WidePlant

A Posteriori Knowledge

2005-04-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

Knowledge derived from experience, as opposed to a priori knowledge (q.v.).

Soter, Saint

2005-04-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

Succeeding St. Anicetus as pope, Soter sent a letter and alms to the church of Corinth, whose bishop, St. Dionysius, replied in a letter that acknowledged Soter's affection and theological advice. Soter continued Pope Anicetus' attack against Montanism, a heresy overemphasizing prophecy and rigid moral

Cyriacus Of Ancona

2005-04-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

Byname of Ciriaco De' Pizzicolli Italian merchant and Humanist whose writings, based on topographical observations and antiquarian findings relating to ancient Greek civilization, proved useful for later archaeological surveys and classical scholarship. Travelling extensively in southern Italy, Greece, Egypt, and the Near East, he copied hundreds

Smith, George

2005-03-29T23:30:00.000-08:00

English Assyriologist who advanced knowledge of the earliest (Sumerian) period of Mesopotamian civilization with his discovery of one of the most important literary works in Akkadian, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Moreover, its description of a flood, strikingly similar to the account in Genesis, had a stunning effect on Smith's

Tacitus

2005-03-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

In full Publius Cornelius Tacitus , or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Roman orator and public official, probably the greatest historian and one of the greatest prose stylists who wrote in the Latin language. Among his works are the Germania, describing the Germanic tribes, the Historiae (Histories), concerning the Roman Empire from AD 69 to 96, and the later Annals, dealing with the empire in the period from AD 14 to 68.

Tatarstan

2005-03-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

The Volga flows north-south across the western end of the republic, while the Kama, the Volga's largest tributary, forms a roughly east-west axis through the greater part. The Vyatka and the Belaya

Genetic Disease, Human

2005-03-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Most imbalances involving autosomes

Orange Bowl

2005-03-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

The game was first played in 1933 to attract winter tourists to Florida a month

Luxor

2005-03-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Also called El-Aksur, or Al-Uqsur,

Feng Kuei-fen

2005-03-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

A native of South China, Feng came into frequent contact with Westerners

Gamma Ray

2005-03-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

Gamma rays were named (1903) by Ernest Rutherford when evidence showed they differed from beta rays (electrons ejected by radioactive nuclei). Gamma radiation originates in atomic nuclei during

La Plata

2005-03-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Buenos Aires provincia, Argentina, 6 miles (9 km) inland from the southern shore of the Río de la Plata estuary. The site was selected in 1882 by the provincial governor of Buenos Aires, Dardo Rocha, as the new provincial seat, a move made necessary when Buenos Aires was federalized as the national capital (1880). The city plan was modeled on that of Washington, D.C.; and a municipal

Radioactive Series

2005-03-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Any of four independent sets of unstable heavy atomic nuclei that decay through a sequence of alpha and beta decays until a stable nucleus is achieved. These four chains of consecutive parent and daughter nuclei (shown in the figure) begin and end among elements with atomic numbers higher than 81, which is the atomic weight of thallium; the members of each set are genetically

Amiel, Henri Frédéric

2005-03-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Swiss writer known for his Journal intime, a masterpiece of self-analysis. Despite apparent success (as professor of aesthetics, then of philosophy, at Geneva), he felt himself a failure. Driven in on himself, he lived in his Journal, kept from 1847 until his death and first published in part as Fragments d'un journal intime (1883–84; later enlarged editions;

Las Cases, Emmanuel, Count (comte) De

2005-03-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

An officer of the royal navy, Las Cases in 1790 emigrated from France to England, where he wrote and published his Atlas Historique . . . (1802), a work that attracted Napoleon's

Aretino, Pietro

2005-03-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Although Aretino was the son of an Arezzo shoemaker, he later pretended to be the bastard

'aflaq, Michel

2005-03-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

'Aflaq first saw nationalism as centring upon the issue of imperialism; he especially resented the French, who after World War I (1914–18) held a mandate over Syria and Lebanon. In 1929–34, however, he studied at the University

