BlackChess

Henry I

2005-03-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Byname Henry The Fat, Spanish Enrique El Gordo, French Henri Le Gros king of Navarre (1270–74) and count (as Henry III) of Champagne. Henry was the youngest son of Theobald I of Navarre by Margaret of Foix. He succeeded his eldest brother, Theobald II (Thibaut V), in both kingdom and countship in December 1270. By his marriage (1269) to Blanche, daughter of Robert I of Artois and niece of Louis IX of France, he had one daughter, Joan, whom, by the

Devotio Moderna

2005-03-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Religious movement within Roman Catholicism from the end of the 14th to the 16th century stressing meditation and the inner life, attaching little importance to ritual and external works, and downgrading the highly speculative spirituality of the 13th and 14th centuries. Devotio moderna (Latin: “modern devotion”) originated in the Netherlands and spread to Germany, northern

Hetaera

2005-03-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

Greek Hetaira (Female Companion), one of a class of professional independent courtesans of ancient Greece who, besides developing physical beauty, cultivated their minds and talents to a degree far beyond that allowed to the average Attic woman. Usually living fashionably alone, or sometimes two or three together, the hetaerae enjoyed an enviable and respected position of wealth

Chan-chiang

2005-03-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

Originally Chan-chiang was a minor fishing port in the area dominated by the city of Hai-k'ang (Lei-chou), some 22 miles (35 km) to the southwest, and at one time harboured a notorious

David, Sir T(annatt) W(illiam) Edgeworth

2005-03-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

David served as assistant geologist for the government survey of New South Wales from 1882 until 1891, when he became professor of geology at the University of Sydney. A leader in the investigation of evidence on major glaciations of Australia

Clostridium

2005-03-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Genus of rod-shaped, usually gram-positive bacteria, members of which are found in soil, water, and the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Most species grow only in the complete absence of oxygen. Dormant cells are highly resistant to heat, dessication, and toxic chemicals and detergents. The species are variable in size. A typical species, C. butyricum, ranges

Czech Republic

2005-03-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

Czech Ceská Republika, landlocked country in central Europe. It comprises the historic lands of Bohemia and Moravia (collectively often called the Czech Lands) and the southwestern corner of Silesia. The modern Czech nation was inaugurated on Jan. 1, 1993, when the union with Slovakia, dating from 1918, was dissolved; the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia controlled the federal government from 1948 to

Tyrrhenian Sea

2005-03-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Latin Mare Tyrrhenum, Italian Mare Tirreno, arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the western coast of Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. It is connected with the Ligurian Sea (northwest) through the Tuscan Archipelago and with the Ionian Sea (southeast) through the Strait of Messina. Chief inlets of the sea include the Bay of Naples and the gulfs of Gaeta, Salerno, Policastro, and Sant'Eufemia.

Afghan Carpet

2005-03-12T02:24:00.000-08:00

Stout, long-wearing floor covering handwoven by the Afghan tribe of Turkmens of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Afghan carpets are generally all wool or goat hair and are made with the Senna (Sehna) knot. Usually in dull reds, these carpets show less white than the products of other Turkmens. Their gul, or basic tribal motif, is a large, parti-coloured, scalloped octagon

Judah Ha-levi

2005-03-12T01:10:00.000-08:00

Hebrew in full Yehuda Ben Shemuel ha-Levi Jewish poet and religious philosopher. His works were the culmination of the development of Hebrew poetry within the Arabic cultural sphere. Among his major works are the poems collected in Diwan, the “Zionide” poems celebrating Zion, and the Sefer ha-Kuzari (“Book of the Khazar”), presenting his philosophy of Judaism in dialogue

Zonguldak

2005-03-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Zonguldak il (province), northwestern Turkey, on the Black Sea coast. The well-equipped port is the main outlet for coal extracted from the basin between Zonguldak and Eregli. The city's development and rapid rise in population were associated with the growth of this coal industry after the mid-19th century. Mining was extensively developed by the government

