SecondHorn

Hale, Louise Closser

2005-11-18T23:15:00.000-08:00

Louise Closser studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and at Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. She made her theatrical debut in 1894 in a Detroit, Michigan, production of In Old Kentucky. For several years she appeared

Tael

2005-07-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

China did not have a national currency until 1933, and hence external trade was conducted in foreign currencies and internal trade in ounces, or taels, of silver. The tael was seldom minted in the form of a coin but rather served as a standard

Breathing

2005-07-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

The action of moving air or water across the surface of a respiratory structure, such as a gill or lung, to facilitate respiration (the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment). See respiration.

Skaldic Poetry

2005-07-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Skalds were identified by name; their poems

French Literature, Secular drama

2005-07-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

The earliest comic plays extant date from the second half of the 13th century. Le Garçon et

Plummer's Disease

2005-07-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Also called toxic multinodular goitre thyroid condition characterized by marked enlargement of the thyroid gland (goitre), firm thyroid nodules, and mild overproduction of thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). Plummer's disease, which usually occurs in older people, is of unknown etiology. Its symptoms resemble those of Graves' disease (q.v.), a condition believed to be an autoimmune disorder caused by antibodies

Devaraja

2005-06-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

The devaraja cult grew out of both Hindu and indigenous traditions. It taught that the king was a divine universal ruler, a manifestation

Lowry, (clarence) Malcolm

2005-06-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Lowry was the son of a prosperous cotton broker who assisted him with an inadequate allowance. From the age of

Swag

2005-06-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

The swag, or festoon, usually carved from

Condominium

2005-06-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

In modern property law, the individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building, with an undivided ownership interest in the land and other components of the building shared in common with other owners of dwelling units in the building. The condominium as a type of ownership has been present in various forms in Europe since the end of the Middle

Iamb

2005-06-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Metrical foot consisting of one short syllable (as in classical verse) or one unstressed syllable (as in English verse) followed by one long or stressed syllable, as in the word {breve}be|cause¢ . Considered by the ancient Greeks to approximate the natural rhythm of speech, iambic metres were used extensively for dramatic dialogue, invective, satire, and fables. Also suited

Caucasian Languages

2005-06-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

The North Caucasian languages are divided into two groups: Abkhazo-Adyghian, or the Northwest Caucasian, languages, and Nakho-Dagestanian, or the Northeast Caucasian, languages.

Augustine, Saint, Texts and translations

2005-05-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Augustine's two most important works, Confessions and City of God, are available in numerous editions. Both James J. O'Donnell, Confessions, 3 vol. (1992), and Jacques Fontaine (ed.), Confessioni, 5 vol. (1992–97), presume knowledge of Latin and contain substantial commentaries. The best English versions are The Confessions of St. Augustine, trans. by John K. Ryan (1960); Confessions, trans. by Henry Chadwick (1991); and The Confessions, trans. by Maria Boulding (1997). Although no comprehensive commentary on City of God exists, two versions are The City of God Against the Pagans, 7 vol., ed. and trans. by George E. McCracken et al. (1957–72), in The Loeb Classical Library series; and the best translation, Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans, trans. by Henry Bettenson (1972, reissued 1984).

France, History Of, A republic in crisis

2005-05-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

By the spring of 1793, however, the republic was beleaguered. In the second round of the war, the coalition—now reinforced by Spain, Piedmont, and Britain—routed French forces in the Austrian Netherlands and the Rhineland and breached the Pyrenees. Fighting on five different fronts and bereft of effective leadership, French armies seemed to be losing everywhere. Even General

Astor, John Jacob

2005-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Astor started a fur-goods shop in New York City about 1786 after learning about the fur trade while aboard the ship that brought him to the U.S. Benefitting

France, History Of, John the Good

2005-03-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

John II the Good (ruled 1350 - 64) succeeded to a weakened authority and kingdom; he was a mediocrity whose suspicions and impetuosity were ill suited to the changed circumstances. John hoped to rally baronial loyalties to himself. But he failed to reconcile Charles the Bad, king of Navarre, whose strong dynastic claim to the throne (he was the grandson of Louis X) was matched by

