CutChess

Team Handball

2005-04-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

A game consists of two 30-minute halves with an intermission,

Abbott, Bud; And Costello, Lou

2005-04-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Abbott was born into a circus

Akita

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

Breed of working dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan. In 1931 the Japanese government designated the breed as a national treasure. It was employed as a hunting and fighting dog and is now trained for police and guard work. The Akita is a powerful, muscular dog with a broad head, erect, pointed ears (small in relation to head size), and a large curved tail carried

Schism

2005-03-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

In the early church, “schism” was used to describe those groups that broke with the church and established rival churches. The term originally referred to those divisions that were caused by disagreement over something other than basic doctrine. Thus, the schismatic group was not necessarily heretical. Eventually,

Moravia, Alberto

2005-03-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

Moravia contracted tuberculosis of the bone (a form of osteomyelitis usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis) at the age of 8, but, during several

Venkataraman, Ramaswamy

2005-03-26T04:18:00.000-08:00

Venkataraman studied law at the University of Madras and began his legal practice in 1935. He became involved in India's independence struggle and was consequently jailed by the British (1942–44). After his release he continued to practice law,

Ríma

2005-03-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

One of three genres of popular early Icelandic poetry (the other two being dances and ballads), rímur were produced from the 14th to the 19th century. They combine an end-rhymed metrical form derived from Latin hymns with the techniques of syllable counting, alliteration

Kiritimati Atoll

2005-03-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Christmas Atoll largest island of purely coral formation in the world, having an area of 150 square miles (388 square km) and a circumference of about 100 miles (160 km). It is in the Northern Line Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Kiritimati Atoll was sighted on Christmas Eve in 1777 by the English navigator Captain James Cook. Although claimed by the United States under the Guano

Dahn, (julius Sophus) Felix

2005-03-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Dahn's most substantial

North American Review

2005-03-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

American magazine (1815–1940), one of the country's leading literary journals of the 19th and 20th centuries. It was founded in Boston, Mass., under the auspices of the Monthly Anthology (1803–11) and began publication as a regional magazine, reflecting the intellectual ideas and tastes of Boston and New England. The poet William Cullen Bryant's first contribution to the review, “Thanatopsis

Selayar

2005-03-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Salayar, or Selajar, also called Kabia, largest of an island group off the southwestern tip of Celebes (Sulawesi), constituting Selayar kabupaten (regency), administered from Makasar as part of Sulawesi Selatan provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. The other islands are Pasi, Bahuluang, Pulasi, and Tambulongang. The islands are mountainous, but fertile lowlands exist on Selayar and cover 259 square miles (671 square km)

La Chétardie, Jacques-joachim Trotti, Marquis De

2005-03-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

La Chétardie entered French military service at an early age and rose through the ranks, becoming lieutenant (1721), major (1730), and colonel (1734). He performed well and received assignments to Holland and Prussia and in 1739 became ambassador to Russia. In order

Allegany

2005-03-16T03:04:00.000-08:00

County, western Maryland, U.S. It consists of an irregular neck of land between Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south (the North Branch Potomac River constituting the border with West Virginia). The county rests on part of the Allegheny Plateau and includes Rocky Gap State Park, Green Ridge State Forest, and the scenic gorge of Cumberland Narrows (1,000 feet

Johannsen, Wilhelm Ludvig

2005-03-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Danish botanist and geneticist whose experiments in plant heredity offered strong support to the mutation theory of the Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries (that changes in heredity come about through sudden, discrete changes of the heredity units in germ cells). Many geneticists thought Johannsen's ideas dealt a severe blow to Charles

'ashar Min Ramadan, Madinat Al-

2005-03-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

Industries that have been established include factories that manufacture pharmaceuticals,

Levertin, Oscar Ivar

2005-03-13T06:06:00.000-08:00

Levertin was educated at Uppsala University and became in 1899 professor of literature at the University of Stockholm. After the death of his first wife and an attack of tuberculosis, which sent him to Davos, Switz., he abandoned his early Naturalism for

