CertainPocket

Triathlon

2005-04-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

The sport debuted in San Diego, California, on September 25, 1974, when a race organized by local athletes Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan was dubbed a triathlon. The event

Haderslev

2005-04-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

City, Sønderjylland amtskommune (county commune), southeastern Jutland, Denmark. It lies along Haderslev Fjord 9 miles (14 km) from the Little Belt (strait). First recorded in 1228 and chartered in 1292, it suffered in the 15th-century wars between Schleswig (Slesvig) and Holstein and passed to Prussia with Schleswig in 1864. It was returned to Denmark with North Schleswig by a plebiscite in

Essene

2005-04-05T00:56:00.000-07:00

The Essenes

Wurlitzer Family

2005-04-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Rudolph Wurlitzer (b. Jan. 30, 1831, Schöneck, Saxony [Germany]—d. Jan. 14, 1914, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), emigrated to the United States in 1853, settling in Cincinnati. He began dealing in musical instruments, which had been the traditional family business since the time of lute-maker Heinrich Wurlitzer (1595–1656). By 1861 he was no longer able to fill all

Cambon, Jules

2005-04-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Educated in law, Cambon entered the prefectorial administration after service in the Franco-German War (1870–71). In June 1878 he was

Indole

2005-04-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Indole, first isolated in 1866, has the molecular formula C8H7N, and

Turtle

2005-04-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

One-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David Bushnell (q.v.) in 1775 for use against British warships. The pear-shaped vessel, made of oak reinforced with iron bands, measured about 2.3 m (7.5 feet) long by 1.8 m (6 feet) wide. It was equipped with a mine that was to be attached to the hull of an enemy ship. In 1776, in New York harbour, the Turtle tried

Backgammon

2005-04-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

Precursors of backgammon

Ashcroft, Dame Peggy

2005-03-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Michael Billington, Peggy Ashcroft (1988).

Burgess, Ernest Watson

2005-03-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Burgess received his B.A. (1908) from Kingfisher College (Oklahoma) and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1913). He taught at the Universities of Toledo (Ohio) and Kansas and at Ohio State University before beginning a long career at the University

Adam, Robert

2005-03-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

Toward the end of his life, Adam built the Register House (1772–92), Edinburgh, in which he

Gazelle Peninsula

2005-03-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Peninsula extending northeast from the island of New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, southwestern Pacific. It is about 50 miles (80 km) wide but tapers to 20 miles (32 km) at the isthmus joining it to the main part of the island. From coastal plains its surface rises as high as 7,999 feet (2,438 m) at Mount Sinewit of the central Baining Mountains. The area is actively volcanic (Mount

Obasanjo, Olusegun

2005-03-28T04:24:00.000-08:00

On March 1, 1999, retired general Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the winner of the presidential election in Nigeria after 16 years of military dictatorships. Less than a year earlier, Obasanjo had been serving a 15-year jail term, having been imprisoned in 1995 for his outspoken views of Gen. Sani Abacha's repressive regime. Following Abacha's unexpected death in June 1998, Obasanjo was

Corbie Step

2005-03-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

Also called crow step stone used for covering any of the steps or indentations in the coping (uppermost, covering course) of a gable; the term is also applied to the step itself. Corbie steps were common in late medieval buildings of the Netherlands and Belgium and occurred frequently in 15th-century Scottish architecture. They also appear in some 15th-century English houses, such as Oxburgh

China, The YunnanKweichow highland region

2005-03-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

This region comprises the northern part of Yunnan and the western part of Kweichow; its edge is highly dissected. Yunnan is more distinctly a plateau and contains larger areas of rolling uplands than Kweichow, but both parts are distinguished by canyon-like valleys and precipitous mountains. The highest elevations lie in the west, where Mt. Tieh-chi'ang rises to 12,080 feet.

