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Mesopotamia, History Of, Shalmaneser III and Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria

2005-04-04T00:42:00.000-07:00

The son and successor of Ashurnasirpal was Shalmaneser III (858–824). His father's equal in both brutality and energy, he was less realistic in his undertakings. His inscriptions, in a peculiar blend of Assyrian and Babylonian, record his considerable achievements but are not always able to conceal his failures. His campaigns were directed mostly against Syria. While he was

Australian Ballet

2005-04-03T03:54:00.000-07:00

Peggy van Praagh was the first artistic director (1962–74). Since 1965 the company has made periodic tours

Hydrologic Sciences, Groundwater

2005-04-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Some rocks allow little or no water to flow through; these are known as impermeable rocks, or aquicludes. Others are permeable and allow considerable storage of water and act as major sources of water supply; these are known as aquifers. Aquifers overlain by an impermeable layer are called confined aquifers; aquifers overlain by an unsaturated, or vadose, zone of permeable

China, Hydroelectric resources

2005-04-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

In view of China's extensive river network and mountainous terrain, there is ample potential for the production of hydroelectric power. Most of the total hydroelectric capacity is in the southwest, where coal supplies are poor but demand for energy is rapidly growing. The potential in the Northeast is fairly small, but it was there that the first hydroelectric stations

Romania

2005-04-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Rumania , Romanian România country lying in the eastern half of the Balkan Peninsula. It is the largest country of the peninsula, having an area of 91,699 square miles (237,500 square kilometres). Its boundaries total 1,959 miles (3,153 kilometres), with Ukraine on the north, Moldova on the northeast, the Black Sea on the east, Bulgaria on the south, Serbia on the southwest, and Hungary on the west. The capital is Bucharest

Shikoku

2005-03-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is intensive in the

Babeuf, François-noël

2005-03-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

John Anthony Scott (ed. and trans.), The Defense of Gracchus Babeuf Before the High Court of Vendôme, trans. from French (1964); R.B. Rose, Gracchus Babeuf: The First Revolutionary Communist (1978).

Jordan, Transportation

2005-03-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Jordan has a main, secondary, and rural road network, most of which is hard-surfaced. This roadway system, maintained by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, not only links the major cities and towns but also connects the kingdom with neighbouring countries. One of the main traffic arteries is the Amman–Jarash–Ar-Ramtha highway, which links Jordan with Syria. The route

Biblical Literature, Problems visual in origin

2005-03-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

The order of letters also might be inverted. Such metathesis, as it is called, appears in Psalms, in which qirbam (“their inward

Ford, Francis Xavier

2005-03-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

Ford was ordained in 1917 and went to China the next year in the first group of Maryknoll missionaries sent to that country. He founded the Maryknoll Seminary for Chinese Boys in Yang-chiang in 1921 and in 1922 established the first overseas convent

Scaleless Dragonfish

2005-03-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

The dorsal and anal fins of the scaleless dragonfish

Tasmania, Prehistory and European exploration

2005-03-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

The flooding of Bass

Seven Hills Of Rome

2005-03-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

Group of hills on or about which the ancient city of Rome was built. The original city of Romulus was built upon Palatine Hill (Latin: Mons Palatinus). The other hills are the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine (known respectively in Latin as the Mons Capitolinus, Mons Quirinalis, Mons Viminalis, Mons Esquilinus, Mons Caelius, and Mons

Wainscot

2005-03-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, British wainscot

Bahr Al-jabal

2005-03-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bahr el-Jebel , English Mountain Nile that section of the Nile River between Nimule near the Uganda border and Malakal in south-central Sudan. Below Nimule the river flows northward over the Fula Rapids, past Juba (the head of navigation), and through as-Sudd, an enormous, papyrus-choked swamp where half its water is lost. It receives the Bahr al-Ghazal at Lake No and then turns east to join with the Sobat River of

Kamaran

2005-03-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

Island in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, to which it belongs. The largest member of an archipelago, it is 22 square miles (57 square km) in area. Its name, meaning “two moons” in Arabic, refers to a double reflection of the moon that can be seen there. Kamaran, consisting of coral reefs with little relief, has a regular west coast and a broken east coast with a harbour. The island's mean

Housefly

2005-03-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

(Musca domestica), a common insect of the family Muscidae (order Diptera). About 90 percent of all flies occurring in human habitations are houseflies. Once a major nuisance and hazard to public health in cities, houseflies are still a problem wherever decomposing organic waste and garbage are allowed to accumulate. The adult housefly is dull gray with

Plotinus

2005-03-22T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ancient philosopher, the centre of an influential circle of intellectuals and men of letters in 3rd-century Rome, who is regarded by modern scholars as the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy.

