EqualBoy

Lead-210 Dating

2005-04-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

Method of age determination that makes use of the ratio of the radioactive lead isotope lead-210 to the stable isotope lead-206. The method has been applied to the ores of uranium. In the series of unstable products from the radioactive decay of uranium-238, lead-210 results from the decay of radon-222 and is a precursor of the stable isotope lead-206. Lead-210 dating is particularly useful for

Endive

2005-04-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

(Cichorium endivia), edible annual leafy plant of the family Asteraceae, variously believed to have originated in Egypt and Indonesia and cultivated in Europe since the 16th century. Its many varieties form two groups, the curly-leaved, or narrow-leaved, endive (crispa), and the Batavian, or broad-leaved, endive (latifolia). The former is mostly used for salads, the latter for

Rjr Nabisco, Inc.

2005-03-31T01:48:00.000-08:00

Former conglomerate corporation formed by the merger in 1985 of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (a diversified company specializing in tobacco and food products), and Nabisco Brands, Inc., an international manufacturer of snack foods. In what was the biggest merger of its time, RJR Nabisco became privately owned in 1989 when it was merged into investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

France, History Of, Economy

2005-03-29T03:06:00.000-08:00

Republican France remained a nation of small producers, traders, and consumers. The surge of industrialization that marked the era of Napoleon III had stopped short of a full-scale industrial revolution. The new dynamic sector of the economy was far outweighed by a static or slowly changing sector. The bulk of industry remained smaller and more dispersed than in

Macaulay (of Rothley), Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron

2005-03-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

English Whig politician, essayist, poet, and historian best known for his History of England, 5 vol. (1849–61); this work, which covers the period 1688–1702, secured his place as one of the founders of what has been called the Whig interpretation of history. He was raised to the peerage in 1857.

Flint, F.s.

2005-03-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

The son of a commercial traveler, Flint left school at the age of 13 and worked at a variety of jobs. At the age of 17 his reading of a volume by the 19th-century Romantic poet John

Averroës

2005-03-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Medieval Latin Averrhoës , also called Ibn Rushd , Arabic in full Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd influential Islamic religious philosopher who integrated Islamic traditions with ancient Greek thought. At the request of the Almohad caliph Abu Ya'qub Yusuf, he produced a series of summaries and commentaries on most of Aristotle's works (1169–95) and on Plato's Republic, which exerted considerable influence in

Abraham, Plains Of

2005-03-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Heights Of Abraham, French Plaines D'abraham, plains in Québec region, southern Quebec province, Canada. The plains lie at the western edge of the old walled city, overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The plateau was the scene of a battle (Sept. 13, 1759) between the French under the Marquis de Montcalm and the British under James Wolfe in which both leaders were killed but which secured Quebec for the British. Named for Abraham

Macdonnell, Sorley Boy

2005-03-20T20:54:00.000-08:00

From an ancestor who had married Margaret Bisset, heiress of the district on the Antrim coast known as the Glynns (or Glens), MacDonnell inherited a claim to

China, Economy

2005-03-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

The Mongol conquest of the Sung Empire had for the first time since the end of T'ang reunified all China. Sung China had traded with its neighbours, the Liao and Chin, but trade had been strictly controlled and limited to authorized border markets. The Mongol conquest therefore reintegrated China's economy. The Mongol administration, in its desire to utilize the resources

Rabat

2005-03-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Malta, adjoining Mdina, west of Valletta. In Roman times the site of Mdina and Rabat was occupied by Melita, the island's capital. The modern names date from the Arab occupation of Malta, when Mdina was fortified and what remained outside the walls was called rabat (“suburb”). There are many Roman ruins, including a partially restored villa housing a museum.

Ligurian Language

2005-03-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

Language spoken by the Ligurians in northwestern Italy (and perhaps also in southern France and northeastern Spain) in pre-Roman and early Roman times. It is apparently an Indo-European language. Some scholars have maintained that Ligurian is closely related to the Italic and Celtic languages, holding an intermediate linguistic position between them. The language

Vacuum Technology

2005-03-16T04:59:00.000-08:00

This pump is mainly used on equipment for the study of clean surfaces and in radio-frequency sputtering. Capacities are available up to 190,000 cu ft per minute with an operating pressure range of 10-2 to less than 10-9 torr when water-cooled baffles are used and less than 10-11 torr when refrigerated baffles are employed. The pumping speed for a vapour pump remains constant from about

