FirstWindow

Penzias, Arno

2005-10-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

In full Arno Allan Penzias German-American astrophysicist who shared one-half of the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physics with Robert Woodrow Wilson for their discovery of a faint electromagnetic radiation throughout the universe. Their detection of this radiation lent strong support to the big-bang model of cosmic evolution. (The other half of the Nobel Prize was awarded to the Soviet

Paneth's Cell

2005-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Also called Davidoff's Cell, specialized type of epithelial cell found in the mucous-membrane lining of the small intestine and of the appendix, at the base of tubelike depressions known as Lieberkühn glands. Named for the 19th-century Austrian physiologist Joseph Paneth, the cell has one nucleus at its base and densely packed secretory granules throughout the rest of its body. The cells' function

Great Abaco

2005-07-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

Island, The Bahamas, located about 55 miles (86 km) north of the capital city, Nassau, on New Providence island. It is separated from Little Abaco to the northwest by a narrow, shallow channel. Great Abaco occupies an area of 372 square miles (963 square km). It is shaped like a right angle, with one side of the angle pointing northwest and the other southwest. Its major city, Marsh Harbour,

Tsinling Mountains

2005-07-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ch'in Ling, Pinyin Qin Ling, mountain range in North China, extending east-west from southeast Kansu province into Shensi and Honan provinces. It is considered to be an extension of the Kunlun Mountains. It constitutes a watershed between the Wei and Han rivers and reaches a height of 12,359 feet (3,767 m) at T'ai-pai (mount). The range forms a sharp physical divide, of climatic as well as topographic significance,

Melioidosis

2005-07-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

A bacterial infection in humans and animals caused by Pseudomonas pseudomallei. Transmission to humans occurs through contact of a skin abrasion with contaminated water or soil rather than through direct contact with a contaminated animal. Inhalation of the pathogen also is suspected as a route of infection. The term melioidosis, from the Greek, means “a similarity

Anthropomorphism

2005-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

The attribution of human form or other human characteristics to any nonhuman object. In religion, the term is applied to any statement that depicts the deity as having a bodily form resembling that of human beings, or as possessing qualities of thought, will, or emotion that are continuous with those experienced by humans. Any reference to the divine as having a human

Bruni, Leonardo

2005-06-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Bruni was secretary to the papal chancery from 1405 and served as chancellor of Florence from 1427 until his death in 1444. His Historiarum Florentini populi libri XII (1610; “Twelve Books of Histories of the Florentine People”) is the first history of Florence based on a critical examination of the

Adductor Muscle

2005-06-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

Any of the muscles that draw a part of the body toward its median line or toward the axis of an extremity (compare abductor muscle), particularly three powerful muscles of the human thigh—adductor longus, adductor brevis, and adductor magnus. Originating at the pubis and the ischium (lower portions of the pelvis—the hipbone), these ribbonlike muscles are attached along

Ancient Rome, The Illyrian emperors

2005-06-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

After Claudius II's unexpected death, the empire was ruled from 270 to 284 by several “Illyrian” emperors, who were good generals and who tried in an energetic way to restore equilibrium. The most remarkable was Aurelian. He first gained hard-won victories over the Alemanni and the Juthungi, who had invaded the Alpine provinces and northern Italy. To cheer the inhabitants of

Palanpur

2005-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

City, Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies in the lowlands between the Aravalli Range and the Kathiawar Peninsula. The former capital of the princely state of Palanpur, the city is now a trade and processing centre for agricultural produce and a rail and road junction. Palanpur is also known for its handicrafts. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 80,620.

Alfonsine Tables

2005-05-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Alphonsine Tables the first set of astronomical tables prepared in Christian Europe. They enabled calculation of eclipses and the positions of the planets for any given time based on the Ptolemaic theory, which assumed that the Earth was at the centre of the universe. The introduction states that the work was prepared in Toledo, Spain, for King Alfonso X of León and Castile under the

Neoevolutionism

2005-05-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

School of anthropological thought concerned with long-term, directional, “evolutionary” culture change and with the regular patterns of development that may be seen in unrelated, widely separated cultures. Neoevolutionist anthropology, a development of the mid-20th century, addresses the relation between the long-term “progressive” change (general evolution) characteristic

