AutomaticNerve

Atmosphere, Ionospheric variations

2005-04-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

The ionosphere is variable in space and time. Some of the changes are chemical in origin and can be readily understood on the basis of the general considerations outlined above. There is a systematic variation, for example, as a function of time of day. In the early morning the Sun is relatively low in the sky. Radiation must penetrate a large column of air before reaching

Anchovy Pear

2005-04-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

(Grias cauliflora), evergreen tree of the family Lecythidaceae, native to the West Indies. The name is also applied to its edible fruit, for which the tree is cultivated. The plant grows to about 15 m (50 feet) tall and bears spear-shaped, glossy leaves about 90 cm long that are produced in palmlike tufts. The fragrant yellow flowers are about 5 cm across. The fruit, which contains one

Evans, Walker

2005-04-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

American photographer, important primarily for documenting the effects of economic depression in the American South and photographically interpreting American folk architecture. His approach to photography was largely formed by the documentary photographs of the French photographer Eugène Atget, whose influence

Schaerbeek

2005-04-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

Flemish Schaarbeek municipality, Brabant province, central Belgium. A village until 1795, it is now an industrial suburb northeast of Brussels and one of the 19 communes that make up Greater Brussels. A rail junction with switch and freight yards, it has an electric power station and manufactures clothing, chemicals, and machinery. The conspicuous domed Church of Sainte-Marie (1845–53) is built in the

Andorra

2005-04-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Andorra's independence is traditionally ascribed to Charlemagne, who recovered the

Wynyard

2005-04-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Tasmania, Australia, at the mouth of the River Inglis on Bass Strait. Founded in 1841, it was made a municipality in 1856 and named Table Cape for a high promontory (380 feet [116 m]) to the south. It was gazetted a town in 1861, when its name was changed to honour Major General Edward Wynyard, commander in chief in 1850 of British forces in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). Located on a rail line

Dayton

2005-04-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Following the peace treaty with the Shawnee

Farman, Maurice

2005-04-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

A champion bicyclist, he also distinguished himself as an automobile racing driver. With his brother Henri, Maurice made the first circular flight of more than one kilometre in 1908, completing a 1.6-kilometre (one-mile) flight near Paris. The following year he built

Early, Jubal A(nderson)

2005-03-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Confederate general in the American Civil War (1861–65) whose army at one time threatened Washington, D.C., but whose series of defeats during the Shenandoah Valley campaigns of late 1864 and early 1865 led to the final collapse of the South. A West Point graduate, Early served in the Second Seminole War in Florida (1835–42) and the Mexican War (1846–48). In the period

Niuafo'ou

2005-03-29T05:58:00.000-08:00

Northernmost island of Tonga, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The generally wooded land area of 19 square miles (49 square km) includes a volcanic peak 853 feet (260 m) high, a crater lake, and numerous hot springs. During a particularly violent eruption in 1946, the island's inhabitants were evacuated to 'Eua, several hundred miles to the south. They began returning to Niuafo'ou in 1958. Because

Stuttgart

2005-03-29T03:46:00.000-08:00

City, capital (1945) of Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, astride the Neckar River, in a forested vineyard-and-orchard setting in historic Swabia. It lies between the Black Forest on the west and the Swabian Jura to the south. There were prehistoric settlements and a Roman fort in the area of Bad Cannstatt (a suburb), but Stuttgart itself originated as a Stuotgarten,

Sucking

2005-03-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Drawing of fluids into the mouth by creating a vacuum pressure in the oral cavity. Mammalian infants rely on this method of food ingestion until they are capable of eating more solid substances. A partial vacuum is created in the oral cavity by retracting the tongue to the back of the mouth. The rear portion of the tongue seals against the roof of the mouth, allowing

Bearing

2005-03-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Most bearings support rotating shafts against either transverse (radial) or thrust (axial) loads. To minimize friction, the

Christianity, Moral arguments

2005-03-28T00:14:00.000-08:00

Moral theistic argument belongs primarily to the modern world and perhaps reflects the modern lack of confidence in metaphysical constructions. Kant, having rejected the cosmological, ontological, and design proofs, argued in the Critique of Practical Reason (1788) that the existence of God, though not directly provable, is a necessary postulate of the moral life. To