Oahu

2005-03-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

Island, Honolulu county, Hawaii, U.S., separated from the islands of Kauai (northwest) and Molokai (southeast) by the Kauai and Kaiwi channels. Of volcanic origin with an area of 607 square miles (1,574 square km), Oahu is third in size and the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. Two parallel mountain groups, the Koolau Range (see photograph) and Waianae Ranges, are connected by a central

Valdemar Birgersson

2005-03-20T02:04:00.000-08:00

King of Sweden (1250–75) who governed jointly with his father Birger Jarl (q.v.) until the latter's death in 1266 and then reigned alone. Because of an extramarital affair with his wife's sister, a postulant nun, by whom he had a child, Valdemar in 1274 made a pilgrimage to Rome to gain forgiveness. Pope Gregory X exacted concessions, whereby Valdemar acknowledged papal overlordship and

Duchesse Lace

2005-03-20T01:15:00.000-08:00

A Belgian lace, named after Marie-Henriette, duchess of Brabant (later queen of the Belgians). It was made from c. 1840 throughout the 19th century both at Brussels and (particularly) at Bruges. Much inferior (except for a few Brussels specimens) to the lace that had made Brussels famous, it was cheap and commercially successful. In duchesse lace, floral motifs, bobbin-made and sometimes

Parabolic Equation

2005-03-19T03:13:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of partial-differential equations arising in the mathematical analysis of diffusion phenomena, as in the heating of a slab. The simplest such equation in one dimension, uxx = ut, governs the temperature distribution at the various points along a thin rod from moment to moment. The solutions to even this simple problem are complicated, but they are constructed

Economic Affairs, International.

2005-03-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

In late 1997 banks and other financial institutions in Southeast and East Asia fell like dominoes--one after another--as currencies and share prices collapsed in many of the much-admired "tiger" economies across the region. Beginning in July with the crash of Thailand's baht, the crisis spread to the Indonesian rupiah, Malaysian ringgit, and Philippine peso, all of which

Crocker, Charles

2005-03-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Crocker was forced to quit school at an early age to help support his family. After his family moved to Indiana, he did various jobs—farming, working in a sawmill, and serving as an apprentice in a blacksmith

Durg

2005-03-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

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

Abel, Rudolf (ivanovich)

2005-03-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

Genrich Fischer (or Fisher), Abel's father and a friend of

Tarboosh

2005-03-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

The tarboosh, which is of

Tibet, Finance

2005-03-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

There were no banks before 1951. Small loans to be paid with interest could be obtained from local merchants, and the Tibetan government loaned public funds at interest as a means of collecting revenue. The Chinese have established branches of the People's Bank of China and have also extended agricultural and commercial credit and introduced Chinese currency.

Anna

2005-03-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Daughter of Ivan V (reigned 1682–96) and niece of Peter I the Great (reigned 1682–1725), Anna was married to Frederick William, ruler of the Baltic seacoast duchy of Courland, on Oct. 31 (Nov. 11), 1710. Although her husband died on the journey to Courland after their wedding in St. Petersburg, Anna remained at Mitau (now Jelgava,

Radic, Stjepan

2005-03-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

With his brother Ante, he organized the Croatian Peasant Party in 1904. In March 1918 Radic began to cooperate with the National Council in Zagreb for the establishment of a Yugoslav

Philip The Evangelist, Saint

2005-03-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Philip The Deacon in the early Christian church, one of the seven deacons appointed to tend the Christians of Jerusalem, thereby enabling the Apostles to freely conduct their missions. His energetic preaching, however, earned him the title of Philip the Evangelist and led him to minister successfully in Samaria, in Palestine, where he converted, among others,

