BrokenSail

Brace, Charles Loring

2005-04-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

The descendant of a Hartford family long prominent in religious and political life, Brace was educated at Yale University and at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Asked

Taginae, Battle Of

2005-04-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

The Byzantine emperor Justinian I sent his commander in chief, the eunuch Narses, with an army of 20,000 men into Italy, where, at the Apennine village of Taginae near

Rupelian Stage

2005-04-04T04:59:00.000-07:00

All those rocks deposited worldwide during the Rupelian Age (36.6 to 30 million years ago). The Rupelian is the earlier of two stages in the Oligocene Series and comprises the Lower Oligocene. It was named for exposures studied along the Rupel, a tributary of the Scheldt River in Belgium. This area formerly served as the type district for the stage. The global stratotype section

Rochester

2005-04-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Olmsted county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S., situated at the confluence of three tributaries of the Zumbro River, in a mixed-farming region, 75 miles (121 km) south of Minneapolis. The site, which originally served as a camping ground for wagon trains, was settled in 1854 and named for Rochester, N.Y. Its growth has been stimulated to a great degree by the Mayo Medical Center,

France, History Of, The Franco-German War

2005-04-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Napoleon, meanwhile, had become uncomfortably involved in a diplomatic poker game with Bismarck. Prussian victories over Denmark (1864) and Austria (1866) indicated a serious shift in the European balance of power. Napoleon, aware that he faced a severe challenge, set out to strengthen his armed forces; he proposed a tighter conscription law that would increase the size of the

Aleppo

2005-04-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

The city's

Chang Hsien-chung

2005-04-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zhang Xianzhong, byname Yellow Tiger Chinese rebel leader at the close of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Following a disastrous famine in the northern province of Shensi in 1628, Chang became the leader of a gang of freebooters. Using hit-and-run tactics, he and his men plundered widely throughout North China. Although his forces were bought off several times

Hindu Kush

2005-03-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Hindu Kush is one of the great watersheds of Central Asia, forming part of the vast Alpine zone that stretches across Eurasia from east to west. It runs northeast to southwest and divides the valley of the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus River) to the north from the Indus

Thomas, W(illiam) I(saac)

2005-03-31T01:10:00.000-08:00

Thomas taught sociology at the University of Chicago (1895–1918), the New School for Social Research, New York City (1923–28), and Harvard University (1936–37). His Sex and

Augustine, Saint

2005-03-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

De doctrina christiana (books 1–3 396/397, book 4 426; Christian Doctrine) was begun in the first years of Augustine's episcopacy but finished 30 years later. This imitation of Cicero's Orator for Christian purposes sets out a theory of the interpretation of scripture and offers practical guidance to the would-be preacher. It was widely influential in the Middle Ages as an educational

Abu Al-hasan 'ali

2005-03-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

In 1331 Abu al-Hasan succeeded his father, Abu Sa'id, to the throne. With the goals of expelling the Christians from Spain and uniting all the Islamic lands of North Africa, Abu al-Hasan attacked and captured Algeciras and Gibraltar

Philip The Evangelist, Saint

2005-03-29T10:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Philip The Deacon in the early Christian church, one of the seven deacons appointed to tend the Christians of Jerusalem, thereby enabling the Apostles to freely conduct their missions. His energetic preaching, however, earned him the title of Philip the Evangelist and led him to minister successfully in Samaria, in Palestine, where he converted, among others,

Gongbi

2005-03-28T05:35:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization kung-pi in Chinese painting, meticulous brush technique that delimits details very precisely and without independent or expressive variation. It is often highly coloured and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects. The term gongbi is also used to refer to paintings that are generally more descriptive than interpretive. Gongbi paintings are considered to be

Art

2005-03-28T02:43:00.000-08:00

The various visual arts exist within a continuum that ranges from purely aesthetic purposes at one end to purely utilitarian

Ankobra

2005-03-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

River in southern Ghana, western Africa. Rising northeast of Wiawso, it flows about 120 miles (190 km) south to the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic) just west of Axim, commercial centre of the river basin. Its chief tributaries are the Mansi and the Bonsa rivers, and much of its basin is shared with the Tano River to the west. There are rapids in the upper reaches, but the Ankobra is navigable

Ecosphere

2005-03-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

The sum of the Earth's ecological systems (ecosystems), all living organisms interacting with the physical environment. It is almost equivalent to the term biosphere (q.v.), with the further implication of a conscious ecological management of the Earth's resources.

