LowPot

Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services, including estate agent london and estate agent central london. Their centrally located ground floor offices, minutes from Oxford Circus offer an ideal marketing base for your property.

Roubiliac, Louis-françois

2005-03-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Roubiliac was apprenticed to a sculptor of ivory and porcelain, Balthasar Permoser, and later became assistant to Nicolas Coustou, a French Baroque sculptor. He moved to London about 1732. His first independent commission was a statue of Handel for Vauxhall Gardens in 1737. A year

Earth, Measurement of the field

2005-03-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

Magnetic fields can be measured in various ways. The simplest measurement technique still employed today involves the use of the compass, a device consisting of a permanently magnetized needle that is balanced to pivot in the horizontal plane. In the presence of a magnetic field and in the absence of gravity, a magnetized needle aligns itself exactly along the

Offenbach

2005-03-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

In full Offenbach Am Main, city, Hesse Land (state), west-central Germany, a river port (coal and oil) on the left bank of the canalized Main. First mentioned in 977, it was part of the imperial forest of Dreieich, and a mint was established there in 1407. Acquired by Count (later prince) von Isenburg-Birstein in 1486, it began its prosperity with an influx of Huguenot craftsmen in 1698–1703. Annexed to Hesse in 1816, it grew steadily

Madison

2005-03-13T00:27:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Lake county, southeastern South Dakota, U.S. It began in 1873 as a trading post for gold-seeking pioneers and was named Madison because its interlake setting resembled that of Madison, Wis. It was relocated 4 miles (6 km) west to its present site when it merged with Herman Village. Dakota State University was founded there in 1881 as General Beadle State Teachers College.

Finland, Settlement patterns

2005-03-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Increased industrialization in Finland has steadily raised the proportion of the population living in urban areas; by the late 20th century about three-fifths of the total population lived in cities and towns. Farms are most commonly located in the meadowland regions of the southwest, where the fertile land is suitable for mixed farming. In the north farmers usually

World War Ii, Yalta

2005-03-08T09:57:00.000-08:00

Roosevelt's last meeting with Stalin and Churchill took place at Yalta, in the Crimea, Feb. 4–11, 1945. The conference is chiefly remembered for its treatment of the Polish problem: the western Allied leaders, abandoning their support of the Polish government in London, agreed that the Lublin committee—already recognized as the provisional government of Poland by the Soviet

Furniture, Renaissance and later

2005-03-06T05:41:00.000-08:00

(Italy): George Leland Hunter, Italian Furniture and Interiors, 2 vol. (1918), mostly illustrations; William M. Odom, A History of Italian Furniture from the 4th to the Early 19th Centuries, 2 vol. (1918–19). (Spain): Arthur Byne and Mildred Stapley, Spanish Interiors and Furniture (1921), profusely illustrated with scale drawings and photographs. (Germany): Heinrich Kreisel, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, 2 vol. (1968–70), thorough, illustrated history of German furniture. (France): Pierre Verlet, Le Mobilier royal français, 2 vol. (1945–55); Les Meubles français du XVIIIe siecle, 2 vol. (1956), a learned treatise on French furniture. (England and the colonies): Percy Macquoeo and Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture from the Middle Ages to the Late Georgian Period, 2nd ed., 3 vol. (1954), documented survey of English and American furniture; Ralph Fastenedge, English Furniture Styles from 1500 to 1830 (1962), an excellent elementary introduction to the study of English furniture; Anthony Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture (1968), illustrated study of Chippendale and his contemporaries; Clifford Musgrave, Adam and Hepplewhite and Other NeoClassical Furniture (1966), written by one of the best informed students of the Neoclassical English style of furniture; Charles F. Montgomery, American Furniture (1966), a survey of Federal period furniture. See also Berry B. Tracy, The Federal Furniture and Decorative Arts at Boscobel (1981); Charles Santore, The Windsor Style in America (1981); John T. Kirk, American Furniture and the British Tradition to 1830 (1983).