Obaku

2005-03-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

Chinese �Huang-po, � one of the three Zen sects in Japan, founded in 1654 by the Chinese priest Yin-y�an (Japanese Ingen); it continues to preserve elements of the Chinese tradition in its architecture, religious ceremonies, and teachings. Although the methods of achieving sudden insight as developed by the Rinzai sect are practiced by Obaku monks, invocation of the name of the Buddha Amida (nembutsu

Durbar

2005-03-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

The three best-known durbars were held in Delhi in 1877, 1903, and 1911. They celebrated Queen Victoria's assumption of the title of Empress

Mitchum, Robert

2005-03-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

Expelled from Haaren High School in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, Mitchum took to the road during the early years of the Depression.

Grand Guignol

2005-03-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Short plays popular in Parisian cabarets in the 19th century, especially at the Th��tre du Grand Guignol. The plays emphasized violence, horror, and sadism. Although Grand Guignol was introduced into England about 1908, it remained essentially a Parisian theatrical form.

Stieglitz, Alfred

2005-03-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

American photographer, passionate advocate of photography as an art, and a pioneer exhibitor of modern art in the United States. In 1902 he founded the seminal Photo-Secession Group as a protest against the conventional photography of the time. Stieglitz' own best photographs are the 400-print series of his wife, Georgia O'Keeffe, and his

Adam, Robert

2005-03-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

In 1754 Robert Adam, who by then considered himself to be worth �5,000, was invited to accompany the Honourable Charles Hope, the earl of Hopetoun's younger brother, to Italy. He thus had the opportunity to realize the dream he had been saving for since his father's death, and, just as important, he had the social advantages of traveling with the brother of an earl. He was as much concerned

Ribbentrop, Joachim Von

2005-03-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

Ribbentrop was the son of an army officer in a middle-class family. After attending schools in Germany, Switzerland, France, and England, he went to Canada (1910), but he returned to Germany at the outbreak of World

Herculano De Carvalho E Ara�jo, Alexandre

2005-03-05T02:46:00.000-08:00

As a young man Herculano took part in the unsuccessful rebellion against the absolute rule of Dom Miguel

Hilarion Of Kiev

2005-03-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

A priest, Hilarion became the second archbishop of Kiev, the chief city in Rus at that time. Although Kievan bishops had all previously been appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople, Hilarion was chosen by Prince Yaroslav I the Wise and an assembly

Uccle

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

Flemish �Ukkel� municipality, Brussels region, central Belgium. It lies just south of Brussels and is one of the 19 communes that make up Greater Brussels. Formerly a separate town dating back to the 12th century, it is now a primarily residential suburb with some light manufacturing. It is the site of the Royal Observatory and has several ch�teaus (Errera, Uccle, and Ithier). The Russian Orthodox

Danish Literature

2005-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

The first written evidences of Danish may be found in runic inscriptions, the extant majority of which date from 800 to 1100. With the introduction of Christianity in the 12th century, Latin became the predominant literary language of Denmark and remained so until the Protestant Reformation of 1536, when a new literary movement was inaugurated

Durrani

2005-03-01T04:17:00.000-08:00

In the late 18th century the Durrani took up agriculture. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani and Timur Shah, the Durrani constituted the most significant political and

Nicholas V

2005-02-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

Original name �Tommaso Parentucelli � influential Renaissance pope (reigned 1447 - 55) and founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after his election, he brought to an end the schism caused by rivalries between popes and councils. By 1455 he had restored peace to the Papal States and to Italy. He began a program for the rebuilding of many of Rome's architectural wonders, including St. Peter's

Daniel Of Kiev

2005-02-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

Also called �Daniel The Pilgrim, �Russian �Daniil Kievsky, or Daniil Polomnik� the earliest known Russian travel writer, whose account of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land is the earliest surviving record in Russian of such a trip. Abbot of a Russian monastery, he visited Palestine probably during 1106 - 07. His narrative begins at Constantinople; from there he traveled along the west and south coasts of Asia Minor to Cyprus and the Holy Land. Despite his

Taenia

2005-02-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Genus of tapeworms parasitic in mammals. See tapeworm.