Garibaldi, Giuseppe

2005-03-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento, a republican who, through his conquest of Sicily and Naples with his guerrilla Redshirts, contributed to the achievement of Italian unification under the royal House of Savoy.

Henle, Friedrich Gustav Jacob

2005-03-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

While a student of the German physiologist Johannes Müller at the universities of Bonn (M.D., 1832) and Berlin (1832–34), Henle

Chablis

2005-03-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

Chablis vineyards

Caucasian Languages, The Lak-Dargin languages

2005-03-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Lak (also spelled Lakk, with some 100,000 speakers) and Dargin (or Dargwa, with 350,000) are spoken in the central part of Dagestan. Both are written languages. The Lak language is quite homogeneous with regard to its dialects; Dargin, however, possesses several diversified dialects—sometimes considered as separate languages (e.g., Kubachi). Some view Lak and Dargin as independent language

Arts, Central Asian, Turkish literature

2005-03-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

The purely Turkish period in the history of Turkish literatures came before the conversion of the Turks to Islam and covers approximately the 8th to the 11th centuries AD. The oldest literary legacy of the period is found in the Orhon inscriptions, found in the Orhon valley, northern Mongolia, in 1889 and deciphered in 1893 by the Danish philologist Vilhelm Thomsen. The inscriptions

Ear, Human, Transmission of sound by air conduction

2005-03-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

The outer ear directs sound waves from the external environment to the tympanic membrane (Figure 1). The auricle, the visible portion of the outer ear, collects sound waves and, with the concha, the cavity at the entrance to the external auditory canal, helps to funnel sound into the canal. Because of its small size and virtual immobility, the auricle in humans is less useful

Orange Walk

2005-03-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Belize, situated on the left (west) bank of the New River. Established in early colonial times, it was pillaged by hostile Indians in 1872. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it conducted a thriving trade in mahogany. The town declined after demand for mahogany lessened. Sugarcane and citrus fruit cultivation and rum distilling are the main economic

Ibn Tibbon, Moses Ben Samuel

2005-03-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

Jewish physician like his father, Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, and his paternal grandfather, Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, and an important translator of Arabic-language works into Hebrew. His translations served to disseminate Greek and Arab culture throughout Europe. Besides original works, which included commentaries with an allegorical bias on

Arête

2005-03-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

(French: “ridge”), in geology, a sharp-crested serrate ridge separating the heads of opposing valleys (cirques) that formerly were occupied by Alpine glaciers. It has steep sides formed by the collapse of unsupported rock, undercut by continual freezing and thawing (glacial sapping; see cirque). Two opposing glaciers meeting at an arête will carve a low, smooth gap, or col

Salaberry-de-valleyfield

2005-03-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

English Valleyfield city and port, Montérégie region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, at the east end of Lake Saint-François (St. Francis), which is a widening of the river. The settlement was built on a group of small islands in the river 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Montreal after a paper mill was established there in 1870. The abundant water and hydroelectric

Hawkes, John

2005-03-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

Hawkes attended Harvard University (B.A.,

Braconid

2005-03-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Many species are valuable in the control

Ausgleich

2005-03-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

(German: “Compromise”), the compact, finally concluded on Feb. 8, 1867, that regulated the relations between Austria and Hungary and established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary (q.v.).

