NormalLock

Irkutsk

2005-04-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Oblast (province), east-central Russia, occupying an area of 296,500 square miles (767,900 square km) west and north of Lake Baikal. It consists mostly of the hills and broad valleys of the Central Siberian Plateau and of its eastern extension, the Patom Plateau. In the south the oblast extends to the eastern crestline of the Sayan Mountains. Dense taiga dominated by Siberian and Dahurian

Kidney Failure

2005-04-04T03:40:00.000-07:00

Acute kidney failure results in reduced output of urine, abnormally high levels of nitrogenous substances, potassium, sulfates, and phosphates in the blood, and abnormally low blood levels of sodium, calcium, and carbon dioxide (see uremia). Ordinarily

Boii

2005-04-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

A Celtic tribe, one section of which settled in Cisalpine Gaul around Bononia (Bologna, Italy) and another in what was later Bohemia, to which it gave its name. The Cisalpine group, after struggling against the Romans throughout the 3rd century BC, was subdued and made a Latin colony in 191 BC. The second group, which joined with another Celtic tribe, the Helvetii, to invade Gaul, was

Benda, Julien

2005-04-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

Benda graduated from the University of Paris in 1894. Among his first writings were articles (1898) on the Dreyfus affair. His lifelong

Traube, Isidor

2005-03-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

In 1882 Traube joined the faculty of the Technische Hochschule, Berlin, and there became professor of chemistry in 1900. He left Germany in 1939 and accepted a position

Zoo

2005-03-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Zoological Garden , or Zoological Park place where wild animals and, in some instances, domesticated animals are exhibited in captivity. In such an establishment animals can generally be given more intensive care than is possible in nature reserves or sanctuaries. Most long-established zoos exhibit general collections of animals, but some formed more recently specialize in particular groups—e.g.,

Kshitigarbha

2005-03-29T02:43:00.000-08:00

Bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”) who, though known in India as early as the 4th century CE, became immensely popular in China as Dicang and in Japan as Jizo. He is the saviour of the oppressed, the dying, and the dreamer of evil dreams, for he has vowed not to stop his labours until he has saved the souls of all the dead condemned to hell. In China he is considered the overlord of hell and is

Ben-hadad I

2005-03-28T00:43:00.000-08:00

Assyrian Adad-idri king of Damascus who led a coalition against the invading forces of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, repulsing them at Karkar in 853. In a battle with him King Ahab of Israel was killed (I Kings 22:29–36). Ben-hadad was murdered by the usurper Hazael.

Religious Symbolism And Iconography, Relation to the literary and visual arts

2005-03-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

Religious symbols and pictures may be identical with, related to, or similar to those of language (metaphors) and to pictorial expressions in prose and poetry. They are related in allegory, parable, fairy tales, fables, and legends in which they can appear in a form that is closely related to that of religious symbolism. Religious symbols are used in the plastic arts, in

Armenian Apostolic Church

2005-03-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

Christianity became the state religion of Armenia about AD 300, when St. Gregory the Illuminator converted the Arsacid king Tiridates III. The new Armenian church soon struck a course independent of

Tobin, James

2005-03-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

After taking degrees from Harvard University (B.A., 1939; Ph.D., 1947), Tobin spent 1941–42 as an economist with the Office of Price

France, History Of, Political tensions

2005-03-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

The political life of the new regime was also proving more contentious than the revolutionaries had anticipated. With courage and consistency, the Assembly had provided that officials of all kinds be elected. But it was uncertain whether these officials, once the ballots were cast, could do their duty free from public pressure and agitation. Nor was it clear what

Saarland

2005-03-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

The coal seams stretch for a distance of about

Savannakhét

2005-03-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

Town in the central southern panhandle of Laos, on the left bank of the Mekong River. It had a teacher-training school (1911), a public high school (1946), a Buddhist secondary school, a trade school, and the Savannakhét Technical College before the 1975 communist takeover. Industries in the town included manufacturing of soft drinks, ice making, and a sawmill. There is an airport, and a road

Viscometer

2005-03-20T04:47:00.000-08:00

Instrument for measuring the viscosity (resistance to internal flow) of a fluid. In one version, the time taken for a given volume of fluid to flow through an opening is recorded. In the capillary tube viscometer, the pressure needed to force the fluid to flow at a specified rate through a narrow tube is measured. Other types depend on measurements of the time taken for