Douglass, Frederick

2005-03-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

Separated as an infant from his slave mother

China, Mineral resources

2005-03-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

China is well endowed with mineral resources, the most important of which is coal. Although deposits are widely scattered (some coal is found in every province), most of the total is located in the northern part of the country. The province of Shansi, in fact, is thought to contain about half of the total; other important coal-bearing provinces include Heilungkiang, Liaoning,

Soria

2005-03-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

Province, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile-León, north-central Spain. Formed from part of Old Castile in 1833, it has an area of 3,972 square miles (10,287 square km). The terrain is varied: to the north are the Moncayo and Urbión mountain ranges; in the centre, around Soria city, the provincial capital, is a flat plain watered by the Duero (Portuguese: Douro) River; and

Pan-germanism

2005-02-27T00:36:00.000-08:00

German Pangermanismus or Alldeutschtum movement whose goal was the political unification of all people speaking German or a Germanic language. Some of its adherents favoured the unification of only the German-speaking people of central and eastern Europe and the Low Countries (Dutch and Flemish being regarded as Germanic dialects). The movement had its roots in the desire for German unification stimulated

Arts, East Asian, Architecture

2005-02-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

While little remains except walls and tombs, much can be learned about Han architecture from historical writings and long descriptive poems, fu. This was an era of great palace buildings. The first Ch'in emperor undertook the building of a vast palace, the A-fang or O-pang, whose main hall was intended to accommodate 10,000 guests in its upper story. He also copied the palaces

Turgenev, Nikolay Ivanovich

2005-02-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Born into the middle class, Turgenev was one of a number of Russian youths infected by the liberal spirit that emerged in Europe after the French

John Hyrcanus I

2005-02-21T01:54:00.000-08:00

Hyrcanus was the youngest son of Simon

Mu'tazilah

2005-02-19T03:59:00.000-08:00

The name first appears in early Islamic history in the dispute over 'Ali's leadership of the Muslim community after the murder of the third caliph, 'Uthman (656). Those who would neither

Bellay, Guillaume Du, Seigneur (lord) De Langey

2005-02-16T05:37:00.000-08:00

The eldest of six brothers of a noble Angevin family, du Bellay was educated at the Sorbonne. He fought in Flanders and in Italy and was eventually, with Francis I, taken prisoner by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V's troops

Calendar Of 2003

2005-02-14T02:44:00.000-08:00

Djibouti's ambassador to Ethiopia announces that Djibouti plans to expel more than 100,000 illegal immigrants, which amounts to about 15% of the

Kazerun

2005-02-13T02:49:00.000-08:00

The ruins of the ancient city of Bishapur (or Shahpur), which are situated 12 miles (19 km) north, have Sasanid (c. AD 224–651) bas-reliefs

Mammal, Natural history

2005-02-10T03:51:00.000-08:00

The hallmarks of the mammalian level of organization are advanced reproduction and parental care, behavioral flexibility, and endothermy (the physiological maintenance of a relatively constant body temperature independent of that of the environment, allowing a high level of activity). Within the class, ecological diversity has resulted from adaptive specialization

Argentina

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

Carlos Menem's 10-year tenure as Argentine president ended on Dec. 10, 1999. Menem was constitutionally prohibited from seeking reelection; nevertheless, he spent the first half of 1999 attempting to clear the constitutional and political obstacles preventing him from seeking a third term. Menem was driven primarily by a desire to maintain control of his Justicialist Party

Wells

2005-02-04T01:43:00.000-08:00

City, Mendip district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the foot of the Mendip Hills. The name derives from the many springs rising near the cathedral, which was begun in the 12th century and dominates the city. In general, Wells has been little affected by modern industry and growth. It remains a modest service centre, its Market Place and shopping

Korsakoff Syndrome

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

Also called Korsakoff psychosis , or Korsakoff disease neurological disorder characterized by severe amnesia (memory loss). Many cases result from severe chronic alcoholism, while others are due to a variety of brain disorders, severe head injury, or a thiamine deficiency. Patients with Korsakoff syndrome typically are unable to remember events in the recent or even the immediate past, and some can store information

Bacchanalia

2005-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Dionysia, in GrecoRoman religion, any of the several festivals of Bacchus (Dionysus), the wine god. They probably originated as rites of fertility gods. The most famous of the Greek Dionysia were in Attica and included the Little, or Rustic, Dionysia, characterized by simple, oldfashioned rites; the Lenaea, which included a festal procession and dramatic performances; the Anthesteria,

Frederick Iii (or Ii)

2005-01-29T05:53:00.000-08:00

Appointed regent of Sicily by his brother, James II of Aragon, in 1291, Frederick was elected king by the Sicilian parliament (Dec. 11, 1295), to prevent the island's return to the rule of the Angevin Charles II of Naples; he was crowned on March 25, 1296. To revive the Ghibelline

