QuickHammer

Dvur Králové Nad Labem

2005-04-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

City, Východoceský kraj (region), Czech Republic. The city lies just north of Hradec Králové, on the left bank of the Elbe (Czech: Labe) River. The name in both Czech and German (Königinhof an der Elbe) means ”the court of the queen on the Elbe,” recalling the founding of the town by King Wenceslas II at the end of the 13th century and the gift of the place to his queen, Elisabeth. It was the

Nuclear Family

2005-04-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Also called elementary family in sociology and anthropology, a group of persons united by ties of marriage and parenthood or adoption and consisting of a man, a woman, and their socially recognized children. This unit was once widely held to be the most basic and universal form of social organization. Anthropological research, however, has illuminated so much variability of this form that it is

Ea

2005-04-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

(Akkadian), Sumerian Enki Mesopotamian god of water and a member of the triad of deities completed by Anu (Sumerian: An) and Enlil. From a local deity worshiped in the city of Eridu, Ea evolved into a major god, Lord of Apsu (also spelled Abzu), the fresh waters beneath the earth (although Enki means literally “lord of the earth”). In the Sumerian myth “Enki and the World Order,” Enki is said to have fixed national

Jewish Religious Year

2005-04-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

The cycle of Sabbaths and holidays that are commonly observed by the Jewish religious community—and officially in Israel by the Jewish secular community as well. The Sabbath and festivals are bound to the Jewish calendar, reoccur at fixed intervals, and are celebrated at home and in the synagogue according to ritual set forth in Jewish law and hallowed by Jewish

Hawd Plateau

2005-04-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hawd also spelled Haud, plateau sloping southeastward and spanning the northern Ethiopian-Somali border, southeast of the northern Somalian highlands. It covers an area of about 25,000 square miles (64,750 square km) and slopes from about 4,000 feet (1,220 m) in the northwest to about 1,500 feet (450 m) in the southeast. It is a vast savanna of varying fertility and is a major wet-season grazing area for herds of camels, goats, and

Buontalenti, Bernardo

2005-04-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Buontalenti entered the service of the Medici as a youth and remained with them the rest of his life. In the Uffizi Palace, Florence, he built a great court stage, where, during the winter of 1585–86, splendid fetes were produced under his direction. For the Medici extravaganzas, he designed costumes

Oberlin, Johann Friedrich

2005-03-31T06:17:00.000-08:00

Born into a middle-class family, Oberlin studied theology and graduated from the University of Strasbourg in 1758. He was a teacher

Asunción, La

2005-03-31T05:07:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Nueva Esparta state, northeastern Venezuela, on Isla de Margarita, in the Caribbean Sea, 12 mi (19 km) off the mainland. Lying in a fertile inland valley in the eastern portion of the island, La Asunción was first settled by Spaniards in 1524. Testimony to its prosperity during the colonial era is borne by the many remaining colonial buildings, most notably the Castle

Hoess, Rudolf Franz

2005-03-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

After serving in World War I, Hoess joined conservative cliques, was arrested and imprisoned (1923–28), and then joined the Nazi Party, becoming a member of the SS. In 1934 he began serving

Kaiserslautern

2005-03-30T00:14:00.000-08:00

City, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies between the Haardt Mountains (Pfälzer Wald) and the Saar-Nahe-Bergland (Nordpfälzer Bergland) and is surrounded by the Pfälzer Wald nature preserve. A royal residence existed there in the Carolingian period (after 751). The place-name is derived from Lauter (a local stream) and from the emperor (kaiser) Frederick

Dimbleby, Richard

2005-03-29T22:56:00.000-08:00

Dimbleby was the son

Gauss's Law

2005-03-28T23:13:00.000-08:00

Either of two statements describing electric and magnetic fluxes. Gauss's law for electricity states that the electric flux across any closed surface is proportional to the net electric charge enclosed by the surface. The law implies that isolated electric charges exist and that like charges repel one another while unlike charges attract. Gauss's law for magnetism

