SoftMarble

Kohima

2005-04-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

Town, capital of Nagaland state, northeastern India. The town lies in the Naga Hills, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of the railroad at Dimapur. Kohima was the point of the farthest Japanese advance into British India during World War II; it was held briefly by Japanese troops in 1944 until retaken by the British. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 53,122.

Melas Carpet

2005-04-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Floor covering handwoven in the neighbourhood of Milâs (Melas) on the Aegean coast of southwestern Turkey. Normally of small size and 19th century in date, Melas carpets have unusually wide borders in relation to their narrow fields. In the prayer rugs the arch (which indicates the direction of Mecca, the Holy City) is straight-sided, with a triangular indentation below

Ear Disease, Keloid of the ear

2005-04-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

In dark-skinned people, overgrowth of scar tissue from any skin incision or injury can cause a thickened elevation on the scar called a keloid. Having the earlobes pierced for earrings sometimes results in a large, painless nodular keloid enlargement of the earlobe, harmless but unsightly. Keloids are removed surgically (see also skin disease).

Switzerland

2005-04-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

With its economy in good shape and a substantial budget surplus expected, Switzerland sailed through the year 2000. The nation's exports, particularly pharmaceuticals and watches, benefited from the strong dollar. While strains were experienced in some industrial sectors, average unemployment remained under 3%. Despite a sharp rise in fuel prices, long lines at filling

Venice Majolica

2005-04-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Majolica also spelled Maiolica, tin-glazed earthenware made at Venice that reached its stylistic zenith in the 16th century. The workshops of Maestro Ludovico (fl. 1540–45), Domenigo da Venezia (fl. 1550–60), and Jacomo da Pesaro (fl. 1543) produced outstanding ware of this type. Venetian potters excelled in painting arrangements of decorative trophies, globes, musical instruments, and other apparatus, executed in a brilliant

Annapolis Royal

2005-04-02T04:18:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1713) Port Royal, town, seat of Annapolis county, southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. The town lies at the mouth of the Annapolis River where it enters Annapolis Basin (an arm of the Bay of Fundy), 126 miles (203 km) by road west of Halifax. Founded in 1605 as Port Royal by the explorers Samuel de Champlain and Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts, it was the first French colony in North America and is Canada's oldest

Latent Image

2005-03-31T22:24:00.000-08:00

According to current theories of latent image formation, small specks of silver atoms (one ten-millionth

Kymi

2005-03-30T23:16:00.000-08:00

In full Kymen Lääni, Swedish Kymmene Län, lääni (province), southeastern Finland, bounded by the Gulf of Finland (south) and by Russia (east). The province has a land area of 4,145 square miles (10,736 square km) and includes the southern section of the Saimaa lake system, which is drained by the Kymijoki and Vuoksi rivers. Kymijoki valley industries include timber processing and wood products, iron and steel, textile milling,

Celebes Black Ape

2005-03-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Celebes Crested Macaque (species Cynopithecus niger), arboreal monkey of the family Cercopithecidae, found on Celebes, Bacan, and nearby islands. The Celebes black ape is a stump-tailed monkey with overhanging brows, a hairless black face, and a long, flat muzzle. It is about the size of a baboon (55–65 cm [22–26 inches] long without the tail [1 to 2 cm]) and is covered with dark brown or black fur. The male, especially,

Mason, John Mitchell

2005-03-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

Mason developed a plan for theological education and in 1804 founded a seminary of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in New York City. He believed that the

Daventry

2005-03-29T02:11:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of Daventry town before Domesday Book (1086), the record of the land survey ordered by William the Conqueror, although

Kabwe Man

2005-03-29T01:38:00.000-08:00

Originally called Rhodesian Man, also called Broken Hill Man, extinct human being known from fossil remains (almost complete skull, maxillary fragment, sacrum, portions of pelvis and limb bones), found at Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now Kabwe, Zambia), in the 1920s. Despite past disagreement about the classification of these specimens, they are now usually attributed to the early archaic Homo sapiens subspecies H. sapiens

