SeriousScissors

Leninsk-kuznetsky

2005-10-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

Formerly (until 1925) Kolchugino, city, in Kemerovo oblast (province), central Russia. It lies along the Inya River, a tributary of the Ob. In 1912 a French company started coal-mining operations there; from the 1930s the city developed rapidly to become a major coal-mining centre, with many pits located in the city itself. Other industries produce chemicals, mining machinery, electric lamps, and timber goods. Pop.

Tyrrell, Sir James

2005-08-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tyrrell fought on the Yorkist side in their victory over the Lancastrians at Tewkesbury

Izumi Kyoka

2005-07-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Kyoka was born into a family of provincial artists and artisans, from whom he inherited artistic skill and a deep faith that shaded into an actual belief in mysterious forces. He

Claudius, Matthias

2005-07-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

After studying at Jena, Claudius held a series of editorial and minor official positions until in 1788 he acquired a sinecure in the Schleswig-Holstein bank. He edited the Wandsbecker Bote (1771–75), popular not only

Paducah

2005-07-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

City, seat of McCracken county, southwestern Kentucky, U.S., at the confluence of the Ohio (there bridged to Brookport, Illinois) and Tennessee rivers. The site, known as Pekin, was part of a grant to soldier and frontiersman George Rogers Clark. At his death his brother William, who was coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, received the land, laid out the town in 1827, and named

Ada Group

2005-07-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

Ivory carvings and a group of about 10 illuminated manuscripts, dating from the last quarter of the 8th century, the earliest examples of the art of the Court School of Charlemagne. The group is named after a Gospel book (c. 750; Trier, Cathedral Treasury) commissioned by Ada, supposed half sister of Charlemagne. These earliest manuscripts of the Carolingian period, which initiated

Topeka

2005-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Any of a series of unmanned U.S. scientific satellites developed to observe cosmic objects from above the Earth's atmosphere. OAO-2, launched Dec. 7, 1968, carried two large telescopes and a complement of spectrometers and other auxiliary devices. It weighed more than 4,200 pounds (1,900 kilograms), the heaviest satellite orbited up to that time. OAO-2 was able to photograph young stars that

Sazonov, Sergey Dmitriyevich

2005-06-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Having entered the foreign ministry in 1883, Sazonov, whose brother-in-law Pyotr Stolypin was Russia's prime minister from 1906 to 1911, obtained posts in the Russian embassies in London,

Atwood, Margaret (eleanor)

2005-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

In her early poetry

Laibach, Congress Of

2005-06-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

(Jan. 26–May 12, 1821), meeting of the Holy Alliance powers (all European rulers except those of Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and the papacy) at Laibach (now Ljubljana, Slovenia) that set the conditions for Austrian intervention in and occupation of the Two Sicilies in action against the Neapolitan revolution (July 1820). As such, it was a triumph for antiliberal Austrian policy, and also,

Earth, The Earth's magnetic field

2005-06-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

Brief surveys are Sydney Chapman, The Earth's Magnetism, 2nd ed. rev. (1951, reprinted 1961); and J.A. Jacobs, The Earth's Core and Geomagnetism (1963), and Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Field (1984). For more in-depth coverage, consult Sydney Chapman and Julius Bartels, Geomagnetism, vol. 1, Geomagnetic and Related Phenomena (1940, reprinted 1962); George D. Garland, Introduction to Geophysics: Mantle, Core and Crust, 2nd ed. (1979), an informative overview; S. Matsushita, “Solar Quiet and Lunar Daily Variation Fields,” ch. III-1 in S. Matsushita and Wallace H. Campbell, Physics of Geomagnetic Phenomena, vol. 1 (1967), pp. 301–424, an extensive treatment; Ronald T. Merrill and Michael W. McElhinny, The Earth's Magnetic Field: Its History, Origin, and Planetary Perspective (1983), an attempt to bridge the gap between dynamo theory and paleomagnetology; W.D. Parkinson, Introduction to Geomagnetism (1983), a logical, systematic, and highly readable treatment; and S.K. Runcorn, K.M. Creer, and J.A. Jacobs (eds.), The Earth's Core: Its Structure, Evolution, and Magnetic Field (1982), an excellent introduction to the modern literature on the topic. See also S.J. Peale, “Consequences of Tidal Evolution,” ch. 12 in Margaret G. Kivelson (ed.), The Solar System: Observations and Interpretations (1986), pp. 275–288; and K.A. Wienert, Notes on Geomagnetic Observatory and Survey Practice (1970), an explanation of the basic principles of geomagnetic survey techniques.

