WideKey

Auslander, Joseph

2005-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Auslander's

Kambalda

2005-10-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Mining town, southern Western Australia. It lies 37 miles (60 km) south of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Gold was mined there from 1896 to 1906, but the site's modern importance dates from 1966, when deposits of high-grade nickel were discovered in the vicinity. The nickel ores are smelted at Kalgoorlie-Boulder, refined at Kwinana (south of Perth), or carried southward to the port of Esperance for shipment.

Lower Egypt

2005-07-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

Arabic Misr Bahri, geographic and cultural division of Egypt consisting primarily of the triangular Nile River delta region and bounded generally by the 30th parallel north in the south and by the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Characterized by broad expanses of fertile soil, Lower Egypt contrasts sharply with Upper Egypt, where the centres of habitation along the Nile valley are

Houri

2005-07-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Also spelled huri , Arabic Hawra' , plural Hur in Islam, a beautiful maiden who awaits the devout Muslim in paradise. The Arabic word hawra' signifies the contrast of the clear white of the eye to the blackness of the iris. There are numerous references to the houri in the Qur'an describing them as “purified wives” and “spotless virgins.” Tradition elaborated on the sensual image of the houri and defined some of her functions;

Ancient Rome

2005-07-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

Rome

Aytmatov, Chingiz

2005-07-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

Aytmatov achieved major literary recognition with his collection of short stories, Povesti gor i stepey (1963; Tales of Mountains and Steppes), for which he was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1963. His most important works

Grease

2005-07-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

White grease is made from inedible hog fat and has a low content of free fatty acids. Yellow grease is made from darker parts of the hog and may include parts used to make white grease. Brown grease contains

Alabaster

2005-06-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Fine-grained, massive gypsum (q.v.) that has been used for centuries for statuary, carvings, and other ornaments. It normally is snow-white and translucent but can be artificially dyed; it may be made opaque and similar in appearance to marble by heat treatment. Florence, Livorno, and Milan, in Italy, and Berlin are important centres of the alabaster trade. The alabaster of

Ligand Field Theory

2005-06-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

In chemistry, one of several theories that describe the electronic structure of coordination or complex compounds, notably transition metal complexes, which consist of a central metal atom surrounded by a group of electron-rich atoms or molecules called ligands. The ligand field theory deals with the origins and consequences of metal– ligand interactions as

Boxing, Professional boxing

2005-06-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

The man who made boxing into big business was George (“Tex”) Rickard, the sport's first great promoter. After staging the world's lightweight championship bout between Joe Gans and Oscar (“Battling”) Nelson to publicize the mining town of Goldfield, Nevada, in 1906, he realized the potential of prizefighting. Rickard made an art of boxing publicity, playing on the public's prejudices

Hansen, Peter Andreas

2005-06-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hansen became director of the Seeberg Observatory, near Gotha, in 1825, and in 1857 a new observatory was built for him. He worked on theoretical geodesy, optics, and the theory of probability. His most important

Türbe

2005-06-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

The tower form of the tomb may have been based on the cylindrical and conical forms of Seljuq tents. The earliest towers, varying in height up to 200 feet (60 m), were traditionally built on a circular ground plan, but square

Augustan History

2005-05-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

The work is incomplete in its surviving form (it probably originally began with one of Hadrian's predecessors, Nerva or Trajan), and its original title is unknown. Its authorship and date of composition are also matters of argument.

Pierce, Sarah

2005-05-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

The school Pierce opened in her home in 1792 was so successful that in 1798 a group of Litchfield citizens presented her with a building to house

Paraíba

2005-05-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Also called Parahyba, or Parahyba Do Norte, estado (“state”) of northeastern Brazil. Primarily an agricultural state, Paraíba is bounded by the states of Rio Grande do Norte on the north, Ceará on the west, and Pernambuco on the south and by the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its area is 20,833 square miles (53,958 square km). Its chief river, the Paraíba, rises on the Pernambuco border and enters the Atlantic Ocean near the state capital,

