ThickCat

Patel, Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai

2005-04-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Byname Sardar Patel (Hindi: “Leader Patel”) Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress during the struggle for Indian independence. During the first three years of Indian independence after 1947, he served as deputy prime minister, minister of home affairs, minister of information, and minister of states.

John

2005-04-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

His brothers dying childless, he inherited the Balliol lands in England and France in 1278 and succeeded to Galloway in 1290. In that year, when the heiress to the kingdom of Scotland, Margaret, the Maid of Norway,

Chia-i

2005-04-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Chiayi, hsien (county), west-central Taiwan, with an area of 734 square miles (1,902 square km). It is bounded by the hsien of Yün-lin and Nan-t'ou (north), Kao-hsiung (east), and T'ai-nan (south) and by the Taiwan Strait (west). The A-li Mountains dominate the eastern region, and there are coastal plains in the west. Paddy rice, sugarcane, peanuts (groundnuts), corn (maize), jute, bananas, pineapples, and citrus fruits

France, History Of, Institutions

2005-04-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

The organization of the secular church took its final form under the Merovingian and Carolingian kings. The administrative bodies and the hierarchy of the early Christian church were derived from institutions existing during the late Roman Empire. In principle, a bishop was responsible for the clergy and faithful in each district (civitas). The bishop whose seat

Metaphor

2005-04-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

The distinction is not simple. The metaphor makes a qualitative leap from a reasonable, perhaps prosaic comparison, to an identification or fusion of two objects, to make one new entity partaking of the characteristics

Biblical Literature, Baruch

2005-04-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

The apocryphon of Baruch, which is extant in Greek and was included in the Septuagint, is attributed to Baruch, secretary to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah (7th–6th century BCE). It was Baruch who read Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon. After hearing his words, the Jews repented and confessed their sins. The first part of the book of Baruch (1:1–3, 8), containing a confession

Asaka

2005-04-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

City, Saitama ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Kurume River northwest of Tokyo. It was a post town known as Hizaori during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867); its name was changed to Asaka in 1932. The city has been a centre of the copper-rolling industry since the late 19th century. Connected by rail with Tokyo, it is now a residential suburb of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area.

Essex, Geoffrey De Mandeville, 1st Earl Of

2005-04-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Geoffrey was a great landowner in Essex and elsewhere and hereditary constable of the Tower of London. He came to prominence in 1140 when Stephen, who could not dispense with his support against Matilda, a rival claimant for the throne, made him hereditary

Selberg, Atle

2005-03-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Selberg

Neoplatonism

2005-03-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

The last school of Greek philosophy, given its definitive shape in the 3rd century Ad by the one great philosophical and religious genius of the school, Plotinus. The ancient philosophers who are generally classified as Neoplatonists called themselves simple “Platonists,” as did the philosophers of the Renaissance and the 17th century whose ideas derive from ancient Neoplatonism. See Platonism.

Furphy, Joseph

2005-03-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

The son of Irish immigrants, Furphy worked as a thresher, teamster, and gold miner before settling down in 1884 at his brothers'

Rocket And Missile System, Surface-to-air

2005-03-29T00:12:00.000-08:00

Guided surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, were under development when World War II ended, notably by the Germans, but were not sufficiently perfected to be used in combat. This changed in the 1950s and '60s with the rapid development of sophisticated SAM systems in the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain, and France. With other industrialized nations following suit,

Davidovic, Ljubomir

2005-03-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

Entering the Serbian Parliament in 1901, Davidovic helped found the Independent Radical Party in the same year. He was elected leader of his party in 1912 and served as minister of education (1914–17) in Nikola Pašic's coalition Cabinet and in the

Karaganda

2005-03-27T00:06:00.000-08:00

The first settlement appeared in 1856, and small-scale coal mining began in 1857 to supply a nearby copper smelter. Mining ceased in the 1920s

Avunculate

2005-03-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

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,

Wollstein, Martha

2005-03-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Wollstein graduated from the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary in 1889. In 1890 she joined the staff of the Babies Hospital in New York City, where she was appointed pathologist in 1892. Her first experimental work involved infant diarrhea and confirmed earlier studies

Water Hen

2005-03-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

Bird species also called common gallinule. See gallinule.

