SecretCup

Burgos

2005-03-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Burgos province, in the Castile-León comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), northern Spain. It is located on the lower slopes of a castle-crowned hill overlooking the Arlanzón River, about 2,600 feet (800 m) above sea level. Founded in 884 as an eastern outpost of the Asturian kingdom by the Castilian count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, it became the capital of the

Tedder (of Glenguin), Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron

2005-03-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

Marshal of the Royal Air Force and deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who contributed significantly to the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944) and the German defeat on the Western Front during World War II through his policy of bombing

Syria, Railways

2005-03-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Syria's railways are well developed. A northern line runs northeastward from Aleppo into Turkey and then east along the border to al-Qamishli, where it crosses the northeastern extremity of Syria en route to Baghdad (Iraq). The Hejaz Railway runs from Damascus to Amman (Jordan), and a third runs from Aleppo to Tripoli (Lebanon). Aleppo and Damascus are also linked by rail. Smaller

Molde

2005-03-17T00:26:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. It lies along Molde Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea. A port since the 15th century, Molde was partially destroyed by fire in 1916, damaged during World War II, then rebuilt completely. During April 1940 it was the temporary home of the Norwegian government. Local industry includes fish export, textile mills, and furniture

Antelope

2005-03-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

Antelopes are even-toed, hoofed mammals that

Sorosilicate

2005-03-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Formerly called Pyrosilicate, any member of a group of compounds with structures that have two silicate tetrahedrons (a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms at the corners of a tetrahedron) linked together. Because one oxygen atom is shared by two tetrahedrons, the chemical formula contains Si2O7, as in melilite or hemimorphite.

Kazin, Alfred

2005-03-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Kazin attended the City College of New York during the Great Depression and then worked as a freelance book reviewer for The New Republic and other periodicals. At age 27 he wrote a sweeping

Gte Corporation

2005-03-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

General Telephone was founded in 1926 as Associated Telephone Utilities by Sigurd Odegard, a Wisconsin phone-company owner who wanted to acquire small independent phone companies.

Christadelphian

2005-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

(Greek: “Brother of Christ”), member of a Christian sect founded about 1848 by John Thomas, who, after studying medicine in London, Eng., migrated to Brooklyn, N.Y. He at first joined the followers of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, founders of the Disciples of Christ (Christians), but eventually he began preaching independently, largely applying Hebrew prophecy and the book of Revelation

Esfahan, Great Mosque Of

2005-02-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

Persian Masjed-e Jame ' (“Universal Mosque”), a complex of buildings in Esfahan, Iran, that centres on the 11th-century domed sanctuary and includes a second smaller domed chamber, built in 1088, known for its beauty of proportion and design. The central sanctuary was built under the direction of Nizam al-Mulk, vizier to the Seljuq ruler Malik-Shah, probably between 1070 and 1075. It stands at the south end of the courtyard.

Cohen, Albert

2005-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

Cohen earned an M.A. in sociology from Indiana University (1942) and a Ph.D. in sociology from

Boiling

2005-02-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

Boiling is used primarily

Midsummer Night's Dream, A

2005-02-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

Comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced in 1595–96 and published in 1600 in a quarto edition from the author's fair copy. The version published in the First Folio was taken from a second quarto edition, with some reference to a promptbook. One of the “great,” or “middle,” comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a multilayered examination of love and its vagaries,

Performing Arts, Britain.

2005-02-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

Some of the best films of the year

Europa

2005-02-18T05:10:00.000-08:00

Also called Jupiter II, fourth largest satellite of the planet Jupiter. One of the four Galilean satellites, it was discovered by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610 and was named by the German astronomer Simon Marius after a figure in Greek mythology. Europa has a diameter of 3,138 km (1,946 miles), and it orbits Jupiter at a distance of approximately 670,900 km (416,900 miles). The satellite has a density of 3.03 grams

