PhysicalWhistle

China, Political history

2005-04-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ineptitude on the throne, bureaucratic factionalism at court, rivalries among Mongol generals, and ineffective supervision and coordination of provincial and local administration had gravely weakened the Yüan government by the 1340s. And in 1351 disastrous flooding of the Huang and Huai river basins aroused hundreds of thousands of long-oppressed Chinese peasants

Frescobaldi, Girolamo

2005-04-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

Italian organist and one of the first great masters of organ composition. He strongly influenced the German Baroque school through the work of his pupils, J.J. Froberger and Franz Tunder. Frescobaldi began his public career as organist at the church of Sta. Maria in Trastevere in Rome, in 1607. He travelled to the Netherlands the

Reggio Nell'emilia

2005-04-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Founded in the 2nd century BC on the Roman road Via Aemilia by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus as Regium Lepidi, it was later the seat of a Lombard duchy and then was ruled by its bishops. Under the protection of the

Calamity Jane

2005-04-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

She allegedly moved westward on a wagon train when still quite young—her mother dying en

Odonata, Wings and flight

2005-04-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

Odonates use their wings

Cheke, Sir John

2005-04-02T02:18:00.000-08:00

Cheke also spelled Cheek English humanist and supporter of the Protestant Reformation who, as the poet John Milton said, “taught Cambridge and King Edward Greek” and who, with his friend Sir Thomas Smith, discovered the proper pronunciation of ancient Greek. Through his teaching he made the University of Cambridge the centre of the “new learning” and the Reformed religion.

Land Mine

2005-04-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Stationary explosive charge used against military troops or vehicles. See mine.

Poynting, John Henry

2005-04-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

He was a professor of physics at Mason Science College (later the University of Birmingham) from 1880 until his death. In papers published in 1884–85, he showed that the flow of energy

Afro-asiatic Languages, Northern Central Semitic

2005-03-31T05:38:00.000-08:00

The Northern Central Semitic group includes the Canaanite, Ugaritic, and Amorite languages of the Ancient Stage, which were spoken in Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria, and Mesopotamia from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC. To the Middle Stage belongs Phoenician-Punic, spoken in Phoenicia, on islands of the Mediterranean, and in North Africa, from the 2nd millennium BC to the 1st millennium

Tabby

2005-03-30T22:35:00.000-08:00

Type of dark-striped coat colouring found in both wild and domestic cats. One of the most common coat colours, the tabby pattern dates back to domestic cats in ancient Egypt. It is a recognized colour variety in purebred cats and is frequently seen in cats of mixed ancestry. Tabby colouring is highly variable but, for show cats, should consist of the following dark markings:

Nordheim, Sondre

2005-03-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Nordheim in 1860 was the first to use bindings of willow, cane, and birch root around the heel from each side of the toe strap to fasten the boot to the ski, thus revolutionizing skiing and making ski jumping possible. He himself

Lucas, George

2005-03-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

Lucas became interested in filmmaking while in high school. He received encouragement from the cinematographer Haskell Wexler and gained admission to the film department of the University of Southern California

Aleardi, Aleardo, Conte

2005-03-28T05:25:00.000-08:00

Brought up in Verona, then controlled by Austria, he studied law at the University of Padua. His love lyrics, Le lettere a Maria (1846; “The Letters

Espinosa, Pedro De

2005-03-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

Espinosa's own poetry

Hwange National Park

2005-03-27T03:34:00.000-08:00

Formerly Wankie National Park, park in northwestern Zimbabwe, on the Botswana frontier. It was established in 1928 as a game reserve, and as a national park in 1930. The park's area of 5,657 square miles (14,651 square km) is largely flat and contains fine hardwood forests of mukwa and Zimbabwean teak. Hwange is one of Africa's largest elephant sanctuaries and is also the habitat of thousands of Cape buffalo as well as giraffes,

