Abbot,” in Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 73, pp. 3–23 (1998), is a short biography; and David H. DeVorkin, “Defending a Dream: Charles Greeley Abbot's Years at the Smithsonian,” Journal for the History of Astronomy, vol. 21, part 1, no. 63, pp. 121–136 (February 1990), discusses Abbot's influence on the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Biblical Literature, Composition and authorship

2005-03-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Torah, or Pentateuch (Five Scrolls), traditionally the most revered portion of the Hebrew canon, comprises a series of narratives, interspersed with law codes, providing an account of events from the beginning of the world to the death of Moses. Modern critical scholarship tends to hold that there were originally four books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers)

Andrew Of Crete, Saint

2005-03-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

From his monastery in Jerusalem he was sent to Constantinople (modern Istanbul), where he became deacon of the Hagia Sophia. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Philippicus Bardanes he was made archbishop of Gortyna and took part

Aerospace Industry, Special requirements of military aircraft

2005-03-25T03:18:00.000-08:00

Military aircraft demand lightweight structures to achieve high performance. Moreover, the materials used must be able to withstand the temperatures created by air friction when the vehicle is flying at high speeds. These requirements have fostered the use of new metals such as aluminum-magnesium alloys and titanium, as well as composites and polymers for many

English Literature, Courtly poetry

2005-03-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

The numerous 15th-century followers of Chaucer continued to treat the conventional range of courtly and moralizing topics, but only rarely with the intelligence and stylistic accomplishment of their distinguished predecessors. The canon of Chaucer's works began to accumulate delightful but apocryphal trifles such as “The Flower and the Leaf” and “The Assembly

Performing Arts

2005-03-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of very young stars having a mass approximately equal to that of the Sun. So called after a prototype identified in a bright region of gas and dust known as the Hind's variable nebula, the T Tauri stars are characterized by erratic changes in brightness. They represent an early stage in stellar evolution, having only recently been formed by the rapid gravitational

Suez Canal

2005-03-23T01:34:00.000-08:00

Arabic Qanat as-Suways, sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. The canal separates the African continent from Asia, and it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes. The canal

Allen, Sir Hugh (percy)

2005-03-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Allen was an organ scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge, and later held organist's posts at Ely cathedral (1898–1901) and New College, Oxford (1901–18). In 1918 he became director of the Royal College of Music, London, and in

Anazarbus

2005-03-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

In full Caesarea ad Anazarbus , modern Agaçli , formerly Çeçenanavarza former city of the ancient province of Cilicia in Anatolia that was important in the Roman and Byzantine periods. It was located in what is now south-central Turkey. The original native settlement was refounded by the Romans in 19 BC, following a visit by Augustus. It rivaled Tarsus, the Cilician capital, in the 3rd century AD, and under Diocletian became the seat of the separate

Dunant, Henri

2005-03-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

An eyewitness of the Battle of Solferino (June 24, 1859), which resulted in nearly 40,000 casualties, Dunant organized emergency aid services

Genecentre

2005-03-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Genecenter, any of a number of areas on the Earth from which arose important crop plants and domestic animals. As few as four of these centres of origin have probably provided the great majority of the most useful plants and animals: (1) tropical southeastern Asia—rice, chickens; (2) temperate southwestern Asia—wheat, sheep, goats, asses; (3) subtropical or temperate Mexico and Central

Jharia

2005-03-20T21:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jherria city and coalfield in southern Bihar state, eastern India. The coalfield lies in the Damodar Valley, covers about 110 square miles (280 square km), and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from the Jharia and Raniganj fields in the valley. The coal is worked from open pits, but wages and safety conditions are poor. The miners are usually from local groups

Abdelkader

2005-03-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Abd El-kader, or Abdul-qadir, Arabic in full 'abd Al-qadir Ibn Muhyi Ad-din Ibn Mustafa Al-hasani Al-jaza'iri amir of Mascara (from 1832), the military and religious leader who founded the Algerian state and led the Algerians in their 19th-century struggle against French domination (1840–46).