Byzantine Rite

2005-03-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

The Byzantine rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch (in modern southern Turkey), one of the earliest and most celebrated centres of Christianity; but it was developed and perfected in Byzantium,

Bacon, Francis, Viscount Saint Alban (or Albans), Baron Of Verulam

2005-03-27T01:14:00.000-08:00

Also called (1603–18) Sir Francis Bacon lord chancellor of England (1618–21). A lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and master of the English tongue, he is remembered in literary terms for the sharp worldly wisdom of a few dozen essays; by students of constitutional history for his power as a speaker in Parliament and in famous trials and as James I's lord chancellor; and intellectually

Road Race

2005-03-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

Usually, all contestants

Kunlun Mountains

2005-03-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

The northern rim of the Kunlun Mountains, skirting the Tarim Basin, served for centuries as the southerly branch of the Silk Road that, until the 16th century, connected China with Central and West Asia. Wool and salt were the main products brought down from the heights of the Kunluns to the oases on the edge of the Takla Makan Desert. Small regional Buddhist monasteries

Hajjaj (ibn Yusuf Ath-thaqafi), Al-

2005-03-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

Al-Hajjaj was a schoolteacher in his native town as a young man, but little else is known of his earlier years. He first became

Abraha

2005-03-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Abraha was viceroy of the principality of Saba' in Yemen for the (Christian) emperors of Ethiopia. A zealous Christian himself, he is said to have built a great church at San'a' and to have repaired the principal irrigation dam at the Sabaean capital of Ma'rib. Abraha is chiefly famous, however, for the military

Dies, Martin, Jr.

2005-03-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the University of Texas (1919) and the law school of National University in Washington, D.C. (1920), Dies opened a law practice in Texas but quickly turned his attention to politics. In 1931 he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives,

Cohens V. Virginia

2005-03-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

(1821), U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court reaffirmed its right to review all state court judgments in cases arising under the federal Constitution or a law of the United States. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for mandatory Supreme Court review of the final judgments of the highest court of any state in cases “where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute

Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup

2005-03-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

When Prime Minister Poul Schlüter was forced from office by Denmark's ongoing "Tamilgate" affair on Jan. 14, 1993, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the leader of the Social Democrats, was faced not only with the challenge of forming a new government but also with the task of overseeing Denmark's key second referendum on the Maastricht Treaty. Furthermore, the country had just taken over

Carnivore

2005-03-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

Opinion is divided as to whether the order Carnivora arose from the ancient creodonts or had a separate and independent origin from the order Insectivora. Most paleontologists now favour the latter view. The Cretaceous insectivore Procerberus seems to be morphologically close to the most primitive carnivores (miacids), the creodonts, and the primitive hoofed

North Germanic Languages, The emergence of Old Scandinavian, 6001500

2005-03-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Inscriptions from the latter part of the Ancient period show North Germanic as a distinct dialect. Information about the earliest stages of the Old Scandinavian period is also derived from runic inscriptions, which became more abundant after the creation of the short runic futhark about AD 800. The expansion of Nordic peoples in the Viking Age (c. 750–1050) led to the establishment

Nicholas I, Saint

2005-03-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

He had served in the Curia for almost 15 years before his election in April 858 as Pope Benedict III's

Cumae

2005-03-18T23:48:00.000-08:00

Ancient city about 12 miles (19 km) west of Naples, probably the oldest Greek mainland colony in the west and home of a sibyl (Greek prophetess) whose cavern still exists. Founded about 750 BC by Greeks from Chalcis, Cumae came to control the most fertile portions of the Campanian plain. Although the Etruscans were their special enemy during the last half of the 6th century and first

Sabas, Saint

2005-03-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sabbas Christian Palestinian monk, champion of orthodoxy in the 5th-century controversies over the nature of Christ. He founded the monastery known as the Great Laura of Mar Saba, a renowned community of contemplative monks in the Judaean desert near Jerusalem. This community became a prototype

Oblate

2005-03-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

(from Latin oblatus, “one offered up”), in Roman Catholicism, a lay person connected with a religious order or institution and living according to its regulations; a minor dedicated by his parents to become a monk according to the Benedictine Rule; or a member of either the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) or the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (O.S.F.S.).