Sarangi

2005-03-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

Short-necked fiddle used throughout South Asia, particularly for folk and classical Hindustani music. Measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) long, its roughly rectangular, slightly waisted body and broad, fretless neck are generally carved from a single piece of wood. It has three melody strings made of gut, sometimes a fourth of metal, and as many as 40 sympathetically

Yarim

2005-03-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Yemen. It lies in the heart of the Yemen Highlands, on an upland plateau dominated by the massif of nearby Mount Sumarah, which rises to about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level. In antiquity the Yarim area was the core of the state of Himyar, which ruled over much of southern Arabia from about 115 BC to about AD 575; the Himyarite capital of Zafar (q.v.) was about 9 miles (15 km) south of Yarim. The

Cortés, Hernán, Marqués Del Valle De Oaxaca

2005-03-10T02:37:00.000-08:00

Cortés was the son of Martín Cortés de Monroy and of Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino—names of ancient lineage. “They had little wealth, but much honour,” according to Cortés's secretary,

Esfahan, Great Mosque Of

2005-03-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

Persian Masjed-e Jame ' (“Universal Mosque”), a complex of buildings in Esfahan, Iran, that centres on the 11th-century domed sanctuary and includes a second smaller domed chamber, built in 1088, known for its beauty of proportion and design. The central sanctuary was built under the direction of Nizam al-Mulk, vizier to the Seljuq ruler Malik-Shah, probably between 1070 and 1075. It stands at the south end of the courtyard.

Anno, Saint

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

Educated at Bamberg, Anno became confessor to the Holy Roman emperor Henry III, who appointed him archbishop in 1056. He was the leader of the party that abducted the young king Henry IV from his mother, Agnes of Poitou. Anno then seized the

Denishawn School Of Dancing And Related Arts

2005-03-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

Dance school and company founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn. Considered a fountainhead of American modern dance, the Denishawn organization systematically promoted nonballetic dance movement and fostered such leading modern dancers as Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman. Because St. Denis and Shawn believed that all dance techniques

Priesthood

2005-03-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

In recent years, in Christianity especially, notwithstanding the doctrinal divergencies and modes of expression in the nature and function of the priesthood, new approaches have been made by both Catholic and Protestant theologians, liturgical scholars, and laypersons. This is particularly apparent in the ecumenical and liturgical movements in Western Christendom,

Water Cock

2005-03-05T02:41:00.000-08:00

(Gallicrex cinerea), marsh bird of the rail family, Rallidae (order Gruiformes). It occurs from India to Japan and throughout Southeast Asia to the Philippines. The male is blue-black with red legs, a strongly conical red bill, and a protruding red frontal shield. The female is mottled and barred yellowish brown. The water cock is troublesome in rice fields, where it likes

Dunant, Henri

2005-03-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

An eyewitness of the Battle of Solferino (June 24, 1859), which resulted in nearly 40,000 casualties, Dunant organized emergency aid services

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-03-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of a famous hostess, Mme de Tencin, and one of her lovers, the chevalier Destouches-Canon, d'Alembert was abandoned on the steps of the Parisian church of Saint-Jean-le-Rond, from which he derived his Christian names. Although Mme de Tencin never recognized her son, Destouches eventually sought out the child and entrusted him to a glazier's wife, whom

Bourne, Francis

2005-03-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

Educated at St. Sulpice, Paris, and Louvain University, Bourne was ordained in 1884 and was appointed (1889) rector of St. John's Seminary, Wonersh, Surrey. In 1895 he became a monsignor

Cookie

2005-03-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

Probably the most popular cookies in the United States are those that are

Arts, Central Asian, Nomadic cultures

2005-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

During the 1st millennium BC and the 1st centuries of the Christian era, certain nomadic tribes affected the course of Central Asia's artistic history. Cyrus II the Great, the ancient Persian king who founded the Achaemenian Empire, was killed by the nomadic Massagetai when campaigning in eastern Iran in 530 BC. At the time, the Saka tribe was pasturing its herds in the Pamirs, central