Clarence, Thomas Plantagenet, Duke Of

2005-03-14T00:40:00.000-08:00

He twice visited Ireland, where he was nominally lord lieutenant, 1401–13. For a short time, in 1412, he replaced his elder brother, afterward King Henry V, as the chief figure in the government. Clarence favoured an alliance with the Orléanists and led an unsuccessful expedition

Alaska, Economic growth

2005-03-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

A dispute between the United States and Canada over the boundary between British Columbia and the Alaska panhandle was decided by an Alaska Boundary Tribunal in 1903. The U.S. view that the border should lie along the crest of the Boundary Ranges was accepted and boundary mapping was completed in 1913. Between 1898 and 1900 a narrow-gauge railroad was built across White Pass to link

Valens

2005-03-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Eastern Roman emperor from 364 to 378. He was the younger brother of Valentinian I, who assumed the throne upon the death of the emperor Jovian (Feb. 17, 364). On March 28, 364, Valentinian appointed Valens to be co-emperor. Valens was assigned to rule the Eastern part of the empire, while Valentinian took the throne in the West. Soon Valens was challenged by the pagan Procopius, who had himself

Christiansted

2005-03-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Bassin chief town and port of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, on the northeastern coast of the island. Exports are mainly watches and rum. It was formerly capital of the Danish West Indies and was a boyhood residence (1765) of the American statesman Alexander Hamilton. Pop. (1980) 2,914.

Facsimile

2005-03-12T01:58:00.000-08:00

In addition to the conventional office use of fax as described above, there are several other applications worth noting. The first is in point-to-point transmission of newspapers for remote printing. A number of newspapers are available simultaneously in several editions nationwide or even worldwide. Although the paper is usually composed at only one location,

Fish Meal

2005-03-10T03:25:00.000-08:00

To be processed

Romans-sur-isère

2005-03-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Town, Drôme département, Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France. It lies along the north bank of the Isère River, northeast of Valence. Founded in the 9th century, Romans-sur-Isère was the scene of the transfer of Dauphiné to France by the dauphin Humbert II (1349) and of the last meeting of the Estates of Dauphiné (December 1788), on the eve of the French Revolution. Its 12th-century Romanesque

Kirikkale

2005-03-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

Town, central Turkey, on the Ankara-Kayseri railway near the Kizil River. Formerly a village, it owes its rapid rise in population mainly to the establishment of steel mills in the 1950s. These works, among the largest in the country, specialize in high-quality alloy steel and machinery. In the 1960s chemical plants were added. Electricity is provided by a generating plant that is

Equatorial Guinea

2005-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Spanish República de Guinea Ecuatorial, country located on the west coast of Africa. It consists of Río Muni (also called Mbini), on the continent, and five islands: Bioko (formerly Fernando Po), Corisco, Great Elobey (Elobey Grande), Little Elobey (Elobey Chico), and Annobón. A fragmented country, it has a total area of 10,830 square miles (28,051 square kilometres). The capital of the republic is Malabo on Bioko. Bata is the administrative

Tree Ear

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

Chinese Mu Erh, also called Wood Ear, or Black Fungus, any of several edible mushrooms of the genus Auricularia that are popular in Chinese cuisine, especially that of Sichuan (Szechwan) province. Tree ears grow wild on and are cultivated on the bark of trees. They are gathered for use in a fresh state and are dried for storage. Dried tree ears resemble gray-black flakes of ash; when reconstituted the mushrooms expand into

France, History Of

2005-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

The year 1789 is the great dividing line in the history of modern France. The fall of the Bastille, the French state prison, on July 14, 1789, symbolizes for that nation, as well as for all other nations, the end of the premodern era characterized by an organicist and religiously sanctioned traditionalism. With the French Revolution began the institutionalization of secularized

Anatom

2005-03-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aneityum, southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Volcanic in origin, it has a circumference of 35 miles (56 km) and an area of 25 square miles (65 square km) and rises from a fertile coastal plain and valleys to a height of 2,795 feet (852 m). Anatom was a centre of sandalwooders, whalers, and missionaries in the New Hebrides in the 19th century; its valuable stands of kauri pine were

Wu, Chien-shiung

2005-03-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

Wu graduated from the National Central University in Nanking, China, in 1936 and then traveled to the United States to pursue graduate studies in physics

