NaturalPicture

Gaddi, Taddeo

2005-10-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

His earliest authenticated work is a small triptych with the Virgin enthroned with Child and saints, signed and

Andreini, Giovambattista

2005-08-09T01:10:00.000-07:00

Andreini began his stage career with the Compagnia dei Gelosi founded by his parents, but about 1601 he formed his

Kobe

2005-07-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Kobe is situated at the eastern end of the Inland Sea on Osaka Bay, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Osaka. The city is confined to a narrow shelf of land

Plume Grass

2005-07-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Any of about 20 species of grasses constituting the genus Erianthus (family Poaceae), native to warm regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Plume grasses are tall, reedlike perennials with dense, cylindrical, plumelike panicles. Most species are 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 feet) tall, but Ravenna grass (E. ravennae), native to southern Europe, grows to 4 m (13 feet). It is cultivated as an ornamental

Kabyle

2005-07-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Berber people of Algeria inhabiting a partially mountainous region stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the southern slopes of the Great Kabylie mountains and from Dellys to Cape Aokas. Numbering about 2,000,000 in the late 20th century, they are mainly Muslims with a few Christians and are predominantly agricultural, growing grains and olives and herding goats. Their

Padilla, Juan

2005-07-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

After serving as a soldier, Padilla joined the Franciscans in Andalusia. He went to Spanish Mexico in 1528 and in the following year accompanied an expedition to Nueva Galicia (northwestern Mexico). There he spent most of his remaining

Arabia, History Of, Saudi Arabia

2005-07-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ibn Sa'ud's zealous Wahhabi followers, arriving in the more cosmopolitan atmosphere of Hejaz society, were now exposed to the world of Islam at large. Ibn Sa'ud managed the resulting problems with firmness and tact. He had furthermore to enforce his rule over the tribes impatient with centralized government. His tough action with them won, and he set out to develop security,

Valencia

2005-06-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Valencia (Valentia) was a prosperous area during the Roman Empire and was taken by the Visigoths in the early 5th century AD. In the early 8th century it was captured by the

Sackler, Arthur M.

2005-06-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

Sackler studied at New York University (B.S., 1933; M.D., 1937) and worked as a psychiatrist at Creedmore State Hospital in Queens, New York (1944–46), where in 1949 he founded the Creedmore Institute of Psychobiological Studies, a field in

Interior Design, Japan

2005-06-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Interior decoration in Japan was much influenced by Chinese ideas, especially between the 8th and 12th centuries, but it developed along lighter, more austere and elegant lines. It has altered little since medieval days. The most important differences in modern design are that the matting has been extended to cover the whole of the wooden floor, and sliding doors have

Ganassa, Zan

2005-06-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

Ganassa, who took his name from that of a character he invented, was perhaps the first to take a commedia company beyond the borders of Italy. Evidence exists of his appearances at Mantua (1568) and Ferrara (1570), and a performance by him and his company in Paris in 1571 was perhaps

Eye Worm

2005-06-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

(species Loa loa), common parasite of humans and other primates in central and western Africa, a member of the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes). It is transmitted to humans by the deerfly, Chrysops (the intermediate host), which feeds on primate blood. When the fly alights on a human victim, the worm larva drops onto the new host's skin and burrows underneath. The larva

Porcupine River

2005-06-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Major tributary of the Yukon River, in northern Yukon Territory, Can., and northeastern Alaska, U.S. Discovered in 1842 by John Bell of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Porcupine rises in the Mackenzie Mountains of west central Yukon Territory and flows for 448 mi (721 km) in a great arc, first north and then west across the international boundary and into the Yukon River near Fort Yukon,

Epistemology, David Hume

2005-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Although Berkeley rejected the Lockean notions of primary and secondary qualities and matter, he retained Locke's beliefs in the existence of mind, substance, and cause as a power or secret force. David Hume (1711–76), in addition to rejecting all the Lockean notions that Berkeley did, also rejected what Berkeley had retained. His justification for this step was empiricist

Ice Skating

2005-05-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

Rintje Ritsma of The Netherlands coped with hazardous weather conditions to claim the overall title in the men's world championships at the small Italian mountain resort of Baselga di Pinè on February 11-12. Keiji Shirahata of Japan finished second, and Roberto Sighel of Italy was third. Gunda Niemann of Germany captured the women's crown at Savalen, Norway, on March 4-5, ahead

