ColdCup

Interlochen

2005-04-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Interlochen is best known as the home of the Interlochen

Italy

2005-04-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

Officially Italian Republic , Italian Italia or Repubblica Italiana country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a shape that has been likened frequently to a high-heeled boot about to prod its triangular subject island of Sicily. Another important island, Sardinia, lies some 160 miles (260 kilometres) west of Italy's “shin.” The magnificent mountain barrier of the Alps forms a northern

International Law, Antarctica

2005-04-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Amortization

2005-04-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

An example of the first meaning is a mortgage on a home, which may be repaid in monthly installments that include interest and a gradual reduction of the principal obligation. Such systematic annual reduction increases the safety factor

Far'ah, Tall Al-

2005-04-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient site in southwestern Palestine, located on the Wadi Ghazzah near Tall al-'Ajjul, in modern Israel. The site was excavated between 1928 and 1930 by British archaeologists in Egypt under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie, who identified the site as Beth-pelet. Other scholars, however, are probably correct in their belief that the site is instead ancient Sharuhen, an

Silcrete

2005-04-02T01:19:00.000-08:00

Silica-rich duricrust, an indurated, or hardened, layer in or on a soil. It generally occurs in a hot, arid climate where infrequent waterlogging causes silica to dissolve and be redeposited to cement soil grains together. Silcrete is extremely hard and resistant to weathering and erosion but eventually weathers spheroidally to produce boulders and angular fragments.

Loches

2005-03-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

Town, Indre-et-Loire département, Centre region, west central France, southeast of Tours, on the left bank of the Indre River. The town is dominated by the medieval citadel, which is surrounded by 1.5 mi (2 km) of old walls. It embraces three separate buildings: the Royal Lodge (mainly 15th century), the Collégiale Saint-Ours (10th–11th century), and a ruined fortress with an 11th-century keep

Rush, William

2005-03-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

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

Lomas De Zamora

2005-03-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

Cabecera (county seat) and partido (county) of Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Arg. It lies immediately south of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia. The name and origin of the partido and cabecera date from the late 16th century, when Juan de Zamora, one of the founders of Buenos Aires, was granted a large landholding on the lomas (“slopes”) in the vicinity. In 1861 the partido

Wiesenthal, Simon

2005-03-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

Wiesenthal received a degree in architectural engineering from the Technical University of Prague

Interference

2005-03-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

If two of the components are of the same frequency and phase (i.e., they vibrate at the same rate and are maximum at the same time), the wave

Mademoiselle

2005-03-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

As an honorific title in the French royal court, it came to be used (without the adjunction of a proper name) to refer to or address the daughter of the king's eldest living brother, who was himself called monsieur. The first to be called mademoiselle was

Pausanias

2005-03-28T01:25:00.000-08:00

Before visiting Greece, Pausanias had traveled widely in Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Macedonia, Epirus (now in Greece and Albania), and parts of Italy. His Description takes the form of a tour of Greece starting from Attica.

Boeotia

2005-03-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Voiotía district of ancient Greece with a distinctive military, artistic, and political history. It corresponds somewhat to the modern nomós (department) of Boeotia, the administrative centre of which is Levádhia. The nomós extends farther to the northwest, however, to include part of ancient Phocis (Fokís). It is bounded by Attica (Attikí; southeast), the Gulf of Corinth (south),

Calvus, Gaius Licinius Macer

2005-03-27T02:14:00.000-08:00

Calvus was a son of the annalist Licinius Macer. As an orator he was the leader of a group who opposed the florid Asiatic school, taking the simplest Attic orators as their model. Of his speeches, 21 are mentioned, the most famous being those delivered against Publius Vatinius,

Hydatidiform Mole

2005-03-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

In human pregnancy, abnormal growth of the chorion, the outermost vascular membrane that in a normal pregnancy would enclose the embryo and ultimately give rise to the placenta. In the situation in which the hydatidiform mole develops, the embryo is usually either absent or dead. The mole, a collection of sacs (cysts) containing a jellylike substance, resembles clusters