Hohenstaufen Dynasty

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

Also called Staufer Dynasty, German dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1138 to 1208 and from 1212 to 1254. The founder of the line was the count Frederick (died 1105), who built Staufen Castle in the Swabian Jura Mountains and was rewarded for his fidelity to Emperor Henry IV by being appointed duke of Swabia as Frederick I in 1079. He later married Henry's daughter Agnes. His two sons, Frederick II, duke of Swabia, and Conrad,

Economic Affairs

2005-03-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

For the American

Sordello

2005-03-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sordello became famous when, in 1224, at the court of Richard of

Raymond Vii

2005-03-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

After helping to recover lands of which his

Creativity

2005-03-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

Studies of known living creative people and research gleaned from biographies of recognized past creative geniuses have yielded some ideas about the characteristics of the creative process. The single most important element in the creative process, however, is believed to be originality, or uniqueness. A great deal of research has been carried out on the nature,

Vung Tau

2005-03-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

French Cap Saint-jacques, port, southern Vietnam. It is situated near the tip of an 11-mile- (18-kilometre-) long projection into the South China Sea, which trends southwest and partially encloses Ganh Rai Bay. The bay receives the Saigon River on the northeastern Mekong delta. The port of Vung Tau has a pilot station, fuel depot, and sea harbour to serve vessels using the port of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly

Switzerland, Relief and drainage

2005-03-22T00:49:00.000-08:00

Situated at the hydrographic centre of Europe, Switzerland is the source of many major rivers. The two most important are the Rhône, which flows into the Mediterranean, and the Rhine, which empties into the North Sea. Switzerland's small area contains an unusual diversity of topographic elements, which are divisible into three distinct regions: the Jura

Canary

2005-03-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

(species Serinus canaria), popular cage bird of the family Carduelidae (order Passeriformes). It owes its coloration and sustained vocal powers to 400 years of selective breeding by humans. Varieties called rollers trill almost continuously, the notes running together; choppers have a loud trill of distinct notes. Well-known breeds include Hartz Mountain, Norwich, and

Arnold, Harold Deforest

2005-03-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

Arnold studied at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he received a Ph.B. (1906) and a M.S. (1907), and in 1911 he earned a doctorate at the University of Chicago. While working for the Western Electric

Wake Forest University

2005-03-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S., affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The university consists of Wake Forest College, the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy, the School of Law, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, the Graduate School, the Divinity School, and the Babcock

Disasters

2005-03-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

January 2-3, Fiji. Deadly Cyclone Kina ripped across the islands and caused widespread damage with winds swirling to 185 km/h (115 mph); at least 12 persons were known dead, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and three major bridges were washed

Central League

2005-03-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

Japanese Sentoraru Rigu, one of the two associations of professional baseball teams in Japan. Both the Central League and the Pacific League were founded in 1950. The Central League comprises six teams, each of which is owned and sponsored by a major corporation. The league consists of the Chunichi Dragons, Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Yakult Swallows, Yokohama Bay Stars, and Yomiuri

Pevsner, Antoine

2005-03-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Pevsner studied art in Kiev, went to Paris in 1911 and 1913, and in 1915 joined his brother Naum in Oslo, where they

Earth, Paleoclimatological data

2005-03-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Alfred Wegener was a meteorologist who was particularly interested in the study of ancient climates (paleoclimatology). He noticed that sedimentary rocks indicative of having been deposited in warm climates are now found in cold climates and vice versa. He felt that these observations were best explained if the continents had moved relative to each other and

Kahanamoku, Duke Paoa

2005-03-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Kahanamoku set

Middlesboro

2005-03-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Officially Middlesborough city, Bell county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S., about 61 miles (98 km) north of Knoxville, Tennessee. It lies in a valley (believed to have been formed by a meteor crater) at the western end of the Cumberland Gap near where the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet. Despite its location on the old Wilderness Road through a natural pass in the mountains, the site was not settled