World War I

2005-03-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

Also called First World War , or Great War an international conflict that in 1914–18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. The war pitted the Central Powers—mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey—against the Allies—mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States. It ended with the defeat of the Central Powers.

Tudor Style

2005-03-17T03:14:00.000-08:00

Type of British architecture, mainly domestic, that grafted Renaissance decorative elements onto the Perpendicular Gothic style between 1485 and 1558. The Tudor style in architecture coincides with the first part of the reign of the Tudor monarchs, which commenced in 1485 with the accession of Henry VII to the throne and ended with the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. Elizabeth's own

Toomer, Jean

2005-03-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

After attending the University of Wisconsin and the City College of New York, Toomer taught briefly in the Sparta, Ga., public schools and then turned to lecturing and writing. Cane (1923; reprinted 1967) is an experimental novel which celebrates the Negro through the symbol of the title. It is considered his best work. Toomer

Jaén

2005-03-15T03:47:00.000-08:00

Provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, south-central Spain. It is surrounded by the Sierra Morena (north), the Segura and Cazorla ranges (east), and Parapanda, Lucena, and Segura mountains (south). The western part of the province is composed of plains that lead to the fertile Guadalquivir River valley. There are several irrigation dams

Tudor Style

2005-03-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

Major European aerospace company that builds commercial and military aircraft, space systems, propulsion systems, missiles, and other defense products. It was formed in 2000 from the merger of three leading European aerospace firms: Aerospatiale Matra of France, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) of Germany, and Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. (CASA) of Spain. Headquarters

Arabia, History Of

2005-03-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

Some time after the rise of Islam in the first quarter of the 7th century AD and the emergence of the Arabian Muslims as the founders of one of the great empires of history, the name “'Arab” came to be used by these Muslims themselves and by the nations with whom they came in contact to indicate all people of Arabian

Narathiwat

2005-03-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Town, extreme southern Thailand, on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. Narathiwat is a minor port inhabited largely by Malay Muslims. Fishing and shipping are the main activities. The surrounding area is heavily planted in coconuts, rice, and rubber. Pop. (1985 est.) 36,956.

Nicholas Of Lyra,

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

Becoming a Franciscan c. 1300, by 1309 Nicholas was a professor at the Sorbonne, where he taught for many years. From 1319 he headed the Franciscans in France and in 1325 founded the College

Peter Damian, Saint

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

Educated at Ravenna, Faenza, and Parma, he abandoned his teaching career (1035) to enter the hermitage of Fonte Avellana in the Apennines, where he was chosen prior in 1043. Peter's zeal for reform, particularly his advocacy of

Bottome, Margaret Mcdonald

2005-03-12T23:23:00.000-08:00

Née Margaret McDonald American columnist and religious organizer, founder of the Christian spiritual development and service organization now known as the International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons. She attended school in Brooklyn and in 1850 married the Reverend Frank Bottome. Her long-standing practice of giving informal talks on the Bible

Byas, Don

2005-03-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

During the late 1930s Byas played in several swing bands, including those of Don Redman and Andy Kirk, and in 1941 he became a tenor saxophone soloist (as in “Harvard Blues”) with Count Basie. He also became

Sweat

2005-03-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

The moisture excreted in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands. See perspiration.

Shaduf

2005-03-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shadoof, hand-operated device for lifting water, invented in ancient times and still used in India, Egypt, and some other countries to irrigate land. Typically it consists of a long, tapering, nearly horizontal pole mounted like a seesaw. A skin or bucket is hung on a rope from the long end, and a counterweight is hung on the short end. The operator pulls down on a rope attached to the

Regent's Park

2005-03-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

Park in the Greater London boroughs of Westminster and Camden. It occupies an area of 487 acres (197 hectares) north and east of the St. Marylebone district. Originally a part of Henry VIII's hunting forest, Regent's Park was developed and landscaped (in the 1810s and '20s) by the city planner and architect John Nash as an area of leisure for the royal family and other aristocrats. It was

Toadstool

2005-03-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Any of various inedible or poisonous species of mushrooms (division Mycota). See mushroom.