Kiangsi, Relief

2005-03-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

Topographically, Kiangsi corresponds to the drainage basin of the Kan River, which runs northeastward in descending elevation from the southern tip of the province to P'o-yang Lake and the Yangtze in the north. This basin is surrounded by hills and mountains that rim the province from all sides. Among the more important ranges are the Huai-yü Mountains, to the northeast;

Gondwanaland

2005-03-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Gondwana, hypothetical former supercontinent in the Southern Hemisphere, which included South America, Africa, peninsular India, Australia, and Antarctica. The name was coined by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in reference to the Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations of the Gondwana region of central India, which display typical developments of some of the shared

Chiang Mai

2005-03-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chiengmai, largest city in northern Thailand and the third largest city in the nation after metropolitan Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. It is located on the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River, near the centre of a fertile intermontane basin at an elevation of 1,100 feet (335 m). It serves as the religious, economic, cultural, educational, and transportation centre for

Altman, Robert

2005-03-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

Unconventional and independent American motion-picture director whose works emphasize character and atmosphere over plot in exploring themes of innocence, corruption, and survival. Perhaps his best-known film was his first and biggest commercial success, the antiwar comedy M*A*S*H (1970), set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during

Religion

2005-03-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

The year 1993 began amid the turmoil generated by the destruction on Dec. 6, 1992, of the medieval mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, by Hindu militants, who believed the building was originally an ancient Hindu temple marking the birthplace of the god Rama. The ensuing bloody clashes between Hindus and Muslims throughout the nation claimed at least 2,000 lives within a few weeks, most

Bear

2005-03-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

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

Asparagus

2005-03-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

Asparagus may be erect or climbing, and most of the species are more

Abu 'ali Mustafa

2005-03-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Born Mustafa al-Zibri, he later took the nom de guerre Abu 'Ali Mustafa. As a young man he joined George Habash's Arab National Movement,

Anne Boleyn

2005-03-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

A full biography is Marie Louise Bruce, Anne Boleyn (1972).

Hayek, Friedrich Von

2005-03-12T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hayek studied law, psychology, and economics at the University of Vienna, receiving a doctorate in 1923. He spent the following

Alain-fournier

2005-03-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Robert Gibson, The Quest of Alain-Fournier (1953).

Antarctica, Structural framework

2005-03-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Most of the Antarctic geologic record lies hidden beneath the vast regions of snow and ice that make up more than 95 percent of the continent's surface terrain. No one knows what important segments of the record lie concealed in buried ranges such as the Gamburtsev Mountains, the topography of which has been mapped only by seismic reflections through the great East

Abelard, Peter

2005-03-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

French Pierre Abélard, or Abailard, Latin Petrus Abaelardus, or Abeilardus French theologian and philosopher best known for his solution of the problem of universals and for his original use of dialectics. He is also known for his poetry and for his celebrated love affair with Héloïse.

Scheelite

2005-03-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Calcium tungstate mineral, CaWO4, that is an important ore of tungsten. It acquired commercial value in the 20th century when tungsten became used in alloy steels and electric-light filaments. The mineral is named in honour of the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who obtained tungstic acid from it in 1781. Scheelite commonly occurs as compact or granular masses in contact

Dado

2005-03-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

In Classical architecture, the plain portion between the base and cornice of the pedestal of a column and, in later architecture, the paneled, painted, or otherwise decorated lower part of a wall, up to 2 or 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) above the floor. Internal walls were so treated between the 16th and the 18th century, though toward the close of that period the dado was left plain and merely defined

Light

2005-03-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. In terms of wavelength, electromagnetic radiation occurs over an extremely wide range, from gamma rays with a wavelength of 3 10-14 centimetre to long radio waves measured in millions of kilometres. In that spectrum the wavelengths visible to humans occupy a very narrow band, from about 7 10-5 centimetre (red light)

Chou Tun-i

2005-03-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

Chou was born into a highly influential official

Beveridge, Albert J.