Water Hemlock

2005-01-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Any of about 10 species of poisonous plants of the genus Cicuta, in the parsley family (Apiaceae), common throughout the North Temperate Zone. In Europe, Cicuta virosa is the commonly known species. It is a tall perennial herb that grows in marshy areas and is deadly poisonous. The water hemlock best known in North America is C. maculata, also known as cowbane, musquash

Nadelman, Elie

2005-01-25T02:58:00.000-08:00

Nadelman left home at age 19 and, after briefly attending the Warsaw Art Academy, spent six months in Munich, Germany, studying the city's art collection. In 1904 he moved to Paris,

Ba

2005-01-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

In ancient Egyptian religion, with ka and akh, a principal aspect of the soul; the ba appears in bird form, thus expressing the mobility of the soul after death. Originally written with the sign of the jabiru bird, and thought to be an attribute of only the god-king, the ba was later represented by a man-headed hawk, often depicted hovering over the mummies of king and populace

Abdülhamid I

2005-01-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ottoman sultan from 1774 to 1789 who concluded the war with Russia by signing the humiliating Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. By the terms of the treaty, Russia obtained the fortresses on the coast of the Sea of Azov, the area between the Dnieper and Bug rivers, and navigation and commercial privileges in the Ottoman Empire. Bukovina was ceded to Austria in 1775. Russia annexed

Espino, Héctor

2005-01-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

Espino started playing in the outfield but switched

France, History Of, Culture and learning

2005-01-17T03:13:00.000-08:00

Literacy and elementary learning became more widespread. The courtly tastes of the 12th century, while not obliterated, were overtaken by a more flexible and ironic sensibility evident in vernacular ballads, fables, satires, and moralizing literature, most popular in the northern towns. The burgher or knight began to take a keen interest in the tangible world about

Hennig, Willi

2005-01-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

According to this school of thought, taxonomic classifications should reflect exclusively, so far as possible, genealogical relationships. In effect, organisms would be grouped strictly on the

Gottlieb, Adolph

2005-01-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Early in the 1940s Gottlieb developed

Seshego

2005-01-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Town, Northern province, South Africa. It lies directly northwest of Pietersburg. Until 1974 Seshego was the capital of the nonindependent black state of Lebowa, which was abolished in 1994. The town's industries produce food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, wearing apparel, leather goods, wood and wood products, fabricated metal products, machinery, and equipment. Many of Seshego's

Rajasthan, Education and welfare

2005-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

There are a number of educational establishments in Rajasthan, including state-run universities at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Ajmer; the Open University at Kota; and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani. There are several state hospitals and dispensaries. There also are many Ayurvedic, Unani (a medicinal system using prescribed herbs and shrubs), and

Prichard, James Cowles

2005-01-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

Prichard received his early education at Bristol and early acquired knowledge of European

Kuala Lumpur

2005-01-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

Capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central West (Peninsular) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the federation's largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity

Don Pacifico Affair

2005-01-01T04:09:00.000-08:00

David Pacifico (known as Don Pacifico) was a Portuguese Jew who, having been born in Gibraltar in 1784, was a British subject. After serving as Portuguese consul in Morocco (1835–37) and then as consul-general in Greece, he settled in Athens as a merchant. In

Howard, Oliver O.

2004-12-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (1854), Howard resigned his regular army commission at the beginning of the war to become colonel of a Maine volunteer regiment. He was

Rashi

2004-12-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

Acronym of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi renowned medieval French commentator on the Bible and Talmud (the authoritative Jewish compendium of law, lore, and commentary). Rashi combined the two basic methods of interpretation, literal and nonliteral, in his influential Bible commentary. His commentary on the Talmud was a landmark in Talmudic exegesis, and his work still serves

Güira De Melena

2004-12-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern La Habana province, west central Cuba. It lies amid a fertile agricultural and livestock-raising region known primarily for tobacco, although potatoes and bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits are also cultivated. The dairy industry is well developed, and the city contains cigar factories. Pop. (1985 est.) 25,246.