Hudson's Bay Company

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

Corporation that occupies a prominent place in both the economic and the political history of Canada. It was incorporated in England on May 2, 1670, to seek a northwest passage to the Pacific, to occupy the lands adjacent to Hudson Bay, and to carry on any commerce with those lands that might prove profitable. It still exists as a commercial company active in real estate, merchandising,

Ring-necked Snake

2005-03-08T03:39:00.000-08:00

(species Diadophis punctatus), sole species of snake in the genus Diadophis of the family Colubridae. There are about a dozen subspecies. Ring-necked snakes grow to a length of 60 cm (24 inches) and are usually found under logs or rocks in the western United States and across the Mexican plateau. Ring-necked snakes feed on insects, worms, frogs, lizards, salamanders, and smaller

Ufer, Walter

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

Ufer studied at the Royal Academy in Dresden, Ger., and at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1911 he abandoned a career in advertising to study painting in Munich and to travel across

Russell, Henry Norris

2005-03-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

American astronomer—one of the most influential during the first half of the 20th century—who played a major role in the establishment of modern theoretical astrophysics by making physics the core of astrophysical practice. Bearing his name is the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a graph that demonstrates the relationship between

Water Hemlock

2005-03-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Any of about 10 species of poisonous plants of the genus Cicuta, in the parsley family (Apiaceae), common throughout the North Temperate Zone. In Europe, Cicuta virosa is the commonly known species. It is a tall perennial herb that grows in marshy areas and is deadly poisonous. The water hemlock best known in North America is C. maculata, also known as cowbane, musquash

Sino-tibetan Languages, Burmic languages

2005-03-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

A number of Tibeto-Burman languages that are difficult to classify have marginal affiliations with Burmic. The Luish languages (Andro, Sengmai, Kadu, Sak, and perhaps also Chairel) in Manipur, India, and adjacent Myanmar resemble Kachin; Nung (including Rawang and Trung) in Kachin state in Myanmar and in Yunnan,

Aztec

2005-03-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

Nahuatl-speaking people who in the 15th and early 16th centuries ruled a large empire in what is now central and southern Mexico. The Aztec are so called from Aztlán (“White Land”), an allusion to their origins, probably in northern Mexico. They were also called the Tenochca, from an eponymous ancestor, Tenoch, and the Mexica, probably from Metzliapán (“Moon Lake”), the mystical name

Zambezi River, Navigation

2005-03-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Given its numerous natural barriers—sandbars at the mouth, shallowness, and rapids and cataracts—the Zambezi is of little economic significance as a trade route. About 1,620 miles of the river, however, are navigable by shallow-draft steamers. The longest stretch of unbroken water runs from the river delta about 400 miles upstream to the Cahora Bassa Dam. Above the dam Lake

Yrjö-koskinen, Sakari

2005-03-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

Forsman—later, when he was made a baron, named Yrjö-Koskinen—was a nationalist scholar and a member of the mid-19th-century Fennoman Party,

Cheever, John

2005-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

American short-story writer and novelist whose work described, often through fantasy and ironic comedy, the life, manners, and morals of middle-class, suburban America. Cheever has been called “the Chekhov of the suburbs” for his ability to capture the drama and sadness of the lives of his characters by revealing the undercurrents

Sophist

2005-03-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

In addition to their teaching, the Sophists wrote many books, the titles of which are preserved by writers such as Diogenes Laërtius, who probably derived them from library catalogues. It has usually been supposed that the writings themselves hardly survived beyond the period of Plato and Aristotle, but this view requires modification in the light of papyrus finds,

Feline Distemper

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

Also called Panleukopenia, or Infectious Enteritis, viral disease of cats, kittens two to six months old being most susceptible. About 3 to 10 days after exposure to the disease, infected kittens cough and sneeze, have running eyes and nose, are feverish, lose their appetites, vomit, and have diarrhea. The number of white cells in the blood drops severely. The disease rarely lasts more than a week, but the mortality rate is high.