Earth Exploration

2005-03-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

Texts on methodology and discoveries in Earth exploration include Arthur W. Rose, Herbert E. Hawkes, and John S. Webb, Geochemistry in Mineral Exploration, 2nd ed. (1979); Robert F. Legget and Allen W. Hatheway, Geology and Engineering, 3rd ed. (1988); Sampling of Soil and Rock (1971), published by the American Society for Testing and Materials; Martin H.P. Bott, Interior of the Earth: Its Structure, Constitution, and Evolution, 2nd ed. (1982); George D. Garland, Introduction to Geophysics: Mantle, Core, and Crust, 2nd ed. (1979); Robert E. Sheriff (compiler), Encyclopedic Dictionary of Exploration Geophysics, 3rd ed. (1991); Robert E. Sheriff, Geophysical Methods (1989); Robert E. Sheriff and L.P. Geldart, Exploration Seismology, 2 vol. (1982–83); W.M. Telford, L.P. Geldart, and Robert E. Sheriff, Applied Geophysics, 2nd ed. (1980); Chuji Tsuboi, Gravity (1983; originally published in Japanese, 1979); W.D. Parkinson, Introduction to Geomagnetism (1983); J.A. Jacobs, A Textbook on Geonomy (1974); and Floyd F. Sabins, Jr., Remote Sensing: Principles and Interpretation, 2nd ed. (1987).

Madhavacarya

2005-03-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

Madhavacarya became an ascetic in 1377 and was thereafter known as Vidyaranya. He was part author of Jivan-muktiviveka and Pañcadasi, works of Vedanta philosophy; Dhatuvrtti, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar; Nyaya-malavistara, a work on the Mimamsa system, one of the earliest

Children's Literature, Prehistory (1646?1865)

2005-03-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

The prehistoric annals are short and simple. Dominated by England, native creativity—to refer only to books with even the thinnest claim to literary quality—amounted to little. The Puritan view of the unredeemable child obtained almost into the era of Andrew Jackson. Jonathan Edwards put it neatly: unrepentant children were “young vipers and infinitely more hateful

Dactylella

2005-03-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

A genus of 15 species in the Fungi Imperfecti (form-class Deuteromycetes; q.v.). They capture and kill nematodes (roundworms) by penetrating their bodies. A penetration tube grows out of a hypha (one of the filaments that make up the body of a typical fungus) after contact with the prey, enters it, and begins to grow and branch, forming haustoria (special absorbing structures).

Omar Khayyam

2005-03-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Arabic in full Ghiyath al-Din Abu al-Fath 'Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Nisaburi al-Khayyami Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet, renowned in his own country and time for his scientific achievements but chiefly known to English-speaking readers through the translation of a collection of his roba'iyat (“quatrains”) in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1859), by the English writer Edward

Subway

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

Also called Underground, Tube, or Métro, underground railway system used to transport large numbers of passengers within urban and suburban areas. Subways are usually built under city streets for ease of construction, but they may take shortcuts and sometimes must pass under rivers. Outlying sections of the system usually emerge aboveground, becoming conventional railways or elevated transit lines.

Sangamon Interglacial Stage

2005-03-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in North America (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Sangamon Interglacial follows the Illinoian Glacial Stage and precedes the Wisconsin Glacial Stage, both periods of widespread continental glaciation and severe climatic conditions, as opposed to the moderate conditions

Monazite

2005-03-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

Phosphate mineral, cerium and lanthanum phosphate [(Ce, La)PO4], that is the major commercial source of cerium. Occurring as small, brown, resinous, rather heavy crystals in granitic and gneissic rocks and their detritus (called monazite sands), monazite frequently contains 10–12 percent thorium dioxide (ThO2) and thus represents a major commercial source of thorium as well.