Bothwell, James Hepburn, 4th Earl Of, Duke Of Orkney And Shetland

2005-03-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

The son of Patrick Hepburn, 3rd earl of Bothwell, Hepburn

Tasmania, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

2005-03-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Less than a third of Tasmania's area is agricultural land; almost all of it is used for grazing; just under half is sown pasture, and the rest is used for rough grazing or is open forest. Crops occupy only 4 percent of agricultural land but contribute one-third of the total value of agricultural production. Seasonal irrigation, mainly spray for crops and some pasture, is

Argentina, Mesopotamia

2005-03-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

The northern part of the Mesopotamian region was first settled by Spaniards from Asunción, who in 1588 founded the city of Corrientes near the confluence of the Alto Paraná and Paraguay rivers. In the south settlers from Santa Fe crossed the Paraná River and established what became the city of Paraná. Having founded towns along navigable rivers, the Spanish secured

Tunisia, Relief and drainage

2005-03-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

Tunisia is characterized by moderate relief. The Tunisian Dorsal, or High Tell, a southwest-to-northeast mountain range that is an extension of the Saharan Atlas (Atlas Saharien) of Algeria, tapers off in the direction of the Cape Bon peninsula in the northeast, south of the Gulf of Tunis. The highest mountain, Mount ash-Sha'nabi (Djebel Chambi), located near the centre of

Hyde, Henry Baldwin

2005-03-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

In 1852 Hyde became a clerk at the Mutual Life Insurance Co. and, in the next seven years, learned the business, advancing to the post of cashier. In 1859 Hyde left Mutual Life, announcing his intention to start his own insurance company. In that year, he raised $100,000 as starting

Kogaku

2005-03-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “Ancient Learning”), one of three schools of Neo-Confucian studies that developed in Japan during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). See Neo-Confucianism.

Baha' Ullah

2005-03-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Mirza Hoseyn was a member of the Shi'ite branch of Islam. He subsequently allied himself with Mirza 'Ali Mohammad of Shiraz, who was known as the Bab (Arabic: “Gateway”) and was the head of the Babi, a Muslim sect professing a privileged access to final truth.

Vanadium

2005-03-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Vanadium was discovered

Cadogan, William Cadogan, 1st Earl

2005-03-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

The son of a Dublin barrister, Cadogan began his military career in 1690. In 1702 he was made quartermaster general to Marlborough, who had just been appointed commander of the allied armies

Jewett, Frank Baldwin

2005-03-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

After receiving the B.A. in 1898 from Throop Polytechnical Institute (now the California Institute of Technology) and the Ph.D. in 1902 from the University of Chicago,

Marquesas Islands

2005-03-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

French Îles Marquises, pair of volcanic clusters in French Polynesia in the central South Pacific, 740 mi (1,200 km) northeast of Tahiti. The southeastern group includes Hiva Oa (q.v.), largest and most populated and the burial place of the French artist Paul Gauguin; Fatu Hiva and Tahuata, each about 23 sq mi (60 sq km) and both rising to about 3,300 ft (1,005 m); and the uninhabited Motane and Fatu Huku. The northwestern group

Dating, Potassiumargon methods

2005-03-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

The radioactive decay scheme involving the breakdown of potassium of mass 40 (40K) to argon gas of mass 40 (40Ar) formed the basis of the first widely used isotopic dating method. Since radiogenic argon-40 was first detected in 1938 by the American geophysicist Lyman T. Aldrich and A.O. Nier, the method has evolved into one of the most versatile and widely employed methods available. Potassium

Graham, Martha

2005-03-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Influential American dancer, teacher, and choreographer of modern dance, whose ballets and other works were intended to “reveal the inner man.” Over more than 50 years she created more than 180 works, from solos to large-scale works, in most of which she herself danced. She gave modern dance new depth as a vehicle for

Anthimus Vi

2005-03-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

In about 1840 Anthimus, a monk of a monastery on

Endocrine System, Phylum Chordata

2005-03-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

The phylum Chordata is separated into three subgroups (or subphyla). The invertebrate subphylum Tunicata consists of the marine tunicates, including the ascidians and salps. The invertebrate subphylum Cephalochordata includes the fishlike amphioxus (or lancelet). Amphioxus is a small marine animal that closely resembles the larva of the jawless fishes (class