Wairakite

2005-03-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hydrated calcium aluminosilicate mineral present in hot-spring deposits, notably those at Wairakei, New Zealand, and Onikobe, Japan. Like analcite, wairakite has been assigned to two mineral families: it is regarded as a feldspathoid because of its chemical properties, molecular structure, and mode of formation but as a zeolite because of its ion-exchange and reversible

Jian

2005-03-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

The jian, which has a simple silhouette, is supported upon a narrow ring base. It has two or four ring handles that freely hang from slightly modeled monster masks (taotie). The decoration of the jian characteristic of the late Zhou dynasty (c. 600–256/255 BC), from which the

Grace

2005-03-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

In Christian theology, the spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favour in the salvation of sinners, and the divine influence operating in man for his regeneration and sanctification. The English term is the usual translation for the Greek charis, which occurs in the New Testament about 150 times (two-thirds of these in writings attributed to Paul). Although the word

Tetraodontiform, Feeding habits

2005-03-24T02:25:00.000-08:00

As one would suspect from their usually well-developed and massive dentition, often with the teeth fused together in a parrotlike beak, most tetraodontiforms feed on hard-shelled crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. But some, with massive, crushing jaws and teeth, such as the ocean sunfishes, often feed extensively on such soft-bodied invertebrates as jellyfishes

Atkins, Chet

2005-03-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Born into a musical family, Atkins began playing the guitar as a child and during his teen years performed professionally as a fiddler. By the late 1940s he had become a sought-after

Beethoven, Ludwig, Van, Wider recognition

2005-03-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

In 1810 E.T.A. Hoffmann in Berlin produced an appreciation of the Fifth Symphony, which undoubtedly did much to launch that work on its triumphant career throughout the world and, above all, to interest the Romantics in its composer. The same year, Beethoven made the acquaintance of the writer Bettina Brentano, the sister of the German poet and novelist Clemens Brentano

Byrd, William, Of Westover

2005-03-21T03:53:00.000-08:00

His birthplace was the James River plantation home of his father, also named William Byrd, an Indian trader and slave importer. The boy went to school in England, travelled in Holland, and studied law in the Middle Temple, London.

Jam Master Jay

2005-03-21T00:37:00.000-08:00

American rap musician and producer (b. Jan. 21, 1965, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 30, 2002, New York City), was a member of Run-D.M.C., the first rap group to attract a worldwide audience. Jam Master Jay teamed with Joe (“Run”) Simmons and Darryl (“D.M.C.”) McDaniels to form the group in the early 1980s. The trio's debut album, Run-D.M.C. (1984), featuring the hit singles “It's like That” and “Sucker MCs,” became the first rap album to attain gold

Responsory

2005-03-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

Also called respond plainchant melody and text originally sung responsorially—i.e., by alternating choir and soloist or soloists. Responsorial singing of the psalms was adopted into early Christian worship from Jewish liturgical practice. Most frequently the congregation sang a short refrain, such as Amen or Alleluia, between psalm verses sung by a cantor. As medieval plainchant

Magnoliales

2005-03-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

Magnolia order of dicotyledonous flowering plants, a division of the subclass Magnoliidae. The order, which is generally regarded as including the most primitive angiosperms, contains 10 families, 181 genera, and about 3,050 species. All are woody shrubs, climbers, or trees. The families are Winteraceae, Degeneriaceae, Himantandraceae, Eupomatiaceae, Austrobaileyaceae, Magnoliaceae,

Columbus

2005-03-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

City, Bartholomew county, south-central Indiana, U.S., on the East Fork of White River, 45 miles (72 km) south of Indianapolis. Founded in 1821 as the county seat, it was named Tiptonia for General John Tipton, who had donated land, but a month later it was renamed Columbus. A diversified industrial community surrounded by productive prairie land, it is known for its modern architecture,