Rush, William

2005-06-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Rush trained to make ornamental ship carvings and figureheads. During the American Revolution he served as an officer in Philadelphia's militia and campaigned with George Washington in the city's defense. Shortly after

Radescu, Nicolae

2005-05-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

During World War I, Radescu fought in the Romanian army and in the 1920s served as military attaché in London. He resigned from the army in 1933 to protest the dictatorial policies of King Carol II. Under the pro-Axis regime of General Ion Antonescu during World War II, he incurred

Cole, Nat King

2005-05-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Cole grew up in Chicago where, by age 12, he sang and played organ in the church

Manasseh, Prayer Of

2005-05-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

Apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), one of a collection of songs appended to the Old Testament book of Psalms in several manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible). The Prayer of Manasseh, best known of the collection, is a penitential prayer written as an extension of 2 Chronicles 33:11–13, wherein Manasseh, successor to Hezekiah

Wielopolski, Aleksander, Hrabia (count), Margrabia (margrave) Gonzaga Myszkowski

2005-03-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

Born into an impoverished noble family, he studied law as a young man in Warsaw and philosophy in Germany. Returning to Poland, he brought

Baram River

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

River in northwestern Borneo. Rising in the Iran Mountains, it flows 250 miles (400 km) west and northwest, mostly through primary rain forest to the South China Sea at Baram Point. Above the lowest 100 miles, gorges and rapids make upstream navigation difficult. The Baram is Sarawak's second longest river; its tributaries include the Bakong, Apoh, Palutan, and Patah.

Great Mogul Diamond

2005-03-11T04:55:00.000-08:00

The largest diamond ever found in India. It was discovered as a 787-carat rough stone in the Golconda mines in 1650 and subsequently was cut by the Venetian lapidary Hortentio Borgis. The French jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier described it in 1665 as a high-crowned rose-cut stone with a flaw at the bottom and a small speck within. Its present location is unknown, and some believe

Carlisle, Charles Howard, 3rd Earl Of

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

The eldest son of Edward Howard, the 2nd earl (1646? - 92), he was a member of Parliament from 1690 until he succeeded his father as earl in 1692. Throughout his life he held a variety of crown-appointed posts, most notably as first lord of the Treasury (then the chief, or �prime,� ministry) under Queen Anne and King

Kigali

2005-03-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

The

Jowett, Benjamin

2005-03-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

Jowett was educated at St. Paul's School, London, and Balliol. He was made a fellow at Balliol in

Biograph Company

2005-02-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

One of the major American motion-picture studios in the early days of filmmaking. Its most significant contribution to the film comes from the work of D.W. Griffith, the first great director, who developed the art of the cinema during his five years at Biograph. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company released its first film, Empire State Express, in 1896. It quickly became

Sangha River

2005-02-27T04:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Sanga, � tributary of the Congo River, formed by the Mamb�r� and Kade� headstreams at Nola, southwestern Central African Republic. The Sangha River flows 140 miles (225 km) south to Ouesso in Congo (Brazzaville), forming part of Cameroon's border with the Central African Republic and Congo. The river then turns south-southeast and southwest, flowing 225 miles (362 km) to its mouth on the Congo

Elijah

2005-02-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Elias, or Elia, �Hebrew �Eliyyahu� Hebrew prophet who ranks with Moses in saving the religion of Yahweh from being corrupted by the nature worship of Baal. Elijah's name means �Yahweh is my God� and is spelled Elias in some versions of the Bible. The story of his prophetic career in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah is told in 1 Kings 17 - 19 and 2 Kings 1 - 2 in the Old Testament.