Infection, Temperature regulation

2005-03-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Although it has been generally accepted that the usual range of deep body temperature is from 97.2° F to 100° F (36.2° C to 37.8° C), temperatures of 95.9° F to 101.2° F (35.5° C to 38.4° C) have been reported in normal individuals. The rectal temperature of a person may read 101° F (38.3° C) in the afternoon or after exercise. Core body temperature, in fact, varies with time of day, environmental temperature, physical activity, food intake,

China, Phase one

2005-03-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

As never before in modern times, the Chinese united themselves against a foreign enemy. China's standing armies in 1937 numbered some 1,700,000 men, with 500,000 in reserve. Japan's naval and air superiority were unquestioned. But Japan could not commit its full strength to campaigns in China; the main concern of the Japanese Army was the Soviet Union, while for the Japanese Navy it was the

Córdoba

2005-03-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Provincia, central Argentina, with an area of 65,161 square miles (168,766 square km). From the Sierra Grande in the west, which rises to 9,462 feet (2,884 m), the land slopes eastward to the great Pampa grasslands, being drained by the Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto rivers. Only the Tercero reaches the Paraná River; the others terminate in swamps or in the saline Laguna Mar Chiquita in the

Aguesseau, Henri-françois D'

2005-03-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

The son of Henri d'Aguesseau, intendant (royal agent) of Languedoc, he was advocate general to the Parlement (high court of justice) of Paris from 1690 until 1700. As attorney general in that Parlement from 1700 to 1717, he opposed papal intervention

Amstelveen

2005-03-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noordholland provincie, western Netherlands, near the Amstel River. Amstelveen (meaning “peat bog on the Amstel”) was formerly a village in the municipality of Nieuwer-Amstel. A residential suburb of Amsterdam, it is a water-sports centre with some agriculture and light industry. Schiphol international airport is nearby to the west. Pop. (1999 est.) 77,737.

Multinational And Regional Organizations

2005-03-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

At the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference, which opened July 22, 1994, in Bangkok, Thailand's prime minister asked the members (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) to avert armed confrontation over resources and territory, especially in the Spratly Islands. Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

East Berlin

2005-03-17T05:57:00.000-08:00

German Ost Berlin, eastern part of the city of Berlin (q.v.) that served as the capital of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) until the reunification of the German state in 1990.

Bryant, Bear

2005-03-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

Bryant played tackle and was all-state at Fordyce (Ark.) High School; he went on to the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (1932–36; B.S., 1936), where he played blocking end. During his collegiate career the team won 23 games, lost 3, and tied 2. He played on

Bahram I

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

A son of Shapur I, during his father's reign he governed the province of Atropatene. His succession to his brother Hormizd I strengthened the position of the Zoroastrian clergy and their high priest Karter, and at their insistence Bahram imprisoned Mani, the founder of the antimaterialist, ascetic religion of Manichaeism. Subsequent religious

Ala Shan Desert

2005-03-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Southernmost portion of the Gobi (desert), occupying about 400,000 square miles (1,000,000 square km) in north-central China. Covering portions of the western Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northern Kansu sheng (province), it is bounded by the Huang Ho (Yellow River) and Ho-lan Mountains on the east and southeast; by the Ch'i-lien Mountains on the south and southwest; by the northern

Novokuybyshevsk

2005-03-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Novokujbyševsk, or Novokuibyshevsk, city, Samara oblast (province), western Russia, near the Volga River. It was founded in 1948 in connection with the development of the oil industry and received city status in 1952. Novokuybyshevsk is situated amid the Volga-Urals oil field and has oil refining, petrochemicals, and associated industries. Synthetic alcohol, synthetic rubber, and plastics are also manufactured.

Anderson, Marian

2005-03-14T05:21:00.000-08:00

U.S. singer (b. Feb. 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pa.--d. April 8, 1993, Portland, Ore.), maintained a quiet dignity while transcending the racial and cultural barriers imposed on her artistry and used her rich contralto voice brilliantly to interpret the works of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Verdi, and Richard Strauss as well as spirituals. Though Anderson's birth certificate stated that

Bald Cypress

2005-03-14T02:33:00.000-08:00

A young bald cypress is symmetrical and pyramidal;

Län

2005-03-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Administrative subdivision (county) of Sweden; see landskap.

Cloud-scraper

2005-03-13T03:10:00.000-08:00

Any of certain birds of the genus Cisticola. See cisticola.

