SoftStreet

Costa-gavras

2005-04-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

The son of a Russian-born father and a Greek mother, Costa-Gavras left Athens in 1952 to go to Paris,

Mies Van Der Rohe, Ludwig

2005-04-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

In the 1960s Mies continued to create beautiful buildings, among them the Bacardi Building in Mexico City (1961); One Charles Center office building in Baltimore (1963); the Federal Center in Chicago (1964); the Public Library in Washington, D.C. (1967); and, most Miesian of all, the Gallery of the Twentieth Century (later called the New National Gallery) in Berlin, dedicated in 1968. A heavy man, badly plagued

Orange

2005-04-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Vermont, U.S., bounded to the east by New Hampshire; the Connecticut River constitutes the border. It consists of a piedmont region that includes Butterfield, Knox, and Braintree mountains. The county is drained by the Ompompanoosuc, White, Waits, and Wells rivers; Lakes Morey and Fairlee are among the larger lakes. Recreational areas include Allis and

Pacific Ocean, Minerals from seawater and alluvial deposits

2005-04-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

Common salt (sodium chloride) is the most important mineral obtained directly from seawater. Mexico leads the Pacific nations in salt extraction from the sea, mostly by solar evaporation. Bromine extracted from seawater is used in the food, dye, pharmaceutical, and photo industries. The United States and Japan lead in its production among Pacific riparian nations.

Cosgrave, Liam

2005-04-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

His father, W.T. Cosgrave, was president of the Executive Council and head of the government of the Irish Free State during the first 10 years of its existence (1922–32). Liam, the elder son, was educated at Castlenock College, Dublin, and King's Inns, studied law, and was called to the Irish bar

China, The Plateau of Tibet

2005-03-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

This great massif occupies about one-fourth of the whole country. A large part of the plateau lies at elevations above 13,000–15,000 feet. The border ranges of the plateau are even higher, with individual peaks rising to heights of 23,000–26,000 feet. The interior slopes of these border mountains, as a rule, are gentle, while the exterior slopes are very steep. In its eastern and southern periphery,

Thomas Jefferson University

2005-03-31T13:14:00.000-08:00

Private, state-aided, coeducational institution of higher education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. It has one of the largest independent medical schools in the United States. The university comprises Jefferson Medical College, the College of Health Professions, the College of Graduate Studies, and a teaching hospital, the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Hadron

2005-03-30T02:48:00.000-08:00

In physics, any of the subatomic particles that are built from quarks and thus react through the agency of the strong nuclear force. The hadrons embrace mesons (e.g., pions and kaons), baryons (e.g., protons, neutrons, and sigma particles), and their many resonances. All observed subatomic particles except bosons (e.g., photons, W particles, and Z particles) and leptons (e.g., electrons,

Textile, Napping and shearing

2005-03-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Napping is a process that may be applied to woollens, cottons, spun silks, and spun rayons, including both woven and knitted types, to raise a velvety, soft surface. The process involves passing the fabric over revolving cylinders covered with fine wires that lift the short, loose fibres, usually from the weft yarns, to the surface, forming a nap. The process, which increases

General

2005-03-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

Title and rank of a senior army officer, usually one who commands units larger than a regiment or its equivalent or units consisting of more than one arm of the service. Frequently, however, a general is a staff officer who does not command troops but who plans their operations in the field. General, lieutenant general, and major general are the first, second, and third

Spoonbill

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

Also called Spoonbill Cat, primitive North American fish, a species of paddlefish (q.v.).

Differential Analyzer

2005-03-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

The American electrical engineer Vannevar Bush and others at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invented the first continuous integraph, later called a differential analyzer, during the early 1930s.

Kiriath-sepher

2005-03-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Debir , or Lo-debar , modern Tall Bayt Mirsham ancient town of Palestine, located near Hebron (in the Israeli-occupied West Bank). According to the Bible, the town was taken from the Canaanites either by Caleb's son-in-law Othniel or by Joshua himself. Tall Bayt Mirsham (Tell Beit Mirsim) was excavated (1926–32) by W.F. Albright, who uncovered exceptionally clear stratification from which he was able to give the first comprehensive

Triathlon

2005-03-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

The sport debuted in San Diego, California, on September 25, 1974, when a race organized by local athletes Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan was dubbed a triathlon. The event