Calamian Group

2005-02-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Islands lying between Mindoro and Palawan, west central Philippines. The group comprises Busuanga, Culion (q.v.), and Coron islands and about 95 lesser coral isles and islets, with a total area of 677 sq mi (1,753 sq km). The main islands are quite hilly and are densely settled, with relatively stable populations engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing. The principal settlement

Wesleyan University

2005-02-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Middletown, Connecticut, U.S. It comprises the College of Letters and the College of Social Studies and departments in the sciences, mathematics, humanities, arts, and social and behavioral sciences. Altogether it offers 50 major fields of study for undergraduate students, 11 master's degree programs, and doctoral

Ma'mun, Al-

2005-02-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of 833 al-Ma'mun decided to require adherence to Mu'tazilah from all his subjects. As the caliph was then on an expedition against the Byzantines in the region of Tarsus, he entrusted this task to his representative in Baghdad, the prefect of police Ishaq ibn Ibrahim. The latter first called together the qadis (judges) to urge them to recognize the Mu'tazili doctrine;

Athenry

2005-02-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

Irish Baile Átha An Rí (“Town of the King's Ford”) market town, County Galway, Ireland. It was founded in the 13th century during the Anglo-Norman colonization. Much of the medieval town wall (1211) survives, together with the keep of the castle (1235) and part of the Dominican priory (founded 1241), which was specifically exempted from Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. Pop. (1986) 1,642.

Powhatan

2005-02-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

Powhatan was the son of an Algonkin chief whose tribe had migrated to Virginia during the 16th century. His father had vanquished five of the resident tribes and established a six-tribe confederacy. After Powhatan succeeded his father, he brought two dozen other tribes into the confederacy; at the peak

Andean Community

2005-02-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

CAN's Andean

Backhuysen, Ludolf

2005-02-01T02:39:00.000-08:00

Backhuysen studied under the Dutch painters Allart van Everdingen and Hendrik Dubbels. His numerous compositions are nearly all variations of marine themes, in a style peculiarly his own, marked by intense realism. In his later years Backhuysen employed his time in etching

Wolfe, James

2005-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

The elder son of Lieutenant General Edward Wolfe, he was commissioned in the Royal Marines in 1741 but transferred almost immediately to the 12th Foot. Wolfe was on active service continuously until

Mercy, Claudius Florimund, Graf Von

2005-01-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

Mercy entered the Austrian army in 1682, and distinguished himself in Hungary and Italy as a resolute and versatile cavalry commander. After the outbreak of the War of the Spanish

Yakima

2005-01-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1886) of Yakima county, south-central Washington, U.S., on the Yakima River. In 1884 the Northern Pacific Railway selected the site of Yakima City (now Union Gap) as a construction headquarters. This plan was abandoned and a new settlement, known as North Yakima, was established 4 miles (6 km) north. With its desirable location on a railroad, North Yakima became a depot and cattle-shipping

New Bedford

2005-01-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

The site, settled by Plymouth colonists in 1652, was originally part of Dartmouth. A fishing community was established there in 1760. By 1765 it had developed into a small whaling port and shipbuilding centre. The Dartmouth, which in 1767 was the first