Hawkweed

2005-03-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

Some species are cultivated as garden ornamentals for their attractive

Davis, Henry Winter

2005-03-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

Intent

Thebes

2005-03-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ancient Egyptian Wase, or Wo'se, or (from c. 21st century BC) Nowe, or Nuwe,

Baccio D'agnolo

2005-03-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Byname of Bartolomeo D'agnolo Baglioni wood-carver, sculptor, and architect who exerted an important influence on the Renaissance architecture of Florence. Between 1491 and 1502 he did much of the decorative carving in the church of Santa Maria Novella and in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He helped restore the Palazzo Vecchio and in 1506 was commissioned to complete the drum of the cupola

Eye, Human, The axes of the eye

2005-03-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

It is worthwhile at this point to define certain axes of the eyes employed during different types of study. The optic axis of the eye is a line drawn through the centre of the cornea and the nodal (central) point of the eye; it actually does not intersect with the retina at the centre of the fovea as might be expected, but toward the nose from this, so that there is an angle of

Szczecinek

2005-03-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

Szczecinek is the commercial centre for the surrounding district; its industry includes dairying,

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Old Testament

2005-03-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament, including its prophetic books, has a core of historical record focusing on the trials of the tribes of Israel. In their own view an elect nation, the Israelites believe their history spells out a providential design. The Prophets understand the earliest texts, Genesis and Exodus, in terms of this providential scheme. Hebraic texts are interpreted

Minotaur

2005-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Greek Minotauros (“Minos' Bull”), in Greek mythology, a fabulous monster of Crete that had the body of a man and the head of a bull. It was the offspring of Pasiphae, the wife of Minos (q.v.), and a snow-white bull sent to Minos by the god Poseidon for sacrifice. Minos, instead of sacrificing it, kept it alive; Poseidon as a punishment made Pasiphae fall in love with it. Her child by the bull was shut up in the

Arkatag

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

Also spelled Arkha Tagh, also called Przhevalsky Range, one of the complex mountain chains that form the Kunlun Mountains in western China. The Arkatag is the highest range of the Kunluns with the peaks of Ulugh Muz Tagh at its western end and Shapka Monomakha (also known as Chong Karlik Tagh) at the eastern end, both more than 25,300 ft (7,700 m).

Stanley Cup

2005-03-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Trophy awarded to the winner of the world's professional ice hockey championship, an annual play-off that culminates the season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup was first awarded in the 1893–94 season and is the oldest trophy that can be won by professional athletes in North America. The cup's donor was a governor-general of Canada, Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley

Altis

2005-03-06T03:20:00.000-08:00

In Greek religion, the sacred grove of Zeus, or the sacred precinct in Olympia, Greece. It was an irregular quadrangular area more than 200 yards (183 m) on each side, and walled except to the north, where it was bounded by the Kronion (hill of Cronus). In it were the temples of Zeus and of Hera, his consort; the principal altars and votive offerings; the small treasuries built by various

Fagaras

2005-03-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Hungarian Fogaras, town, Brasov judet (county), central Romania. It lies north of the Fagaras Mountains, a range of the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathian Mountains), on the Olt River. First mentioned in documents in 1291, Fagaras became a military centre during the Middle Ages. The Fagaras Castle, built during the 15th century and now restored to its original form, is one of the outstanding examples of medieval

Canaletto

2005-03-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Canaletto was born into a noble family whose coat of arms he occasionally used as a signature. How he came to

Puerto Padre

2005-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Las Tunas provincia, eastern Cuba. Lying on sheltered Puerto Padre Bay, off the Atlantic Ocean, the city is a commercial and manufacturing centre for a fertile irrigated hinterland. Sugarcane, tobacco, fruit, and livestock produced in the area are processed in the city, which also contains brickyards and sawmills. Saltworks, asphalt deposits, and

Avestan Language

2005-03-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Also called (incorrectly) Zend Language, eastern Iranian language of the Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism. Avestan falls into two strata, the older being that of the Gathas, which reflects a linguistic stage (dating from c. 600 BC) close to that of Vedic Sanskrit in India. The greater part of the Avesta is written in a more recent form of the language and shows gradual simplification and variation in grammatical

Brasília, Climate

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

The climate is warm and mild with average minimum and maximum temperatures of about 57° F (14° C) and 81° F (27° C), respectively. Rainfall averages some 60 inches (1,600 mm) per year with a dry season from March to October, and humidity is generally between 40 and 80 percent (it fell to 11 percent during a drought in 1994).