Lippstadt

2005-03-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies along the Lippe River, on the slopes of the Teutoburger Wald. Lippstadt was probably founded by the lords of Lippe in 1168, and it joined the Hanseatic League in 1280. Half of the town passed to the county of Mark, which in 1614 was acquired by Brandenburg. In 1850 the prince of Lippe-Detmold sold his share to Prussia when

Settlement

2005-03-25T03:38:00.000-08:00

In law, a compromise or agreement between litigants to settle the matters in dispute between them in order to dispose of and conclude their litigation. Generally, as a result of the settlement, prosecution of the action is withdrawn or dismissed without any judgment being entered (see nolle prosequi). In such cases, the settlement itself, as a binding contract between

Germanic Religion And Mythology, The gods

2005-03-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Old Norse sources name a great number of deities. The evidence of place-names suggests that one cult succeeded another. Names, especially those in southeastern Norway and southern Sweden, suggest that there was once widespread worship of a god Ull (Ullr). Indeed, an early poem reports an oath on the ring of Ull, suggesting that he was once one of the highest gods, at least

Carter, Howard

2005-03-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

At the age of 17 Carter joined the British-sponsored archaeological survey of Egypt. He made (1893–99) drawings of the sculptures and inscriptions at the terraced

Gabon, Plant and animal life

2005-03-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

About 75 percent of the country is covered by a dense equatorial rain forest containing more than 3,000 species of vegetation, including the okoume, a hardwood tree that forms the backbone of Gabon's wood industry. The rain forest is inhabited by antelope, monkeys, gorillas, numerous tropical birds, and several varieties of elephants.

An-shun

2005-03-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Anshun, city, west central Kweichow Province (sheng), China. An-shun is a county-level municipality (shih) and the administrative centre of An-shun Prefecture (ti-ch'ü). It first became a city in 1958, later lost its municipal status, but was made a city again in 1966. An-shun is situated at the centre of various radiating highways covering the entire western part of the province, some 60 mi (100 km) west-southwest

Kschessinska, Mathilde

2005-03-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

Kschessinska also spelled Kshessinska, Russian in full Mathilda-maria Feliksovna Kshesinskaya prima ballerina assoluta of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the first Russian dancer to master 32 consecutive fouettés en tournant (“whipped turns” done in place and on one leg), a feat previously performed only by Italian dancers and considered in that era the supreme achievement in dance

Duun, Olav

2005-03-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

Duun, a former cattle herder and fisherman, entered a teacher's college at age 26. He worked as a teacher in Holmestrand on the Oslo Fjord until 1927, when he retired to devote himself to writing. His many novels analyze the psychological and

Horyu Temple

2005-03-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Beginning about AD 600, a number

Myriocephalon, Battle Of

2005-03-19T23:06:00.000-08:00

Manuel determined to reassert his suzerainty over former Byzantine territory

Bulb

2005-03-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

In botany, structure that is the resting stage of certain seed plants, particularly perennial monocotyledons. A bulb consists of a relatively large, usually globe-shaped, underground bud with membraneous or fleshy overlapping leaves arising from a short stem. An onion is a commonly known bulb. A bulb's fleshy leaves—which in some species are actually expanded

Hancock, Thomas

2005-03-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

English inventor and manufacturer who founded the British rubber industry. His chief invention, the “masticator,” worked rubber scraps into a shredded mass of rubber that could be formed into blocks or rolled into sheets. This process, perfected in 1821, led to a partnership with the Scottish chemist and inventor of waterproof

Ekrem, Recaizade Mahmud

2005-03-18T01:36:00.000-08:00

The son of a poet and scholar, Ekrem was apprenticed to a number of government offices after his formal education. Later he became an official in the Council of State and a teacher of Turkish literature at the

D.s.o.

2005-03-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Recipient of the Distinguished Service Order, a British military decoration. See Distinguished Service Order.