Triassic Period, Invertebrates

2005-02-25T01:41:00.000-08:00

Ammonoids were common in the Permian but suffered drastic reduction at the end of that period. Only a few genera belonging to

Tachism

2005-02-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

French �Tachisme� (from tache, �spot�), style of painting practiced in Paris after World War II and through the 1950s that, like its American equivalent, Action painting, featured the intuitive, spontaneous gesture of the artist's brushstroke. Developed by the young painters Hans Hartung, G�rard Schneider, Pierre Soulages, Frans Wols, Chao Wu-chi (Zao Wu-ki), and Georges Mathieu, Tachism was part

Alimentary Canal

2005-02-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

Also called �digestive tract� pathway by which food enters the body and solid wastes are expelled. The alimentary canal includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. See digestion.

C�te D'ivoire

2005-02-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

Officially �Republic of C�te d'Ivoire, �French �R�publique de C�te d'Ivoire, �also called in English (until 1986) �Ivory Coast, � country located on the coast of western Africa. With a coastline more than 300 miles (480 kilometres) long, it forms an almost square block of territory with an area of 123,847 square miles (320,763 square kilometres). It is bounded to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the southwest by Liberia, and to the northwest by Guinea. The de facto capital

Aerospace Industry, Commercial heavy aircraft

2005-02-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

The need for large-scale air transportation has been central to commercial aircraft manufacturing. As one of the world's most vital industries, airlines are key to many aspects of the world economy, from international business and tourism to routine movement of people and goods ranging from massive machinery to agricultural products and personal items. The United

Aeschylus

2005-02-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

Aeschylus grew up in the turbulent period when the Athenian democracy, having thrown off its tyranny (the absolute rule of one man), had to prove itself against both self-seeking politicians at home and invaders from abroad. Aeschylus himself took part in his city's first struggles against the invading Persians. Later Greek chroniclers believed that Aeschylus was

Humbert Of Silva Candida

2005-02-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

A monk of the Benedictine monastery of Moyenmoutier, in the Vosges mountains, France,

Piero Della Francesca

2005-02-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

Painter whose serene, disciplined exploration of perspective had little influence on his contemporaries but came to be recognized in the 20th century as a major contribution to the Italian Renaissance. The fresco cycle �The Legend of the True Cross� (1452 - 66) and the diptych portrait of Federico

Byzantine Empire, The years of achievement to 540

2005-02-16T03:12:00.000-08:00

The AAUW was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1881 by 17 college women. At the time, many barriers hindered women from pursuing higher education and obtaining work in specialized fields. The AAUW had as its objective the betterment of women's lives and their personal

Bond

2005-02-15T05:29:00.000-08:00

Bonding may be achieved by overlapping alternate courses (rows or layers) in brickwork, by using metal ties, and by inserting units vertically

Granite

2005-02-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Because of its use as paving block and as a building stone, the quarrying of granite was, at one time, a major industrial activity. Except for tombstones, however, for which there

Permafrost, Origins

2005-02-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

The origin of ground ice was first studied in Siberia, and discussions in print of the origin of large ground-ice masses in perennially frozen ground of North America have gone on since Otto von Kotzebue recorded ground ice in 1816 at a spot now called Elephant's Point in Eschscholtz Bay of Seward Peninsula. The theory for the origin of ice wedges now generally accepted

Maccabees

2005-02-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Machabees� priestly family of Jews who organized a successful rebellion against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV and reconsecrated the defiled Temple of Jerusalem.

Moses, Robert

2005-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

U.S. state and municipal official whose career in public works planning resulted in a virtual transformation of the New York landscape. Among the works completed under his supervision were a network of 35 highways, 12 bridges, numerous parks, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Shea Stadium, many housing projects, two hydroelectric

Cyrene

2005-02-09T03:01:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a nymph, daughter of Hypseus (king of the Lapiths) and Chlidanope (a Naiad). One day Cyrene wrestled a lion that had attacked her father's flocks. Apollo, who was watching, fell in love with her and carried her off from Mt. Pelion, in Thessaly, to Libya. There he founded the city of Cyrene and made her its queen. Cyrene was the mother by Apollo of Aristaeus (q.v.) and

Kildonan

2005-02-08T02:36:00.000-08:00

Historic district within the city of Winnipeg, southern Manitoba, Canada. Situated on both sides of the Red River, it comprises the former cities of East Kildonan and West Kildonan and the former municipalities of Old Kildonan and North Kildonan. The original colony was one of the historic parishes of the Red River Settlement, founded by the Scottish philanthropist