Leaf-rolling Weevil

2005-02-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Any of the beetles of the subfamily Attelabidae of the family Curculionidae (order Coleoptera), so named because of the way in which females protect their newly laid eggs by rolling them up inside a growing leaf. After hatching, the larvae eat the leaf from within. Adults are free-living but associated with certain tree species. Attelabus nitens, for example, is associated

Daedalic Sculpture

2005-02-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

Type of sculpture attributed to a legendary Greek artist, Daedalus, who is connected in legend both to Bronze Age Crete and to the earliest period of Archaic sculpture in post-Bronze Age Greece. The legends about Daedalus recognize him both as a man and as a mythical embodiment. The writer Pausanias thought that wooden images were referred to as daidala even before

Canalejas, José

2005-02-25T01:22:00.000-08:00

Canalejas's political career began with his election to the Cortes (parliament) in 1881 for the district of Soria. In the following years, Canalejas represented the

Shabaka

2005-02-24T23:48:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his brother Piankhi, in Cush (in the modern Sudan), Shabaka moved north, captured Bocchoris, the second king of the 24th dynasty, and, according to tradition, burned him alive. He probably made Memphis, near Cairo, his capital and adopted the titles of the

Ducis, Jean-françois

2005-02-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

French dramatist who made the first sustained effort to present William Shakespeare's tragedies on the French stage. Although he remodeled the tragedies to the French taste for witty, epigrammatic style and attempted to confine the plays within the “classical unities” (of time, place, and action), such critics as Voltaire still

Basel-stadt

2005-02-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

French Bâle-ville, Halbkanton (“demicanton”), northern Switzerland, consisting of the city of Basel (q.v.) and two small villages north of the Rhine. Occupying an area of 14 square miles (37 square km), it was formed in 1833 by the division of Basel canton into two half cantons, or demicantons. Its present constitution dates from 1889. The population is mainly German speaking and Protestant. Pop. (1988 est.) 192,559.

Manchuria

2005-02-21T23:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Northeast , Wade-Giles Tung-pei , Pinyin Dongbei historical region of northeastern China. Strictly speaking, it consists of the modern provinces (sheng) of Liaoning (south), Kirin (central), and Heilungkiang (north); often, however, the northeastern portion of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also is included. Manchuria is bounded by Russia (northwest, north, and east), North Korea (south), and the province of Hopeh (southwest).

Nafud, An-

2005-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Desert, northern Saudi Arabia, covering about 25,000 square miles (64,000 square km). The reddish, sandy An-Nafud (Arabic: “The Desert”) is sometimes called the Great Nafud; it lies at an elevation of 3,000 feet (900 m) and has some watering places and grass that provide for nomadic herding and agriculture. The desert has been a barrier to travel for ages; its frequent sandstorms shape immense dunes.

Cabral, Pedro álvares

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

The son of Fernão Cabral, a nobleman, and of Isabel de Gouveia, Pedro Cabral was heir to a long tradition of service to the throne. He himself enjoyed the esteem of King Manuel I of Portugal, from whom he received various privileges in 1497; these included a personal

Robinson, (esmé Stuart) Lennox

2005-02-18T04:15:00.000-08:00

When still young Robinson became devoted to the cause of Irish nationalism through seeing performances of the Abbey Theatre Company in Cork, and his country's troubles were

New England, Council For

2005-02-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

In British American colonial history, joint stock company organized in 1620 by a charter from the British crown with authority to colonize and govern the area now known as New England. Drawing from landed gentry rather than merchants, the company was dominated by its president, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who intended to distribute the land as manors and fiefs among the council's

Axolotl

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

(Ambystoma, or Siredon, mexicanum), salamander of the family Ambystomatidae (order Caudata), notable for its permanent retention of larval features, such as external gills. It is found in lakes near Mexico City, where it is considered edible. The name axolotl is also applied to any full-grown larva of the genus Ambystoma that has not yet lost its external gills. A. mexicanum

Eretna Dynasty

2005-02-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

The dynasty's founder, Eretna, was an officer of Uighur (Uyghur) origin in the service of Demirtas, the Il-Khanid governor of Anatolia, who revolted (1326) against the Il-Khanid ruler Abu Sa'id and escaped to Egypt. Eretna then became governor of Anatolia under the suzerainty of Hasan