Da Lat

2004-12-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

Municipality, southern Vietnam, northeast of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). On a lake on the Lam Vien Plateau at 4,920 feet (1,500 m) above sea level, it sits among pine-covered hills with picturesque waterfalls nearby. Founded in the 19th century and named for the Da (now Cam Ly) River, which traverses the town, and the Lat population, it was developed by the French as a hill station (resort),

Hadrian

2004-12-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Adrian , Latin in full Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus , original name (until AD 117) Publius Aelius Hadrianus Roman emperor (AD 117–138), the emperor Trajan's nephew and successor, who was a cultivated admirer of Greek civilization and who unified and consolidated Rome's vast empire.

Dog, Ailments

2004-12-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Fleas and ticks are sources of irritation and disease in every climate of the world (with the possible exception of the Arctic). Regular bathing and grooming helps to keep these and other external parasites under control. Treatment of the animal and its environment are essential to eliminate these pests. In some areas this is a yearlong process, whereas in other climates

Ashur

2004-12-18T07:25:00.000-08:00

The site was originally occupied about 2500 BC by a tribe that probably

Beyer-garratt

2004-12-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

Type of steam locomotive characterized by tremendous hauling capacity and light axle loads. This British-built locomotive had two articulated pivoting chassis, each with its own wheels, cylinders, and water tanks. These chassis supported a girder frame that carried a boiler, cab, and the fuel supply. The Beyer-Garratt was particularly well-suited for rail lines

Navas De Tolosa, Battle Of Las

2004-12-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

Immobilized for several years by his crushing defeat at Alarcos (1195) at the hands

Lahn River

2004-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

River, a right-bank tributary of the Rhine River, rising on the Jagd Berg (2,218 feet [676 m]), a summit of the Rothaar Hills in western Germany. The river, which is 152 miles (245 km) long, first flows eastward and then southward to Giessen, before turning southwestward and, with a winding course, reaching the Rhine at Lahnstein. Small barges are able to navigate to Giessen on the partly canalized

Hawrani, Akram Al-

2004-12-11T03:06:00.000-08:00

Hawrani's radical orientation had its roots in direct personal experience rather than in intellectual reflection. He resented the large landlords' exploitation of the Syrian peasantry and strove to rouse

Bruce, Michael

2004-12-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

Bruce's parents gave him a good education, and he attended four winter sessions at the University of Edinburgh. In 1766 he wrote his last and finest poem, “Elegy Written in Spring.” His reputation

Affair Of The Diamond Necklace

2004-12-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Affair of the Necklace scandal at the court of Louis XVI in 1785 that discredited the French monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution. It began as an intrigue on the part of an adventuress, the comtesse (countess) de La Motte, to procure, supposedly for Queen Marie-Antoinette but in reality for herself and her associates, a diamond necklace worth 1,600,000 livres. The necklace was the property of the Parisian

Sporades

2004-12-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, lying northeast of Euboea (Évvoia) island, including Skíathos, Skópelos, Skyros, and Alónnisos, as well as neighbouring islets. In antiquity these were known as the Thessalian, or Northern, Sporades, while the Thracian, or Eastern, Sporades included the now-Turkish island of Imroz (Greek Imvros), Samothrace, Thasos, Lemnos, and Áyios

Waiau River

2004-12-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

Formerly Waiau-ua, or Dillon, river in eastern South Island, New Zealand. It rises in the Spenser Mountains and flows south and east for 105 miles (169 km) to enter the Pacific Ocean, 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Cheviot. Its generally hilly drainage basin, 1,270 square miles (3,290 square km) in area, borders the Canterbury Plains to the south. Towns in the river's valley, including Waiau and Parnassus, are market centres for the

Mühlhausen

2004-12-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Mühlhausen in Thüringen city, Thuringia Land (state), central Germany, on the Unstrut River, in the Thüringer Becken (Thuringian Basin). Originally a Germanic village and later a Frankish settlement, it was first documented in 775. It was granted royal privileges and was where Philip of Swabia was elected German king in 1198. Created a free imperial city after 1256, it joined the Hanseatic League c. 1420. After the

Wapiti

2004-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

Also called American Elk (species Cervus canadensis), North American deer, family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), considered by some authorities to be of the same species as the red deer (C. elaphus) of Eurasia. Once common over most of North America, the elk now is confined to the Rocky Mountains and southern Canada. The second largest living deer, it is exceeded