Minatitlán

2005-03-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

City and river port, southeastern Veracruz state, south central Mexico. It is on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec on the Río Coatzacoalcos, 20 mi (32 km) from its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico and 210 ft (64 m) above sea level. When founded in 1822 as Paso de la Fabrica, the settlement's inhabitants included North Americans, French, and Germans. The colony did not prosper until oil was discovered in the

Aquarium

2005-03-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

The first containers specifically designed for aquatic specimens were the strictly functional open-air tanks used by the Romans to preserve and fatten fish for market. It was not until the 18th century that the importation of goldfish into France from the Orient for aesthetic enjoyment created the demand for small aquariums; ceramic bowls, occasionally fitted

France, History Of, The kingdoms created at Verdun

2005-03-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Francia Media proved to be the least stable of the kingdoms, and the imperial institutions bound to it suffered as a result. In 855 the death of Lothair I was followed by a partition

Vairagin

2005-03-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Most vairagins, when not wandering or on pilgrimage,

Mandel, Georges

2005-03-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

A member of a prosperous Jewish family, though not related to the Rothschild banking dynasty, Mandel served on the personal staff of Premier Georges Clemenceau from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 to 1920. He also served as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1919 to 1924 and from 1928 to

Balboa

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

Pacific terminal port in central Panama, at the southern end of the Panama Canal. It lies between the canal docks and Ancón Hill, which separates it from Panama City. Founded in 1914 and named for Vasco Núñez de Balboa, European discoverer of the Pacific, it has extensive harbour installations, drydocks, marine and railroad repair shops, warehouses, and a coaling plant. Balboa

Arabian Sea

2005-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Macapagal, Diosdado

2005-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

After receiving his law degree, Macapagal was admitted to the bar in 1936. During World War II he practiced law in Manila and aided the anti-Japanese resistance. After the war he worked in a law firm and in 1948 served as second secretary to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. The following

Switzerland, Relief and drainage

2005-03-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

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

Marrucini

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

Ancient tribe that occupied a small area around Teate (modern Chieti) on the east coast of Italy. The Marrucini, though Samnite kinsmen, were probably not members of the Samnite league; they did, however, come into conflict with the Romans during the Second Samnite War, at the end of which they entered the Roman alliance (304 BC). They revolted in 91 BC and were thereafter enrolled in

Ribeauvillé

2005-03-08T02:55:00.000-08:00

German Rappoltsweiler, town, Haut-Rhin département, Alsace région, in eastern France. It lies at the entrance of the valley of the Strengbach, under the Vosges Mountains, 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Strasbourg. It is distinguished by a medieval gate, the Porte des Bouchers (a relic of the ancient walls that surrounded the city), and it has many medieval houses and two fine Gothic churches, of St. Gregory

Computers, Control programs

2005-03-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

An operating

Arts, East Asian, The Tokugawa, or Edo, period

2005-03-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

At the death of the Momoyama leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598, his five-year-old son, Hideyori, inherited nominal rule, but true power was held by Hideyoshi's counselors, among whom Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) was the most prominent. Ieyasu assumed the title of shogun in 1603, and the de facto seat of government was moved from Kyoto to his headquarters in Edo (now Tokyo). Ieyasu completed his

Tachikawa

2005-03-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

City, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Chuo Line (railway), east of Tokyo city. In 1922 an army airfield was constructed nearby, and large munitions and aircraft factories were concentrated in the city. After World War II the military installations were taken over by the U.S. Air Force; the air base was returned to Japan in 1977. Tachikawa is now a commercial centre

Biblical Literature, Allegorical interpretation

2005-03-06T03:02:00.000-08:00

Allegorical interpretation places on biblical literature a meaning that, with rare exceptions, it was never intended to convey. Yet at times this interpretation seemed imperative. If the literal sense, on which heretics, such as the 2nd-century biblical critic Marcion, and anti-Christian polemicists, such as the 2nd-century philosopher Celsus, insisted, was unacceptable,