Kermadec Islands

2005-03-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Volcanic island group in the South Pacific Ocean, 600 mi (1,000 km) northeast of Auckland, New Zealand; they are a dependency of New Zealand. They include Raoul (Sunday), Macauley, and Curtis islands and l'Esperance Rock and have a total land area of 13 sq mi (34 sq km). Raoul, the largest (11.3 sq mi), has rugged coastal cliffs that rise to Mt. Mumukai (1,723 ft [525 m]). It is heavily wooded and fertile, but its indigenous

West Devon

2005-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

The bleak granite mass of Dartmoor comprises about

Anatom

2005-03-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

African organization established by the Treaty of Lagos in May 1975 to promote economic trade, cooperation, and self-reliance. The organization seeks to harmonize agricultural policies and to facilitate the free movement of peoples, services, and capital between members. The original 15 members were Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali,

Bread

2005-03-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Baked food product made of flour or meal that is moistened, kneaded, and sometimes fermented. A major food since prehistoric times, it has been made in various forms using a variety of ingredients and methods throughout the world. The first bread was made in Neolithic times, nearly 12,000 years ago, probably of coarsely crushed grain mixed with water, with the resulting dough

Yung-cheng

2005-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

As the fourth son of the previous emperor, Yung-cheng was not immediately in line for the throne; but when the designated heir apparent became mentally deranged, the future emperor

Río Cuarto

2005-03-03T02:40:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Córdoba provincia, northwestern Argentina. It lies along the Cuarto River between the western reaches of the Pampas and the foothills of the Sierra de los Cóndores and La Grande de Córdoba. The city was inaugurated in 1794 under the sponsorship of Governor Rafael de Sobremonte, the Spanish intendant. It was the site of several skirmishes during the

Siljan, Lake

2005-03-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Silja, lake in the administrative län (county) of Dalarna, central Sweden. Covering an area of 112 square miles (290 square km; including Orsa and In lakes, 137 square miles [354 square km]), it is Dalarna's largest lake and Sweden's third. After receiving the Österdal River at Mora, the lake stretches for a length of 25 miles (40 km) toward the southeast and extends into two bays, the wide Rätt to the northeast

Selkirk Mountains

2005-03-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Major subdivision of the Columbia Mountains, extending for 200 miles (320 km) in a southeasterly arc, mostly in British Columbia, Canada, and just across the U.S. border into northern Idaho and Montana. Bounded by the Purcell Mountains (east) and the Columbia River (west and north), they are sometimes considered part of the Rocky Mountain system. The summits are lowest in the south,

Jainism, Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism

2005-03-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism share many key concepts derived from the Sanskrit language and dialects that have enabled them to hone their religious debates. For example, all three traditions share a notion of karman as the actions of individuals that determine their future births; yet each has attached unique connotations to the concept. This is also true with

Caddisfly

2005-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Any of the mothlike aquatic insects that constitute the order Trichoptera. The adult, attracted to light at night, often lives near lakes or rivers. Because fish feed on immature, aquatic stages and trout take flying adults, caddisflies are used as models for fishermen's “flies.”

Canaanite Languages

2005-02-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Group of Northern Central or Northwestern Semitic languages including Hebrew, Moabite, Phoenician, and Punic. They were spoken in ancient times in Palestine, on the coast of Syria, and in scattered colonies elsewhere around the Mediterranean. An early form of Canaanite is attested in the Tell el-Amarna letters (c. 1400 BC). Moabite, which is very close to Hebrew, is known chiefly

O'brien, William Smith

2005-02-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

O'Brien sat in the British House of Commons from 1828 to 1848. Although he was a Protestant, he actively favoured Roman Catholic emancipation, but he also wished

Robbins, Jerome

2005-02-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

Original surname Rabinowitz one of the most popular and imaginative American choreographers of the 20th century. Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. He won acclaim for highly innovative ballets structured within the traditional framework of classical

Independence National Historical Park

2005-02-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

Area of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., partially owned by the city but operated by the U.S. National Park Service. It covers 45 acres (18 hectares) and contains a number of historic structures associated with the American Revolution and the founding of the nation— notably Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were deliberated

Osborn, Henry Fairfield

2005-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

At Princeton University, Osborn conducted studies of brain anatomy while serving as assistant professor of natural sciences (1881–83) and professor of

