MaterialBird

Gabrieli, Andrea

2005-04-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

He was born in the Canareggio quarter of Venice, but nothing is known about

Health And Disease

2005-04-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

In early 2003 a virulent new infectious disease caught the world off guard. The Chinese Ministry of Health reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-February that 305 people in Guangdong province had developed an acute pneumonia-like illness and that 5 of them had died. Laboratory tests had been negative for influenza viruses, anthrax, plague, and other infectious

Kaffir

2005-04-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kafir, Arabic Kafir (“Infidel”), member of a group of southern African Bantu-speaking peoples (see Xhosa); also, member of a people of the Hindu Kush in northeastern Afghanistan (see Nuristani). Use of the term for either group reflects a negative opinion. Especially in South Africa, kaffir (not capitalized) is used in a generally pejorative way to mean any African black.

Azare

2005-04-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Town and traditional emirate, Bauchi state, northeastern Nigeria, located in the northern extension of the state. The town and emirate are peopled by the Hausa, Fulani, and Beriberi, who are predominantly Muslim. The first prime minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was born in the emirate. The area is chiefly agricultural, the principal crops consisting

Croker, Thomas Crofton

2005-04-02T04:11:00.000-08:00

The son of an army major, Croker had little school education but did read widely while working in merchant trade. During rambles in southern Ireland from 1812 to 1816, Croker collected legends, folk songs, and keens (dirges for the

Half Rhyme

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

Also called near rhyme, slant rhyme, or oblique rhyme in prosody, two words that have only their final consonant sounds and no preceding vowel or consonant sounds in common (such as stopped and wept, or parable and shell). The device was common in Welsh, Irish, and Icelandic verse years before it was first used in English by Henry Vaughan. It was not used regularly in English until Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Butler

Mountain, The western segment of the system

2005-03-31T16:40:00.000-08:00

The evolution of the western segment of the Tethyan System is the most complicated, involving more than just a collision of the African continent with parts of Europe. In Early Jurassic time (about 180,000,000 years ago), Africa, which then lay close to Europe, moved southeastward away from it. In doing so, it caused new ocean floor (Tethys) and new continental margins to form. Much of

Mellophone

2005-03-31T03:22:00.000-08:00

The mellophone, a circular tenor horn (althorn), is usually built right handed and looks like a French horn. It bears

Asbestosis

2005-03-30T04:39:00.000-08:00

Lung disease that is caused by the prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibres. A type of pneumoconiosis, it is found primarily among workers whose occupations involved asbestos, principally mining, construction, and the manufacture of insulation, fireproofing, cement products, and automobile brakes. The disease is not limited solely to asbestos workers but is also

Olympus, Mount

2005-03-30T03:44:00.000-08:00

Mount Olympus is snowcapped and often has cloud

Hennepin, Louis

2005-03-29T17:18:00.000-08:00

Hennepin joined the Récollet Order of Friars Minor, Béthune, France, and in 1675 went to Canada with La Salle, whose chaplain he became in

Amstetten

2005-03-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Town, Niederösterreich Bundesland (federal state), northeastern Austria. It is situated near the Ybbs River, northeast of Steyr. Recorded in 996 as a possession of the bishops of Passau, it was fortified and granted market rights when it passed to the Habsburgs in 1276. It achieved town status in 1897. The 14th-century parish church in the town incorporates an earlier Romanesque basilica.

Araraquara

2005-03-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

City, in the highlands of central São Paulo state, Brazil, at 2,119 ft (646 m) above sea level on a tributary of the Rio Jacaré-Guaçu. Formerly known as Freguesia de São Bento de Araraquara, it was given town status in 1817 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1832. Araraquara's industries process sugarcane and coffee from the hinterland. Textiles, liquor, and furniture are also produced

Araraquara

2005-03-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union that were aimed at curtailing the manufacture of strategic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The first agreements, known as SALT I and SALT II, were signed by the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1972 and 1979, respectively, and were intended to restrain the arms race in strategic

Mclachlan, Alexander

2005-03-26T03:21:00.000-08:00

Scottish-born poet, called by some the Burns of Canada for his Scots dialect poetry, much of which deals with the homesickness of Scots immigrants. McLachlan was the foremost among a number of such Scottish bards, whose themes of nostalgia for Scotland appear to be literary conventions rather than original