Sayers, Gale

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

Sayers first gained national attention as a two-time

Salamá

2005-03-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

City, central Guatemala. It lies between the Chuacús Mountains and the Minas Mountains on the Salamá River, a tributary of the Chixoy, at 3,084 feet (940 m) above sea level. Salamá is a commercial and manufacturing centre for its agricultural and pastoral hinterland. The city suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 1976. Salamá is accessible by road from San Cristóbal Verapaz

Aerospace Engineering

2005-03-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

In most countries, governments are the aerospace industry's largest customers, and most engineers work on the design of military vehicles. The largest demand for aerospace engineers comes from the transport and fighter aircraft, missile, spacecraft, and general aviation industries. The typical aerospace engineer holds a bachelor's degree, but there are many engineers

Triforium

2005-03-04T02:29:00.000-08:00

In architecture, space in a church above the nave arcade, below the clerestory, and extending over the vaults, or ceilings, of the side aisles. The term is sometimes applied to any second-floor gallery opening onto a higher nave by means of arcades or colonnades, like the galleries in many ancient Roman basilicas or Byzantine churches. The triforium became an integral

Haber, Fritz

2005-03-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Deciding on an academic career, he first took up organic chemical research at the University of Jena, but its orthodox methods gave

Headphone

2005-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Small loudspeaker (earphone) held over the ear by a band or wire worn on the head. Headphones are commonly employed in situations in which levels of surrounding noise are high, as in an airplane cockpit, or where a user such as a switchboard operator needs to keep the hands free, or where the listener is moving about or wants to listen without disturbing other people. A

India, Regional states, c. 17001850

2005-03-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

The states that arose in India during the phase of Mughal decline and the following century (roughly 1700 to 1850) varied greatly in terms of resources, longevity, and essential character. Some of them—such as Avadh (Ayodhya) in the north or Hyderabad in the south—were located in areas that had harboured regional states in the immediate pre-Mughal period and thus could hark back

Sabellianism

2005-02-28T23:40:00.000-08:00

Christian heresy that was a more developed and less naive form of Modalistic Monarchianism (see Monarchianism); it was propounded by Sabellius (fl. c. 217–c. 220), who was possibly a presbyter in Rome. Little is actually known of his life because the most detailed information about him was contained in the prejudiced reports of his contemporary, Hippolytus, an anti-Monarchian

Cosimo I

2005-02-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Cosimo was the great-great-grandson of Lorenzo the Elder, the son of Giovanni di Bicci and brother of Cosimo the Elder, and was thus a member of a branch of the Medici family that had taken an active part in Medici affairs but had played no political role. Nevertheless, when

Nicholas Of Clémanges

2005-02-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

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

Leakey, Richard

2005-02-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

In full Richard Erskine Frere Leakey Kenyan physical anthropologist, paleontologist, and politician responsible for extensive fossil finds of human ancestral forms in East Africa. His investigations suggested that relatively intelligent, tool-using ancestors of true man lived in eastern Africa as early as 3 million years ago, or almost twice the time span of previous

T'ien

2005-02-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

As a god, T'ien is sometimes perceived to be an impersonal power in contrast to Shang-ti (“Supreme Ruler”), but the two are closely identified and the terms frequently used synonymously. Evidence suggests

Fishing

2005-02-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Angling, the sport of catching fish, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line, and hook. Like hunting, fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival. Fishing as a sport, however, is of considerable antiquity. An Egyptian angling scene of about 2000 BC shows figures fishing with rod and line and with nets. A Chinese account of about the 4th century BC refers to fishing

Hormuz

2005-02-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

After the Arab conquest, Hormuz early became the chief market of Kerman, with palm groves, indigo,

Biblical Literature

2005-02-26T01:34:00.000-08:00

History is a central element of the Old Testament. It is the subject of narration in the specifically historical books and of celebration, commemoration, and remonstration in all of the books. History in the Old Testament is not history in the modern sense; it is the story of events seen as revealing the divine presence and power. Nevertheless, it is the account of an

Alcaic

2005-02-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

{breve}-|- {breve}|- {breve}

Chibougamau

2005-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

City, Nord-du-Québec region, central Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the northwest shore of the Lac Doré part of Chibougamau Lake. Gold and copper were discovered in the area by Peter McKenzie in 1903, but his and several subsequent attempts at mining the ore failed because of the region's remoteness. Finally, in the late 1940s, the provincial government began building a road

Performing Arts, Britain.