Poznan

2005-03-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Beginning as a small stronghold in the 9th century, Poznan became the capital of Poland (with Gniezno) and the residence of Poland's first two sovereigns. The first Polish cathedral was erected there

The Revolution

2005-03-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

A scant three years after the end of the Civil War, the United States was embroiled in the issue of suffrage for African-American men, and many suffragists—notably those who formed the American

Reston

2005-03-17T02:04:00.000-08:00

Urban community, in Fairfax county, northeastern Virginia, U.S. It lies adjacent to Herndon, 22 miles (35 km) west-northwest of Washington, D.C. The community was developed after 1962 by Robert E. Simon, whose initials form the first syllable of its name; it opened in 1965. Reston, an original concept in urban planning, consists of a number of villages (separated by woodland tracts), each with

China, The Szechwan Basin

2005-03-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

This basin (also known as the Red Basin) is one of the most attractive geographical regions of China. The basin is surrounded by mountains, which are higher in the west and north. Protected against the penetration of cold northern winds, the basin is much warmer in the winter than are the more southerly plains of southeast China. Except for the Ch'eng-tu Plain, the region

Moley, Raymond (charles)

2005-03-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College in his hometown, Moley took a job as superintendent of schools at Olmstead Falls, Ohio. He then attended Oberlin College, where he received his master's degree in

Aquatic Locomotion

2005-03-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

Free-swimming locomotion is found in animals ranging from protozoans to whales. For effective swimming the animal controls its buoyancy and has a propulsion system able to compete with the resistance of water movements. Many invertebrates

Garden And Landscape Design, Rhythm and balance

2005-03-15T16:34:00.000-08:00

Rhythm and balance result from the three-dimensional arrangement of elements and materials on the site. Rhythm is a sequence or repetition of similar elements—as a double row of trees. It tends to emphasize direction and movement, as along an allée toward a viewpoint or terminus. Balance is the sense one gets, looking in any direction, that the elements to one's left

Buddhism, Sautrantika/Satyasiddhi

2005-03-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

The Sautrantika school is so named (sutra plus anta, “end”) because it gave preeminence to the sutra portion of the canon. Its followers trace their school back to Ananda, a close disciple of the Buddha. For them, the karmic factors (samskara) are insubstantial and momentary, disappearing as soon as they have been manifested only to reappear again to give rise to a new aggregate.

World War I, Technology of war in 1914

2005-03-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

The planning and conduct of war in 1914 were crucially influenced by the invention of new weapons and the improvement of existing types since the Franco-German War of 1870–71. The chief developments of the intervening period had been the machine gun and the rapid-fire field artillery gun. The modern machine gun, which had been developed in the 1880s and '90s, was a reliable belt-fed gun

Guzmania

2005-03-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

Guzmania leaves are stiff, often stemless or short-stemmed,

Uighur Language

2005-03-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Also called New-uighur, member of the Turkic subfamily of the Altaic language family, spoken by Uighurs in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang of northwestern China and in portions of Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The modern Uighur language, which was based on the Taranchi dialect spoken in Russia prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917, is classified with Uzbek in the southeastern

Fain, Agathon-jean-françois, Baron

2005-03-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Before his appointment to the emperor's cabinet in 1806, Fain had worked since 1795 in various state archives. Napoleon made him a baron in

Mola

2005-03-12T03:09:00.000-08:00

The mola (Mola mola; see photograph) is an enormous, gray or brownish

Culver City

2005-03-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, California, U.S. Part of Rancho La Ballona, it was laid out in 1914 by Harry H. Culver and promoted as a site for motion-picture production, becoming the home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hal Roach studios. Television shows were produced at what were the Desilu and before that the RKO studios. Petroleum, aircraft, and electronic industries are the other

Liquid

2005-03-11T01:36:00.000-08:00

In physics, one of the three principal states of matter, intermediate between gas and crystalline solid.