Carnival

2005-03-25T22:55:00.000-08:00

The merrymaking and festivity that takes place in many Roman Catholic countries in the last days and hours before the Lenten season. The derivation of the word is uncertain, though it possibly can be traced to the medieval Latin carnem levare or carnelevarium, which means to take away or remove meat. This coincides with the fact that carnival is the final festivity

Lipton, Sir Thomas Johnstone, 1st Baronet

2005-03-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

Lipton, whose Irish parents ran a small grocery, immigrated to the United States in 1865. After five years at various jobs, he returned to Glasgow and opened a small provision shop, whose success led him to open other shops throughout the United Kingdom. To supply his retail

Maupassant, Guy De

2005-03-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

In full Henry-René-Albert-Guy de Maupassant French naturalist writer of short stories and novels who is by general agreement the greatest French short-story writer.

Wurtz, Charles-adolphe

2005-03-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

Following medical studies and a period of teaching, Wurtz studied at Giessen and then at Strasbourg (1843). He became an assistant (1845) to Jean-Baptiste-André Dumas, whom he succeeded at the School of Medicine (1852). He was the first

Gable, Dan

2005-03-23T04:39:00.000-08:00

Gable was undefeated in high school competition and won three consecutive Iowa state high school championships. Competing for Iowa State University, he posted a near-perfect record. During his freshman year he entered the Midlands

Facta, Luigi

2005-03-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

After studying law, Facta became a journalist. He was elected deputy in 1891. He served as undersecretary first of justice and then of the interior in Giovanni Giolitti's coalition cabinet (1903–05). In succeeding ministries he was three times minister of finance

Alabama, Plant and animal life

2005-03-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

The warm climate of Alabama has nurtured a rich plant cover, including more than 125 tree varieties. Most of the thick forests are in the north and northeast. Pine trees predominate, and live oaks are also found statewide, lending grace to the streets of the older towns and cities. Sweet gum and black walnut are also common, while the colourful red cedar is most abundant in

Medicine, Britain

2005-03-21T04:05:00.000-08:00

Public health services in Britain are organized locally under the National Health Service. The medical officer of health is employed by the local council and is the adviser in health matters. The larger councils employ a number of mostly full-time medical officers; in some rural areas, a general practitioner may be employed part-time as medical officer of

öz Beg

2005-03-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Uzbek, in full Ghiyath Al-din Muhammad Öz Beg Mongol leader and khan of the Golden Horde, or Kipchak empire, of southern Russia, under whom it attained its greatest power; he reigned from 1312 to 1341. Öz Beg was a convert to Islam, but he also welcomed Christian missionaries from western Europe into his realm. Öz Beg encouraged the predominance of the princes of Moscow among his Christian vassals; his name survives

Alcock, Sir John William

2005-03-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

Alcock received his pilot's certificate in 1912 and joined the Royal Naval Air Service as an instructor at the opening of World War I. In 1916 he was posted to a wing group of the Eastern Mediterranean theatre, based at Munros. During

Hestia

2005-03-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

She was worshipped chiefly as goddess of the family hearth; but, as the

Canada

2005-03-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Second largest country in the world in area (after Russia) but one of the most sparsely populated. Canada occupies roughly two-fifths of the North American continent. Its total area, including the Canadian share of the Great Lakes, is 3,849,674 square miles (9,970,610 square km), of which 291,576 square miles (755,180 square km) are inland water; also included are its adjacent islands, except Greenland, a self-governing

Biblical Literature, The translation of Miles Coverdale

2005-03-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

A change in atmosphere in England found expression in a translation that, for all its great significance, turned out to be a retrograde step in the manner of its execution, although it proved to be a vindication of Tyndale's work. On October 4, 1535, the first complete English Bible, the work of Miles Coverdale, came off the press either in Zürich or in Cologne. The edition was soon

'arish, Al-

2005-03-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

Known

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-03-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

Almost all cats are strictly carnivorous and feed on small mammals and birds or on the larger herbivorous artiodactyls like deer and various types of antelope. The fishing cat (Felis viverrina) feeds largely on fishes and clams or snails and thus fits into a slightly different niche from that of most cats. The flatheaded cat (Felis planiceps) is the only felid known

Refraction

2005-03-17T01:49:00.000-08:00

In physics, the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another caused by its change in speed. For example, waves in deep water travel faster than in shallow; if an ocean wave approaches a beach obliquely, the part of the wave farther from the beach will move faster than that closer in, and so the wave will swing around until it moves in a direction perpendicular