Neuropteran, Locomotion

2005-03-11T02:56:00.000-08:00

Most larvae have walking legs except in those whose legs are modified for burrowing (Ithonidae and Myrmeleontoidea). The aquatic dobsonfly larvae have a pair of terminal abdominal prolegs that are important in moving in strong currents. The legs, abdominal filaments, and median tail filament of alderfly larvae bear long hairs, or setae, which help to propel them

Amin, Idi

2005-03-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Ugandan military officer and president (b. 1924/25, near Koboko, Uganda British Protectorate—d. Aug. 16, 2003, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia), took control of Uganda in a military coup in 1971 and for eight years ruled with despotic power until he was overthrown by Ugandan nationalists supported by Tanzanian troops. Amin's often arbitrary and capricious rule of Uganda was characterized by fierce

Stoicism, Renascence of Stoicism in modern times

2005-03-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

If the influence of Stoic doctrines during the Middle Ages was largely restricted to the resolution of problems of social and political significance, it remained for the Renaissance, in its passion for the rediscovery of Greek and Roman antiquity, to provide a basis for the rebirth of Stoic views in logic, epistemology, and metaphysics, as well as the documentation

Annuity

2005-03-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

There are two main classes of annuities: annuities certain and contingent annuities. Under an annuity certain,

Ansbach

2005-03-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Formerly Anspach, city, Bayern Land (state), southern Germany, on the Rezat River, southwest of Nürnberg. It originated around the Benedictine monastery of Onolzbach (founded 748) and was sold to a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern line (later margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth) in 1331. It passed to Prussia in 1791 and to Bavaria in 1806. Queen Caroline, consort of George II of Great Britain, was

Scandinavian Literature, Iceland

2005-03-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

Húss-Postilla (1718–20; “Sermons for the Home”), by Jón Vídalín, bishop of Skálholt, is the best example of early 18th-century prose. Among important later writers, Eggert Ólafsson carried out a comprehensive geographical field survey (published in Danish, 1772; partial Eng. trans.) of Iceland's country and its people. In his poetry he expressed 18th-century Rationalism combined with Romantic

Terneplate

2005-03-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Steel sheet with a coating of terne metal, an alloy of lead and tin applied by dipping the steel in molten metal. The alloy has a dull appearance resulting from the high lead content. The composition of terne metal ranges from 50–50 mixtures of lead and tin to as low as 12 percent tin and 88 percent lead. The tin serves to wet the steel, making possible the union of lead and iron, which

Colbert, Jean-baptiste

2005-03-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Controller general of finance (from 1665) and secretary of state for the navy (from 1668) under King Louis XIV of France. He carried out the program of economic reconstruction that helped make France the dominant power in Europe.

Levi, Primo

2005-03-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Levi was brought up in the small Jewish community in Turin, studied at the University of Turin, and graduated summa cum laude in chemistry in 1941. Two years later he joined friends

Kirchhoff's Circuit Rules

2005-03-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

The first rule, the junction theorem, states that the sum of the currents into a specific junction in the circuit equals the sum of the currents out of the

Levi, Primo

2005-03-01T01:36:00.000-08:00

Nitric oxide is formed from

Shih-ho-tzu

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

Pinyin Shihezi, new city in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. The city is situated north of the Tien Shan range in the south-central Dzungarian Basin near the Ma-na-ssu River. Prior to 1949 the area was sparsely inhabited by Uighur, Kazak, and other Turkic pastoralists. The new Chinese government sent a colony of soldiers (later provided with wives), organized as a military construction

Chaste Tree

2005-02-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

Its pliable twigs are used in basketry, and its red fruits are used for flavouring. The undersides of its five- to seven-lobed leaves and its branches are white felted. It is native

Fields, Dorothy

2005-02-25T00:35:00.000-08:00

Fields was the daughter of Lew M. Fields of the vaudeville comedy team of Weber and Fields. After graduating from high school in New York City, she taught drama