Biblical Literature, Literary criticism

2005-03-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

Literary criticism endeavours to establish the literary genres (types or categories) of the various documents and to reach conclusions about their structure, date, and authorship. These conclusions are based as far as possible on internal evidence, but external evidence is also very helpful, especially where date is concerned. If the document under consideration

Turtle

2005-03-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

One-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David Bushnell (q.v.) in 1775 for use against British warships. The pear-shaped vessel, made of oak reinforced with iron bands, measured about 2.3 m (7.5 feet) long by 1.8 m (6 feet) wide. It was equipped with a mine that was to be attached to the hull of an enemy ship. In 1776, in New York harbour, the Turtle tried

Tibet, The people

2005-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Tibetan and Burmese languages are related, although they are mutually unintelligible

Hydractinia

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

Genus of marine hydrozoan polyps (phylum Cnidaria), a group of invertebrate animals with a thin tubelike body that attaches to a surface. Species of the Hydractinia are colonial and usually live on snail shells inhabitated by hermit crabs. The basal stolon (stemlike structure) of a Hydractinia colony is comprised of numerous perisarc-covered tubes coalesced into

Arzamas Society

2005-03-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Russian literary circle that flourished in 1815 - 18 and was formed for the semiserious purpose of ridiculing the conservative �Lovers of the Russian Word,� a group dominated by the philologist Aleksandr S. Shishkov, who wished to keep the modern Russian language firmly tied to Old Church Slavonic. The Arzamas circle included the poets Vasily A. Zhukovsky, Konstantin Batyushkov

Acosta, Jos� De

2005-03-01T14:44:00.000-08:00

Jesuit theologian and missionary to the New World, chiefly known for his Historia natural y moral de las Indias, the earliest survey of the New World and its relation to the Old. His works, missionary and literary, mark the end of the period of the religious and scientific incorporation of the newly discovered lands into Western

Howard, Oliver O.

2005-02-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (1854), Howard resigned his regular army commission at the beginning of the war to become colonel of a Maine volunteer regiment. He was

Huntsville

2005-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1808) of Madison county, northern Alabama, U.S. It is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains near the Tennessee River, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Birmingham. It was originally called Twickenham by planter Leroy Pope for the home of his kinsman, Alexander Pope, the English poet. It was incorporated in 1811 and was renamed for John Hunt of Virginia, a Revolutionary

Chiapas

2005-02-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Estado (�state�) of southern Mexico. It is bounded to the southwest by the Gulf of Tehuantepec and the Pacific Ocean, to the north by Tabasco, to the east by Guatemala, and to the west by Veracruz and Oaxaca. Much of its territory is mountainous and forested. The mountainous region of the Sierra Madre, in the south, includes a fertile, temperate plateau inhabited by most of the

Minamoto Tameyoshi

2005-02-25T04:55:00.000-08:00

The scion of a noted warrior family, Tameyoshi distinguished himself at the age of 19 by suppressing a riot against the court by soldier-priests of a monastery near the capital. Following this event, Tameyoshi

Fletcher, Alice Cunningham

2005-02-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Fletcher taught school for a number of years, lectured occasionally on various topics,

Kraljevo

2005-02-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

Just 3 miles

Kraljevo

2005-02-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Just 3 miles

Kraljevo

2005-02-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

Just 3 miles

Kraljevo

2005-02-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

Just 3 miles

Insurance, Warranties

2005-02-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Examples of expressed warranties are the FC

Gully, John

2005-02-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

In 1805, having failed as a butcher, Gully was in prison for his debts when he was visited by his Bristol pugilist friend Henry Pearce, �the Game Chicken.� As the result of an informal bout between them in jail, Gully's

Quebec, Battle Of

2005-02-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

(December 31, 1775), in the American Revolution, unsuccessful American attack on the British stronghold. In the winter of 1775 - 76, American Revolutionary leaders detached some of their forces from the Siege of Boston to mount an expedition through Maine with the aim of capturing Quebec. On December 31, 1775, under General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold, an inadequate force