Madiun Affair

2005-03-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

Communist rebellion against the Hatta-Sukarno government of Indonesia, which originated in Madiun, a town in eastern Java, in September 1948. The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) had been declared illegal by the Dutch following uprisings in 1926–27; it was officially reestablished on Oct. 21, 1945, when an independent Indonesia was proclaimed after World War II. The communists resumed

Azerbaijan

2005-03-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Azarbaijan , or Azarbayjan , Persian Azarbayjan, geographic region that comprises the extreme northwestern portion of Iran. It is bounded on the north by the Aras River, which separates it from independent Azerbaijan and Armenia; on the east by the Iranian region of Gilan and the Caspian Sea; on the south by the Iranian regions of Zanjan and Kordestan; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Azerbaijan is about 40,000 square miles

Telegraph, Printing telegraphs

2005-03-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

In 1903 the British inventor Donald Murray, following the ideas of Baudot, devised a time-division multiplex system for the British Post Office. The transmitter used a typewriter keyboard that punched tape, and the receiver printed text. He modified the Baudot Code by assigning code combinations with the fewest punched holes to the most frequently encountered letters

Denmark Strait

2005-03-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

Channel partially within the Arctic Circle, lying between Greenland (west) and Iceland (east). About 180 miles (290 km) wide at its narrowest point, the strait extends southward for 300 miles (483 km) from the Greenland Sea to the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The cold East Greenland Current flows southward along the west side of the strait and carries icebergs, which originate

Houston

2005-03-05T04:11:00.000-08:00

The first settlement in the area, Harrisburg (1826), was

Hudud, Al-

2005-03-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

Singular Al-hadd, in the Druze religion, five cosmic principles that are emanations from God, the One. Al-Hakim, the 11th-century Fatimid caliph of Egypt deified by the Druzes, stands at the centre of the universe as the embodiment of the One. Hamzah ibn 'Ali, a contemporary of al-Hakim, systematized the Druze religion and presented himself as the direct human link to the One; he then established a hierarchy

Norwegian Language

2005-03-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Norwegian Norsk, North Germanic language of the West Scandinavian branch, existing in two distinct and rival norms—Dano-Norwegian (Bokmål, or Riksmål) and New Norwegian (Nynorsk). Dano-Norwegian stems from the written Danish introduced during the union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1814). New Norwegian was created by the language scholar Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, primarily from the

Didot Family

2005-03-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

The founder of the family business was François Didot (1689–1757), who began business as a printer and bookseller in Paris in 1713. He was best known for publishing a 20-volume collection of the works of the Abbé Prévost. Didot's eldest son, François-Ambroise (1730–1804), altered

Jack-in-the-pulpit

2005-02-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Also called Indian Turnip, Bog Onion, Brown Dragon, or Starchwort (species Arisaema triphyllum), a North American plant of the arum family (Araceae), noted for the unusual shape of its flower. The plant is native to wet woodlands and thickets from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and southward to Florida and Texas. It is a stoutish perennial, 1 to 2.5 feet (0.3 to 0.8 m) high, and usually bears two long-stalked, three-parted leaves that overshadow the flower. The

Livingston, Henry Brockholst

2005-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Livingston joined the Continental Army at the age of 19 and saw action with Benedict Arnold and as an aide to General Philip John Schuyler and General Arthur St. Clair before accompanying his brother-in-law, John Jay, on his mission to solicit aid from Spain in 1779. On his return

National Army Museum

2005-02-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

The collections of the National Army Museum relate to all aspects of the British army from the Battle of Agincourt (1415) to the present day. They include material from the militia, yeomanry, volunteers,

Moncton

2005-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

The site, which was originally occupied by a Micmac Indian village, was settled by French Acadians after 1698. Subsequently, Pennsylvania Germans

Cavalcanti, Guido

2005-02-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

Born into an influential Florentine family of the Guelf (papal) party, Cavalcanti studied under the philosopher and scholar

Moncton

2005-02-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Any of several viruses in the herpes family (Herpesviridae), frequently involved in human infection. The virus is so named for the enlarged cells produced by active infections; these cells are characterized by the inclusion of foreign matter, especially in the nucleus. Cytomegalovirus, which is transmitted by sexual contact or exposure to infected body fluids,