China, Period of division

2005-01-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

The most extensive modern account of the period of division is that found in the general history by Franke cited above, vol. 2, with copious notes in vol. 3; this is a traditional chronological history, which pays little attention to nonpolitical matters and absolutely none to modern historical writing on the period in Chinese and Japanese. Other works on this important period include Wolfram Eberhard, Das Toba-Reich Nordchinas: eine soziologische Untersuchung (1949), a Western-language study on the T'o-pa Wei—controversial and interesting but highly technical; W.J.F. Jenner, Memories of Loyang (1981), a political history of the Wei dynasty during the Pei-ch'ao (Northern Dynasties) period; Étienne Balazs, “Les Courants intellectuels en Chine au IIIe siècle de notre ère,” Études Asiatiques, vol. 2 (1948), the best Western-language study on the rise of “Neo-Taoism” and other schools of thought after the breakdown of the Han Empire; Henri Maspero, Taoism and Chinese Religion (1983; originally published in French, 1950), a collection of essays dealing mainly with T'ang dynasty Taoism, still the most important general survey of the Taoist religion of this period, written mainly in the 1930s and '40s by a great authority for the general public; Holmes Welch, Taoism: The Parting of the Way, rev. ed. (1965), a general history of the Taoist movement with about one-third of the book devoted to the development of Taoist religion in the Six Dynasties period; Michel Strickmann, Le Taoïsme du Mao Chan: chronique d'une révélation (1981), a scholarly account of one of the main schools of medieval Taoism; Arthur F. Wright, Buddhism in Chinese History (1959, reprinted 1971), a popular but authoritative survey of Chinese Buddhism as a whole, two chapters of which are devoted to the Six Dynasties period; Kenneth K.S. Chen, Buddhism in China (1964, reprinted 1972), an extensive history of Chinese Buddhism by an eminent specialist; Erik Zürcher, The Buddhist Conquest of China, 2 vol. (1959, reprinted 1972), a detailed, rather technical study of the formation of gentry Buddhism; and Jacques Gernet, Les Aspects économiques du bouddhisme dans la société chinoise du Ve au Xe siècle (1956), an indispensable but rather technical work on the economic functions of the Buddhist monasteries from the 5th to the 10th century.

Consalvi, Ercole

2005-01-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

Having entered the papal government service in 1783, Consalvi rose to become auditor of the Rota, a tribunal

San Fernando

2005-01-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

City and port of Trinidad, in the island country of Trinidad and Tobago, in the southern Caribbean Sea. It lies at the western end of the Central Range of hills on the flat, shallow coast of the Gulf of Paria, 36 miles (58 km) south of Port of Spain. Trinidad's second largest city, its chief function is that of an administrative and trading centre for the southern half of the island.

Coho

2005-01-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Silver Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), species of salmon, family Salmonidae, prized for food and sport. The coho weighs about 4.5 kg (10 pounds) and is recognized by the small spots on the back and upper tail-fin lobe. Young coho stay in fresh water for about one year before entering North Pacific waters; they mature in about three years. Some populations, called landlocked,

Bahuti, Al-

2005-01-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Little is known about al-Bahuti except that he spent nearly all of his life teaching and practicing Hanbali law. His legal writings, although not original, are noted for their clarity and are still used in Egypt.

Shining Path

2005-01-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

The Shining Path was founded in 1970 in a multiple split in the Communist Party of Peru. It took its name from the maxim of the founder of Peru's first communist party, José Carlos Mariátegui: “El Marxismo-Leninismo abrirá el sendero luminoso hacia la

Probability Theory

2005-01-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

Suppose two balls are drawn sequentially without replacement from an urn containing r red and b black balls. The probability of getting a red ball on the first draw is r/(r + b). If, however, one is told that a red ball was obtained on the first draw, the conditional probability of getting a red ball on the second draw is (r - 1)/(r + b - 1), because for the second draw there are r + b - 1 balls in the urn, of which

Space Station

2005-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

An artificial structure placed in orbit and having the pressurized enclosure, power, supplies, and environmental systems necessary to support human habitation for extended periods. Depending on its configuration, a space station can serve as a base for a variety of activities. These include observations of the Sun and other astronomical objects, study of the

Ammianus Marcellinus

2005-01-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

Born of a noble Greek family, Ammianus served in the army of Constantius II in Gaul and Persia. He fought against the Persians under Julian the Apostate and took part in the retreat of his successor, Jovian. Leaving the army at Antioch, he

Constantine

2005-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

Also called (after 1981) Qacentina , Arabic Blad el-Hawa , Phoenician Cirta city, northeast Algeria. A natural fortress, the city occupies a rocky, diamond-shaped plateau that is surrounded, except at the southwest, by a precipitous gorge through the eastern side of which flows the Rhumel River. The plateau is 2,130 feet (650 m) above sea level and from 500 to 1,000 feet (150 to 300 m) above the riverbed in the gorge. The cliffs of the gorge, at its narrowest, are 15 feet (4.5 m) apart and