Cattaraugus

2005-02-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern New York state, U.S., consisting of a ruggedly hilly region bounded by Cattaraugus Creek to the north and Pennsylvania to the south. It is drained by the Allegheny River and Ischua and Great Valley creeks. Surrounding Allegheny Reservoir are Allegany Indian Reservation and Allegany State Park, both of which are the largest of their kind in the

Tasmania, Drainage

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

There are two major river systems—the Derwent in the southeast and the South Esk in the northeast—many small systems—especially westward, flowing to the west coast—and innumerable lakes. The Central Plateau is studded with more than 4,000 lakes in a landscape similar to northern Canada and Finland; almost all, including Great Lake, are shallow. Lake St. Clair, the deepest

Hyundai Group

2005-02-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hyundai began as a construction firm founded by Chung Ju Yung in 1947. The company operated within South Korea until 1965, when it initiated a road building project in Thailand that marked the beginning of

Literary Criticism, The late 19th century

2005-02-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

The Romantic movement had been spurred not only by German philosophy but also by the universalistic and utopian hopes that accompanied the French Revolution. Some of those hopes were thwarted by political reaction, while others were blunted by industrial capitalism and the accession to power of the class that had demanded general liberty. Advocates of the literary

Cadence

2005-02-21T01:35:00.000-08:00

In music, formula signifying the end of a phrase or half-phrase, section, or entire composition. The concept of cadence implies broadly acknowledged conventions, especially of a harmonic nature, conveying a sense of relative completion, analogous to the use of punctuation in literature. The term derives from the Latin word cadere (“to fall”) and originally referred

Catacomb

2005-02-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Latin catacumba , Italian catacomba subterranean cemetery composed of galleries or passages with side recesses for tombs. The term, of unknown origin, seems to have been applied first to the subterranean cemetery under the Basilica of San Sebastiano (located on the Appian Way near Rome), which was reputed to have been the temporary resting place of the bodies of Saints Peter and Paul in the last half

Nova Scotia, Flag Of

2005-02-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

The flag is based on the provincial coat of arms, which was itself inspired by the Scottish Cross of St. Andrew (white saltire on a blue field) and the royal arms of Scotland. The “reverse-colour” Cross of St. Andrew on the Nova Scotia flag provides a more visible contrast for the Scottish shield. The Nova Scotia coat of arms was created on May 28, 1625, but it was not recorded by heraldic

Aethelred I

2005-02-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

By his father's will he should have succeeded to Wessex on the death of his eldest brother Aethelbald (d. 860). He seems, however, to have stood aside in favour of his brother Aethelberht, king of Kent, to whose joint kingdoms he succeeded in 865 or 866. Aethelred's reign was one long struggle against the Danes. In the year of his

Frederick (iii)

2005-02-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

After his father's murder (1308) Frederick became the head of the House of Habsburg and duke of Austria but did not succeed him as king, the count of Luxembourg being elected instead, as Henry VII. Frederick and his brothers made a treaty with Henry

Circulation, Mammals

2005-02-16T03:44:00.000-08:00

Mammals also evolved from reptiles, but not from the same group as did birds, and must have developed their double circulation independently from early reptiles. Nevertheless, several parallel changes occurred, such as the common incorporation of the sinus venosus into the right auricle. The most striking manifestation of different origins is seen in the mammalian

Aerospace Industry, Mergers and divestitures

2005-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

With a decline in defense funding and a narrowing of commercial markets in the decades following World War II, the number of business opportunities shrank, and competition for each project became more intense. In response, aerospace companies sought mergers as a way to integrate strengths, to combine talent and other resources, and to reduce costs by eliminating

Cookson, Catherine (dame Catherine Ann Mcmullen Cookson)

2005-02-14T04:39:00.000-08:00

British author (b. June 20, 1906, Jarrow, Durham, Eng.--d. June 11, 1998, Jesmond Dene, near Newcastle upon Tyne, Eng.), penned almost 100 popular novels, which she set in the industrial region of northeastern England, frequently dubbed "Cookson Country." She was intimately familiar with the physical and emotional lay of this land, having been raised in the Tyneside docks area in poverty. Her early

Funj Dynasty

2005-02-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

The Funj capital, the city of Sennar, on the left bank of the Blue Nile above its confluence with the White Nile, was founded