Mammal

2005-05-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Any member of the class Mammalia, a group of vertebrate animals in which the young are nourished with milk from special secreting glands (mammae) of the mother. In addition to these characteristic milk glands, mammals are distinguished by several other unique features. Hair is a typical mammalian feature, although in many whales it has secondarily disappeared except

Dur�o, Jos� De Santa Rita

2005-03-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

After an education at the Jesuit college in Rio de Janeiro, Dur�o obtained the degree of doctor of theology (1756) at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Two years later he entered the Gratian convent

Absolute Zero

2005-03-14T04:30:00.000-08:00

The notion that there is an ultimately lowest temperature was suggested by the behaviour of gases at low pressures: it was noted that gases seem to contract indefinitely as the temperature is decreased. It appeared that an ideal

Guadalupe Peak

2005-03-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

Highest point (8,749 feet [2,667 metres]) in Texas, U.S. The peak is situated in Culberson county, 100 miles (160 km) east of the city of El Paso. Guadalupe Peak is part of the Guadalupe Mountains (a division of the Sacramento Mountains), and together with its twin, El Capitan (8,078 feet [2,462 metres]), it forms the focus of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

National Socialism

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

German �Nationalsozialismus�, also called �Nazism� or �Naziism� totalitarian movement led by Adolf Hitler as head of the Nazi Party in Germany. In its intense nationalism, mass appeal, and dictatorial rule, National Socialism shared many elements with Italian fascism. However, Nazism was far more extreme both in its ideas and in its practice. In almost every respect it was an anti-intellectual and atheoretical movement, emphasizing

Albany

2005-03-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1851) of Linn county, western Oregon, U.S., in the Willamette Valley, at the juncture of the Willamette and Calapooia rivers, 26 miles (42 km) south of Salem. Established in 1848 by Walter and Thomas Monteith and named for the New York state capital, it became a shipping point for wool, grain, and cascara bark (which is used medicinally). The Oregon and California (now Southern Pacific)

Amravati

2005-02-28T05:12:00.000-08:00

Also called �Amraoti,� town, northeastern Maharashtra state, western India. It lies 85 miles (137 km) west of Nagpur. The town occupies an important position near passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna River basin (west) and the Wardha River basin (east). A growing industrial centre, it is expanding toward nearby Badnera; its cotton mills supply Bombay, Calcutta, and

Canterbury Plains

2005-02-27T03:37:00.000-08:00

Organized settlement

Faial Island

2005-02-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Fayal Island, �Portuguese �Ilha do Faial� Portuguese island forming part of the Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its area of 67 square miles (173 square km) was increased by 1 square mile (2.5 square km) because of volcanic activity in 1957 - 58. The centre of the island consists of a perfectly shaped volcano, Mount Gordo. Faial (meaning �beech wood�) was named for the wax myrtle, once abundant, which its discoverers mistook

Antarctica, Structural framework

2005-02-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Most of the Antarctic geologic record lies hidden beneath the vast regions of snow and ice that make up more than 95 percent of the continent's surface terrain. No one knows what important segments of the record lie concealed in buried ranges such as the Gamburtsev Mountains, the topography of which has been mapped only by seismic reflections through the great East

Interest Group

2005-02-24T22:56:00.000-08:00

Also called �special-interest group, � any aggregate of individuals that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, makes claims upon groups or society in general in order to promote its objectives.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

2005-02-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

In Florida the offshore islands and keys have historical ruins and white sandy beaches, as well as the Naval Live Oaks wilderness

Biblical Literature, The process of canonization

2005-02-22T04:30:00.000-08:00

The process of canonization was relatively long and remarkably flexible and detached; various books in use were recognized as inspired, but the Church Fathers noted, without embarrassment or criticism, how some held certain books to be canonical and others did not. Emerging Christianity assumed that through the Spirit the selection of canonical books was �certain

Hexameter

2005-02-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

A line of verse containing six feet, usually dactyls (� {breve} {breve}). Dactylic hexameter is the oldest known form of Greek poetry and is the preeminent metre of narrative and didactic poetry in Greek and Latin, in which its position is comparable to that of iambic pentameter in English versification. The epics of Homer and of Virgil are composed in dactylic hexameter.