2005-02-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

Some of the best films of the year

Gyliakian Series

2005-02-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

Major division of Cretaceous rocks and time in Japan (the Cretaceous Period began about 144,000,000 years ago and lasted about 77,600,000 years). Rocks of the Gyliakian Series overlie those of the Miyakoan Series and underlie rocks of the Urakawan Series. Two stages, the Upper and Lower Gyliakian stages, are recognized and represent shorter spans of time. Distinctive fossil cephalopods

Palatalization

2005-02-23T16:58:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, the production of consonants with the blade, or front, of the tongue drawn up farther toward the roof of the mouth (hard palate) than in their normal pronunciation. Palatalized consonants in Russian are pronounced as if attempting simultaneously to pronounce a particular consonant and a y sound; in English, the ny in “canyon” approximates a palatalized

Glassware, After the War of 1812

2005-02-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

The few houses that survived the 1790s and the depression after the War of 1812 had multiplied to more than 90 by 1830. For convenience, the glassworks are divided into three geographical groups: New England, the Middle Atlantic, and the Midwest. Until that time, they had produced little more than simple imitations of European glasses, at best interesting and often very handsome combinations

Insurance, Settlement options

2005-02-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

The death proceeds or cash values of insurance may be settled in various ways. The insured may take the cash value and lapse the policy. A beneficiary may take a lump sum settlement of the face amount upon the death of the insured. The beneficiary may, instead, elect to receive the proceeds over a given number of years or in some fixed amount, such as $100 a month, for as long as

Police Gazette, The

2005-02-22T03:07:00.000-08:00

The original Gazette, the Quarterly Pursuit, was founded in 1772 by John Fielding, chief magistrate of the Bow Street Police Court, then seat of London's police forces.

Siliguri

2005-02-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shiliguri, city, northern West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just west of the Mahananda River. The terminus of the roads from Kalimpang (Kalimpong) and Sikkim and of road and rail connections with Darjiling (Darjeeling) and Jalpaiguri, Siliguri is the hub for trade among Darjiling, Sikkim, and Tibet. Sawmilling and jute milling are important industries; there are also tea

Necker, Suzanne

2005-02-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Née Curchod Swiss wife of the French finance minister under Louis XVI, Jacques Necker; mother of Madame de Staël; and mistress of a brilliant Parisian salon. At first she was engaged to the English historian Edward Gibbon, but his father broke off the match. In 1764 she married Necker, then a banker, and encouraged him in his political career.

Culture System

2005-02-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

According to the system, a villager should provide land rent to the government by setting aside one-fifth

Duroc, Géraud-christophe-michel, Duc (duke) De Frioul

2005-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

The son of Claude de Michel, chevalier du Roc, who was a cavalry officer, Duroc went to the Châlons artillery school, emigrated in 1792, but changed his mind, returned to France, entered the Metz school (1793), and was drafted to the artillery of the army of Italy.

Steamboat Springs

2005-02-19T01:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1877) of Routt county, north-central Colorado, U.S. Located in the high Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 6,762 feet (2,061 metres), the town was supposedly named for Steamboat Spring, reported to have recalled to trappers the chugging of a steamboat. The area was settled by whites in 1875 and was largely given over to ranching and timbering; the town served as a commercial centre. In

General Confederation Of Labourworkers' Force

2005-02-18T01:07:00.000-08:00

French Confédération Générale du Travail–Force Ouvrière (CGT–FO), French labour-union federation that is most influential among white-collar civil servants and clerical workers. It was formed in 1948 after a split within the General Confederation of Labour (Confédération Générale du Travail, or CGT). In 1947 the socialist minority withdrew from the CGT after communists had gained control of the federation's leadership apparatus. The