Graziani, Rodolfo, Marquess Di Neghelli

2005-03-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

After service in Eritrea and Libya before World War I and in Macedonia and Tripolitania subsequently, Graziani became commander in chief of Italian forces in Libya (1930–34), governor of Italian Somaliland (1935–36), viceroy of Ethiopia (1936–37), and honorary governor of Italian East Africa

Facta, Luigi

2005-03-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

After studying law, Facta became a journalist. He was elected deputy in 1891. He served as undersecretary first of justice and then of the interior in Giovanni Giolitti's coalition cabinet (1903–05). In succeeding ministries he was three times minister of finance

Dominus

2005-03-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

Plural Domini, in ancient Rome, “master,” or “owner,” particularly of slaves. The name became the official title for the emperor, beginning with Diocletian, who reigned from AD 284 to 305; and thus he and his successors are often referred to as the dominate (dominatus), as contrasted with the earlier principate (principatus) of Augustus and his successors. Some earlier emperors, such as Caligula (reigned

Nagurski, Bronko

2005-03-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

Nagurski played tackle and end on defense and fullback on offense at the University of Minnesota

Epistemology, Ancient Skepticism

2005-03-09T03:27:00.000-08:00

After the development of Aristotle's psychology the next significant event for the theory of knowledge was the rise of Skepticism, of which there were at least two kinds. The first, Academic Skepticism, arose in the Academy after Plato's death and was propounded by the Greek philosopher Arcesilaus (c. 315–c. 240 BC), about whom the philosophers Cicero, Sextus Empiricus, and Diogenes

Sculpture, Decorative sculpture

2005-03-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

The devices and motifs of ornamental sculpture fall into three main categories: abstract, zoomorphic, and botanical. Abstract shapes, which can easily be made to fit into any framework, are a widespread form of decoration. Outstanding examples of abstract relief ornament are found on Islamic, Mexican, and Mayan buildings and on small Celtic metal artifacts. The character

Annunciation

2005-03-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Feast of the Annunciation, one of the principal feasts of the Christian church, is celebrated on March 25 (Lady Day). The first authentic allusions to the feast (apart from the Gelasian and Gregorian sacramentaries, in both

Ejaculatory Duct

2005-03-06T23:58:00.000-08:00

Either of two hollow tubes, each formed by union of the ampulla of a ductus deferens (q.v.) and the excretory duct of a seminal vesicle (q.v.). The ducts, which open into the urethra about halfway through the prostate gland (q.v.), function to mix the sperm stored in the ampulla with fluids secreted by the seminal vesicles and to transport these substances to the prostate.

Dominus

2005-03-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

Zokors are medium-sized rodents weighing from 150 to 560 grams

Amathus

2005-03-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

Ancient city located near Limassol, Cyprus, among sandy hills and sand dunes, which may explain its name (Greek amathos, “sand”). Founded by the Phoenicians (c. 1500 BC), Amathus maintained strong sympathies with the Phoenician mainland and refused to join various Cypriot revolts against Persia. When the rest of Cyprus was annexed to Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great,

Murcia

2005-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Murcia provincia and comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southeastern Spain. It lies at the confluence of the Segura and Guadalentín (Sangonera) rivers in a fertile, irrigated area known as the huerta (orchard land), northeast of Granada city. The site was settled before the Roman occupation of southern Spain in the 3rd century BC, but its name even

Bali

2005-03-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

Island and provinsi (“province”) in the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the island of Java. The provinsi has an area of 2,147 square miles (5,561 square km). Most of Bali is mountainous (essentially an extension of the central mountain chain in Java), the highest point being Mount Agung, or Bali Peak, 10,308 feet (3,142 m) in height and known locally as the “navel of the world.” It proved to be

Rack And Pinion

2005-03-05T00:02:00.000-08:00

If the pinion rotates about a fixed axis, the rack will translate; i.e.,

Malachite Green

2005-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Malachite green also is used as a direct dye for silk, wool, jute, and leather and to dye

Mosheim, Johann Lorenz Von

2005-03-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

Departing from the established method of writing

Audiencia

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

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

Hebrew Literature, Formative influences

2005-03-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

The first formative influences on 20th-century Hebrew literature belong to the late 19th century. The middle classes of eastern European Jewry that read Hebrew books turned to Jewish nationalism, and Zionist activity, coupled with the movement for speaking Hebrew, widened the circle of Hebrew readers. Hebrew daily papers began to appear in 1886. Writers borrowed extensively