Canadian-american Challenge Cup

2005-02-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Byname �Can-am Cup, � trophy of a series of automobile races that took place annually from 1966 to 1975 and from 1977 to 1986. It was sponsored jointly by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the Canadian Automobile Sports Committee (CASC). Entries were two-seater sports and racing cars classified in Group 7 by rules of the International Automobile Federation, the world governing body of auto racing. Races

Hvar

2005-02-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

Italian �Lesina� island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia. At 116 square miles (300 square km) in area and 43 miles (69 km) in length, it is the longest island in the Adriatic. A rocky island, it reaches 2,054 feet (626 m) in elevation at Mount Sveti Nikola and is separated from the island of Brac by a narrow channel. The Mediterranean climate is favourable to the production of various fruits, honey, lavender, rosemary,

Iki

2005-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

Island, Nagasaki ken (prefecture), Japan, lying in the Eastern Channel, about 10 miles (16 km) off the coast of Kyushu. Most of its 52-square-mile (134-square-kilometre) area is tableland; cereals, oranges, and tobacco are the important crops. The fishing industry yields mackerel and cuttlefish. Anchorages are at Gonoura (the chief town), Katsumoto, and Ashibe. The island served as a gateway

Koerber, Ernest Von

2005-02-17T15:58:00.000-08:00

Entering the Austrian administration in 1874, Koerber rose steadily

Bedford

2005-02-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Borough (town), seat (1771) of Bedford county, southern Pennsylvania, U.S., on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Raystown Branch Juniata River, in the Allegheny Mountains, 38 miles (61 km) south of Altoona. A settlement made on the site about 1750 by John Wray (or Ray), a Scottish trader, was known as Raystown. Fort Bedford (built 1758 and apparently named for John Russell, 4th duke of Bedford) was a frontier

Gundagai

2005-02-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern New South Wales, Australia, on the Murrumbidgee River. The site, originally a sheep run called Willia Ploma, was surveyed in 1838, and the town, a former riverport, derived its present name from an Aboriginal term for �going upstream.� A disastrous flood in 1852 drowned 89 townspeople. The discovery of gold in 1861 at nearby Spring Flat stimulated both its growth and bushranger

Swan River

2005-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

Town, western Manitoba, Canada, on the Swan River near the Saskatchewan border and west of Lake Winnipegosis, 310 miles (500 km) northwest of Winnipeg. In the early 1800s there was intense fur-trading rivalry in the area between the Hudson's Bay and the North West companies. Homesteaders of varied nationalities moved to the locality after the Canadian Northern Railway reached

San Felipe

2005-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Capital of San Felipe de Aconcagua provincia, Valpara�so regi�n, central Chile. It lies along the Aconcagua River, in the Vale of Chile, at 2,087 feet (636 metres) above sea level. Founded in 1740 as San Felipe el Real, it is the centre of an agricultural (alfalfa, grapes, fruits, vegetables, and cereals) and mining (copper and gold) area. It is connected by railway with Valpara�so, 80 miles (130 km) southwest,

Oersted

2005-02-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

Unit of magnetic-field strength, in the centimetre-gram-second system of physical units. Named for the 19th-century Danish physicist Hans Christian �rsted, it is defined as the intensity of a magnetic field in a vacuum in which a unit magnetic pole (one that repels a similar pole at a distance of one centimetre with a force of one dyne) experiences a mechanical force of

China, Administration

2005-02-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

A hierarchy of organization and personnel has been embedded in virtually all CCP and government bodies. Even on the government side, all officials in these personnel departments are members of the CCP, and they follow rules and regulations that are not subject to control by the particular bodies of which they are formally a part. This system has been used to assure

Furniture, Cupboard

2005-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Strictly speaking, the cupboard is a derivative form of the chest. Early Renaissance cupboards resembled two chests placed one on top of the other, but they were opened from the front by means of doors. The design and construction of the cupboard's pronounced front have always provided ample scope for artistic composition, and it is no mere coincidence that the cupboard