Béjart, Maurice

2005-03-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

After studies in Paris, Béjart toured with the Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit (1947–49), the International Ballet (1949–50), and the Royal Swedish Ballet (1951–52). In 1954 he founded Les Ballets

Pampa

2005-03-14T01:12:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1902) of Gray county, northern Texas, U.S., 55 miles (88 km) northeast of Amarillo. It was founded in 1888 on the Santa Fe Railroad; it was known first as Glasgow, then Sutton, and finally, in 1892 it was named for the resemblance of the surrounding prairie lands to the Argentine Pampas. Located in the Texas Panhandle, the city serves as the centre of an oil-producing, wheat-growing, and cattle-raising

Sill, Anna Peck

2005-03-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

Sill began teaching school at the age of 20, and in 1843 she opened a seminary in Warsaw, New York. From 1846 to 1849 she headed the female department of the Cary Collegiate Institute in Oakfield, New York. For some years she had wavered between teaching

Pontus

2005-03-12T03:32:00.000-08:00

Ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. In the 1st century BC it briefly contested Rome's hegemony in Anatolia. An independent Pontic kingdom with its capital at Amaseia (modern Amasya) was established at the end of the 4th century BC in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Superficially Hellenized, the kingdom retained its Persian social structure,

Toba, Go-

2005-03-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

After reigning for 15 years, Go-Toba in 1198 abdicated

Arrowsmith, Aaron

2005-03-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Without a formal education Arrowsmith went to London c. 1770 and, after working as a surveyor, established himself as a mapmaker and publisher. His large world map (1790) established his reputation. A

Henderson

2005-03-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Dairying, livestock raising, and feed are important to the economy, and tobacco is the major crop in the area.

Cuckoopint

2005-03-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

The cuckoopint grows from a whitish rootstock, which

Bloodroot

2005-03-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Red Puccoon (Sanguinaria canadensis), plant of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native throughout eastern and midwestern North America. It grows mainly in deciduous woodlands, where it blooms in early spring. Bloodroot has a shining white, eight-petalled, cup-shaped flower with bright yellow stamens (male reproductive structures) in the centre. The 4- to

Coldstream

2005-03-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Small burgh (town) in the Scottish Borders council area, historic county of Berwickshire, Scotland. It is situated at a fording place on the River Tweed on the border with England. Flodden, a battlefield (1513) where the Scots were badly defeated by the English, lies 6 miles (10 km) southeast, in England. Coldstream is associated with the famous British Coldstream Guards regiment;

Dieting

2005-03-02T01:03:00.000-08:00

Regulating one's food intake for the purpose of improving one's physical condition, especially for the purpose of reducing obesity, or what is conceived to be excess body fat. Dieting plans are based on the reduction of any of the macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) that constitute the major portions of food that a person eats (other than water) and that

Selkirk

2005-03-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Manitoba, Canada. It lies just northeast of Winnipeg, on the Red River near its influx into Lake Winnipeg, at the head of deepwater navigation. It is the lake's chief port serving central and northern Manitoba and is thus a transshipping point for fish and lumber. The town is also a haven for pleasure boats. The site, settled in 1812, was named for Thomas Douglas,

Schaeffer, Pierre

2005-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

French composer, acoustician, and electronics engineer who in 1948, with his staff at Radio-diffusion et Télévision Française, introduced musique concrète (q.v.), in which sounds of natural origin, animate and inanimate, are recorded and manipulated so that the original sounds are distorted and combined in a musical fashion. The means

Cohen, Leonard

2005-02-28T04:31:00.000-08:00

Already established as a poet and novelist (his first book of poems, Let Us Compare Mythologies, was published in 1956), Cohen became interested in the Greenwich Village folk scene while living in New York

Peter Of Alcántara, Saint

2005-02-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, he entered the Franciscan Order at Alcántara in 1515 and was ordained priest in 1524. As a friar, Peter emphasized the penitential aspects

Romance Stanza

2005-02-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

Also called romance-six a six-line verse stanza common in metrical romances in which the first, second, fourth, and fifth lines have four accents each and the third and sixth lines have three accents each and in which the rhyme scheme is aabaab. It is a type of tail rhyme.