East Greenwich

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

Town (township), Kent county, central Rhode Island, U.S., on Greenwich Bay, south of Providence city. It was settled and incorporated as a town in 1677, following King Philip's (Indian) War. Called Dedford in 1686–89, it was renamed for Greenwich in London. Farming, fishing, pottery making, and tanning were early industries. During the American Revolution, the home of William Greene, governor

Beardfish

2005-03-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

Any of the five species of fishes in the genus Polymixia constituting the family Polymixiidae (order Beryciformes). Beardfishes are restricted primarily to deep-sea marine habitats in tropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They generally are found at depths from about 200 to 600 metres (650 to 2,000 feet). The term beardfish comes from the beardlike appearance

Smyrna

2005-03-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

Town, Kent county, central Delaware, U.S., near the Smyrna River. Established about 1755, it was known as Duck Creek Cross Roads (for its location on the creek, which flows into the Smyrna River) until 1806, when it was renamed for the biblical seaport of Asia Minor. In 1792 a piqued state assembly, barred from the State House at Dover by a sheriff, met in the village tavern and named Duck Creek

Sabang

2005-03-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

Kotamadya (city) and free port, Aceh daerah istimewa (special district), Indonesia, on the northeastern coast of We Island, off the northern tip of Sumatra. It lies at the northern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and is the first port of call in the Malay Archipelago for vessels coming from the west. The harbour, built in 1887, is sheltered from the strong winds and heavy swells

Petralona Skull

2005-03-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

The skull has a large brow and a slanting forehead, and, from the structure of the face, the jaw is estimated to have been larger

Nur Al-din

2005-03-14T23:01:00.000-08:00

Nur al-Din succeeded his father as the atabeg (ruler) of Halab in 1146, owing nominal allegiance to the 'Abbasid caliph of Baghdad. Before his rule, a major reason for the success of the Crusaders was the disunity of the Muslim rulers of the region, who

Ibn An-nafis

2005-03-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

In full 'Ala' ad-Din Abu al-'Ala' 'Ali ibn Abi al-Haram al-Qurayshi ad-Dimashqi ibn an-Nafis Arab physician who first described the pulmonary circulation of the blood. In finding that the wall between the right and left ventricles of the heart is solid and without pores, he disputed Galen's view that the blood passes directly from the right to the left side of the heart. Ibn an-Nafis correctly stated that the blood must pass from the right ventricle to the left

Oman

2005-03-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

This discussion focuses on Oman since the 18th century. For a treatment of earlier periods and of the country in its regional context, see Arabia, history of.

Alkaline Phosphatase

2005-03-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

Enzyme that is normally present in high concentrations in growing bone and in bile. It is essential for the deposition of minerals in the bones and teeth. Alkaline phosphatase deficiency is a hereditary trait called hypophosphatasia, which results in bone deformities. In severe cases, the deficiency leads to early death from infection. Alkaline phosphatase is

Rupert

2005-03-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

A member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, he was chosen king by the German ecclesiastical electors on Aug. 22, 1400, to succeed Wenceslas, who had been deposed the day before by the German princes. After being crowned at Cologne on Jan.

Uthai Thani

2005-03-12T03:21:00.000-08:00

Town and changwat (province) in the Northern region of Thailand, west of the Mae Nam (river) Chao Phraya. The provincial capital, Uthai Thani, is a market town in the eastern lowland part of the province. The province (area 2,598 sq mi [6,730 sq km]) includes a fertile lowland in the east and the Prathet Thai highlands in the west. Somewhat isolated from the country's main transportation

Pen

2005-03-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Tool for writing or drawing with a coloured fluid, such as ink. The earliest ancestor of the pen probably was the brush used for writing by the Chinese by the 1st millennium BC. The early Egyptians employed thick reeds for penlike implements about 300 BC. A specific allusion to the quill pen occurs in the 7th-century writings of St. Isidore of Sevilla, but such pens made of bird feathers

Yodel

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

Type of singing in which high falsetto and low chest notes are rapidly alternated; its production is helped by the enunciation of open and closed vowels on the low and high notes of wide intervals. Yodeling is also used as a means of communicating over moderate distances by the inhabitants of mountainous regions. It is associated with the Alpine peoples of Switzerland

Cork

2005-03-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Irish Corcaigh county in the province of Munster, Ireland. The largest county in Ireland, with an area of 2,880 sq mi (7,460 sq km), it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean (south), by Counties Waterford and Tipperary (east), by County Limerick (north), and by County Kerry (west). Cork has long east–west ridges forming uplands and hills. Less than three-tenths of its area is rough pasture, and farmlands climb as high

Crome, John

2005-03-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

During his apprenticeship to a housepainter, Crome devoted what leisure time he had to sketching from nature. Through the influence

Bohr, Aage N.