Asbestos

2005-02-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Any of several minerals that readily separate into long, flexible fibres. Chrysotile, the fibrous form of the mineral serpentine, is the best-known type and accounts for about 95 percent of all asbestos in commercial use. It is a hydrous magnesium silicate with the chemical composition of Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. The other types all belong to the amphibole group of minerals and include

Coruña, La

2005-02-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

Province, in the autonomous community (region) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It was formed in 1833 from part of the captaincy general and former kingdom of Galicia. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (west) and the Cantabrian Sea (north), it has the highest rainfall of any Spanish province. Its interior is crossed by the Galician mountains; the coastline, rocky and with deep indentations,

Aragon

2005-02-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Spanish Aragón comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) and historical region of northeastern Spain. It encompasses the provincias of Huesca, Zaragoza (Saragossa), and Teruel and was established by the statute of autonomy of August 10, 1982.

Târgu Jiu

2005-02-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tîrgu Jiu city, capital of Gorj judet (county), southwestern Romania, on the Jiu River. Formerly a Roman settlement, Târgu Jiu was the property of boyars until the 19th century. After World War II, the city developed rapidly from an agricultural market town into an industrial centre producing timber, clothing, cigarettes, and foodstuffs. It lies in the southern part of the Petrosani

Szent-györgyi, Albert

2005-02-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Szent-Györgyi earned a medical degree from the University of Budapest in 1917. He became interested

Norfolk

2005-02-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., southwest and south of Boston, bordered by Massachusetts Bay to the northeast and Rhode Island to the southwest. It consists of an upland region, including the Blue Hills, that is drained by the Charles and Neponset rivers. The main parklands are Wrentham State Forest and F. Gilbert Hills, Bristol Blake, and Webb Memorial state

Dur-kurigalzu

2005-02-05T00:50:00.000-08:00

Modern 'Aqarquf fortified city and royal residence of the later Kassite kings, located near Babylon in southern Mesopotamia (now in Iraq). This city was founded either by Kurigalzu I (c. 1400–c. 1375 BC) or by Kurigalzu II (c. 1332–08). Between AD 1943 and 1945, Iraqi excavations unearthed a monumental ziggurat, three temples, and a palace with painted wall decorations and an ambulatory with square pillars. The temples, dedicated

Kwolek, Stephanie

2005-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Kwolek's father, a foundry worker, died when she was 10 years old, and her mother raised her and a brother alone. In 1946 she received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Carnegie

Mahasanghika

2005-02-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

Its emergence about a century after the death of the Buddha (483 BC) represented the first major schism in the Buddhist community. Although traditional accounts of the second council, at Vaisali (now in Bihar state), attribute

Esterhazy, Ferdinand Walsin

2005-02-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Having fallen deeply into debt, Esterhazy apparently sold French military secrets

Cumberland, Richard

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

English dramatist whose plays were in tune with the sentimental spirit that became an important literary force during the latter half of the 18th century. He was a master of stagecraft, a good observer of men and manners, but today perhaps is chiefly famous as the model for the character of Sir Fretful Plagiary in Richard

Cumberland, Richard

2005-01-31T07:16:00.000-08:00

ESO operates at two sites in Chile

Bruce (of Melbourne), Stanley Melbourne Bruce, Viscount

2005-01-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

Bruce studied at the University of Cambridge and then practiced law in England. After serving in the British army during World War I, he entered the Australian Parliament in

Toamasina

2005-01-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

Formerly Tamatave, town, eastern Madagascar. The town lies along the Indian Ocean. It was rebuilt after destruction by hurricane in 1927, with the modern sector centring on the tree-lined avenue Poincaré. Toamasina is Madagascar's commercial hub and foremost port, handling much of the island's foreign trade. It exports coffee, vanilla, pepper, cloves, and graphite and imports machinery, textiles,

Hyde, Henry Baldwin

2005-01-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

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

Alexander Iii

2005-01-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

Original name Rolando Bandinelli pope from 1159 to 1181, a vigorous exponent of papal authority, which he defended against challenges by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England.