Actinomycete

2005-03-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

Any member of a heterogeneous group of gram-positive, generally anaerobic bacteria noted for a filamentous and branching growth pattern that results, in most forms, in an extensive colony, or mycelium. The mycelium in some species may break apart to form rod- or coccoid-shaped forms. Many genera also form spores; the sporangia, or spore cases, may be found on aerial hyphae,

Back Swimmer

2005-03-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Any insect of the family Notonectidae (order Heteroptera), containing approximately 200 species. These relatively small insects occur worldwide. Most are less than 15 mm (0.6 inch) in length. Their long, oarlike legs are used when they swim on their backs, which are shaped like the keel and sides of a boat. The back swimmer has an oval head and an elongated body. It is a good example

Capital Punishment

2005-03-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

Also called death penalty execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law. The term death penalty is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment, though imposition of the penalty is not always followed by execution

Kaduna

2005-03-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Kaduna state, north-central Nigeria. It lies along the Kaduna River, which is a major tributary of the Niger River. Sir Frederick (later Lord) Lugard, the first British governor of Northern Nigeria, selected the present site along the Lagos-Kano Railway for a town, and building began in 1913. In 1917 Kaduna (a Hausa word for “crocodiles”) replaced Zungeru, 100 miles (160 km) west-southwest,

Dumka

2005-03-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Also called Naga Dumka town, east-central Bihar state, northeastern India, east of the Mor River. It is a road junction and major agricultural-trade centre. A weekly cattle mart is held. There is a college affiliated with Bhagalpur University. Dumka was constituted a municipality in 1903. Pop. (1981) 31,068.

False Bay

2005-03-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Valsbaai, bay on the south side of Cape Peninsula, South Africa, 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Cape Town. Cape Hangklip (east) and Cape Point (west) are about 20 mi apart. Its name refers to the fact that early sailors confused the bay with Table Bay to the north. It is well sheltered, though experiencing southeasterly winds in summer; and its waters are approximately 10° F (5.5° C) warmer than those of Table

La Grande

2005-03-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1905) of Union county, northeastern Oregon, U.S., between the Blue Mountains (west) and Wallowa Mountains (east), on the Grande Ronde River. The region was once roamed by Umatilla Indians. The city was founded in 1864 as a way station along the Oregon Trail. It developed as a shipping centre for ores, timber, and cattle; the cattle and lumber industries remain the economic mainstays

Wright, Judith

2005-03-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

After completing her education at the University of Sydney, Wright worked in an advertising agency and as a secretary at the University of Queensland, where she helped publish Meanjin, a literary

Scandinavian Literature, Swedish poetry and prose

2005-03-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

In the first half of the 17th century, Swedish literature remained limited in scope and quantity. A unique contribution, however, was made by Lars Wivallius, whose lyrics revealed a feeling for nature new to Swedish poetry. With its intervention in the Thirty Years' War, Sweden established itself as a European power, and this led to a development of national pride and culture,

Yamana Mochitoyo

2005-03-05T23:49:00.000-08:00

Yamana's attempts to increase his family's rank and influence brought him into conflict with a rival clan in eastern Japan and resulted in the Onin War (1467–77), which was followed by a century of internecine strife. As a Buddhist monk, he took the name Sozen, and, because of his quick temper

Aids

2005-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

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

Spurgeon, C.h.

2005-03-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Reared a Congregationalist, Spurgeon became a Baptist in 1850 and, the same year, at 16, preached his first sermon. In 1852 he became minister at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire,

Spoonbill

2005-03-04T03:41:00.000-08:00

Any member of six species of long-legged wading birds that constitute the subfamily Plataleinae of the family Threskiornithidae (order Ciconiiformes), which also includes the ibises. Spoonbills are found in estuaries, saltwater bayous, and lakes. They feed by sweeping the long bill from side to side in the mud or shallow water and thereby catching mostly small fishes

Spotted Turtle

2005-03-04T03:34:00.000-08:00

The spotted

Dependent States

2005-03-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Puerto Rico's largest bank was fined $21.6 million in January 2003 by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly having allowed millions of dollars in drug money to be laundered because of a failure to report suspicious activities to the authorities. The head of the Cayman Islands' Financial Reporting Unit, Brian Gibbs, resigned