Palar River

2005-02-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

The flow of the Palar is irregular, with considerable variations from year to year. Although it generally does not flood,

Italian Literature, Poetry

2005-02-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Lyric poetry in the 16th century was dominated by the model of Petrarch mainly because of the acceptance of the Renaissance theory of imitation and the teaching of Bembo. Almost all the principal writers of the century wrote lyric poems in the manner of Petrarch. Surprising originality was to be found in Della Casa's poems, and Galeazzo di Tarsia stood out from contemporary

Tyrant

2005-02-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Greek �Tyrannos� a cruel and oppressive ruler or, in ancient Greece, a ruler who seized power unconstitutionally or inherited such power. In the 10th and 9th centuries BC, monarchy had been the usual form of government in the Greek states; the aristocratic regimes that had replaced monarchy were by the 7th century BC themselves unpopular. Thus the opportunity arose for ambitious men to seize

Cambrai, Battle Of

2005-02-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

Carried out by the 3rd Army under General Sir Julian Byng in order to relieve pressure on the French front, the offensive consisted of an assault against the Germans' Hindenburg line along a 10-mile (16-kilometre) front some 8 miles

Spotlight: Sub-saharan Africa In A New Era

2005-02-12T01:41:00.000-08:00

Although 41 of the 48 governments in the region had committed themselves to establishing multiparty parliamentary systems, by year's end only 9 could be judged to have met the criteria for pluralism

Scandinavian Literature, The development of the Icelandic drama

2005-02-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

Icelandic drama really started to develop through J�hann Sigurj�nsson, whose first success was Fjalla-Eyvindur (1911; Eyvind of the Hills), followed by Galdra-Loftur (1915; �Loftur the Sorcerer�); both plays were based on powerful folktales. Gudmundur Kamban's Hadda-Padda (1914) was highly praised by Georg Brandes, and he remained important in Scandinavian drama for the next quarter

Asbj�rnsen, Peter Christen; And Moe, J�rgen Engebretsen

2005-02-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

Closely united in their lives and work, the two men are rarely named separately. They met as youths in 1827 and became �blood

Arawakan Languages

2005-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

Most widespread of all South American Indian language groups. Before the Spanish conquest, Arawakan languages were spoken in a number of disconnected areas from what is now Cuba and the Bahamas southward to the present Gran Chaco and the sources of the Xingu River in southern Brazil, and from the mouth of the Amazon River to the eastern foothills of the Andes. A great

Arne, Thomas (augustine)

2005-02-07T03:10:00.000-08:00

According to tradition, Arne was the son of an upholsterer in King Street, Covent Garden. Educated at Eton, he was intended for the law, but by secretly practicing he acquired such mastery of the violin and keyboard instruments that his father withdrew all objections to a musical career. Except

Triglav

2005-02-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

Italian �Tricorno, � mountain peak, the highest (9,396 feet [2,864 m]) of Slovenia and of the Julian Alps, situated 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the city of Ljubljana. The north wall of the peak forms an enormous limestone face nearly 2 miles (3 km) wide. From the time of its first ascent in 1778, the summit has rewarded climbers with an excellent view that extends north into Austria and south to the Adriatic Sea. Until the

Arts, Central Asian, Nepal

2005-02-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

The art of Nepal is centred in the Kathmandu Valley, in an area of less than 250 square miles (650 square kilometres). The artists are Newars, or Mongoloids, different ethnically from, though partly intermingled with, the peoples of India, whose art they made their own - whether its themes were Hindu or Buddhist.

Maha Sarakham

2005-02-04T02:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Mahasarakhan, or Mahasarakham, � town, northeastern Thailand. Maha Sarakham is located at a road junction on a bend of the Chi River. Rice is widely grown in the surrounding region, particularly in shallow river valleys, and freshwater fishing is also important. Pop. (1993 est.) 41,812.