War, Law Of

2005-02-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

That part of international law dealing with the inception, conduct, and termination of warfare. Its aim is to limit the suffering caused to combatants and, more particularly, to those who may be described as the victims of war—that is, noncombatant civilians and those no longer able to take part in hostilities. Thus, the wounded, the sick, the shipwrecked, and prisoners

Novel, Apprenticeship

2005-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Bildungsroman, or novel about upbringing and education, seems to have its beginnings in Goethe's work, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1796), which is about the processes by which a sensitive soul discovers its identity and its role in the big world. A story of the emergence of a personality and a talent, with its implicit motifs of struggle, conflict, suffering, and success,

Alegría, Claribel

2005-02-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

Poet, essayist, and journalist who was a major voice in the literature of contemporary Central America. Noted for her testimonio (testament) concerning the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, she was best known in the United States for the bilingual edition of her volume of poetry, Flores del volcán/Flowers from the Volcano (1982), translated by the

Carillon

2005-02-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

Musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells in fixed suspension, tuned in chromatic order (i.e., in half steps) and capable of concordant harmony when sounded together. Customarily located in a tower, it is played from a clavier, or keyboard, containing wooden levers and pedals wired to clappers or, less commonly, from an ivory keyboard with electric action

Smith, Emmitt

2005-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

Smith excelled early in football, starring in youth leagues and,

Qina

2005-02-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Qena, muhafazah (governorate) in Upper Egypt, extending 3–4 miles (5–6 km) on each side of the Nile River between the Arabian and Libyan deserts. Occupying the great bend in the Nile Valley, it has an area of 715 square miles (1,851 square km) and contains the celebrated ruins of Thebes and the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings. Qina has a dense agricultural population (more than 3,000 persons per square mile),

Hypomixolydian Mode

2005-02-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

In music, last of the eight medieval church modes. See church mode.

Skarn

2005-02-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

In geology, metamorphic zone developed in the contact area around igneous rock intrusions when carbonate sedimentary rocks are invaded by large amounts of silicon, aluminum, iron, and magnesium. The minerals commonly present in a skarn include iron oxides, calc-silicates (wollastonite, diopside, forsterite), andradite and grossularite garnet, epidote, and calcite.

Dana, Richard Henry

2005-02-22T01:20:00.000-08:00

Dana withdrew from Harvard College when measles weakened his eyesight, and he shipped to California as a sailor in August 1834 to regain his health. After voyaging among California's ports and gathering hides ashore, he rounded Cape Horn, returned

Obrecht, Jakob

2005-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Willem Obrecht, a trumpeter. His first known appointment was in 1484 as instructor

Ashgabat

2005-02-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

Formerly Ashkhabad, Ashkabad, Askhabad, or (1919–27) Poltoratsk, city and capital of Turkmenistan. It lies in an oasis at the northern foot of the Kopet-Dag (Turkmen: Köpetdag) Range and on the edge of the Karakum (Turkmen: Garagum) Desert, about 19 miles (30 km) from the Iranian frontier. It was founded in 1881 as a Russian military fort and took the name of the nearby Turkmen settlement of Askhabad. It became the administrative centre of the Transcaspian

Yi

2005-02-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Lolo, or Wu-man, ethnic group of Austroasiatic origin living largely in the mountains of southwest China and speaking a Tibeto-Burman language; the term is used by the Chinese to designate what they formerly called the Lolo or Wu-man. The Yi people numbered about 5.9 million in the late 20th century. Their principal concentrations were in Yunnan and Szechwan provinces, with smaller numbers

Arabian Sea

2005-02-20T02:32:00.000-08:00

Geology and hydrology of the Arabian Sea are dealt with in N.K. Panikkar and R. Jayaraman, “Biological and Oceanographic Differences Between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal as Observed from the Indian Region,” Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, 64:231–240 (1966); Henry Stommel and Warren S. Wooster, “Reconnaissance of the Somali Current During the Southwest Monsoon,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 54(1):8–13 (July 1965). Economic resources are outlined in J.H. Ryther et al., “Primary Organic Production in Relation to the Chemistry and Hydrography of the Western Indian Ocean,” Limnology and Oceanography, 11:371–380 (1966). A series of short reports in Science, 209(4456):588–603 (Aug. 1, 1980), summarizes the results of the Indian Ocean Experiment in 1979 surveying the Somali Current and the western equatorial Indian Ocean.