Ayacucho

2005-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Departamento (formed 1822), Los Libertadores-Wari región, in the highlands of south-central Peru. It is chiefly a region of high plateaus interspersed with valleys. The region is drained by the Apurímac River and its tributaries. Subsistence farming and herding are prevalent, but, in the north, cash crops such as sugarcane and cotton are grown. The departamento's mineral

Procuracy

2005-03-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Russian Prokuratura, in the former Soviet legal system, a government bureau concerned with ensuring administrative legality. The Soviet constitution invested the procurator general (Russian: generalny prokuror) with the responsibility of supervising the observance of the law by all government ministries and institutions subordinate to them, as well as by individual officials

Wangaratta

2005-03-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

City, northern Victoria, Australia. It lies at the confluence of the Ovens and King rivers, northeast of Melbourne. The site was first settled in 1837 by a sheepherder, George Faithfull, and was proclaimed a town in 1845. Its name is derived from an Aboriginal term meaning either “meeting of the rivers” or “home of the cormorants.” The city is a junction of the Hume and Ovens highways

Carter, Jimmy

2005-03-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

At the conclusion of the president's term, the Carters returned to their hometown. Rosalynn, who had taken an active role as first lady—not only acting as an adviser to the president but also attending cabinet meetings when the subjects under consideration were of interest to her—joined her husband in establishing the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, which included a presidential library and museum. Carter served as a sort of diplomat without portfolio in various conflicts in a number of countries—including Nicaragua (where he successfully promoted the return of the Miskito Indians to their homeland), Panama (where he observed and reported illegal voting procedures), and Ethiopia (where he attempted to mediate a settlement with the Eritrean People's Liberation Force). He was particularly active in this role in 1994, negotiating with North Korea to end nuclear weapons development there, with Haiti to effect a peaceful transfer of power, and with Bosnian Serbs and Muslims to broker a short-lived cease-fire. His efforts on behalf of international peace and his highly visible participation in building homes for the poor through Habitat for Humanity established in the public mind a much more favourable image of Carter than had been the case during his presidency. After leaving office, Carter also became a prolific author, writing on a variety of topics, including his presidency, the Middle East, and his Christian faith. He also wrote a collection of poetry.

Aretino, Pietro

2005-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Although Aretino was the son of an Arezzo shoemaker, he later pretended to be the bastard

France, History Of, Principalities north of the Loire

2005-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

The northernmost of these was Flanders, whose founder, Baldwin I Iron-Arm (862–879), managed not only to abduct the Carolingian king's daughter and marry her but also to win that king's approval as count of Ghent. His authority

Alabama, Transportation

2005-02-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

Together, the six major rivers of Alabama provide about 1,300 miles of navigable waterways, while Mobile Bay has been deepened by a ship channel. Mobile developed as a modernized port and ranks among the top dozen seaports of the nation. The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway, a 234-mile canal opened in 1985, connected two of the state's main river systems. Although railroad transportation,

Offenbach, Jacques

2005-02-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

He was the son of a cantor at the Cologne Synagogue, Isaac Juda Eberst, who had been born at Offenbach am Main. The father was known as “Der Offenbacher,” and the composer was known only

Arts, Central Asian, Samanids

2005-02-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

The Samanids centred their kingdom in Khorasan. In the 9th century, under the leadership of Esma'il, they ruled over Transoxania and eastern Persia from their capital of Bukhara. Esma'il's türbe, or mausoleum, the oldest Islamic monument surviving in Bukhara, reproduces the form of the Zoroastrian chanar taq, or fire temple. In Samanid and Seljuqid hands, the türbe generally took the