Witches' Sabbath

2004-11-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Nocturnal gathering of witches, a colourful and intriguing part of the lore surrounding them in Christian European tradition. The concept dates from the mid-14th century when it first appeared in Inquisition records, although revels and feasts mentioned by such classical authors as the Romans Apuleius and Petronius Arbiter may have served as inspiration. The

Berberova, Nina

2004-11-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

Berberova left the Soviet Union in 1922 and lived in Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Italy as part of Maksim Gorky's entourage before settling in Paris in 1925. While living in Europe she served as coeditor of the literary

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Paul to the Galatians

2004-11-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

Paul's Letter to the Galatians is a forceful and passionate letter dealing with a very specific question: the relation of Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the church, the problem of justification through faith not works of the Law, and freedom in Christ. Paul probably wrote from Ephesus c. 53–54 to a church he had founded in the territory of Galatia in Asia

Korea Cold Current, North

2004-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Surface oceanic current flowing southward east of Korea near Vladivostok, Russia. The North Korea Cold Current forms a small counterclockwise gyre in the Sea of Japan.

Russia, Transportation

2004-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Russia's vast size and the great distances that often separate sources of raw materials and foodstuffs from consuming areas place a heavy burden on the transport system. One result has been the continuing dominance of the railways, which account for about 90 percent of the country's freight turnover (60 percent if pipelines are included) and half of all passenger movement.

False Bay

2004-11-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Valsbaai, bay on the south side of Cape Peninsula, South Africa, 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Cape Town. Cape Hangklip (east) and Cape Point (west) are about 20 mi apart. Its name refers to the fact that early sailors confused the bay with Table Bay to the north. It is well sheltered, though experiencing southeasterly winds in summer; and its waters are approximately 10° F (5.5° C) warmer than those of Table

China, Pei (Northern) Sung (9601127)

2004-11-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Pei Sung (also known simply as the Sung) was the last major Chinese dynasty to be founded by a coup d'état. Its founder, Chao K'uang-yin (known by his temple name, T'ai-tsu), the commander of the capital area of K'ai-feng and inspector general of the Imperial forces, usurped the throne from the Hou Chou, the last of the Wu-tai.

'aflaq, Michel

2004-11-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

'Aflaq first saw nationalism as centring upon the issue of imperialism; he especially resented the French, who after World War I (1914–18) held a mandate over Syria and Lebanon. In 1929–34, however, he studied at the University

Soga Umako

2004-11-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

A leader of the Soga family of Japan, who was responsible for the destruction of the powerful Mononobe and Nakatomi clans and the ascendancy of the Soga to a position of supreme power. Umako was instrumental in introducing Buddhism into Japan. His influence helped spur the introduction of Chinese cultural, bureaucratic, and administrative

Melchizedek

2004-11-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Melchisedech, in the Old Testament, a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both king and priest, was connected with Jerusalem, and was revered by Abraham, who paid a tithe to him. He appears as a person only in an interpolated vignette (Gen. 14:18–20) of the story of Abraham rescuing his kidnapped nephew, Lot, by defeating a coalition of Mesopotamian kings under

Ab Ovo

2004-11-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

In literature, the practice of beginning a poetic narrative at the earliest possible chronological point. The Latin poet and critic Horace approvingly notes in Ars poetica that Homer does not begin a tale of the Trojan War with the twin egg from which Helen was born but rather in the middle of events.

Aesthetics

2004-11-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

Many attempts have been made to develop a specifically Marxist aesthetics, one that would incorporate the Marxian theory of history and class consciousness and the critique of bourgeois ideology, so as to generate principles of analysis and evaluation and show the place of art in the theory and practice of revolution. William Morris in En-gland and Georgy V. Plekhanov

Beilby, Sir George Thomas

2004-11-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of

Hydroid

2004-11-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Any member of the invertebrate order Hydroida (class Hydrozoa, phylum Cnidaria). Hydroids have three basic life-cycle stages: (1) a tiny free-swimming planula larva about 1 mm (0.04 inch) long, which settles and grows into (2) a sessile (attached), usually colonial hydroid stage, which in turn liberates (3) medusae. This cycle is exemplified by the genus Obelia (q.v.), whose members are widely

Baltic States, Climate

2004-10-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

Over most of the region, annual rainfall varies between 22 and 28 inches (550 and 700 millimetres) and generally increases from the coastal zone to the upland districts of the interior. The prevailing temperatures are moderate by the standards of European Russia and in general improve from north to south and from east to west across the Baltic region. January mean temperatures

Aseret Yeme Teshuva

2004-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

English Ten Days of Penitence the first 10 days of the Jewish religious year. See yamim nora'im.