Dent, Edward John

2005-03-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Dent learned the clockmaker's trade from Richard Rippon and, during the period 1815–29, established a reputation as a builder of accurate chronometers. His reputation for precision eventually brought requests from the Admiralty and the East India Company. Dent confirmed

Ilebo

2005-03-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

Formerly Port-Francqui, town, south-central Congo (Kinshasa). The town lies along the Kasai River near its junction with the Sankuru River. Ilebo is a river port and has rail connections with Kananga and Lubumbashi. It is an important transshipment point in the transport of copper and other minerals from Katanga (Shaba) province to Kinshasa and Matadi. Ilebo is also a busy commercial, industrial,

Pori

2005-03-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Swedish Björneborg, city, Turun ja Porin (Turku ja Pori) lääni (province), southwestern Finland. It lies along the Kokemäen River near the Gulf of Bothnia, north-northwest of Turku. Originally settled in the 12th century farther up the Kokemäen and chartered as Ulvila in 1365, it was moved to its present site in 1558. It was destroyed by fire in the 16th and 19th centuries but was rebuilt both times because of

Naro-fominsk

2005-03-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

City and centre of a rayon (sector), Moscow oblast (province), western Russia, on the Nara River southwest of the capital. It was formed in 1926 from three villages and textile centres. The town Fominsk was totally destroyed in World War II but later reemerged with its cotton-based industries of the past replaced by a huge silk-weaving combine. Pop. (1994 est.) 60,000.

Sabaean

2005-03-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Member of a people of South Arabia in pre-Islamic times, founders of the kingdom of Saba' (q.v.), the biblical Sheba.

Staël, Germaine De

2005-03-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

In full Anne-Louise-Germaine Necker, Baronne (baroness) de Staël-Holstein , byname Madame de Staël French-Swiss woman of letters, political propagandist, and conversationalist, who epitomized the European culture of her time, bridging the history of ideas from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. She also gained fame by maintaining a salon for leading intellectuals. Her writings include novels, plays, moral and political essays, literary

Ecstasy

2005-03-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

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

Shamanism, The universe

2005-03-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

The classic worldview of shamanism is found among the peoples of northern Asia. In their view the universe is full of heavenly bodies peopled by spiritual beings. Their own world is disk-shaped—saucerlike—with an opening in the middle leading into the Netherworld; the Upper World stands over the Central World, or Earth, this world having a manyfold vault. The Earth,

Africanus, Sextus Julius

2005-03-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine, where he served as prefect. He was named regional ambassador to Rome about 222, when he became a protégé of the emperor Severus

Frederick (i)

2005-03-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Frederick was the eldest surviving son of the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He fought bravely for England during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14). His marriage in 1700 to Louise of Prussia ended with her death in 1705, and in 1715 he married

Hugh The Great

2005-03-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Son of a king (Robert I), father of another (Hugh Capet), and brother-in-law of three more (Rudolf of France, Athelstan of England, and Otto of Germany),

Nagua

2005-03-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Formerly Julia Molina, city, northern Dominican Republic, located just north of the mouth of the Nagua River, facing Escocesa Bay, on the Atlantic Ocean. Nagua is located on the main coastal road connecting the main cities of the region; the major functions of the town are administrative and agricultural, processing the goods of the surrounding agricultural plain—bananas, pineapples, peanuts

Homburg

2005-03-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

City, Saarland, southwestern Germany, on the Erbach River, northeast of Saarbrücken. Chartered in 1330 and 1558, it belonged to the counts of Homburg, most of whose territory was divided in 1499 between the houses of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Pfalz-Zweibrücken. It became part of the Bavarian Palatinate in 1815 and was included in the Saar in 1920. The market square is surrounded by fine 17th-century

International Payment And Exchange, Special Drawing Rights

2005-03-18T01:07:00.000-08:00

To deal with the inability of the existing system to create an adequate quantity of reserves without requiring the United States to run large deficits, a new kind of reserve called Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) was devised by the International Monetary Fund. Members of the Fund were to be allocated SDRs, year by year, in prearranged quantities to be used for the discharge