Algeria, World War II and the movement for independence

2005-03-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

World War II brought with it the collapse of France and, in 1942, the Anglo-American occupation of North Africa. The occupation forces were to some extent automatically agents of emancipation; both Allied and Axis radio stations began to broadcast in Arabic, promising a new world for formerly subject peoples. The effect was further heightened by the June 1941 promise of emancipation

Selebi-phikwe

2005-03-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Selebi-pikwe, � mining town, eastern Botswana. Selebi-Phikwe is located 62 miles (100 km) southeast of Francistown. Situated in the centre of a large copper-nickel mine and a smelter complex, it was one of the fastest-growing towns in the country in the late 20th century. The copper and nickel operation, in which the government of Botswana had a 15 percent share, began production in 1974. Laid out as a fully

Mountain, The Zagros and Bitlis mountains

2005-03-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

The Arabian Peninsula, its northeastern edge covered by thick sedimentary rocks, has collided with Iran and Turkey at the Zagros and Bitlis sutures to form the Zagros and Bitlis mountains. Thick layers of salt in the Arabian shield's sedimentary rock have allowed the overlying layers to detach and fold, creating a particularly well-developed fold and thrust belt

Aymaran Languages

2005-03-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

A group of South American Indian languages spoken over a fairly large region in the southern Peruvian highlands and adjacent areas of Bolivia. Some scholars classify the Aymaran group and the Quechuan group together in the Quechumaran stock. See Quechuan languages.

Great Circle Route

2005-03-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

The shortest course between two points on the surface of a sphere. It lies in a plane that intersects the sphere's centre and was known by mathematicians before the time of Columbus. Until the 19th century ships generally sailed along rhumb lines, which made use of prevailing winds and fixed compass headings. The development of steamships in the 19th century allowed complete

Earth, Growth phase

2005-03-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

An isolated substorm begins when the IMF turns southward and dayside reconnection begins. For about an hour afterward, bands of quiet auroral arcs drift equatorward near midnight in the northern and southern auroral ovals. The eastward and westward electrojets, flowing from noon toward midnight along the ovals, gradually increase in strength and move equatorward

Novokuybyshevsk

2005-03-03T04:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Novokujby

Scandinavian Literature, Icelandic learning and literature

2005-03-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

The effect of the Reformation on Icelandic learning and literature was that Catholic poetry was discarded and attempts were made by the first

France, History Of, The Frondes

2005-03-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

The years of Louis XIV's minority were dominated by the Frondes, a series of civil disturbances that lasted from 1648 to 1653. The government's financial difficulties were once more at the root of the trouble. In the first few years of the regency a variety of expedients were tried to raise additional revenue for the war with Spain. There was about these expedients an air of arbitrariness

Latrobe Valley

2005-02-28T01:11:00.000-08:00

The Latrobe River rises in the Eastern Highlands near Mount Baw Baw in the Gippsland district. Flowing in a southeasterly direction, it passes the cities of Moe and Yallourn, where it turns to flow almost directly east, past Traralgon. The Latrobe is joined

Actinium

2005-02-27T01:43:00.000-08:00

(Ac), radioactive chemical element, in Group IIIb of the periodic table, atomic number 89. Actinium was discovered (1899) by Andr�-Louis Debierne in pitchblende residues left after Pierre and Marie Curie had extracted radium and was also discovered (1902) independently by Friedrich Otto Giesel. A ton of pitchblende ore contains about 0.15 mg of actinium. The rare, silvery-white metal

Sartawi, 'isam

2005-02-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

Trained as a medical doctor in Baghdad, Iraq, Sartawi was conducting research in the United States

Ruse

2005-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Russe�, or �Rouss� city of northern Bulgaria, on the Danube River near the mouth of the Rusenski Lom. Bulgaria's principal river port and a transportation hub for road and rail, Ruse has regular shipping services on the Danube and an airport. Upstream is the Friendship Bridge, built in 1954, carrying road and rail traffic across the river to Giurgiu, in Romania. Ruse is an industrial town, with

Ecstasy

2005-02-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

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

China

2005-02-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a critical one for China. Domestically, it was a year of political transition to a new generation of leaders; internationally, significant changes in geopolitical alignments had major repercussions for the country. The 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), after some delay, was convened in early November. China's �Three Represents� doctrine