Alajuela

2005-02-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Costa Rica. It lies on the central plateau at an altitude of 3,141 feet (957 metres). Known in colonial days as La Lajuela and Villahermosa, the town was active in support of independence from Spain in 1821; five years later it suffered from a plot to restore Spanish control over Costa Rica. For a brief period in the 1830s Alajuela served as the nation's capital. It was the

Athens

2005-02-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1819) of Limestone county, northern Alabama, U.S., in the Tennessee River valley, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Huntsville. Settled in 1807 and named for Athens, Greece, it grew as an agricultural and timber centre. During the American Civil War, the town was occupied at intervals by Union troops until recaptured by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in 1864. Cotton dominated

Spain, Music

2005-02-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

The influence of the past was particularly strong in the field of music. Composers such as Isaac Alb�niz (1860 - 1909), Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916), Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946), and Joaqu�n Rodrigo (b. 1901) drew heavily on popular and regional music for their inspiration. One by-product of this was the creation of a serious musical repertoire for the guitar. The instrument gained additional stature from the

Liddell, Eric

2005-02-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

The son of Scottish missionaries, Liddell was born in China. His family returned to Scotland when he was five years old. A gifted athlete, he excelled at rugby as well as running. He first gained national recognition by winning

Earth, Nucleosynthetic processes

2005-02-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

The astrophysical concept of nucleosynthesis remains the starting point in tracing planetary evolution. This includes the nuclear processes by which the light elements - hydrogen through boron - were produced at the birth of the universe, some 10,000,000,000 to 20,000,000,000 years ago. By analogy with what astronomers presently observe to happen, it is thought that the solar system represents

Wichita

2005-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

North American Indian people of Caddoan linguistic stock who in their early history lived near the Arkansas River in present-day Kansas. They were encountered by the Spanish in the mid-16th century and became the object of the earliest missionary work done among the Plains Indians. Like most Caddoans, the Wichita subsisted largely by farming (corn [maize], pumpkins,

Karabagh Rug

2005-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Karabagh also spelled �Karabakh, � floor covering handmade in the district of Karabakh (Azerbaijan), just north of the present Iranian border. As might be expected, Karabagh designs and colour schemes tend to be more like those of Persian rugs than do those made in other parts of the Caucasus, and it is difficult to distinguish Karabagh runners from those of Karzdagh, in Iran, to the south. Certain Karabagh

Gumal River

2005-01-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

River that rises in eastern Afghanistan near Sarwandi on the Khumbur Khule Range and enters western Pakistan near Domandi, being joined there by the Kundar River. Further joined by the Wana Toi and Zhob rivers, it falls into the Indus River just south of Dera Ismail Khan after a course of 150 miles (240 km). Dams under construction in the 1980s at Mian Nur and Khajuri Kach, below the confluence

Carlile, Richard

2005-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Radical English journalist who was a notable champion of the freedom of the press. Although convinced that the free propagation of ideas was more important than specific reforms, he was an early advocate of almost all the Radical causes of his time, including the abolition of monarchy, completely secular education, and the

Salandra, Antonio

2005-01-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

Salandra was educated in law and taught public administration at the University of Rome before entering politics. A member of a wealthy family and a conservative, he rose to become minister of agriculture in 1899 and finance minister in 1906 and again

Biblical Literature, Nature and significance

2005-01-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

General articles and notes in The Oxford Annotated Bible (1962), The Jerusalem Bible (1966), and the Genesis volume of The Anchor Bible, by E.A. Speiser (1964); E. H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, 12th rev. ed. (1972); Abraham J. Heschel, Man Is Not Alone (1951), a classic statement of modern Judaism; Erich Auerbach, Mimesis: Dargestellte Wirklichkeit in der abendl�ndischen Literatur (1946; Eng. trans., Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, 1953), a classic work; William R. Mueller, The Prophetic Voice in Modern Fiction (1959), religious themes interpreting Joyce, Camus, Kafka, Faulkner, Greene, and Silone; Nathan A. Scott, Jr. (ed.), The Tragic Vision and the Christian Faith (1957), essays by 12 writers on faith and the tragic dimension of existence; James Barr, The Scope and Authority of the Bible (1981), questions the divine inspiration of biblical texts.

