PoliticalBee

La Tuque

2005-03-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Town, Mauricie–Bois-Francs region, southern Quebec province, Canada, situated on the Saint-Maurice River. During the French regime, the site was occupied by a trading post of the Company of New France. The original lumbering settlement of 1908 was named for a rock on the river's edge that was shaped like a tuque, the woolen headgear that was worn by early French trappers. The

Bhagirathi River

2005-03-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

River in West Bengal state, northeastern India, forming the western boundary of the Ganges (Ganga) Delta. A distributary of the Ganges, it leaves that river just northeast of Jangipur, flows south, and joins the Jalangi at Nabadwip to form the Hooghly River after a total course of 120 miles (190 km). Until the 16th century, when the Ganges shifted eastward to the Padma, the Bhagirathi formed

Davies, Marion

2005-03-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

Marion's father, Bernard J. Douras, was a lawyer who would serve as New York City magistrate from 1918 to 1930. Her three older sisters—Reine, Ethel, and Rose—also became actors, and, like Reine, Marion used

Boston, Continuous park system

2005-03-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

When the Back Bay was nearing completion during the 1880s, the American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) developed an imaginative and large-scale design for the city's parks. It linked the Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue with Franklin Park in West Roxbury by way of an open park known as the Fenway, which followed the Muddy River off to Brookline

France, History Of, The partitioning of the Carolingian empire

2005-03-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

After the death of Louis I the Pious (840), his sons continued their plotting to alter the succession. Louis II the German and Charles II the Bald affirmed their alliance against Lothair I (Oath of Strasbourg, 842).

Amyot, Jacques

2005-03-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

Amyot was educated at the University of Paris and at Bourges, where he became professor of Latin and Greek

Tsvet, Mikhail Semyonovich

2005-03-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

Tsvet studied in Geneva, Switz., receiving his doctorate in 1896, and in 1901 he received a degree from the

Visconti, Luchino

2005-03-05T00:51:00.000-08:00

In full Don Luchino Visconti, Conte (count) Di Modrone Italian motion-picture director whose realistic treatment of individuals caught in the conflicts of modern society contributed significantly to the post-World War II revolution in Italian filmmaking and earned him the title of father of Neorealism. He also established himself as an innovative theatrical and opera director in the years

Karakoram Highway

2005-03-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

The highway was a joint Pakistani and Chinese project and required

Kodiak Bear

2005-02-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

(Ursus arctos middendorffi), variety of grizzly bear found on Kodiak Island, off the coast of Alaska. It is the largest of living land carnivores. See grizzly bear.

Winterthur

2005-02-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

City, Zürich canton, northern Switzerland. It lies in a wooded basin east of the Töss River, northeast of Zürich city. The Roman settlement of Vitodurum was on the site of the city's northeastern suburb of Ober-Winterthur. Winterthur was founded about 1175 by the counts of Kyburg, who granted it a charter with extensive privileges. It was inherited in 1264 by the Habsburgs, who sold

Baranovichi

2005-02-24T01:57:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Baranovici, town, Brest oblast (province), Belarus, on the southern edge of the Novogrudok Hills. It developed from a small village in the late 19th century into a major railway junction, with lines to Moscow, Warsaw, and other eastern European centres. It has cotton, food-processing, and machine construction industries. Pop. (1991 est.) 166,700.

Halberstadt

2005-02-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

City, Saxony-Anhalt Land (state), central Germany, on the Holtemme River in the foreland of the northern Harz mountains, southwest of Magdeburg. It became a bishopric about 814 and was granted market rights in 989. It was one of the most important German trading cities in the 13th–14th century. The bishopric was suppressed and the town granted to Brandenburg by the Peace of Westphalia

Nicaea, Council Of

2005-02-21T02:53:00.000-08:00

(787), the seventh ecumenical council of the Christian church, meeting in Nicaea (now Iznik, Tur.). It attempted to resolve the Iconoclastic Controversy, initiated in 726 when Emperor Leo III issued a decree against the worship of icons. The council declared that icons deserved reverence and veneration but not adoration. Convoked by the patriarch Tarasius, the council was attended

Shadwell, Thomas

2005-02-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

Educated at Cambridge and at the Middle Temple, London, after the Restoration (1660) Shadwell became one of the court wits and an acquaintance of Sir Robert Howard and his brother, Edward, both of whom he satirized in The Sullen

Alcmaeon

2005-02-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alcmeon Greek philosopher and physiologist of the academy at Croton (now Crotona, southern Italy), the first person recorded to have practiced dissection of human bodies for research purposes. He may also have been the first to attempt vivisection. Alcmaeon inferred that the brain was the centre of intelligence and that the soul was the source of life. Applying

Leakey, Mary Douglas

2005-02-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

As a girl she exhibited a natural talent for drawing and was interested in archaeology. After undergoing sporadic

Fisher, Andrew

2005-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Fisher emigrated from England to Queensland in 1885, worked as a coal miner and union leader, and was elected to the state legislature in 1893. In 1901 he served in the

China

2005-02-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Officially People's Republic of China, Chinese (Wade-Giles) Chung-hua or Chung-hua Jen-min Kung-ho-kuo, (Pinyin) Zhonghua or Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo country of East Asia. It is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of any country in the world. Occupying nearly the entire East Asian landmass, it stretches for about 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from east to west and 3,400 miles from north to south and covers an area of about 3,696,100 square miles (9,572,900 square km), which is approximately one-fourteenth of the land area of the Earth.

Belasco, David

2005-02-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

As a child actor, Belasco appeared with Charles Kean in Richard III and later played in stock companies touring the mining camps. During

Flocculation

2005-02-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

In physical chemistry, separation of solid particles from a liquid to form loose aggregations or soft flakes. These flocculates are easily disrupted, being held together only by a force analogous to the surface tension of a liquid. In industrial processes, flocculation may be a desired or an undesirable phenomenon, and various methods may be used to cause or eliminate

Avunculate

2005-02-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

Special relationship between a man and his sister's children, particularly her sons, which prevails in many societies, notably those characterized by matrilineal descent. The term is derived from the Latin avunculus, meaning “uncle.” It typically involves for the uncle a measure of authority over his nephews, coupled with specific responsibilities in their upbringing,

Poland, Partitions Of

2005-02-03T22:20:00.000-08:00

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,

Pilaster

2005-02-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

In Greco-Roman Classical architecture, shallow rectangular column that projects slightly beyond the wall into which it is built and conforms precisely to the order or style of the adjacent columns. The anta of ancient Greece was the direct ancestor of the Roman pilaster. The anta, however, which served a structural purpose as the terminus of the sidewall of a temple,

Yan Liben

2005-01-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Yan was a high official within the imperial court, but his fame derives from his skill as a painter. He is recorded as having painted Buddhist and Daoist subjects and as having received various imperial commissions; but among the extant works attributed to him, the most important

Egyptian Religion

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

The king was the centre of human society, the guarantor of order for the gods, the recipient of god-given benefits including life itself, and the benevolent ruler of the world for humanity. He was ultimately responsible for the cults of the dead, both for his predecessors in office and for the dead in general. His dominance in religion corresponded to his central political

Canadian High

2005-01-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Alaskan high large atmospheric high-pressure centre produced by the extremely low winter temperatures over northwestern Canada. Its cold, dense air does not extend above 3 km (2 miles). The high's location east of the Canadian Rockies shelters it from the relatively warm Pacific Ocean and helps it maintain its identity. Its average January sea level pressure is 1,020 millibars (30.12 inches

Dacier, André

2005-01-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

Dacier studied at Saumur with the Humanist Tanneguy Lefèbvre, whose daughter Anne he married in 1683. He was made keeper of the library of the Louvre and, elected to the French Academy in 1695, became

Anchovy

2005-01-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous schooling saltwater fishes of the family Engraulidae (order Clupeiformes) related to the herring and distinguished by a large mouth, almost always extending behind the eye, and by a pointed snout. Most of the more than 100 species live in shallow tropical or warm temperate seas, where they often enter brackish water around river mouths.

Austen, Jane

2005-01-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. Austen created the comedy of manners of middle-class life in the England of her time in such novels as Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), and Northanger

Vihara

2005-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer's life. They took on a sacred character when small stupas (housing sacred relics) and images

Pai-ch'eng

2005-01-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Pai-ch'eng was first established as a county seat, called Ching-an, in 1904; it remained a place of

Jansch, Bert

2005-01-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Influenced by American folk-blues performers such as Big Bill Broonzy, Jansch was part of the folk scene in Edinburgh,

Sobibor

2005-01-13T22:30:00.000-08:00

Sobibor was one of the three Operation Reinhard camps established after the Wannsee

Rabaut, Paul

2005-01-11T01:10:00.000-08:00

At age 16 Rabaut met Jean Bétrine, an itinerant preacher of the French Reformed Church, who was highly unpopular with the Roman Catholic government. Rabaut's consequent theological training, which led to his certification

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-01-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, d'Alembert began an active social life and frequented well-known salons, where he acquired a considerable reputation as a witty conversationalist and mimic. Like his fellow Philosophes—those thinkers, writers, and scientists who believed in the sovereignty of reason and nature (as opposed to authority and revelation) and rebelled against old dogmas

Beagle

2005-01-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

HMS Beagle (the third of nine vessels to bear this name) was launched on May 11, 1820, at Woolwich, the

Beamon, Bob

2005-01-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

Beamon began jumping at Jamaica High School (Long Island, New York) and attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College (Greensboro), the University of Texas

Arts, Central Asian, Neolithic and Metal Age cultures

2005-01-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Many Neolithic (New Stone Age) sites were discovered in what was formerly Soviet Central Asia, and the number of Bronze Age sites is even higher. The majority were found on the middle reaches of the Yenisey River, especially in the Minusinsk Basin, where metallurgy developed early. They testify to the existence of three main, basically successive, yet often overlapping

Ribbonfish

2005-01-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of deep-sea, marine fishes constituting the family Trachipteridae (order Lampridiformes). The family contains three genera: Trachipteras, Desmodema, and Zu. These slender-bodied fishes occur in all the major oceans. The name ribbonfish comes from the long, stringlike dorsal fin that originates behind the head and waves like a ribbon as the fish

Italy, The revolutions of 1848

2005-01-06T01:04:00.000-08:00

The first of the revolutions of 1848 erupted in Palermo on January 9. Starting as a popular insurrection, it soon took on overtones of Sicilian separatism and spread throughout the island. Piecemeal reforms proved inadequate to satisfy the revolutionaries, both noble and bourgeois, who were determined to have a new and more liberal constitution. Ferdinand II of the Kingdom

Dacite

2005-01-05T03:21:00.000-08:00

Volcanic rock that may be considered a quartz-bearing variety of andesite. Dacite is primarily associated with andesite and trachyte and forms lava flows, dikes, and sometimes massive intrusions in the centres of old volcanoes. Like andesite, dacite consists mostly of plagioclase feldspar with biotite, hornblende, augite, or enstatite and generally has a porphyritic

Jussieu, Antoine-laurent De

2005-01-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

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

Ben-gurion, David

2005-01-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

Zionist statesman and political leader, the first prime minister (1948–53, 1955–63) and defense minister (1948–53; 1955–63) of Israel. It was Ben-Gurion who, on May 14, 1948, at Tel Aviv, delivered Israel's declaration of independence. His charismatic personality won him the adoration of the masses, and, after his retirement

Trinidad And Tobago

2005-01-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

The nation's new coalition government

Dhrupad

2004-12-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

The classical dhrupad, heavy and majestic in style, required great breath control. It was used in praise

Mutanabbi, Al-

2004-12-29T04:45:00.000-08:00

Al-Mutanabbi was the son of a water carrier who claimed noble and ancient southern Arabian descent. Owing

House Sparrow

2004-12-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

Also called English Sparrow (Passer domesticus), one of the world's best-known and most abundant small birds, sometimes classified in the family Ploceidae (q.v.; order Passeriformes) or separated as Passeridae. It lives in towns and on farms, worldwide, having accompanied Europeans from its original home—most of Eurasia and northern Africa. It was introduced into North America

Nation, The

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

The Nation under Godkin was an eloquent and increasingly influential voice against Reconstruction excesses, graft

Obsidian

2004-12-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

Natural glass of volcanic origin that is formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava. Obsidian is extremely rich in silica (about 35 to 80 percent), is low in water, and has a chemical composition similar to rhyolite. Obsidian has a glassy lustre and is slightly harder than window glass. Though obsidian is typically jet-black in colour, the presence of hematite (iron oxide) produces

Alexander

2004-12-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

Alexander carried on the hopeless struggle of the crown against the growing power of the Polish senate and nobles, who deprived him of financial control and curtailed his prerogative. For want of funds, Alexander was unable to assist the Grand Master

Scandinavian Literature

2004-12-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

The literature of Scandinavia and, in particular, of Iceland has reflected two extraordinary features of the social and cultural history of pagan Europe and of Iceland. The way in which names such as Siegfried, Brunhild, and Attila cropped up again and again in different European literatures has borne witness to the dissemination of legends and traditions common

Sorrento

2004-12-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

Latin Surrentum, town and archiepiscopal see, Napoli provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy. It lies on a peninsula separating the Bay of Naples, which it faces, from the Gulf of Salerno, south-southeast of Naples. The backbone of the peninsula is formed by the Lattari Mountains, which culminate in Mount Sant'Angelo (4,734 feet [1,443 m]). Probably of Greek origin, the town was the ancient Surrentum,

Cartimandua

2004-12-22T04:09:00.000-08:00

After concluding a treaty with the emperor Claudius early in his conquest of Britain, which began in AD 43, Cartimandua was faced with a series of revolts by anti-Roman elements among her subjects. In 48, Roman forces intervened for the first

District Of Columbia, University Of The

2004-12-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Washington, D.C., U.S. It is the only public institution of higher education in the district, and it was the first exclusively urban land-grant university. There are three campuses—the Georgia/Harvard Street campus, the Mount Vernon Square campus, and the Van Ness campus. The university consists of the University

Nördlingen, Battle Of

2004-12-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

Led

Manala

2004-12-18T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Finnish underworld and related concepts among other Finno-Ugric peoples, such as the yabme-aimo of the Sami, are the

Gaur

2004-12-18T02:28:00.000-08:00

(Bos gaurus), one of several species of wild cattle, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). The gaur lives in small herds in the mountain forests of India, Southeast Asia, and the Malay Peninsula. Larger than any other wild cattle, it attains a shoulder height of 1.8 m (6 feet) or more. It is heavy-bodied and typically blue-eyed and has curving horns, a high ridge on the forepart

Anderson, Sherwood

2004-12-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

Author who strongly influenced American writing between World Wars I and II, particularly the technique of the short story. His writing had an impact on such notable writers as Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, both of whom owe the first publication of their books to his efforts. His prose style, based on everyday speech

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

2004-12-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

A period of preparation preceded the initiation in each of the mysteries. In the Isis religion, for example, a period of 11 days of fasting, including abstinence from meat, wine, and sexual activity, was required before the ceremony. The candidates were segregated from the common folk in special apartments in the holy precinct of the community centre; they were called

Johannesburg

2004-12-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

One of the youngest of the world's major cities, Johannesburg was founded in 1886, following the discovery of gold. The city was initially part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner, or Boer, republic that later became one of the four provinces of South Africa. Today the

Bouira

2004-12-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

The surrounding region is encompassed by the ranges and valleys of the Tell Atlas. Although it

Athena

2004-12-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Athene in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva (q.v.). She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess and was later taken over by the Greeks. Yet the Greek economy, unlike that

Kwanzaa

2004-12-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

, also spelled Kwanza adaptation of an African harvest festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1. It was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of black studies at California State University in Long Beach, who added an additional “a” to the end of the name to distinguish it from the African festival. Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also come to be

Alexander I

2004-12-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

The second son of Peter Karadjordjevic (Karageorgevic, or Karaðorðevici)—king of Serbia 1903–18 and king

Stearyl Alcohol

2004-12-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Also called 1-octadecanol, or Octadecyl Alcohol, waxy solid alcohol formerly obtained from whale or dolphin oil and used as a lubricant and antifoam agent and to retard evaporation of water from reservoirs. It is now manufactured by chemical reduction of stearic acid.

Allen, Paula Gunn

2004-12-09T03:07:00.000-08:00

Allen's father was Lebanese American, and her mother was part Laguna-Sioux. She left college to marry, divorced in 1962, and returned for further education. She studied English literature (B.A., 1966) and creative writing (M.F.A., 1968) at the University

Cloots, Jean-baptiste Du Val-de-grâce, Baron De

2004-12-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Born into a noble Prussian family of Dutch origin, Cloots went to Paris in 1776 and took part in the compilation of Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie. He left France in 1784, traveled throughout Europe, and returned to

Productivity

2004-12-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

In principle, any input can be used in the denominator of the productivity ratio. Thus, one can speak of the productivity of land, labour,

Juan José De Austria

2004-12-05T02:15:00.000-08:00

Juan José was the son of King Philip IV of Spain and María Calderón, a celebrated actress. He received a princely education and a large

Argun River

2004-12-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Pinyin) Ergun He or (Wade-Giles) O-erh-ku-na Ho

Aviculture

2004-12-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

Raising and care of wild birds in captivity, for the breeding of game stock, the perpetuation of declining species, or for display and education. The simulation of natural conditions is a necessary goal of aviculturists, allowing them to study aspects of mating and breeding behaviour that may not be easily observed in the wild. As a result of such study, a number of species,

Chédiak-higashi Syndrome

2004-11-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

Persons with Chédiak-Higashi syndrome experience persistent or recurrent infections. Other symptoms associated with the disease include enlargement of the liver and spleen, partial albinism, and depressed activity

Igbo

2004-11-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Ibo people living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria who speak Igbo, a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The Igbo may be grouped into the following main cultural divisions: northern (Onitsha), southern (Owerri), western (Ika), eastern (Cross River), and northeastern (Abakaliki). Before European colonization, the Igbo were not united as a single

Welhaven, Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer

2004-11-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

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

Cabinda

2004-11-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kabinda, northern exclave of Angola, on the west (Atlantic) coast of Africa north of the Congo River estuary. It is bordered by Congo (Brazzaville) to the north and northeast and is separated from Angola by part of Congo (Kinshasa) to the south and southeast. Its coastline extends for 56 miles (90 km) and its greatest width is 70 miles (113 km). With continued offshore oil discoveries, crude oil has

Alytus

2004-11-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alitus, German and Polish Olita, city, southern Lithuania. It lies along the Neman (Lithuanian: Nemunas) River, 37 miles (60 km) south of Kaunas. The city dates from the 14th century. In the 20th century it developed as an industrial centre, with factories producing refrigerators, chemical products, linen, and clothing. Alytus is a rail terminus and road junction and has an agricultural college. Pop. (1994 est.) 77,400.

Facula

2004-11-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, bright granular structure on the Sun's surface that is slightly hotter or cooler than the surrounding photosphere. A sunspot always has an associated facula, though faculae may exist apart from such spots. Faculae are visible in ordinary white light near the Sun's limb (apparent edge), where the photospheric background is dimmer than near the centre

Chapman, Frank M(ichler)

2004-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

A self-taught ornithologist, Chapman was appointed assistant curator of ornithology and mammalogy (1888–1908) and curator of ornithology (1908–42) at the American

David, Saint

2004-11-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

Little is known of his life. According to the hagiography (c. 1090) by the Welsh scholar Rhygyfarch, he was the son of the chieftain Sant, who raped David's mother, St. Non. Educated at Henfynyw, Cardigan, he seemingly took a prominent part in the synod of Llanddewi-Brefi (in Cardigan) to suppress

Kagera River

2004-11-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Akagera, most remote headstream of the Nile River and largest tributary of Lake Victoria, rising in Burundi near the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika. It is formed at the confluence of its two headstreams—the Nyawarongo (Niavarongo) and the Ruvubu (Ruvuvu)—which in turn are fed by streams rising in the highlands east of Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika, between Congo (Kinshasa) and

Selihoth

2004-11-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Selihot, or Selichot, Hebrew Selihot (“pardons”), in Jewish liturgy, penitential prayers originally composed for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and for fast days but subsequently incorporated into other services. Selihoth have become an indispensable part of the Jewish liturgical services that precede Rosh Hashana (New Year), continue through the Ten Days of Penitence ('aseret yeme teshuva), and terminate

Bhagavadgita

2004-11-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Song of God”), one of the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It forms part of Book VI of the Indian epic the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) and is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer, Krishna, who is also an earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu. The Bhagavadgita is of a later

Tung Chung-shu

2004-11-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

As a chief minister to the emperor Wu (c. 140–87) of the Han dynasty, Tung was chiefly responsible for the

Rescue Mission

2004-11-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Inner Mission, Christian religious organization established to provide spiritual, physical, and social assistance to the poor and needy. It originated in the city mission movement among evangelical laymen and ministers early in the 19th century. The work of rescue missions resembles that of settlement houses, institutional churches, and charitable societies, but rescue missions

Terman, Frederick Emmons

2004-11-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

Terman, the son of the noted psychologist Lewis Madison Terman, earned his undergraduate degrees from Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute

Arecibo River

2004-11-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Spanish in full Río Grande De Arecibo, river in west-central Puerto Rico. The Arecibo River rises in the Cordillera Central just east of Mount Guilarte. It flows north-northeast about 40 miles (65 km) through a coffee-growing region and descends across the northern coastal plain to empty into the Atlantic Ocean just east of the port of Arecibo. At the northern edge of the cordilleran foothills, the river is impounded

Portugal, Conquest and exploration

2004-11-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

The idea of expansion into Africa was a logical result of the completion of the Reconquest in the peninsula, and the conquest of Ceuta in North Africa (1415) probably provided the impulse toward further expansion. The simple idea of fighting the Muslims on their own soil was linked with more complicated motives: the desire to explore in a scientific sense, the hope of finding

Amazon River

2004-11-15T00:34:00.000-08:00

Portuguese, Rio Amazonas, Spanish Río Amazonas, the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its flow and the area of its basin. The total length of the river—measured from the headwaters of the Ucayali-Apurímac river system in Peru—is about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometres), which is slightly shorter than the Nile River but still the equivalent of the distance from New

Piet'any

2004-11-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

Hungarian Pöstyén, town, Západní Slovensko kraj (region), Slovakia, on the Váh River, approximately 48 miles (77 km) northeast of Bratislava. Piešt'any is a Carpathian health resort, known since the Middle Ages for its warm sulfur springs and mud baths. It has specialized since the 16th century in treating rheumatic and arthritic diseases. The State Research Institute for Rheumatic Diseases is

Light Rail Transit

2004-11-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

System of railways usually powered by overhead electrical wires and used for medium-capacity local transportation in metropolitan areas. Light rail vehicles (LRVs) are a technological outgrowth of streetcars (trams). Light rail transit lines are more segregated from street traffic than are tramways (particularly in congested urban areas) but less so than are

Animation

2004-11-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

The art of making inanimate objects appear to move. Animation is an artistic impulse that long predates the movies. History's first recorded animator is Pygmalion of Greek and Roman mythology, a sculptor who created a figure of a woman so perfect that he fell in love with her and begged Venus to bring her to life. Some of the same sense of magic, mystery, and transgression

Laos, Flag Of

2004-11-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

In 1353 King Fa Ngum proclaimed the “Kingdom of the Million Elephants and White Parasol,” basing the name on those traditional symbols of the Lao people. The mythical first ruler of Laos had arrived riding a white elephant, an animal held in great reverence by peoples of Southeast Asia, while the parasol, or royal umbrella, long served as an important part of the king's ceremonial

Utility And Value

2004-11-10T01:24:00.000-08:00

The modern industrial economy is characterized by a high degree of interdependence of its parts. The supplier of components or raw materials, for example, must deliver the desired quantities of his products at the right moment and in the desired specifications. In economies such as those of western

Mindon

2004-11-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Mindon was a brother of Pagan (reigned 1846–53), who had ruled during the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. As soon as he became king, Mindon sued for peace and began negotiations

Saramago, José

2004-11-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

The son of rural labourers, Saramago grew up in great poverty in Lisbon. After holding a series jobs as mechanic and metalworker, Saragamo began working in a Lisbon publishing firm and eventually became a journalist and translator. He joined the Portuguese

Elimination Reaction

2004-11-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of organic chemical reactions in which a pair of atoms or groups of atoms are removed from a molecule, usually through the action of acids, bases, or metals and, in some cases, by heating to a high temperature. It is the principal process by which organic compounds containing only single carbon-carbon bonds (saturated compounds) are transformed to compounds

Delors, Jacques

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

The son of a courier at the Banque de France, Delors himself joined the bank in 1945, later earning a degree in economics from the Sorbonne. He became active in the Christian Trade Union Confederation (renamed the Democratic Trade Union

Mindszenty, József

2004-11-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

Politically active from the time of his ordination as a priest in 1915, Mindszenty was arrested as an enemy of totalitarian

Riau

2004-11-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Provinsi (“province”), east-central Sumatra, Indonesia. It is bounded by the provinces of Jambi on the south, Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra) on the west, Sumatera Utara (North Sumatra) on the north and northwest, the Malacca Strait on the east, and the Berhala Strait on the southeast. Riau provinsi includes the Riau Islands, an archipelago lying at the southern entrance to the