Abbess

2005-02-22T04:57:00.000-08:00

To be elected, an abbess must be at least 40 years old and a professed nun for at least 10 years. She is solemnly blessed

Bahya Ben Joseph Ibn Pakuda

2005-02-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

About 1080 Bahya wrote, in Arabic, Al-Hidayah ila-fara' id al-qulub (�Duties of the Heart�). In a rather inaccurate 12th-century translation into Hebrew by Judah ben Joseph ibn Tibbon, Hovot ha-levavot, it became a widely read classic of Jewish philosophic

Nova Scotia

2005-02-20T04:22:00.000-08:00

Canadian province, one of the four British colonies federated into the Dominion of Canada in 1867. It comprises the peninsula of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island (separated from the mainland to the southwest by the narrow Strait of Canso), and a number of small adjacent islands. The total area is 21,425 square miles (55,490 square kilometres). Along the 17-mile- (27-kilometre-) wide Chignecto

Cabrillo, Juan Rodr�guez

2005-02-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

Virtually nothing is known of Cabrillo's early life, though he might have been born in Portugal. As a young man, he appears to have accompanied the Spanish soldier P�nfilo de Narv�ez (1520) in his unsuccessful punitive expedition against

Sosnowiec

2005-02-18T22:48:00.000-08:00

A castle was built in Sosnowiec in

United Kingdom, The golden age of Bede

2005-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Within a century of Augustine's landing, England was in the forefront of scholarship. This high standard arose from a combination of influences: that from Ireland, which had escaped the decay caused elsewhere by the barbarian invasions, and that from the Mediterranean, which reached England mainly through Archbishop Theodore and his companion, the abbot Adrian

Bailey, Donovan

2005-02-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won the 100-m dash in 9.84 sec to earn the appellation "the world's fastest man." Then he ran the last leg of the 4 �100-m relay and helped the Canadian team win a gold medal in that event. These were impressive accomplishments for a man who had emerged as a factor in international track only in 1994 and did not set a world record

Europa

2005-02-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the daughter either of Phoenix or of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. The beauty of Europa inspired the love of Zeus, who approached her in the form of a white bull and carried her away from Phoenicia to Crete. There she bore Zeus three sons: King Minos of Crete, King Rhadamanthus of the Cyclades Islands, and, according to some legends, Prince Sarpedon of Lycia.

Lewis, Robert

2005-02-14T01:03:00.000-08:00

American actor, drama teacher, and theatre director who cofounded, directed, and performed in the 1930s with the Group Theatre in such plays as Waiting for Lefty and Golden Boy before helping to found (1947) the Actors Studio, where for one year he tutored such future stars as Marlon Brando and Karl Malden; he eventually went on to Broadway, where he directed Brigadoon, Teahouse

Furniture, General works

2005-02-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Ole Hanscher, Mobelkunsten (1966; Eng. trans., The Art of Furniture, 1967), is a chronological survey of the art of furniture (with illustrations). George Nakashima, The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections (1981), is an inspirational commentary of a designer and crafter on the art of furniture making.

Lord High Steward

2005-02-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

An honorific office that came to England with the Norman ducal household. From 1153 it was held by the earls of Leicester and then of Lancaster until it came into the hands of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, who assumed control over the minor King Richard II and strengthened the office. By the Duke's order the minutes were kept of proceedings held before him on the claims

Arcturus

2005-02-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Also called �Alpha Bo�tis� one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Bo�tes, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.00. It is an orange-coloured giant star about 40 light-years from the Earth. It lies in an almost direct line with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); hence its name, derived from the Greek words for �bear guard.�

Cohesion

2005-02-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

In physics, the intermolecular attractive force acting between two adjacent portions of a substance, particularly of a solid or liquid. It is this force that holds a piece of matter together. Intermolecular forces act also between two dissimilar substances in contact, a phenomenon called adhesion. These forces originate principally because of coulomb (electrical)

Stafford

2005-02-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

Founded by Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great, the town of Stafford had its own mint from the reign of Aethelstan to that of Henry II. Stafford town was chartered in

