WidePump

Sabatier, Paul

2005-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

Sabatier studied at the École Normale

Swartkrans

2005-10-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

One of three neighbouring South African sites where important fossil hominid remains have been found. See Sterkfontein.

Yakovlev, Aleksandr Sergeyevich

2005-08-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

After graduation from the Air Force Engineering Academy in 1931, Yakovlev immediately began to design aircraft, both piston- and jet-engined. Just before World War II he designed the Yak-1 fighter. His first jet

Amblyopia

2005-07-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Dimness of vision that may be gradual or sudden in onset and may affect both eyes or one. It may be transient or permanent and can develop into blindness. The disorder may be caused by hysteria or by poisoning with ethyl or methyl (wood) alcohol, lead, arsenic, thallium, quinine, ergot, male fern, carbon disulfide, stramonium, or Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp, the plant from which

Uthagamandalam

2005-07-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Formerly Ootacamund, town, administrative headquarters of Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, in the Nilgiri Hills, at about 7,500 ft (2,300 m) above sea level. It is sheltered by several peaks, including Doda Betta (8,652 ft), the highest point in Tamil Nadu. Founded by the British in 1821, it was used as the official government summer headquarters for the Madras Presidency until Indian independence

Jean Le Bel

2005-07-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

A soldier and the constant companion of Jean, Count de Beaumont, with whom he went to England and Scotland in 1327, Le Bel wrote his Vrayes Chroniques (“True Chronicles”), recounting the events of the reign of Edward III,

Scandinavian Literature

2005-07-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Recommended anthologies are Elias Bredsdorff (ed.), Contemporary Danish Plays (1955, reissued 1970), and Contemporary Danish Prose (1958, reprinted 1974); Modern Nordic Plays: Denmark (1974); Hedin Brønner (trans. and ed.), Faroese Short Stories, trans. from Faroese and Danish (1972); Janet Garton and Henning Sehmsdorf (trans. and eds.), New Norwegian Plays (1989); Frederic Fleisher (trans. and ed.), Seven Swedish Poets (1963); and Gunilla M. Anderman (compiler), New Swedish Plays (1992).

Asahi Shimbun

2005-06-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Founded in Osaka in 1879, Asahi has been in the hands of the Murayama and Ueno families since 1881. Asahi is particularly noted for its political coverage and its foreign news.

Elizabeth City

2005-06-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1799) of Pasquotank county, northeastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies on the Pasquotank River (an embayment of Albemarle Sound) at the southern end of Dismal Swamp Canal on the Intracoastal Waterway. Settlers had established a presence on the river in the 1660s, and the area was the scene of Culpeper's Rebellion (1677–79). It was founded and incorporated as Redding in 1793 but was renamed

Vologeses I

2005-06-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Vologeses gave the kingdom of Media Atropatene to his brother Pacorus and occupied Armenia for another brother, Tiridates. Parthian control of Armenia, however, led to a long war with the Romans (AD 54–63). A peace was finally concluded by which Tiridates was acknowledged as a Roman client

Nervous System Disease, Syphilis

2005-06-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Syphilis follows infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum as a result of sexual contact with an infected individual or infection of the fetus in utero. Primary syphilis produces a chancre, or sore, at the site of infection. Weeks later, secondary syphilis develops and causes a skin rash and signs of meningitis. In the third stage, the spirochete invades the

Aqua Regia

2005-06-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

Aqua regia and other mixtures similar to it are used in analytical procedures for the solution

Ateste

2005-05-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

Ateste

Puerto De San José

2005-05-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Port town, south-central Guatemala, situated along the Pacific Ocean. Opened in 1853 and now the nation's third largest port, it is a roadstead with a long wharf; passengers and cargo are transferred from ships anchored 1 mile (1.6 km) offshore. San José handles a considerable portion of Guatemala's imports, especially petroleum; the port's chief exports are molasses, coffee, cotton,

Morante, Elsa

2005-05-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Morante early exhibited literary talent, and, although her formal education remained incomplete, her marriage to the novelist Alberto