West Flanders

2005-02-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

Drained

Puertollano

2005-02-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

City, Ciudad Real provincia, in the autonomous community (region) of Castile-La Mancha, south central Spain, just south-southwest of Ciudad Real city. Located on the Madrid–Ciudad Real–Mérida railway with rich coal, iron, lead, manganese, and copper pyrite mines in the vicinity, Puertollano's population has tripled in the 20th century. The mines form the basis of important

Mcphatter, Clyde

2005-02-20T02:14:00.000-08:00

One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, McPhatter grew up in a devout Christian family that moved from North Carolina to New Jersey in the mid-1940s. There, together with some high school friends (including two of author James

Porirua

2005-02-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

City, Wellington local government region, southern North Island, New Zealand. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) north of Wellington city, at the head of Porirua Harbour. The earliest inhabitants were aboriginal moa hunters in the 12th century. European whalers and traders occupied nearby Mana Island from 1832 to 1834, and in 1836 a permanent whaling station was built near Porirua. The city

Ibn An-nafis

2005-02-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

In full 'Ala' ad-Din Abu al-'Ala' 'Ali ibn Abi al-Haram al-Qurayshi ad-Dimashqi ibn an-Nafis Arab physician who first described the pulmonary circulation of the blood. In finding that the wall between the right and left ventricles of the heart is solid and without pores, he disputed Galen's view that the blood passes directly from the right to the left side of the heart. Ibn an-Nafis correctly stated that the blood must pass from the right ventricle to the left

Daniel Romanovich

2005-02-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Son of Prince Roman Mstislavich, Daniel was only four years old when his father, who had united Galicia and Volhynia, died in a battle against the Poles (1205). Not until 1221 did Daniel begin to overthrow other pretenders

China, The Wu-tai (Five Dynasties)

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

None of the Wu-tai regimes that dominated North China ever forgot the ideal of the unified empire. Each sought, with gradually increasing success, to strengthen the power of the central authorities. Even Chu Wen, who began the Wu-tai by deposing the last T'ang emperor in 907, sought to extend his control in the north. While consolidating his strength on the strategic plains

Literature, Canada

2005-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

The past—personal, historical, and imaginary—was the chosen ground for many Canadian novels in 2001, ranging from Nega Mezlekia's exploration of precolonial Africa from a postcolonial perspective in The God Who Begat a Jackal to Robert Hough's 20th-century circus saga about a tiger-taming woman, The Final Confession

Moravia, Alberto

2005-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Moravia contracted tuberculosis of the bone (a form of osteomyelitis usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis) at the age of 8, but, during several

Acari

2005-02-14T01:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Acarida, or Acarina, subclass of the arthropod class Arachnida that includes the mites and ticks. The acarids may be separated into three orders, Opilioacariformes, Parasitiformes, and Acariformes, consisting of six suborders and about 428 families.

Henner, Jean-jacques

2005-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Henner studied at Strasbourg and at the École des Beaux-Arts (“School of Fine

Molde

2005-02-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. It lies along Molde Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea. A port since the 15th century, Molde was partially destroyed by fire in 1916, damaged during World War II, then rebuilt completely. During April 1940 it was the temporary home of the Norwegian government. Local industry includes fish export, textile mills, and furniture

Qafsah

2005-02-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gafsa, Latin Capsa, town, west-central Tunisia. The ancient name of the locality is applied to the Mesolithic Capsian industry (here dated about 6250 BC) of the earliest inhabitants. The original Numidian town was destroyed (106 BC) by the Romans; it was rebuilt later by Trajan and was then successively a centre of Byzantine, Arab, Berber, and Ottoman rulers. Qafsah is a noted irrigated fruit-growing oasis

Saladin

2005-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

Saladin was born into a prominent Kurdish

Gyllenborg, Gustaf Fredrik, Greve (count)

2005-02-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

Swedish poet known for his satirical and reflective poetry. Although members of his family were prominent in political life, as a courtier he took no part in politics and attacked the weaknesses of modern society in the spirit of the French Romantic philosopher Rousseau in such poems as “Verldsföraktaren

Ghi

2005-02-07T01:37:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. See butterfat.