Aidoo, Ama Ata

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

Aidoo began to write seriously while an honours student at the University of Ghana (B.A., 1964). She won early recognition with a problem play, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), in which a Ghanaian student returning

Annelid, Critical appraisal

2005-03-01T23:32:00.000-08:00

Most authors accept the annelids as having three major classes: Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, and Hirudinea. Older systems would place the polychaetes and oligochaetes under the class Chaetopoda because both groups possess setae. Other systems would join the oligochaetes and leeches in a single class, called the Clitellata, because both groups possess a clitellum

World War I, The Western Front, 1916

2005-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

In 1914 the centre of gravity of World War I had been on the Western Front, in 1915 it shifted to the Eastern, and in 1916 it once more moved back to France. Though the western Allies had dissipated some of their strength in the Dardanelles, Salonika, and Mesopotamia, the rising tide of Britain's new armies and of its increased munition supplies promised the means for an offensive far

Naqshbandiyah

2005-03-01T01:33:00.000-08:00

Orthodox fraternity of Muslim mystics (Sufis) found in India, China, the Central Asian republics, and Malaysia. It claims a lineage extending back to Abu Bakr, the first caliph. Baha' ad-Din (d. 1384), founder of the order at Bukhara, Turkistan, was called an-naqshband, “the painter,” because of the impression of God that the repetition of his prescribed ritual prayer (dhikr) should leave upon

Ibb

2005-02-28T04:03:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Yemen, lying in the Yemen Highlands on a spur of the rugged Mount Shamahi, at 6,725 feet (2,050 m) above sea level. The city's origins, according to Arab myth, date to biblical times. The area became important in the Middle Ages, when the Sulayhid princess Sayyidah Arwa ruled over much of Yemen from her capital at nearby Jiblah (11th century AD). Long an administrative capital, Ibb

Aragon, Louis

2005-02-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

Through the Surrealist poet André Breton, Aragon was introduced to avant-garde movements such as Dadaism; and together with Philippe Soupault, he and Breton founded the Surrealist review Littérature (1919). Aragon's first poems, Feu de joie (1920; “Bonfire”) and

Palacio Valdés, Armando

2005-02-27T04:09:00.000-08:00

After studying law at the University of Madrid, Palacio Valdés began his literary career as a critic but soon turned to the novel. His novels are largely autobiographical,

Glacial Landform, Permafrost, patterned ground, solifluction deposits, and pingos

2005-02-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

Permafrost is ground that remains perennially frozen (see permafrost). It covers about 20–25 percent of the Earth's land surface today. The “active layer” of soil close to the surface of permafrost regions undergoes many seasonal and daily freeze-thaw cycles. The constant change in the volume of water tends to move the coarser particles in the soil to the surface. Further

South Africa, The arts

2005-02-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

The many languages spoken by South Africa's people reflect the country's cultural diversity. The Africans have adopted a host of Western ways, but a core of African cultural traditions of language, music, and dance retains its vitality and has contributed to a distinctly South African fusion of cultural forms. Some of the better-known features of that fusion appear

Karat

2005-02-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Carat, a measure of the fineness (i.e., purity) of gold. It is spelled carat outside the United States but should not be confused with the unit used to measure the weight of gems, also called carat. A gold karat is 1/24 part, or 4.1667 percent, of the whole, and the purity of a gold alloy is expressed as the number of these parts of gold it contains. Thus, an object that contains 16 parts gold and 8 parts alloying

Arts, Central Asian, Kushan

2005-02-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

The Kushans replaced the Greeks in Bactria about 130 BC. They are thought to have been of Yüeh-chih stock with a strong admixture of Hephthalites, Saka, and Tocharian. One branch of this group migrated to the Tarim Basin and founded a short-lived empire, while the other, under the name of Kushan, gained control of Central Asia. Capturing a section of the great trade route leading

Roussillon

2005-02-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

Ruscino (near Perpignan) was settled by a people with markedly Iberian affinities from the 7th century BC to the latter part of the 3rd, when it came under the control of

Vega, Lope De

2005-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

Outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age, author of as many as 1,800 plays and several hundred shorter dramatic pieces, of which 431 plays and 50 shorter pieces are extant.

Vivaldi, Antonio

2005-02-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

In full Antonio Lucio Vivaldi Italian composer and violinist who left a decisive mark on the form of the concerto and the style of late Baroque instrumental music.