Frederick Vi

2005-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

The son of the mentally incompetent king Christian VII and Queen Caroline Matilda, Frederick was reared largely by his father's stepmother, the queen dowager Juliana Maria, who, with her son Prince Frederick and Ove Höegh-Guldberg, virtually ruled Denmark until 1784. In April

Erythrite

2005-01-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Cobalt Bloom, arsenate mineral in the vivianite group, hydrated cobalt arsenate [Co3(AsO4)2×8H2O]. Erythrite, which is used as a guide to the presence of cobalt-nickel-silver ores because of its crimson or peach-red colour, occurs as radiating crystals, concretions, or earthy masses in the oxidized zone of cobalt and nickel deposits. It forms a complete solid-solution series with annabergite,

Annelid, Importance

2004-12-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

Large earthworms, or night crawlers (Lumbricus terrestris), are cultivated and sold as bait for freshwater fishes and as humus builders in gardens. The sludge worm Tubifex, abundant near sewer outlets and thus an indicator of water pollution, is collected and sold as food for tropical fish. Polychaetes play an important role in turning over sediment on the ocean

Hevelius, Johannes

2004-12-27T01:44:00.000-08:00

(Latin), German Johann Hewel , or Johann Howelcke , Polish Jan Heweliusz astronomer who compiled an atlas of the Moon (Selenographia, published 1647) containing one of the earliest detailed maps of its surface as well as names for many of its features. A few of his names for lunar mountains (e.g., the Alps) are still in use, and a lunar crater is named for him. Hevelius also made a catalog of 1,564 stars, the most comprehensive of its time,

álava

2004-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Provincia, northern Spain. Álava is the southernmost of the three Basque Country provincias of northern Spain and is located mainly on the southern slope of the Pyrenees Range. It is bounded by the Ebro River (southwest) and surrounds the enclaves of Treviño and Orduña belonging to Burgos and Vizcaya provincias, respectively. Álava has an area of 1,176 square miles (3,047 square

Dualism

2004-12-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

In religion, the doctrine that the world (or reality) consists of two basic, opposed, and irreducible principles that account for all that exists. It has played an important role in the history of thought and of religion.

New Castle

2004-12-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

County, northern Delaware, U.S., bounded by Pennsylvania to the north, New Jersey to the east (the Delaware River constituting the border), the Smyrna River to the south, and Maryland to the west. The county is bisected east-west by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (completed 1829), around which are state parks and wildlife areas. Other waterways are the Christina River and the

Race, Mendelian heredity and the development of blood group systems

2004-12-18T00:22:00.000-08:00

In 1900, after the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's experiments dealing with heredity, scientists began to focus greater attention on genes and chromosomes. Their objective was to ascertain the hereditary basis for numerous physical traits. Once the ABO blood group system was discovered and was shown to follow the pattern of Mendelian heredity, other systems—the MN

Biblical Literature, Philological criticism

2004-12-16T22:23:00.000-08:00

Philological criticism consists mainly in the study of the biblical languages in their widest scope, so that the vocabulary, grammar, and style of the biblical writings can be understood as accurately as possible with the aid not only of other biblical writings but of other writings in the same or cognate languages. New Testament Greek, for example, is a representative

Muhammad Al-mahdi Al-hujjah

2004-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Muhammad Al-muntazar, Hidden Imam, or Twelfth Imam (disappeared 878), 12th and last imam, venerated by the Ithna 'Ashariyah, or Twelver sect, the main body of Shi'ite Muslims. It is believed that Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah has been concealed by God (a doctrine known as ghaybah, or occultation) and that he will reappear in time as the mahdi, or messianic deliverer. See also Ithna 'Ashariyah.