Tea And Coffee Service

2005-02-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Set of vessels and implements for making and serving tea and coffee, the items often of matched design. Elaborate 18th-century examples had tea and coffee pots, a milk or cream jug, a pair of tea caddies, a sugar bowl and pair of tongs, teaspoons and a small tray for them, a tea strainer, and cups and saucers. All of these were normally placed on a tray, while an urn or kettle on a separate

Rambutan

2005-02-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Rambotan, Ramboetan, Ramboutan, or Rambustan� (Nephelium lappaceum), tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). It is native to Malaysia, where it is commonly cultivated for its tasty fruit, also called rambutan. The bright-red, oval fruit, about the size of a small hen's egg, is covered with long, soft spines and has a tasty acid pulp. The tree grows to about 10.5 - 12 metres (35 - 40 feet).

Amnesty

2005-02-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

In criminal law, sovereign act of oblivion or forgetfulness (from Greek amnesia) for past acts, granted by a government to persons who have been guilty of crimes. It is often conditional upon their return to obedience and duty within a prescribed period. Amnesty is granted usually for political crimes against the state, such as treason, sedition, or rebellion. It is addressed

Bashi-bazouk

2005-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

Turkish �Basibozuk� (�corrupted head,� or �leaderless�), mercenary soldier belonging to the skirmishing or irregular troops of the Ottoman Empire, notorious for their indiscipline, plundering, and brutality. Originally describing the homeless beggars who reached Istanbul from the provinces of the Ottoman Empire, the term bashi-bazouk was later applied to all Muslim subjects who were

Aristide, Jean-bertrand

2005-02-21T00:52:00.000-08:00

Aristide attended a school in Port-au-Prince run by the Roman Catholic Salesian order, and in 1966 he moved to the Salesian seminary at Cap-Haitien and began to prepare for the priesthood.

Ravalomanana, Marc

2005-02-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

Throughout 2002 the African island nation of Madagascar continued to reel from the disputed presidential elections of December 2001. A court-ordered recount was required for decision to be reached on the close contest between challenger Marc Ravalomanana, mayor of the capital city of Antananarivo, and Didier Ratsiraka, the sitting president for more than two decades.

Substitution

2005-02-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

In Greek or Latin prosody, the replacement of a prosodic element that is required or expected at a given place in a given metre by another which is more or less equivalent in temporal quantity. In modern prosody, substitution refers to the use within a metrical series of a foot other than the prevailing foot of the series. A silence may also replace expected sound and

Waiau River

2005-02-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

River in southwestern South Island, New Zealand. It rises in Lake Manapouri and flows south through the Southland district for 135 miles (217 km) to enter Te Waewae Bay of the Tasman Sea. Its drainage basin includes the Mararoa River, extending 20 miles (32 km) farther inland to the Livingstone Mountains, and Lakes Te Anau and Monowai. The town of Tuatapere is the market and lumbering

Nicholas

2005-02-17T04:31:00.000-08:00

The son of the emperor Alexander II's brother, the

Ariaramnes

2005-02-16T03:03:00.000-08:00

The son of the previous king, Teispes, Ariaramnes ruled over Persis (modern Fars, in southwestern Iran); his brother Cyrus I was given control of Anshan in Elam, north of the Persian Gulf. A campaign by the Medes, however, broke the power of Ariaramnes, and he and his son Arsames, who succeeded him, became vassals of Media

Vajrayogini

2005-02-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

In Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), female embodiment of the cognitive function leading to Buddhahood. Vajrayana emphasizes experience over speculation but uses the terms of speculative philosophical Buddhism in an imaginative way. This practice means that images taken from the ordinary life of the individual become the means to further a deeper understanding

Aramaic Alphabet

2005-02-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

The Aramaic language and script were used as a lingua franca over all of the Middle

Austin, Herbert Austin, Baron

2005-02-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

Founder and first chairman of the Austin Motor Company, whose Austin Seven model greatly influenced British and European light-car design. An engineer and engineering manager in Australia (1883 - 90), he became manager and later director of the Wolseley Sheep-Shearing Company in England. In