Cumberland River

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

River formed on the Cumberland Plateau by the confluence of Poor and Clover forks in Harlan county, southern Kentucky, U.S. Looping through northern Tennessee, it joins the Ohio River after a course of 687 miles (1,106 km) at Smithland, Ky., 12 miles (19 km) upstream from the mouth of the Tennessee River. From its headwaters to the Cumberland (or Great) Falls, in Whitley county, Ky. (site of a state

Miranda, Francisco De

2005-03-02T05:28:00.000-08:00

Educated in Caracas, Miranda purchased

Both, Pieter

2005-03-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

After sailing as an admiral in the Indies (1599–1601), he was sent in November 1609 to govern the colony, with instructions to see to it that the Netherlands had the entire monopoly of the trade with the islands and that no other nation had any share whatever. He

Italian Literature, Poetry

2005-03-01T05:42:00.000-08:00

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

Sales Tax

2005-02-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Levy imposed upon the sale of goods and services. A sales tax levied on the manufacture, purchase, sale, or consumption of a specific type of commodity is known as an excise tax. American terminology in this matter tends to differ from that used in the United Kingdom and former British colonies, however. In the United States, excises apply to imports as well as to domestic

Drang Nach Osten

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

The medieval Drang nach Osten was part

Holbein, Hans, The Elder

2005-02-28T03:37:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known of Holbein's early life and training, but he was married and established as a

Zamora

2005-02-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

Capital of Zamora province, in the autonomous community (region) of Castile-León, northwestern Spain. It lies along the northern bank of the Duero (Portuguese Douro) River, northwest of Madrid. The city occupies a rocky height overlooking the Duero, a little below its confluence with the Valderaduey River. In the early period of the Christian reconquest (8th–11th century)

Kamarhati

2005-02-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

City, east-central West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just east of the Hooghly River and is part of the Calcutta urban agglomeration. The city's major industries include jute and cotton milling, leather tanning, and the manufacture of rubber goods, cement, pottery, and paint. It contains a group of temples, called Rani Rasmani's Nabaratna, that are dedicated to

Arochukwu

2005-02-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Arochuku, town, Abia state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the road from Calabar to Umuahia. Arochukwu was the headquarters of the Aro, an Igbo (Ibo) subgroup that dominated southeastern Nigeria in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was the seat of the sacred Chuku shrine, the source of a much-feared oracle (called Long Juju by the Europeans) that acted as a judge for the Igbo supreme deity

Kahlo, Frida

2005-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

In 1925 Kahlo was involved in a bus accident that so seriously injured her that she had to

Differential Psychology

2005-02-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

Branch of psychology that deals with individual and group differences in behaviour. Charles Darwin's studies of the survival capabilities of different species and Sir Francis Galton's researches on individual visual and auditory skills, as well as more recent experiments, have shown that both individual and group differences are quantitative rather than

Scharoun, Hans (bernhard)

2005-02-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Scharoun received his training at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin from 1912 to 1914. After World War I he became a follower of the Berlin architect Bruno Taut,

Malacca, Strait Of

2005-02-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

Waterway connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). It runs between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and West Malaysia and peninsular Thailand to the east and has an area of 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km). The strait is 500 miles (800 km) long and is funnel-shaped, with a width of only 40 miles (65 km) in the south that broadens northward to 155 miles

Turda

2005-02-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

City, Cluj judet (county), west-central Romania, on the Aries River. Turda was first a Dacian settlement (Dierna) and later a Roman castrum (Potaissa), around which grew a municipium and later a colony. On the outskirts of the city are the salt mines worked in Roman times. In the Middle Ages, Turda was the meeting place of the Transylvanian Diet. The city is now an important industrial