Marsala

2004-12-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Latin Lilybaeum, town, Trapani province, western Sicily, Italy. It is situated on the Boeo Cape, also called Lilibeo, south of Trapani. It originated as Lilybaeum, which was founded by the Carthaginians in 397–396 BC after the destruction of the offshore island of Motya (modern San Pantaleo) by Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse. Serving as the Carthaginians' principal stronghold in Sicily,

Cabañas

2004-12-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

Department, north central El Salvador, bordered to the north and east by the Río Lempa Valley, with an area of 426 sq mi (1,104 sq km). It was formed in 1873. The production of indigo, important in the 19th century, has declined. Grain, sugar, rice, and beans are cultivated, and livestock is raised for dairy produce. Cabañas is noted for pottery, made from the excellent local clay deposits and centred

Epistemology, Commonsense philosophy, logical positivism, and naturalized epistemology

2004-12-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

Three of the most notable achievements of analytic philosophy are commonsense philosophy, logical positivism, and naturalized epistemology. G.E. Moore (1873–1958) made a defense of what he called the commonsense view of the world. According to Moore, virtually everybody knows certain propositions to be true, such as that the Earth exists, that it is very old, and that other persons

Middlesex

2004-12-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

The River Thames was the key to the history of Middlesex. From about 8000 BCE traders and settlers used the Thames as their waterway. During the Iron Age

World Water Crisis: Is There A Way Out?

2004-12-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Into the gloom of the future we should project a little light by considering some successes of the past. Over the past 40 years, water resources and water quality have been greatly improved in Europe and North America. Rivers in the United States no longer spontaneously burst into flame; gross pollution of lakes and rivers has been eliminated; wetlands are protected

Fabry, Charles

2004-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Fabry joined the staff of Marseilles University in 1894. His early studies centred on light interference, in which a primary research instrument

Osheroff, Douglas D.

2004-11-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

Osheroff received a bachelor's degree (1967) from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate (1973) from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He was a graduate student

Alchevsk

2004-11-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1931–61) Voroshilovsk , or (1961–92) Kommunarsk city, Luhansk oblast (province), eastern Ukraine. It lies along the railway from Luhansk to Debaltsevo. Alchevsk was founded in 1895 with the establishment of the Donetsko-Yuryevsky ironworks. The plant has developed into a large, integrated ironworks and steelworks, which was expanded greatly in the 1950s and '60s. The city is a major bituminous-coal mining centre, and there are

Arts, Central Asian, Buddhist morality plays

2004-11-25T02:47:00.000-08:00

The last performing-arts genre to develop in Central Asia was the Buddhist morality play, called a-che-lha-mo. The plays are based on the lives of legendary and historical figures, and through costume and masks the ethnic origin and ethical character of the players are revealed. Folktales, as well as historical and Buddhist canonical literature, are sources for the

Marquand, J(ohn) P(hillips)

2004-11-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

Marquand grew up in New York City and suburban Rye in comfortable circumstances until his father's business failure, when he was sent to live with relatives in Newburyport. This experience of reduced status and

Iamb

2004-11-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

Metrical foot consisting of one short syllable (as in classical verse) or one unstressed syllable (as in English verse) followed by one long or stressed syllable, as in the word {breve}be|cause¢ . Considered by the ancient Greeks to approximate the natural rhythm of speech, iambic metres were used extensively for dramatic dialogue, invective, satire, and fables. Also suited

Waterford

2004-11-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Irish Port Láirge county in the province of Munster, Ireland. With an area of 710 square miles (1,838 square km), it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the south and from west to east by Counties Cork, Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Wexford. The county's northern boundary follows the River Suir through the city of Waterford. Included within the county are the lower reaches of the Rivers Blackwater and Bride.

Coleopteran

2004-11-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

Any member of the insect order Coleoptera, which includes the beetles and weevils. It is the largest order of insects, representing about 40 percent of the known insect species. Among the approximately 250,000 species of Coleoptera are many of the largest and most conspicuous insects, some of which also have brilliant metallic colours, showy patterns, or striking form. Beetles

Byrd, William, Of Westover

2004-11-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

His birthplace was the James River plantation home of his father, also named William Byrd, an Indian trader and slave importer. The boy went to school in England, travelled in Holland, and studied law in the Middle Temple, London.