Azua

2005-02-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

In full� Azua De Compostela, � city, southwestern Dominican Republic. Founded in 1504 on the Caribbean coast, the original town was destroyed by an earthquake; the town was reestablished 3 miles (5 km) inland at its present site at the foot of the Ocoa Mountains. It is one of the leading cities in the region, trading mainly in agricultural products grown in the surrounding region: sugarcane, coffee, rice, corn

Ka'bah

2005-02-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

The cube-shaped

Furniture, Functionalist modern

2005-02-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

About 1925, a new rationality began in furniture design, stimulated by the emergence of progressive experiments typified in the works and theories of the Bauhaus, a revolutionary German school of arts and crafts established in 1919 and staffed by leading architects, designers, and painters until Hitler closed it in 1933. Bauhaus instruction used crafts as experimental techniques

Maxwell, William

2005-02-09T02:08:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Illinois (B.A., 1930) and Harvard University (M.A., 1931), Maxwell taught English at the University of Illinois before joining the staff of The New Yorker magazine, where he worked

Acacia

2005-02-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

Any of about 800 species of trees and shrubs comprising a genus (Acacia) in the mimosa family (Mimosaceae) and native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world, particularly Australia (there called wattles) and Africa. Acacias' distinctive leaves take the form of small, finely divided leaflets that give the leafstalk a feathery or fernlike (i.e., pinnate) appearance.

Polanyi, John C.

2005-02-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

Born to an expatriate Hungarian family, Polanyi was reared in England and attended Manchester University (Ph.D., 1952; D.Sc., 1964). He accepted a research position with the National Research Council

Overijssel

2005-02-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Provincie (province), northeastern Netherlands, extending northward �beyond the IJssel,� a distributary of the Rhine, from the provinces of Gelderland to Drenthe and Friesland and lying between Germany (east) and Flevoland Province (west). Drained by the IJssel, Vecht, Zwarte Water, and Regge rivers and the Twente, Overijssel, and numerous smaller canals, it occupies an

Colchicum

2005-02-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Genus of flowering plants in the family Liliaceae, consisting of about 30 species of herbs native to Eurasia. The stemless, crocuslike flowers bloom in autumn, and some are variously called autumn crocus and meadow saffron. The fruit is a three-valved capsule that ripens in the spring when the leaves appear. In some species the leaves arise from

Zamora

2005-02-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Ecuador. It lies in the forested jungles east of the main Andean ranges and is situated at the southeastern foot of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) de Zamora, just south of the Zamora River. The Roman Catholic Church has established a Vicar Apostolic in Zamora, which is considered to be a missionary settlement; the population is almost entirely

Wade-giles Romanization

2005-02-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

System of romanizing the modern Chinese written language, originally devised to simplify Chinese language characters for the Western world. Initiated by Sir Thomas Francis Wade (q.v.), the system was modified by the Cambridge professor Herbert Allen Giles in his Chinese - English Dictionary (1912). With Giles's syllabic changes, Wade-Giles became the preferred Chinese

Huguenot

2005-02-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Any of the Protestants in France in the 16th and 17th centuries, many of whom suffered severe persecution for their faith. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it appears to have come from the word aignos, derived from the German Eidgenossen (confederates bound together by oath), which used to describe, between 1520 and 1524, the patriots of Geneva hostile to the duke of Savoy. The

Wilkins, Maurice

2005-02-01T04:31:00.000-08:00

Wilkins,

Rocky Mountains, Plant life

2005-01-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

The plant communities of the Rockies vary markedly according to elevation, latitude, and exposure. On the eastern slopes in Colorado and New Mexico, strong winter winds off the arid plains stunt and deform the scattered cedars and pi�on pines. The lower elevations at this end of the system are predominantly treeless, except along watercourses, where cottonwoods

Swag

2005-01-29T15:59:00.000-08:00

The swag, or festoon, usually carved from

Angus

2005-01-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Breed of black, polled beef cattle, for many years known as Aberdeen Angus, originating in northeastern Scotland. Its ancestry is obscure, though the breed appears closely related to the curly-coated Galloway, sometimes called the oldest breed in Britain. The breed was improved and the present type of the cattle fixed early in the 19th century by a number of constructive