India, The Deccan

2005-03-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

In the Deccan, the Vakataka dynasty was closely tied to the Guptas. With a nucleus in Vidarbha, the founder of the dynasty, Vindhyasakti, extended his power northward as far as Vidisa (near Ujjain). At the end of the 4th century, a collateral line of the Vakatakas was established by Sarvasena in Vatsagulma (Basim, in Akola district), and the northern line helped the southern to conquer

Mountain, The Alpine-Himalayan, or Tethyan, System

2005-03-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

The interconnected system of mountain ranges and intermontane plateaus that lies between the stable areas of Africa, Arabia, and India on the south and Europe and Asia on the north owes its existence to the collisions of different continental fragments during the past 100,000,000 years. Some 150,000,000 years ago, India and much of what is now Iran and Afghanistan lay many thousands of

Earring

2005-03-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

A personal ornament worn pendent from the ear, usually suspended by means of a ring or hook passing through a pierced hole in the lobe of the ear or, in modern times, often by means of a screwed clip on the lobe. The impulse to decorate or to modify the appearance of the ear seems to be almost universal. In general, usage appears to call for wearing earrings in pairs, the two

Middlebury

2005-03-15T01:36:00.000-08:00

Town (township), seat of Addison county, west-central Vermont, U.S. The area was chartered in 1761, along with Salisbury and New Haven, and named for its location midway between the other two. Settled in 1773 by Benjamin Smalley, it was temporarily abandoned (1778–83) because of Tory and Indian attacks. Middlebury College (noted for its summer Bread Loaf Writers' Conference) was chartered in

Saudi Arabia

2005-03-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , Arabic Al-Mamlakah Al-'Arabiyah As-Sa'udiyah country with an area of approximately 868,000 square miles (2,248,000 square kilometres), occupying about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait on the north; by the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman on the east; by a portion of Oman on the southeast; by Yemen on the south and southwest; and by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba

Gide, André

2005-03-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

In full André-Paul-Guillaume Gide French writer, humanist, and moralist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947.

Ashkenazy, Vladimir

2005-03-14T01:37:00.000-08:00

Both of Ashkenazy's parents were professional pianists. Beginning piano lessons at age six, Ashkenazy studied for 10 years at the

Calabrian Stage

2005-03-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

All those rocks deposited worldwide during the Calabrian Age (1,600,000–10,000 years ago). The stage's name is derived from the region of Calabria in southern Italy, which has traditionally served as the type district for rocks of this age. The Calabrian Stage encompasses those rocks laid down during the Pleistocene Epoch. As defined in 1985 by the International Commission on Stratigraphy,

Yama

2005-03-12T05:07:00.000-08:00

In the mythology of India, the lord of death. The Vedas describe him as the first man who died, blazing the path of mortality down which all men have since followed. He is the guardian of the south (the region of death) and presides over the resting place of the dead, which is located in the south under the earth. In the Vedas Yama was represented as a cheerful king of the departed

Sacco-vanzetti Case

2005-03-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

The trial resulted from the murders in South Braintree, Mass., on April 15, 1920, of F.A. Parmenter, paymaster of a shoe factory, and Alessandro Berardelli, the guard accompanying him, in order to secure the payroll

Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr

2005-03-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Outstanding Welsh poet of the 12th century, court bard to Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys (d. 1160), and then to Madog's enemy Owain Gwynedd, prince of Gwynedd (d. 1170). The extant poems ascribed to him (about 50), composed in the Welsh bardic tradition of deliberate archaism, include a small amount of religious verse and a large number of eulogies to the chief princes throughout Wales. Cynddelw

La Serena

2005-03-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

Capital of Coquimbo region, northern Chile, lying on a marine terrace overlooking Bahía (bay) de Coquimbo, just south of the Río Elqui and east of Coquimbo city. Founded c. 1543 on the river's northern bank, it was named after the Spanish birthplace of the conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. Razed by Diaguita Indians in 1549 and rebuilt on the present site the following year, La Serena