Andrews, Charles Mclean

2004-10-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

After teaching at various American universities, Andrews was professor of American history at Yale University from 1910 to 1931. Well started on his important guides to colonial materials in English archives before he went

Biblical Literature, Zephaniah

2004-10-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

The Book of Zephaniah, the ninth book of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets, is written in three chapters. Composed by the prophet Zephaniah in the latter part of the 7th century BCE, the book is an attack against corruption of worship in Judah, probably before the great Deuteronomic reform took place. Zephaniah attacked the religious syncretism that had become established, especially

Space Perception

2004-10-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Human beings have been interested in the perception of objects in space at least since the question

Gur-e Amir

2004-10-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Mausoleum in Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan, of the 14th-century Mongol conqueror Timur, or Tamerlane. Though it has suffered from time and earthquakes, it is still sumptuous. It consists of a chapel crowned with a dome, enclosed by a wall, and fronted by an archway. The interior walls are covered with elegant turquoise arabesques and inscriptions in gold.

Chibcha

2004-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Also called Muisca, South American Indians who at the time of the Spanish conquest occupied the high valleys surrounding the modern cities of Bogotá and Tunja in Colombia. With a population of more than 500,000, they were notable for being more centralized politically than any other South American people outside the Inca empire. Numerous small districts, each with its own chief, had been consolidated

Allston, Washington

2004-10-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Painter and author, commonly held to be the first important American Romantic painter. Allston is known for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his use of light and atmospheric colour. Although his production was small, it shaped future American landscape

Great Depression

2004-10-13T01:55:00.000-07:00

Worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world, sparking fundamental changes in economic institutions, macroeconomic policy, and economic theory. Although it originated in the United States, the Great Depression caused drastic declines in

Atlantic City

2004-10-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Resort city, Atlantic county, southeastern New Jersey, U.S., on the Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the low, narrow, sandy, 10-mile- (16-km) long Absecon Island, which is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait and several miles of meadows partly covered with water at high tide. The area was inhabited by Delaware Indians before English settlers arrived in the late 1670s. Development

Soga Iruka

2004-10-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

In 587, after defeating the rival Mononobe clan, the Soga family completely dominated the imperial court. Soga Umako, Iruka's grandfather, was content to remain in the background

Oscillograph

2004-10-08T03:23:00.000-07:00

Instrument for indicating and recording time-varying electrical quantities, such as current and voltage. The two basic forms of the instrument in common use are the electromagnetic oscillograph and the cathode-ray oscillograph; the latter is also known as a cathode-ray oscilloscope (q.v.), which, strictly speaking, is purely an indicating instrument, while the oscillograph

Adams, William Taylor

2004-10-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Although he never graduated from college, Adams was a teacher and principal in Boston elementary schools for more than 20 years. Under the pen name Oliver Optic, he wrote

Holbein Rug

2004-10-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

Cambric

2004-10-02T03:15:00.000-07:00

Lightweight, closely woven, plain cotton cloth first made in Cambrai, France, and originally a fine linen fabric. Printed cambric was used in London by 1595 for bands, cuffs, and ruffs. Modern cambric is made from choice American or Egyptian cotton, with both warp and weft, or filling, yarns ranging from 60 to 80 in size (count), and is usually lightly calendered to produce a slight gloss

Arrow, Kenneth J.

2004-09-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

In full Kenneth Joseph Arrow American economist known for his contributions to welfare economics and to general economic equilibrium theory. He was cowinner (with Sir John R. Hicks) of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1972. Perhaps his most startling thesis (built on elementary mathematics) was the “impossibility theorem” (or “Arrow's theorem”), which holds that, under certain

Gamaliel I

2004-09-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

According to tradition—but not historic fact—Gamaliel succeeded his father, Simon, and his grandfather, the renowned sage Hillel (to whose school of thought he belonged), as nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court.