Wesleyan Church

2005-02-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

U.S. Protestant church, organized in 1968 by the merger of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America and the Pilgrim Holiness Church. The Wesleyan Methodist Church originated in 1843 after members of the Methodist Episcopal Church withdrew from that church to organize a nonepiscopal, antislavery church. The Pilgrim Holiness Church originated in 1897 by uniting several Holiness

Cone, Claribel; And Cone, Etta

2005-02-22T02:31:00.000-08:00

The Cone sisters, daughters of German immigrant parents, grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Claribel

Crambo

2005-02-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

Plural cramboes , also called capping the rhyme a game in which one player gave a word or line of verse to be matched in rhyme by other players. Thus, one said, “I know a word that rhymes with bird.” A second asked, “Is it ridiculous?” “No, it is not absurd.” “Is it a part of speech?” “No, it is not a word.” This proceeded until the right word was guessed. Under the name of the ABC of Aristotle, crambo reportedly was played in England as early as

Kunlun Mountains

2005-02-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) K'un-lun Shan, or (Pinyin) Kunlun Shan, mountain system of Asia. The Kunluns extend east to west some 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometres) from the Pamirs in Tajikistan on the west to the Kunlun Pass and the adjacent Sino-Tibetan ranges—Pu-erh-han-pu-ta (Burhan Budai), P'a-yen-k'a-la (Bayan Hara), and A-ni-ma-ch'ing (Amne Machin)—on the east. The width of the Kunluns varies considerably but rarely exceeds 125 miles. In the western margins they

Earthquake

2005-02-19T00:58:00.000-08:00

Any sudden disturbance within the Earth manifested at the surface by a shaking of the ground. This shaking, which accounts for the destructiveness of an earthquake, is caused by the passage of elastic waves through the Earth's rocks. These seismic waves are produced when some form of stored energy, such as elastic strain, chemical energy, or gravitational energy, is

Amoco Corporation

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

Formerly (1889–1985) Standard Oil Company (Indiana), American petroleum corporation that was founded in 1889 by the Standard Oil trust (see Standard Oil Company and Trust) to direct the refining and marketing of oil in the Midwestern states. The company's first refinery, outside Whiting, Ind., produced fuel oil, kerosene, and other petroleum products. Beginning in the late 1890s, the company's production of gasoline rapidly increased

Louis

2005-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Louis, who is believed to have played a major role in the murder of Andrew of Hungary, Joan's first husband (September 1345), married Joan in August 1347. When Andrew's brother Louis I of Hungary invaded

Hole

2005-02-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

According to the band

Ivano-frankivsk

2005-02-14T00:40:00.000-08:00

Russian Ivano-frankovsk , formerly (until 1962) StanisLawów , or Stanislav city and administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast (province), western Ukraine. It lies along the Bystritsa River just above its confluence with the Dniester River. Founded in 1661 as the Polish town of Stanislawów, it occupied an important position on the northern approach to the Yablonitsky Pass over the Carpathians. From 1772 to 1919 it was held by Austria; in 1945 it was ceded

Viewfinder

2005-02-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

Modern viewfinders are variations on two types: reflex and direct optical. In the single-lens reflex camera, the camera lens

Arabia, Ad-Dahna'

2005-02-12T01:26:00.000-08:00

The Ad-Dahna' belt, separating Najd from eastern Arabia, is a sand stream moving slowly over 800 miles from An-Nafud to the Rub' al-Khali. Usually it is no more than 50 miles wide. The sands, frequently reddish in colour, vary greatly in form; particularly in the central stretches, long parallel ridges rise to heights of approximately 150 feet, while some dunes are three times that height.

Jordan, Plant and animal life

2005-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

The plant and animal life of Jordan falls into three distinct types: Mediterranean, steppe (treeless plains), and desert. In the uplands the Mediterranean type predominates with scrubby, dense bushes and small trees, while in the drier steppe region to the east sagebrush is most frequent. Grassland is the prevalent vegetation on the steppe, but isolated trees and shrubs,

Ghavam El-saltaneh, Ahmad

2005-02-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Ghavam entered the court of the Qajar monarch Mozaffar al-Din Shah as a scribe in 1898. He rose to the position of minister of justice in 1909 and became minister of the interior the following year. In 1918 he was appointed governor of Khorasan province and three years later was nominated prime

Santander

2005-02-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Departamento, north-central Colombia, occupying the Magdalena River valley and the Andean Cordillera Oriental. Established in 1886, it occupies an area of 11,790 square miles (30,537 square km). It is the principal petroleum-producing departamento of Colombia, with production centring on Barrancabermeja. Its agricultural products are dominated by tobacco; the manufacture of cigars

Moss Animal

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

The Bryozoa have a long history. From the Lower Ordovician (500,000,000 to 430,000,000 years ago) onward, most limestone formations, especially those with shale alternations, are rich in bryozoan fossils. The skeletons of calcified bryozoans are easily preserved. Stenolaemates are abundant fossils; after their appearance in the Upper Jurassic (140,000,000 years ago), cheilostome fossils also are abundant.