Hull, Bobby

2005-02-17T23:34:00.000-08:00

At age 12 Hull was playing organized hockey on a team with his father. He was put on the Blackhawks' negotiating list, and thereafter he played amateur hockey with

Adams, John Quincy

2005-02-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

Eldest son of President John Adams and sixth president of the United States (1825–29). In his prepresidential years he was one of America's greatest diplomats (formulating, among other things, what came to be called the Monroe Doctrine); in his postpresidential years (as U.S. congressman, 1831–48) he conducted a consistent and often dramatic fight against the expansion of slavery. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President John Quincy Adams.)

Haber, Fritz

2005-02-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

In 1911, at the age of 42, he was appointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry in Berlin, a new research establishment that was to become even more famous than the school he had built up in Karlsruhe. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, he immediately placed himself and his laboratory at the service of the government, his first concern being to organize

Ambrym

2005-02-16T08:01:00.001-08:00

Also spelled Ambrim, island of Vanuatu, southwestern Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 257 sq mi (665 sq km) and is known for its two active volcanoes: Mt. Marum, 4,167 ft (1,270 m), which last erupted in 1973; and Mt. Benbow, 3,720 ft, which had major eruptions in 1894, 1913, 1929, 1942, 1950, 1972 and 1973. The 1950 eruption was serious enough to warrant the evacuation of several hundred persons for resettlement on Éfaté. The island produces copra. Pop. (1979) 6,311.

Korea, History Of, Chinese intervention

2005-02-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Chinese, who had moved troops along the Yalu after the Inch'on landing, entered Korea in November in overwhelming numbers. By the end of 1952, 1,200,000 Chinese were engaged in the war under the command of Peng Dehuai (P'eng Te-huai). They forced the UN forces to retreat in disorder, and Seoul was reevacuated on Jan. 4, 1951. But the Chinese were halted around P'yongt'aek (about 30 miles south of Seoul),

Switzerland, World War I and economic crisis

2005-02-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

An alliance of the bourgeois parties (representing propertied interests), including the conservatives and liberals who had clashed in 1847, confronted a labour movement that comprised trade unions and the Social Democratic Party. World War I, in which Switzerland remained neutral, not only caused tensions between the German-speaking Swiss and those speaking French

France, History Of, The principalities of the south

2005-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Provence lay in what is now the southeastern corner of France; it was not part of the west Frankish domains. Included in the Middle Kingdom from 843, it passed to the kings of Burgundy after 879 and to the emperors in the 11th century. But it was local counts once again who won prestige

Carlowitz, Treaty Of

2005-02-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

In the late summer of 1697, the Ottoman

Cookson, Catherine (dame Catherine Ann Mcmullen Cookson)

2005-02-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

British author (b. June 20, 1906, Jarrow, Durham, Eng.--d. June 11, 1998, Jesmond Dene, near Newcastle upon Tyne, Eng.), penned almost 100 popular novels, which she set in the industrial region of northeastern England, frequently dubbed "Cookson Country." She was intimately familiar with the physical and emotional lay of this land, having been raised in the Tyneside docks area in poverty. Her early

Sensory Reception, Human, Approaches to the study of sensing

2005-02-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

The science of the human senses is truly interdisciplinary. Philosophers, physicians, anatomists, physical scientists, physiologists, psychologists, and others have all joined in studying sensory activities. Some of their earliest work was anatomical, an approach that continues to be fruitful. Physical scientists, particularly physicists and chemists, made

Mammal, Circulatory system

2005-02-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

In mammals, as in birds, right and left ventricles of the heart are completely separated, so that pulmonary (lung) and systemic (body) circulations are completely independent. Oxygenated blood arrives in the left atrium from the lungs and passes to the left ventricle, whence it is forced through the aorta to the systemic circulation. Deoxygenated blood from the tissues

Performing Arts

2005-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Alcor

2005-02-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

Also called 80 Ursae Majoris star with apparent magnitude of 4.03. The ability to see the dim star Alcor with the unaided eye may have been regarded by the Arabs (and others) as a test of good vision. Alcor makes a visual double with the brighter star Mizar in the middle of the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major); the pair have also been called the Horse and Rider.