Suckling, Sir John

2005-03-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

He was educated at Cambridge and inherited his father's considerable estates at the age of 18. He entered Gray's Inn in 1627 and was knighted in 1630. He became a prominent figure at court with a reputation for being �the greatest gallant of his time, and the greatest

El Argar

2005-03-14T00:15:00.000-08:00

Culture characterized by a flourishing metallurgy of bronze, silver, and gold that appeared at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC in the Almer�a (southeastern) region of the Iberian Peninsula. The culture, which developed a lively trade with centres in the eastern Mediterranean, reached its peak between 1700 and 1000 BC and spread throughout the southern, central, and Levantine

Chronology

2005-03-11T16:20:00.002-08:00

The Christian Era is the era now in general use throughout the world. Its epoch, or commencement, is January 1, 754 AUC (ab urbe condita - �from the foundation of the city [of Rome]� - or anno urbis conditae - �in the year of the foundation of the city�). Christ's birth was at first believed to have occurred on the December 25 immediately preceding. Years are reckoned as before or after the Nativity,

Chronology

2005-03-11T16:20:00.001-08:00

Chronology

2005-03-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Aydin Dynasty

2005-03-04T04:50:00.000-08:00

Turkmen dynasty (c. 1308 - 1425) that ruled in the Aydin-Izmir region in western Anatolia. Situated in a prosperous coastal region, the Aydin principality was active in the Mediterranean trade. As a frontier state between the declining Byzantine Empire and the growing Ottoman state, it had a monopoly in providing mercenary troops to rival Byzantine factions, and it also offered

D.c.v.o.

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

Dame commander of the Royal Victorian Order, member of the second highest rank of a British order of knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

Chang Ling

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

Chang settled in the Szechwan area and there studied the Tao (�Way�) sometime during the reign (125 - 144) of Emperor Shun Ti of the Eastern Han dynasty. Later he composed a Taoist work to propagate his cult, which attracted many followers among both the Chinese and the indigenous ethnic

Bahr Al-'arab

2005-03-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Bahr el-Arab� intermittent river of southwestern Sudan, rising northeast of the Tondou (Bongo) Massif, near the border with the Central African Republic. The river flows 500 miles (800 km) east-southeast to join the Bahr al-Ghazal, a tributary of the Nile River, at Ghabat al-'Arab. It is not navigable and is subject to floods in summer.

'abduh, Muhammad

2005-02-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

Religious scholar, jurist, and liberal reformer, who led the late 19th-century movement in Egypt and other Muslim countries to revitalize Islamic teachings and institutions in the modern world. As mufti (Islamic legal counsellor) for Egypt (from 1899), he effected reforms in Islamic law, administration, and higher education and, although

Bridgman, Laura Dewey

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

Bridgman was struck by scarlet fever at the age of two and left without sight or hearing. Her other senses were also affected, but she retained the sense of touch, which she developed sufficiently to learn to sew and knit. In 1837 her case came to the attention

Georgia

2005-02-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

Constituent state of the United States of America. The largest of the U.S. states east of the Mississippi River and by many years the youngest of the 13 former English colonies, Georgia was founded in 1732, at which time its boundaries were even larger - including much of the present-day states of Alabama and Mississippi. Its area of 58,910 square miles (152,576 square kilometres) presents numerous

Physical Science, Principles Of, Simplified models

2005-02-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

The process of dissection was early taken to its limit in the kinetic theory of gases, which in its modern form essentially started with the suggestion of the Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (in 1738) that the pressure exerted by a gas on the walls of its container is the sum of innumerable collisions by individual molecules, all moving independently of each other.