Alcott, Bronson

2005-01-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

The self-educated son of a poor farmer, Alcott traveled in the South as a peddler before establishing a series of schools for children. His educational theories owed something to J.H. Pestalozzi, the Swiss reformer, but more to the examples

Cat, Domestic

2005-01-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Also called house cat, (species Felis catus), domesticated member of the family Felidae, order Carnivora. Like all felids, domestic cats, the smallest members of the family, are characterized by supple, low-slung bodies, finely molded heads, long tails that aid in balance, and specialized teeth and claws that adapt them admirably to a life of active hunting. Domestic cats possess other features

Badminton

2005-01-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, known as the "Great Dane," laid claim to badminton's two most important titles in 1996, a gold medal in men's singles at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., and a second consecutive men's singles All-England championship in March in Birmingham, Eng. He won in a sport almost completely dominated by Asia. At the Olympics he was the only European to place first, second,

Oglethorpe University

2005-01-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The university comprises nine divisions offering undergraduate study in the humanities, business, sciences, and education. It also offers master's degree programs in education and business administration. The campus is distinguished by its English Gothic architecture. Total enrollment

Hadith

2005-01-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Hadit (Arabic: “news,” or “story”) record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qur'an, or scripture of Islam. It might be defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his community for their exemplification and obedience. The development of Hadith is a vital

Lancet Window

2005-01-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Narrow, high window capped by a lancet, or acute, arch. The lancet arch is a variety of pointed arch in which each of the arcs, or curves, of the arch have a radius longer than the width of the arch. It takes its name from being shaped like the tip of a lance. The lancet window is one of the typical features of the Early English (13th century) period in Gothic architecture.

Beja

2005-01-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

Arabic Bujah, nomadic people grouped into tribes and occupying mountain country between the Red Sea and the Nile and 'Atbarah rivers from the latitude of Aswan southeastward to the Eritrean Plateau—that is, from southeastern Egypt through The Sudan and into Eritrea. Numbering about 1,900,000 in the late 20th century, the Beja are descended from peoples who have lived in the area since 4000 BC or

Independence National Historical Park

2005-01-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Area of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., partially owned by the city but operated by the U.S. National Park Service. It covers 45 acres (18 hectares) and contains a number of historic structures associated with the American Revolution and the founding of the nation— notably Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were deliberated

Peter Martyr, Saint

2005-01-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Peter's parents were members of the Cathari, and there was some family opposition to Peter's

Marseille Faience

2005-01-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Tin-glazed earthenware made in Marseille in the 18th century. The Joseph Clérissy factory, active in 1677–1733, produced wares usually in blue with purple outlines. The Fauchier factory excelled in trompe l'oeil work and landscapes. The factory of the Veuve Perrin was famous for its enameled “bouillabaisse” decor that included all the ingredients of that famous local fish soup,

Reflection

2005-01-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

Abrupt change in the direction of propagation of a wave that strikes the boundary between different mediums. At least part of the oncoming wave disturbance remains in the same medium. Regular reflection, which follows a simple law, occurs at plane boundaries. The angle between the direction of motion of the oncoming wave and a perpendicular to the reflecting surface

China, Early man

2005-01-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

The fossil record in China promises fundamental contributions to the understanding of human origins. There is considerable evidence of Homo erectus by the time of the Lower Paleolithic (the Paleolithic Period began c. 2,500,000 years ago and ended 10,000 years ago) at sites such as Lan-t'ien, Shensi; Ho-hsien, Anhwei; Yüan-mou, Yunnan; and, the most famous, that of so-called Peking man at Chou-k'ou-tien

Baseball

2005-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Robert Verdi

Argentina, Education

2005-01-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Argentina has one of the more educated populations in Latin America, which is reflected in its large number of schools and high literacy rate. Primary education is compulsory and free; secondary and higher education is offered in free public schools and in private schools subsidized by the state. Higher education in Argentina was seriously hampered by the censorship

Spratly Islands

2005-01-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Before 1970 the main significance attached to the islands