2005-03-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

Beveridge was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1887 and began the practice of law in Indianapolis. He first attracted national attention by his eloquent speeches defending the increasing power of the federal government and advocating U.S. territorial expansion overseas. In 1899 he was elected

Nördlingen, Battle Of

2005-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Led

Audubon, John James

2005-03-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of a French merchant, planter, and slave trader and a Creole woman of Saint-Domingue, Audubon and his illegitimate half-sister (who was also born

Tarantella

2005-03-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

Couple folk dance of Italy characterized by light, quick steps and teasing, flirtatious behaviour between partners; women dancers frequently carry tambourines. The music is in lively 6/8 time. Tarantellas for two couples are also danced. The tarantella's origin is connected with tarantism, a disease or form of hysteria that appeared in Italy in the 15th to the 17th

Loy, Mina

2005-03-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

Loy began studying art in 1897 at St. John's Wood School in London. In 1899 she left England to study painting in Munich, Germany, returned to London in 1901, then traveled in 1902 to Paris, where she met and married fellow art

Carton De Wiart, Henri(-victor), Comte (count)

2005-03-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Elected in 1896 to the Belgian House of Representatives as a member of the Catholic Party's reform-oriented left wing, he served as minister of justice (1911–18) and helped secure passage of child-welfare legislation (1912). Subsequently, he served

Affair Of The Diamond Necklace

2005-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Affair of the Necklace scandal at the court of Louis XVI in 1785 that discredited the French monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution. It began as an intrigue on the part of an adventuress, the comtesse (countess) de La Motte, to procure, supposedly for Queen Marie-Antoinette but in reality for herself and her associates, a diamond necklace worth 1,600,000 livres. The necklace was the property of the Parisian

Padua, University Of

2005-02-28T23:35:00.000-08:00

Italian Università Degli Studi Di Padova, autonomous coeducational state institution of higher learning in Padua, Italy. The university was founded in 1222 by a secession of about a thousand students from the University of Bologna, reinforced by additional migrations from Bologna in 1306 and 1322. Like Bologna, it was a student-controlled university, with students electing the professors and fixing their salaries.

Biblical Literature, The Christian canon

2005-02-27T04:05:00.000-08:00

The Christian Church received its Bible from Greek-speaking Jews and found the majority of its early converts in the Hellenistic world. The Greek Bible of Alexandria thus became the official Bible of the Christian community, and the overwhelming number of quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures in the New Testament are derived from it. Whatever the origin of the

Amur River, Plant life

2005-02-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

Much of the Amur basin lies in the taiga vegetation zone. Larch is the predominant species, particularly in boggy areas, with some pine, spruce, and fir on drier land. In the east are found the Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and the Amur cork tree (Phellodendron amurense). In the west the Argun River traverses a region of steppe grassland. In the Da and Xiao Hinggan ranges south

Stead, Christina Ellen

2005-02-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

Stead was educated at New South Wales Teachers College; she traveled widely and at various times lived in the United States, Paris, and London. In the early 1940s she worked as a screenwriter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios,

Baptism

2005-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

A sacrament of admission to the Christian Church. The forms and rituals of the various churches vary, but Baptism almost invariably involves the use of water and the Trinitarian invocation, “I baptize you: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The candidate may be wholly or partly immersed in water, the water may be poured over the head, or a few drops

Sea Lake

2005-02-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

Located on the Calder Highway and a rail line running southeast to Melbourne (195 miles [314 km] southeast),

Eyck, Jan Van

2005-02-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Flemish painter who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel paintings, mostly portraits and religious subjects, made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. His masterpiece

Term

2005-02-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

In logic, the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition (q.v.), or statement. Aristotle so used the Greek word horos (“limit”), apparently by an analogy between the terms of a proportion and those of a syllogism. Terminus is the Latin translation of this word, used, for example, by the 5th-century Roman philosopher Boethius. Hence in medieval logic the word came to be used

Uzbekistan

2005-02-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Uzbekistan , Uzbek Uzbekiston , or Uzbekistan Respublikasi country in Central Asia. It lies mainly between two major rivers, the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River) on the northeast and the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) on the southwest, though they only partly form its boundaries. Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakstan on the northwest and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the east and southeast, Afghanistan on the south, and

Dge-lugs-pa

2005-02-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Dge-lugs-pa sect was founded in the late 14th century by Tsong-kha-pa, who was himself a member of the austere Bka'-gdams-pa school. Tsong-kha-pa's reforms represented a return to tradition. He enforced strict monastic discipline, restored celibacy and the prohibition