Hesperorthis

2005-01-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of brachiopods, or lamp shells, which as fossils are especially characteristic of Ordovician marine rocks (438 to 505 million years old). The plano-convex shell of Hesperorthis consists of two units (or valves), the brachial valve being flat and the pedicle valve convex. The shell has a radiating pattern of ribs and a relatively broad, triangular area at the dorsal

Nitride

2005-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Binary compound of nitrogen with a more electropositive element, such as boron, silicon, and most metals. Certain metal nitrides are unstable, and most react with water to form ammonia and the oxide or hydroxide of the metal; but the nitrides of boron, vanadium, silicon, titanium, and tantalum are very refractory, resistant to chemical attack, and hard - and thus are useful

Oviedo

2005-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) �Ovetum� city, Asturias provincia and comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�), northern Spain. Oviedo lies on a hill surrounded by mountains and a fertile plain and is situated 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Gij�n. Founded as a monastery by Fruela I in 757, it became the capital of the kingdom of Asturias in 810. It was one of the few Spanish towns never conquered by the Moors during the Middle

Rochester

2005-01-24T02:18:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Olmsted county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S., situated at the confluence of three tributaries of the Zumbro River, in a mixed-farming region, 75 miles (121 km) south of Minneapolis. The site, which originally served as a camping ground for wagon trains, was settled in 1854 and named for Rochester, N.Y. Its growth has been stimulated to a great degree by the Mayo Medical Center,

Santa Maria Novella

2005-01-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Frescoes painted on the interior walls of the church, cloister, and chapterhouse are by such Italian masters

Jussieu, Antoine-laurent De

2005-01-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

Antoine-Laurent was brought in 1770 by his uncle Bernard to the Jardin du Roi, where he became demonstrator in botany. In 1773 his paper, presented to the Acad�mie des Sciences, on the Ranunculaceae (crowfoot) family introduced his method

Igboid Languages

2005-01-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

A language cluster that constitutes a subbranch of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. There are nearly 20 million speakers of Igboid languages in southeastern Nigeria. In the early years of the 20th century an attempt to develop an artificial form of Igbo called Union-Igbo, based on four Igbo dialects, was not successful. Later a standard literary

Strachwitz, Moritz (karl Wilhelm Anton), Graf Von

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

After studying in Breslau and Berlin, Strachwitz settled on his estate in Moravia, where he did his writing. He was involved with a Berlin literary club, Tunnel �

Brie

2005-01-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Natural region of northern France between the Seine and Marne valleys. It occupies most of Seine-et-Marne d�partement and parts of adjacent d�partements. The region was historically divided between the king of France (the Brie Fran�aise) and the duke of Champagne (the Brie Champenoise) from the 9th to the early 13th century, when the crown took it over. Broken here and there

Floral Decoration, 18th century

2005-01-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

The floral arrangements of the early 18th century were dominated by French and English taste. In France, cultural and social life centred in the intimate rooms of Parisian town houses rather than in the vast rooms and halls of Louis XIV's Versailles palace. Bouquets, therefore, were comparatively small, to be in scale with their setting. The more delicate colouring and

Alexander Nevsky, Saint

2005-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Russian �Aleksandr Nevsky, �original name �Aleksandr Yaroslavich� prince of Novgorod (1236 - 52) and of Kiev (1246 - 52) and grand prince of Vladimir (1252 - 63), who halted the eastward drive of the Germans and Swedes but collaborated with the Mongols in imposing their rule on Russia. By defeating a Swedish invasion force at the confluence of the Rivers

Obuasi

2005-01-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Ghana. Its growth was stimulated by the discovery of a large gold deposit in 1897 and the building of the railway from Sekondi in 1902. The Asante gold mine at Obuasi has continued as the country's major producer while others have become depleted. It is one of the world's richest gold mines in terms of yield per ton of ore. By the end of the 20th century, it was the 10th largest

Tetraodontiform, Feeding habits

2005-01-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

As one would suspect from their usually well-developed and massive dentition, often with the teeth fused together in a parrotlike beak, most tetraodontiforms feed on hard-shelled crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. But some, with massive, crushing jaws and teeth, such as the ocean sunfishes, often feed extensively on such soft-bodied invertebrates as jellyfishes

Pacific Ocean, Tides

2005-01-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the tides of the Atlantic - which are almost always semi-diurnal (i.e., twice-daily) occurrences - those of the Pacific include many instances of diurnal (daily) and mixed tides. In the diurnal type of tidal oscillation, only a single high water and a single low water occur each tidal day (which lasts for about 24 hours and 50 minutes). Tides of this type occur in the Gulfs

Dance Fly

2005-01-12T00:36:00.000-08:00

Courtship involves the presentation of a dead fly to the female by the male. Mating does not take place until the

Vrata

2005-01-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

In Jainism, a religious vow. See Jaina vrata.