Furniture, France and England: 17th and 18th centuries

2005-01-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

The French Rococo chair in its most mature form—that is, as developed in Paris around 1750—spread over most of Europe and has been imitated or copied into the mid-20th century. The model owes its popularity to a combination of comfort and elegance. The seat conforms to the human body and permits a relaxed sitting position. The back is bow-shaped, the legs curved. Normally the seat

Pembrokeshire

2005-01-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Pembroke , Welsh Sir Benfro county of southwestern Wales, bounded on the northeast by Ceredigion, on the east by Carmarthenshire, on the south by the Bristol Channel, and on the west and northwest by St. Bride's Bay and Cardigan Bay of St. George's Channel. The county's rugged and convoluted coastline forms a peninsula with several protruding headlands, including St. David's Head, the most westerly

Gravelines

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

Flemish Gravelinghe seaport town of northern France, in the département of Nord and the arrondissement of Dunkirk. It is situated midway between Dunkirk and Calais, near the mouth of the Aa River. The canalization of the Aa by the Count of Flanders in about the mid-12th century led to the foundation of Gravelines (grave-linghe, meaning “count's canal”). It became the site of an important citadel,

Acceleration

2005-01-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Time rate at which a velocity is changing. Because velocity has both magnitude and direction, it is called a vector quantity; acceleration is also a vector quantity and must account for changes in both the magnitude and direction of a velocity. The velocity of a point or an object moving on a straight path can change in magnitude only; on a curved path, it may or may not

Giulini, Carlo Maria

2005-01-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Giulini studied under Bernardino Molinari at Rome's Accademia di Santa Cecilia. As violist for that institution's resident orchestra, he observed the work of such notables as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, and Bruno Walter. His conducting

Ramses Ii

2005-01-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

One measure of Egypt's prosperity is the amount of temple building the kings could afford to carry out, and on that basis the reign of Ramses II is the most notable in Egyptian history, even making allowance for its great length. It was that, combined with his prowess in war as depicted in the temples, that led the Egyptologists of the 19th century to dub him “the Great,” and that,

Radek, Karl (bernhardovich)

2005-01-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

A member of a Galician Jewish family, Radek attended the universities of Kraków and Bern. Having joined the Social Democratic Party of Poland and

Excretion, Amphibians

2005-01-02T23:14:00.000-08:00

Direct evidence for the occurrence of filtration at the glomerulus was first provided by experiments on the amphibian kidney. Although amphibians are formally given the status of terrestrial animals, they are poorly adapted to life on land. They excrete nitrogen in the form of urea and cannot produce urine more concentrated than the blood. Their skins are permeable

Uyuni

2004-12-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Bolivia. It lies on the cold, windswept Altiplano, a high intermontane plateau, at 12,024 feet (3,665 m) above sea level, just east of the vast Uyuni Salt Flat. Founded in 1890, it prospered, with the assistance of Slav and Syrian colonists, as a railroad junction and mining and market centre. Northeast of the town are the Pulacayo and Huanchaca silver mines. From Uyuni a branch

Literature, Latin America.

2004-12-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

The Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes was the most prominent novelist of Latin America to publish a book in 1994. It was a year of particular significance for Latin-American writers of Fuentes' generation as well as for earlier writers. Fuentes published the novel Diana, o la cazadora solitaria, part of his lifelong project "The Era of Time." The novel, set in the world of Mexican

Adams, Ansel

2004-12-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

Originally a student of music, Adams pursued photography as an avocation until 1927. In that year he published his first portfolio, Parmellian Prints of the High Sierras, photographs in the style

Monongahela River

2004-12-25T05:36:00.000-08:00

River formed by the confluence of the Tygart and West Fork rivers in Marion county, W.Va., U.S. It flows 128 miles (206 km) in a northerly direction past Morgantown into Pennsylvania, past Brownsville and Charleroi, joining the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh to become a major headwater of the Ohio River. In its upper reaches the river has a swift current and furnishes hydroelectric

Tutankhamen

2004-12-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

Medical analysis of his mummy shows that Tutankhaten was probably a brother of Smenkhkare, his immediate

Anderson, Carl David

2004-12-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Anderson received his Ph.D. in 1930 from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, where he worked with physicist Robert Andrews Millikan.