Nuclear Weapon, The Axis powers

2005-02-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

By the time the war began on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany had a special office for the military application of nuclear fission; chain-reaction experiments with uranium and carbon were being planned, and ways of separating the uranium isotopes were under study. Some measurements on carbon, later shown to be in error, led the physicist Werner Heisenberg to recommend that heavy water

Thomas à Kempis,

2005-02-26T05:33:00.000-08:00

About 1392 Thomas went

Kamarupa

2005-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Kamarupa was ruled by a single dynasty from AD 350 to 650. Although it began as a feudatory state of the Gupta empire, Kamarupa under a second dynasty

Japanese Torreya

2005-02-25T01:21:00.000-08:00

Also called nut-bearing torreya , or Kaya (Torreya nucifera) an ornamental evergreen timber tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), native to the southern islands of Japan. Although it is the hardiest species of its genus and may be 10 to 25 m (about 35 to 80 feet) tall, it assumes a shrubby form in less temperate areas. Spreading, horizontal, or slightly ascending branches give the tree a compact ovoid or pyramidal head. The bark

Valdés, Alfonso De

2005-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Valdés may have studied at the University of Alcalá before joining the court of the emperor Charles V as a secretary and official Latinist. Valdés held important positions at the Diet of Worms, where he worked

Augsburg, Peace Of

2005-02-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

The emperor Charles V's provisional ruling on the religious question, the Augsburg Interim of 1548, had been overthrown in 1552 by the revolt of the Protestant elector Maurice of Saxony

Theatre, Western, National theatres

2005-02-23T00:28:00.000-08:00

Since the early 1960s, Britain's theatrical reputation had rested mainly on the work produced by its two national companies. Peter Hall formed the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961 as a reorganization of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. The following year, he was supported by two codirectors, Peter Brook and Michel Saint-Denis, and the company opened

Pappus Of Alexandria

2005-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

The most important mathematical author writing in Greek during the later Roman Empire, known for his Synagoge (“Collection”), a voluminous account of the most important work done in ancient Greek mathematics. Other than that he was born at Alexandria in Egypt and that his career coincided with the first three decades of the 4th century AD, little is known about his life.

Penelope

2005-02-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. In the Odyssey is told the story of how, during her husband's long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands became her suitors. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes,

Egypt, Railways

2005-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Railways connect Cairo with Alexandria and with the Delta and canal towns and also run southward to Aswan and the High Dam. Branch lines connect Cairo with al-Fayyum and Alexandria with Matruh. A network of light railways connects the Fayyum area and the Delta villages with the main lines. Diesel-driven trains operate along the main lines; electric lines connect Cairo with

Futurism

2005-02-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Futurism was first announced on Feb. 20, 1909, when the Paris newspaper Le Figaro published a manifesto

Drummond (of Hawthornden), William

2005-02-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

Drummond studied at Edinburgh and spent a few years in France, ostensibly studying law at Bourges and Paris. On the death of his father, first laird

Asparagus

2005-02-20T00:51:00.000-08:00

Asparagus may be erect or climbing, and most of the species are more

Heimskringla

2005-02-19T22:26:00.000-08:00

(c. 1220; “Orb of the World”), collection of sagas of the early Norwegian kings, written by the Icelandic poet-chieftain Snorri Sturluson. It is distinguished by Snorri's classical objectivity, realistic psychology, and historically feasible (if not always accurate) depiction of cause and effect. The collection opens with the Ynglinga saga, which traces the descent of the Norwegian

Uber Cup

2005-02-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Trophy representing the women's world championship in the sport of badminton. The cup was contributed by Mrs. H.S. Uber, former English champion, in 1956 for a series of women's international team competitions to be held every three years.