Balance Beam

2005-03-25T02:36:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics apparatus used in women's competition. It is a wooden beam 5 metres (16.4 feet) long, 10 cm (4 inches) wide, and raised 125 cm (4.1 feet) from the floor. The performer begins the exercise by mounting the beam by either a vault or a jump and executes movements that must include steps, running, jumps, turns, sitting positions, and some held, or posed, positions. The duration of the exercise

Spring Of Khosrow Carpet

2005-03-25T01:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Winter of Khosrow Carpet ancient Persian carpet, possibly the most costly and magnificent of all time, made for the Ctesiphon palace of the Sasanian king Khosrow I (reigned AD 531–579). Described in the historical annals of the Muslim scholar at-Tabari, it became the model for subsequent Garden carpets. The carpet was called the Spring of Khosrow because it represented, in silk, gold, silver, and jewels, the splendour

Alvensleben-erxleben, Gustav, Graf Von (count Of)

2005-03-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

As a member of the Prussian general staff (1847–58), Alvensleben participated in the suppression of the revolution of 1849 in Baden and was named chief of staff for the troops that remained in occupation. In 1854 he

Andamanese Language

2005-03-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Language spoken by the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands. The number of speakers of the language has been steadily decreasing. Andamanese dialects are usually classified into northern, central, and southern groups, with the southern dialects being the most archaic. The dialect of Little Andaman island is the southernmost of the Andamanese dialects and

Allan, Sir Hugh

2005-03-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

Allan emigrated to Canada in 1826 and in 1831 began work for a shipbuilding company in Montreal. By 1839 he was a senior partner, and by 1853 he and his brother

Län

2005-03-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Administrative subdivision (county) of Sweden; see landskap.

Avoidance Behaviour

2005-03-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

Type of activity seen in animals exposed to adverse stimuli, in which the tendency to act defensively is stronger than the tendency to attack. The underlying implication that a single neural mechanism is involved (such as a specific part of the brain, which, under electrical stimulation, seems to inflict punishment) remains only a hypothesis. Clearly, the same kinds

Fighter Aircraft

2005-03-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

Aircraft designed primarily to secure control of essential airspace by destroying enemy aircraft in combat. The opposition may consist of fighters of equal capability or of bombers carrying protective armament. For such purposes fighters must be capable of the highest possible performance in order to be able to outfly and outmaneuver opposing fighters. Above

Nalchik

2005-03-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nalcik, city and capital of Kabardino-Balkariya, southwestern Russia. The city lies along the Nalchik River where the latter leaves the Caucasian foothills. Founded as a Russian fortress in 1818, the town remained unimportant until after the October Revolution (1917). Now it is a popular holiday, climbing, and health resort, with several sanatoriums. There is considerable industry,

Traditional Ceramics

2005-03-19T02:38:00.000-08:00

Ceramic materials that are derived from common, naturally occurring raw materials such as clay minerals and quartz sand. Through industrial processes that have been practiced in some form for centuries, these materials are made into such familiar products as china tableware, clay brick and tile, industrial abrasives and refractory linings, and portland cement.

Likin

2005-03-18T23:33:00.000-08:00

The tax originated in 1853 in the central Chinese province of Kiangsu as a method of financing troops to aid in suppressing the great Taiping Rebellion (1850–64). With the great volume of trade carried on in China

July Revolution

2005-03-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

French Révolution De Juillet, also called July Days (1830), insurrection that brought Louis-Philippe to the throne of France. The revolution was precipitated by Charles X's publication (July 26) of restrictive ordinances contrary to the spirit of the Charter of 1814. Protests and demonstrations were followed by three days of fighting (July 27–29), the abdication of Charles X (August 2), and the proclamation of Louis-Philippe as “king of the

Pinchot, Gifford

2005-03-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Pinchot graduated from Yale in 1889 and studied at the National Forestry School in Nancy, France, and in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Upon his return home in 1892, he began the first systematic forestry work in the United States at Biltmore, the estate of George W. Vanderbilt,

Fustat Ware

2005-03-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

In Islamic ceramics, style of pottery originating from al-Fustat (now part of Cairo), where, however, many deposits of imported ware have also been found. Its characteristic qualities are poorish white glaze and excellent lustre pigment varying from lemon to intense copper in colour. Some important pieces are incised and covered with transparent glaze.