Serialism

2005-01-27T03:58:00.000-08:00

In music, technique that has been used in some musical compositions roughly since World War I. Strictly speaking, a serial pattern in music is merely one that repeats over and over for a significant stretch of a composition. In this sense, some medieval composers wrote serial music, because they made use of isorhythm, which is a distinct rhythmic pattern that repeats

Strabane

2005-01-26T00:50:00.000-08:00

Irish �An Srath B�n� town, seat, and district (established 1973), formerly in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The town is located on the River Mourne at its confluence with the Finn to form the River Foyle near the Irish Republic border. It is a market and employment centre for both Strabane district and County Donegal, Irish Republic, to the west. Long a flax-spinning centre, the town of Sion Mills,

Ahaz

2005-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

Ahaz assumed the throne of Judah at the age of 20 or 25. Sometime later his kingdom was invaded by Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Syria, in an effort to force him into an alliance with them against the powerful state of Assyria. Acting against the counsel of the prophet Isaiah, Ahaz appealed for aid

San Felipe

2005-01-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Yaracuy estado (�state�), northwestern Venezuela. It lies on the flanks of the eastern portion of the Segovia Highlands, at an elevation of 1,800 feet (550 m) above sea level. San Felipe is a commercial and manufacturing centre in the fertile Yaracuy River valley. Much of the sugarcane, cotton, cacao, corn (maize), fruit, rice, and hides produced there are sent to Barquisimeto

Arias (madrid), Arnulfo

2005-01-23T00:36:00.000-08:00

The younger brother of Harmodio Arias (Panamanian president, 1932 - 36), Arias was educated at the University of Chicago and Harvard Medical School (to become a surgeon) and was minister of agriculture and public works in the 1930s during the presidency

Biblical Literature, The Hasmonean kingdom

2005-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

After Alexander's death the empire was split, and first the Ptolemies, an Egyptian dynasty, and then the Seleucids, a Syrian dynasty, held Palestine. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a 2nd-century-BC Seleucid king, desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem; a successful Jewish revolt under the Maccabees, a priestly family, resulted in its purification (164 BC) and in freedom from Syrian domination

Zangid Dynasty

2005-01-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Muslim Turkish dynasty that was founded by Zangi (q.v.) and which ruled northern Iraq (al-Jazirah) and Syria in the period 1127 - 1222. After Zangi's death in 1146, his sons divided the state between them, Syria falling to Nureddin (Nur ad-Din Mahmud; reigned 1146 - 74) and al-Jazirah to Sayf ad-Din Ghazi I (reigned 1146 - 49). Nureddin's expansionist policy led him to annex Damascus (1154), subjugate Egypt (1168), and present a broad and competent

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.

2005-01-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

Gates's father,

Monocacy, Battle Of

2005-01-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

(July 9, 1864), American Civil War engagement fought on the banks of the Monocacy River near Frederick, Md., in which Confederate troops under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early routed Union forces under Major General Lewis Wallace. Although the Union forces were defeated, the delay caused by the battle gave General Ulysses S. Grant time to send reinforcements for the defense

Madeleine

2005-01-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Delicate, scallop-shaped French tea cake often served with fruit or sherbet. In its preparation, flour, eggs, and sugar are beaten with a large proportion of butter, incorporating as much air as possible; then grated lemon rind and vanilla extract, and sometimes rum, are added. After baking in the customary 12-shell tin, the pastry is served plain or dusted with confectioner's

Hindustani Music

2005-01-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

The music of northern India and Pakistan that developed as a distinct type from the late 12th or early 13th century, when the Islamic conquest of the northern parts of the subcontinent brought special emphasis to Arabic and Iranian musical practices, which merged with ancient Hindu traditions. The latter traditions, less affected by foreign influences, remain in the

Tarantula

2005-01-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

The bite of L. tarentula was once thought to cause a disease known as tarantism, in which the victim wept and skipped about before going into a wild