Huysmans, Camille

2005-03-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

Trained as a philologist, Huysmans taught at the collège at Ieper, Belg., the Atheneum at Ixelles, Belg., and the Université Nouvelle (French: “New University”) in Brussels.

Christian Science Monitor, The

2005-03-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Daily newspaper (except Saturdays and Sundays) published in Boston under the auspices of the Church of Christ, Scientist. It was established in 1908 at the urging of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the church, as a protest against the sensationalism of the popular press. The Monitor became famous for its thoughtful treatment of the news and for the quality of its long-range, comprehensive

Talladega Mountain

2005-03-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

Low-lying segment of the Appalachian Mountains, extending northeastward along the border of Clay and Talladega counties and into Cleburne county in east-central Alabama, U.S. Rising to Cheaha Mountain (2,407 feet [734 metres]), the highest point in Alabama, the pine- and hardwood-covered mountain mass is mainly within the eastern division of the Talladega National Forest. In

Crab Apple

2005-03-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Crab, any of several small trees of the genus Malus, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to North America and Asia. Crabs are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. The fragrant five-petaled, white, pink, carmine, or purplish flowers appear early in showy masses. The fruits are much smaller and more tart than the common

Noricum

2005-03-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Region of Europe north of what is now Italy, roughly comprising modern central Austria and parts of Bavaria, Ger. Noricum was originally a kingdom controlled by a Celtic confederacy that dominated an earlier Illyrian population. It reached its greatest extent during the early period: on the east it included Carnuntum (about 20 miles [32 km] east of Vindobona [now

Rhys, Siôn Dafydd

2005-03-14T04:26:00.000-08:00

Rhys spent some time at Oxford then earned a degree in medicine from the University of Siena, Italy. He practiced as a physician at Cardiff,

Ear, Human, Eustachian tube

2005-03-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

The eustachian tube, about 45 millimetres (1.75 inches) long, leads downward and inward from the tympanum to the nasopharynx, the space that is behind and continuous with the nasal passages and is above the soft palate. At its upper end the tube is narrow and surrounded by bone. Nearer the pharynx it widens and becomes cartilaginous. Its mucous lining, which is continuous with

Essex, Walter Devereux, 1st Earl Of, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2005-03-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

He was the eldest son of Sir Richard Devereux and the grandson of Walter Devereux, Viscount Hereford, to whose

Itelmen

2005-03-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Their Luorawetlan language of

Vening Meinesz, Felix Andries

2005-03-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

Participating in a gravimetric survey of The Netherlands soon after he graduated from Delft Technical University as a civil engineer in 1910, Vening Meinesz devised an apparatus based on pendulums swinging together in opposite phase for use on the

Display Behaviour

2005-03-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Ritualized behaviour by which an animal provides specific information to others, usually members of its own species. Virtually all higher animals use displays to some extent. The best-known displays are visual ones—and some biologists restrict the term display to visual signals or gestures—but many also incorporate sound, smell, or even touch. Displays evolve

Surabaya

2005-03-11T01:57:00.000-08:00

Surabaya has been the chief trading centre of eastern Java since the 14th century.

Gatchina

2005-03-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1929) Khotchino , or (1929–44) Krasnogvardeysk city, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia, lying 15 miles (24 km) southwest of St. Petersburg. The first mention of Khotchino dates from 1499, when it was a possession of Novgorod. Later it belonged to Livonia and Sweden. After 1721 it was returned to Russia and in the 1720s belonged to the sister of Peter I the Great, Natalia. The town grew only after the building, between 1766 and 1772, of a summer

Porpora, Nicola (antonio Giacinto)

2005-03-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Porpora was maestro

North Germanic Languages, Swedish

2005-03-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Before the Swedish revolt of Gustav I Vasa in 1525, Danish influence on the Swedish language had been strong; the new government, however, made vigorous efforts to eliminate this. The written norm was based on one that had developed in the manuscripts of central Sweden, extending from the Vadstena monastery in eastern Götaland to Stockholm and Uppsala. In comparison to

Lutheranism, Lutheran Confessions

2005-03-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

The official teaching of the Lutheran churches is that of the Book of Concord (1580), which contains the three ancient creeds (Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian), the Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Luther's Schmalkaldic Articles, Luther's Small and Large Catechism, Melanchthon's “Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope,” and the Formula of Concord.