Mahal, Taj

2005-03-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

Taj Mahal (the name came to him in a dream) grew up in a musical family. His father, of Jamaican background, was a jazz

Lance

2005-03-16T02:17:00.000-08:00

The combination of lance and stirrup gave the armoured knights of the European

Price-mars, Jean

2005-03-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Among his ethnological writings is Ainsi parla l'oncle (1928; new ed., 1954; “Thus Spoke the Uncle”), a collection of essays

Hyderabad

2005-03-15T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hyderabad was founded by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda, under whom the kingdom of Golconda attained a position of importance second only to that of the Mughal Empire in the north. The old fortress town of Golconda had proved inadequate as the kingdom's capital, and so

Tetricus, Gaius Pius Esuvius

2005-03-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

He was a Gallic noble related to the usurping ruler of Gaul, Victorinus, and to Victorinus' mother, Victoria. Upon the murder of Victorinus, Tetricus, who was governor of Aquitania, was proclaimed emperor, apparently backed by the influence and money of Victoria. During his short and nominal reign, the monetary inflation

Dingelstedt, Franz Ferdinand, Freiherr Von (count Of)

2005-03-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

A member of the liberal Young Germany movement, Dingelstedt wrote political satires against the German princes, notably Die Neuen Argonauten (1839; “The New Argonauts”) and a collection of satirical poems, Lieder eines Kosmopolitischen

Biblical Literature, The Psalms of Solomon

2005-03-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Other Jewish apocalypses or books containing eschatological elements did not deal with the mysteries of celestial worlds but rather with the political aspect of apocalyptic thought and with the last days and the messianic age. This latter theme is one of the important motifs of the Psalms of Solomon, a book written originally in Hebrew; only the Greek translation

Earth, Marine magnetics

2005-03-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

The most convincing evidence supporting the concept of seafloor spreading comes from the study of the magnetism of the ocean floor. For a number of years, measurements have been made in the oceans of the total intensity of the magnetic field of the Earth using instruments called magnetometers, which are generally towed behind ships (see above). These measurements

Shih Ta-k'ai

2005-03-12T22:47:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Shi Dakai one of the leaders of the Taiping Rebellion, the widespread uprising that gripped South China between 1850 and 1864. The most literate of the Taipings, Shih was an avowed enemy of the alien Ch'ing (Manchu) rulers of China. In the early part of the 20th century, he came to be revered as a hero of the Chinese nationalist

Dieback

2005-03-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

Common symptom or name of disease, especially of woody plants, characterized by progressive death of twigs, branches, shoots, or roots, starting at the tips. Staghead is a slow dieback of the upper branches of a tree; the dead, leafless limbs superficially resemble a stag's head. Dieback and staghead are caused by many fungi and a few bacteria that produce cankers, anthracnose,

Goshawk

2005-03-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

Any of the more powerful accipiters, or true hawks (i.e., belonging to the genus Accipiter), primarily short-winged, forest-dwelling bird catchers, of which the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is best known. Originally called “goose hawk,” perhaps because of its size and its finely barred gray plumage, this bird reaches about 60 centimetres (2 feet) in length with a 1.3-m (4.3-ft) wingspread.

Ludwig, Carl F.w.

2005-03-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

A professor of physiology at the universities of Marburg (1846–49), Zürich (1849–55), Vienna (1855–65), and Leipzig (1865–95), Ludwig is best known for his study of the cardiovascular system. He invented (1847) a device known as a kymograph to record changes in arterial blood

Gwandu

2005-03-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Originally settled by the Kebbawa, a subgroup of the Hausa people, the town was named for the surrounding gandu (“royal farmlands”) that formerly belonged to Muhammadu Kanta, who founded the Kebbi kingdom in the 16th century. Although Fulani

Durg

2005-03-10T04:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly Drug city, central Chhattisgarh state, central India, just east of the Seonath River, part of the Durg–Bhilai Nagar urban agglomeration. The city is an agricultural market and is heavily engaged in milling rice and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan). Its name is derived from the Hindi term durga (“fort”); there are remains of an ancient fortress used by the Marathas as a base of operations in subjugating

Gath

2005-03-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

The records of Sargon II of Assyria show that he took it in 712 BC. Gath was evidently a place of importance,

Earth, Dipolar field

2005-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

The magnetic field lines shown in the diagram are not real entities although they are frequently treated as such. A magnetic field is a continuous function that exists at every point in space. A field line is simply a means for visualizing the direction of this field. It is defined as a curve in three dimensions that is everywhere tangential to the local magnetic field.