Stresemann, Gustav

2005-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

After completing his studies, Stresemann began his professional career in a trade association. Unusually rapid success in commerce gave him a springboard into politics. As an administrative assistant in the German Chocolate Makers' Association from 1901 to 1904, he gained a reputation as an accomplished organizer and negotiator. By 1902 he had founded the Saxon Manufacturers'

Redford, Robert

2005-02-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

After years of drifting and studying art in both Europe and the United States, Redford enrolled at

Wintour, Charles Vere

2005-02-20T14:16:00.000-08:00

British journalist and editor who, while at the helm of London's Evening Standard (1959–76 and 1978–80), turned the struggling tabloid into one of the nation's most highly respected evening newspapers; Wintour was made M.B.E. in 1945 and elevated to C.B.E. in 1978 (b. May 18, 1917, Dorset, Eng.—d. Nov. 4, 1999, Tisbury, Wiltshire, Eng.).

Kornberg, Arthur

2005-02-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

At the U.S. National Institutes of Health,

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Members of the families Otariidae (eared seals), Odobenidae (walrus), and Phocidae (earless seals), commonly called pinnipeds, are strictly carnivorous and mostly marine. A few venture up freshwater rivers, and two forms (Pusa species) are landlocked on inland lakes. Pinnipeds are amphibious, being aquatic as to food habits but terrestrial for mating, bearing young, and

Jonsson, John Erik

2005-02-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.), Jonsson worked in the 1920s for the Aluminum Company of America and the Dumont Motor Car Co. In 1930 he was appointed

Amazonas

2005-02-17T00:54:00.000-08:00

Departamento (formed 1832), Nor Oriental del Marañón región, northern Peru, bounded on the north by Ecuador. It consists mostly of rain forest in the north, while in the south the Marañón River and its tributaries dissect the Cordillera Central. The Marañón forms part of the western boundary with Cajamarca departamento before flowing northeastward into the Amazon River

Maastricht

2005-02-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

It was the site of the Roman settlement Trajectum ad

Zambezi River, Navigation

2005-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

Given its numerous natural barriers—sandbars at the mouth, shallowness, and rapids and cataracts—the Zambezi is of little economic significance as a trade route. About 1,620 miles of the river, however, are navigable by shallow-draft steamers. The longest stretch of unbroken water runs from the river delta about 400 miles upstream to the Cahora Bassa Dam. Above the dam Lake

Minahasa

2005-02-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Northeasternmost portion of the longest of the four peninsulas that project from the curiously shaped, mountainous island of Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia. The peninsula protrudes northeast between the Celebes and Molucca seas. The name is derived from the Minahasan, a local Malayan tribe that was converted to Christianity in the 19th century. See Celebes.

Biblical Literature, Historical criticism

2005-02-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Historical criticism places the documents in their historical setting and promotes their interpretation in the light of their contemporary environment. This is necessary for their understanding, whether they are historical in character or belong to another literary genre. If they are historical in character it is important to establish how faithfully they

Furniture, Chair

2005-02-14T03:15:00.000-08:00

Of all furniture forms, the chair may be the most interesting. While most other forms (except the bed) are intended to support objects, the chair supports man. The term chair is used here in the widest sense, from stool to throne to derivative forms such as the bench and sofa, which may be regarded as extended or connected chairs, and whose character (i.e., whether they are intended

Grackle

2005-02-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Also called Crow-blackbird, any of several species of birds belonging to the family Icteridae (order Passeriformes) that have iridescent black plumage and long tails. Grackles use their stout, pointed bills to snap up insects, dig grubs from the soil, and kill small vertebrates, including fishes and baby birds; they can also crack hard seeds. Most grackles nest in colonies; after breeding, they

Wind Instrument, Reedpipes

2005-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

Egypt also made clarinets, instruments composed of two canes with three sides of a rectangle cut obliquely in the upper end of the two single reeds. The term idioglottic is used to describe a reed cut from the tube itself. From four to six equidistant finger holes are cut in each cane, and blowing with the entire reed engulfed in the mouth cavity produces a pungent, tremulous

Melamine

2005-02-12T00:53:00.000-08:00

Melamine is manufactured by heating dicyandiamide under pressure. Its most important reaction is that with formaldehyde, forming resinous compounds of high molecular weight.