Z�padn� Slovensko

2005-01-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Czech �Z�padoslovensk�, English �Western Slovakia� kraj (region), southwestern Slovakia. It is bordered on the northwest by the Czech Republic, on the southwest by Austria, on the southeast by Hungary, and on the northeast by Stredn� Slovensko kraj. Plains formed by the Morava (March), Danube (Dunaj), V�h, Nitra, and Hron rivers dominate the southern part of the region. Wheat, rye, barley, corn (maize), vegetables, hemp, grapes, and tobacco

Alamein, El-

2005-01-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

Coastal town in northwestern Egypt, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Alexandria, that was the site of two major battles between British and Axis forces in 1942 during World War II. El-Alamein is the seaward (northern) end of a 40-mile-wide bottleneck that is flanked on the south by the impassable Qattara Depression. This crucial east-west corridor became a vital defensive line held by

'abdali Sultanate

2005-01-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

Former semi-independent state in the southern Arabian Peninsula, in what is now Yemen. Located just north of Aden city, it was one of the most important tribal areas of the Aden Protectorate, which was the forerunner of independent Yemen (Aden); its capital was Lahij. The sultanate was earlier tributary to western Yemen (i.e., Yemen [San'a']) but gained its independence in 1728. The 'Abdali

'abdali Sultanate

2005-01-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

Administrative agency established by a treaty ratified in 1952, designed to integrate the coal and steel industries in western Europe. The original members of the ECSC were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The organization subsequently expanded to include all members of the European Economic Community (later renamed the European

Catamarca

2005-01-11T03:38:00.000-08:00

Also called �San Fernando Del Valle De Catamarca� city, capital of Catamarca province, northwestern Argentina, on the R�o del Valle de Catamarca, a river between the two south-pointing spurs of the Andean sierras of Ambato and Ancasti. Originally named Londres, it was founded by the explorer Juan P�rez de Zurita (1559) in the Valle de Quinmivil. Following various moves due to hostile Indians, Catamarca was established in

Ileum

2005-01-10T00:51:00.000-08:00

Final and longest segment of the small intestine. It is specifically responsible for the absorption of vitamin B12 and the reabsorption of conjugated bile salts. The ileum is about 4 m (13 feet) in length and extends from the jejunum (the middle section of the small intestine) to the ileocecal valve, which empties into the colon (large intestine). The ileum is suspended from

Minamoto Yoshitsune

2005-01-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

Warrior who engineered many of the military victories that helped his half brother Yoritomo gain control of Japan. He is probably the most popular Japanese historical figure of the period, and his romantic exploits have captured the imagination of the Japanese people, who have perpetuated numerous legends, stories,

Basil The Chamberlain

2005-01-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

After the death of the emperor John I, Basil the Chamberlain controlled the throne for his two grandnephews and co-emperors Constantine and Basil II. After engineering his uncle's downfall, Basil II was finally able to assume his own independent rule.

National Book Awards

2005-01-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

Annual awards given to books of the highest quality written by Americans and published by American publishers. The awards were founded in 1950 by the American Book Publishers Council, American Booksellers Association, and Book Manufacturers Institute. From 1976 to 1979 they were administered by the National Book Committee. In 1980 they were renamed the American Book Awards and

Jouve, Pierre-jean

2005-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Prevented by ill health from serving in World War

Jouve, Pierre-jean

2005-01-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

Prevented by ill health from serving in World War

Alekseyev, Mikhail Vasilyevich

2005-01-04T02:30:00.000-08:00

The son of a private soldier, Alekseyev entered the Russian Army in 1876 and was graduated in 1890 from

John

2005-01-03T03:23:00.000-08:00

His brothers dying childless, he inherited the Balliol lands in England and France in 1278 and succeeded to Galloway in 1290. In that year, when the heiress to the kingdom of Scotland, Margaret, the Maid of Norway,

Tabriz Carpet

2005-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Floor covering handmade in or around Tabriz, the principal city of northwestern Iran and one of its best-known carpet-producing centres. The identification of the court carpets of the early 16th-century Safavid shahs who made Tabriz their capital is no longer as simple as it once seemed. Still, the magnificent Ardabil Carpet at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and