Abu Rishah, 'umar

2005-03-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

Abu Rishah attended the University of Damascus in Syria, the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, and the University of Manchester, England. He was an early contributor to the influential Egyptian literary

Hale, Sir Matthew

2005-03-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Hale was the son of Robert Hale, a barrister. Orphaned at

China, The advent of bronze casting

2005-03-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

The 3rd and 2nd millennia witnessed the appearance of increasing warfare, complex urban settlements, intense status differentiation, and administrative and religious hierarchies that legitimated and controlled the massive mobilization of labour for dynastic work or warfare. The casting of bronze has left the most evident archaeological traces of these momentous

Binding Energy

2005-03-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Nuclear binding energy is the energy required to separate an atomic nucleus

Vega, Lope De

2005-03-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

Outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age, author of as many as 1,800 plays and several hundred shorter dramatic pieces, of which 431 plays and 50 shorter pieces are extant.

Plurality System

2005-03-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Advantages of the plurality system are

3-d

2005-03-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

Also called stereoscopic, motion-picture process that gives a three-dimensional quality to film images. It is based on the fact that humans perceive depth by viewing with both eyes. In the 3-D process, two cameras or a twin-lensed camera are used for filming, one representing the left eye and the other the right. The two lenses are spaced about 2 1/2 inches (6.3 cm) apart, the same as the separation between a person's

Cheng Ch'eng-kung

2005-03-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

Cheng Ch'eng-kung was born in a small Japanese coastal town to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father, Cheng Chih-lung, a maritime adventurer who made a fortune through trade and piracy in the Taiwan Straits. Cheng

Rowell, Newton Wesley

2005-03-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

Rowell was called to the bar in 1891 and made king's counselor in 1902. As a member of the Ontario legislative assembly in 1911, he became leader of the Liberal opposition. He entered the Dominion House of Commons in 1917 and served in Sir Robert Laird Borden's Unionist

Ryleyev, Kondraty Fyodorovich

2005-03-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

Ryleyev came from a family of poor gentry. He served in the army, spending time in Germany, Switzerland, and France. After his return to Russia, he went to live in Voronezh province, where his impressions from abroad sharply contrasted with the

France, History Of, Louis IX

2005-03-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Louis IX, who was canonized in 1297, is the best-known Capetian ruler. He impressed all who came in touch with him, and the records of his reign—anecdotal and historical as well as official—leave no doubt that he

Andaman Islands

2005-03-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Island group, Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The Andamans constitute one of the two major groups of islands in the union territory. They include more than 300 islands (26 inhabited), with a land area of 2,474 square miles (6,408 square km). The three major islands are North Andaman, Middle Andaman, and South Andaman (closely

South American Nomad, Shellfish gatherers

2005-03-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

In the south the Chono, Alacaluf, and Yámana Indians occupied the whole Chilean archipelago southward to Cape Horn. This is a rugged terrain of islands and fjords with heavy rainfall, an average winter temperature of 32° F (0° C), and an average summer temperature of 50° F (10° C). The dense forests make land travel extremely difficult and horticulture impracticable. The area is poor

Shire

2005-03-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

In Great Britain, a county. The Anglo-Saxon shire (Old English scir) was an administrative division next above the hundred and seems to have existed in the south in the time of Alfred the Great (871–899) and to have been fully established by the reign of Edgar (959–975). It was administered by an ealdorman (alderman) and by a sheriff (i.e., shire-reeve), who presided over the shire court. After the

Tooke, Thomas

2005-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Tooke was in business throughout most of his adult life, beginning in St. Petersburg at the age of 15 and finally retiring as governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation in 1852. He often gave evidence before Parliament on economic matters. In 1821 he

Carlisle, John G(riffin)

2005-03-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

Carlisle was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1858 and practiced law in Covington before his election to a term in the state legislature (1859–61); he also served in the Kentucky state senate (1866–71) and as lieutenant

Los Angeles Times

2005-03-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

It was established in 1881, and in 1884 Harrison Gray Otis purchased and incorporated the Times under a public corporation, The Times-Mirror Company (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). The paper prospered, soon becoming an important

Dominion

2005-03-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

The status, prior to 1939, of each of the British Commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Eire, and Newfoundland. Although there was no formal definition of dominion status, a pronouncement by the Imperial Conference of 1926 described Great Britain and the dominions as “autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status,

Bacillite

2005-03-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

In geology, a type of crystallite (q.v.).