2005-03-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

Bohr was educated at the University of Copenhagen, where he received his doctorate in 1954. During the 1940s he worked as assistant to his father, Niels Bohr (1922 Nobel physics laureate),

Caucasian Languages, Georgian

2005-03-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Georgian (self-designation: kartuli ena), used as the language of literature and instruction, is the state language of the Republic of Georgia. It is common to all speakers of the Kartvelian languages within Georgia. Beyond the borders of Georgia, Georgian is spoken in the adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and northeastern Turkey. There are also 14 villages of Georgian

Amora

2005-03-08T03:26:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew and Aramaic: “interpreter,” or “reciter”), plural Amoraim, in ancient times, a Jewish scholar attached to one of several academies in Palestine (Tiberias, Sepphoris, Caesarea) or in Babylonia (Nehardea, Sura, Pumbedita). The amoraim collaborated in writing the Gemara, collected interpretations of and commentaries on the Mishna (the authoritative code of Jewish oral laws) and on its critical marginal notes, called Tosefta (Addition).

Melqart

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

Also spelled Melkart or Melkarth Phoenician god, chief deity of Tyre and of two of its colonies, Carthage and Gadir (Cádiz, Spain). He was also called the Tyrian Baal. Under the name Malku he was equated with the Babylonian Nergal, god of the underworld and death, and thus may have been related to the god Mot of Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit). Melqart was usually depicted as a bearded figure, wearing a high, rounded

Coquecigrue

2005-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

An imaginary creature regarded as an embodiment of absolute absurdity. François Rabelais in Gargantua uses the phrase à la venue des cocquecigrues to mean “never.” Charles Kingsley in The Water Babies has the fairy Bedonebyasyoudid report that there are seven things he is forbidden to tell until “the coming of the Cocqcigrues.” The word is of French origin.

Ferdinand I

2005-03-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Because his elder brother, Henry III, was an invalid, Ferdinand took the battlefield against the Muslims of Granada. When Henry III died in 1406, his son John II was an infant and the regency was divided between Henry's widow, Queen Catherine of Lancaster,

Rhapsodist

2005-03-07T02:53:00.000-08:00

Greek Rhapsoidos, plural Rhapsoidoi, any of the dramatic reciters of ancient Greece, dating from the 6th century BC. In the oral epic tradition, rhapsodists were preceded by Homeric singers (aoidoi) of their own epic songs and, like them, were musically accompanied on the lyre and aulos. To heighten dramatic effect, rhapsodists used a staff for symbolic gesturing. Their intonation of poetry probably involved

Academy Award

2005-03-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

Ronald Bergan, Graham Fuller, and David Malcolm, Academy Award Winners (1994), is a lavishly illustrated chronological account. Emanuel Levy, And the Winner Is : The History and Politics of the Oscar Awards, new expanded ed. (1990), not only provides historical information but also compares the Oscars to other film awards and discusses the impact of winning an award. Charles Matthews, Oscar A to Z: A Complete Guide to More than 2,400 Movies Nominated for Academy Awards (1995), lists alphabetically the films nominated in the picture, performances, direction, design, and music categories and provides plot synopses, biographies, and other information. Robert Osborne, 65 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, 2nd ed. (1994), is the chronological history presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Richard Shale (compiler), The Academy Awards Index (1993), is an easy-to-search reference. Mason Wiley and Damien Bona, Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards, 10th anniversary ed. (1996), is a comprehensive social history but includes many unverified rumours and anecdotes.

Guercino, Il

2005-03-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Guercino received his earliest training locally, but the formative influence on his style

Alzon, Emmanuel D'

2005-03-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

D'Alzon studied in Paris, in Montpellier, and in Rome, where he was ordained (1834). He was named canon and vicar-general of Nîmes and retained this position until his death. In 1843 he acquired Assumption College in Nîmes, where he founded (1845) the congregation

Sea, Law Of The

2005-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Law codified in a treaty signed Dec. 10, 1982, by 117 nations (and two republics of the U.S.S.R., Belorussia and Ukraine) in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It represented an attempt to codify international law regarding territorial waters, sea lanes, and ocean resources. It was not signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, West Germany, Israel, Italy, and several other industrialized or developing

Plain

2005-03-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

Any relatively level area of the Earth's surface exhibiting gentle slopes and small local relief. Plains vary widely in size. The smallest occupy only a few hectares, whereas the largest cover hundreds of thousands of square kilometres—as, for example, the Great Plains of North America and the expanse of gently undulating land that sweeps from the Pyrenees Range