Furniture, Cupboard

2005-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Furniture, Cupboard

2005-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Zahedan

2005-02-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Iran, at an elevation of 4,435 feet (1,352 m). The population comprises Shi'ite Muslim Persians and Sunnite Muslim Baluchs. It is one of the more economically backward cities in Iran; local industry produces bricks, milled rice, livestock feed, processed foods, mats and baskets, embroidered articles, and ceramics. Roads link it with Zabol, Iranshahr, Chah Bahar, and Sarar

Interior Design, Crete

2005-02-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

The most important buildings of the pre-Hellenic Minoan and Mycenaean periods were the citadel complexes, housing the entire court of the ruler. The palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete (c. 1700 - 1400 BC) gives evidence of a small but sophisticated society with a taste for luxury and entertainment and a corresponding skill in applied decoration. Frescoes (paintings executed

Manresa

2005-02-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Town, Barcelona provincia, in the comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It lies along the Cardoner River. The town - which probably originated as Minorisa, the Roman capital of Jacetani - was important during the European Middle Ages. Three bridges span the Cardoner, and on a rock above the oldest bridge stands the yellow Church

Ar�valo (bermejo), Juan Jos�

2005-02-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Ar�valo was educated at the University of Guatemala and the University of La Plata (1928 - 34) in Argentina, where he received a doctorate. After serving in the Guatemalan

Pharmaceutical Industry, Dispersions

2005-02-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

Aerosols were formerly defined as colloidal systems consisting of very finely subdivided liquid or solid particles dispersed in a gas. Today the term aerosol, in general usage, has become synonymous with a pressurized package. For pharmaceutical purposes aerosols may be divided into two types. Space sprays disperse the medicament as a finely divided spray with

Ear Disease, Exposure to noise

2005-02-02T00:16:00.000-08:00

The effects of noise exposure on hearing depend on the intensity and duration of the noise. The effects may be temporary or permanent. A single exposure to an extremely intense sound, such as an explosion, may produce a severe and permanent loss of hearing. Repeated exposures to sounds in excess of 80 to 90 decibels may cause gradual deterioration of hearing by destroying

Domino Whist

2005-01-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

Domino game for four players. Partners are drawn for as in the card game whist; the player drawing the highest domino leads. Each player takes seven dominoes, or bones. There are no tricks, trumps, or honours. The bones are played as in ordinary dominoes, a hand being finished when one of the players plays his last bone or when both ends are blocked. Pips are then counted, and

Tobey, Mark

2005-01-30T03:26:00.000-08:00

Tobey studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and worked for a time as a fashion illustrator and portraitist in New York City. He converted

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

2005-01-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Area of the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, U.S., near the base of the Guadalupe Mountains (a segment of the Sacramento Mountains). It was established in 1923 as a national monument, designated a national park in 1930, and proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Beneath the park, which has a surface area of 73 square miles (189 square km), are 83 individual caves, including Carlsbad

Molecular Biology

2005-01-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Field of science concerned with studying the chemical structures and processes of biological phenomena at the molecular level. Of growing importance since the 1940s, molecular biology developed out of the related fields of biochemistry, genetics, and biophysics. The discipline is particularly concerned with the study of proteins, nucleic acids, and enzymes - i.e., the

Spanish Netherlands

2005-01-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

Although the provinces of the Low Countries had for some years and for many reasons been chafing under foreign rule, the revolt against Spain received its major impetus from the zeal of members of the nascent Calvinist movement.

Mauritius Hemp

2005-01-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

Although the plant is native to Brazil, commercial production of the fibre did not begin there until about 1875. The plant was introduced to Mauritius in the late 18th century. Fibre from the highland is referred to as �aloe malgache,� and from the lower

Demaratus

2005-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

King of Sparta, together with Cleomenes I, who frustrated Cleomenes' designs on both Athens and Aegina. He was consequently dethroned by Cleomenes on a false charge of illegitimacy, upon which he fled to Persia and was given some small cities in northwestern Asia Minor, which his descendants held in Xenophon's time. The historian Herodotus told several

Fish Oil

2005-01-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

Fatty oil from the bodies of fishes, used in the manufacture of many products, such as margarine, cooking oil, cosmetics, caulking compounds, paints, industrial coatings, lubricants, water repellents, soaps, and candles. It is also used in the tanning of leather, the manufacture of rubber, and the production of chemicals used for making synthetic wax. Anchovy, menhaden,

Farm Building

2005-01-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

The basic unit of commercial agricultural operation, throughout history and worldwide, is the farm. Because farming systems differ widely, there are important variations in the nature and arrangements of farm facilities.