Amide

2005-03-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Any member of either of two classes of nitrogen-containing compounds related to ammonia and amines. The covalent amides are neutral or very weakly acidic substances formed by replacement of the hydroxyl group (OH) of an acid by an amino group (NR2, in which R may represent a hydrogen atom or an organic combining group such as methyl, CH3). The carboxamides (R¢CONR2), which are

Stilicho, Flavius

2005-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Stilicho was half-Roman, half-Vandal by birth. Making the army his career, in 383 he served

Cyprus, Religions

2005-03-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

The Greek Cypriots are primarily Eastern Orthodox Christians. Their church, the Church of Cyprus, is autocephalous (not under the authority of any patriarch); this privilege was granted to Archbishop Anthemius in AD 488 by the Byzantine emperor Zeno. Under the Ottoman Empire, the archbishop of the Church of Cyprus was made responsible for the secular as well as the religious

War Hawk

2005-03-07T04:10:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, any of the expansionists primarily composed of young Southerners and Westerners elected to the U.S. Congress in 1810, whose territorial ambitions in the Northwest and Florida inspired them to agitate for war with Great Britain. The War Hawks, who included such future political leaders as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, fiercely and aggressively resented

Azuela, Mariano

2005-03-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

Azuela received an M.D. degree in Guadalajara in 1899 and practiced medicine, first in his native town and after 1916 in Mexico City. His best-known work, Los de abajo (1916; The Under Dogs), depicting the futility of the revolution, was written at the

Hess, Dame Myra

2005-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hess studied at the Guildhall School of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay. She made her concert debut in London in 1907 and in the United States in 1922. From 1939 to 1946, even during the height of the German bombardment of London, she

Rescue Mission

2005-03-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Also called Inner Mission, Christian religious organization established to provide spiritual, physical, and social assistance to the poor and needy. It originated in the city mission movement among evangelical laymen and ministers early in the 19th century. The work of rescue missions resembles that of settlement houses, institutional churches, and charitable societies, but rescue missions

Iturbide, Agustín De

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

Like many young men of the upper classes in Spanish America, Iturbide entered the army, becoming an officer in

Mime And Pantomime

2005-03-03T01:34:00.000-08:00

Latin mimus and pantomimus , Greek mimos and pantomimos in the strict sense, a Greek and Roman dramatic entertainment representing scenes from life, often in a ridiculous manner. By extension, the mime and pantomime has come to be in modern times the art of portraying a character or a story solely by means of body movement (as by realistic and symbolic gestures). Analogous forms of traditional non-Western theatre are sometimes

Arai Hakuseki

2005-03-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Born into an impoverished samurai, or warrior, family, Arai educated himself under conditions of extreme hardship. He found employment in 1682 under Hotta Masatoshi (1634–84), a top government official. When Hotta died two years later,

Eliphaz The Temanite

2005-03-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

In three speeches of increasing severity, Eliphaz attempts to reconcile Job to God and induce him to repent. In

China, Beginnings of a national revolution

2005-03-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

This new revolution was led by the Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Aerospace Engineering

2005-03-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

In most countries, governments are the aerospace industry's largest customers, and most engineers work on the design of military vehicles. The largest demand for aerospace engineers comes from the transport and fighter aircraft, missile, spacecraft, and general aviation industries. The typical aerospace engineer holds a bachelor's degree, but there are many engineers

Swan

2005-03-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Largest waterfowl species of subfamily Anserinae, family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Most swans are classified in the genus Cygnus. Swans are gracefully long-necked, heavy-bodied, big-footed birds that glide majestically when swimming and fly with slow wingbeats and with necks outstretched. They migrate in diagonal formation or V-formation at great heights:

Indonesia, Flag Of

2005-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

The flag, a simple design of red and white stripes, has a long history. It was first associated with the Majapahit empire, which flourished from the 13th to the 16th century

Chatham Islands

2005-02-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

Island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles (800 km) east of New Zealand. Composed of 10 islands, with a total land area of 372 square miles (963 square km), they are primarily of volcanic formation, but areas of limestone indicate that they may once have been part of New Zealand. Chatham Island, the largest (347 square miles [900 square km]), rises to 942 feet (287 m); more than 20 percent of its poorly drained

Amphibian, Adaptations

2005-02-27T02:44:00.000-08:00

The amphibian eye has a lid, associated glands and ducts, and muscles that allow accommodation as well as depth perception and true colour vision. These adaptations are regarded as the first evolutionary improvements in vertebrate terrestrial vision. Green rods in the retina, which permit perception of a wide range of wavelengths, are found only in amphibians.

Selkirk, Alexander

2005-02-27T01:44:00.000-08:00

The son of a shoemaker, Selkirk ran away to sea in 1695; he joined a band of buccaneers in the Pacific and by 1703 was sailing master of a galley on a privateering expedition. In September 1704, after a quarrel with his captain, he was put ashore at his own request

Lagrangian Function

2005-02-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

One may think of a physical system, changing as time goes on from one state or configuration to another, as progressing along a particular evolutionary path, and ask, from this

Ay

2005-02-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ay began his career either owing to his prestige as a son of the parents of Queen Tiy, wife of Amenhotep III, or else with the aid of his own wife, who was the nurse of Nefertiti, Akhenaton's queen. As Akhenaton's

Baby's Breath

2005-02-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

Annual baby's breath, up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall, is

Fischer Von Erlach, Johann Bernhard

2005-02-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Austrian architect, sculptor, and architectural historian whose Baroque style, a synthesis of classical, Renaissance, and southern Baroque elements, shaped the tastes of the Habsburg empire. Fischer's works include the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (1694–1702) and the Kollegienkirche (1696–1707), both in Salzburg, and the Winter Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy

Black Bass

2005-02-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

Any of about six species of elongated freshwater fishes that constitute the genus Micropterus of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae (order Perciformes). Black basses are found in eastern North America. Two of them, the largemouth (see photograph) and smallmouth black basses (M. salmoides and M. dolomieui), have been introduced in other countries

Arabia, History Of, Prehistory and archaeology

2005-02-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Stone

Henri, Robert

2005-02-23T23:25:00.000-08:00

Henri studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, from 1884 to 1888, and at both the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Upon

Yama-no-kami

2005-02-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

In Japanese popular religion, any of numerous gods of the mountains. These kami are of two kinds: (1) gods who rule over mountains and are venerated by hunters, woodcutters, and charcoal burners and (2) gods who rule over agriculture and are venerated by farmers. Chief among them is O-yama-tsumi-no-mikoto, born from the fire god who was cut into pieces by his angry father Izanagi

Iliescu, Ion

2005-02-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

Iliescu received a degree in business from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and then studied engineering in Moscow. In 1953 he joined the Communist Party, and he held positions of increasing prestige during the following decade. A protégé of Nicolae Ceausescu, he benefited

Haymarket Riot

2005-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

On May 3, one person was killed and several were injured as police intervened to protect strikebreakers from strikers during a union action at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company that was part

Levi-civita, Tullio

2005-02-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Italian mathematician known for his work in differential calculus and relativity theory. At the University of Padua (1891–95), he studied under Gregorio Ricci Curbastro, with whom he later collaborated in founding the absolute differential calculus (now known as tensor analysis). Levi-Civita became an instructor there in 1898 and a professor

Aaron Ben Elijah

2005-02-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Aaron ben Elijah's views