Alabama, Cultural life

2005-02-12T03:13:00.000-08:00

Alabama enjoys a rich vein of folk culture in the rural areas, especially among blacks. Story telling has attracted the attention of folklore specialists. The experiences of rural life contributed important elements to the development of modern American popular music, including ragtime and jazz. Sacred music, in the form of gospel quartets and shape-note, or “fa-so-la,

Aenesidemus

2005-02-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Philosopher and dialectician of the Greek Academy who revived the Pyrrhonian principle of “suspended judgment” (epoche) as a practical solution to the vexing and “insoluble” problem of knowledge. In his Pyrrhonian Discourses Aenesidemus formulated 10 tropes in defense of Skepticism, four suggesting arguments that arise from the nature

Japanese Yew

2005-02-09T23:59:00.000-08:00

Also called spreading yew (Taxus cuspidata) an ornamental evergreen shrub or tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), native to Japan and widely cultivated in the Northern Hemisphere. Rising to a height of 16 m (about 52 feet), it resembles the English yew but is hardier and faster-growing. Each leaf has two distinct, yellowish bands on its underside. There are many horticultural varieties of Japanese yew. Plants

Manet, édouard

2005-02-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

French painter who broke new ground by defying traditional techniques of representation and by choosing subjects from the events and circumstances of his own time. His Déjeuner sur l'herbe (“Luncheon on the Grass”), exhibited in 1863 at the Salon des Refusés, aroused the hostility of critics and the enthusiasm of the young painters who

Garrett, Pat

2005-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Born in Alabama and reared in Louisiana, Garrett left home at about the age of 17 and headed for Texas and the life of a cowboy and buffalo hunter. In 1879 he married and settled in Lincoln County, N.M., where he became first deputy sheriff and then sheriff. In July 1881 he tracked

PhysicalWhistle

China, Political history

Frescobaldi, Girolamo

Reggio Nell'emilia

Calamity Jane

Odonata, Wings and flight

Cheke, Sir John

Land Mine

Poynting, John Henry

Afro-asiatic Languages, Northern Central Semitic

Tabby

Nordheim, Sondre

Lucas, George

Aleardi, Aleardo, Conte

Espinosa, Pedro De

Hwange National Park

Earth Exploration

Madhavacarya

Children's Literature, Prehistory (1646?1865)

Dactylella

Omar Khayyam

Subway

Sangamon Interglacial Stage

Monazite

Infection, Temperature regulation

China, Phase one

Córdoba

Aguesseau, Henri-françois D'

Amstelveen

Multinational And Regional Organizations

East Berlin

Bryant, Bear

Bahram I

Ala Shan Desert

Novokuybyshevsk

Anderson, Marian

Bald Cypress

Län

Cloud-scraper

Minatitlán

Aquarium

France, History Of, The kingdoms created at Verdun

Vairagin

Mandel, Georges

Balboa

Arabian Sea

Macapagal, Diosdado

Switzerland, Relief and drainage

Marrucini

Ribeauvillé

Computers, Control programs

Arts, East Asian, The Tokugawa, or Edo, period

Tachikawa

Biblical Literature, Allegorical interpretation

Sayers, Gale

Salamá

Aerospace Engineering

Triforium

Haber, Fritz

Headphone

India, Regional states, c. 17001850

Sabellianism

Cosimo I

Nicholas Of Clémanges

Leakey, Richard

T'ien

Fishing

Hormuz

Biblical Literature

Alcaic

Chibougamau

Performing Arts, Britain.

Gyliakian Series

Palatalization

Glassware, After the War of 1812

Insurance, Settlement options

Police Gazette, The

Siliguri

Necker, Suzanne

Culture System

Children's Literature, Prehistory (1646?1865)

India, Regional states, c. 17001850

General Confederation Of Labourworkers' Force