Condottiere

2005-02-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

The first mercenary armies in Italy (often called free companies) were made up of foreigners. The earliest (1303) was composed

Bradley, A(ndrew) C(ecil)

2005-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Bradley attended Oxford and held professorships of modern literature at the University of Liverpool (1882 - 90), of English language and literature at the University of Glasgow (1890 - 1900), and of poetry at Oxford University (1901 - 06). His Shakespearean

Kyoto, Climate

2005-02-06T22:54:00.000-08:00

During spring and fall Kyoto is in its prime; the rainy season (June - July), lasting three to four weeks, is unavoidable; and summers are hot and humid. Winter brings two or three light snows and a unique �chilling from below� (sokobie), which must be tolerated. The yearly mean temperature of Kyoto is about 59� F (15� C); the highest monthly mean, 80� F (27� C), is in August, and the lowest, 38� F (3� C), is in January.

Croker Island

2005-02-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

Island in Northern Territory, Australia, lying 2 miles (3 km) across Bowen Strait in the Arafura Sea from Coburg Peninsula. Low and swampy, the island rises only to 50 feet (15 m). It is 30 miles (50 km) long by 4 miles (6 km) wide and has an area of 126 square miles (326 square km). Visited by Captain Phillip Parker King of the Royal Navy about 1818, the island was probably named for John Wilson Croker, then chief

Wilson, Edmund

2005-02-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

Educated at Princeton, Wilson moved from newspaper reporting in New York to become managing editor of Vanity Fair (1920 - 21) and associate editor of The New Republic (1926 - 31). Wilson's first critical work, Axel's Castle (1931), was an important international survey of the Symbolist

Interior Design, Design relationships

2005-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

The real and conscious relationship between art, architecture, and design is of long standing. Though mural painting was largely neglected in the mid-20th century, in the past great murals have been the planned focal points of interiors and have in a way determined the architecture. Similarly, sculpture or sculptural forms, as fixed and permanent spects of buildings,

Tarbell, Ida M.

2005-02-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

Tarbell was educated at Allegheny College (Meadville, Pennsylvania) and taught briefly before becoming an editor for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (1883 - 91). In 1891 she took her

Aracari

2005-02-01T01:03:00.000-08:00

Any of certain toucan species. See toucan.

Mercedarian

2005-01-31T06:03:00.000-08:00

St. Raymond of Penafort, Nolasco's confessor and the author of the order's rule, based the rule on that of St. Augustine. In addition to the usual three religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Mercedarians

Mercator, Gerardus

2005-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Original name �Gerard De Cremer, or Kremer?� Flemish cartographer whose most important innovation was a map, embodying what was later known as the Mercator projection, on which parallels and meridians are rendered as straight lines spaced so as to produce at any point an accurate ratio of latitude to longitude. He also introduced

Vologeses I

2005-01-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

Vologeses gave the kingdom of Media Atropatene to his brother Pacorus and occupied Armenia for another brother, Tiridates. Parthian control of Armenia, however, led to a long war with the Romans (AD 54 - 63). A peace was finally concluded by which Tiridates was acknowledged as a Roman client

Rhine, Confederation Of The

2005-01-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

French �Conf�d�ration du Rhin �German �Rheinbund � union (1806 - 13) of all the states of Germany, except Austria and Prussia, under the aegis of Napoleon I, which enabled the French to unify and dominate the country until Napoleon's downfall. The formation of the confederation was preceded by French encroachment in Germany beginning in 1792: all territory west of the Rhine River was annexed outright, and the first steps toward consolidation

Furniture, 18th century: the Rococo style

2005-01-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

The influence of French furniture was predominant in Europe during the 18th century. In the second half of the century England played a leading role in establishing the Neoclassical style, and for supreme craftsmanship provided an inspiration to workshops in several countries; but in the diffusion of the two styles, the Rococo and the Neoclassical, French designs

Cilicia

2005-01-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

Ancient district of southern Anatolia, bounded on the north and west by the Taurus Mountain Range, on the east by the Anti-Taurus, and on the south by the Mediterranean Sea. It is geographically divided into two contrasting regions, the western portion being wild and mountainous and the eastern consisting of rich plainland. In ancient times the only route from Anatolia

Leninism

2005-01-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

In the Communist

Alb

2005-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Derived from the long white tunic (tunica alba, or linea) commonly

Vandegrift, Alexander A.