Eliade, Mircea

2005-01-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

Eliade took an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Bucharest

Consonant

2005-01-21T04:23:00.000-08:00

Any speech sound, such as that represented by t, g, f, or z, that is characterized by an articulation with a closure or narrowing of the vocal tract such that a complete or partial blockage of the flow of air is produced. Consonants are usually classified according to place of articulation (the location of the stricture made in the vocal tract, such as dental, bilabial, or

Thompson, Daley

2005-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

The son of a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, Thompson made his debut in the decathlon at age 16, winning a competition in Cwmbr�n, Wales. Thompson's score of 6,685 points was a British junior record, and in that

Earthflow

2005-01-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

Sheet or stream of soil and rock material saturated with water and flowing downslope under the pull of gravity; it represents the intermediate stage between creep and mudflow. Earthflows usually begin in a large basin on the upper part of a slope where debris and weathered material accumulate; the movement, usually set off by heavy rainfall, may be relatively slow

Antideuteron

2005-01-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Composite antiparticle consisting of an antiproton and an antineutron, first produced with a 30-GeV (giga-electron volt) synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, N.Y., in 1965. Having a charge of negative one unit and an atomic mass of two units, it may be considered as the antinucleus of the hydrogen isotope deuterium.

Performing Arts

2005-01-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

Acarigua

2005-01-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

City, northern Portuguesa estado (�state�), northwestern Venezuela. Formerly the state capital, Acarigua is a principal commercial centre of the northern portion of the Llanos (plains), in which cattle, sugarcane, cotton, corn (maize), and rice are the principal products. Industries in the city include sawmilling and dairying. Acarigua is accessible by air and by highway

B-52

2005-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Also called �Stratofortress, � U.S. long-range heavy bomber, designed in 1948 and first flown in 1952. Though originally intended to be an atomic-bomb carrier capable of reaching the Soviet Union, it proved adaptable to a number of missions, and some B-52s were thus expected to remain in service for the rest of the 20th century. The B-52 has a wingspan of 185 feet (56 m) and a length of 160 feet 10.9 inches (49 m). It is powered by eight jet engines

Itapicuru River

2005-01-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

River, Maranh�o estado (�state�), northeastern Brazil. The river rises in several headstreams in the Itapicuru mountain range. It arches northeastward to Caxias and thence northwestward, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through S�o Jos� Bay, southeast of S�o Lu�s Island. The river's total length is approximately 750 miles (1,200 km), of which about 400 miles (640 km) are navigable.

Wilson, Edmund

2005-01-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

Educated at Princeton, Wilson moved from newspaper reporting in New York to become managing editor of Vanity Fair (1920 - 21) and associate editor of The New Republic (1926 - 31). Wilson's first critical work, Axel's Castle (1931), was an important international survey of the Symbolist

China, Vietnam

2005-01-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

In 1802 a new dynasty was founded in Vietnam (Dai Viet) by Nguyen Phuc Anh, a member of the royal family of Nguyen at Hue, who had expelled the short-lived Tay Son regime and had unified the country. The Ch'ing, under the Chia-ch'ing emperor, recognized the new dynasty as a fait accompli, but a controversy arose as to a name for the new country. Nguyen Phuc Anh demanded the name Nam Viet,

Itaja�

2005-01-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

City, eastern Santa Catarina estado (�state�), southern Brazil. It lies at the mouth of the Itaja� River, at 20 feet (6 m) above sea level. Founded in the mid-19th century by German and Italian colonists, Itaja� is now the commercial centre and Atlantic port for an agricultural region drained by the Itaja� River and its tributaries. Wrapping paper and cotton textiles are the principal

Jackson, Robert H(oughwout)

2005-01-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

An adept scholar, Jackson pleaded his first case by special permission while still a minor and was admitted to the bar at the age of 21. He served as corporation counsel for Jamestown, N.Y., and, after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, helped merge the city's three financial institutions,