Southwest National Park

2005-02-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

Marked by rugged terrain and a cold, wet

Demeter

2005-02-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Demeter is rarely mentioned by Homer, nor is she included among the Olympian gods, but the roots of her legend are probably ancient. The legend centred on the story of her daughter Persephone

Ashikaga Takauji

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

The Ashikaga family became one of the most powerful in Japan during the Kamakura period (1199–1333). They provided leading retainers of the Hojo regents who, with their capital at Kamakura, dominated the country during that time,

Esquipulas

2005-02-10T16:36:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Guatemala, in the central highlands near the borders of Honduras and El Salvador at an elevation of 3,018 feet (920 m). The town itself is not large; it derives its great importance from its magnificent colonial church, now Central America's greatest pilgrimage centre, built in 1737 by the archbishop of Guatemala to house the spectacular Black Christ. The figure,

Mosaic Rhyme

2005-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

A type of multiple rhyme in which a single multisyllabic word is made to rhyme with two or more words, as in the end rhymes of the following two lines from W.S. Gilbert's song “The Modern Major-General”: About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news, With interesting facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

Probabilism

2005-02-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

In casuistry, a principle of action grounded on the premise that, when one does not know whether an action would be sinful or permissible, he may rely on a “probable opinion” for its permissibility even though a more probable opinion calls it sinful. An opinion is considered probable either if sound, logical arguments can be cited in its favour (intrinsic probability)

Adalbert

2005-02-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

Adalbert joined his father in 946–947 in fighting the co-kings of Italy, Hugh of Provence and his son Lothair. After Lothair's death in 950, Adalbert was crowned with Berengar at Pavia.

Phoenix

2005-02-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

In ancient Egypt and in classical antiquity, a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. The Egyptian phoenix was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and a melodious cry. Only one phoenix existed at any time, and it was very long-lived—no ancient authority gave it a life span of less than 500 years. As its end approached, the phoenix

Aschelminth, Size range and diversity of structure

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

The five classes of aschelminths are of different sizes and varying importance. The nematodes are by far the largest group, with 13,000 to 14,000 named species and many times that number undescribed. Most of the described species are parasites of human beings, domestic animals, or cultivated plants and are therefore of great importance in medicine and agriculture. Typically,

Calendar Of 2002

2005-02-04T03:05:00.000-08:00

A fire starts in the Angeles National Forest in California and rapidly consumes about 4,450 ha (11,000 ac), forcing the immediate evacuation

Biblical Literature, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles

2005-02-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

The final books of the Hebrew Bible are the books of Chronicles and Ezra–Nehemiah, which once formed a unitary history of Israel from Adam to the 4th century BCE, written by an anonymous Chronicler. That these books constituted a single work—referred to as the Chronicler's history, in distinction to the Deuteronomic history and the elements of history from the priestly

Computers, Workstation computers

2005-02-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

While the personal computer market grew and matured, a variation on its theme grew out of university labs and began to threaten the minicomputers for their market. The new machines were called workstations. They looked like personal computers, and they sat on a single desktop and were used by a single individual just like personal computers, but they were distinguished

Semiconductor Device, Rectifier

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

This type of p-n junction diode is specifically designed to rectify an alternating current—i.e., to give a low resistance to current flow in one direction and a very high resistance in the other direction. Such diodes are generally designed for use as power-rectifying devices that operate at frequencies from 50 hertz to 50 kilohertz. The majority of rectifiers have power-dissipation

Alcorn State University

2005-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning near Lorman, Mississippi, U.S. It is a land-grant university consisting of schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Psychology, Nursing, and Agriculture and Applied Sciences. The university's School of Nursing is located in Natchez. In addition to undergraduate studies, Alcorn State offers several

Cennini, Cennino (di Drea)

2005-01-30T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

Essen

2005-01-29T00:23:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany, between the Rhine-Herne Canal and the Ruhr River. It was originally the seat of an aristocratic convent (founded 852), still represented by the cathedral (the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop), completed in the 15th century. In the suburb of Werden, the abbey church was founded in 796 as part of a monastery. The convent and the