Nariño

2005-03-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

Departamento, southwestern Colombia, bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and Ecuador on the south. Its population is concentrated principally in the volcanic Andean highlands above 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The densely settled Altiplano (high plateau) of Túquerres-Ipiales, which is situated on the Ecuadoran frontier, is separated by the Guáitara River from that of the departmental

Alani

2005-03-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Alans, an ancient nomadic pastoral people that occupied the steppe region northeast of the Black Sea. The Alani were first mentioned in Roman literature in the 1st century AD and were described later as a warlike people that specialized in horse breeding. They frequently raided the Parthian empire and the Caucasian provinces of the Roman Empire. About AD 370, however, they were

Mysticism, Union of opposites

2005-03-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Mystical experience is flanked with a communication hazard, a “polar identity.” The linguistic liberties and extravagances are part of the logical impossibility of having to describe one order of experience in terms of another. Hence, the rhetoric of mysticism is largely one of symbols and paradoxes. The most striking of the strategies, as the medieval Christian

Beirut, American University Of

2005-03-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

Private, nondenominational, coeducational international and intercultural university in Beirut, Lebanon, chartered in 1863 by the state of New York, U.S., as the Syrian Protestant College. Classes started in 1866. Although founded by the American Protestant Mission to Lebanon, the school was set up as an autonomous organization and has no official relationship with any religious

Weld, Theodore Dwight

2005-03-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

While a ministerial student at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, Weld participated in antislavery debates and led a group of students who withdrew from Lane to enroll at Oberlin (Ohio) College. Weld left his studies in 1834 to become an agent for

Grunion

2005-03-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Also called California Grunion (species Leuresthes tenuis), small Pacific fish of the family Atherinidae (order Atheriniformes). The species is found in the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of the United States. A unique feature of the grunion's breeding biology results in its spawning on particular nights during the warm months when tides are highest. The eggs are actually laid in the sand

Hagia Sophia

2005-03-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Church Of The Holy Wisdom, Turkish Ayasofya, cathedral built at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. It is a unique building and one of the world's great monuments, despite time's ravages. The structure, a domed basilica, was built in the amazingly short time of about six years, being completed in AD 537. The architects were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus.

Karamay

2005-03-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Karamai, Wade–Giles romanization K'o-la-ma-i, city in northern Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. Located in the Dzungarian Basin, it is about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Wu-lu-mu-ch'i (Urumchi), the provincial capital. Rich oil reserves were discovered in this area in 1955, and the first oil field was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Production was greatly increased after the construction of a railway to Wu-lu-mu-ch'i.

Pyrargyrite

2005-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

A sulfosalt mineral, a silver antimony sulfide (Ag3SbS3), that is an important source of silver, sometimes called ruby silver because of its deep red colour (see also proustite). The best crystallized specimens, of hexagonal symmetry, are from St. Andreasberg in the Harz Mountains and from Freiberg, both in Germany; and Colquechaca, Bol. It is mined at Guanajuato, Mex., and near

Orange River

2005-03-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

The first white man known to cross the river to the north bank was an Afrikaner elephant hunter, Jacobus Coetsee, who forded the Groot River, as it was then called, near the river mouth in 1760. Later expeditions across the river in the 18th century were led by the Afrikaner explorer Hendrik Hop; Robert Jacob Gordon, a Dutch officer; William Paterson, an English traveler; and the

Teleprinter

2005-03-04T02:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Teletypewriter, any of various telegraphic instruments that transmit and receive printed messages and data via telephone cables or radio relay systems. Teleprinters became the most common telegraphic instruments shortly after entering commercial use in the 1920s. They were used by operators in local telegraph offices and switching centres, by press associations and other private

Lynchburg

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

City, administratively independent of, but located in, Campbell and Bedford counties, south-central Virginia, U.S. It is situated on the James River, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city grew from a ferry landing settled in 1757 by Quakers; it was named for John Lynch, the ferry operator who owned the original town site. During the American Revolution, John's