Social Behaviour In Animals, Parental behaviour among simple organisms

2005-02-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Bacteria, only a few steps up the evolutionary scale beyond viruses, also show parent–young colonies. Diplococci, which

Sabzevari, Hajji Hadi

2005-02-06T00:27:00.000-08:00

Iranian teacher and philosopher who advanced the hikmah (wisdom) school of Islamic philosophy. His doctrines—composed of diverse elements of gnosis (esoteric spiritual knowledge), philosophy, and revelation—are an exposition and clarification of the philosophical concepts of Mulla Sadra. But he differed to some extent by classifying knowledge

Lagos

2005-02-04T00:20:00.000-08:00

City and chief port, Lagos state, Nigeria. Until 1975 it was the capital of Lagos state, and until December 1991 it was the federal capital of Nigeria. Ikeja replaced Lagos as the state capital, and Abuja replaced Lagos as the federal capital. Lagos, however, remained the unofficial seat of many government agencies. The city's population is centred on Lagos Island, in Lagos Lagoon,

China, Economic development

2005-02-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

Important changes occurred in agriculture. Millet had once been the major cereal food in the north, but gradually wheat grew in importance. Rice, imported from the south, was extended to the dry soil of the north. The soybean in a number of varieties proved to be one of the most important crops. Chinese farmers gradually developed a kind of intensive agriculture. Soil

Aalto, Alvar

2005-02-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Aalto's architectural studies at the Technical Institute of Helsinki in Otaniemi, Fin., were interrupted by the Finnish War of Independence, in which he participated. Following his graduation in 1921, Aalto toured Europe and upon his return began practice in Jyväskylä, in central Finland. In 1927 he moved his office to Turku, where he worked in association with Erik Bryggman

Moraceae

2005-02-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

The mulberry family of the nettle order (Urticales), with about 40 genera and some 1,000 species of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. Plants of the family contain a milky latex and have alternate or opposite leaves and small, petalless male or female flowers. The fruits of many species are multiple because fruits

écorché

2005-01-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

From roughly the 15th century, Western artists began to concern themselves with accurate representation of the body—and, in particular, the working of muscles. Often artists witnessed (and sometimes performed) dissections on cadavers to determine

Cabinet

2005-01-31T05:06:00.000-08:00

Washington's habit of calling regular and frequent cabinet meetings began a tradition that has been followed by every succeeding president. But it is important to remember that the cabinet exists solely to help the president carry out his functions as the nation's chief executive. He is virtually free to use it or not to use it as he pleases. Presidents have thus varied greatly in their use of the cabinet. Ordinarily, all members of a cabinet are of the same political party. Attendance at U.S. cabinet meetings is not restricted exclusively to those department heads that are of cabinet rank. Cabinet appointments are for the duration of the administration, but the president may dismiss any member at his own pleasure, without approval of the Senate.

Robecchi-bricchetti, Luigi

2005-01-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

On his first African expedition he reached the oasis of Siwa (in western Egypt) in 1886, where he found a vast necropolis from which he collected skulls for European museums. On his two greatest expeditions, he twice traversed the previously unexplored

Yakima River

2005-01-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

River, south-central Washington, U.S., rising in the Cascade Range, near Snoqualmie Pass. It flows southeastward about 200 miles (320 km) past Ellensburg and Yakima to join the Columbia River near Kennewick in Benton county. The Yakima and its tributaries irrigate about 460,000 acres (190,000 hectares) in the river valley. The Keechelus Dam, near the river's source, is a major unit of the U.S. Bureau

Performing Arts

2005-01-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Durante, Jimmy

2005-01-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Durante wanted to become a saloon pianist. His father, a barber, bought him a piano and provided intermittent lessons. Although Durante left school in seventh grade for a miscellany of jobs, he kept up his piano