Agonism

2005-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ethologists believe that the most general and probably

China, Foreign relations in the 1860s

2005-02-02T22:23:00.000-08:00

The Tsungli Yamen had two offices attached to it: the Inspectorate General of Customs and the Language School, called T'ung-wen-kuan. The former was the centre for the Maritime Custom Service, administered by Western personnel appointed by the Ch'ing. The latter was opened to train the children of bannermen in foreign languages, and later some Western sciences were

Ramiro Ii

2005-02-01T02:54:00.000-08:00

King of Leon and Asturias in Christian Spain from 931 to 951. The second son of King Ordo�o II, he became king on the abdication of his elder brother, Alfonso IV. Ramiro was an exceptional general who scored several major victories (e.g., the Battle of Simancas, 939) over the caliphate of C�rdoba in Muslim Spain. In 944 he negotiated a five-year truce with the caliph 'Abd

Kabir

2005-01-30T00:28:00.000-08:00

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

Ustyurt Plateau

2005-01-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

Kazak ��stirt�, Turkmen ��styurt� plateau in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan, lying between the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya (river) delta in the east and the Mangyshlak (Tupqarghan) Plateau and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol (Garabogazk�l; an inlet of the Caspian Sea) in the west. It has an area of about 77,000 square miles (about 200,000 square km) and an average elevation of about 500 feet (about 150 m), rising to a maximum of 1,200 feet (365 m) in the southwest. At its

Nova Herculis

2005-01-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

Also called �DQ Herculis� one of the brightest novas of the 20th century, discovered Dec. 13, 1934, by the British amateur astronomer J.P.M. Prentice, in the northern constellation Hercules. It reached an apparent visual magnitude of 1.4 and remained visible to the unaided eye for months. At its centre was found an eclipsing binary pair of small stars, revolving around each other with a period of 4 hours and 39

The Rodent That Acts Like A Hippo

2005-01-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

Although the animals that live in rainforests on different continents can differ significantly, the environments they live in are very similar. These environments, therefore, exert similar pressures on the evolution of the animals living in each. As a result, unrelated species may be similar in many ways. This phenomenon is called convergent evolution, or convergence

Leakey, Louis S.b.

2005-01-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

In full �Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey� Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist whose fossil discoveries in East Africa proved that man was far older than had previously been believed and that human evolution was centred in Africa, rather than in Asia, as earlier discoveries had suggested. Leakey was also noted for his controversial interpretations of these archaeological

Leakey, Louis S.b.

2005-01-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Arp, Jean

2005-01-23T01:27:00.000-08:00

First trained as an artist in his native Strasbourg, he later studied in Weimar, Germany, and at the Acad�mie Julian in Paris. In 1912 he went to Munich,

Fiddle

2005-01-22T01:33:00.000-08:00

German �Fiedel, �French �Vielle, � medieval European bowed, stringed musical instrument. The medieval fiddle, a forerunner of the violin, emerged in 10th-century Europe, possibly deriving from the lira, a Byzantine version of the rabab, an Arab bowed instrument. Medieval fiddles varied in size and shape but characteristically had front or back tuning pegs set in a flat and round or heart-shaped peg disk

Photography, Technology Of, X-ray radiography

2005-01-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

The most familiar

Gagern, Maximilian (joseph Ludwig) Freiherr Von (baron Of)

2005-01-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

Gagern, like his two prominent brothers, a nationalist

Gagern, Maximilian (joseph Ludwig) Freiherr Von (baron Of)

2005-01-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

Gagern, like his two prominent brothers, a nationalist

Turkey, Flag Of

2005-01-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

Various myths are associated with the symbolism of the red colour and the star and crescent, but none really explains their origins. Although the star and crescent are often seen as typical Muslim symbols, in fact they have a history long predating the rise of Islam. Ancient civilizations throughout the Middle East used a crescent moon as a religious symbol, and the

Danao

2005-01-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

City, eastern Cebu Island, Philippines, about 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Cebu City. It was founded in 1844 and is a port on the Camotes Sea for nearby coalfields. It is also a service centre for the coastal agricultural area that produces rice and corn (maize). Its name is derived from danawan, a local word meaning �shallow lagoon�; there are beaches for swimming nearby. Inc. city, 1961. Pop. (1980) 56,967.