2005-01-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1909, Vandegrift had advanced to major general by 1942. Having served in Nicaragua, Haiti, and China, he was prepared for the jungle-warfare

Arabia, History Of, Religious reform

2005-01-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Wahhabi movement, which introduced a new factor into the pattern of Arabian politics, was founded by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, a reformer influenced by the writings of the 13th - 14th-century pietist theologian Ibn Taymiyah, of the strict Hanbali school of Islamic law. It was 'Abd al-Wahhab's intention to purify Islam of polytheism and to return it to an idealized primitive state.

China, Conflicts within the international alliance

2005-01-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

China's alliance with the United States and Great Britain was marked by deep conflict. Great Britain gave highest priority to the defeat of its main enemy, Germany. The U.S. Navy in the Pacific had been seriously weakened by the Japanese air attack at Pearl Harbor and required many months to rebuild. During the winter of 1941 - 42 the grand strategy of the United States and Great

Babcock, Horace Welcome

2005-01-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

American astronomer (b. Sept. 13, 1912, Pasadena, Calif. - d. Aug. 29, 2003, Santa Barbara, Calif.), led the effort to create, in 1969, Chile's Las Campanas Observatory, the first observatory to be built far from sources of light pollution. In the 1950s Babcock devised the system of adaptive optics that enabled telescopes to compensate for the distorting effect of Earth's atmosphere on light from distant

Priesthood

2005-01-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

Throughout the long and varied history of religion, the priesthood has been the official institution that has mediated and maintained a state of equilibrium between the sacred and the profane aspects of human society

Ubayyid, Al-

2005-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �el-Obeid� town, central Sudan. It lies on a sandy, scrub-covered plateau at an elevation of 1,869 feet (570 m). Founded by the Egyptians in 1821, the town was captured and largely destroyed by the Mahdist forces in 1882, but it was rebuilt after Kurdufan was federated with the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1899. Al-Ubayyid is encircled by a forest reserve that tends to alleviate dust storms. Located on a spur of the

Corax

2005-01-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

There is little reliable information about Corax's life or his work, of which nothing survives. He was active at a time when democratic constitutions had replaced tyrannies in Sicily. He specialized in the theory of forensic oratory and is said to have advocated argument

Moloch

2005-01-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or

Performing Arts, Spain and Portugal.

2005-01-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Spain maintained a substantial popular production. Notable films included Jos� Luis Garci's Una historia de entonces (You're the One), the story of an aspiring woman writer in the 1940s who returns to her home village after the death of her lover; �lex de la Iglesia's high-spirited comic group portrait of the denizens of a rundown old Madrid tenement, La comunidad; and

Tabla

2005-01-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Pair of small drums fundamental (since the 18th century) to Hindustani music of northern India. The higher-pitched of the two drums, which is played with the right hand, is also referred to individually as the tabla or as the daya (dahina or dayan, meaning �right�). It is a single-headed drum usually of wood and having the profile of two truncated cones bulging at the centre,

Madagascar, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

2005-01-11T01:37:00.000-08:00

Slash-and-burn

Qadarif, Al-

2005-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �El-gedaref, � town, east-central Sudan. It is situated about 120 miles (200 km) southwest of Kassala town. Located at an elevation of 1,975 feet (608 m), it is a commercial centre for the cotton, cereals, sesame seeds, and fodder produced in the surrounding area. The Gash Irrigation Project is located to the northwest of al-Qadarif. Light industries include cotton ginning and spinning mills and soap factories.