Turfan

2005-01-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) �T'u-lu-p'an, �or �(Pinyin) �Turpan, � city in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. It lies about 95 miles (150 km) southeast of the city of Urumchi (Wu-lu-mu-ch'i) in a mountain basin between the Po-ko-ta Mountains (an eastern extension of the Tien Shan) and the K'u-lu-k'o-t'a-ko range, on the northern side of the Turfan Depression. It has long been the centre of a fertile oasis and an important trade centre on the main

Graffito

2004-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

Plural �Graffiti� any casual writing, rude drawing, or marking on the walls of buildings, as distinguished from a deliberate writing known as an inscription. Graffiti, either scratched on stone or plaster by a sharp instrument or, more rarely, written in red chalk or black charcoal, are found in great abundance; e.g., on the monuments of ancient Egypt. The subject matter of the scribblings

Mckinley, William

2004-12-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

Renominated for another term without opposition, McKinley again faced Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election of 1900. McKinley's margins of victory in both the popular and electoral votes were greater than they were four years before, no doubt reflecting satisfaction with the outcome of the war and with the widespread prosperity that the country enjoyed. Following his inauguration in 1901 (see primary source document: Second Inaugural Address), McKinley left Washington for a tour of the western states, to be concluded with a speech at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Cheering crowds throughout the journey attested to McKinley's immense popularity. More than 50,000 admirers attended his exposition speech, in which the leader who had been so closely identified with protectionism now sounded the call for commercial reciprocity among nations. (See primary source document: Reciprocal Trade Agreements.) The following day, September 6, 1901, while McKinley was shaking hands with a crowd of well-wishers at the exposition, Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, fired two shots into the president's chest and abdomen. Rushed to a hospital in Buffalo, McKinley lingered for a week before dying in the early morning hours of September 14. He was succeeded by his vice president, the man Mark Hanna sneeringly referred to as �that damned cowboy,� Theodore Roosevelt.

Chianciano Terme

2004-12-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

Town and mineral spa, Siena provincia, Toscana (Tuscany) regione, central Italy. It lies at an elevation of 1,500 feet (450 m), just southeast of Montepulciano. The mineral springs, which have been frequented since Etruscan times, are located about 1.25 miles (2 km) from the town; they are a popular tourist attraction, and there are numerous hotels for the accommodation of visitors. The town

Chianciano Terme

2004-12-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Organization set up by a convention signed in Paris in April 1948 to coordinate efforts to restore Europe's economy under the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). Among its many functions, the OEEC helped abolish quantitative trade restrictions between its member countries, allocated scarce resources among them, and devised a system for regular consultation

Tlaxcala

2004-12-27T04:27:00.000-08:00

Inland plateau estado (�state�), central Mexico, bordered by the states of Puebla on the northeast, east, and south; by M�xico on the west; and by Hidalgo on the northwest. The smallest Mexican state, its 1,551-square-mile (4,016-square-kilometre) territory has a mean elevation of 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and a cool, healthful climate, but frequent winter frosts are injurious to local agriculture. The state

Anthropology And Archaeology, Eastern Hemisphere.

2004-12-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 yielded a number of stunning archaeological discoveries. A 50-cm (20-in)-long limestone ossuary, or box for storage of bones, bearing a text in Aramaic, was hailed as the first archaeological evidence for the historical Jesus. The ossuary, found near Jerusalem, was carved with a single line of text reading, �Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui diYeshua,� or �James, son of Joseph, brother

Puerto Lempira

2004-12-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Honduras. The town lies on an islet that forms part of T�nsin Island, facing the main passage into the Caratasca Lagoon. Fishing is the major economic activity of the area, and the town has a shrimp-packing plant. The shallow, swampy nature of the lagoon and the dense jungle vegetation of the hinterland have precluded the development of a port. An airfield

Thailand

2004-12-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

Officially �Kingdom of Thailand, �formerly (1856 - 1939) �Siam, �Thai �Prathet, �or �Prades, Thai (�Thailand�), �Rajanajak Thai (�Thai Kingdom�), �or �Sayam (�Siam�), �byname �Muang Thai (�Land of the Free�), � country located in the centre of mainland Southeast Asia. Its area of 198,115 square miles (513,115 square kilometres) consists of two broad geographic areas: a larger section in the north and a smaller peninsular section in the south. The main body of the country is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Thailand