Vrancea

2005-01-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), east-central Romania, occupying an area of 1,878 square miles (4,863 square km). The Eastern Carpathian and sub-Carpathian mountains rise above settlement areas in the county's valleys and lowlands. The southward-draining Siret River constitutes most of the county's eastern border. The Zabala, Rimna, and Trotus rivers also flow southeastward into the Siret. The county

Elizabethan Literature

2005-01-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Body of works written during the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558 - 1603), probably the most splendid age in the history of English literature, during which such writers as Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Roger Ascham, Richard Hooker, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare flourished. The epithet Elizabethan is merely a chronological reference and does not describe

Procellariiform

2005-01-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Also called �tubinares � (order Procellariiformes), any of the seabirds that include the albatrosses (family Diomedeidae); shearwaters, fulmars, prions, and large petrels (Procellariidae); storm petrels (Hydrobatidae); and diving petrels (Pelecanoididae). There are approximately 87 living and 36 fossil species of diverse sizes and ranges. All Procellariiformes are recognizable by their conspicuous

Ear, Human, Auditory ossicles

2005-01-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

Crossing the middle-ear cavity is the short ossicular chain formed by three tiny bones that link the tympanic membrane with the oval window and inner ear (Figure 2). From the outside inward they are the malleus (hammer), the incus (anvil), and the stapes (stirrup). The malleus more closely resembles a club than a hammer, and the incus looks more like a premolar tooth with uneven

Shillong

2005-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Meghalaya state, northeastern India. The city is located on the Shillong Plateau at an elevation of 4,990 feet (1,520 m). Shillong first became prominent in 1864, when it succeeded Cherrapunji as the district headquarters; in 1874 it was made the capital of the new province of Assam. An earthquake destroyed the city in 1897, necessitating its complete rebuilding. The North East

France, History Of

2005-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

The year 1789 is the great dividing line in the history of modern France. The fall of the Bastille, the French state prison, on July 14, 1789, symbolizes for that nation, as well as for all other nations, the end of the premodern era characterized by an organicist and religiously sanctioned traditionalism. With the French Revolution began the institutionalization of secularized

Harpy

2005-01-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

In Greco-Roman classical mythology, a fabulous creature, probably a wind spirit. The presence of harpies as tomb figures, however, makes it possible that they were also conceived of as ghosts. In Homer's Odyssey they were winds that carried people away. Elsewhere, they were sometimes connected with the powers of the underworld. Homer mentions one Harpy called Podarge

Rinderpest

2005-01-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

Also called �steppe murrain, �cattle plague�, or �contagious bovine typhus� an acute, highly contagious viral disease of ruminant animals, primarily cattle, that is common in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. It has occurred in Brazil and Australia but was quickly eradicated in those countries. Rinderpest has not been reported in the United States. Rinderpest is the most severe infectious disease of cattle and is characterized

Tolan, Eddie

2005-01-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

While attending high school in Detroit, Mich., Tolan was a city and state champion in the 100- and 200-yard dashes. At the University of Michigan, he attracted national attention in 1929 when he set a record in the 100-yard dash (9.5 seconds)

Jackstraws

2005-01-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

To begin the game, the jackstraws (20 to 50) are bunched in one hand and set vertically on a table or other smooth, flat surface, then released suddenly so that the straws fall in a jumble. Each player

Mycotoxin

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

Toxic substance produced by a fungus (i.e., a member of the kingdom Fungi). Mycotoxins occur in great number and variety; their effects can include hallucinations, skin inflammation, severe liver damage, hemorrhages, abortion, convulsions, neurological disturbances, and death in livestock and humans. Aflatoxins are a complex of mycotoxins produced by species of the

Vagus Nerve

2005-01-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Also called �Tenth Cranial Nerve,� longest and most complex of the cranial nerves. The vagus nerve runs from the brain through the face and thorax to the abdomen. It is a mixed nerve that contains parasympathetic fibres. The vagus nerve has two sensory ganglia (masses of nerve tissue that transmit sensory impulses): the superior and the inferior ganglia. The branches of the superior ganglion innervate