Kahn, Gustave

2005-03-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

After study in Paris, Kahn spent four years in North Africa, returning to Paris in 1885. He helped found or edit several literary reviews, including La Vogue, Le Symboliste, and La Revue Indépendante, which printed his poems and discussed the various theories

Christchurch

2005-03-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

City, Canterbury local government region, eastern South Island, New Zealand, on the Avon River. It was the last and most successful colonizing project inspired by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and his New Zealand Company. Christchurch was founded by the Canterbury Association, which was formed in 1848 largely through the efforts of John Robert Godley and which planned to

Nitti, Frank

2005-03-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

Starting as a barber, Nitti became a fence for stolen goods and about 1920 joined Capone's gang. He was sent to prison for 18 months after pleading guilty in 1930 to income-tax evasion, but thereafter he nominally

Differential Geometry

2005-03-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Differential geometry has its origin in the discovery in the 17th century of the infinitesimal calculus, one part of mathematics that deals with limits. The concept of the derivative of a function is essentially identical with that of the tangent line or slope of a curve, and the integral of a function

Spain, Society

2005-03-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

In discussing the influx of the Muslims into Spain, the various social groups into which the population was divided have already been pointed out: Arabs (baladiyyun and Syrians), Berbers, muwallads, Mozarabs, Jews, and slaves. The Muslim population continued to increase during the early centuries of the occupation because of the wave of conversions that markedly reduced

Switzerland, Trade and finance

2005-03-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

Switzerland must export finished products in order to pay for the imports of raw materials, oil, foodstuffs, and manufactured goods. The Swiss have traditionally been among the forerunners in liberalizing and facilitating international trade. The geographic distribution of the country's trade shows dependence on western Europe and especially on the EC countries.

East Berlin

2005-03-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

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

Aristotle

2005-03-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

Aristotle was born in the summer of 384 BC in the small Greek township of Stagira (or Stagirus, or Stageirus), on the Chalcidic peninsula of Macedonia, in northern Greece. (For this reason Aristotle is also known as the “Stagirite.”) His father, Nicomachus, was court physician to Amyntas III, king of Macedonia, father of Philip II, and grandfather of Alexander the Great. As a doctor's

Perry, Lilla Cabot

2005-03-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Lilla Cabot was a descendant not only of the Boston Brahmin Cabot family but also of the equally distinguished Lowells. In 1874 she married Thomas Sergeant

Kabir

2005-03-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

The birth of Kabir (Arabic: “Great”) remains to this day shrouded in mystery and legend. Authorities disagree

Vigo

2005-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Port town and naval station, Pontevedra provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Vigo lies along the southeastern shore of the Vigo Inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Pontevedra city. It was attacked by the English admiral Sir Francis Drake in 1585 and 1589. In 1702 a British-Dutch fleet under Sir George Rooke and James Butler,

Uveitis

2005-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Inflammation of the uvea, the middle coat of the eyeball, which is pigmented and contains blood vessels. The uvea consists of three parts: the iris, the ciliary body (containing the muscle that controls the curvature of the lens), and the choroid, the layer of the eyeball between the retina and the sclera (the white outer covering of all except the front part of the eyeball).

Carnivore

2005-03-01T01:47:00.000-08:00

For general information on the biology of the carnivores, see E.P. Walker et al., Mammals of the World, 3 vol. (1964), in which each genus is described and illustrated, along with a brief summation of its biology. The taxonomy of carnivores is discussed in G.G. Simpson, “Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals,” Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 85 (1945), a classic work on classification, followed by most recent mammalogists; and H.J. Stains, “Carnivores and Pinnipeds,” in S. Anderson and J.K. Jones, Jr. (eds.), Recent Mammals of the World: A Synopsis of Families (1967). F.E. Beddard, Mammalia (1902, reprinted 1958), is a definitive early work on mammalian anatomy. The paleontology of the Carnivora is summarized in two works by A.S. Romer: Vertebrate Paleontology, 3rd ed. (1966), fundamental to an understanding of fossil forms, and Notes and Comments on Vertebrate Paleontology (1968), containing additional information not found in the general text. Books devoted to particular subgroups of the carnivores include A. Denis, Cats of the World (1964), an excellent summary of the status of all members of the Felidae; C.J. Harris, Otters (1968), a fine summary of the status of the otters around the world; H.E. Hinton and A.M.S. Dunn, Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour (1967), which contains much interesting information that is difficult to find elsewhere, except in scattered literature; R.J. Harrison et al. (eds.), The Behavior and Physiology of Pinnipeds (1968), an excellent summation of knowledge on these aquatic carnivores; and V.B. Scheffer, Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses: A Review of the Pinnipedia (1958), a major work on the taxonomy of the Pinnipedia.