Dysprosium

2005-02-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

(Dy), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table. A relatively hard and very reactive metal, it is oxidized by air and by water. Its high melting point and ability to absorb neutrons make it useful in control rods for nuclear reactors. Its compounds have been used for making laser materials, as components in some electronic equipment,

Middle East And North Africa: Middle Eastern And North African Affairs

2005-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

The bilateral agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for self-government in parts of the Israeli-occupied territories was signed by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative Mahmoud Abbas in a historic ceremony on the U.S. White House lawn on Sept. 13, 1993. The accord was the most significant breakthrough

Cinchona

2005-02-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

Four species of Cinchona were cultivated for many years, primarily in Java and also in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Their bark was processed to obtain quinine, which is

Cinchona

2005-02-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Four species of Cinchona were cultivated for many years, primarily in Java and also in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Their bark was processed to obtain quinine, which is

Biblical Literature, The revision of Theodotion

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

A second revision of the Greek text was made by Theodotion (of unknown origins) late in the 2nd century, though it is not entirely clear whether it was the Septuagint or some other Greek version that underlay his revision. The new rendering was characterized by a tendency toward verbal consistency and much transliteration of Hebrew words.

Saint Augustine Grass

2005-02-19T05:51:00.000-08:00

Saint Augustine grass is cultivated as a lawn grass in some areas

Puerto Rico Trench

2005-02-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Submarine depression in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly parallel to the northern coast of the island of Puerto Rico and lying about 75 miles (120 km) to the north. The Puerto Rico Trench is about 1,090 miles (1,750 km) long and 60 miles (100 km) wide. The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, the Milwaukee Depth, lies at a depth of 27,493 feet (8,380 m) in the western end of the trench, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Puerto

Morava River

2005-02-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

Serbo-Croatian �Velika Morava� river in Serbia, Yugoslavia, formed by the confluence of the South (Juzna) Morava and West (Zapadna) Morava rivers. It follows a 137-mile (221-kilometre) course, mainly northerly, to enter the Danube River near Smederevo. North of Lapovo the Morava opens into the wide, meandering Pomoravlje valley, a fertile agricultural region. The total area of the Morava River basin is 14,457 square miles

Mole

2005-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Talpids occur throughout temperate Eurasia and North America. Most are quite small, with

Armillaria

2005-02-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 40 species of fungi of the order Agaricales (q.v.), in the class Basidiomycetes, found throughout northern North America and Europe, principally in forests of hardwoods or mixed conifers. In suitable environments, members of this genus may live for hundreds of years, and certain specimens have been identified as among the largest and oldest living

Biblical Literature, In Judaism

2005-02-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

After the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had fallen, in 722 BCE (before the Common Era, equivalent to BC) and 587/586 BCE, respectively, the Hebrew people outlived defeat, captivity, and the loss of their national independence, largely because they possessed writings that preserved their history and traditions. Many of them did not return to Palestine after their exile. Those who did return

Biblical Literature, In Judaism

2005-02-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Arrupe, Pedro

2005-02-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Arrupe studied medicine at the University of Madrid, but, after witnessing the poverty in that city, he left school to join the Jesuits in 1927. When the Spanish government dissolved the Jesuit order in Spain in 1932, Arrupe continued his religious studies elsewhere in Europe and in the United States,

Ribaut, Jean

2005-02-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Jean Ribaut began his naval career as a youth, rising through the ranks to become one of the most dependable officers serving under Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. In 1558 Ribaut was commander of a French supply vessel at the successful capture of Calais from the English, and the following year

Michelsen, (peter) Christian (hersleb Kjerschow)

2005-02-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

Michelsen began his career as a lawyer; later he started his own shipping firm, which became one of the largest in Norway. A member of the Storting (parliament) from 1891, he adhered at first to the �Pure� Left Party but later broke with

Chiang Ching-kuo

2005-02-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

The son of Chiang

Qatar

2005-02-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Qatar's history before the 18th century, when the region's population consisted largely of transient nomads and a few small fishing villages. Qatar's modern history begins conventionally in 1766 with the migration to the peninsula of families from Kuwait, notably the Al Khalifahs. Their settlement at the new town of Az-Zubarah grew into a small pearl-diving

Half Rhyme

2005-02-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

Also called �near rhyme, �slant rhyme, �or �oblique rhyme� in prosody, two words that have only their final consonant sounds and no preceding vowel or consonant sounds in common (such as stopped and wept, or parable and shell). The device was common in Welsh, Irish, and Icelandic verse years before it was first used in English by Henry Vaughan. It was not used regularly in English until Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Butler