Conservative Party Of Canada

2005-02-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

French Parti Conservateur du Canada conservative Canadian political party. The party was formed in 2003 by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party. The idea for a merger of Canada's main conservative parties arose in the 1990s when national support for the Progressive Conservatives dwindled and the Reform Party (later the Canadian Alliance) was unable to expand its national

Ashurnasirpal I

2005-02-20T04:11:00.000-08:00

King of Assyria 1050–32 BC, when it was at a low ebb in power and prosperity caused by widespread famine and the pressure of western desert nomads, against whom Ashurnasirpal warred constantly. His father, Shamshi-Adad IV, a son of Tiglath-pileser I, was placed on the throne of Assyria by the Babylonian king Adad-apal-iddina. The few inscriptions of Ashurnasirpal I that

Gwalior

2005-02-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

The old city of Gwalior centres on a walled fortress, one of the most famous in India,

Malcolm I

2005-02-19T03:05:00.000-08:00

Malcolm succeeded to the crown when his cousin Constantine II entered a monastery (943). He annexed Moray to the kingdom for the first time. After driving the Danes from York, the English king Edmund turned Cumbria over to Malcolm, apparently as a fief or seal of alliance. Later, when Norsemen again invaded the land, the Scots sent raids against

Production System

2005-02-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

Any of the methods used in industry to create goods and services from various resources.

Eastern Africa, History Of, Rise of the Oromo

2005-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

The challenge came from the Oromo, a Cushitic-speaking pastoralist people whose original homeland was located on the Sidamo-Borena plain. From there, the related Afar and Somali peoples had hived off northeastward to the Red Sea coast, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Aden, perhaps in some way causing the pressures that finally erupted in Ahmad Grañ's invasion of the

Gatton

2005-02-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Town and shire, southern Queensland, Australia. It lies along Lockyer Creek, about 58 miles (93 km) west of Brisbane. Probably named after Gattonside near Roxburgh in the Borders region, Scotland, it was gazetted as the site for a village in 1855 and by 1858 was a place of call for travelers between Brisbane and the Darling Downs. Gatton is now the service centre for a mixed-farming district

Adam, Robert

2005-02-17T03:55:00.000-08:00

Robert was the second son of William Adam, the foremost Scottish architect of his time. William, who as master mason to the Board of Ordnance in North Britain supervised the design of military buildings, also designed numerous country houses in a conservative Palladian style—the modified classic Roman style that was originally developed by the 16th-century architect

John I Tzimisces

2005-02-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Descended from an aristocratic Armenian family, John was related through his mother to the general, and later emperor, Nicephorus II

Sudan, The, Education

2005-02-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

A modern educational system was established in The Sudan in the 1970s when the government reorganized a haphazard system of schools inherited from the British colonial government. In the Muslim areas of the north, boys were long instructed in religious subjects according to traditional methods. Primary education was begun by the British in the northern Sudan after

Tarsal

2005-02-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Any of several short, angular bones that in humans make up the ankle and that—in animals that walk on their toes (e.g., dogs, cats) or on hoofs—are contained in the hock, lifted off the ground. The tarsals correspond to the carpal bones of the upper limb. In humans the tarsals, in combination with the metatarsal bones, form a longitudinal arch in the foot—a shape well adapted for

Pyrochlore

2005-02-15T05:04:00.000-08:00

A complex oxide mineral composed of niobium, sodium, and calcium (NaCaNb2O6F) that forms brown to black, glassy octahedral crystals and irregular masses. Tantalum atoms replace niobium atoms in the chemical structure, so that pyrochlore forms a solid-solution series with the mineral microlite [(Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F)]. For detailed physical properties, see oxide mineral

Moneran

2005-02-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

The monerans are distinct from eukaryotic organisms because of the structure and chemistry of their cells. As prokaryotes, they lack the definite nucleus and membrane-bound organelles (specialized cellular