Military Aircraft, Reconnaissance

2005-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Reconnaissance aircraft also carried ECM devices and relied heavily on electronic and infrared sensors to supplement their film cameras. Their tasks were to locate and photograph targets, using radar and conventional photographic techniques, and to probe enemy electronic defense systems to discover and evaluate the types of radio and radar equipment that

Sherer, Rabbi Moshe

2005-01-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

American Orthodox Jewish leader who aided the right wing of Orthodox Judaism by helping build the Agudath Israel of America organization from a small group into an influential force (b. June 8, 1921, Brooklyn, N.Y.--d. May 17, 1998, Manhattan, N.Y.).

Maccaig, Norman

2005-01-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

After graduation from the University of Edinburgh, MacCaig held various teaching positions, mostly in Edinburgh. His early published works, which he later disavowed, were Far Cry (1943) and The Inward Eye (1946). In Riding Lights (1955), his characteristic poetic voice - recalling the polished

Ikire

2005-01-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. The town lies along the road from Ibadan to Ile-Ife. A collecting point for local cash crops (cocoa and palm oil and kernels), it also serves as a trade centre for yams, maize (corn), cassava, palm produce, cotton, and kola nuts. Cotton weaving is a traditional industry of its Yoruba inhabitants. Pop. (1991 est.) 111,500.

Silbermann, Gottfried

2005-01-05T01:44:00.000-08:00

Gottfried worked in Strasbourg in the shop of his brother Andreas, also a noted builder, before moving to Freiberg in 1710. There he made spinets, clavichords, and harpsichords and experimented in

Kea

2005-01-04T22:54:00.000-08:00

New Zealand parrot species of the subfamily Nestorinae. See parrot.

Graysby

2005-01-03T01:52:00.000-08:00

Species of sea bass (q.v.).

Henrician Articles

2005-01-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Polish �Artykuly Henrykowskie� (1573) statement of the rights and privileges of the Polish gentry (szlachta) that all elected kings of Poland, beginning with Henry of Valois (elected May 11, 1573), were obliged to confirm and that severely limited the authority of the Polish monarchy. After King Sigismund II Augustus died (July 1572), Henry of Valois, duc d'Anjou and the future Henry III of France, emerged as the favourite

Wigglesworth, Sir Vincent (brian)

2005-01-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

English entomologist, noted for his contribution to the study of insect physiology. His investigations of the living insect body and its tissues and organs revealed much about the dynamic complexity of individual insects and their interactions with the environment. His Insect Physiology (1934) is often

Likasi

2004-12-31T04:43:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1966) �Jadotville, � city, southeastern Congo (Kinshasa). It lies along the Likasi River, 86 miles (138 km) northwest of Lubumbashi, to which it is connected by road and rail. In 1892 Belgians discovered copper deposits at Likasi and at Kambove, 15 miles (24 km) northwest. Likasi was founded in 1917 and was designated an urban district in 1943. It is now one of the nation's most important mineral-processing centres, with plants

Coil

2004-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

In an electric circuit, one or more turns, usually roughly circular or cylindrical, of current-carrying wire designed to produce a magnetic field or to provide electrical resistance or inductance; in the latter case, a coil is also called a choke coil (see also inductance). A soft iron core placed within a coil produces an electromagnet. A cylindrical coil that moves

Sabinio

2004-12-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Also called �Volcan Sabinyo,� or �Volcan Sabyinyo, � extinct volcano (11,500 feet [3,505 m]) in the Virunga Mountains of east-central Africa. It lies northeast of Lake Kivu and south-southeast of Rutshuru, Congo (Kinshasa). Its summit marks the junction of the Congo (Kinshasa) - Rwanda - Uganda borders. It forms part of the Virunga National Park, which is the home of the mountain gorilla.

Thompson, Kay

2004-12-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Thompson early displayed a considerable talent for the piano, and at the age of 16 she appeared as a soloist with the St. Louis Symphony. The following

Nicaea, Council Of

2004-12-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

(325), the first ecumenical council of the Christian church, meeting in ancient Nicaea (now Iznik, Tur.). It was called by the emperor Constantine I, an unbaptized catechumen, or neophyte, who presided over the opening session and took part in the discussions. He hoped a general council of the church would solve the problem created in the Eastern church by Arianism, a heresy first