Orant

2005-03-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

In Christian art, a figure in a posture of prayer, usually standing upright with raised arms. The motif of the orant, which seems to reflect the standard attitude of prayer adopted by the first Christians, is particularly important in Early Christian art (c. 2nd–6th century) and especially in the frescoes and graffiti that decorated Roman catacombs from the 2nd century

Tuan Ch'i-jui

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

A student of military science in Germany, Tuan became President Yüan Shih-k'ai's minister of war following the Chinese Republican Revolution of 1911. Shortly before Yüan's death in 1916, Tuan became premier, and he kept the post in the new government. He restored the provisional

Epistemology, G.F.W. Hegel

2005-03-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

Empiricism takes cognition

Dorgon

2005-03-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Dorgon was the 14th of the 16 sons of Nurhachi, founder of the Manchu state, who

Sarian, Martiros (sergeevich)

2005-03-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

Sarian received training in painting at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture (1897–1904), where among his teachers were the noted realist artists Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serov. Soon Sarian was exhibiting his

Eitner, Robert

2005-03-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

In 1868 Eitner founded the Gesellschaft

Levin, Meyer

2005-02-28T01:43:00.000-08:00

Levin first became known with the novel Yehuda (1931). In 1945 he wrote and produced the first Palestinian feature film, My Father's House (book, 1947), which tells of Jews who are driven out of Poland and reunite in Palestine. Other major works are Citizens (1940)—about the

Mu'izz, Al-

2005-02-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

He was about 22 years of age when he succeeded his father, al-Mansur, in 953 with the title of al-Mu'izz. His authority was acknowledged over the greater part of the region now comprising Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and he soon took the island

Performing Arts, France.

2005-02-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

World War II was recalled in several films. In Laissez-passer, his film à clef, Bertrand Tavernier re-created the atmosphere of filmmaking in occupied France. Gérard Jugnot directed and starred in the accomplished Monsieur Batignole, about a Gentile butcher who saves a Jewish boy from the Gestapo. The American documentarist Frederick Wiseman filmed Catherine

Minamoto Yoshiie

2005-02-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

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

Absolution

2005-02-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

In the Christian religion, a pronouncement of remission (forgiveness) of sins to the penitent. In Roman Catholicism, penance is a sacrament and the power to absolve lies with the priest, who can grant release from the guilt of sin to the sinner who is truly contrite, confesses his sin, and promises to perform satisfaction to God. In the New Testament the grace of forgiveness

China, Urban areas

2005-02-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

The dramatic change in the urban landscape is the result of the rapid development of modern manufacturing industries and of communications. Many new towns and cities

France, History Of, The Army of the Republic

2005-02-25T03:43:00.000-08:00

The Jacobin dictatorship had been an unstable blend of exalted patriotism, resolute political leadership, ideological fanaticism, and populist initiatives. The rhetoric and symbolism of democracy constituted a new civic pedagogy, matched by bold egalitarian policies. The army was a primary focal point of this democratic impetus. Back in 1790 the National Assembly

Quicherat, Jules (-étienne-joseph)

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

Quicherat

Jabiru

2005-02-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

(species Jabiru mycteria), a typical stork of the New World, ranging from Mexico to Argentina. The jabiru belongs to the stork family, Ciconiidae (order Ciconiiformes). It is mostly white, with the naked skin of the head and upper neck black and red. The unusually heavy bill is slightly upturned. The jabiru is one of the largest American flying birds, reaching a length of 140 cm

Maranville, Rabbit

2005-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Maranville, who batted and threw right-handed, played minor league baseball during the years 1911–12 for a team in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He joined the National League Boston Braves in 1912, playing with them through

Topkapi Palace Museum

2005-02-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

The library contains 18,000 manuscripts, more than 23,000 archival documents, and private papers of various sultans. It also contains a selection of Islamic relics.