Amambaí Mountains

2005-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Extending south-southwest initially as the Maracaju Mountains for approximately 200 miles (320 km) from Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, they form the western side of the Brazilian Highlands and mark the divide between the tributaries of the Paraguay River and those of the Paraná

Abu Al-'abbas As-saffah

2005-02-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Islamic caliph (reigned 749–754), first of the 'Abbasid dynasty, which was to rule over eastern Islam for approximately the next 500 years. The 'Abbasids were descended from an uncle of Muhammad and were cousins to the ruling Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyads were weakened by decadence and an unclear line of succession, and they enjoyed little popular support, prompting the 'Abb

Cartography

2005-02-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Cartography is an ancient discipline that dates from the prehistoric depiction of hunting and fishing

Leakey, Louis S.b.

2005-02-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

In full Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist whose fossil discoveries in East Africa proved that man was far older than had previously been believed and that human evolution was centred in Africa, rather than in Asia, as earlier discoveries had suggested. Leakey was also noted for his controversial interpretations of these archaeological

Croker, Thomas Crofton

2005-02-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

The son of an army major, Croker had little school education but did read widely while working in merchant trade. During rambles in southern Ireland from 1812 to 1816, Croker collected legends, folk songs, and keens (dirges for the

China, The Tarim Basin

2005-02-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

North of the Plateau of Tibet and at the much lower level of about 3,000 feet lies the Tarim Basin. It is hemmed in by great mountain ranges: the Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) on the north, the Pamirs on the west, and the Kunlun Mountains on the south. From these heights glacier-fed streams descend, only to lose themselves in the loose sands and gravels of the Takla Makan

Smith, Joseph

2005-02-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Smith grew up in western New York at a time of intense religious revivalism. He was a literate but unschooled lad from a large family, and his neighbours at Palmyra,

Arts, Central Asian, The study of Central Asian music

2005-02-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

In the West the study of Central Asian music has until recently been restricted largely to travellers' accounts and analyses of small samples of music. By far the bulk of collection and study of Central Asian music of Turkistan and Siberia lay in the domain of Soviet scholars, who instituted systematic fieldwork as early as the 1920s; this literature remains largely

Little Theatre

2005-02-15T22:21:00.000-08:00

Movement in U.S. theatre to free dramatic forms and methods of production from the limitations of the large commercial theatres by establishing small experimental centres of drama. The movement was initiated at the beginning of the 20th century by young dramatists, stage designers, and actors who were influenced by the vital European theatre of the late 19th century;

Tombstone

2005-02-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

City, Cochise county, southeastern Arizona, U.S. The site was ironically named by Ed Schieffelin, who discovered silver there in 1877 after being told that all he would find would be his tombstone. (An alternative account holds that the townsite was named for the granite rocks of the nearby Dragoon Mountains, which stand out against the landscape like tombstones.) By 1881 a silver

Clove Tree

2005-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

Tropical tree, a species of the genus Eugenia (q.v.).

Gomberg, Moses

2005-02-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

At age 18 Gomberg migrated with his family to the United States because his father's antitsarist activities made them unwelcome in Russia.

Ear Disease, Chronic middle-ear infection

2005-02-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Chronic infection of the middle ear occurs when there is a permanent perforation of the tympanic membrane that allows dust, water, and germs from the outer air to gain access to the middle-ear cavity. This results in a chronic drainage from the middle ear through the outer-ear canal. There are two distinct types of chronic middle-ear infection, one relatively harmless,

Afranius, Lucius

2005-02-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

In 60 BC, chiefly by Pompey's support, Afranius was raised to the consulship, in which office he proved himself incompetent to manage civil affairs. In the following year, while governor of Cisalpine Gaul, he obtained a triumph; and, on the allotment of Spain to Pompey (55 BC), Afranius

Philippines, The downfall of Marcos and return of democratic government

2005-02-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

The assassination of Benigno Aquino as he returned to Manila in August 1983 was generally thought to have been the work of the military; it became the focal point of a renewed and more heavily supported opposition to Marcos' rule. By late 1985 Marcos, under mounting pressure both inside and outside the Philippines, called a snap presidential election for February 1986. Corazon