Athetosis

2005-02-28T02:54:00.000-08:00

Slow, purposeless, and involuntary movements of the hands, feet, face, tongue, and neck (as well as other muscle groups). The fingers are separately flexed and extended in an entirely irregular way. The hands as a whole are also moved, and the arms, toes, and feet may be affected. The condition is usually caused by malfunctioning of the basal ganglia of the cerebrum. The movements

Maywood, Augusta

2005-02-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Augusta Williams was the daughter of itinerant English actors. She acquired the name of her stepfather, the theatrical manager Robert Campbell Maywood, when she was three. She began studying ballet under Paul H. Hazard in 1836, and in 1837 she made

Viganò, Salvatore

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

Viganò was born of a family of dancers and was the nephew

Hess, (walter Richard) Rudolf

2005-02-26T01:22:00.000-08:00

The son of a merchant, Hess served in the German army during World War I. After the

Spoils System

2005-02-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

Also called patronage system practice in which the political party winning an election rewards its campaign workers and other active supporters by appointment to government posts and by other favours. The spoils system involves political activity by public employees in support of their party and the employees' removal from office if their party loses the election. A change in party control

Sol

2005-02-25T04:44:00.000-08:00

The worship of Sol assumed an entirely

Accordion

2005-02-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

The advent of the accordion is the subject of debate among researchers. Many credit C. Friedrich L. Buschmann, whose Handäoline was patented in Berlin in 1822, as the

Pius Iv

2005-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

After a long conclave Giovanni was elected pope on Dec. 25, 1559, as Pius IV. Though he had long agreed with those who saw a need for

Adapazari

2005-02-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Turkey, lying in a fertile plain west of the Sakarya River. It is situated along the old military road from Istanbul. The region came under Ottoman control in the early 14th century, and the city acquired its present name at the end of the 18th century. An agricultural and industrial centre, Adapazari is connected by a branch line to the main Anatolian railway

Cennini, Cennino (di Drea)

2005-02-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

Late Gothic Florentine painter who perpetuated the traditions of Giotto, which he received from his teacher Agnolo Gaddi. He is best known for writing Il libro dell'arte (1437; The Craftsman's Handbook), the most informative source on the methods, techniques, and attitudes of medieval artists. Painting, according to Cennini, holds a high place

Abaiang Atoll

2005-02-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Apaiang, also called Apia, formerly Charlotte Island, coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Comprising six islets in the northern Gilberts with a total land area of 6 square miles (16 square km), the atoll has a lagoon (16 by 5 miles [26 by 8 km]) that provides sheltered anchorage. Captain Thomas Gilbert, its European discoverer (1788), named it Matthew's Island, after the owner of his ship, the Charlotte.

tefánik, Milan (rastislav)

2005-02-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

After study at the University of Prague, from which he received a doctorate of philosophy in 1904, Štefánik went to Paris. Joining the staff of the astronomical

Cincinnati Arch

2005-02-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

Geologic anticlinal (archlike) structure influential during the Paleozoic Era (540 to 245 million years ago); it existed as a persistent low-lying land area flanked by seas covering a large part of the continent while connected with the ocean. The axis of the Cincinnati Arch extends southward from Ohio to Tennessee. Separated by a structural saddle, its southward extension

Soga Iruka

2005-02-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

In 587, after defeating the rival Mononobe clan, the Soga family completely dominated the imperial court. Soga Umako, Iruka's grandfather, was content to remain in the background

George Ii

2005-02-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

George Augustus was the only son of the German prince George Louis, elector of Hanover (King

Hokkaido

2005-02-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Northernmost of the four main islands of Japan, bordered by the Sea of Japan (west), the Sea of Okhotsk (north), and the Pacific Ocean (east and south). The island of Hokkaido has an area of 30,107 square miles (77,978 square km). Together with a few small adjacent islands, it constitutes a do (province) with an area of 32,247 square miles (83,520 square km), making up 21 percent of Japan's land area. Hokkaido is characterized

Latin America, History Of

2005-02-19T05:03:00.000-08:00

Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands

Europe, History Of, Aestheticism

2005-02-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

To those who dedicated their lives to Symbolist literature and criticism the name of aesthetes is often given, for it was at this time, from 1870 to the end of the century, that questions of aesthetics became the intense concern of artists, critics, and a portion of the public. The phrase “art for art's sake,” which the Romanticists had toyed with, was revived and made the hallmark

Cell Division

2005-02-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

The process by which cells reproduce. See meiosis; mitosis.