Arabian Sea, Climate and hydrology

2004-12-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75° to 77° F (24° to 25° C) at the sea's surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82° F (28° C) occur in both June and November. During the rainy season, which occurs when the southwest monsoon winds blow (April to November), salinities of less than 35 parts per thousand have

Mac Family

2004-12-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Mac family began as ministers to the Le kings of the Vietnamese Later Le dynasty (1428–1787). By the early 16th century, however, the Later Le rulers had become virtually powerless, and in 1527 Mac Dang Dung, the head of the family, usurped the throne. Eight years later the powerful Nguyen family

Hula Valley

2004-12-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

Hebrew 'emeq Hula, valley in upper Galilee, northeastern Israel. The valley occupies most of the course of the Jordan River north of the Sea of Galilee. It is bounded by Dan and the settlement of Ma'yan Barukh (north), the Golan Heights (east), and the Hills of Naphtali (west), and on the south it slopes gradually down to the Sea of Galilee. It is approximately 16 miles (25 km) long, 4 miles (6 km) wide, and covers

Przybos, Julian

2004-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

By the time Przybos graduated from Jagiellonian University, Kraków, in 1924, he had already begun to publish poetry and prose for the little magazine Zwrotnica (“The Switch”), one of the primary

Deventer

2004-12-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Overijssel provincie, east-central Netherlands, on the IJssel River at the west end of the Overijssel Canal. Deventer developed in the 8th century around a chapel established by St. Lebuinus. During the Middle Ages it prospered as a member of the Hanseatic League, had a monopoly of the dried-cod trade, and was noted for its five annual fairs. It became

Paul, Alice

2004-12-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

Paul was reared in a Quaker home. She graduated from Swarthmore College (1905) and pursued postgraduate studies at the New York School of Social Work. She then went to England to do settlement work (1906–09), and during her stay there

General

2004-12-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Title and rank of a senior army officer, usually one who commands units larger than a regiment or its equivalent or units consisting of more than one arm of the service. Frequently, however, a general is a staff officer who does not command troops but who plans their operations in the field. General, lieutenant general, and major general are the first, second, and third

Kiev

2004-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian Kyyiv , Russian Kiyev chief city and capital of Ukraine and capital of Kiev oblast (province). A port on the Dnieper River and a large railroad junction, it is a city with an ancient and proud history. As the centre of Kievan Rus, the first eastern Slavic state, 1,000 years ago it acquired the title “Mother of Rus Cities.” It was severely damaged during World War II, but by the mid-1950s it was fully restored, and

Silique

2004-12-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

Any dry fruit that separates at maturity into two or four segments called valves, leaving a persistent partition that bears the seeds. The valves remain connected at the top. A typical silique is an elongated capsule, such as in cabbage. A silicle, or silicula, is a short and broad silique, as in shepherd's purse (Capsella). Both types are characteristic of plants in the mustard

Wafd

2004-11-30T00:04:00.000-08:00

In full Al-wafd Al-misri (Arabic: “Egyptian Delegation”), nationalist political party that was instrumental in gaining Egyptian independence from Britain. Organized by Sa'd Zaghlul on Nov. 13, 1918, as a permanent delegation of the Egyptian people, it demanded a voice in London and at the peace conferences following World War I. In March 1919 the British temporarily exiled its leaders Sa'd Zaghlul, Isma'il Sidq

World War Ii, Montgomery's Battle of el-Alamein and Rommel's retreat, 194243

2004-11-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

By mid-October the British 8th Army had 230,000 men

Eliot, T.s.

2004-11-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

In full Thomas Stearns Eliot American-English poet, playwright, literary critic, and editor, a leader of the modernist movement in poetry in such works as The Waste Land (1922) and The Four Quartets (1943). Eliot exercised a strong influence on Anglo-American culture from the 1920s until late in the century. His experiments in diction, style, and versification revitalized English