Brieux, Eugène

2004-11-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

French dramatist, one of the leading exponents of the realist drama, whose somewhat didactic works attacked the social evils of his day. Brieux's works formed part of the repertory of the famed Théâtre-Libre of André Antoine, which had a far-reaching effect on the spread of the new naturalistic style. Playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw described

Alcamenes

2004-11-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

Sculptor and younger contemporary of Phidias, noted for the delicacy and finish of his works, among which a Hephaestus and an “Aphrodite of the Gardens” are noteworthy. A copy of the head of his “Hermes Propylaeus” at Pergamum has been identified by an inscription, and he is said by the Greek traveler Pausanias (2nd century

Sardinian Language

2004-11-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Sardinian Sardo Romance language spoken on the Italian-ruled island of Sardinia; it is most similar to Vulgar Latin of all the modern Romance languages. Major dialects of Sardinian are Logudorian, spoken in central Sardinia; Campidanian, spoken in the south; Sassarian, spoken in the northwest; and Gallurian, spoken in the northeast. There is no standard form of Sardinian except the

Protist, Section I. Chromobionts (heterokonts or Chromophyta sensu lato)

2004-11-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

Predominantly golden-brown, yellow-green, and brown algae plus some lower fungal groups and 3 nonpigmented zooflagellate taxa; tubular mitochondrial cristae; pigmented moiety with chlorophylls a, c, and d and chloroplasts located within rough endoplasmic reticulum, tubular mastigonemes on anterior flagellum, and food reserves stored outside plastids; ubiquitous;

Aardvark

2004-11-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

Also called African Ant Bear (Orycteropus afer), heavily built mammal, ranging south of the Sahara in forest or plain, that constitutes the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its stout, piglike body, up to 180 centimetres (6 feet) long, including the 60-cm tail. Its coat varies from glossy black and full to sandy yellow

Chad, Lake

2004-11-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

French Lac Tchad, freshwater lake located in the Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at the conjunction of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. It is situated in an interior basin formerly occupied by a much larger ancient sea that is sometimes called Mega-Chad. Lake Chad ranks as the fourth largest lake in Africa, though its surface area varies greatly. When the surface of the lake is

Spalacotherium

2004-11-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct primitive, probably predaceous mammals known from fossils found in Late Jurassic deposits of Europe. The genus Spalacotherium is representative of the symmetrodonts, a group characterized by molar teeth with three cusps arranged in a triangle. The symmetrodonts are among the oldest known mammals and may in some way have played a role in the development

Biblical Literature, The divided monarchy: from Jeroboam I to the Assyrian conquest

2004-11-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

Jeroboam I, the first king of the new state of Israel, made his capital first at Shechem, then at Tirzah. Recognizing the need for religious independence from Jerusalem, he set up official sanctuaries at Dan and Bethel, at the two ends of his realm, installing in them golden calves (or bulls), for which he is castigated in the anti-northern account in the First Book of the Kings.

Eemian Interglacial Stage

2004-11-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Eemian Interglacial followed the Saale Glacial Stage and preceded the Weichsel Glacial Stage; the Eemian is correlated with the Ipswichian Interglacial of Britain and the Riss-Würm Interglacial Stage of the Alpine region of Europe.

Cumont, Franz (-valéry-marie)

2004-10-31T19:53:00.000-08:00

After studying at Ghent, Bonn, Berlin, Vienna, and Paris, Cumont was from 1892 to 1910 professor at the University of Ghent and from 1899 to 1912 curator of the Brussels

Jeakins, Dorothy

2004-10-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

U.S. Academy Award-winning costume designer whose striking creations for Joan of Arc, Samson and Delilah, and Night of the Iguana merited her three Oscars (b. Jan. 11, 1914--d. Nov. 21, 1995).

Huxley, T.h.