Gambia River

2005-02-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

River in western Africa, 700 miles (1,120 km) long, rising in the Republic of Guinea and flowing westward through The Gambia into the Atlantic Ocean. Its major tributaries are the Sandougou and the Sofianiama. The Gambia is one of the finest waterways in Africa and the only western African river that is easily accessible to oceangoing shipping. It constitutes a unifying factor

Hohenstaufen Dynasty

2005-02-21T04:53:00.000-08:00

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

Maranville, Rabbit

2005-02-21T04:16:00.000-08:00

Organization that evolved out of an international protest against atmospheric nuclear testing held on November 1, 1961. On that day between 12,000 and 50,000 women in various nations demonstrated to protest nuclear testing and to voice concern, in particular, about the hazards posed by such testing to children's health. In the United States some 1,500 women marched in Washington, D.C., to make

Arabia, History Of, Religious reform

2005-02-21T03:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Wanamaker, John

2005-02-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

Wanamaker began work at age 14 as an errand boy for a bookstore and served as secretary of the Philadelphia YMCA from 1857 to 1861. In 1861 he established with Nathan Brown the clothing firm of Brown and Wanamaker, a partnership that ended with Brown's death in 1868. In 1869 he founded

Hisdai Ibn Shaprut

2005-02-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

After becoming court physician to the powerful Umayyad caliph 'Abd ar-Rahman III, Hisdai gradually gained eminence in the Arab world, acting as

Ma Yuan

2005-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

Ma was born into a family of court painters: his great grandfather, Ma Fen, had been daizhao (i.e., painter in attendance) at the Northern Song court about 1119–25; both his grandfather Ma Xingzu and his father, Ma Shirong, held the same rank at the Southern Song court in the middle decades of the 12th century. Ma Yuan began his career under the emperor Xiaozong, became daizhao under Emperor

Racine, Jean

2005-02-20T02:48:00.000-08:00

In full Jean-baptiste Racine French dramatic poet and historiographer renowned for his mastery of French classical tragedy. His reputation rests on the plays he wrote between 1664 and 1677, notably Andromaque (1667), Britannicus (1669), Bérénice (1670), Bajazet (1672), and Phèdre (1677).

Moravia, Alberto

2005-02-19T03:23:00.000-08:00

Moravia contracted tuberculosis of the bone (a form of osteomyelitis usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis) at the age of 8, but, during several

Hughes, David (edward)

2005-02-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Anglo-American inventor of the carbon microphone, which was important to the development of telephony. His family emigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. In 1850 he became professor of music at St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky. Five years later he took out a U.S. patent for a type-printing telegraph instrument; its success was immediate,

Frederick William Iii

2005-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

His policy of neutrality in the Wars of the Second

Claudius Gothicus

2005-02-17T01:43:00.000-08:00

Claudius was an army officer under the emperor Gallienus from 260 to 268—a period of devastation of much of the Roman Empire by invading tribes. Rising to the command of Gallienus' newly

Franciabigio

2005-02-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Also called Francesco Di Cristofano, Francesco Giudini, or Giudici Italian Renaissance painter, best known for his portraits and religious paintings, whose style included early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Proto-Mannerist elements. His early style is filled with movement and attention to descriptive detail, strongly reminiscent of 15th-century Italian painting. Later, he was attracted to the Florentine

West Chester University Of Pennsylvania

2005-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. The university comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and schools of Education, Health Sciences, Music, and Business and Public Affairs. In addition to undergraduate studies, West Chester offers some 70 master's

Density

2005-02-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Mass of a unit volume of a material substance, expressed as kilograms per cubic metre in MKS or SI units; the densities of common solids, liquids, and gases are listed in textbooks and handbooks. Density offers a convenient means of obtaining the mass of a body from its volume or vice versa; the mass is equal to the volume multiplied by the density, while the volume is equal

Soga Umako

2005-02-15T03:24:00.000-08:00

A leader of the Soga family of Japan, who was responsible for the destruction of the powerful Mononobe and Nakatomi clans and the ascendancy of the Soga to a position of supreme power. Umako was instrumental in introducing Buddhism into Japan. His influence helped spur the introduction of Chinese cultural, bureaucratic, and administrative

Lords, House Of

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

The upper chamber of Great Britain's bicameral legislature. Originating in the 11th century, when the Anglo-Saxon kings consulted witans (councils) composed of religious leaders and the monarch's ministers, it emerged as a distinct element of Parliament in the 13th and 14th centuries. It currently comprises the following elements: (1) the Lords Spiritual, including the archbishops