Masan

2005-02-06T03:15:00.000-08:00

City, Kyongsang-nam do (province), southeastern South Korea. It is located on Masan Bay, across from Chinhae Bay, 22 miles (35 km) west of Pusan, with which it is connected by rail and road. After 1899 Masan developed as an open port, but it was closed in 1908 because it lay in a fortified naval zone. Masan's port was opened again in 1967. The city is the market centre for agricultural products from the

Marechera, Dambudzo

2005-02-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

Marechera grew up in poverty. He reacted against his upbringing and adopted an increasingly self-destructive lifestyle. He studied at the

Swabia

2005-02-03T04:13:00.000-08:00

Swabia's name is derived from that of the Suebi, a Germanic people who, with the Alemanni, occupied the upper Rhine and upper Danube region in the 3rd century

Maceió

2005-02-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

Capital, Alagoas estado (“state”), northeastern Brazil. It is situated below low bluffs on a level strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Norte (or Mundaú) Lagoon, a shallow body of water extending inward for several miles. Formerly called Macayo, the city dates from 1815, when a small settlement there was made a villa. In 1839 it became capital of Alagoas (then a provincia) and

Swabia

2005-01-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Extinct aquatic lizards that attained a high degree of adaptation to the marine environment and were distributed worldwide during the Cretaceous Period (144 million to 65 million years ago). The mosasaurs competed with other marine reptiles—the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs—for food, which consisted largely of ammonoids, fish, and cuttlefish. Many mosasaurs of the

'aqqad, 'abbas Mahmud Al-

2005-01-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

Born in modest circumstances, al-'Aqqad continued his education through reading when his formal schooling was cut short. He supported himself throughout most of his career by writing. An outspoken political commentator, he was

Conscience, Hendrik

2005-01-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

Conscience's father was French, his mother Flemish. He spent some of his early years as an assistant teacher (1828–30), took part in the uprising of July 1830 (which resulted in the independence of Belgium), and served in

Kogalniceanu, Mihail

2005-01-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

In 1840 Kogalniceanu undertook the publication of a national literary review (Dacia literara) and a scientific

Kogalniceanu, Mihail

2005-01-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

Usually about 18 metres (60 feet) tall but occasionally reaching 40 m, the tree has ovate, dark-green, sharp-pointed leaves about 10 centimetres long. The bark, brown at first, whitens and peels into paper-thin layers, marked by narrow horizontal pores, or lenticels. On the copper-coloured

Rabassa, Gregory

2005-01-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

Rabassa graduated from Columbia University (Ph.D., 1954) and taught

Hardy, Alexandre

2005-01-19T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hardy was a hired poet for troupes of actors both in the provinces and in Paris. His works were widely admired in court circles, where he wrote for royal companies. The actors who bought his plays rarely allowed him to publish them, and fewer

Arraignment

2005-01-18T08:04:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American law, first encounter of an accused person with the court prior to trial, wherein he is brought to the bar and the charges against him are read. The accused usually enters a plea of guilt or innocence. If he chooses not to plead, a plea of not guilty will be entered for him. A guilty plea will usually result in the case's being handed over for judgment. Sometimes

Balash

2005-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Valakhsh Sasanian king (reigned 484–488), succeeding his brother Firuz I. Soon after he ascended the throne, Balash was threatened by the dominance of invading Hephthalites, a nomadic eastern tribe. Supported by Zarmihr, a feudal chief, Balash suppressed an uprising by his rebel brother Zareh. Later, however, he was abandoned by Zarmihr, and shortly afterward he was deposed and blinded.

Hawrani, Akram Al-

2005-01-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

Hawrani's radical orientation had its roots in direct personal experience rather than in intellectual reflection. He resented the large landlords' exploitation of the Syrian peasantry and strove to rouse

Fry, Elizabeth

2005-01-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a wealthy Quaker banker and merchant, she married (1800) Joseph Fry, a London merchant, and combined her work with the care of a

Price, Leontyne

2005-01-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Both of Price's grandfathers had been Methodist ministers in black churches in Mississippi, and she sang in her church choir as a girl. Only when she graduated from the College of Education and Industrial Arts (now Central State College) in

Dandruff

2005-01-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Skin disorder, a form of seborrheic dermatitis (q.v.) that affects the scalp.