Nilo-saharan Languages

2005-01-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

The original expansion of the Nilo-Saharan family may have been associated with the Aquatic industry. This industry, which dates to the 8th millennium BC, is a conglomeration of cultures that exploited the food resources of lakes, rivers, and surrounding areas from Lake Rudolf in East Africa to the bend of the Niger River in West Africa during a long era of wetter climate

Catatumbo River

2005-01-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Catatumbo, river rising in northern Colombia. It flows northeast across the Venezuelan border, crosses rich oil-bearing regions in the Maracaibo Lowland, and empties into Lake Maracaibo after a course of about 210 miles (338 km). It is navigable in its lower course and receives Zulia River 4 miles (6 km) west of Encontrados, Venez., in the Maracaibo Lowland.

Rybnik

2005-01-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Beginning as a fishing village in the 10th century, Rybnik became capital of the Racibórz principality

Cheb

2005-01-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

German Eger, city, Západoceský kraj (region), extreme western Czech Republic. Cheb lies along the Ohre River, near the German border. Its history has been full of violence, for it guards the easiest approach to Bohemia from the northwest. The city passed in the 13th century from Swabian rulers to Otakar I, king of Bohemia, and it was battered in the Hussite wars (1419–36), the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), and the

Quimby, Phineas Parkhurst

2005-01-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

Quimby employed hypnosis as a means of healing but discovered that he could also heal by suggestion. He held that all illness is basically a matter of the mind and that it results from the patient's

Ileitis

2005-01-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

In general, ileitis can affect

Tectonic Landform

2005-01-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

Whereas erosion shapes landforms, their origins lie in tectonic processes that build the major structures of the Earth. The word tectonic is derived from the Greek word tekton, which

Wollaston, Lake

2005-01-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

Lake, northeastern Saskatchewan. It lies in the southern part of the Barren Grounds (a subarctic prairie region of northern Canada), 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Reindeer Lake. It is 70 miles (113 km) long and 25 miles (40 km) wide, has an area of 1,035 square miles (2,681 square km), and drains through two outlets: one northwestward through Fond du Lac River to Lake Athabasca and the Mackenzie River system,

Water Shield

2005-01-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

Each oval, floating leaf of water shield is 5 to 10 centimetres (about 2 to 4 inches) long. A long, jelly-coated

France, History Of, The Second Republic, 184852

2005-01-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

The succession to the throne was not to be decided so easily, however. The Chamber of Deputies, invaded by a mob that demanded a republic, set up a provisional government whose members ranged from constitutional monarchists to one radical deputy, Alexandre-Auguste Ledru-Rollin. Led by the poet-deputy Alphonse de Lamartine, the members of the government proceeded

Roman Catholic Church Of Romania

2005-01-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

An Eastern Catholic church of the Byzantine rite, in communion with Rome. The Byzantine rite Catholic Church originated after the Turks ceded Transylvania to the Catholic Habsburgs (1699); at that time a large group of Orthodox Romanians, pressed by the imperial government, accepted the authority of Rome. In 1948 the Byzantine rite church was legally suppressed by the Communist

Steel, Vacuum treatment

2005-01-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

Exposing steel to vacuum conditions has a profound effect on all metallurgical reactions involving gases. First, it lowers the level of gases dissolved in liquid steel. Hydrogen, for example, is readily removed in a vacuum to less than two parts per million. Nitrogen is not as mobile in liquid steel as hydrogen, so that only 15 to 30 percent is typically removed during a 20-minute

International Law, Antarctica

2005-01-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

The Antarctic Treaty (1959) prevents militarization of the Antarctic continent and suspends territorial claims by states for the life of the treaty. Because it provides no mechanism for its termination, however, a continuing and open-ended regime has been created. There also are various agreements that protect Antarctica's environment.

Top Moss

2005-01-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

Common species of urn moss (q.v.).