Polder

2005-03-09T02:01:00.000-08:00

Tract of lowland reclaimed from a body of water, often the sea, by the construction of dikes roughly parallel to the shoreline, followed by drainage of the area between the dikes and the natural coastline. Where the land surface is above low-tide level, the water may be drained off through tide gates, which discharge water into the sea at low tide and automatically close

Caucasian Languages, Svan

2005-03-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Svan language (self-designation: lušnu nin), also unwritten, is located south of Mount Elbrus, in the high valleys of the upper Tskhenis-Tskali and its tributary Kheledula and in the valleys of the upper Inguri River. There are four fairly distinct dialects: Upper and Lower Bal in the Inguri region, and Lashkh and Lentekh in the Tskhenis-Tskali region. Georgian and Russian

Guadalcanal

2005-03-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Largest island of the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. With an area of some 2,047 square miles (5,302 square km), it is of volcanic origin with a mountainous spine (Kavo Range) that culminates in Mount Makarakomburu (8,028 feet [2,447 m]), the highest point in the country. Many short, rapid streams, including the Mataniko, Lunga, and Tenaru, tumble from the wooded mountains to the coast,

Tarapacá

2005-03-07T01:22:00.000-08:00

Northernmost region, Chile, bordering Peru and Bolivia on the north and east and fronting the Pacific Ocean on the west. Tarapacá was ceded to Chile by Peru after the War of the Pacific (1879–83) and was organized as a province (area 22,820 sq mi [59,104 sq km]) in 1884, and as a region in 1974. It is divided into the provinces of Arica, Parinacota, and Iquique. Part of the Atacama Desert, it is without water except

India Rubber Plant

2005-03-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

Young plants available in the florist's trade are durable

Blok, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2005-03-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Born into a sheltered, intellectual environment,

Ziguinchor

2005-03-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

River-port town, southwestern Senegal, lying along the Casamance River. Ziguinchor has long been known and visited by European mariners. In 1457 the Venetian navigator Alvise Ca' da Mosto (Cadamosto), envoy of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, reconnoitred the harbour. In 1886 the Portuguese ceded Ziguinchor to the French. The town's industries include a peanut- (groundnut-)

Forbes, Steve

2005-03-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

Forbes graduated from Princeton University in 1970 with a B.A. degree in American history. He then went to work as a researcher for Forbes magazine, which was headed by his father, Malcolm S. Forbes, Sr. In 1973 he began writing a column for the

Horace

2005-03-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Latin in full Quintus Horatius Flaccus outstanding Latin lyric poet and satirist under the emperor Augustus. The most frequent themes of his Odes and verse Epistles are love, friendship, philosophy, and the art of poetry.

Romains, Jules

2005-03-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Romains studied science and philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. After teaching philosophy

Breisach

2005-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

In full Breisach Am Rhein, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine opposite Neuf-Brisach, Fr. As ancient Brisiacum, it was a stronghold of the Celtic Sequani. Captured in the time of Julius Caesar, it became known as Mons Brisiacus. Fortified by the emperor Valentinian in 369, it remained one of the chief Rhine bulwarks of medieval Germany and gave its

Polding, John Bede

2005-03-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Polding joined the Benedictine Order in 1811 and was ordained priest in 1819. Consecrated bishop, he arrived at Sydney in 1835. There he divided his territory into missionary districts and swiftly provided them with priests, churches, and

Lancisi, Giovanni Maria

2005-03-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Lancisi graduated in medicine from the University of Rome at age 18. He was appointed physician to Pope Innocent XI in 1688 and subsequently was physician to Popes Innocent XII and Clement XI. Lancisi's monographs on influenza, cattle plague (rinderpest), and