2004-10-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

Huxley's controversial positions in the 1860s and '70s won the support of an increasing number of his contemporaries, while his research established him as one of the leading scientists of his era. As a scientific popularizer he was without peer, and he was an energetic organizer and political infighter. These qualities gave Huxley the levers necessary to elevate the position

Hank

2004-10-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

In textile manufacture, unit of measure applied to a length of yarn or to a loose assemblage of fibres forming a single strand, and varying according to the fibre origin. A hank of cotton or of the spun silk made from short lengths of waste silk is 840 yards (770 m) long. A hank of linen is 300 yards (270 m). In worsted yarn, made from combed fibre, there are 560 yards (510 m) to a hank.

Palladius

2004-10-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

Palladius took up the ascetical life himself, first at the Mount of Olives, the scene of Christ's Passion outside Jerusalem,

Silchar

2004-10-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

City, southern Assam state, northeastern India. Situated on the Surma River near the Bangladesh border, it is a trade and processing centre for tea, rice, and other agricultural products. There is limited industry, principally papermaking and tea-box manufacturing. The city has an airport and lies on both a rail line and a motor road connecting Aizawl in Mizoram state

Argentina, The presidency of Carlos Menem

2004-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

With the economy crumbling around him, Alfonsín resigned five months early, and Menem officially took over in July. Menem's moderate Peronist program called for a free-market economy with lower tariffs, based on a wage-price pact between labour, business, and government. To help carry out his economic scheme, Menem unexpectedly enlisted the aid of former top-level

Tertiary Period, Subdivisions

2004-10-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

The Tertiary faunas of western Europe that were known to 19th-century natural scientists consisted primarily of mollusks exhibiting varying degrees of similarity with modern types. At the same time, the science of stratigraphy was in its infancy, and the primary focus of its earliest practitioners was to use the newly discovered sequential progression of fossils

Ga

2004-10-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Gan, or Gã, people of the southeast coast of Ghana, speaking a dialect of the Kwa branch of Niger-Congo languages. The Ga are descended from immigrants who came down the Niger River and across the Volta during the 17th century. The Ga-speaking peoples were organized into six independent towns (Accra, Osu, Labadi, Teshi, Nungua, and Tema). Each town had a stool, which served as the central

Gabija

2004-10-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Also spelled gabieta (Lithuanian) , Latvian uguns mate , Old Prussian panicke in Baltic religion, the domestic hearth fire. In pre-Christian times a holy fire (šventa ugnis) was kept in tribal sanctuaries on high hills and riverbanks, where priests guarded it constantly, extinguishing and rekindling it once a year at the midsummer festival. Eventually this tradition was moved into the home as the gabija, and its care became the responsibility

Gabon

2004-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Officially Gabonese Republic, French Gabon, or République Gabonaise, country lying on the west coast of Africa, astride the Equator, with a total area estimated at 103,347 square miles (267,667 square kilometres). It is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; the island state of São Tomé and Príncipe is situated off the coast. Gabon's capital is Libreville.

Nizam-i Cedid

2004-10-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

In 1792–93 Selim III, assisted by a committee, promulgated a series of reforms that included new regulations on provincial governorships and taxation, on land

Alexander Ii

2004-10-16T03:23:00.000-07:00

Russian in full Aleksandr Nikolayevich emperor of Russia (1855–81). His liberal education and distress at the outcome of the Crimean War, which had demonstrated Russia's backwardness, inspired him toward a great program of domestic reforms, the most important being the emancipation (1861) of the serfs. A period of repression after 1866 led to a resurgence

Vieira, António

2004-10-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

Vieira went to Brazil with his parents as a child of six. Educated at the

Caddo

2004-10-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

One of a confederacy of tribes of North American Indians that composed the Caddoan linguistic family. The Caddo proper originally occupied the lower Red River area in what are now Louisiana and Arkansas. In the late 17th century they numbered 8,000 persons living in villages scattered along the Red River and its tributaries. This is also the region of the Caddoan archaeological

Albany River

2004-10-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

River, north central Ontario, Canada, rising in Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 1,218 ft (371 m) and flowing generally eastward into James Bay. For 250 mi (400 km) of its 610-mi course, the river is navigable, and it served as an important route during the fur-trading days, when boats sailed inland from the Hudson's Bay Company post of Ft. Albany (established 1684) at the mouth. Its largest tributary is the