Arendal

2005-03-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Town, port, and seat of Aust-Agder fylke (county), southern Norway. Its excellent harbour is on Tromøy Sound, a protected sound sheltered by the offshore island of Tromøy. A port since the 14th century, Arendal had the largest fleet in Norway before the steamship era. From the 16th century it prospered from timber exports. Some timber is still floated down the Nidelva (river), which

Ijoid Languages

2005-03-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

The smallest branch of the Niger-Congo language family. It consists of a language cluster, Ijo (Ijaw), comprising seven other language clusters with a total of approximately two million speakers, and Defaka (Afakani), a solitary language spoken by very few. All these languages are found in the relatively narrow coastal Niger River delta region of Nigeria. The Ijo language

Rajasthan, Education and welfare

2005-03-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

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

Zadkine, Ossip

2005-03-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Zadkine, son of a professor of Greek and Latin, much preferred clay modeling to his studies.

Salamanca

2005-03-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Salamanca is an important agricultural and commercial centre, and its central location in the fertile Bajío region has led to its being called the “Granary of Mexico.” Wheat, corn (maize), beans, chick-peas, and fruits, all thrive in the temperate

Farim

2005-03-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

Town, north central Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, on the Rio Cacheu. It is a market centre for the agricultural products of the interior; peanut (groundnut) cultivation, concentrated around the town, is mainly for export, and cattle are raised for domestic consumption in the northern savannas of the region. There are phosphate deposits near the town. Farim is connected

Caucasian Languages, Nakho-Dagestanian languages

2005-03-22T00:35:00.000-08:00

The Nakho-Dagestanian group consists of the Nakh and Dagestanian languages. Some investigators subdivide the Nakho-Dagestanian languages into two independent groups: Central Caucasian languages (Nakh) and East Caucasian languages (Dagestan), although the great proximity of these groups, and their equal remoteness from the Abkhazo-Adyghian languages, may justify

Gametophyte

2005-03-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

In the gametophyte phase, male and female organs (gametangia) develop and produce eggs and sperm

Iamb

2005-03-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Metrical foot consisting of one short syllable (as in classical verse) or one unstressed syllable (as in English verse) followed by one long or stressed syllable, as in the word {breve}be|cause¢ . Considered by the ancient Greeks to approximate the natural rhythm of speech, iambic metres were used extensively for dramatic dialogue, invective, satire, and fables. Also suited

Guldberg, Cato Maximilian

2005-03-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Guldberg was educated at the University of Christiania and taught at the royal military schools before becoming professor of mathematics at the University

Mercedes

2005-03-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Uruguay, on the Negro River. The city, which was founded in 1781, is noted for its colonial architecture, beaches, a river promenade, and summertime regattas and tennis tournaments. Although much of the city's income derives from tourism, it functions as an administrative, commercial, ranching, and agricultural centre and has several industries. Mercedes

Trans-kalahari Highway

2005-03-19T03:35:00.000-08:00

In March 1998 the residents of Botswana and Namibia met at Buitepos on the border between the two countries to inaugurate formally the Trans-Kalahari Highway. The new road formed part of the strategic coast-to-coast route that linked Maputo, Mozambique, on the Indian Ocean to Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coastline of Namibia. It was designed to serve as the backbone of an

Ukhta

2005-03-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Uchta, industrial city, Komi republic, northwestern Russia, on the Ukhta River. It was founded as the village of Chibyu in 1931 and became a city in 1943, when it was linked to the Pechora railway. Ukhta lies within the Pechora Basin, a significant oil and natural gas area. Some oil is refined locally, but most is conveyed via pipeline to refineries between St. Petersburg and Moscow. The city

Silas, Saint

2005-03-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

It is generally believed that the Silas in Acts and the Silvanus in 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 1 Peter are the same. Acts 15:22 first mentions him as one of the “leading men among the brethren” (i.e., the Christian community at Jerusalem);

Smith, Joseph F(ielding)

2005-03-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

After his uncle Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and his father, Hyrum Smith, were murdered in Carthage, Ill., in 1844, he and his mother fled with the majority of the Mormons to Utah. Made an apostle of the church

Cheng Ch'eng-kung

2005-03-17T00:40:00.000-08:00

Earl Swisher, “Chêng Ch'êng-kung,” in A.W. Hummel (ed.), Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period, 1644–1912, vol. 1, pp. 108–110 (1943, reprinted 1970), is a very brief but reliable biography. See also the articles on Cheng Ching and Cheng Chih-lung. W. Campbell, Formosa Under the Dutch (1903), is still the most detailed English-language account of the Cheng regime on Taiwan.