Rocky Mountains, Water resources

2004-12-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States are a region of water surplus, where precipitation exceeds losses from evaporation, runoff, and transpiration. The lands on either side of the mountain front, however, experience a water deficit. The people living in these areas have looked to water-storage projects in the Rockies for irrigation, domestic and industrial

Performing Arts, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

2004-12-25T02:29:00.000-08:00

One of the most original and most perfectly achieved films of the year, Aleksandr Sokurov's Russky kovcheg (Russian Ark) used digital resources to make a 96-minute film in a single shot as the camera explored the endless galleries of St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. Pavel Lungin's Oligarkh (Tycoon) was a ferocious portrayal of corruption that instilled and linked big

Hydatidiform Mole

2004-12-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

In human pregnancy, abnormal growth of the chorion, the outermost vascular membrane that in a normal pregnancy would enclose the embryo and ultimately give rise to the placenta. In the situation in which the hydatidiform mole develops, the embryo is usually either absent or dead. The mole, a collection of sacs (cysts) containing a jellylike substance, resembles clusters

Latreille, Pierre-andr�

2004-12-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Although he was a devoted student of natural history, Latreille was educated for the priesthood and was ordained in Paris in 1786. Publication of his Pr�cis des caract�res g�n�

Arab League

2004-12-22T03:34:00.000-08:00

Also called �League Of Arab States (LAS)�, Arabic �Al-Jami'a Al-'Arabiyah, or Al-Jami'a Ad-Duwal Al-'Arabiyah, � regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East, formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945. The founding member states were Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Other members are Libya (1953); The Sudan (1956); Tunisia and Morocco (1958); Kuwait (1961); Algeria (1962); Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (1971); Mauritania (1973); Somalia (1974); the Palestine Liberation Organization

Zacconi, Lodovico

2004-12-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

Zacconi became a priest, later an Augustinian, and studied music with Andrea Gabrieli in Venice, where he was musical director for his order. He went to Vienna in 1585 at the invitation of the archduke Charles. In 1592 he published

Nicholas Of Cl�manges

2004-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Named rector of the University of Paris in 1393 after acquiring repute

Hisham Ibn 'abd Al-malik

2004-12-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

Before his accession to the throne in 724, Hisham led a quiet life in the Umayyad court, holding no important public offices. He reigned during a time of relative calm. Hisham easily maintained internal security but was forced to mount a number

Water Net

2004-12-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

Any algae that is a member of the genus Hydrodictyon. A water net is a green algae found as a free-floating network of multinucleate cell masses arranged in hexagons or pentagons and up to 20 cm (7.9 inches) in total length. Water nets are usually found floating on the surface of quiet ponds. Sexual reproduction is by fusion of similar gametes (isogamy).

Wagonette

2004-12-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

Horse-drawn carriage designed to carry a large number of passengers who sat on long bench-style seats facing each other. The driver's seat was separate and mounted from the front, while passengers boarded the vehicle from a door in the rear. The first wagonette was built in England about 1843 and became a popular vehicle, partially because of the implied endorsement of

Nicholas I

2004-12-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

A close associate of the controversial patriarch Photius of Constantinople, Nicholas began his career in the

Pemba Island

2004-12-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Jazirat Al-khudrah, � island in the Indian Ocean, lying 35 miles (56 km) off the coast of East Africa, opposite the port of Tanga, Tanzania. The island embraces 380 square miles (984 square km) and is 42 miles (67 km) long and 14 miles (22 km) wide. As the Arabic name, which means �Green Island,� suggests, it is more fertile than its sister island, Zanzibar, which lies 30 miles (48 km) to the southwest. Pemba is the world's leading producer

Fish River

2004-12-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans �Visrivier, � stream in southern Namibia. It rises in Namaqualand and flows south across the Great Namaqualand plateau, where it cuts a spectacular gorge 1,000 to 2,300 feet (300 to 700 m) deep, to empty into the Orange River. It is about 375 miles (600 km) long and is intermittent.

Minamoto Yoshiie

2004-12-13T17:08:00.000-08:00

The son of Minamoto Yoriyoshi, Yoshiie aided his father in the battles known as the Earlier Nine Years' War (1051 - 62), which ultimately resulted in