Tracheid

2005-02-18T01:23:00.000-08:00

In botany, primitive element of xylem (fluid-conducting tissues), consisting of a single elongated cell with pointed ends and a secondary, cellulosic wall thickened with lignin (a chemical binding substance) containing numerous pits but having no perforations in the primary cell wall. At functional maturity, the cell is dead and empty; its former protoplast is represented,

Gabon, History Of

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

Early history is presented in David E. Gardinier, “The Beginnings of French Catholic Evangelization in Gabon and African Responses, 1844–1883,” French Colonial Studies, no. 2 (1978), pp. 49–74, on the planting of Catholicism in Gabon, and “Les Frères de Saint-Gabriel au Gabon, 1900–1918, et la naissance d'une nouvelle élite africaine,” Mondes et Cultures, 46(3):593–606 (1986), on the education of the anticolonialist elite prominent in Gabon's political life since 1944. K. David Patterson, The Northern Gabon Coast to 1875 (1975), examines the economic and political evolution of northern Gabon. Brian Weinstein, Gabon: Nation-building on the Ogooue (1966), describes political development, especially from the 1940s to the early '60s. Charles F. Darlington and Alice B. Darlington, African Betrayal (1968), is an account by the American ambassador to Libreville who witnessed the coup of 1964 and the French intervention. François Gaulme, Le Gabon et son ombre (1988), traces the political, economic, and social evolution since 1960. Michael C. Reed, “Gabon: A Neo-Colonial Enclave of Enduring French Interest,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 25(2):283–320 (June 1987), focuses on the recent modern period. David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (1981), concentrates on the political evolution in the 20th century, with a large bibliography.

Little Saint Bernard Pass

2005-02-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Italian Colle Del Piccolo San Bernardo, French Col Du Petit-saint-bernard, pass (7,178 ft [2,188 m]) situated just southwest of the Italian border in Savoie département of southeastern France; it lies between the Mont Blanc Massif (north) and the Graian Alps (q.v.; south-southeast). The road across the pass connects Bourg-Saint-Maurice (7 mi [11 km] southwest) in the Isère River Valley, France, with Morgex (10 mi northeast) in the Valle d'Aosta, Italy. Until the Treaty of Paris

Levinson, Salmon Oliver

2005-02-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Levinson practiced law in Chicago from 1891 and became noted for his skill in reorganizing the finances of distressed corporations. In an article in the New Republic, March 9, 1918, he argued that violence by nation-states should be declared illegal.

Yun Shouping

2005-02-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Yun had an adventure-filled early life. Following the collapse

Denim

2005-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Durable twill-woven fabric with coloured (usually blue) warp and white filling threads; it is also woven in coloured stripes. The name is said to have originated in the French serge de Nîmes. Denim is yarn-dyed and mill-finished and is usually all-cotton, although considerable quantities are of a cotton-synthetic fibre mixture. Decades of use in the clothing industry,

Metatarsalgia

2005-02-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

Disorder in which the weight of the body, when standing, rests on the centre of the anterior arch of the foot (on the heads of the central metatarsal bones) instead of on the inside and outside of the foot. Pain when walking may be severe, callosities develop on the area of stress, and there is a tendency to fracture of the metatarsals. The cause of metatarsalgia may be developmental

Oberon

2005-02-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

Outermost of the five major satellites of Uranus. It was discovered in 1787 by the English astronomer Sir William Herschel, who had found Uranus in 1781. The mean distance of the satellite from the centre of Uranus is about 583,520 kilometres (361,780 miles), and its orbital period is 13.46 days. Oberon's estimated diameter is 1,630 km (1,010 mi), and its mass is about 6.9 ´ 10-5 that of Uranus. The satellite is thought to consist