La Libertad

2005-03-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

Once the home of the Mochica and Chimú cultures—renowned for their ceramics, irrigation works, and vast urban

Anno, Saint

2005-03-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

Educated at Bamberg, Anno became confessor to the Holy Roman emperor Henry III, who appointed him archbishop in 1056. He was the leader of the party that abducted the young king Henry IV from his mother, Agnes of Poitou. Anno then seized the

Ecstasy

2005-03-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

In mysticism, the experience of an inner vision of God or of one's relation to or union with the divine. Various methods have been used to achieve ecstasy, which is a primary goal in most forms of religious mysticism. The most typical consists of four stages: (1) purgation (of bodily desire); (2) purification (of the will); (3) illumination (of the mind); and (4) unification (of one's being or

Polaroid Corporation

2005-03-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

The company originated in 1932 as the Land-Wheelwright Laboratories, which Land founded with George Wheelwright to produce Land's first invention, an inexpensive plastic-sheet light polarizer. By 1936 Land began to use polarized material in sunglasses

Theatre, Western

2005-03-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature, and the articles on individual national literatures. For detailed information on the arts of theatrical performance and stagecraft, see theatre, directing, acting, and theatrical production.

Ekelöf, Gunnar

2005-03-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ekelöf exerted great influence on his contemporaries. His radically modern style was influenced by such poets as Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot. In such poetry from the 1930s as Sent på jorden (1932; “Late on Earth”), Ekelöf was drawn to the Surrealist technique of automatism

Dubois, (françois-clément-) Théodore

2005-03-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

He studied under the cathedral organist at Rheims and at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1871 he succeeded César Franck as organist at the church of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1868 he was choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine and later succeeded

World War I, Forces and resources of the combatant nations in 1914

2005-03-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

All the initial belligerents

Alla Rakha Khan

2005-03-11T23:09:00.000-08:00

Indian musician (b. April 29, 1919, Phagwal, Jammu province, India—d. Feb. 3, 2000, Mumbai [Bombay], India), was a maestro of the tabla, small drums used in classical Indian music, and was the first tabla player to give solo concerts. Alla Rakha, who was awarded the honorific ustad (“master”), supplemented his virtuoso classical performances with occasional work in jazz, on the radio, and as music director

Aesthetics, The ontology of art

2005-03-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

One such problem is that of the ontological status of the work of art. Suppose that A has on the desk before him David Copperfield. Is David Copperfield therefore identical with this book that A can touch and see? Certainly not, for another copy lies on B's desk, and a single work of art cannot be identical with two distinct physical things. The obvious conclusion is that

Gastronomy, Scandinavian

2005-03-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Sweden's great contribution to international eating is the smorgasbord, literally a “bread-and-butter

Nacrite

2005-03-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Clay mineral, a form of kaolinite (q.v.).

Tea Olive

2005-03-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae, often grown for its fragrant flowers and shining, evergreen foliage. There are more than 30 species, native to eastern North America, Mexico, southeastern Asia, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. Sweet olive, or sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans), a 10-metre (33-foot) tree, produces an edible fruit. Its leaves, used to perfume tea, hide

Schaumburg-lippe

2005-03-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Schaumburg, or Schauenburg, northeast of Rinteln, was the ancestral seat of a line of counts recorded from the early 12th century. Lutheran from 1559, this

Tura

2005-03-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Urban settlement and administrative centre of Evenky autonomous okrug (district), Krasnoyarsk kray (region), east-central Russia. The settlement lies along the Nizhnaya (Lower) Tunguska River at its confluence with the Kochechum. Tura is a transshipment point on the river. It is also the site of an institute of agriculture of the far north and a regional museum. Pop. (1991 est.)

Biblical Literature, The Testament of Job

2005-03-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

Though there are scholars who think that the Testament of Job was once written in Hebrew or Aramaic, it is more probable that the existing Greek text of the book is the original or even a rewritten later version of a Greek work; a fragment of an older form is probably preserved in the Greek translation of Job (2:9). Job is identified, according to some Jewish traditions, with

Dowson, Ernest (christopher)

2005-03-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

As a boy Dowson lived an unsettled life. In 1886 he entered Queen's College, Oxford, but left in 1888 when a decline in his father's fortunes obliged him to work at his father's dock in the Limehouse district in London. Dowson was an active member of the Rhymers' Club,

Hojo Tokimune

2005-03-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Tokimune was 17 when he assumed the office of regent in 1268, the year that the Mongol conqueror of China, Kublai Khan, sent a message demanding that

Rowland, Henry Augustus

2005-03-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

In 1872 Rowland became an instructor of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,