Hojo Yoshitoki

2005-02-14T23:01:00.000-08:00

Yoshitoki succeeded his father, Hojo Tokimasa (q.v.), as regent, making this office the hereditary post of the Hojo family. Thereafter, although the emperor at Kyoto was the official

Blondel, Georges

2005-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate in 1881 and the rank of agrégé (highest teaching degree) in 1883, he was appointed to a chair of law at Lyon in 1884 and 10 years later was named professor of letters at Lille. He later taught at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales and

Indian Summer

2005-02-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

Period of dry, unseasonably warm weather in late October or November in the central and eastern United States. The term originated in New England and probably arose from the Indians' practice of gathering winter stores at this time. This autumn warm period also occurs in Europe, where in Britain it is called All-hallown summer or Old Wives' summer. Indian summer may

Chancellor, Richard

2005-02-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

In 1553 Chancellor was appointed pilot general of Sir Hugh Willoughby's expedition in search of a northeast passage from England to China. The three-vessel fleet was to rendezvous at Vardø, Nor., but because of stormy weather Chancellor's was the only

Mercara

2005-02-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Madhu-keri town, southern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India, in the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,160 m), on the national highway from Mysore city to Mangalore. In 1681 Mudda Raja selected the central but inaccessible site for the capital of the independent Hindu dynasty of Coorg. A fort built in 1812 by Linge Raja and the hilltop Onkeshwara Temple overlook the quiet town.

Comenius, John Amos

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

Czech Jan Ámos Komenský Czech educational reformer and religious leader, remembered mainly for his innovations in methods of teaching, especially languages. He favoured the learning of Latin to facilitate the study of European culture. Janua Linguarum Reserata (1631; Gate of Tongues Unlocked, 1633?) revolutionized

Herder, Johann Gottfried Von

2005-02-12T00:22:00.000-08:00

German critic, theologian, and philosopher, who was the leading figure of the Sturm und Drang literary movement and an innovator in the philosophy of history and culture. His influence, augmented by his contacts with the young J.W. von Goethe, made him a harbinger of the Romantic movement.

China, Population distribution

2005-02-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Because of complex natural conditions, the population of China is quite unevenly distributed. Population density varies strikingly, with the greatest contrast occurring between the eastern half of China and the lands of the west and the northwest. Exceptionally high population densities occur in the Yangtze Delta, in the Pearl River Delta, and on the Ch'eng-tu

I Ching

2005-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yi Ching, Pinyin Yi Jing (Chinese: “Classic of Changes,” or “Book of Changes”), an ancient Chinese text, one of the Five Classics (Wu Ching) of Confucianism. The main body of the work has traditionally been attributed to Wen Wang (fl. 12th century BC), sage and father of the founder of the Chou dynasty, and contains a discussion of the divinatory system used by the Chou dynasty wizards. A supplementary section

Córdoba

2005-02-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

Departamento, northwestern Colombia. It occupies the Caribbean lowlands north of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Occidental. During most of the colonial period the area was sparsely settled, the original densely settled Indian population having disappeared by the time of the first major Spanish penetration in 1534. Created in 1951, the territory, 9,660 square miles (25,020 square

Caucasian Languages, Grammatical characteristics

2005-02-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Kartvelian languages exhibit a developed system of word inflection (e.g., the use of endings, such as English “dish, dishes” or “walk, walks, walked”) and derivation (word formation). Derivation is characterized by compounding, the combination of words to form new words, as well as by affixation, the addition of prefixes and suffixes—e.g., Georgian kartvel-i “Georgian,” sa-kartvel-o

Friedman, William F(rederick); And Friedman, Elizebeth S(mith)

2005-02-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

William Friedman was still an infant when his family immigrated to the United States; he studied genetics at Cornell University (B.S., 1914). Elizebeth Smith majored in English at Hillsdale

Human-factors Engineering

2005-02-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

The term human-factors engineering is used to designate equally a body of knowledge, a process, and a profession. As a body of knowledge, human-factors engineering is a collection of data and principles about human

United Kingdom, The golden age of Bede

2005-02-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

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