Jehoshaphat

2005-02-23T02:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Josaphat, Hebrew Yehoshaphat, king (c. 873–c. 849 BC) of Judah during the reigns in Israel of Ahab, Ahaziah, and Jehoram, with whom he maintained close political and economic alliances. Jehoshaphat aided Ahab in his unsuccessful attempt to recapture the city of Ramoth-gilead, joined Ahaziah in extending maritime trade, helped Jehoram in his battle with Moab, and married his son and successor, Jehoram, to Athaliah,

Priapism

2005-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

When normal erection occurs, the sides and the bottom of the penis, the corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum, respectively, become engorged with blood so that the penis enlarges, hardens, and assumes an erect position. The major symptom of priapism is pain and tenderness

Decapolis

2005-02-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

League of 10 ancient Greek cities in eastern Palestine that was formed after the Roman conquest of Palestine in 63 BC, when Pompey the Great reorganized the Middle East to Rome's advantage and to his own. The name Decapolis also denotes the roughly contiguous territory formed by these cities, all but one of which lay east of the Jordan River. According to Pliny the Elder (Natural

Toad

2005-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Any squat, rough-skinned, tailless amphibian of the order Anura, and especially a member of the family Bufonidae. The true toads (Bufo), with more than 300 species, are found worldwide except in Australasia, Madagascar, polar regions, and Polynesia, though Bufo marinus has been introduced into Australia and some South Pacific islands. Besides Bufo, the family

Ambiguity

2005-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Use of words that allow alternative interpretations. In factual, explanatory prose, ambiguity is considered an error in reasoning or diction; in literary prose or poetry, it often functions to increase the richness and subtlety of language and to imbue it with a complexity that expands the literal meaning of the original statement. William Empson's Seven Types

Austen, Jane

2005-02-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. Austen created the comedy of manners of middle-class life in the England of her time in such novels as Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), and Northanger

O'shaughnessy, Arthur

2005-02-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

O'Shaughnessy became a copyist in the library of the British Museum at age 17 and later became a herpetologist in the museum's zoological department. He published four volumes of verse: An Epic of Women (1870), Lays of France (1872), Music and Moonlight (1874), and Songs of a Worker (1881). O'Shaughnessy

Henle, Friedrich Gustav Jacob

2005-02-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

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

Asteridae

2005-02-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Asteridae, one of the six subclasses in the class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons), consists of 11 orders, 49 families, and nearly 60,000 species. About one-third of the species of Asteridae belong to the family Asteraceae (of the order Asterales), which is the largest family of dicotyledons and one of the two largest

Van Vleck, John H.

2005-02-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,

Caxias

2005-02-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

City, east central Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil, on the Rio Itapicuru, at 207 ft (63 m) above sea level. Formerly known as São José das Aldeias Altas, it was renamed to honour Luis Alves de Lima e Silva, duque de Caxias, governor and military commander in Maranhão (1837). The city is the commercial centre of eastern Maranhão and processes rice, cotton, carnauba and babassu palms

Earth Sciences, Earth history according to Werner and James Hutton

2005-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

The two major theories of the 18th century were the Neptunian and the Plutonian. The Neptunists, led by Werner and his students, maintained that the Earth was originally covered by a turbid ocean. The first sediments deposited over the irregular floor of this universal ocean formed the granite and other crystalline rocks. Then as the ocean began to subside, “Stratified

Jubba River

2005-02-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Fed by rainfall in its source area, where the main rainy season coincides with the dry season

Arran, James Hamilton, 2nd Earl Of, Duc (duke) De Châtelherault

2005-02-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

He negotiated for a marriage between Mary and Prince Edward (afterward Edward VI of England) but suddenly abandoned the project and joined the French party. He then agreed to the marriage of Mary with the

Hoover, Lou

2005-02-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Hoovers retired to homes on both coasts—a house in Palo Alto, California, and an apartment in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It was in the latter home that Lou died suddenly in January 1944. She was buried in West Branch, Iowa, at the site of her husband's presidential library, a place as understated as was the approach of this reticent, independent woman to the job of first lady.