Vajiravudh

2005-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Vajiravudh was educated at Oxford University, where he read history and law; he also received military training at Sandhurst and served briefly with the British Army. Having been named heir apparent in 1895, he returned to Siam in 1903 and succeeded

Babel, Tower Of

2005-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

In biblical literature, structure built in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) some time after the Deluge. The story of its construction, given in Genesis 11:1–9, appears to be an attempt to explain the existence of diverse human languages. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and a tower “with its top in the heavens.” God

Nivkh

2005-03-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Nivkh economy was traditionally based

Valera Y Alcalá Galiano, Juan

2005-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

His novels are characterized by deep psychological analysis of the characters, especially women. He was opposed to naturalistic

Anise

2005-03-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

(Pimpinella anisum), annual herb of the parsley family (Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae), cultivated chiefly for its fruits, called aniseed, the flavour of which resembles that of licorice. The plant, up to 0.75 m (2.5 feet) tall, has long-stalked basal leaves and shorter, stalked stem leaves. Its small, yellowish white flowers form loose umbels. The fruit, or seed, is nearly

Islam, The Black Muslims

2005-03-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

After World War II an Islamic movement arose among blacks in the United States; members called themselves the Nation of Islam, but they were popularly known as Black Muslims. Although they adopted some Islamic social practices, the group was in large part a black separatist and social protest movement. Their leader, Elijah Muhammad, who claimed to be an inspired prophet,

Koussevitzky, Serge

2005-03-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

Koussevitzky studied the double bass in Moscow, becoming a virtuoso, and in Russia, Germany, and England gave recitals at which he played his own compositions;

Turner, Frederick Jackson

2005-03-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

American historian best known for the “frontier thesis.” The single most influential interpretation of the American past, it proposed that the distinctiveness of the United States was attributable to its long history of “westering.” Despite the fame of this monocausal interpretation, as the teacher and mentor of dozens of

Habibollah Khan

2005-03-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of 'Abdor Rahman Khan, Habibollah succeeded peacefully to the throne after his father's death in October

Biblical Literature, Ecclesiastes

2005-03-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

The book of Ecclesiastes is a work of the Hebrew wisdom movement, associated by its title and by tradition with King Solomon. It is evident, however, that the book is of much later composition; the author may have identified himself with the famous king and wise man of the past to give greater authority to his work. The language of the book, including the relatively large

Spotsylvania Court House, Battle Of

2005-03-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

(May 8–19, 1864), Union failure to smash or outflank Confederate forces defending Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Following the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–6), Union General Ulysses S. Grant moved his left flank forward, engaging the Confederate forces of General Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. The battle raged for about a week and a half, and

Alaungpaya Dynasty

2005-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Konbaung the last ruling dynasty (1752–1885) of Myanmar (Burma). The dynasty's collapse in the face of British imperial might marked the end of Myanmar sovereignty for more than 60 years. (Some authorities limit the name Konbaung dynasty to the period beginning with King Bodawpaya in 1782 and continuing to 1885.) The Alaungpaya dynasty led Myanmar in an era of expansionism that was only brought to an

Leahy, Frank

2005-03-01T00:13:00.000-08:00

Leahy played at Notre Dame under Rockne in 1929, but a knee injury

Ichikawa Family

2005-02-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Kabuki actors flourishing in Edo (modern Tokyo) from the 17th century to the present. The most famous names are Danjuro, Ebizo, Danzo, and Ebijuro, and, according to kabuki convention, these names were assumed by a natural or adopted son of the Ichikawa family when his skill entitled him to inherit the mantle of a famous ancestor. Thus, there have been 12 Danjuros (the highest honorific

Scythian Art

2005-02-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Steppes art decorative objects, mainly jewelry and trappings for horse, tent, and wagon, produced by nomadic tribes that roamed Central Asia from slightly east of the Altai Mountains in Inner Mongolia to European Russia. What little is known of these tribes, called Scyths, or Sacae, in the classical sources, indicates that they established control of the plain north of the Black

Pueblo

2005-02-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

The pueblo was constructed by stacking large adobe blocks, sun-dried and made from clay and water, usually measuring

Chianciano Terme

2005-02-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

Town and mineral spa, Siena provincia, Toscana (Tuscany) regione, central Italy. It lies at an elevation of 1,500 feet (450 m), just southeast of Montepulciano. The mineral springs, which have been frequented since Etruscan times, are located about 1.25 miles (2 km) from the town; they are a popular tourist attraction, and there are numerous hotels for the accommodation of visitors. The town