Constant

2004-09-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

A number, value, or object that has a fixed magnitude, physically or abstractly, as a part of a specific operation or discussion. In mathematics the term refers to a quantity (often represented by a symbol—e.g., p, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) that does not change in a certain discussion or operation, or to a variable that can assume only one value. In logic

Hughes, Thomas

2004-09-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hughes attended Rugby School from 1834 to 1842. His love for the great Rugby headmaster Thomas Arnold and for games and boyish high spirits are admirably captured in the novel Tom Brown's School Days (1857). The book's success—it ran into nearly 50 editions

Permafrost

2004-09-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Arthur H. Lachenbruch, Mechanics of Thermal Contraction Cracks and Ice-Wedge Polygons in Permafrost (1962), is a classic paper on the quantitative interpretation of the formation of ice-wedge polygons in permafrost. Troy L. Péwé, Richard E. Church, and Marvin J. Andresen, Origin and Paleoclimatic Significance of Large-Scale Patterned Ground in the Donnelly Dome Area, Alaska (1969), discusses the origin of ice-wedge casts and relict permafrost in central Alaska and offers paleoclimatic interpretations. R. Dale Guthrie, Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe (1990), discusses fossil carcasses of Ice Age mammals preserved in permafrost. Troy L. Péwé, Geologic Hazards of the Fairbanks Area, Alaska (1982), a highly illustrated work, contains an up-to-date presentation of the greatest geologic hazard to life in polar areas: problems posed by seasonally and perennially frozen ground. G.H. Johnston (ed.), Permafrost: Engineering Design and Construction (1981), is a comprehensive book on construction problems in permafrost areas, with examples mainly from northern Canada. Troy L. Péwé, “Permafrost,” in George A. Kiersch et al. (eds.), The Heritage of Engineering Geology: The First Hundred Years (1991), pp. 277–298, provides an up-to-date, well-illustrated treatment of the origin, distribution, and ice content of permafrost and of engineering problems in permafrost regions.

Bharhut

2004-09-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

The stupa was probably begun in the time

Pyrenees

2004-09-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

Spanish Pirineos , French Pyrénées , Catalan Pireneus mountain chain of southwestern Europe that consists of flat-topped massifs and folded linear ranges. It stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The Pyrenees form a high wall between France and Spain that has played a significant role in the history of both countries and of Europe as a whole.

Abbas, Mahmoud

2004-09-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

After months of intense international pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was installed as Palestinian prime minister on April 30, 2003. As a condition for pursuing their road map to peace, the quartet (U.S., European Union, Russia, and UN) had insisted on the appointment of a prime minister with wide powers in a move to circumvent Palestinian Pres. Yasir Arafat, who

Orange Bowl

2004-09-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

The game was first played in 1933 to attract winter tourists to Florida a month

Scabious

2004-09-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Also called Scabiosa (genus Scabiosa), any of about 100 species of annual and perennial herbs of the teasel family, Dipsacaceae, order Dipsacales. They are native to temperate Eurasia, the Mediterranean region, and the mountains of eastern Africa. Some are important garden plants. All species have basal leaf rosettes and leafy stems. The flower heads have many crowded, small,

Hesse-kassel

2004-09-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

In 1567 Hesse was partitioned among four sons of Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous, Hesse-Kassel going to William IV the Wise. Hesse-Kassel was the largest, most important, and most northerly of the four Hesse landgraviates. The landgrave William IV introduced sound financial management and a pacific

Nageire

2004-09-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

(Japanese: “thrown in”), in Japanese floral art, the style of arranging that stresses fresh and spontaneous designs adhering only loosely to the classical principles of triangular structure and colour harmony. A single long branch with shorter branches and flowers at the base arranged in a tall upright vase are characteristic of the nageire style. Nageire was originally

Rabi, Isidor Isaac

2004-09-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Rabi's parents settled in New York City in 1899. After earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry at Cornell University in 1919, Rabi switched

Dubuffet, Jean(-philippe-arthur)

2004-09-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

After World War II, as one of

Gujarat, Education

2004-08-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

Primary schools for all children between the ages of 7 and 11 have been opened in nearly all villages with 500 or more inhabitants. Special schools are run for tribal children and for the teaching of arts and crafts. There are many secondary schools, as well as nine universities and a large number of institutions for higher education. Technical education is provided by engineering

Agunah

2004-08-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hebrew 'aguna (“deserted woman”) , plural agunahs, 'agunot , or agunoth in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, a woman who is presumed to be widowed but who cannot remarry because evidence of her husband's death does not satisfy legal requirements. The plight of the agunah has generated voluminous and complex treatment in Halakhic literature. Although religious courts are not empowered to grant remarriage without indisputable