Henri, Robert

2005-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, from 1884 to 1888, and at both the Acad�mie Julian and the �cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Upon

Gryphaea

2005-02-03T02:18:00.000-08:00

Extinct molluskan genus found as fossils in rocks from the Jurassic period to the Eocene epoch (between 208 million and 36.6 million years ago). Related to the oysters, Gryphaea is characterized by its distinctively convoluted shape. The left valve, or shell, was much larger and more convoluted than the flattish right valve. Fine markings extended across the shell

Coralli, Jean

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

He was choreographer

Swamp

2005-02-01T01:41:00.000-08:00

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

Itard, Jean-marc-gaspard

2005-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

Itard was originally marked for the banking profession, but, when the French Revolution intervened, he became a military surgeon, initially attached to Napoleon's famous surgeon Baron Larrey. After meeting the Abb� Sicard, the director of a school for

Itard, Jean-marc-gaspard

2005-01-30T06:25:00.000-08:00

French �Agence Spatiale Europ�enne (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,

Houri

2005-01-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �huri�, Arabic �Hawra'�, plural �Hur� in Islam, a beautiful maiden who awaits the devout Muslim in paradise. The Arabic word hawra' signifies the contrast of the clear white of the eye to the blackness of the iris. There are numerous references to the houri in the Qur'an describing them as �purified wives� and �spotless virgins.� Tradition elaborated on the sensual image of the houri and defined some of her functions;

Uaxact�

2005-01-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Ruined ancient Mayan city of the southern lowlands, located in what is now north-central Guatemala, about 12 miles (20 km) north of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. Uaxact�n was a ceremonial centre of only modest size, compared with Tikal, but it has been important in Mayan archaeology because intensive excavations made there by archaeologists of the Carnegie Institution

Bridgewater, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke Of, Marquess Of Brackley, Earl Of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Baron Of Ellesmere

2005-01-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

His father, who was created duke in 1720, was the great-great-grandson of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere. Francis Egerton succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his brother, the 2nd duke, in 1748. Retiring

Apple, Max

2005-01-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

Apple's satire is distinguished by its

Wa-fang-tien

2005-01-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Fu-hsien, �Pinyin �Wafangdian, or Fu Xian,� city in Liaoning sheng (province), China. The city is situated in the centre of the Liaotung Peninsula and is an important market centre for the agriculture and fruit industry of the area, which specializes in growing apples, pears, and grapes. It has developed industries producing various industrial chemicals as well as fertilizers and insecticides. It also has a

Perak, Tun

2005-01-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

A leader in the Malay defeat of a Siamese invasion in 1445 - 46, Tun Perak was made bendahara by Sultan Muzaffar Shah in 1456, when he again led Malacca's forces in a decisive defeat of the Siamese. He

Ziyarah

2005-01-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: �visit�), in Islam, a visit to the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in the mosque at Medina, Saudi Arabia; also a visit to the tomb of a saint or a holy person. The legitimacy of these latter visits has been questioned by many Muslim religious authorities, particularly by the Wahhabiyah, who consider ziyarah a bid'ah (innovation) that should be condemned by all true believers. The

Basil, Colonel W. De

2005-01-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

Original name �Vasily Grigorievich Voskresensky� Russian impresario who in 1932 became codirector with Ren� Blum of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He lost the celebrated premier danseur L�onide Massine and several other dancers to Blum, who, with a U.S. sponsoring agency (World Art), reorganized the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo with Massine as director. De Basil then formed a

Dombes

2005-01-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

Historic region of east-southeastern France, once a sovereign municipality and now included in the d�partement of Ain. From 1032, when the Kingdom of Arles, of which Dombes was part, passed to the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II, effective authority in the region was exercised by local lords. After 1378 it was under the nominal authority of the kings of France but was actually ruled

Yohannes Iv

2005-01-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

Superior weaponry allowed Yohannes, a dejazmatch (earl) of Tigray in northern Ethiopia, to fight his way to the Ethiopian throne on January

Nan-ga

2005-01-19T03:47:00.000-08:00

Also called �Bunjin-ga� (�Literati Painting�), style of painting practiced by numerous Japanese painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the most original and creative painters of the middle and late Edo period belonged to the Nan-ga school. The style is based on developments of 17th- and 18th-century individualism in the Ch'ing-dynasty painting of China. Nan-ga artists transformed as they borrowed,

Vulvitis

2005-01-18T01:59:00.000-08:00

Inflammation and infection of the vulva - the external genitalia of the female. The external organs of the vulva include the labia majora and minora (folds of skin), the clitoris, and the vestibular glands. The basic symptoms of vulvitis are superficial red, swollen, and moisture-laden lesions on the skin of the vulva. Itching sensations are a particularly prominent

Swahili Literature

2005-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Swahili also called �kiSwahili�, or �Kiswahili� that body of creative writing done in Swahili, a Bantu language of Africa. The earliest preserved Swahili writing, from the early 18th century, is written in Arabic script, and subsequent writings were primarily in three main dialects: kiUnjuga, kiMvita, and kiAmu. In the 1930s, British colonial authorities, with some assistance from local African scholars and writers, formally

France, History Of, Economy, society, and culture in the 13th century

2005-01-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

The primary social fact of this period is the continued growth of population. All indicators suggest growth - e.g., expansion of old towns, founding of new villages, the rising price of land - but no exact measurements are possible. A register of hearths dating from 1328 has been estimated variously to point to a total population of 15 million to 22 million; the total was probably

Insurance, Private health insurance

2005-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

In many countries health insurance has become a governmental institution. In some, doctors and other professional staff are employed, directly or indirectly, by a government agency on a full-time or part-time salaried basis, and health facilities are owned or operated by the government. This has been the practice in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland,

Jackson, Andrew

2005-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Whatever the motives, Jackson had preserved the integrity of the Union against the most serious threat it had yet faced. In contrast, he was remarkably complacent when Georgia defied the federal government. In 1829 Georgia extended its jurisdiction to about 9,000,000 acres (4,000,000 hectares) of land that lay within its boundaries but was still occupied by the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees' title to the land, on which gold had been discovered, having been guaranteed by a treaty with the United States, the Indians appealed to the federal courts. In two separate cases, the Supreme Court ruled against Georgia, but Georgia ignored those decisions and continued to enforce its jurisdiction within the territory claimed by the Cherokees. In contrast to his strong reaction against South Carolina's defiance of federal authority, Jackson made no effort to restrain Georgia, and those close to him felt certain that he sympathized with the position taken by that state. He is said to have declared privately, �John Marshall [the chief justice] has made his decision, now let him enforce it!� Jackson's failure to support the Supreme Court remains an indelible stain on his record. The Cherokee, left without a choice, signed another treaty in 1835 giving up their land in exchange for land in the Indian Territory west of Arkansas. Three years later, having been rounded up by General Winfield Scott, some 15,000 Cherokees were forced to wend their way westward, mostly on foot, on a journey that became known as the Trail of Tears. On the way, during the cold and wet of winter, nearly a quarter of them died of starvation, illness, and exposure (see primary source documents: On Indian Removal and A Permanent Habitation for the American Indian).

Nephelinite

2005-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

Silica-poor (basic) lava that contains nepheline and pyroxene and is usually completely crystallized. Despite its wide geographic distribution and occasional extensive local development, it is a very rare rock. Known only from Tertiary strata (about 2,500,000 to 65,000,000 years in age), nephelinites are abundant in the Canary Islands, the Azores, the Cape Verde Islands, and Isla Fernando

Tallien, Jean-lambert

2005-01-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

His political career began when, after taking part in the insurrection of Aug. 10, 1792, he became secretary of the Paris Commune and was elected to the National Convention, in which he sided with the more radical Montagnards against

�atalh�

2005-01-11T23:24:00.000-08:00

Major Neolithic site in the Middle East, located near Konya in south-central Turkey. Excavations (1961 - 65) by the British archaeologist James Mellaart have shown that Anatolia in Neolithic times was the centre of an advanced culture. The earliest building period at �atalh�y�k is tentatively dated to about 6700 BC and the latest to about 5650 BC. The inhabitants lived in rectangular mud-brick