Welhaven, Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer

2005-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Welhaven began the study of theology but dropped it. He earned

Dielectric

2005-03-02T01:42:00.000-08:00

Insulating material or a very poor conductor of electric current. When dielectrics are placed in an electric field, practically no current flows in them because, unlike metals, they have no loosely bound, or free, electrons that may drift through the material. Instead, electric polarization occurs. The positive charges within the dielectric are displaced minutely

Marzuq

2005-03-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Murzuk, oasis, southwestern Libya. It lies on the northern edge of the Sahra' Marzuq (“Sea of Sand”). An ancient assembly place for caravans to Lake Chad and the Niger River, it was the traditional capital of the Fezzan province (16th–19th century) and a centre of the Arab slave and arms trade. Once called the “Paris of the Desert,” it was a base for Saharan explorers, including Frederick Hornemann

Roman Script

2005-02-28T23:56:00.000-08:00

Also called Antiqua Script, Italian Lettera Antica, in calligraphy, script based upon the clear, orderly Carolingian writing that Italian humanists mistook for the ancient Roman script used at the time of Cicero (1st century BC). They used the term roman to distinguish this supposedly classical style from black-letter and national hands. It was upon the model of antica, or roman, scripts that Renaissance scribes evolved

Italy, Famine, war, and plague (134080)

2005-02-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

Italy's thriving economy was shortly to meet severe challenges. Among these, first, were famines, which affected most of Italy in the years 1339–40, 1346–47, 1352–53, and 1374–75, and to these catastrophes were added a general expansion and intensification of war. The 13th century saw the diffusion of the crossbow, whose bolt far surpassed the arrow of the longbow in its power to penetrate. The crossbow

Holbein Rug

2005-02-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

A different series, probably made in another area, have fields subdivided into rectangular panels, each

Biblical Literature, Early versions

2005-02-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Even with all these witnesses, there remain problems in the Greek text. These include variants about which there is no settled opinion and some few words for which no accurate meaning can be found because they occur only once in the New Testament and not in prior Greek works. Very early translations of the New Testament made as it spread into the non-Greek-speaking

Dayton

2005-02-27T01:03:00.000-08:00

Following the peace treaty with the Shawnee

Leafhopper

2005-02-26T03:42:00.000-08:00

Any of the small, slender, often beautifully coloured and marked sap-sucking insects of the large family Cicadellidae (Jassidae) of the order Homoptera. They are found on almost all types of plants; however, individual species are host specific. Although a single leafhopper does no damage to a plant, collectively they can be serious economic pests. Their

Acts Of The Apostles, The

2005-02-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation Acts, fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by the Evangelist Luke, whose gospel concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christ's Ascension into heaven. Acts was apparently written in Rome, perhaps between AD 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier date is also possible. After an introductory

Biblical Literature, The Alexandrian canon

2005-02-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament as it has come down in Greek translation from the Jews of Alexandria via the Christian Church differs in many respects from the Hebrew Scriptures. The books of the second and third divisions have been redistributed and arranged according to categories of literature—history, poetry, wisdom, and prophecy. Esther and Daniel contain supplementary

Argentina, Plant and animal life

2005-02-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

Argentina's fauna and flora vary widely from the country's mountainous zones to its dry and humid plains and its subpolar regions. In heavily settled regions the makeup of animal and plant life has been profoundly modified.

Encarnación

2005-02-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

Formerly Itapúa city, southeastern Paraguay. The city was founded in 1614 on the west bank of the Upper Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Arg., to which it is linked by a bridge completed in 1987. Severely damaged by a tornado in 1926, it is now one of the largest cities of Paraguay and a busy commercial, manufacturing, and communications centre. The city is divided into two sectors: the High (old) City and the

Heir

2005-02-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

One who succeeds to the property of a person dying without a will or who is legally entitled to succeed by right of descent or relationship. In most jurisdictions, statutes of descent determine transfer of title to property if there is no will naming the legatee. In English common law, originally an heir was one who inherited real estate; next of kin inherited personal

Ahmed, Fakhruddin Ali

2005-02-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

The son of an army doctor from Assam, Ahmed was educated in India and studied history at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 1927. After returning to India, he was elected to the Assam legislature (1935). As Assam's minister of finance and revenue in 1938, he was responsible for some radical taxation measures.