Hesychasm

2005-01-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

In Eastern Christianity, type of monastic life in which practitioners seek divine quietness (Greek hesychia) through the contemplation of God in uninterrupted prayer. Such prayer, involving the entire human being—soul, mind, and body—is often called “pure,” or “intellectual,” prayer or the Jesus prayer. St. John Climacus, one of the greatest writers of the Hesychast tradition,

Benedict I

2005-01-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Little is known about his life. He was elected to succeed John III, probably just after the latter's death (July 574), but was not consecrated until June 575, so that the see of Rome was vacant for almost 11 months. He consecrated 21 bishops during his pontificate and granted the Massa Veneris, an estate near Minturnae (near modern Minturo, Italy), to Abbot Stephen

Cosin, John

2005-01-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

Cosin was named a chaplain of Durham Cathedral (1619) and subsequently wrote the famed Collection of Private

Clambake

2004-12-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Seafood picnic traditional in the New England region of the United States. Early settlers on the Atlantic Coast adopted and elaborated the practice from the coastal Indians, who steamed shellfish over hot stones under a covering of seaweed. Clambakes, best undertaken on a large scale, have long been a feature of civic and fraternal celebrations in areas where clams,

Graham, Isabella Marshall

2004-12-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

Isabella Marshall grew up in Elderslie, near Paisley, Scotland, in a religious family and received a good education. In 1765 she married John Graham, an army surgeon

Arts, Central Asian, Sculpture and painting

2004-12-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Combinations of Hindu and Buddhist iconography came about easily, though there is something facile about them, a smoothness found also in the form of the Nepalese images, which lack the surging dynamism of Indian form. Characteristic of the Nepalese transformation of Indian styles is a loss of depth but a gain in grace. Suavity of line, temperance of modelling, tonal

East Dereham

2004-12-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Dereham town, Breckland district, administrative and historic county of Norfolk, England, 16 miles (26 km) west-northwest of Norwich. The site of a 7th-century Christian convent, it was destroyed by invading Danes. The parish church, dating from the 12th century, contains painted Perpendicular-style ceilings, the former tomb of the church's presumed 7th-century founder, St. Withburga (in

Euclidean Geometry, Homotheties

2004-12-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

If two nonconcentric circles have centres A, B and unequal radii r, s, there are points I, E with [AIB], AI | IB ~ AE | EB ~ r | s. In consequence, the

Forced Labour

2004-12-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

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

David Ii

2004-12-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

On July 17, 1328, in accordance with the Anglo-Scottish peace treaty of Northampton,

Robert, Hubert

2004-12-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

Robert went to Rome (1754), was elected to the French Academy there, and became a friend and associate of the renowned etcher of architectural subjects Giambattista Piranesi. In 1759 he joined Abbé

Mabillon, Jean

2004-12-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

T. Ruinart, Abrégé de la vie de D.J.M. (1709), reprinted in 1933 as Mabillon; Henri Leclercq, Life, 2 vol. (1953–57); J.U. Bergkamp, Dom Jean Mabillon and the Benedictine Historical School of Saint-Maur (1928).

Earth

2004-12-13T04:24:00.000-08:00

Scientists have applied the full battery of modern instrumentation to studying the Earth in ways that have not yet been possible for the other planets; thus,

Anderson, Dame Judith

2004-12-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

Anderson was only 17 years old when she made her stage debut in 1915 in Sydney and 20 when she first appeared in New York City. After her first major success in New York in 1924 in Cobra, she went on to appear as Nina Leeds in Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude (1928) and as Lavinia in O'Neill's

Mason, Bobbie Ann

2004-12-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

Mason was reared on a dairy farm and first experienced life outside rural Kentucky when she traveled throughout the Midwest as the teenage president of the fan club for a pop quartet, the Hilltoppers. She graduated from the University of Kentucky, Lexington