Gwalchmai Ap Meilyr

2005-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest Welsh court poets (gogynfardd) at the court of Owain Gwynedd at Aberffraw, Anglesey. His extant poems include traditional eulogies to the Welsh princes Owain Gwynedd and Madog ap Maredudd and a “boasting poem,” Gorhoffedd, celebrating his prowess in war and with women. The son of Meilyr, the earliest of the court poets, Gwalchmai had at least two sons

Neogrammarian

2005-01-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

German Junggrammatiker, any of a group of German scholars that arose around 1875; their chief tenet concerning language change was that sound laws have no exceptions. This principle was very controversial because there seemed to be several irregularities in language change not accounted for by the sound laws, such as Grimm's law (q.v.), that had been discovered by that time. In 1875, however, the Danish

Mccormick, Anne Elizabeth O'hare

2005-01-22T03:21:00.000-08:00

McCormick was taken by her parents to the United States in early childhood and attended the academy and college of St. Mary of the Springs

Gundobad

2005-01-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

The nephew of the barbarian emperor-maker Ricimer, Gundobad briefly held the supreme military command in the Roman service. In 473 he emulated his uncle when he himself placed a puppet, Glycerius, on the throne of Ravenna, but the subsequent deposition of Glycerius by Julius

Fish Processing, Vitamins and minerals

2005-01-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Fish provide a number of important vitamins and minerals to the diet. They are a good source of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine. The mineral content includes calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.

Spraying And Dusting

2005-01-19T02:52:00.000-08:00

In agriculture, the standard methods of applying pest-control chemicals and other compounds. In spraying, the chemicals to be applied are dissolved or suspended in water or, less commonly, in an oil-based carrier. The mixture is then applied as a fine mist to plants, animals, soils, or products to be treated. In dusting, as an alternative method, dry, finely powdered chemicals

Shaft Coupling

2005-01-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

A common type of rigid coupling

Roussel, Albert(-charles-paul-marie)

2005-01-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Roussel joined the French navy at the age of 18 and made several journeys to Southeast Asia, the exotic impressions of which he recalled in later orchestral and dramatic works. At 25 he resigned his

Eskimo-aleut Languages, Yupik

2005-01-16T03:42:00.000-08:00

Yupik, a dialectal form meaning “real person,” includes five languages: Central Alaskan Yupik, spoken southward from Norton Sound; Pacific Yupik, commonly called Alutiiq, spoken from the Alaska Peninsula eastward to Prince William Sound; Naukanski Siberian Yupik, whose speakers were resettled southward from Cape Dezhnyov, the easternmost point of the Eurasian

M16 Rifle

2005-01-16T03:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Ar-15, assault rifle adopted as a standard weapon by the U.S. Army in 1967. The M16 superseded the M14 rifle. It is gas-operated and has both semiautomatic (i.e., autoloading) and fully automatic capabilities. Weighing less than 3.6 kg (8 pounds) and equipped with a 20-round or 30-round magazine, the M16 is 99 cm (39 inches) long and fires 5.56-millimetre (.223-calibre) ammunition at the rate of 700–950 rounds per minute. Both U.S. and

Annelid, Tissues and fluids

2005-01-14T04:56:00.000-08:00

The body cavity of annelids is lined by epithelium. Successive body segments are separated by walls that correspond to the external rings. In grooves between the segments of some oligochaetes are dorsal pores through which coelomic fluid may be discharged. As the leech develops, its coelom becomes nearly filled with connective tissue. Internal features of the

John (xxiii)

2005-01-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate of law at Bologna, Cossa entered the Curia during the Western Schism, when the papacy suffered from rival claimants (1378–1417) to the throne of St. Peter. Pope Boniface IX made him cardinal in 1402. From 1403 to 1408 he served as papal representative in Bologna. The Schism worsened with the hopeless deadlock between

Crocker, Charles

2005-01-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

Crocker was forced to quit school at an early age to help support his family. After his family moved to Indiana, he did various jobs—farming, working in a sawmill, and serving as an apprentice in a blacksmith

Aerospace Engineering

2005-01-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

In most countries, governments are the aerospace industry's largest customers, and most engineers work on the design of military vehicles. The largest demand for aerospace engineers comes from the transport and fighter aircraft, missile, spacecraft, and general aviation industries. The typical aerospace engineer holds a bachelor's degree, but there are many engineers