M�laga

2005-01-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

Provincia, in the comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�) of Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Mediterranean coast. It has an area of 2,809 square miles (7,276 square km). Its northern half belongs to the Andalusian plain, while its southern half is mountainous and rises steeply from the coast, along which there is a narrow strip of lowland. The Sierra de Alhama separates M�laga

Fredericksburg, Battle Of

2005-01-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

(December 13, 1862), bloody engagement of the American Civil War fought at Fredericksburg, Virginia; its outcome - a crushing Union defeat - immeasurably strengthened the Confederate cause. General A.E. Burnside, newly appointed commander of the Northern forces, planned to cross the Rappahannock River with an army of more than 120,000 troops and advance on the Southern capital at Richmond.

Uinta Mountains

2005-01-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Segment of the south-central Rocky Mountains, extending eastward for more than 100 miles (160 km) from the Wasatch Range across northeastern Utah and slightly into southwestern Wyoming, U.S. Many of the range's summits exceed 13,000 feet (4,000 m), including Kings Peak (13,528 feet [4,123 m]), the highest point in Utah. The mountains are a headstream region for the Provo, Bear, and Duchesne rivers and include

Sosigenes Of Alexandria

2005-01-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

At the conclusion of the Roman civil war (49 - 45 BC), Caesar set out to replace the multitude of inaccurate and diverse

Wapentake

2004-12-31T15:50:00.000-08:00

An administrative division of the English counties of York, Lincoln, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, and Rutland, first clearly referred to at the end of the 10th century and corresponding to the �hundred� in other parts of England. The term wapentake is of Scandinavian origin and meant the taking of weapons; it later signified the clash of arms by which the people assembled

Binghamton

2004-12-30T01:22:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1806) of Broome county, south-central New York, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Chenango and Susquehanna rivers, near the Pennsylvania border, 75 miles (121 km) south of Syracuse. With Johnson City and Endicott, it forms the Triple Cities. Settled in 1787 at the site of an Iroquois village (Ochenang), it was first known as Chenango Point and was later named for William Bingham,

Number Game, The brakeman, the fireman, and the engineer

2004-12-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

The names, not necessarily respectively, of the brakeman, fireman, and engineer of a certain train were Smith, Jones, and Robinson. Three passengers on the train happened to have the same names and, in order to distinguish

Gnetales

2004-12-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Only order of plants in the subdivision Gnetopsida, a group with characteristics of both angiosperms and gymnosperms. The order contains three families: Ephedraceae, Gnetaceae, and Welwitschiaceae, each with a single genus. See also Ephedra; Gnetaceae; Welwitschiaceae.

Naqadah

2004-12-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Nakada, � town, Upper Egypt. It lies on the west bank of the Nile, in the great bend of the river, opposite Qus, in Qina muhafazah (governorate). One of the oldest regions of Egypt, it is the site of a Neolithic town and burial grounds of the Predynastic period (before c. 2925 BC). It was first excavated by the British archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie, and the cultures found are referred to by scholars

Skikda

2004-12-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Philippeville, � town, Mediterranean port, northeastern Algeria, situated on the Gulf of Stora. Founded by French Marshal Sylvain-Charles Val�e in 1838 as the port of Constantine, it has an artificial harbour. Skikda occupies the site of ancient Rusicade, port of 4th-century Cirta, and has the largest Roman theatre in Algeria (used as a quarry, this has been greatly depleted). Roman artifacts

Tigris-euphrates River System, Agriculture and irrigation

2004-12-25T05:11:00.000-08:00

The rivers are high at the wrong time of year for most crops (except rice), so that cultivation by direct inundation generally cannot be practiced. The initiation of massive irrigation projects in Turkey heralds unprecedented change for the piedmont area of southeastern Anatolia. Historically, the agriculture of this zone, as well as of northern Iraq and Syria, has

Forced Labour

2004-12-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Forced labour has existed in various forms throughout history, but it was a peculiarly prominent feature

Kofoid, Charles Atwood

2004-12-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

Kofoid graduated from Harvard University (1894) and in 1900 began a long affiliation with the University of California at Berkeley. He became a full professor there in 1910, and for most