Yacht

2005-02-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

In England by 1881 most of the important yacht clubs had become members of the Yacht Racing Association (founded 1875; from 1952 called the Royal Yachting Association). The organization made rules governing regatta sailing and later took on duties as a representative body for all British yachting, including dealing with port, harbour, and other governmental authorities. In the

Rohan, Louis-rené-édouard, Prince De

2005-02-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

Cardinal from 1778 and bishop of Strasbourg from 1779 to 1801, who was the antihero of the French scandal known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace in 1785 (see Diamond Necklace, Affair of the). Duped into undertaking the purchase of a necklace for Queen Marie-Antoinette, without her authority and without funds of his own, he was tried for fraud

Chi-hsi

2005-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Jixi, city in southeastern Heilungkiang Province (sheng), China. Located on the upper Mu-leng Ho (river), it is in a mountainous area rich in timber and in various minerals, including coal, iron, oil shale, graphite, fluorite, and limestone. Chi-hsi is, however, predominantly a coal-mining city, with some of the largest and best equipped coal mines in China. The coal is of high quality

Heine, Heinrich

2005-02-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

In full Christian Johann Heinrich Heine , original name (until 1825) Harry Heine German poet whose international literary reputation and influence were established by the Buch der Lieder (1827; The Book of Songs), frequently set to music, though the more sombre poems of his last years are also highly regarded.

Goa

2005-02-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Goa, with a coastline of 65 miles, is hilly and includes a portion of the Western Ghats rising to nearly 4,000 feet. The two largest rivers are the Mandavi and Zuari, between the mouths of which lies the island of Goa (Ilhas). The island is triangular, the apex (called the cape) being a rocky headland separating the harbour of Goa into two anchorages. There are three principal cities in

Celadon

2005-02-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Chinese, Korean, Siamese, and Japanese stoneware decorated with green glazes. To create this ware, artisans apply a wash of slip (liquefied clay), which contains a high proportion of iron, to the body of the stoneware before glazing. The iron interacts with the glaze during the firing and colours it one of various shades of green. First made in China, a wide demand led to the

Oerter, Al

2005-02-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

In full Alfred Oerter American discus thrower who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968), setting an Olympic record each time. During his career he set new world records four times (1962–64). He was the first to throw the discus more than 200 feet with his first world record of 61.10 metres (200 feet 5 inches). His best throw in setting a world record was 62.94 metres

Hyperthyroidism

2005-02-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

The thyroid gland's oversecretion of hormones is usually accompanied by enlargement of the gland itself, thus forming the swelling, known as a goitre, in the neck region. The increased levels of thyroid hormones cause an increased

århus

2005-02-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aarhus, city, seat of Århus amtskommune (county commune), eastern Jutland, Denmark. It lies along Århus Bay and has an extensive harbour. Its origin is unknown, although traces of a Viking settlement have been found near the outflow of the now-covered Århus stream. The oldest existing charter for the town (1441) refers to a still-earlier charter. Århus became a bishopric in 948 and prospered

Jacobite

2005-02-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

In British history, a supporter of the exiled Stuart king James II (Latin Jacobus) and his descendants after the Revolution of 1688. The political importance of the Jacobite movement extended from 1688 to 1745. The Jacobites, especially under William III and Queen Anne, could offer a feasible alternative title to the crown, and the exiled court in France (and later in Italy) was often

Grundschule

2005-02-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Before the 1920s, upper-class German children attended the Vorschule, a three-year course of preparation for secondary school (which usually began at age 9). Working-class children generally terminated their education at age 14 upon completing Volksschule (primary school).

English Literature, Influence of French poetry

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

By the end of the 12th century English poetry had been so heavily influenced by French models that such a work as the long epic Brut (c. 1200) by Lawamon, a Worcestershire priest, seems archaic for mixing alliterative lines with rhyming couplets while generally eschewing French vocabulary. The Brut mainly draws upon Wace's Anglo-Norman Roman de Brut (1155; based in turn upon Geoffrey