Visigoth

2005-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

The Visigoths were settled agriculturists in Dacia (now in Romania) when they were attacked by the Huns in 376 and driven southward

Algebra, Modern, Structural axioms

2005-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

The basic rules, or axioms, for addition and multiplication are shown in the table, and a set that satisfies all 10 of these rules is called a field. A set satisfying only axioms 1–7 is called a ring, and if it also satisfies axiom 9 it is called a ring with unity. A ring satisfying the commutative law of multiplication (axiom 8) is known as a commutative ring. When axioms 1–9 hold and there

Ambo

2005-02-21T23:15:00.000-08:00

The Ambo economy rests almost equally on agriculture and animal husbandry,

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

2005-02-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

In his youth Campbell studied abroad but returned to Scotland in 1649. He fought at Dunbar (Sept. 3, 1650) and, after the Battle of Worcester, joined the Royalist leader Glencairn in the Highlands. Ultimately he fell foul of

Jansen, Daniel

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

Jansen grew up in a family of skating enthusiasts and competed in his first meets at the age of four. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), he was the youngest skater

Gahnite

2005-02-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

The mineral zinc aluminum oxide, a member of the spinel (q.v.) series.

Manama

2005-02-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

Arabic Al-manamah, capital and largest city of the state and emirate of Bahrain. It lies at the northeast tip of Bahrain island, in the Persian Gulf. About one-third of the emirate's population lives in the city. First mentioned in Islamic chronicles about AD 1345, it was taken by the Portuguese (1521) and by the Persians (1602). It has been held, with brief interruptions, by the ruling Al Khalifah dynasty since 1783. Because

Brucite

2005-02-19T03:57:00.000-08:00

Mineral composed of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. It generally forms soft, waxy to glassy, white or pale-green, gray, or blue crystals, plate aggregates, or fibrous masses associated with other magnesium minerals (e.g., magnesite and dolomite). It commonly is present in serpentine and sometimes in phyllites, crystalline schists, and metamorphosed magnesian limestone. Notable

Alcohol Consumption

2005-02-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

Alcoholic beverages include wines, beers, and spirits. Wines are fermented

Taal Lake

2005-02-18T00:15:00.000-08:00

Lake in southwestern Luzon, Philippines, occupying a volcanic crater with a maximum width of 15 miles (24 km), at less than 10 feet (3 m) above sea level. It has an area of 94 square miles (244 square km) and is the country's third largest lake. Within the lake rises Volcano Island (984 feet [300 m]), which itself contains another small crater (Yellow Lake). Volcano Island, called Taal Volcano, has erupted 25 times

Novgorod

2005-02-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

Oblast (province), northwestern Russia, occupying an area of 21,300 square miles (55,300 square km) and extending across the morainic Valdai Hills, which rise to 971 ft (296 m); the lowland basins of Lake Ilmen lie to the west and of the upper Volga River to the east. Much of the oblast's terrain is in swamp of peat bog or reed and grass marsh, with innumerable small lakes. The remainder (about 60 percent)

Hamilton, Alexander

2005-02-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

Lashed by criticism, tired and anxious to repair his private fortune, Hamilton left the cabinet on January 31, 1795. His influence, as an unofficial adviser, however, continued as strong as ever. Washington and his cabinet consulted him on almost all matters of policy. When Washington decided to retire, he turned to Hamilton, asking his opinion as to the best time to publish his

Gate

2005-02-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

In hydraulic engineering, movable barrier for controlling the passage of fluid through a channel or sluice. River and canal locks have a pair of gates at each end. When closed, the gates meet at an obtuse angle that points upstream in order to resist the water pressure. When opened, they swing into recesses in the walls of the lock. Gates also regulate the outflow of water

Powers, Hiram

2005-02-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

Powers first studied with Frederick Eckstein about 1828. Around 1829 he worked as a general assistant and artist in a wax museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his ingenious

Bendigo

2005-02-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Byname of William Thompson English bare-knuckle boxer who became a Methodist evangelist and who is one of the few athletes whose name is borne by a city—Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. His nickname apparently is a corruption of the Old Testament name Abednego. Thompson was one of triplets; the other two were nicknamed

Tibet, The people

2005-02-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Tibetan and Burmese languages are related, although they are mutually unintelligible

Wyandotte Cave

2005-02-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Cave in Crawford County, southern Indiana, U.S., near the village of Wyandotte. With 25 mi (40 km) of passages on five levels, it is the largest of the many such caves dissolved out in the horizontally bedded Mississippian limestones that extend southward into the cave-bearing regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. The entrance is about 200 ft (60 m) above the Blue River. The cave was used

Vitamin A

2005-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

A fat-soluble alcohol, most abundant in fish and especially in fish-liver oils. Vitamin A is also found in butter and in the liver fat of various animals. Vitamin A is not present in plants, but many vegetables and fruits contain one or more of a class of pigments that can be converted to vitamin A in the body; of these pigments, b-carotene (provitamin A) is an excellent source

Drachma

2005-02-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Silver coin of ancient Greece and the former monetary unit of modern Greece. Its name derives from the Greek verb “to grasp,” and its original value was equivalent to that of a handful of arrows. The early drachma had different weights in different regions. From the 5th century BC, Athens gained commercial preeminence, and the Athenian drachma became the foremost currency.

Hesperides

2005-02-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Singular Hesperis, in Greek mythology, clear-voiced maidens who guarded the tree bearing golden apples that Gaea gave to Hera at her marriage to Zeus. According to Hesiod, they were the daughters of Erebus and Night; in other accounts, their parents were Atlas and Hesperis or Phorcys and Ceto. They were usually three in number, Aegle, Erytheia, and Hespere (or Hesperethusa), but by some accounts

China, Antiforeign movement and the Arrow, or second Opium, War

2005-02-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

At the signing of the Treaty of Nanking there was a difference between China and Britain as to whether foreigners were allowed to enter the walled city of Canton. Though Canton was declared open in July 1843, the British faced Cantonese opposition. After 1847 trouble rapidly grew, and as a result of an incident at nearby Fo-shan, a promise was given the British that they would

Christian

2005-02-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

“The mad Halberstadter” (der tolle Halberstadter), or

Indian Paint Brush

2005-02-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Also called Painted Cup, Painted Lady, or Paint Brush, any plant of the genus Castilleja (family Scrophulariaceae), which contains about 200 species of partially or wholly parasitic plants that derive nourishment from the roots of other plants. For this reason the plants are seldom cultivated successfully in the flower garden. The small, tubular flowers are irregular (two-lipped). They are surrounded by upper

Cat Shark

2005-02-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

(family Scyliorhinidae), any of more than 80 species of small, mottled sharks (order Lamniformes). Although many bottom-dwelling species are rare and poorly known ecologically, representatives have been found in all major marine environments of the tropical and temperate regions. Most cat sharks are small (less than 90 cm [3 feet]), and many have bold body markings. They have

Woman Suffrage

2005-02-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Women were excluded from voting in ancient Greece and Republican Rome, as well as in the few democracies that had emerged in Europe by the end of the 18th century. When the franchise was widened, as it was in the United Kingdom in 1832, women continued to be denied all voting rights. The question of women's voting

Selberg, Atle

2005-02-11T02:09:00.000-08:00

Selberg

Condom

2005-02-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Contraceptive device consisting of a sheath that fits over the penis and that is intended to prevent the escape of semen into the vagina. It is made of very thin, flexible rubber or a rubberlike plastic (latex). The condom has long been used as protection against venereal infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, and by the 17th century it was utilized as a contraceptive

Gable, Dan

2005-02-09T02:29:00.000-08:00

Gable was undefeated in high school competition and won three consecutive Iowa state high school championships. Competing for Iowa State University, he posted a near-perfect record. During his freshman year he entered the Midlands

Brücke, Die

2005-02-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

The group was founded in 1905 in Germany by four architectural students in Dresden—Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, who gave the group its name, Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Other artists joined the organization over the next several

Tirpitz, Alfred Von

2005-02-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

Original name Alfred Tirpitz German admiral, the chief builder of the German Navy in the 17 years preceding World War I and a dominant personality of the emperor William II's reign. He was ennobled in 1900 and attained the rank of admiral in 1903 and that of grand admiral in 1911; he retired in 1916.

Hooke's Law

2005-02-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Law of elasticity discovered by the English scientist Robert Hooke in 1660, which states that, for relatively small deformations of an object, the displacement or size of the deformation is directly proportional to the deforming force or load. Under these conditions the object returns to its original shape and size upon removal of the load. Elastic behaviour of solids

Dózsa Rebellion

2005-02-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

During the reign of King Vladislas II (1490–1516), royal power declined in favour of the magnates, who used their power to curtail the peasants' freedom. When the cardinal Tamás Bakócz called for volunteers to go on a crusade against

Fish River

2005-02-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Visrivier, stream in southern Namibia. It rises in Namaqualand and flows south across the Great Namaqualand plateau, where it cuts a spectacular gorge 1,000 to 2,300 feet (300 to 700 m) deep, to empty into the Orange River. It is about 375 miles (600 km) long and is intermittent.

Warfare In The 21st Century

2005-02-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

The war that began in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, demonstrated both the capabilities and the limitations of modern military technology. It should have come as no surprise that the U.S.-led 17-member coalition toppled the Taliban regime in only a few weeks. In conventional terms, the Taliban were a pushover; they possessed no air force, had very limited air defenses, and were an unpopular

Italianate Painters

2005-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Group of 17th-century northern European painters, principally Dutch, who traveled in Italy and, consciously adopting the style of landscape painting that they found there, incorporated Italian models and motifs into their own works. Chief among the Italianates were Bartholomeus Breenbergh, Andries and Jan Both, Nicolaes Berchem, and Jan Asselijn. The Both brothers,

To' Janggut

2005-02-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Hasan, known as To' Janggut because of his long white beard, was a peasant farmer and an itinerant rice trader in

Duroc, Géraud-christophe-michel, Duc (duke) De Frioul

2005-02-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

The son of Claude de Michel, chevalier du Roc, who was a cavalry officer, Duroc went to the Châlons artillery school, emigrated in 1792, but changed his mind, returned to France, entered the Metz school (1793), and was drafted to the artillery of the army of Italy.

China, Western challenge, 183960

2005-02-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

The opium question, the direct cause of the first Sino-British clash in the 19th century, began with a late 18th-century British attempt to counterbalance their unfavourable China trade with traffic in Indian opium. After monopolizing the opium trade in 1779, the East India Company's government began to sell the drug at auction to private British traders in India, who shipped

Uddevalla

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

Town, Västra Götaland län (county), southwestern Sweden. It lies along the Bäve River, at the head of By Fjord (an inlet of the Skagerrak), north of Göteborg. The site has been identified with Odensvold, a pagan place of sacrifice. The town was incorporated in 1498. On several occasions during the Danish-Swedish wars, large parts of it were destroyed and ravaged by fire. Uddevalla

NormalLock

Irkutsk

Kidney Failure

Boii

Benda, Julien

Traube, Isidor

Zoo

Kshitigarbha

Ben-hadad I

Religious Symbolism And Iconography, Relation to the literary and visual arts

Armenian Apostolic Church

Tobin, James

France, History Of, Political tensions

Saarland

Savannakhét

Viscometer

Bothwell, James Hepburn, 4th Earl Of, Duke Of Orkney And Shetland

Tasmania, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Argentina, Mesopotamia

Tunisia, Relief and drainage

Hyde, Henry Baldwin

Kogaku

Baha' Ullah

Vanadium

Cadogan, William Cadogan, 1st Earl

Jewett, Frank Baldwin

Marquesas Islands

Dating, Potassiumargon methods

Graham, Martha

Anthimus Vi

Endocrine System, Phylum Chordata

Graziani, Rodolfo, Marquess Di Neghelli

Facta, Luigi

Dominus

Nagurski, Bronko

Epistemology, Ancient Skepticism

Sculpture, Decorative sculpture

Annunciation

Ejaculatory Duct

Dominus

Amathus

Murcia

Bali

Rack And Pinion

Malachite Green

Mosheim, Johann Lorenz Von

Audiencia

Hebrew Literature, Formative influences

Aidoo, Ama Ata

Annelid, Critical appraisal

World War I, The Western Front, 1916

Naqshbandiyah

Ibb

Aragon, Louis

Palacio Valdés, Armando

Glacial Landform, Permafrost, patterned ground, solifluction deposits, and pingos

South Africa, The arts

Karat

Arts, Central Asian, Kushan

Roussillon

Vega, Lope De

Vivaldi, Antonio

Visigoth

Algebra, Modern, Structural axioms

Ambo

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

Jansen, Daniel

Gahnite

Manama

Brucite

Alcohol Consumption

Taal Lake

Novgorod

Hamilton, Alexander

Gate

Powers, Hiram

Bendigo

Tibet, The people

Wyandotte Cave

Vitamin A

Dating, Potassiumargon methods

China, Western challenge, 183960