Florida Bay

2005-01-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Triangular-shaped shallow body of water between the Gulf of Mexico and Biscayne Bay at the southern end of Florida, U.S. The bay, which covers about 850 square miles (2,200 square km), is partially sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean on the south and east by the Florida Keys. The average depth is about 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 metres), and the area is scattered with small islands. Mangroves and sea grasses

Puerto Rico Trench

2005-01-09T03:17:00.000-08:00

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

Aakjær, Jeppe

2005-01-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Aakjær grew up in the Jutland farming area and so was well aware of the harsh conditions endured by farm labourers in his country. His early novels deal primarily with this theme. As a young man he went to study in Copenhagen,

Aeschylus

2005-01-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of a trilogy of unconnected tragedies presented in 472 BC, Persians (Greek Persai) is unique among surviving tragedies in that it dramatizes recent history rather than events from the distant age of mythical heroes. The play treats the decisive repulse of the Persians from Greece in 480, in particular their defeat at the Battle of Salamis. The play is set in the Persian capital,

Switzerland, Industry

2005-01-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

Switzerland's transformation into an industrial state began during the second half of the 19th century. Today the major exports are machinery and equipment, chemicals and drugs, watches, and textiles and apparel. Lacking mineral and agricultural raw materials, Switzerland is forced to import raw materials, foodstuffs, and manufactured goods by rail, truck, and barge;

Shadows, The

2005-01-05T01:27:00.000-08:00

London-based instrumental rock group whose distinctive sound exerted a strong influence on young British musicians in the 1960s. The original members were Hank B. Marvin (original name Brian Robson Rankin; b. Oct. 28, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, Eng.), Bruce Welch (original name Bruce Cripps; b. Nov. 2, 1941, Bognor Regis, Sussex), Jet Harris (byname of Terence Harris; b.

Adams, Brooks

2005-01-04T02:17:00.000-08:00

Adams graduated from Harvard in 1870 and practiced law in Boston until 1881. Son of the diplomat Charles Francis Adams and grandson of Pres. John Quincy Adams, he was enabled by a substantial inheritance

Biblical Literature, Literal interpretation

2005-01-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Literal interpretation is often, but not necessarily, associated with the belief in verbal or plenary inspiration, according to which not only the biblical message but also the individual words in which that message was delivered or written down were divinely chosen. In an extreme form this would imply that God dictated the message to the speakers or writers word

Caucasian Languages, Vocabulary

2005-01-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

The original vocabulary of the North Caucasian languages has been fairly well preserved in the modern languages, although many words have been borrowed from Arabic (through Islam), the Turkic languages, and Persian. There are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th

Dombes

2004-12-31T19:29:00.000-08:00

Historic region of east-southeastern France, once a sovereign municipality and now included in the département 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

Sackbut

2004-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

The sackbut answered the need for a lower-pitched trumpet that composers of the time sought. Its telescoping slide mechanism is retained in the modern trombone.

Murchison River

2004-12-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ephemeral river in Western Australia, rising north of Meekatharra on Peak Hill in the Robinson Ranges and fed by its tributaries, the Sandford and Roderick. It flows sporadically (chiefly in winter) west, south, and again west to enter the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri, north of Geraldton, after a course of 440 miles (710 km). The explorer George Grey reached the river in 1839 on a forced march

Ili River

2004-12-28T05:46:00.000-08:00

Ili also spelled I-li, Kazak Ile, Chinese (Wade-Giles) I-li Ho, or (Pinyin) Yili He, river in western Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. It is 870 miles (1,400 km) long and drains the basin between the Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) to the south and the P'o-lo-k'o-nu Mountains to the north. Both ranges are extremely high. The drainage basin of the Ili and its principal tributaries—the K'a-shih, K'ung-chi-ssu, and T'e-k'o-ssu rivers—is rugged and mountainous, the axes

Hammar, Lake

2004-12-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

Arabic Hawr Al-hammar, large swampy lake in southeastern Iraq, south of the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Fed by distributaries of the Euphrates, the lake (70 miles [110 km] long; 750 square miles [1,950 square km] in area) drains via a short channel into the Shatt al-Arab near Basra. It was once only a reed-filled marshland but was later utilized as a natural irrigation reservoir for the fertile soils

Grijalva River

2004-12-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Grijalva, river in southeastern Mexico. Its headstreams, the largest of which is the Cuilco, rise in the Sierra Madre of Guatemala and the Sierra de Soconusco of Mexico. The Grijalva flows generally northwestward through Chiapas state, where it is known locally as the Río Grande de Chiapa, or the Río Chiapa. After leaving a lake created by the Malpaso Dam, it turns northward and