Thaw, John Edward

2004-12-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

British actor (b. Jan. 3, 1942, Manchester, Eng.—d. Feb. 21, 2002, Luckington, Wiltshire, Eng.), was a respected actor who starred in several British television series but achieved international recognition for one of his roles—the crusty, cerebral Chief Inspector Morse, the title character in a series of 33 two-part dramas based on the novels of British detective writer Colin Dexter. Thaw trained

Brazil, Guiana Highlands

2004-12-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Brazil shares the rugged Guiana Highlands with Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Forested mesas and mountain ranges, scenic waterfalls, and white-water rivers characterize the area. The highest point in Brazil is Neblina Peak, which reaches 9,888 feet (3,014 metres) along the Venezuelan border in the Serra do Imeri. The Serra da Pacaraima, farther east, rises to 9,094 feet

Aids

2004-12-02T00:18:00.000-08:00

Byname of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome transmissible disease of the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV slowly attacks and destroys the immune system, the body's defense against infection, leaving an individual vulnerable to a variety of other infections and certain malignancies that eventually cause death. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, during which time

Anastasius The Librarian

2004-11-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

Related to an Italian bishop, Anastasius became cardinal priest of the Church of St. Marcellus, Rome, about 848, after gaining prominence as a Greek scholar. Deposed in 853 because of political activity, he stood for a short time as antipope to Benedict III (855–858). After

Osasco

2004-11-28T01:04:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. Located at 2,360 feet (720 m) above sea level, Osasco lies along the Tietê River. It is 12 miles (20 km) northwest of São Paulo city, the state capital, and is part of its metropolitan area. Osasco has experienced extremely rapid growth owing to the increasing concentration of heavy industry in the suburban regions of São Paulo, bringing

1927, Generation Of

2004-11-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Spanish Generación Del 1927, in Spain, a group of poets and other writers who rose to prominence in the late 1920s and who derived their collective name from the year in which several of them produced important commemorative editions of the poetry of Luis de Góngora y Argote on the tercentenary of his death. In contrast to the earlier Generation of '98, most of whom were prose writers, the members of the

Gauging Station

2004-11-25T04:42:00.000-08:00

Site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of gauge height (water level) or discharge are obtained. From the continuous records obtained at these stations, hydrologists make predictions and decisions concerning water level, flood activity and control, navigation, and the like. Among the measuring devices used are a staff gauge, which

Hackensack

2004-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1713) of Bergen county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S., on the Hackensack River, just west of the Hudson River and Manhattan Island, New York City. Originally settled by the Dutch in the 1640s, who called it New Barbadoes, it was taken by the English in 1688 but retained its Dutch imprint. In 1921 it was renamed Hackensack, supposedly derived from the Ackinchesacky, or Ackenack, one of

Murmansk

2004-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1917) Romanov-na-murmane, seaport and centre of Murmansk oblast (administrative region), northwestern Russia, lying 125 mi (200 km) north of the Arctic Circle, and on the eastern shore of Kola Bay, 30 mi from the ice-free Barents Sea. The town, founded in 1915 as a supply port in World War I, was a base for the British, French, and American expeditionary forces against the Bolsheviks in 1918. In World War II Murmansk served

Fairbairn, Stephen

2004-11-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

As a coach at Cambridge

Moldavia

2004-11-16T03:33:00.000-08:00

Romanian Moldova , Turkish Bogdan principality on the lower Danube River that joined Walachia to form the nation of Romania in 1859. Its name was taken from the Moldovo River. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by a group of Vlachs, led by Dragos, who emigrated southward from Maramures in the Hungarian-controlled Carpathian Mountains. About 1349 Moldavia achieved its independence under its prince,

Muhammad

2004-11-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

In full Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim founder of the religion of Islam and of the Muslim community.

Extinguisher Moss

2004-11-12T00:17:00.000-08:00

Any of the plants of the genus Encalypta (order Bryales), which form large tufts on limestone rocks, ledges, and walls. About eight species are native to North America. They are usually 1 to 3 cm (0.4 to 1.2 inches) tall, with erect capsules (spore cases) borne on setae (stalks) about 5 to 10 mm (0.2 to 0.4 inches) long. The calyptra (hoodlike covering) of each capsule resembles a candle snuffer, or extinguisher,

Cohn, Edwin Joseph

2004-11-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Cohn received his Ph.D.