Tar-baby

2005-01-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

In Harris' version,

Qa

2005-01-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �q� or �ka� ancient Babylonian liquid measure equal to the volume of a cube whose dimensions are each one handbreadth (3.9 to 4 inches, or 9.9 to 10.2 cm) in length. The cube held one great mina (about 2 pounds, or 1 kg) of water by weight. Five qa made up a

Arrowworm

2005-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Also called �Chaetognath, � any member of the invertebrate phylum Chaetognatha, a group of small wormlike marine animals with transparent to translucent or opaque arrow-shaped bodies. The phylum consists of about seven extant genera and one fossil genus. There are more than 50 species, most of which are in the genus Sagitta. The size of arrowworms ranges from about 3 millimetres to more

Hall, Charles Martin

2005-01-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

While a student at Oberlin (Ohio) College Hall became interested in producing aluminum inexpensively. He continued to use the college laboratory after his graduation in 1885, discovering his method

Paul Vi

2005-01-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Original name �Giovanni Battista Montini� Italian pope of the Roman Catholic church (reigned 1963 - 78) during a period including most of the second Vatican Council (1962 - 65) and the immediate postconciliar era, in which he issued directives and guidance to a changing Roman Catholic church. His pontificate was confronted with the problems and uncertainties

Mosaferid Dynasty

2005-01-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Mohammad ebn Mosafer (ruled c. 916 - 941), military commander of the strategic mountain fortresses of Tarom and Samiran in Daylam, in northwestern Iran. With the increasing weakness of the Justanid dynasty that ruled the region, Mohammad increased his power and gained control of most of Daylam. After

Kerrier

2005-01-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

The Lizard Peninsula, a heather-covered

Fruit Bat

2005-01-03T23:37:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous tropical Old World bats of the family Pteropodidae (q.v.).

Cordemoy, (louis-)g�raud De

2005-01-02T03:53:00.000-08:00

French historian and philosopher, who showed considerable originality in his development of the general principles of physical theory. He introduced a new atomism into the mechanistic system of Ren� Descartes by linking unity and substantiality; matter is homogeneous but contains a multiplicity of bodies each of which is an individual substance.

Sorghum

2005-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Cereal grain plant of the family Gramineae (Poaceae), probably originating in Africa, and its edible starchy seeds. All types raised chiefly for grain belong to the species Sorghum vulgare, which includes varieties of grain sorghums and grass sorghums, grown for hay and fodder, and broomcorn, used in making brooms and brushes. Grain sorghums include durra, milo, shallu,

Zion

2004-12-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

City, Lake county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It lies along Lake Michigan, near the Wisconsin border. Zion was founded in 1901 by John Alexander Dowie as the headquarters of his Christian Catholic Church. Until 1935 it was theocratically governed, and the church controlled all business activities. The church schools were closed in 1939, after which a modern educational system was

Ursinus

2004-12-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Before Damasus' consecration on the following October 1, the pope's partisans engaged

Yamoussoukro

2004-12-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

Town and capital (de jure; administrative), south-central C�te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), located about 170 miles (274 km) northwest of the national capital, Abidjan. For more than three decades after C�te d'Ivoire achieved independence in 1960, Yamoussoukro served as the country's �second capital� because it was the birthplace, home, and unofficial headquarters of President F�lix

Anthony, William Arnold

2004-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

After studying at Brown (Providence, R.I.) and Yale universities, Anthony taught physics and chemistry at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio (1867 - 69); Iowa State Agricultural College, Ames (1869 - 72); Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (1872 - 87); and Cooper Union, New York City (1894 - 1908). While

Carmel

2004-12-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

Also called �Carmel-by-the-sea, � city, Monterey county, western California, U.S., on the Carmel River and Carmel Bay, adjacent to Monterey. The river was named by the Spanish explorer Sebasti�n Vizca�no and a group of Carmelite friars in 1602. The nearby Mission San Carlos Borrom�o del R�o Carmelo was founded in 1770 at Monterey by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Jun�pero Serra; it was moved to the Carmel area