Atyrau

2004-12-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

Kazak �Atyrau�, also spelled �Aterau�, formerly (until 1992) �Guryev�, also spelled �Gurev, �Guriev�, or �Gurjev� city, western Kazakstan. It is a port on the Ural (Zhayyq) River near its mouth on the Caspian Sea. Founded as a fishing settlement in the mid-17th century by the fishing entrepreneur Mikhail Guryev, it soon became a fort on the Ural fortified line manned by the Ural Cossacks. Fishing and trade were the main economic activities until Soviet times. Now, in addition to a large

Clair, Ren�

2004-12-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Clair was raised

Vyasa

2004-12-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

According to legend, Vyasa was the son of the ascetic Parasara and the dasa (aboriginal) princess Satyavati and grew up in forests, living with hermits who taught him the Vedas (ancient

Haanja

2004-12-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

Morainal region of southeastern Estonia. The moraine is steep on the north but slopes more gently toward the south, extending slightly into Latvia. Deeply incised valleys separate the hills, and there are many lakes. Haanja is the highest and most irregular part of Estonia. It reaches an elevation of 1,042 feet (318 m) at Mount Muna, the highest point in the republic; other high

Dollarization: Is It Worth It?

2004-12-18T10:59:00.000-08:00

Haemophilus

2004-12-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Hemophilus, � genus of very small rod-shaped bacteria of uncertain affiliation. All species of Haemophilus are strict parasites occurring in the respiratory tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and in certain cold-blooded animals. All Haemophilus are gram-negative, aerobic or facultative anaerobic and nonmotile and require a growth factor that is found in blood.

Vacuole

2004-12-15T02:04:00.000-08:00

In biology, a space within a cell that is empty of cytoplasm, lined with a membrane, and filled with fluid. Especially in protozoa, vacuoles are cytoplasmic organs (organelles), performing functions such as storage, ingestion, digestion, excretion, and expulsion of excess water. The large central vacuoles often found in plant cells enable them to attain a large size without

Berkhamsted

2004-12-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

Town (�parish�), Dacorum borough, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, England, 28 miles (45 km) northwest of London on an old coaching route along the Bulbourne Valley of the Chiltern Hills, which now contains modern road, rail, and canal routes. A moated Norman castle has been thoroughly excavated and is preserved. Diversified light industry includes paper

Gharbiyah, Al-

2004-12-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

Muhafazah (governorate) in the middle Nile Delta, Lower Egypt, bounded on the east and west by the Damietta and the Rosetta branches of the Nile, on the north by Kafr ash-Shaykh muhafazah, and by al-Minufiyah muhafazah to the south. Its area is 750 square miles (1,942 square km); the muhafazah's capital has been at the cultural centre and transportation node of Tanta (q.v.) since 1836. An administrative unit named

Holabird, William

2004-12-12T00:47:00.000-08:00

U.S. architect who, with his partner, Martin Roche, was a leading exponent of the influential Chicago School of commercial architecture; their Tacoma Building (Chicago, 1886 - 89) established the use of a total steel skeleton as a framework for building skyscrapers - a significant advance over the pioneering use of metal supports in the

Foster, Stephen

2004-12-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Foster grew up on the urban edge of the Western frontier. Although formally untutored in music, he had a natural musical bent and began to write songs as a young

Seto Ware

2004-12-10T04:20:00.000-08:00

Ceramics manufactured in Seto by one of the so-called Six Ancient Kilns of Japan. It was first produced in the later Kamakura period toward the close of the 13th century. The origin of Seto ware is usually attributed to Kato Shirozaemon (Toshiro), who is said to have studied ceramic manufacture in southern China and produced pottery of his own in the Seto district upon his return.

Cradle

2004-12-09T04:25:00.000-08:00

In agriculture, rakelike harvesting implement of wood, devised in ancient times for gathering the stalks of wheat, oats, barley, and other grains (first cut with the sickle) and laying them in rows for binding. The later cradle scythe invented in Europe consisted of a framework of long, fingerlike prongs attached to the cutting edge of a long-handled scythe. The device