Creativity

2005-02-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

Psychological experiments in the fields of motivation and learning have disclosed the power of novelty as an inducement to action. There appears to be an essential and continuing tension in higher organisms

Valence Electron

2005-02-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

Any of the fundamental negatively charged particles in the outermost region of atoms that enters into the formation of chemical bonds. Whatever the type of chemical bond (ionic, covalent, metallic) between atoms, changes in the atomic structure are restricted to the outermost, or valence, electrons. They are more weakly attracted to the positive atomic nucleus than

Middle Ages

2005-02-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

The period in European history from the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century AD to the period of the Renaissance (variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century, depending on the region of Europe and on other factors). The term and its conventional meaning were introduced by Italian humanists with invidious intent; the humanists were engaged

Wigglesworth, Sir Vincent (brian)

2005-02-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

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

Spanish Marriages, Affair Of The

2005-02-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

The political maneuvering surrounding the dual marriages (October 10, 1846) of Queen Isabella II of Spain to her cousin Francisco de Asís de Bourbon, duque de Cadiz, and of her younger sister and heiress to the throne, Luisa Fernanda, to Antoine, duc de Montpensier, the youngest son of King Louis-Philippe of France. The marriages revived dynastic ties between Spain and France

Mosconi, Willie

2005-02-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

The son of a billiards parlour owner, Mosconi showed a precocious talent for the game. When his father forbade him to play, hoping that

Sokoto

2005-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

State, northwestern Nigeria. Bordering the Republic of Niger to the north, it also shares boundaries with Kebbi state to the west and south, Niger and Kaduna states to the southeast, and Katsina state to the east. Sokoto state occupies an area of short-grass savanna vegetation in the south and thorn scrub in the north. A generally arid region that gradually merges into

Zeiss, Carl

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

In 1846 Zeiss opened a workshop in Jena for producing microscopes and other optical instruments. Realizing that improvements in optical instruments depended on advances in optical theory, he engaged as research

Mosconi, Willie

2005-02-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

The monkeys

Osborne, Dorothy, Lady Temple

2005-02-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

English gentlewoman best known for the letters she wrote to her future husband, William Temple, before their marriage. The letters are simply written in an easy, conversational style and present an interesting picture of the life of a young English gentlewoman in the Commonwealth period

Arnauld D'andilly, Robert

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

Brother and follower of the prominent Jansenist theologian Antoine Arnauld. See Arnauld family.

Earth Sciences

2005-02-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

Biblical Literature, Scandinavian versions

2005-02-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

In pre-Reformation times, only partial translations were made, all on the basis of the Latin Vulgate and all somewhat free. The earliest and most celebrated is that of Genesis–Kings in the so-called Stjórn (“Guidance”; i.e., of God) manuscript in the Old Norwegian language, probably to be dated about 1300. Swedish versions of the Pentateuch and of Acts have survived from the 14th century

Ryan, Nolan

2005-02-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Ryan was taught to play baseball by an elder brother and was a wild but fast pitcher in high school before he was signed by the National League New York Mets in 1965. He pitched for their minor league

Ekeberg, Anders Gustav

2005-02-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

Swedish chemist who in 1802 discovered the element tantalum. After graduation from the University of Uppsala (1788) and travels in Germany, Ekeberg returned to Uppsala and began teaching (1794), introducing the chemistry of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier. Though he was partly deaf from a childhood infection and had been blinded in one eye by an exploding

China

2005-02-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

The People's Republic of China is situated in eastern Asia, with coastlines on the Yellow Sea and the East and South China seas. Area: 9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq mi), including Tibet and excluding Taiwan. (See Taiwan, below.) Pop. (1994 est., excluding Taiwan): 1,192,300,000. Cap.: Beijing (Peking). Monetary unit: renminbi yuan, with (Oct. 7, 1994) an interbank rate of 8.53 yuan to U.S. $1 (13.57 yuan = £ 1 sterling). President in 1994, Jiang Zemin (Chiang Tse-min); premier,

Cinna, Gaius Helvius

2005-02-10T02:31:00.000-08:00

Roman poet who wrote a mythological epic poem Smyrna. He was a friend of the poet Catullus. The early Christian-era historians Suetonius, Valerius Maximus, Appian, and Dio Cassius all state that at Caesar's funeral (44 BC) a certain Helvius Cinna was killed by mistake for Cornelius Cinna, the conspirator. The last three writers identify him as a tribune of the people,