Consanguinity

2004-12-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

Kin are of two basic kinds: consanguineous (sharing common ancestors) and affinal (the kinsmen of one's spouse). In some societies other

Mena (y Medrano), Pedro De

2004-12-24T01:55:00.000-08:00

Beginning as a student of his father, the sculptor Alonso de Mena, Pedro worked in the studio of Alonso Cano from 1652 to 1657. After Cano departed for Madrid, Pedro went in 1658 to M�laga to begin

Sasan

2004-12-23T03:16:00.000-08:00

Eponymous ancestor of the Sasanian dynasty in ancient Persia. Details of his life vary, but most scholars believe he was originally a prince in the province of Persis and a vassal of Gochihr, the chief petty king in Persis. His son or descendant was Babak, who was the father of Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire. According to one tradition, Sasan married a daughter

Roberts, Kate

2004-12-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Roberts set her works in the quarrying districts of North Wales and in the mining villages of South Wales, where poverty is usually the harsh determinant

Indian Mutiny

2004-12-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

To regard the rebellion merely as a sepoy mutiny is to underestimate the increasing pace of Westernization after the establishment of British

Moscow State University

2004-12-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

In full� Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University�, Russian �Moskovsky Gosudarstvenny Universitet Imeni M.V. Lomonosova � state-controlled institution of higher learning at Moscow, the oldest-surviving, largest, and most prestigious university in Russia. It was founded in 1755 by the linguist M.V. Lomonosov and was modeled after German universities, its original faculty being predominantly German. In the second half of the 19th century, Moscow State University became the most important centre

Arabian Desert, Plant life

2004-12-19T00:04:00.000-08:00

There is a great variety of desert flora. Plants are primarily xerophytic (structurally adapted to a limited water supply) or halophytic (salt-tolerant). After spring rains, long-buried seeds germinate and bloom in a few hours. The normally barren gravel plains turn green. Even chert plains produce late-winter and early-spring grazing for camels and sheep. The plains

Aleppo

2004-12-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

The city's

John Bar Qursos,

2004-12-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

A soldier before becoming a monk, John was made bishop in 519 and undertook the spread of a doctrine of Christ's person and work common to Syrian and Egyptian monasticism, a belief derived from a beatifying inner experience of

Fadeyev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2004-12-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Fadeyev passed his youth in the Ural Mountains and in eastern Siberia, receiving his schooling in Vladivostok. He joined the Communist

Melchizedek

2004-12-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Melchisedech, � in the Old Testament, a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both king and priest, was connected with Jerusalem, and was revered by Abraham, who paid a tithe to him. He appears as a person only in an interpolated vignette (Gen. 14:18 - 20) of the story of Abraham rescuing his kidnapped nephew, Lot, by defeating a coalition of Mesopotamian kings under

India, From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh

2004-12-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

The quelling by Mughal forces of the Sikhs under Banda did not mean an end to Sikh resistance to Mughal claims. In the 1720s and '30s, Amritsar emerged as a centre of Sikh activity, partly because of its preeminence as a pilgrimage centre. Kapur Singh, the most important of the Sikh leaders of the time, operated from its vicinity and gradually set about consolidating a revenue-cum-military

Biblical Literature, The translation of Symmachus

2004-12-13T06:41:00.000-08:00

Still another Greek translation was made toward the end of the same century by Symmachus, an otherwise unknown scholar, who made use of his predecessors. His influence was small despite the superior elegance of his work. Jerome did utilize Symmachus for his Vulgate, but other than that, his translation is known largely through fragments of the Hexapla.

Allantois

2004-12-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

An extra-embryonic membrane of reptiles, birds, and mammals arising as a pouch, or sac, from the hindgut. In reptiles and birds it expands greatly between two other membranes, the amnion and chorion, to serve as a temporary respiratory organ while its cavity stores fetal excretions. In mammals other than marsupials the allantois is intimately associated with the chorion,