West Germany

2005-02-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

From 1949 to 1990, a republic consisting of the western two-thirds of what is now Germany. West Germany was created in 1949 when the United States, Great Britain, and France consolidated those zones, or portions, of Germany that they had occupied at the end of World War II. When West and East Germany were reunited in 1990, West Germany's constitution and official name (Federal Republic of Germany)

Attention

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

Attempts to accommodate the selective and intensive aspects of attention and its links with both awareness and more automatic processes have led to the formulation of a number of “two-process” theories of attention. One of the most influential was that advanced by the American psychologists Richard M. Shiffrin and Walter Schneider in 1977 on the basis of experiments

Mountain, The Caribbean chains

2005-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

The mountain range along the coast of Venezuela is a remnant of a phase when the Caribbean Sea was subducted southward beneath Venezuela and where rocks were folded along east–west axes. Right-lateral strike-slip faulting and rather slow mountain building occur there today, as much by slight vertical displacement on predominantly strike-slip faults as by slow

Han T'o-chou

2005-02-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Han Tuozhou minister to the Chinese emperor Ning Tsung (reigned 1194–1224) of the Sung dynasty (960–1279). Han tried to recover territory in northern China that had been taken from the Sung several generations earlier by the Juchen tribes of Inner Asia. The ensuing war proved disastrous. More Sung territory was lost and a large indemnity was demanded by the

Pyrolite

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

Rock consisting of about three parts peridotite and one part basalt. The name was coined to explain the chemical and mineralogic composition of the upper mantle of the Earth. The relative abundances of the principal metallic element components (except iron) are similar to those in chondritic meteorites and in the solar photosphere. Accordingly, it is reasonable

Dong Nai River

2005-02-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Donnai River , Vietnamese Song Dong Nai river rising in the central highlands (Annamese Cordillera) of southern Vietnam, northwest of Da Lat. Near its source the river has rapids and is known as the Da Dung River. It flows west and southwest for about 300 miles (480 km), joining the Saigon River southwest of Bien Hoa. At the rapids of Tri An, west of Dinh Quan, it is joined by the Be River. The Nhim, an important upper tributary,

Awan

2005-02-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ancient city and region of the land of Elam, prominent throughout early Mesopotamian history and especially in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Although it was probably situated near Susa, in southwestern Iran, Awan's exact location is unknown. A coalition of four rulers of southwestern Persia, led by the king of Awan, provided vigorous resistance to the eastern

Buxtehude, Dietrich

2005-02-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

His exact place of birth is uncertain, and nothing is known of his early youth. It is usually assumed that he began his musical education with his father, who was organist at Helsingbor (c. 1638–41) and at Helsingor (Elsinor; c. 1642–71). He

Uto-aztecan Languages

2005-02-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

The languages

Handicap

2005-02-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

In sports and games, method of offsetting the varying abilities or characteristics of competitors in order to equalize their chances of winning. Handicapping takes many, often complicated, forms. In horse racing, a track official known as the handicapper may assign weights to horses according to their speed in previous performances; the presumed fastest horse

Annamese Cordillera

2005-02-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

French Chaîne Annamitique , Vietnamese Giai Truong Son principal mountain range of Indochina and the watershed between the Mekong River and the South China Sea. It extends parallel to the coast in a gentle curve generally northwest-southeast, forming the boundary between Laos and Vietnam. A fairly continuous range for about 700 miles (1,100 km), its rather precipitous eastern slopes leave a narrow coastal plain. Although its

Nicetas Stethatos

2005-02-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

A monk of the Stoudion monastery in Constantinople (now Istanbul), Nicetas allied himself c. 1020 with his spiritual tutor, Symeon the New Theologian, whose biographer and

Moshav

2005-02-03T04:40:00.000-08:00

Plural Moshavim, in Israel, a type of cooperative agricultural settlement. The moshav, which is generally based on the principle of private ownership of land, avoidance of hired labour, and communal marketing, represents an intermediate stage between privately owned settlements and the complete communal living of the kibbutz. Moshavim are built on land belonging to the Jewish

Zakrzewska, Marie Elizabeth

2005-02-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Zakrzewska early developed a strong interest in medicine, and at age 20 she was admitted to the school for midwives at the