Ashkenazi

2005-02-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

(from Hebrew Ashkenaz, “Germany”), plural Ashkenazim, any of the Jews who lived in the Rhineland valley and in neighbouring France before their migration eastward to Slavic lands (e.g., Poland, Lithuania, Russia) after the Crusades (11th–13th century). After the 17th-century persecutions in eastern Europe, large numbers of these Jews resettled in western Europe, where they assimilated,

Rowan, Andrew Summers

2005-02-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Rowan graduated from West Point in 1881. In 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he was sent to the rebel Cuban leader General Calixto Garcia y Íñiguez to determine the strength of the insurgent armies and obtain their cooperation. After completing his mission

Leviticus

2005-02-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Wayiqra ' (And He Called), the third book of the Latin Vulgate Bible, the name of which designates its contents as a book (or manual) primarily concerned with the priests and their duties. Although Leviticus is basically a book of laws, it also contains some narrative (chapters 8–9, 10:1–7, 10:16–20, and 24:10–14). The book is usually divided into five parts: sacrificial laws (chapters 1–7); the inauguration of the priesthood

Locri Epizephyrii

2005-02-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Locri ancient city on the eastern side of the “toe” of Italy, founded by Greeks c. 680 BC; the inhabitants used the name of Locri Epizephyrii to distinguish themselves from the Locri of Greece. Locri Epizephyrii was the first Greek community to have a written code of laws, given by Zaleucus c. 660 BC. Locri Epizephyrii founded colonies, repelled the attacks of Croton during the 6th century,

Château-renault, François-louis Rousselet, Marquis De

2005-02-13T02:43:00.000-08:00

In 1689 he transported French troops to Ireland to aid the deposed Catholic King James II of Great Britain, and he obtained a short-lived advantage by defeating a British fleet off the south coast of

Mac Family

2005-02-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

The Mac family began as ministers to the Le kings of the Vietnamese Later Le dynasty (1428–1787). By the early 16th century, however, the Later Le rulers had become virtually powerless, and in 1527 Mac Dang Dung, the head of the family, usurped the throne. Eight years later the powerful Nguyen family

Bashkir

2005-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Bashkirs settled their land under the Mongol khanate of Kipchak from the 13th to the 15th century.

Guzmán Blanco, Antonio

2005-02-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

Guzmán Blanco was the son of a famous journalist and politician, Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, who had married into the Blanco family of Caracas' upper class. He began his career by consolidating the support of provincial caudillos behind his leadership,

Hormisdas, Saint

2005-02-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

Born of a wealthy family of Frosinone in the Campania, Hormisdas was married before he rose in the church. (His son became pope as Silverius.) Pope Symmachus made him deacon, and he was prominent in attendance

Amana Colonies

2005-02-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

Amana developed from the Community of True Inspiration, founded in 1714 in the German principality of Hesse by the pietistic mystics

India, Nadir Shah's invasion

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

The obvious weakness of the Mughal Empire invited Nadir Shah's descent upon the plains of northern India for plunder and spoil. For years the defenses of the northwest had been neglected. Nadir captured Ghazni and Kabul, crossed the Indus at Attock (December 1738), and occupied Lahore virtually unopposed. Hurried preparations were then made to defend Delhi, but the faction-ridden

Benin, Bight Of

2005-02-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

Also called Bight Of Bonny, bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles (640 km) from Cape St. Paul (Ghana) to the Nun outlet of the Niger River (Nigeria). It lies within the Gulf of Guinea and is bordered by southeastern Ghana, Togo, Benin, and southwestern Nigeria. The bay receives a portion of the Niger River delta and also the Sio, Haho, Mono, Couffo, Ouémé, Benin,

San-ming

2005-02-09T04:46:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Sanming, city in west-central Fukien sheng (province), China. San-ming lies along the Sha River, a southern tributary of the Min River, the valley of which provides the chief southwest-to-northeast route through central Fukien. Westward and southwestward routes fan out into the mountainous interior of Fukien, and to the south there is a good route via the valley of the Chiu-lung