Lajes

2005-02-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Lages, city, east-central Santa Catarina estado (“state”), southern Brazil, lying north of the Caveiras River in the Paraná Mountains, at 3,000 feet (900 m) above sea level. Formed as a municipality in 1800, it was settled chiefly by Germans and in 1866 was elevated to city status. Livestock raising and industry are now the main economic activities. Principal products include lumber, corn (maize), feij

Hoosac Tunnel

2005-02-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

The first major rock tunnel built in the United States. The tunnel runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills, east of North Adams, Mass., and was built to provide a rail connection between Boston and upper New York state. Though only 4.75 miles (7.6 km) long, the tunnel took 24 years (1851–75) to complete, partly because of slow and laborious rock-tunneling techniques in use when construction

Nervous System, Dendrites

2005-02-09T04:44:00.000-08:00

Besides the axon, neurons have other branches called dendrites that are usually shorter than axons and are unmyelinated. Dendrites are thought to form receiving surfaces for synaptic input from other neurons. In many dendrites these surfaces are provided by specialized structures called dendritic spines, which, by providing discrete regions for the reception

Faerie Queene, The

2005-02-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

One of the great long poems in the English language, written in the 16th century by Edmund Spenser. As originally conceived, the poem was to have been a religious-moral-political allegory in 12 books, each consisting of the adventures of a knight representing a particular moral virtue; Book I, for example, recounts the legend of the Red Cross Knight, or Holiness. The knights

Forel, François-alphonse

2005-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

While lecturing in physiology and anatomy at the University of Lausanne, Switz., Forel began his investigations of lakes, notably Lake Geneva, and he published his findings in Le Léman: Monographie limnologique, 3 vol. (1892–1904). His standard work on limnology, Handbuch der

SoftMarble

Kohima

Melas Carpet

Ear Disease, Keloid of the ear

Switzerland

Venice Majolica

Annapolis Royal

Latent Image

Kymi

Celebes Black Ape

Mason, John Mitchell

Daventry

Kabwe Man

Byzantine Rite

Bacon, Francis, Viscount Saint Alban (or Albans), Baron Of Verulam

Road Race

Kunlun Mountains

Hajjaj (ibn Yusuf Ath-thaqafi), Al-

Abraha

Dies, Martin, Jr.

Cohens V. Virginia

Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup

Carnivore

North Germanic Languages, The emergence of Old Scandinavian, 6001500

Nicholas I, Saint

Cumae

Sabas, Saint

Oblate

World War I

Tudor Style

Toomer, Jean

Jaén

Tudor Style

Arabia, History Of

Narathiwat

Nicholas Of Lyra,

Peter Damian, Saint

Bottome, Margaret Mcdonald

Byas, Don

Sweat

Shaduf

Regent's Park

Toadstool

Hudson's Bay Company

Ring-necked Snake

Ufer, Walter

Russell, Henry Norris

Water Hemlock

Sino-tibetan Languages, Burmic languages

Aztec

Zambezi River, Navigation

Yrjö-koskinen, Sakari

Cheever, John

Sophist

Feline Distemper

Ayacucho

Procuracy

Wangaratta

Carter, Jimmy

Aretino, Pietro

France, History Of, Principalities north of the Loire

Alabama, Transportation

Offenbach, Jacques

Arts, Central Asian, Samanids

Nuclear Weapon, The Axis powers

Thomas à Kempis,

Kamarupa

Japanese Torreya

Valdés, Alfonso De

Augsburg, Peace Of

Theatre, Western, National theatres

Pappus Of Alexandria

Penelope

Egypt, Railways

Futurism

Drummond (of Hawthornden), William

Asparagus

Heimskringla

Uber Cup

Creativity

North Germanic Languages, The emergence of Old Scandinavian, 6001500