Yamal Peninsula

2004-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Russian Poluostrov Yamal, lowland region in northwestern Siberia, west-central Russia, bounded on the west by the Kara Sea and Baydarata Bay, on the east and southeast by the Gulf of Ob, and on the north by the Malygina Strait. The peninsula has a total length of 435 miles (700 km), a maximum width of 150 miles (240 km), and an area of 47,100 square miles (122,000 square km). The coasts of Yamal are mainly low-lying and sandy, whereas the inland

Chasles, Michel

2004-11-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

French mathematician who, independently of the Swiss German mathematician Jakob Steiner, elaborated on the theory of modern projective geometry, the study of the properties of a geometric line or other plane figure that remain unchanged when the figure is projected onto a plane from a point not on either the plane or the

Andes Mountains

2004-11-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

The Andes consist of a vast series of extremely high plateaus surmounted by even higher peaks that form an unbroken rampart over a distance of some 5,500 miles (8,900 kilometres)—from the southern tip of South America to the continent's northernmost coast on the Caribbean. They separate a narrow

Mills, Florence

2004-11-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Born into poverty, Mills early demonstrated a talent for singing and dancing. Under the name “Baby Florence,” she

Würzburg

2004-11-01T03:40:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Bavaria Land (state), south-central Germany. It lies along the canalized Main River. The site of a Celtic settlement, it was first mentioned as Virteburch in 704. A bishopric was established there by St. Boniface in 741/742, and the bishops had acquired ducal authority over eastern Franconia by the 12th century. Repeated revolts against the power of the bishops resulted

Medicine, Levels of health care

2004-10-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

In the curative domain there are various forms of medical practice. They may be thought of generally as forming a pyramidal structure, with three tiers representing increasing degrees of specialization and technical sophistication but catering to diminishing numbers of patients as they are filtered out of the system at a lower level. Only those patients who

Lévi, Sylvain

2004-10-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Appointed a lecturer at the school of higher studies in Paris (1886), he taught Sanskrit at the Sorbonne (1889–94) and wrote his doctoral dissertation, Le Théâtre indien (1890; “The Indian Theatre”), which became a standard treatise on

Black Hand

2004-10-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

Italian Mano Nera, any of several extortion rackets run by immigrant Sicilian and Italian gangsters in the Italian communities of New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas City, and other U.S. cities from about 1890 to 1920. It consisted of sending threatening notes to local merchants and other well-to-do persons—notes printed with black hands, daggers, or other menacing symbols and extorting

Seven Days' Battles

2004-10-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

(June 25–July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General George B. McClellan's Union forces and thwarted the Northern attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. McClellan was forced to retreat from a position 4 miles (6 km) east of the Confederate capital to a new base of operations at Harrison's

Shield Fern

2004-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Also called wood fern any member of the fern genus Dryopteris, in the family Aspleniaceae. The genus has about 150 species with worldwide distribution, and it is placed in the family Aspidiaceae in some classification systems. Shield ferns are medium-sized woodland plants with bright-green, leathery leaves that are several times divided. They have numerous round spore clusters (sori) attached

Ardhanarisvara

2004-10-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

(Sanskrit: Lord Who Is Half Woman), composite male–female figure of the Hindu god Siva, together with his consort Parvati. As seen in many beautiful Indian and Southeast Asian sculptures, the right (male) half of the figure is adorned with the traditional ornaments of Siva. Half of the hair is piled in a hairdress of matted locks, half of a third eye is visible on the forehead, a tiger

Zacatecoluca

2004-10-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

City, southern El Salvador. It lies in the Lempa River Valley, at the foot of San Vicente Volcano. A commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural area, it also trades in cotton goods, baskets, salt, and lumber and produces cement. An earthquake in 1932 caused severe damage to the city. Zacatecoluca was the birthplace of José Simeón Cañas, who fought successfully to end

Ahidjo, Ahmadou

2004-10-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

A Muslim from the northern part of Cameroon, Ahidjo was