Penal Laws

2005-03-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

Laws passed against Roman Catholics in Britain and Ireland after the Reformation that penalized the practice of the Roman Catholic religion and imposed civil disabilities on Catholics. Various acts passed in the 16th and 17th centuries prescribed fines and imprisonment for participation in Catholic worship and severe penalties, including death, for Catholic

Aichbühl

2005-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Site of a Middle Neolithic settlement (end of the 3rd millennium BC) on the shores of Lake Feder (Federsee) in southeastern Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. Foundations of 25 rectangular buildings arranged in an irregular row along the shoreline were uncovered in the peat wetland by R. Schmidt in 1930. Approximately 20 of the buildings were two-room houses averaging

Neo-paganism

2005-02-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Any of several spiritual movements that attempt to revive the ancient polytheistic religions of Europe and the Middle East. These movements have a close relationship to ritual magic and modern witchcraft. Neo-Paganism differs from them, however, in striving to revive authentic pantheons and rituals of ancient cultures, though often in deliberately eclectic

Housecarl

2005-02-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

Canute's 3,000-man force, which remained in England after the invasion army had been sent home, does not represent

Hanamichi

2005-02-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

An integral part of the Kabuki

Finland, The postwar period

2005-02-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

After the armistice in 1944 a coalition government was formed under the leadership of Juho Kusti Paasikivi. When conditions had been stabilized, Mannerheim resigned, and Paasikivi was elected president in his place in 1946. In 1956 the leader of the Agrarian Party, Urho Kekkonen, who acted as prime minister a number of times during the period 1950 to 1956, was elected president. He was reelected

Kamchatka

2005-02-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kamcatka, oblast (province), far eastern Russia. Kamchatka oblast includes the entire Kamchatka Peninsula and the southern end of the Koryak Mountains. It includes the Koryak autonomous okrug (district). The administrative centre is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (q.v.). The population, averaging only 2.3 persons per square mile (0.9 per square km), consists chiefly of Russian settlers. The

Dana, James D(wight)

2005-02-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

Dana attended Charles Bartlett's Academy, then entered Yale College

Turkey, The Fundamental Law and abolition of the sultanate

2005-02-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

The Kemalists were now faced with local uprisings, official Ottoman forces, and Greek hostility. The first necessity was to establish a legitimate basis of action. A parliament (the Grand National Assembly) met at Ankara on April 23 and asserted that the sultan's government was under infidel control and that it was the duty of Muslims to resist foreign encroachment.

Hoffman, Daniel

2005-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

Hoffman attended Columbia University in New York, from which he received an A.B. (1947), an M.A. (1949), and a Ph.D. (1956). During World War II he served in the Air Force, working for a journal that covered

Pijao

2005-02-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Extinct Indian people of the southern highlands of Colombia. The Pijao spoke a language of the Chibchan family, related to that of the Páez, their neighbours to the south. They were agriculturists, raising corn (maize), sweet manioc (yuca), beans, potatoes, and many fruits; they also hunted and fished. They lived in settlements of several families in houses built of wood and

Turkey, The Fundamental Law and abolition of the sultanate

2005-02-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

French Cour internationale de Justice, byname World Court the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). The idea for the creation of an international court to arbitrate international disputes first arose during the various conferences that produced the Hague Conventions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The body subsequently established, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, was the precursor of the Permanent

Maubeuge

2005-02-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

Town, Nord département, Nord-Pas-de-Calais région, northern France, on the Sambre River, near the Belgian frontier, south of Mons. Maubeuge (Latin: Malbodium, signifying “bad place or dwelling”) grew up around the monastery of Sainte-Aldegonde (7th century). Part of the medieval county of Hainaut, and later of the Spanish Netherlands, the town was ceded to France by the Peace of

Biochemistry

2005-02-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Study of the chemical substances and processes that occur in plants, animals, and microorganisms and of the changes they undergo during development and life. It deals with the chemistry of life, and as such it draws on the techniques of analytical, organic, and physical chemistry, as well as those of physiologists concerned with the molecular basis of vital processes.

Great Rift

2005-02-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, a complex of dark nebulae that seems to divide the bright clouds of the Milky Way Galaxy lengthwise through about one-third of their extent. From the constellation Cygnus, the rift reaches through Aquila and Sagittarius, where the centre of the Galaxy lies hidden behind it, to Centaurus. The clouds of dark material making up the Great Rift are several

Insectivore, Habitats

2005-02-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

Insectivores utilize diverse habitats. Shrews occupy the ground surface in forests and grasslands but are less common in deserts, although Notiosorex and Diplomesodon occupy New and Old World deserts, respectively. Moles are largely confined to North Temperate Zone forests and meadows, especially in areas of deciduous forests and adjacent prairies. Hedgehogs

Clemens, Jacobus

2005-02-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

In 1544 he was probationary choirmaster of Saint-Donatien in Brugge (Bruges) and in 1550 was singer

Tsuruga

2005-02-19T03:18:00.000-08:00

City, Fukui ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It faces Tsuruga Bay of the Sea of Japan. A flourishing port since early historic times, it was one of the main centres of communication with the Asian mainland and a major shipment centre for the former national capitals of Nara and Kyoto. Tsuruga's industrial base was developed after World War II with factories producing synthetic

Biblical Literature, French versions

2005-02-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

The first complete Bible was produced in the 13th century at the University of Paris and toward the end of that century Guyart des Moulins executed his Bible Historiale. Both works served as the basis of future redactions of which

Schlesinger, Arthur M(eier)

2005-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Schlesinger graduated from Ohio State University in 1910. When he entered Columbia University, New York City, to continue graduate study in history, he came under the influence of the progressive scholarship of James H. Robinson,

Heidelberg, University Of

2005-02-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

German in full Ruprecht-karl-universität Heidelberg, state-supported institution of higher learning at Heidelberg, Ger. Modelled on the University of Paris, it was founded in 1386 by the elector Rupert I and, like other German universities, was endowed by a foundation of colleges. The first was the college of the Cistercian order (1389); the first secular college was founded in 1390 by the university chancellor. During the 17th and 18th centuries,

Maharaja

2005-02-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

The title seems to have been introduced sometime in the first century BC by the Kushans. They had been

Mountain, Volcanic structures along subduction zones

2005-02-15T02:54:00.000-08:00

Linear or arcuate belts of volcanoes are commonly associated with subduction zones. Volcanoes typically lie 150 to 200 kilometres landward of deep-sea trenches, such as those that border much of the Pacific Basin. The volcanoes overlie a zone of intense earthquake activity that begins at a shallow depth near such a trench and that dips beneath the volcanoes. They often

Alba Longa

2005-02-15T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ancient city of Latium, Italy, in the Alban Hills about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, near present Castel Gandolfo. Tradition attributes its founding (c. 1152 BC) to Ascanius, the son of the legendary Aeneas, thus making it, according to legend at least, the oldest Latin city, which in turn founded others, including Rome. Excavations have revealed cemeteries that date to the 10th century

Mosaic Glass

2005-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Glassware made by fusing together pieces of diversely coloured glass. The earliest known glassware—vases produced in Egypt about the 15th century BC—is of this type. The Egyptian vases were formed by wrapping rods of different coloured glass softened by heating around a core of sand and dung. During the Ptolemaic period (305–30 BC) Alexandrian craftsmen perfected the manipulation

Turbay Ayala, Julio César

2005-02-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

Born into a middle-class family descended from Lebanese immigrants, Turbay Ayala was educated at the National Commercial School (Bogotá) and University College of Botero. He served in the House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953 and became