Kuznets, Simon

2005-01-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Kuznets immigrated to the United States in 1922, 15 years after the arrival there of his father (who changed the family name to Smith, though the young Kuznets preferred the original

Zhou Yang

2005-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Zhou joined the Chinese Communist Party soon after the failure of the revolution in 1927. A graduate of Ta-hsia University in Shanghai in 1928, he went to Japan for advanced study in 1929. Upon returning to China in 1931 he became one of the leaders

Alatri

2005-01-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

Archaeologically

Frame Design

2005-01-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Decorative treatment of frames for mirrors and pictures. Before the 15th century in Europe, frames hardly existed separately from their architectural setting and, with the altarpieces or the predellas they surrounded, formed an integral part of the decorative scheme of the church interior. Such frames were frequently burnished with gold leaf. During the 15th century,

Almaty

2005-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Russian �Alma-Ata, �formerly (1855 - 1921) �Verny, � city, southeastern Kazakstan. It was formerly the capital of the Kazakh S.S.R. (1929 - 91) and of independent Kazakstan (1991 - 97). Almaty lies in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau at an elevation of 2,300 - 3,000 feet (700 - 900 m), where the Bolshaya and Malaya Almaatinka rivers emerge into the plain. The modern city was founded in 1854 when the Russians established the military fortification of Zailiyskoye

Bloch, Marc

2005-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Bloch, the son of a professor of ancient history, grandson of a school principal, and great-grandson of a combatant in the French Revolution, descended from a family of patriotic French Jews. Educated in Paris at the

Polgar, Judit

2005-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Apart from her gold-medal-winning appearances for the Hungarian women's Olympiad teams of 1988 and 1990, Polgar

Epictetus

2005-01-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Epictetus is most frequently mentioned in connection with a series of medallions on plates in the British Museum in London and the Cabinet des M�dailles in Paris. The medallion paintings

Albacore

2005-01-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Albicore� (species Thunnus alalunga), large oceanic fish noted for its fine flesh. The bluefin tuna (T. thynnus) is also sometimes called albacore. See tuna.

Yui Shosetsu

2005-01-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

A famous military teacher in the Japanese capital of Edo (now Tokyo), Yui gained a large following among the local ronin

Elijah

2004-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

The Israelite king Omri had allied himself with the Phoenician cities of the coast, and his son Ahab was married to Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre and Sidon. Jezebel, with her Tyrian courtiers and a large contingent of pagan priests and prophets, propagated her native religion in a sanctuary built for Baal in the royal city of Samaria. This meant that the Israelites

Canterbury Plains

2004-12-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Organized settlement

Accius, Lucius

2004-12-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

Accius also spelled �Attius � one of the greatest of the Roman tragic poets, in the view of his contemporaries. His plays (more than 40 titles are known, and about 700 lines survive) were mostly free translations from Greek tragedy, many from Euripides, with violent plots, flamboyant characterizations, and forceful rhetoric. His tragedies were performed until the end of the republic

Scandinavian Literature, Swedish literature

2004-12-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

Swedish literature proper began in the late Middle Ages when, after a long period of linguistic change, Old Swedish emerged as a separate language. The foundations of a native literature were established in the 13th century. The oldest extant manuscript in Old Swedish was the V�stg�talagan (�Law of West Gotland�), part of a legal code compiled in the 1220s. These legal documents

Amis, Sir Kingsley

2004-12-27T23:39:00.000-08:00

Amis was educated at the City of London School and at St. John's College, Oxford (B.A., 1949). His education was interrupted during World War II by his service as a lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Signals.