Kaga

2005-02-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

The former city of Daishoji is now the central part of Kaga. An old temple town, it grew around a castle built by the Maeda family in the early Tokugawa

Shensi, The 19th and 20th centuries

2005-02-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

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

Mun River

2005-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Thai Mae Nam Mun main river system of the Khorat Plateau, in eastern Thailand. The Mun rises in the San Kamphaeng Range northeast of Bangkok and flows east for 418 miles (673 km), receiving the Chi River, its main tributary, and entering the Mekong River at the Laotian border. Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani are the chief towns on its banks. The river is seasonally navigable below Ubon

Olmütz, Punctation Of

2005-01-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

German Olmützer Punktation (Nov. 29, 1850), agreement signed at Olmütz (Olomouc, Moravia, in modern Czech Republic) between Prussia and Austria that regulated those two powers' relations. The development leading up to the punctation was triggered when the elector of Hesse in the autumn of 1850 appealed for help against his rebellious subjects; both Austria and Prussia sent troops in response, and these threatened

Athanasius, Saint

2005-01-30T04:11:00.000-08:00

Theologian, ecclesiastical statesman, and Egyptian national leader; he was the chief defender of Christian orthodoxy in the 4th-century battle against Arianism, the heresy that the Son of God was a creature of like, but not of the same, substance as God the Father. His important works include The Life of St. Antony and Four Orations

Alençon

2005-01-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Town, Orne département, Basse-Normandie région, northwestern France. Alençon lies at the juncture of the Sarthe and Briante rivers, in the centre of a plain ringed by wooded hills. It is known for its tulle and lace (especially point d'Alençon), introduced from Venice in the mid-17th century. Incorporated in the duchy of Normandy in 911, it was capital of the county and duchy of

Man

2005-01-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

Specifically, an adult human male and, generally, any extinct or living member, male or female, of the biological family Hominidae. See hominid; human being.

China, The Imperial succession

2005-01-29T07:51:00.000-08:00

The succession of emperors was hereditary, but it was complicated to a considerable extent by a system of Imperial consorts and the implication of their families in politics. Of the large number of women who were housed in the palace as the emperor's favourites, one was selected for nomination as the empress; and while it was theoretically possible for an emperor

Chegutu

2005-01-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

On the main road and railway line from Harare (formerly Salisbury) to Bulawayo, Chegutu is the service centre for a large farming district (corn [maize], tobacco,

Olney, Richard

2005-01-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

A Boston attorney who had served only one term in the Massachusetts legislature (1873–74), Olney was suddenly thrust into national prominence

Shirk

2005-01-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Qur'an (Islamic scripture) stresses in many verses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik). It warns those who believe their idols will intercede for them that they, together with the idols, will become fuel for hellfire on the Day of Judgment

Reforma, La

2005-01-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

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,

Abbey, Edwin Austin

2005-01-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

While working as an illustrator for the publishing house of Harper and Brothers, New York City, Abbey began to create illustrations for the poems of Robert Herrick in 1874. He went on to create illustrations for some of the works of Oliver Goldsmith and William

Coal Mining, Auger mining

2005-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Auger mining is usually associated with contour strip mining. With this method, the coal is removed by drilling auger holes from the last contour cut and extracting it in the same manner that shavings are produced by a carpenter's bit. Coal recovery rates approach 60 percent with this method. The cutting heads of some augers are as high as 2.5 metres. As each stem works its

Mcmurdo Sound

2005-01-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

Bay off Antarctica that forms the western extension of Ross Sea, lying at the edge of Ross Ice Shelf, west of Ross Island and east of Victoria Land. The channel, 92 miles (148 km) long and up to 46 miles (74 km) wide, has been a major centre for Antarctic explorations. First discovered in 1841 by the Scottish explorer Sir James Clark Ross, it thereafter served as one of the main access routes to

Mitchell, Mount

2005-01-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

Highest peak in North Carolina and in the United States east of the Mississippi River, reaching an elevation of 6,684 feet (2,037 metres). It is located in Yancey county, in the western part of the state, about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of Asheville in the Black Mountains. The peak, covered with a mantle of hardwoods, pine, spruce, and balsam, is within Mount Mitchell State Park and Pisgah National