Pitkin Glass

2005-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

The product's fame rests almost entirely on so-called Pitkin flasks, which were much sought by collectors in the 1920s. These flasks, which vary in colour from green to aquamarine and amber, were a kind of pocket bottle molded with a swirl

Hoysala Dynasty

2005-01-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Family that ruled from about 1006 to about 1346 in the southern Deccan and for a time in the Cauvery Valley. The first kings came from the hills northwest of Dorasamudra (modern Halebid), which became their capital about 1060. With their hardy, hill-dwelling, Kanarese-speaking followers, they gradually absorbed Gangavadi (Mysore state) and the rich lands beyond the Tungabhadra toward

Breckinridge, Madeline Mcdowell

2005-01-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

N�e �Madeline McDowell � American social reformer whose efforts focused on child welfare, health issues, and women's rights. Educated in Lexington, Kentucky, and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, she studied intermittently during 1890 - 94 at the State College (now University) of Kentucky. In 1898 she married Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington

Olsztyn

2005-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

German �Allenstein, � capital of Olsztyn wojew�dztwo (province), northeastern Poland. It lies along the Lyna River in the Masurian lake district. The town serves as a trade centre, with major rail and road connections for the lake district. The Masurian Regional Museum and an agricultural school are located here. The Teutonic Knights built an imposing castle there in 1334, and the settlement

Scandinavian Literature, Danish literature

2005-01-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

Denmark's first literature appeared in the runic inscriptions scratched on stone or carved in metal, mainly epitaphs of warriors, kings, and priests that occasionally had short, unrhymed alliterative verses in the Viking spirit. Runic inscriptions were used in Denmark from about 250, but most of those preserved date from 800 to 1100. With the introduction of Christianity, Latin

Bradbury, Sir Malcolm

2005-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Bradbury studied at the University of Leicester (B.A., 1953), Queen Mary College (M.A., 1955) in London, and the University of Manchester, from which he received his doctorate in 1964. After traveling in the United States on a fellowship,

Girardin, �mile De

2005-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of Count Alexandre de Girardin by the wife of a Parisian lawyer, he took his father's name upon the publication of his first work, an autobiographical novel �mile (1827). In 1828 he founded his

Saint Catherine's

2005-01-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

Greek Orthodox monastery situated on Mount Sinai more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level in a narrow valley north of Mount Musa in the Sinai peninsula. Often incorrectly called the Sinai Independent Greek Orthodox Church, the monastic foundation is the smallest of the autonomous churches that together constitute the Eastern Orthodox church. The abbot of the monastery,

Housatonic River

2004-12-31T07:55:00.000-08:00

River in southwestern New England, rising in the Berkshire Hills, near Pittsfield, Mass., U.S. It flows southward for 148 miles (238 km) through Massachusetts past Pittsfield, Lee, and Great Barrington; and then through Connecticut past New Milford, Derby, and Shelton to enter Long Island Sound, 4 miles (6 km) east of Bridgeport. Several hydroelectric plants utilize the river's drop

Aristaeus

2004-12-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

Greek divinity whose worship was widespread but concerning whom myths are somewhat obscure. The name is derived from the Greek aristos, �best.� According to the generally accepted account, Aristaeus, son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, was born in Libya but later went to Thebes, where he received instruction from the Muses in the arts of healing and prophecy and became

Pauling, Linus

2004-12-29T03:36:00.000-08:00

In full �Linus Carl Pauling� American chemist who applied quantum mechanics to the study of molecular structures, particularly in connection with chemical bonding. Pauling received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1962 (the latter in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the international control of nuclear weapons and his

Probability Theory, Bayes's theorem

2004-12-27T03:10:00.000-08:00

Consider now the defining relation (4) for the conditional probability P(An|B), where the Ai are mutually exclusive and their union is the entire sample space. Substitution of P(An)P(B|An) in the numerator of (4) and substitution of the right-hand side of the law of total probability in the denominator yields a result known as Bayes's theorem (after the 18th-century English clergyman Thomas Bayes)