Bradford

2004-10-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

A fulling mill recorded in 1311 indicates the early importance of the manufacture of wool products. In the late 17th century the fine worsted trade followed. With

Amateur Radio

2004-10-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

Interest in amateur radio arose around the turn of the century, shortly after the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. The interference of amateur broadcasts with commercial and military

Aerospace Industry, Unmanned aerial vehicles

2004-10-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a class of aircraft akin to radio-controlled models and cruise missiles, have become significant factors in military reconnaissance. Carrying sensors for surveillance, they are designed to fly either for long duration at very high altitudes or for shorter periods at low altitudes and to transmit their acquired data to orbiting

Abbevillian Industry

2004-10-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

Prehistoric stone-tool tradition generally considered to represent the oldest occurrence in Europe of a bifacial (hand-ax) technology. The Abbevillian industry dates from an imprecisely determined part of the Middle Pleistocene, somewhat less than 700,000 years ago. It was recovered from high terrace sediments of the lower Somme valley, in a suburb of Abbeville, Fr. The

Ribbon Fall

2004-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Cataract on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite National Park, east-central California, U.S. With a drop of 1,612 feet (491 m), it is one of the world's highest waterfalls and one of the park's most scenic features. Reaching a peak volume during May and June, it is fed mainly by melting snow; hence, it is sometimes dry for part of the year.

Shadrafa

2004-10-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ancient West Semitic benevolent deity. His name may possibly be translated as “Spirit of Healing.” He was often represented as a youthful, beardless male, standing on a lion above mountains, wearing a long, trailing garment and a pointed headdress, and holding a small lion in one hand and, perhaps, a whip in the other. In representations from Palmyra, Shadrafa is shown with

Vaillant, édouard-marie

2004-10-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Educated as an engineer, Vaillant subsequently studied medicine, first in Paris and later in Heidelberg, Tübingen, and Vienna. He returned to France, and during the German

Jewelry, 19th century

2004-10-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Industrial Revolution destroyed forever the ancient role of jewelry as a symbol of social rank. The social evolution created a market for a vast quantity of jewelry at prices the middle class could afford; and so jewelry, too, succumbed to the machine. Hundreds of different components for ornaments were produced by machines, an electric gold-plating technique

Tide

2004-10-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

At the surface of the Earth the gravitational force of the Moon is about 2.2 times greater than that of the Sun.

Barmakids

2004-10-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Khalid ibn Barmak is the first Barmakid about whom much is known. He first appears in the mid-8th century as a supporter of the revolutionary movement that established the 'Abbasid caliphate. In 747 Khalid was put in charge of the distribution of spoils when the 'Abbasid army moved toward Iraq. Afterward, he was sent to Dayr Qunna to administer the district. Under the 'Abbasid caliph

Tricellular Theory

2004-10-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

Obsolescent model of the Earth's wind systems that represents them as three parallel wind cells or belts in each hemisphere. First advanced by T. Bergeron (1928) and further developed by C.-G. Rossby, it replaced the Hadley-cell model (proposed by George Hadley in 1735): a single cell in each hemisphere with westward and Equatorward flow at low levels and eastward and poleward flow

Kamenev, Lev Borisovich

2004-10-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

Born to middle-class parents who themselves had been involved in the Russian

Austin, Herbert Austin, Baron

2004-09-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Founder and first chairman of the Austin Motor Company, whose Austin Seven model greatly influenced British and European light-car design. An engineer and engineering manager in Australia (1883–90), he became manager and later director of the Wolseley Sheep-Shearing Company in England. In

Amado, Jorge

2004-09-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Amado grew up on a cacao plantation, Auricídia, and was educated at the Jesuit college in Salvador and studied law at Federal University in Rio de Janeiro. He published his first novel at age 19. Three of his early works deal with the

Hay, Oliver Perry

2004-09-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

While serving as professor of biology and geology at Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind. (1879–92), he helped organize the Indiana Academy of Science (1890) and embarked on