Dowitcher

2005-02-14T01:17:00.000-08:00

Dowitchers

Rousseau, Théodore

2005-02-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Rousseau, the son of a tailor, began to paint at age 14. In the 1820s he began to paint out-of-doors directly from nature, a novel procedure at that time. Although

Shahi Family

2005-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Shahiya, dynasty of some 60 rulers who governed the Kabul valley (in Afghanistan) and the old province of Gandhara from the decline of the Kushan empire in the 3rd century AD. The word Shahi, the title of the rulers, is related to the old Kushan form shao, or “king.” The dynasty probably descended from the Kushans, or Turks (Tarushkas). Nothing is recorded of the history of the long line until the last

Sabine River

2005-02-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

River in the southwestern United States, rising in northeastern Texas and flowing southeast and south, broadening near its mouth to form Sabine Lake, and continuing from Port Arthur through Sabine Pass, a dredged navigable channel, to the Gulf of Mexico after a course of 578 mi (930 km). It drains 10,400 sq mi (26,950 sq km), entirely in Texas and the Louisiana Coastal Plain. The Sabine has successively

Lowell, James Russell

2005-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

A member of a distinguished New England family, Lowell graduated from

Gaulish Language

2005-02-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Ancient Celtic language or languages spoken in western and central Europe and Asia Minor before about 500. Gaulish is attested by inscriptions from France and northern Italy and by names occurring in classical literature. Modern knowledge of the vocabulary and sounds of Gaulish is slight, and its exact relation to the Celtic languages of Britain and Ireland is not

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-02-10T03:25:00.000-08:00

'Abd al-Rahman succeeded his grandfather 'Abd Allah as emir of Córdoba in October 912 at the age of 21. Because of his intelligence and character he had been the obvious favourite of his grandfather, who had designated him heir presumptive in preference to the other royal princes. In appearance he is described as having been light-skinned, handsome, thickset, and short-legged.

Bourguiba, Habib

2005-02-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

Bourguiba was born—the seventh child of Ali Bourguiba, a former lieutenant in the army of the bey (ruler) of Tunisia—in a small fishing village. At an early age, he was sent to Tunis, where he

Heidelberg, University Of

2005-02-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

German in full Ruprecht-karl-universität Heidelberg, state-supported institution of higher learning at Heidelberg, Ger. Modelled on the University of Paris, it was founded in 1386 by the elector Rupert I and, like other German universities, was endowed by a foundation of colleges. The first was the college of the Cistercian order (1389); the first secular college was founded in 1390 by the university chancellor. During the 17th and 18th centuries,

Puelche

2005-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Little is known of the Puelche prior to the

MaterialBird

Gabrieli, Andrea

Health And Disease

Kaffir

Azare

Croker, Thomas Crofton

Half Rhyme

Mountain, The western segment of the system

Mellophone

Asbestosis

Olympus, Mount

Hennepin, Louis

Amstetten

Araraquara

Araraquara

Mclachlan, Alexander

Carnival

Lipton, Sir Thomas Johnstone, 1st Baronet

Maupassant, Guy De

Wurtz, Charles-adolphe

Gable, Dan

Facta, Luigi

Alabama, Plant and animal life

Medicine, Britain

öz Beg

Alcock, Sir John William

Hestia

Canada

Biblical Literature, The translation of Miles Coverdale

'arish, Al-

Carnivore, Natural history

Refraction

Abu Rishah, 'umar

Hale, Sir Matthew

China, The advent of bronze casting

Binding Energy

Vega, Lope De

Plurality System

3-d

Cheng Ch'eng-kung

Rowell, Newton Wesley

Ryleyev, Kondraty Fyodorovich

France, History Of, Louis IX

Andaman Islands

South American Nomad, Shellfish gatherers

Shire

Tooke, Thomas

Carlisle, John G(riffin)

Los Angeles Times

Dominion

Bacillite

Kahn, Gustave

Christchurch

Nitti, Frank

Differential Geometry

Spain, Society

Switzerland, Trade and finance

East Berlin

Aristotle

Perry, Lilla Cabot

Kabir

Vigo

Uveitis

Carnivore

Athetosis

Maywood, Augusta

Viganò, Salvatore

Hess, (walter Richard) Rudolf

Spoils System

Sol

Accordion

Pius Iv

Adapazari

Cennini, Cennino (di Drea)

Abaiang Atoll

tefánik, Milan (rastislav)

Cincinnati Arch

Soga Iruka

George Ii

Hokkaido

tefánik, Milan (rastislav)