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

Although autobiographical narrative makes up much of the first 9 of the 13 books of Augustine's Confessiones (397; Confessions), autobiography is incidental to the main purpose of the work. For Augustine confessions is a catchall term for acts of religiously authorized speech: praise of God, blame of self, confession of faith. The book is a richly textured meditation by a middle-aged

Olmi, Ermanno

2005-02-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

Olmi attended a science high school and took courses in acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan. He learned filmmaking while employed at Edisonvolta, a major Milanese electric

Enderby Land

2005-02-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

Region of Antarctica, bordering on the Indian Ocean and extending from Prince Olav Coast of Queen Maud Land (west) to Edward VIII Bay and Kemp Coast (east). Primarily a barren, ice-capped plateau in the interior sections, it rises to rugged peaks along the coast, where the Napier Mountains exceed 7,400 feet (2,260 m). The English navigator John Biscoe, sailing for Enderby Brothers, a London

Dowitcher

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

Dowitchers

Burgers, Thomas François

2005-02-09T03:51:00.000-08:00

After graduating as a doctor of theology from the University of Utrecht, Burgers in 1859 returned to Cape Colony, where he became the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in

Uguccione Della Faggiuola

2005-02-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

A member of an old Ghibelline (pro-imperial) family, Uguccione had served as podestà (chief magistrate) and captain general in several Italian cities when the sudden death of Holy Roman Emperor

Myanmar, World War II and after

2005-02-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

When World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, the Burmese leaders wanted to bargain with the government before giving their support to the British. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Aung San, but he escaped to China, where he attempted to contact radical groups for support. Japanese assistance was offered instead. Aung San returned to Burma in secret, recruited 29 young

Caudata, Bones and cartilage

2005-02-07T04:51:00.000-08:00

The rather weak skull of adults is composed of various paired and unpaired bones. These bones may fuse or be lost in different groups, and their presence and arrangement are important in classification. Much of the fusion and loss of skull bones is associated with a trend toward tongue feeding. Small, double-cusped teeth line the margins of the jaw and spread over parts

Bonaparte Family

2005-02-06T03:19:00.000-08:00

Italian Buonaparte, a family made famous by Napoleon I (q.v.), emperor of the French (1804–1814/15). The French form Bonaparte was not commonly used, even by Napoleon, until after the spring of 1796. The original name was Buonaparte, which was borne in the early Middle Ages by several distinct families in Italy. One of these, which settled at Florence before the year 1100, was divided in the 13th century into the two branches

Huerta, Dolores

2005-02-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

When Huerta was a child she moved to Stockton, California, with her mother and siblings after her parents' divorce. She remained in touch with her father, Juan Fernández, and took pride in his personal and

China, Foreign policy

2005-02-05T00:46:00.000-08:00

While taking their principal cues in their foreign policies from domestic developments and generally adhering to the initial pro-Soviet line, the Chinese began to act—on the basis of several important lessons gained during the Korean struggle—to reduce Peking's militant and isolationist attitudes in international affairs. Peking had recognized that the great

Cythera

2005-02-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Exportation of murex, a purple dye obtained from a species

Nation, The

2005-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

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

Bohr, Harald August

2005-02-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

The brother of the noted physicist Niels Bohr, he became professor at the Polytechnic Institute in Copenhagen in 1915 and at the University of Copenhagen in 1930. His early mathematical

Aerobatics

2005-02-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Maneuvers in which an aircraft is flown under precise control in unusual attitudes (the position of an aircraft determined by the relationship between its axes and a reference such as the horizon). A myriad of aerobatic maneuvers exist, some of the better-known being rolls, loops, stall turns (hammerheads), and tailslides. The term aerobatics came into use in early 1914 after

Acts Of The Apostles, The

2005-02-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

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

Cane Furniture

2005-01-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

Furniture in which a mesh of split canes is stretched over parts of the framework, principally on the backs and seats of chairs. It was made in India as early as the 2nd century AD and was also known in China. Cane was imported into Europe by the East India Company, and cane furniture became fashionable in England and the Netherlands toward the end of the 17th century. It is particularly