Peck, Gregory

2005-01-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

A pharmacist's son, Peck attended military school and San Diego State College before enrolling as a premed student at the University of California at Berkeley. There he developed a taste for

Earth, Age of the oldest marine sediments

2005-01-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

Samples of sediments have been recovered as a result of deep drilling and piston coring from many parts of the world's ocean basins. These sediments have been dated by means of the fossils they contain. Such studies have shown that no old sediments are present (at least in the areas sampled) near mid-oceanic ridges. Moreover, the studies also have revealed that the age

Rabulist Riots

2005-01-12T00:54:00.000-08:00

The riots, named for a derogatory designation for Swedish radicals, occurred in the summer of 1838, following the conviction of M.J. Crusenstolpe, a liberal journalist, for libel against

Mies Van Der Rohe, Ludwig

2005-01-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Franz Schulze, Mies van der Rohe: A Critical Biography (1985), utilizes a wide array of sources and is well illustrated. Philip C. Johnson, Mies van der Rohe, 3rd ed., rev. (1978), is a scholarly and readable book that first introduced Mies to America. Peter Blake, Mies van der Rohe (1964), is detailed, personal, and authoritative. Werner Blaser, Mies van der Rohe, rev. ed. (1972), contains a fairly complete collection of photographs and drawings of Mies's work with his own brief introduction. David Spaeth, Mies van der Rohe (1985), provides an overview of his architectural career. Interpretations of his work are in Franz Schulze (ed.), Mies van der Rohe (1989), a collection of essays; and Fritz Neumeyer, The Artless World: Mies van der Rohe on the Building Art (1991), which includes an analysis of the influences on the architect's development.

Murji'ah

2005-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Murji'ah flourished during the turbulent period of Islamic history that began with the murder of 'Uthman (third caliph) in AD 656, and ended with the assassination of 'Ali (fourth

Gümüshane

2005-01-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gümüsane, city, northeastern Turkey. It lies along the Harsit River, at an elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500 m), about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Trabzon. The origin and history of the ancient settlement are obscure. The silver (Turkish: gümüs) mines from which the city's name is derived were mentioned by Marco Polo and the medieval North African traveler Ibn Battutah; they have been worked out since the 19th century.

Rydberg, Johannes Robert

2005-01-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Lund, Rydberg received his bachelor's degree in 1875 and his doctorate in mathematics in 1879. He became lecturer in physics there in 1882 and assistant at the Physics Institute in 1892. He was permanent professor of physics from 1901 until his retirement in

Saint Albans

2005-01-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

A British town was established on the west bank of the Ver in the 1st century BCE, and subsequently the Romans built their town of Verulamium on the site. In 61 CE the town was sacked by Queen Boudicca. Sections of the town wall dating

Mongolia

2005-01-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Contemporary cultural life in Mongolia is a unique amalgam of traditional elements—the heritage of centuries—and a growing modern element.

Gobi, Animal life

2005-01-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Animal life is varied, with such large mammals as the wild camel, the kulan (Equus hemionus), the dzheiran gazelle, and the dzeren (an antelope). Przewalski's horse, which once ranged in the western region of the desert, is probably extinct in the wild. Rodents include marmots and gophers, and there are reptiles.

Cartel

2005-01-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

Association of independent firms or individuals for the purpose of exerting some form of restrictive or monopolistic influence on the production or sale of a commodity or group of commodities. The most common arrangements are aimed at regulating prices or output or dividing up markets. Members of a cartel maintain their separate identities and financial independence

Kerr, Roy P(atrick)

2005-01-03T02:36:00.000-08:00

Kerr received an M.S. (1954) from New Zealand University (now dissolved) and his Ph.D. (1960) from Cambridge University. He served on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin

Conservative Force

2004-12-31T05:25:00.000-08:00

In physics, any force, such as the gravitational force between the Earth and another mass, whose work is determined only by the final displacement of the object acted upon. The total work done by a conservative force is independent of the path resulting in a given displacement and is equal to zero when the path is a closed loop. Stored energy, or potential energy, can be