Art, Antiques, And Collections

2005-02-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

The ways that photographs were bought, sold, auctioned, and merchandised as art increased dramatically during 1999 with the Internet's explosive growth. Whereas the world's first on-line photography auction had taken place only a year previously, by the end of 1999 such auctions had become commonplace. Swann Galleries in New York City was experimenting with the idea, and Sotheby's

Alba

2005-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

A Provençal song of lament for lovers parting at dawn or of a watchman's warning to lovers at dawn. Albas were sung by the 11th- and 12th-century troubadours. Some sources consider the alba an early form of an aubade, though, unlike the alba, an aubade is usually a celebration of the dawn. Examples of albas for which music also survives include “Reis glorios” by Guiraut de Bornelh

Jackson, Thomas Jonathan

2005-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Byname Stonewall Jackson Confederate general in the American Civil War, one of its most skillful tacticians, who gained his sobriquet “Stonewall” by his stand at the First Battle of Bull Run (called First Manassas by the South) in 1861.

Buddhism, The Buddha: divinization and multiplicity

2005-02-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

As Mahayana developed,

Württemberg

2005-02-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

Former German state, successively a countship, a duchy, a kingdom, and a republic before its partition after World War II. Its territory approximated the central and eastern areas of present-day Baden-Württemberg (q.v.) Land (state), of Germany. For the last period of its separate existence, Württemberg was bounded northeast and east by Bavaria, southeast by Bavaria and

Narrator

2005-02-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

A work may have more than one narrator, as in an epistolary novel such as Samuel Richardson's

Rya Rug

2005-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Floor covering handmade in Sweden and Finland using techniques resembling those employed in Oriental carpets but having extremely long, recumbent pile and great flexibility. In one Swedish type the nap is produced by Ghiordes knots that include a third warp, the fabric having been made on a cloth loom with open shed. Early examples of rya rugs, which were intended

Regal Moth

2005-02-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Royal Moth, any member of the insect family Citheroniidae (order Lepidoptera), occurring only in the New World. Although sometimes classified as the subfamily Citheroniinae of the giant silkworm moth family (Saturniidae), regal moths differ. The antennae of the male regal moth are partially, rather than completely, feathery as in the saturniids, and the wing pattern and venation

Monluc, Blaise De Lasseran-massencôme, Seigneur De

2005-02-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of an impoverished branch of the great family of Montesquiou, Monluc was brought up as a page at the court of Lorraine. He fought in northern Italy in 1521–22 and was with King Francis

Bulbophyllum

2005-02-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

The sepals are coloured and are larger than the petals. Many of these orchids have small flowers and an offensive odour.

Aeschylus

2005-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Oresteia trilogy consists of three closely connected plays, all extant, that were presented in 458 BC. In Agamemnon the great Greek king of that name returns triumphant from the siege of Troy, along with his concubine, the Trojan prophetess Cassandra, only to be humiliated and murdered by his fiercely vengeful wife, Clytemnestra. She is driven to this act partly by a desire

Dabbling Duck

2005-02-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Dipping, Surface-feeding, Pond, River, or Freshwater Duck, any of about 38 species of Anas and about 5 species in other genera, constituting the tribe Anatini, subfamily Anatinae, family Anatidae (q.v.; order Anseriformes). They feed mainly on water plants, which they obtain by tipping-up in shallows—uncommonly by diving (with opened wings); they often forage near the shore for seeds and insects. The bill is flat and broad, the

Hour

2005-02-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

In timekeeping, 3,600 seconds, now defined in terms of radiation emitted from atoms of the element cesium under specified conditions. The hour was formerly defined as the 24th part of a mean solar day—i.e., of the average period of rotation of the Earth relative to the Sun. The hour of sidereal time, 1/24 of the Earth's rotation period relative to the stars, was about 10 seconds shorter than

Hepburn, Katharine

2005-02-19T03:35:00.000-08:00

In full Katharine Houghton Hepburn indomitable American stage and film actress, known as a spirited performer with a touch of eccentricity. She introduced into her roles a strength of character previously considered to be undesirable in Hollywood leading ladies. As an actress she was noted for her brisk upper-class New England accent

Brucite

2005-02-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

Mineral composed of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. It generally forms soft, waxy to glassy, white or pale-green, gray, or blue crystals, plate aggregates, or fibrous masses associated with other magnesium minerals (e.g., magnesite and dolomite). It commonly is present in serpentine and sometimes in phyllites, crystalline schists, and metamorphosed magnesian limestone. Notable