Higgs Particle

2005-02-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Higgs field is different from other fundamental fields, such

Ramcaritmanas

2005-02-22T22:50:00.000-08:00

(“Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama”), version, written in a dialect of Hindi, of the Sanskrit epic poem the Ramayana, one of the masterpieces of medieval Hindu literature and a work with significant influence on modern Hinduism. Written in the 16th century by the poet Tulsidas (q.v.), the poem is distinguished both by its great expression of love for a personal god and by its exemplification

Waco

2005-02-22T01:36:00.000-08:00

After the American Civil War Waco became a river-bridge crossing on cattle trails; later its economy was based almost exclusively on cotton,

Mauritania

2005-02-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

Officially Islamic Republic of Mauritania , Arabic Muritaniya , or al-Jumhuriyah al-Islamiyah al-Muritaniyah , French Mauritanie , or République Islamique de Mauritanie state in northwestern Africa. With an area of 398,000 square miles (1,030,700 square kilometres), it has the shape of an indented rectangle measuring about 930 miles (1,500 kilometres) from north to south and about 680 miles from east to west. It is bordered to the northwest by the Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara), to the northeast by Algeria, to the east and southeast by Mali, and to the southwest

Power, Tyrone (edmund)

2005-02-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Power's Irish great-grandfather and namesake, Tyrone (1795–1841), was a popular actor and comedian; his granduncle Maurice (d. 1849), a Shakespearean actor; and his father, Frederick Tyrone (1869–1931), an actor on stage and in Hollywood. Before Power's Broadway debut in 1935 in Romeo and Juliet,

Coraciiform

2005-02-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Also called rollerlike bird any member of the order Coraciiformes, including the kingfishers, todies, motmots, bee-eaters, rollers, hoopoes (see photograph), and hornbills (see photograph). Among the members of the order that have attracted special attention are certain kingfishers that plunge headfirst into water for fish and are associated with classical

Berg, Alban

2005-02-20T03:34:00.000-08:00

Apart from a few short musical trips abroad and annual summer sojourns in the Austrian Alps, Berg's life was spent in the city of his birth. At first, the romantically inclined youth

Congo

2005-02-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of the Congo, French République du Congo, country lying astride the Equator in west-central Africa. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to the northwest by Cameroon, to the north by the Central African Republic, and to the east and south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To the southwest it shares a border with the Angolan enclave of Cabinda; the republic also has a coastline 100 miles (160 kilometres) long on the

Protein, Others

2005-02-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

The most thoroughly investigated scleroprotein has been fibroin, the insoluble material of silk. The raw silk comprising the cocoon of the silkworm consists of two proteins. One, sericin, is soluble in hot water; the other, fibroin, is not. The amino acid composition of the latter differs from that of all other proteins. It contains large amounts of glycine, alanine, tyrosine,

Eclipsing Variable Star

2005-02-18T02:55:00.000-08:00

Pair of stars revolving about their common centre of mass in an orbit whose plane passes through or very near the Earth. An observer on the Earth thus sees one member of the binary pass periodically over the face of the other and diminish its light through an eclipse. The star Algol was the first recognized as an eclipsing binary, by John Goodricke, in 1782. Several thousand

Fielden, John

2005-02-18T02:05:00.000-08:00

On his father's death in 1811, Fielden and his brothers inherited the family cotton-spinning business at Todmorden, which became one of the greatest manufacturing concerns in Great Britain. Unlike most mill

Mcpherson

2005-02-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1873) of McPherson county, central Kansas, U.S. Laid out in 1872 on the Santa Fe Trail, it was named for James B. McPherson, a Union general killed in the American Civil War. The city is now a processing and shipping point for nearby oil fields and the surrounding diversified agricultural area. Industries include oil refining, flour milling, and the manufacture of aluminum