Prie-dieu

2005-03-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

First used by the higher clergy during religious services in the early European Middle Ages, the prie-dieu became popular in the 19th century

Antarctica

2005-03-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Ice averaging 2,160 m (7,085 ft) in thickness covers about 98% of the continent of Antarctica, which has an area of 14 million sq km (5.4 million sq mi). There is no indigenous human population, and there is no land-based industry. Human activity consists mainly of scientific research. The 43-nation Antarctic Treaty is the managerial mechanism for the region south of latitude 60° S, which includes

Zamora

2005-03-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

In full Zamora De Hidalgo, city, northwestern Michoacán state, west-central Mexico. It lies at an elevation of 5,141 feet (1,567 m) above sea level in the Zamora valley, formed by the Duero River. It was founded in 1540 as an outpost to guard against Indians. Commerce, agriculture, and livestock raising are the principal sources of income. Corn (maize), wheat, beans, and numerous fruits and vegetables are grown in the

Man

2005-03-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

Town, western Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The town is situated along the Ko River, in a mountainous area (Massif de Man) on the eastern edge of the Nimba Range. There are iron-ore reserves in the mountains east of Man. The chief trade centre (rice, cassava, livestock, and palm oil and kernels) for a forested region mainly inhabited by the Dan and the Ngere (or Guere) and Wobe peoples,

Han

2005-03-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

The han evolved during the 15th century when local daimyo gradually came into military and civil control of their own domains. In the warfare that took place among them at the end of the century, the size of the han gradually increased; many assumed the boundaries of one or

Forbes' Disease

2005-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Cori's disease , or glycogenosis type III rare hereditary disease in which the the metabolic breakdown of glycogen to the simple sugar glucose is incomplete, allowing intermediate compounds to accumulate in the cells of the liver. Affected persons lack the enzyme amylo-1,6-glucosidase, one of several enzymes involved in glycogen breakdown. Children with the disease have enlarged livers (which usually

Za

2005-02-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

In feudal Japan, any of the mercantile or craft guilds that flourished about 1100–1590. They did not become fully organized until the Muromachi period (1338–1573), when they began to monopolize the production, transport, and sale of merchandise. In exchange for certain fees, the za enjoyed official recognition and exemptions from tolls, transit duties, and market taxes. Many za were begun

Valencia

2005-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Capital of Valencia province and the autonomous community (region) of Valencia, and of the former kingdom of Valencia, eastern Spain. Located on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the Río Turia (Guadalaviar), it is surrounded by orchards in a region known as the Huerta de Valencia. The earliest mention (Valentia) is by the Roman historian Livy, who states that the consul

Team Handball

2005-02-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

A game consists of two 30-minute halves with an intermission,

Hippogriff

2005-02-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

A legendary animal that has the foreparts of a winged griffin and the body and hindquarters of a horse. The creature was invented by Ludovico Ariosto in his Orlando furioso and was based on a proverbial phrase about crossing a griffin with a horse that was used to signify an impossibility or incongruity.

Bricriu's Feast

2005-02-27T04:33:00.000-08:00

Middle Irish Fled Bricrenn in early Irish literature, a comic, rowdy account of rivalry between Ulster warriors. One of the longest hero tales of the Ulster cycle, it dates from the 8th century and is preserved in The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100). Bricriu, the trickster, promises the hero's portion of his feast to three different champions, Lóegaire Buadach, Conall Cernach, and Cú Chulainn. A violent dispute

Amontons, Guillaume

2005-02-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

Amontons is often credited with having discovered the laws of friction (1699), though in fact his work dealt solely with static friction—i.e., the friction of objects at rest. It was only after the English physicist Sir Isaac

Ammonite

2005-02-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

Any member of an ancient Semitic people whose principal city was Rabbath Ammon, in Palestine. The “sons of Ammon” were in perennial, though sporadic, conflict with the Israelites. After a long period of seminomadic existence, the Ammonites established a kingdom north of Moab in the 13th century BC. With difficulty, their fortress capital was captured by Israel's King David.