Sabbatini, Nicola

2005-02-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

In his major and most enduring written work, Pratica di fabricar scene e macchine ne' teatri (1638; “Manual for Constructing Scenes and Machines in the Theatre”), Sabbatini described

Silent Trade

2005-02-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

Also called dumb barter , or depot trade specialized form of barter in which goods are exchanged without any direct contact between the traders. Generally, one group goes to a customary spot, deposits the goods to be traded, and withdraws, sometimes giving a signal such as a call or a gong stroke. Another group then comes to leave a second set of articles and retreats. The first group returns, removing these

Davenport, Charles Benedict

2005-02-18T03:22:00.000-08:00

After receiving a doctorate in zoology at Harvard University in 1892, Davenport taught there until 1899, when

Cachoeiro De Itapemirim

2005-02-18T01:24:00.000-08:00

City, southern Espírito Santo estado (“state”), eastern Brazil. It lies along the Itapemirim River, at 95 feet (29 m) above sea level and about 30 miles (48 km) inland from the Atlantic coast. It was given city status in 1889. Cachoeiro de Itapemirim is a manufacturing centre and serves a livestock-raising region. It lies on the main highway and railroad linking Vitória, the state capital (70 miles

Welch, Denton

2005-02-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Welch was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire. After a visit to China he studied painting at the Goldsmith School of Art. In 1935, while still at school, he was severely injured

Noland, Kenneth

2005-02-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

Noland attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina and studied

Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr

2005-02-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

Outstanding Welsh poet of the 12th century, court bard to Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys (d. 1160), and then to Madog's enemy Owain Gwynedd, prince of Gwynedd (d. 1170). The extant poems ascribed to him (about 50), composed in the Welsh bardic tradition of deliberate archaism, include a small amount of religious verse and a large number of eulogies to the chief princes throughout Wales. Cynddelw

Haden, Charlie

2005-02-15T00:40:00.000-08:00

From the age of two Haden sang with his family's country music band on midwestern radio and television programs. He moved to Los Angeles and began to play jazz with Art Pepper and others. While working (1957–59) in pianist Paul

Fürth

2005-02-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

City, Bavaria Land (state), south-central Germany, situated at the junction of the Pegnitz and Rednitz rivers (which there form the Regnitz), just northwest of Nürnberg. It was originally a Franconian settlement dating from the mid-8th century. The royal palace of Furti (the “Furt”) was first mentioned in 1007, when the village was assigned to the newly formed bishopric of Bamberg.

Davis, Benjamin O., Jr.

2005-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Davis studied at the University of Chicago before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point,

Apple Computer, Inc.

2005-02-13T04:05:00.000-08:00

Apple had its own plan to regain leadership: a sophisticated new generation of computers that would be dramatically easier to use. In 1979 Jobs had led a team of engineers to see the innovations created at the Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto (California) Research Center (PARC). There they were shown the first functional graphical user interface (GUI), featuring on-screen windows,

Permafrost

2005-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Perennially frozen ground, a naturally occurring material with a temperature colder than 0° C (32° F) continuously for two or more years. Such a layer of frozen ground is designated exclusively on the basis of temperature. Part or all of its moisture may be unfrozen, depending on the chemical composition of the water or the depression of the freezing point by capillary forces.

Karatau

2005-02-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Kazak Qaratau mountain range, a northwestern spur of the Tien Shan, in southern Kazakstan. The name is Turkic, meaning “black mountain.” The range extends for 260 miles (420 km) along the Syr Darya (river) and rises to 7,139 feet (2,176 m), with an average elevation of 3,300–5,000 feet (1,000–1,525 m). The summits are smooth, and small snow-fed streams flow down the steep slopes in spring. On the eastern slopes rich deposits of phosphorites

Pacific Islands, Plant and animal life

2005-02-11T05:23:00.000-08:00

Most island vegetations reveal Asian ancestries stemming from Indonesia and New Guinea. Generic variety declines eastward across the Pacific, providing evidence that seeds and fruits carried by ocean currents, birds, winds, and island voyagers encountered mounting obstacles to acceptance. The easternmost islands were host to limited plant dispersal movement

Bashkir

2005-02-11T03:03:00.000-08:00

The Bashkirs settled their land under the Mongol khanate of Kipchak from the 13th to the 15th century.

China, The Taiping Rebellion

2005-02-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

In the first half of the 19th century the province of Kwangtung, the homeland of the Taiping people, was beset with accelerating social unrest. After the first Opium War, government prestige declined, and officials lost their capacity to reconcile communal feudings. The greatest among such conflicts was that between the native settlers and the so-called guest