Wilhelmina

2004-12-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

The daughter of King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Wilhelmina became queen on her father's death (Nov. 23, 1890) under her mother's regency. She

Azathioprine

2004-12-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

Immunosuppressive drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and to suppress the body's rejection of transplanted organs. By inhibiting several enzymatic pathways required for the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), azathioprine decreases the number of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that can migrate to inflammatory sites. Leukopenia (an

Fibre, Man-made

2004-12-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

Fibre whose chemical composition, structure, and properties are significantly modified during the manufacturing process. Man-made fibres are spun and woven into a huge number of consumer and industrial products, including garments such as shirts, scarves, and hosiery; home furnishings such as upholstery, carpets, and drapes; and industrial parts such as tire cord,

Leveler

2004-12-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

The Leveler movement originated in 1645–46 among radical supporters of Parliament in and around London. The Civil War had been waged in the name

Abutilon

2004-12-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

A. hybridum, sometimes called Chinese lantern, is planted outdoors in warm regions and

Cuza, Alexandru Ion

2004-12-21T04:15:00.000-08:00

The scion of an old boyar family, Cuza studied in Paris, Pavia, and Bologna, participated in revolutionary agitation against Russo-Turkish rule in his native Moldavia (1848), obtained the rank of colonel, and subsequently achieved prominence

Orange

2004-12-20T02:30:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Vermont, U.S., bounded to the east by New Hampshire; the Connecticut River constitutes the border. It consists of a piedmont region that includes Butterfield, Knox, and Braintree mountains. The county is drained by the Ompompanoosuc, White, Waits, and Wells rivers; Lakes Morey and Fairlee are among the larger lakes. Recreational areas include Allis and

Rhyme Royal

2004-12-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

Rhyme also spelled rime seven-line iambic pentameter stanza rhyming ababbcc. The rhyme royal was first used in English verse in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde and The Parlement of Foules. Traditionally, the name rhyme royal is said to derive from The Kingis Quair (“The King's Book), attributed to James I of Scotland (1394–1437), but some critics trace the name to the French chant

Djibouti

2004-12-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Djibouti, French République de Djibouti, Arabic Jumhuriyah Jibuti, formerly (until 1977) French Territory of the Afars and Issas, strategically located nation on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa. It is situated on the Strait of Mandeb, which lies to the east and separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. Small in size (8,950 square miles [23,200 square kilometres]), Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and southwest, and Somalia to the south. The Gulf of Tadjoura, which opens

'abbas Ii

2004-12-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of his reign, 'Abbas attempted to rule independently of Lord Cromer, the British agent and consul general in Egypt. Encouraged by popular

Devanagari,

2004-12-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Nagari, Indian script used to write the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, and Marathi languages, developed from the North Indian monumental script known as Gupta and ultimately from the Brahmi alphabet, from which all modern Indian writing systems are derived. In use from the 7th century AD and occurring in its mature form from the 11th century onward, Devanagari is characterized by long, horizontal

Hunt Of Llanfairwaterdine, (henry Cecil) John Hunt, Baron

2004-12-15T04:45:00.000-08:00

British soldier and mountaineer who was the leader of the 1953 British expedition during which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first persons to climb to the top of Mt. Everest; he was created C.B.E. in 1945, knighted in 1953, made a life peer in 1966, and named a Knight of the Garter in 1979 (b. June 22, 1910, India--d. Nov. 7/8, 1998, Henley-on-Thames, Eng.).

Hystero-epilepsy

2004-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hysterical seizures that resemble epilepsy and, in diagnosis, must be distinguished from it. In hystero-epilepsy the reflexes and responses to stimulation in the part of the body affected are normal, and the electroencephalogram shows no significant abnormality in the brain waves. Usually the person affected can be roused by painful stimuli and is never completely

Clifford, Sir Hugh Charles

2004-12-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

A descendant of Clifford of the Cabal under Charles II, and a grandson of the 7th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, Hugh Clifford was expected to follow his father, a distinguished general, into the British Army but decided instead to join

Aelfheah, Saint

2004-12-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Aelfheah entered the Benedictine abbey of Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, and later became a hermit at Bath, Somerset, where followers elected him abbot. Aelfheah was a friend of Archbishop St. Dunstan of Canterbury,