Affenkapelle Ware

2005-02-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

(German: “Monkey Orchestra”), a series of figures created by the Meissen porcelain factory in Saxony (now in Germany) about 1747 and imitated later. Believed to be a parody of the Dresden Court Orchestra, the set was modeled by the German sculptors Johann Joachim Kändler and Peter Reinicke after fanciful singerie (monkeys in human costume) engravings by the French artists

Anville, Jean-baptiste Bourguignon D'

2005-02-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

From an early age d'Anville continued the reform of French cartography begun by Guillaume Delisle, but he was also a reputable classical scholar, and many of his memoirs and maps relate to ancient and medieval geography. He displayed exceptional judgment

Pacific, War Of The

2005-02-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

Spanish Guerra Del Pacífico (1879–83), conflict involving Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, which resulted in Chilean annexation of valuable disputed territory on the Pacific coast. It grew out of a dispute between Chile and Bolivia over control of a part of the Atacama Desert that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels on the Pacific coast of South America. The territory contained valuable mineral resources, particularly

Côte D'ivoire, Flag Of

2005-02-10T04:48:00.000-08:00

In the mid-20th century Félix Houphouët-Boigny, an African from the French colony then known as Ivory Coast, served many years as a member of the National Assembly and then of the governing cabinet of France before becoming president of his homeland. He had great admiration for the achievements of French culture, and his country maintained close relations with France.

Corbett National Park

2005-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

National park in Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. Extending over an area of 201 sq mi (521 sq km) and established as Hailey National Park in 1935, it was first renamed Ramganga in 1954 and then Corbett in 1957, in memory of Jim Corbett, a well-known British sportsman and writer. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas about 36 mi (50 km) northwest of Ramnagar town, the park consists mainly of the broad

Differential

2005-02-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, an expression based on the derivative (q.v.) of a function, useful for approximating certain values of the function. The derivative of a function at the point x0, written as f¢(x0), is defined as the limit as Dx approaches 0 of the quotient Dy/Dx, in which Dy is f(x0 + Dx) - f(x0). Because the derivative is defined as the limit, the closer Dx is to 0, the closer will be the quotient to the derivative. Therefore,

Aliger, Margarita Iosifovna

2005-02-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

Born into a poor family, Aliger was a committed communist from an early age. She studied writing in Moscow from 1934 to 1937 at what later became the Gorky Literary Institute. In the late 1930s she wrote prose sketches and verse diaries of her

Gance, Abel

2005-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Working in the cinema from 1909, Gance first gained recognition with his films Mater dolorosa (1917; “Sorrowful Mother,” remade in 1932) and La Dixième Symphonie (1918; “Tenth Symphony”). Influenced by the epic style of the pioneer American

Nichiren Buddhism

2005-02-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

Nichiren believed that the quintessence of the Buddha's teachings was contained in the Lotus Sutra (Sanskrit: Saddharmapundarika-sutra; “The Scripture of the Lotus of the Good Law”). According to him, the other

Antsirabe

2005-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

Town, central Madagascar. It lies on the slopes of the nation's second highest peak, Tsiafajavona, in the Ankaratra Mountains. Thermal springs, associated with ancient volcanism, together with an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) encouraged the development of a health resort there in 1923. The terminus of a rail line from Antananarivo, the national capital (70 miles [110 km] northeast), Antsirabe

Sabang

2005-02-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

Kotamadya (city) and free port, Aceh daerah istimewa (special district), Indonesia, on the northeastern coast of We Island, off the northern tip of Sumatra. It lies at the northern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and is the first port of call in the Malay Archipelago for vessels coming from the west. The harbour, built in 1887, is sheltered from the strong winds and heavy swells

Aufklärung

2005-02-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

(German: “Enlightenment”), in Germany, the 17th- and 18th-century philosophical movement that emphasized rationalism. See Enlightenment.

China, Central government

2005-02-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

In its early form the Ming central government was dominated by a unitary Secretariat. The senior executive official of the Secretariat served the emperor as a chief counselor, or prime minister. Suspected treason on the part of the chief counselor Hu Wei-yung in 1380 caused the Hung-wu emperor to abolish all executive posts in the Secretariat, thus fragmenting general