Willard, Emma

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

Emma Hart was the next-to-last of 17 children; her younger sister was educator and writer Almira Hart (Lincoln Phelps). Encouraged

Biblical Literature, The tripartite canon

2005-02-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

The threefold nature of the Hebrew Bible (the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings) is reflected in the literature of the period of the Second Temple (6th–1st centuries BCE) and soon after it. The earliest reference is that of the Jewish wisdom writer Ben Sira (flourished 180–175 BCE), who speaks of “the law of the Most High . . . the wisdom of all the ancients and . . . prophecies.” His grandson (c. 132 BCE) in the prologue

Anodizing

2005-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Method of plating metal for such purposes as corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, thermal control, abrasion resistance, sealing, improving paint adhesion, and decorative finishing. Anodizing consists of electrically depositing an oxide film from aqueous solution onto the surface of a metal, often aluminum, which serves as the anode in an electrolytic

Toynbee Hall

2005-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Pioneering social settlement in the East End of London. It was founded on Commercial Street, Whitechapel (now in Tower Hamlets), in 1884 by the canon Samuel Augustus Barnett and named for the 19th-century English social reformer Arnold Toynbee. During his early years at St. Jude's Church, Barnett invited members of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge to the impoverished

French Literature, Prose literature

2005-02-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Prose flourished as a literary medium from about 1200. A few years earlier Robert de Borron had used verse for his Joseph d'Arimathie (recounting the Holy Grail's sacred origins) and his Merlin; but both were soon turned into prose. Other Arthurian romances adopted it, notably the great Vulgate cycle with its five branches by various hands. These included the immensely popular

Baker, Sir Benjamin

2005-02-23T01:51:00.000-08:00

In 1861 Baker became an assistant to the consulting engineer John Fowler and by 1875 was his partner. Baker became Fowler's chief assistant in 1869 and as such was responsible for the construction of the subterranean District

China, The first Opium War and its aftermath

2005-02-21T01:55:00.000-08:00

In February 1840 the British government decided on an expedition, and Rear Adm. George Elliot was appointed first commissioner and plenipotentiary to China. In June, 16 British warships arrived in Hong Kong and sailed northward to the mouth of the Pei River to press China with its demands. No agreement was reached. In May 1841 the British attacked the walled city of Canton and

Pithoragarh

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

City, northern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies east of Almora, on a ridge of the Himalayan foothills. The surrounding area lies entirely within the Himalayan Range and is bordered by Nepal to the east and China to the north. Rice, barley, and wheat are grown. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 27,753.

Deorai, Battle Of

2005-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

Dara challenged Aurangzeb, relying on the promised support of Jaswant Singh of Marwar, but Jaswant then deserted him, and Dara was left to face Aurangzeb's superior army alone.

Gamelin, Maurice(-gustave)

2005-02-20T01:37:00.000-08:00

Gamelin graduated from the Saint-Cyr military academy in 1893 and ended World War I as a brigadier general in command of a division. He rose steadily after the war, becoming

Atlanta

2005-02-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

The city owes its existence to the railroads, the routes of which were

Culross

2005-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Small, picturesque royal burgh (town) in Fife council area and historic county, Scotland, on the northern bank of the Firth of Forth. The burgh has early religious associations with the Celtic saints Serf and Mungo (5th century). A Cistercian abbey was founded there in 1217, and its tower and choir remain in the parish church. The burgh is a remarkable example of 16th- and 17th-century

Earth, Magnetic stormsgrowth of the ring current

2005-02-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

The ring current is produced by the drift around the Earth of charged particles of the outer Van Allen radiation belt. During quiet conditions the effect of this current at the Earth's surface is negligible ([sim]20 nanoteslas). Once or twice a month there occurs a phenomenon known as a magnetic storm, during which the intensity of the ring current increases and produces

Votic Language

2005-02-18T04:11:00.000-08:00

Member of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family, very nearly extinct. The few remaining Votic speakers live in the border area between Estonia and Russia (a region in which pressures to speak Russian or Estonian are not so great as they are in places of easier access). See also Finno-Ugric languages.