Swartberg

2004-12-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Swartberge, � mountain range in Western Cape province, South Africa, extending east-west for 150 mi (240 km) from near the town of Willowmore to the edge of the Witteberge, roughly parallel with the Indian Ocean coast. The Swartberg is the barrier dividing the semiarid Great Karoo (north) and Little Karoo (south) plateaus. Highest elevations range from between 5,500 and 7,500 ft (1,650 and 2,300 m). Small reservoirs

Balochi

2004-12-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

The original

Aethelred

2004-12-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

He succeeded his brother Wulfhere (q.v.) in 674 and early on spent most of his time in warfare. In 676 he ravished Kent, taking Rochester. In 679, in a battle on the banks of the Trent, he defeated the Northumbrians, taking the province of Lindsey. Aelfwine, the brother

Aethelred

2004-12-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Arts, Central Asian, Buddhist morality plays

2004-12-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

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

Tsukuba Science City

2004-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

Tsukuba Science City was developed in the 1970s and 1980s to stimulate scientific discovery.

Beja�

2004-12-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Bougie, � town, Mediterranean port, northeastern Algeria. The town lies at the mouth of the Wadi Soummam. Sheltered by Mount Gouraya (2,165 feet [660 m]) and Cape Carbon, it receives an annual average rainfall of 40 inches (1,000 mm) and is surrounded by a fertile plain. The older town, built on the mountain slope, descends to the French-built sector spread along the road to Algiers and containing the business

Ryedale

2004-12-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of North Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England, named for a small dale and river draining into the Vale of Pickering. This predominantly rural district is the largest in North Yorkshire. It includes the Vale of Pickering and the ring of highlands that enclose it: the Hambleton and Howardian hills, the escarpment of the Yorkshire

Ryedale

2004-12-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mufti

2004-12-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Mufti, � an Islamic legal authority who gives a formal legal opinion (fatwa) in answer to an inquiry by a private individual or judge. A fatwa usually requires knowledge of the Qur'an and Hadith (narratives concerning the Prophet's life and sayings), as well as knowledge of exegesis and collected precedents, and might be a pronouncement on some problematic legal matter. Under the Ottoman

Hardecanute

2004-12-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Son of King Canute and Emma, daughter of Richard I, duke of Normandy, Hardecanute was made king of Denmark by Canute in 1028. On Canute's death in 1035, a party led by Emma and Godwine, earl of Wessex, wished to elect Hardecanute king of England, but Leofric, earl of Mercia, with

World War I, The war at sea, 1914 - 15

2004-12-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

In August 1914 Great Britain, with 29 capital ships ready and 13 under construction, and Germany, with 18 and nine, were the two great rival sea powers. Neither of them at first wanted a direct confrontation: the British were chiefly concerned with the protection of their trade routes; the Germans hoped that mines and submarine attacks would gradually destroy Great Britain's numerical

Alexander

2004-12-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Alexander was crowned co-emperor with his brother Leo VI in 879 after the death of their elder brother, Constantine, but he remained inactive in state affairs until after Leo's

All-fours

2004-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Each player is dealt six cards, three at a time. The top card of the remaining pack is then exposed to establish

Qala'un Mosque

2004-12-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Qalawun� building complex, including a mausoleum, a madrasah, and a hospital, built in 1283 - 85 on the site of present-day Cairo by the fifth Mamluk sultan, Qala'un. The hospital, now in ruins, was one of the most remarkable buildings of the Mamluk era. The mausoleum and madrasah both open from a central corridor. The madrasah has a unique three-part basilica-like eyvan, or vaulted niche, on the richly

Fu-ch'un River

2004-12-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

The westerly

Philip

2004-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

When the Roman emperor Augustus adjusted Herod's will, Philip was assigned to the region east of the Sea of Galilee, in modern northern Israel, Lebanon, and southern Syria. In AD 6, he may have joined in charging his half brother with misgoverning Judaea,

Wessel Islands

2004-12-09T03:04:00.000-08:00

Chain of small islands extending 75 miles (120 km) northeast from the Napier Peninsula in northeastern Northern Territory, Australia, into the Arafura Sea. Named for a Dutch ship that explored the area in 1636, the islands form the western gate to the Gulf of Carpentaria at Cape Wessel, their northern extremity. Marchinbar, the largest island (30 miles by 7 miles [48 km by 11 km]), has undeveloped