Alba

2004-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

The kingdom formed by the union of the Picts and Scots under Kenneth I MacAlpin in 843. Their territory, ranging from modern Argyll and Bute to Caithness, across much of southern and central Scotland, was one of the few areas in the British Isles to withstand the invasions of the Vikings. The ancient link with Ireland (from which the Celtic Scots had emigrated) was broken

Bryennius, Nicephorus

2004-12-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

A favourite of the emperor Alexius I Comnenus, who gave him the title of caesar, Bryennius assisted Alexius in dealing with Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade, by successfully

Encamp

2004-12-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Village, Andorra, on a headstream of the Riu (river) Valira. Its agricultural economy is supplemented by tourism, especially skiing. Encamp has a broadcasting transmitter of Radio Andorra. Above the village is Engolasters Lake, accessible by cable car. There are facilities for generating hydroelectric power. In the locality is the Pic (peak) des Pessons (9,400 ft [2,865 m]). Pop. (1990) 7,489.

Sardinian Language

2004-12-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

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

Lipa

2004-12-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Chartered city, Batangas province, southwestern Luzon, Philippines. Formerly a Spanish military headquarters, it is a market town for a fruit-growing region. Lipa was rebuilt (including its cathedral) after a disastrous volcanic eruption in 1754 and again after its virtual destruction under Japanese occupation in World War II. Industries include clothing manufacture

Anthony, William Arnold

2004-12-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

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

Dong Nai River

2004-12-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Also called �Donnai River�, Vietnamese �Song Dong Nai� river rising in the central highlands (Annamese Cordillera) of southern Vietnam, northwest of Da Lat. Near its source the river has rapids and is known as the Da Dung River. It flows west and southwest for about 300 miles (480 km), joining the Saigon River southwest of Bien Hoa. At the rapids of Tri An, west of Dinh Quan, it is joined by the Be River. The Nhim, an important upper tributary,

Cuba, Revolution

2004-12-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Batista's fall resulted as much from internal decay as from the challenges of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement (commemorating Castro's failed attack on the Moncada military base in Santiago on July 26, 1953) or from the Federation of University Students and other groups opposed to Batista's rule. Castro had been a legislative candidate for elections in 1952 that were aborted

Heimskringla

2004-12-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

(c. 1220; �Orb of the World�), collection of sagas of the early Norwegian kings, written by the Icelandic poet-chieftain Snorri Sturluson. It is distinguished by Snorri's classical objectivity, realistic psychology, and historically feasible (if not always accurate) depiction of cause and effect. The collection opens with the Ynglinga saga, which traces the descent of the Norwegian

Furniture, Bookcases

2004-12-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

Bookcases or bookshelves are a less interesting form of storage furniture from the viewpoint of furniture history. Perhaps the most significant innovation appeared in 18th-century England in the bookcase with adjustable shelves and a closed-off lower section for folio files. The shelves were protected by glass doors consisting of an ingenious trelliswork of

Repton

2004-12-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Village (�parish�), South Derbyshire district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England. The famous independent boys' school of Repton was founded in 1556, and its buildings incorporate parts (restored) of an Augustinian priory established in 1172. Pop. (1991) 2,012.

Thompson Submachine Gun

2004-12-15T01:23:00.000-08:00

Byname �Tommy Gun, � submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, General John T. Thompson. The weapon became famous during the U.S. Prohibition era (1920 - 33) as the gun used by gangsters. Indeed it became so widely known in that era that it is commonly (but erroneously) believed to be the first submachine gun. It weighed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) empty and fired .45-calibre ammunition. The magazine was either

Ghent, Pacification Of

2004-12-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

(Nov. 8, 1576), declaration by which the northern and southern provinces of the Low Countries put aside their religious difference and united in revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs. The declaration was the first major expression of the Netherlands' national self-consciousness. The Pacification of Ghent called for the expulsion of Spanish troops from the Low Countries,

M�ller, Poul Martin

2004-12-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

Danish author whose novel of student life, the first in his country's literature that dealt with the contemporary scene, marked an important stage in the history of Danish literature. His aphorism, �All poetry that does not come from life is a lie,� sums up his realistic approach in a romantic age. He is also distinguished

Price, Sterling

2004-12-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

After attending Hampden-Sydney College (1826 - 27), Price studied law. In 1831 he moved with his family from Virginia to Missouri, where he entered public life. He served in the state legislature from 1836 to 1838 and again from 1840 to 1844, the latter period as speaker of the