Balaklava, Battle Of

2004-12-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

Balaklava also spelled �Balaclava� (Oct. 25 [Oct. 13, Old Style], 1854), indecisive military engagement of the Crimean War, best known as the inspiration of the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson's �Charge of the Light Brigade.� In this battle, the Russians failed to capture Balaklava, the Black Sea supply port of the British, French, and Turkish forces in the southern Crimea; but the British lost control of their best supply

Tzutujil

2004-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Zutuhil, or Tzutuhil, � Mayan Indians of the midwestern highlands of Guatemala. The Tzutujil language is closely related to those of the neighbouring Cakchiquel and Quich� (qq.v.). The Tzutujil, like the neighbouring Mayan peoples, are agricultural, growing the Indian staple crops - corn (maize), beans, and squash. They also keep a few domestic animals such as sheep, pigs, and chickens. The people

Madhumati River

2004-12-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

Tributary of the Padma (Ganges) River, flowing through southwestern Bangladesh. It leaves the Padma just north of Kushtia and flows 190 miles (306 km) southeast before turning south across the Sundarbans to empty into the Bay of Bengal. In its upper course it is called the Garai; in its lower course it is known as the Baleswar; and its 9-mile- (14-kilometre-) wide estuary mouth is called

Draco

2004-12-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

The six junior archons (thesmotetai), or magistrates, are said by Aristotle to have been instituted in Athens after 683 BC to record the laws. If this is correct, Draco's code,

Earth

2004-12-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

More than 90 percent of the Earth's mass is composed of iron, oxygen, silicon, and magnesium, elements that can form the crystalline minerals known as silicates. However, in terms of chemical and mineralogical composition, as in physical properties, the Earth is far from homogeneous. Apart from the superficial lateral heterogeneities near the surface (i.e., in the compositions

Crab Spider

2004-12-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

The body of the crab spider is gray or brown in colour and is about 12 mm (0.5 inch) long. Members of Misumena

Qaddafi, Muammar Al-

2004-12-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

The son of an itinerant Bedouin farmer, Qaddafi was born in a tent in the Libyan desert. He proved a talented student and graduated from the University of Libya in 1963. A devout Muslim and ardent Arab nationalist, Qaddafi early began

Qaddafi, Muammar Al-

2004-12-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

Discount Store

2004-12-14T23:23:00.000-08:00

In merchandising, retail store that sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Some, like department stores, offer wide assortments of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances. Food stores also have been operated on the discount principle. Stores that are open only

Milyukov, Pavel Nikolayevich

2004-12-13T02:16:00.000-08:00

As a contributor to a clandestinely circulated journal, Osvobozhdeniye (�Liberation�), founded in 1902, Milyukov did much to swing the moderate members of the zemstvos (local government bodies) to the left. During the revolutionary year 1905, he was active in forming the Union of Unions, a broad alliance of professional associations, and subsequently the Constitutional Democratic,

Buick, David Dunbar

2004-12-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Buick was taken to the United States in 1856. His first independent business venture was a company that made plumbing equipment, started in 1884. In about 1899 he became interested in gasoline engines for agricultural and marine purposes, and

Austria, The accession of the Habsburgs

2004-12-11T23:51:00.000-08:00

As the German princes had not cared to give Rudolf adequate support against Otakar, he did not feel bound to them and set out to acquire the former Babenberg lands for his own house. In 1281 he made his eldest son, Albert (later Albert I, king of Germany), governor of Austria and Styria; on Christmas, 1282, he invested his two sons, Albert and Rudolf II, with Austria, Styria, and Carniola,

Szolnok

2004-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of J�sz-Nagykun-Szolnok megye (county), east-central Hungary, at the confluence of the Zagyva and Tisza rivers. Under the �rp�d kings (c. 890 - 1301) Szolnok was a market town and distributing centre for rock salt from the Maramures Mountains (now in Romania). Later in the European Middle Ages it was a strategic settlement fiercely contested by Magyars and Turks. In modern