Hsiung Shih-li

2005-01-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

Hsiung was an anti-Manchu revolutionary in early youth, but after the age of 30 he devoted himself wholly to philosophy. He first studied metaphysical idealism in the

Antarctic Treaty

2005-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 1, 1959), agreement signed by 12 nations, in which the Antarctic continent was made a demilitarized zone to be preserved for scientific research. The treaty resulted from a conference in Washington, D.C., attended by representatives of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Later other

Japanese Literature, The novel between 1905 and 1941

2005-01-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

The dominant stream in Japanese fiction since the publication of Hakai (1906; The Broken Commandment), by Shimazaki Toson, and Futon (1907; The Quilt), by Tayama Katai, has been naturalism. Although the movement was originally inspired by the works of the 19th-century French novelist Émile Zola and other European naturalists, it quickly took on a distinctively Japanese colouring,

Dab

2005-01-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

Other species

Euripus

2005-01-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Euripos, Evrípos, or Porthmós Evrípou, narrow strait in the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea), between the Greek island of Euboea (Évvoia) and the mainland of central Greece. It is 5 miles (8 km) long and varies from 130 feet (40 m) to 1 mile (1.6 km) in width. It has strong tidal currents (often reaching velocities of 12 knots) that reverse directions seven or more times a day. According to popular tradition, the ancient Greek

Carracci, Lodovico

2005-01-28T03:02:00.000-08:00

The son of a butcher, Lodovico was the older cousin of the painters Annibale and Agostino Carracci. After working under the painter Prospero

Sanchi Sculpture

2005-01-27T03:10:00.000-08:00

Sanchi is the

Dab

2005-01-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

A rare and slow-moving South American rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia. It has a chunky body and is large for a rodent, weighing up to 15 kg (33 pounds) and measuring up to 79 cm (31.1 inches) in length, not including the thick, furry tail of

Biblical Literature, The role of certain lesser judges

2005-01-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

The third section relates the exploits of the various judges. Othniel, a member of the tribe of Caleb, delivered the erring Israelites from eight years of oppression by Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. The king, however, was most likely an area ruler, rather than a king of the Mesopotamian Empire. Another judge, Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, delivered Israel from

F-100

2005-01-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Super Sabre, jet fighter aircraft, the first developed for the U.S. Air Force to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. It was operational from 1953 to 1973. It was made by North American Aviation, Inc., and it became the principal tactical fighter of the U.S. Tactical Air Command and was adopted by various NATO countries. The F-100C had a wingspan of 38 feet (11.58 m) and was 47 feet (14.33 m) long. It was a single-seat, low-wing

Turina, Joaquín

2005-01-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

After studying in Sevilla (Seville) and Madrid, Turina went in 1905 to Paris, where he was a pupil of Moritz Moszkowski for piano and Vincent d'Indy for composition. Though he absorbed elements of the French style, he was inspired in Paris by Isaac

Sankt Wolfgang

2005-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Also called Sankt Wolfgang Im Salzkammergut, town, Oberösterreich Bundesland (federal state), central Austria. It lies on the east shore of Wolfgang (Aber) Lake in the Salzkammergut lake region, west of Bad Ischl. A cog, or rack, railway ascends the Schafberg (5,850 feet [1,783 m]) from the town. The Late Gothic-style Pilgrimage Church (1430–77) has a magnificent carved wooden altar (1481) by the sculptor Michael Pacher. The town's Zum Weissen Rossl

Eridu

2005-01-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

Ancient Sumerian city south of modern Ur (Tall al-Muqayyar), Iraq. Eridu was revered as the oldest city in Sumer according to the king lists, and its patron god was Enki (Ea), “lord of the sweet waters that flow under the earth.” The site, located at a mound called Abu Shahrayn, was excavated principally between 1946 and 1949 by the Iraq Antiquities Department; it proved to be one of the most