Ahmad Khan, Sir Sayyid

2005-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Sayyid also spelled Syad, or Syed, Ahmad also spelled Ahmed Muslim educator, jurist, and author, founder of the Anglo-Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, and the principal motivating force behind the revival of Indian Islam in the late 19th century. His works, in Urdu, include Essays on the Life of Mohammed (1870) and commentaries on the Bible and on the Qur'an. In 1888 he was made a Knight Commander

Disbarment

2005-02-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

Grounds for disbarment vary considerably from country to country, but, in general, conviction of an attorney for a major crime or a

Haliburton, Thomas Chandler

2005-02-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

Haliburton was admitted to the bar in 1820 and, as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly (1826–29), led

General Italian Confederation Of Labour

2005-02-14T02:54:00.000-08:00

Italian Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL), Italy's largest trade-union federation. It was organized in Rome in 1944 as a nationwide labour federation to replace the dissolved Fascist syndicates. Its founders, who included communists, social democrats, and Christian Democrats, intended it to be the sole labour federation in Italy and to be generally independent of political parties. Within three years, however,

Clothing

2005-02-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Clothes, garments for the human body. See dress.

Malaysia, Sabah

2005-02-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

Sabah (North Borneo) was the last region to be brought under British control. In the early 1700s Brunei transferred its claims over much of Sabah to the sultan of Sulu, but, except in the northeast, actual Sulu power remained limited. Occasional resistance to Brunei or Sulu influence, as well as extensive coastal raiding and confusion of suzerainty, invited Western interest

Naha

2005-02-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

City and capital, Okinawa ken (prefecture), Japan. It lies on southwestern Okinawa Island, which is one of the Ryukyu Islands. Long the chief city of the archipelago, it contains the Sogen Temple, burial place of the rulers of the early Okinawa kingdom. The Shurei Gate is a fine example of Ryukyuan architecture. Naha was the seat of the post-World War II U.S. military and Okinawan

Florida

2005-02-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

The geographic location of Florida has been the key factor in a long and colourful development, and it helps explain the striking contemporary character of the state. The

Christian Catholic Church

2005-02-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

Conservative American Christian sect founded in Chicago in 1896 by John Alexander Dowie. A Congregational minister from Australia, Dowie became interested in faith healing and established a tabernacle and “healing rooms” in Chicago, where he attracted a large following. With many of his followers Dowie established an exclusive Christian community in nearby Zion

Poland, Partitions Of

2005-02-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

The First Partition occurred after Russia became involved in a war against the Ottoman Turks (1768) and won such impressive victories, particularly in the Danubian principalities,

Puerperal Fever

2005-02-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

Also called childbed fever infection of some part of the female reproductive organs following childbirth or abortion. Cases of fever of 100.4° F (38° C) and higher during the first 10 days following delivery or miscarriage are notifiable to the civil authority in most developed countries, and the notifying physician clarifies the diagnosis later, if possible. Puerperal infection is most commonly of

Obi Islands

2005-02-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Ombi Islands, group of the northern Moluccas, Maluku provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. They lie south of the island of Halmahera, north of the island of Ceram, and east of the Sula Islands. The principal island of the group is Obi Island, 52 miles (84 km) long and 28 miles (47 km) wide, which contains the only major village, Laiwui, located on the northeastern coast opposite Bisa Island. Obi Island is mountainous,

Property Law, Public nuisance

2005-02-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American law the concept of public nuisance serves as a bridge between the private law of nuisance and the avowedly public law of zoning and eminent domain. The concept of public nuisance is closest to that of private nuisance in situations in which a public officer, acting on behalf of the community, brings suit to abate a nuisance that differs from a private

Norske Folkeeventyr

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

Interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. The NAACP was created in 1909 by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White

Qabis

2005-02-08T02:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gabès, Latin Tacapa, town, southeastern Tunisia. The town is located at the mouth of the Qabis River, which has its source 6 miles (10 km) upstream at the Ras al-Oued (springs), the town's main water source. Situated on a Mediterranean oasis along the Gulf of Gabes, Qabis was founded as the Roman trading centre of Tacapa. Declining somewhat under Turkish rule, it experienced a modest revival during the