Moreau, Jeanne

2005-02-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

Moreau studied at the Conservatoire Nationale d'Art Dramatique and became at 20 years of age the youngest member of the Comédie-Française. Le Dernier Amour (1949; The Last Love) marked her film debut, but Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1957; “Elevator to the Scaffold”; released as Frantic

Permafrost, Permafrost thawing and frost heaving

2005-02-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

Because thawing of permafrost and frost action are involved in almost all engineering problems in polar areas, it is advisable to consider these phenomena generally. The delicate thermal equilibrium of permafrost is disrupted when the vegetation, snow cover, or active layer is compacted. The permafrost table is lowered, the active layer is thickened, and considerable

Chandler

2005-02-16T23:48:00.000-08:00

City, Maricopa county, south-central Arizona, U.S. Founded in the 1890s, the city was named for veterinarian and real-estate developer A.J. Chandler, who built an extensive agricultural canal system in the area. Chandler is a winter resort in a cotton, alfalfa, citrus fruit, pecan, sugar beet, and cattle-raising region of the irrigated Salt River valley. The city emerged in the late

X-ray Diffraction

2005-02-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

A phenomenon in which the atoms of a crystal, by virtue of their uniform spacing, cause an interference pattern of the waves present in an incident beam of X rays. The atomic planes of the crystal act on the X rays in exactly the same manner as does a uniformly ruled grating on a beam of light. See also Bragg law; Laue diffraction pattern.

Bodawpaya

2005-02-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

A son of Alaungpaya (reigned 1752–60), the founder of the dynasty, Bodawpaya came to power after deposing and executing his grandnephew Maung Maung. In 1784 Bodawpaya invaded Arakan, the maritime kingdom on the eastern coast of the

Young, Andrew

2005-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Young was reared in a middle-class black family, attended segregated Southern schools, and later entered Howard University (Washington, D.C.) as a premed student. But he turned to the ministry and graduated in 1955 from the Hartford Theological Seminary (Hartford, Conn.) with a divinity

Bustamante Y Sirvén, Antonio Sánchez De

2005-02-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

In 1884, when he was 19 years

Malacostracan

2005-02-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

Malacostracans are the most numerous and most successful of the four major classes of Crustacea. Their members constitute more than two-thirds of all living crustacean species. They exhibit the greatest range

Barb

2005-02-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

Also called Barbel (genus Barbus), any of numerous freshwater fishes belonging to a genus in the carp family, Cyprinidae. The barbs are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The members of this genus typically have one or more pairs of barbels (slender, fleshy protuberances) near the mouth and often have large, shining scales. The species vary widely in size; certain barbs are only about 2.5–5 cm (1–2 inches)

Halévy, (jacques-françois-) Fromental(-élie)

2005-02-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

Halévy studied at the Paris Conservatoire from the age of 10 and won the Prix de Rome in 1819 for his cantata Herminie. His first opera performed was L'Artisan (1827), but it was not until Le Dilettante d'Avignon

Aenesidemus

2005-02-12T01:49:00.000-08:00

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

Norway, Daily life and social customs

2005-02-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Although Norway is in most ways very modern, it has maintained many of its traditions. Storytelling and folklore, in which trolls play a prominent role, are still common. On festive occasions folk costumes are worn and folk singing is performed—especially on Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day), commonly called Syttende Mai (May 17), the date of its celebration. Other popular

Sevareid, Eric

2005-02-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Minnesota (1935), Sevareid worked as a reporter for the Minneapolis Journal (1936–37), which had

Tapestry, Ancient Western world

2005-02-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Examples of tapestry weaving from the ancient world are so isolated and fragmentary as to make it uncertain either when or where the art originated. The earliest known tapestry weaving was done in linen by the ancient Egyptians between 1483 and 1411 BC. Preserved by the dry desert climate of Egypt, three tapestry fragments were found in the tomb of Thutmose IV. Two of the fragments

Biblical Literature, The Second Letter of John

2005-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

II John warns a specific church (or perhaps churches), designated as “the elect lady and her children,” against the influence of the Docetic heresy combatted in I John, whose proponents lured Christians from “following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.” In II John, as in the Gospel According to John and I John, the light–darkness images are similar to those

Skamander

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

Group of young Polish poets who were united in their desire to forge a new poetic language that would accurately reflect the experience of modern life. Founded in Warsaw about 1918, the Skamander group took its name, and the name of its monthly publication, from a river of ancient Troy. The group was founded by Julian Tuwim and other poets. Tuwim, a lyrical poet of emotional

Shidehara Kijuro, Danshaku

2005-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Shidehara entered the diplomatic service in 1899 and served in Korea, London, Washington, and The

Canaanite Religion

2005-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Beliefs and practices prevalent in ancient Palestine and Syria during the 2nd and 1st millennia BC, centring primarily on the deities El, Baal, and Anath (qq.v.). From time to time it subverted the essential monotheism of the Israelites after they occupied Canaan, the Promised Land of the Old Testament.