Arts, East Asian, Painting and related arts

2004-12-31T04:11:00.000-08:00

Literature and poetry indicate that the walls of palaces, mansions, and ancestral halls were plastered and painted. Themes included figure subjects, portraits, and scenes from history that had an ethical or didactic purpose. Equally popular were themes taken from folk and nature cults that expressed the beliefs of popular Taoism. The names of the painters are generally

Heimskringla

2004-12-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

(c. 1220; “Orb of the World”), collection of sagas of the early Norwegian kings, written by the Icelandic poet-chieftain Snorri Sturluson. It is distinguished by Snorri's classical objectivity, realistic psychology, and historically feasible (if not always accurate) depiction of cause and effect. The collection opens with the Ynglinga saga, which traces the descent of the Norwegian

Gastronomy, Triumph of French grande cuisine

2004-12-29T01:29:00.000-08:00

During the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, culinary methods were refined and a new order and logic were introduced into the French cuisine. Brillat-Savarin noted that in the reign of Louis XVthere was generally established more orderliness of meals, more cleanliness and elegance, and those refinements of service, which having increased steadily to our own time

Biblical Literature, Kings: background and Solomon's reign

2004-12-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

The fourth book of the Former Prophets (I and II Kings in the Septuagint) continues the history of the nation Israel from the death of David, the reign of Solomon, and the divided monarchy through the collapse of both Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom). Whereas Samuel was composed primarily of the early and the later sources with some editing

Palau

2004-12-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Palau , Palauan Belu'u era Belau , Palau also spelled Pelew country in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of some 340 coral and volcanic islands perched on the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. The Palau archipelago lies in the southwest corner of Micronesia, with the Philippines 550 miles (885 km) to the west, New Guinea 400 miles (644 km) to the south, and Guam 830 miles (1,336 km) to the northeast. It reaches from latitude 2°55¢ to 8°12¢ N and from longitude 131°05¢ to 134°44¢ E. A huge barrier reef

Wychavon

2004-12-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Worcestershire, west-central England, in the southeastern part of the county. Most of the district is in the historic county of Worcestershire, but the area around Hinton and Childwickham and the parishes of Ashton-under-Hill and Kemerton belong the historic county of Gloucestershire. Wychavon district consists mostly of the

Discoglossidae

2004-12-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Discoglossid genera have been discovered from Jurassic deposits in Europe and represent some of the oldest frog fossils known. Included in the

Farm Management

2004-12-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Making and implementing of the decisions involved in organizing and operating a farm for maximum production and profit. Farm management draws on agricultural economics for information on prices, markets, agricultural policy, and economic institutions such as leasing and credit. It also draws on plant and animal sciences for information on soils, seed, and fertilizer,

Hypopituitarism

2004-12-24T03:21:00.000-08:00

Deficiency of pituitary secretions, caused by various forms of injury to or damage of the pituitary gland. Removal of the entire gland or deficiency of all pituitary secretions produces the condition known as panhypopituitarism, which is sometimes manifested as Simmonds' disease (q.v.).

Clanricarde, Ulick De Burgh, Marquess And 5th Earl Of

2004-12-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

The son of Richard, 4th earl of Clanricarde (created earl of St. Albans in 1628), Ulick de Burgh was summoned to the House of Lords as Lord Burgh in 1628 and succeeded to the earldom in 1635. On the outbreak of the Irish

Nicholas Of Verdun

2004-12-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

The altarpiece (1181) of the Abbey Church of Klosterneuburg, Austria, is his best known

Johansson, Ingemar

2004-12-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

As an amateur boxer Johansson was a member of the European Golden Gloves team in 1951 and the Swedish Olympic Games team in 1952. He won the European

Kermes

2004-12-19T04:05:00.000-08:00

Either the scale insect (Kermes ilicis) or the bright-red dye obtained from the dried bodies of these insects. The dye was often part of the tribute paid to conquering Roman armies, and, in the Middle Ages, landlords accepted it as payment for rent. The oldest known red dyestuff, resembling but inferior to cochineal, it was used by the early Egyptians.

Solti, Sir Georg

2004-12-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Solti studied at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály.