DependentBell

Pendleton, George (hunt)

2005-11-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

Admitted to the bar in 1847, Pendleton, a Democrat, practiced law in Cincinnati and in 1853 was elected to the state senate. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1857–65), he opposed

Costello, Elvis

2005-10-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

The son of musicians, Costello was exposed to a mix of British and American styles—dance-hall pop to modern jazz to the Beatles—from an early age. During the early 1970s he lived in London, recording demos and performing locally while working as a computer

Hancock, Joy Bright

2005-08-09T01:05:00.000-07:00

Joy Bright enlisted in the Naval Reserve after graduating from the Pierce School of Business Administration in Philadelphia in 1918. From 1919 she worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy at various stations and at the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C.

Plovdiv

2005-07-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Second largest city of Bulgaria, situated in the south-central part of the country. It lies along the Maritsa River and is situated amid six hills that rise from the Thracian Plain to a height of 400 feet (120 m). Called Pulpudeva in Thracian times, it was renamed Philippopolis in 341 BC after its conquest by Philip II of Macedonia. From AD 46 it was called Trimontium and was the capital of

Mughal Carpet

2005-07-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Mogul, any of the handwoven floor coverings made in India in the 16th and 17th centuries for the Mughal emperors and their courts. Aside from patterns in the Persian manner, a series of distinctively Indian designs were developed, including scenic and landscape carpets; animal carpets with spirited chases backward and forward across the field; elaborate architectural latticeworks

Indes, Compagnie Française Des

2005-07-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

(French: “French Company of the Indies”), one of the companies known as the French East India Company (q.v.).

Abdülhamid I

2005-07-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ottoman sultan from 1774 to 1789 who concluded the war with Russia by signing the humiliating Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. By the terms of the treaty, Russia obtained the fortresses on the coast of the Sea of Azov, the area between the Dnieper and Bug rivers, and navigation and commercial privileges in the Ottoman Empire. Bukovina was ceded to Austria in 1775. Russia annexed

La Mothe Le Vayer, François De

2005-07-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

La Mothe Le Vayer became an avocat in the Parlement of Paris, taking over his father's seat, but soon resigned when the attraction of belles lettres became stronger. His work La

Faraday

2005-06-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Unit of electricity, used in the study of electrochemical reactions and equal to the amount of electric charge that liberates one gram equivalent of any ion from an electrolytic solution. It was named in honour of the 19th-century English scientist Michael Faraday and equals 9.6485309 ´ 104 coulombs, or 6.0221367 ´ 1023 electrons (see also Avogadro's law).

Mahavira

2005-06-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Also known as Vardhamana Epithet of Vardhamana, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (“Ford-makers,” i.e., saviours who promulgated Jainism), and the reformer of the Jain monastic community. According to the traditions of the two main Jain sects, the Shvetambara (“White-robed”) and the Digambara (“Sky-clad,” i.e., naked), Mahavira became

Fenton, Elijah

2005-06-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

After graduating from Cambridge, Fenton became a teacher. He was promised the patronage of Henry St. John (later 1st Viscount Bolingbroke) and hence resigned the

India, Recreation

2005-06-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

Virtually all regions of India have their distinctive places of pilgrimage, local saints and folk heroes, religious festivals, and associated fairs. There are also innumerable festivals associated with individual villages or temples or with specific castes and cults. The most popular of the religious festivals celebrated over the greater part of India are

Facsimile

2005-06-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Also called Fax, or Telefax, in telecommunications, the transmission and reproduction of documents by wire or radio wave. Common fax machines are designed to scan printed textual and graphic material and then transmit the information through the telephone network to similar machines, where the documents are reproduced in close to their original form. Such machines, because of their low

Manasseh, Prayer Of

2005-06-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), one of a collection of songs appended to the Old Testament book of Psalms in several manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible). The Prayer of Manasseh, best known of the collection, is a penitential prayer written as an extension of 2 Chronicles 33:11–13, wherein Manasseh, successor to Hezekiah

Kabbala

2005-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Spain also

Addison, Joseph

2005-05-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

English essayist, poet, and dramatist, who, with Richard Steele, was a leading contributor to and guiding spirit of the periodicals The Tatler and The Spectator. His writing skill led to his holding important posts in government while the Whigs were in power.

Aldrovandi, Ulisse

2005-05-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

After studying mathematics, Latin, law, and philosophy, Aldrovandi went to Padua in about 1545 to continue his studies. There he began to study medicine, the field in which he eventually earned a degree in 1553. On his return

House

2005-03-15T01:18:00.000-08:00

Style of high-tempo, electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s and spread internationally. Born in Chicago clubs that catered to gay, predominantly black and Latino patrons, house fused the symphonic sweep and soul diva vocals of 1970s disco with the cold futurism of synthesizer-driven Eurodisco. Invented by deejay-producers such as Frankie Knuckles

Nitrogen Narcosis

2005-03-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Also called �Nitrogen Euphoria, or Raptures Of The Deep, � effects produced by the gas nitrogen when it is breathed under increased pressure. Nitrogen, a major constituent of air, is quite inert and passes into the fluids and tissues of the body without undergoing chemical change. Even though it is not used to sustain the bodily functions, it, nevertheless, has certain effects upon the tissues when it is present in excess of

Lisboa

2005-03-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Administrative district, west central Portugal, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean (west and south) and by the Tagus River and its estuary (southeast). Principal occupations outside Lisbon, the district and national capital, are agriculture and fishing, ironworking, and tourism. A disastrous flood in November 1967 caused over 450 deaths and much damage in the district. Area 1,065 square

Austin

2005-03-04T01:22:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1857) of Mower county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies along the Cedar River, in a farming area specializing in corn (maize) and livestock. It was settled in 1853, laid out in 1856, and named for its first settler, Austin R. Nicholas. Austin Community College (1940) and the Mower County Historical Center are there. George A. Hormel and Company's meat-packing and food-processing plant

Austin

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

Defense Economics

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

Field of national economic management concerned with the economic effects of military expenditure, the management of economics in wartime, and the management of peacetime military budgets.

Antaeus

2005-02-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a giant of Libya, the son of the sea god Poseidon and the Earth goddess Gaea. He compelled all strangers who were passing through the country to wrestle with him. Whenever Antaeus touched the Earth (his mother), his strength was renewed, so that even if thrown to the ground, he was invincible. Heracles, in combat with him, discovered the source of his strength

Denmark's Aquarium

2005-02-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

Danish �Danmarks Akvarium� largest aquarium in Denmark, located in Charlottenlund, outside of Copenhagen. It is noted for its collection of unusual fishes. Included among the more than 3,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of marine and freshwater fishes are lungfish, blind cave fish, mudskippers, and the primitive paddlefish from the United States. The aquarium also has some noteworthy exhibits

Augustus, Caesar

2005-02-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Returning to Italy, he was told that in his will Caesar had adopted him as his son and had made him his chief personal heir. He was only 18 when, against the advice of his stepfather and others, he decided to take up this perilous inheritance and proceeded to Rome. Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), Caesar's chief lieutenant, who had taken possession of his papers and assets and had

Swammerdam, Jan

2005-02-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

Swammerdam completed medical studies in 1667 but never practiced medicine, devoting himself to microscopical investigations instead. Turning to the study of insects, he accurately described and illustrated

Cimarosa, Domenico

2005-02-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

He began his career with the comic opera Le Stravaganze del

Melanchthon, Philipp

2005-02-23T04:44:00.000-08:00

Original name �Philipp Schwartzerd (German: �Black Earth�; in Greek, Melanchthon) � German author of the Confession of Augsburg of the Lutheran Church (1530), humanist, Reformer, theologian, and educator. He was a friend of Martin Luther and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the Loci communes, the first systematic treatment of evangelical doctrine. Because of his academic

Noric Alps

2005-02-22T02:02:00.000-08:00

German �Norische Alpen, � segment of the Eastern Alps extending across southern Austria between the Hohe Tauern range and Katschberg Pass (west) and the city of Graz on the Mur River (east). With the Drava River to the south and the upper Mur River to the north, the mountains rise to Eisenhut (8,008 feet [2,441 m]) and consist of several subranges, the highest of which are the Gurkthaler Alpen in the west. Summer

Jewel Cave National Monument

2005-02-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

The caverns consist of a series of chambers joined by narrow passages. They are noted for their jewel-like calcite crystals, including nailhead and dogtooth spar, which are found throughout the

Priestly Code

2005-02-20T03:38:00.000-08:00

Also called �Priestly Source, or P, � biblical source that, according to the document hypothesis, is one of the four original sources of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). The priestly writings are so named because they emphasize the priestly tradition or interest, giving detailed explanations and descriptions of ritual laws and procedures.

Azov

2005-02-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Azak, or Tana, � town, Rostov oblast (province), southwestern Russia. It lies on the left bank of the Don River, 4 miles (7 km) east of the Sea of Azov. The Greek colony of Tanais, the first known major city in the region, was founded there in the 6th century BC. It changed hands and was renamed several times over the ensuing centuries. It became the Genoese colony of Tana (established 1316 - 22), which in 1471 was captured

Jackson, Andrew

2005-02-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

Byname �Old Hickory � military hero and seventh president of the United States (1829 - 37). He was the first U.S. president to come from the area west of the Appalachians and the first to gain office by a direct appeal to the mass of voters. His political movement has since been known as Jacksonian Democracy. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President Andrew Jackson.)

Arnold, Henry Harley

2005-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Arnold graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., (1907), and in 1911 received flying instruction from Orville Wright. He rose in the ranks of the Air Corps;

Arfons, Art

2005-02-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Arfons worked in his father's feed-mill business in Akron, Ohio, before and after service in the U.S. Navy (1943 - 46), which trained him in diesel mechanics. He began his career as a drag racer in the early 1950s with his brother Walter, with whom he built a series of racing

Sackville (of Drayton), George Sackville-germain, 1st Viscount, Baron Bolebrooke Of Sussex

2005-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

The third son of the 1st Duke of Dorset,

Latin Alphabet

2005-02-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

Also called �Roman alphabet� most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world, the standard script of the English language and the languages of most of Europe and those areas settled by Europeans. Developed from the Etruscan alphabet at some time before 600 BC, it can be traced through Etruscan, Greek, and Phoenician scripts to the North Semitic alphabet used in Syria and Palestine about 1100 BC. The

Felicitas

2005-02-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Roman goddess of good luck to whom a temple was first built in the mid-2nd century BC. She became the special protector of successful commanders. Caesar planned to erect another temple to her, and it was built by the triumvir M. Aemilius Lepidus. The emperors made her prominent as symbolizing the blessings of the imperial regime.

Amazon River

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

Portuguese, �Rio Amazonas, �Spanish �R�o Amazonas, � the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its flow and the area of its basin. The total length of the river - measured from the headwaters of the Ucayali-Apur�mac river system in Peru - is about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometres), which is slightly shorter than the Nile River but still the equivalent of the distance from New

Jan�cek, Leo

2005-02-11T04:49:00.000-08:00

Jan�cek was a choirboy at Brno and studied at the Prague, Leipzig, and Vienna conservatories. In 1881 he founded a college of organists at Brno, which he directed until 1920. He directed the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1881 to 1888 and in

Thomas, Seth

2005-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner, Thomas worked building houses and barns until 1807, when, because of his woodworking skills, the clockmakers Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley invited him to join them in a wholesale clockmaking enterprise.

Rye

2005-02-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

(species Secale cereale), cereal grass and its edible grain that is used to make rye bread and rye whiskey. The plant grows to a height of 1 to 2 m (4 to 6 feet) and has spikes composed of two or more spikelets bearing florets that develop one-seeded fruits, or grains. Rye cultivation probably originated in southwestern Asia about 6500 BC, migrating westward across the Balkan Peninsula

Esterhazy

2005-02-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It lies in the Qu'Appelle River valley, 132 miles (212 km) east of Regina. It is named after Count Paul Otto d'Esterh�zy (1830 - 1912), a French-Hungarian nobleman who promoted settlement in the area. Esterhazy is a marketing town for a mixed-farming (especially wheat) and stock-raising region and has flour-milling and dairying industries. Since 1962, however,

Esterhazy

2005-02-07T01:59:00.000-08:00

Nationwide association of labour unions in Canada, comprising both wholly Canadian �national� unions and �international� unions that are Canadian branches of unions based in the United States. The CLC was formed in 1956 through the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour. At the onset of the 21st century, a majority of the four

Wage-price Control:

2005-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Setting of government guidelines for limiting increases in wages and prices. It is a principal tool in incomes policy (q.v.).

Gray, Elisha

2005-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Gray invented a number of telegraphic devices and in 1869 was one of two partners who founded what became Western Electric Company. On Feb. 14, 1876, the day that Bell filed an application for a patent for a telephone, Gray

Tyson, Cicely

2005-02-02T00:37:00.000-08:00

Tyson, the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, grew up in a devoutly religious household in Harlem. Discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling world. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway

Douglas, Aaron

2005-02-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922, Douglas returned briefly to his native Kansas to teach art. By 1925 he had moved to New York City, where he joined a burgeoning arts scene in Harlem. He studied

Mountain, The Himalayan chain

2005-01-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

The easternmost segment of the system begins at the western end of the Sunda island arc and continues into the arcuate chain of mountains that constitute the Himalayas, which contain the highest peaks on Earth. This chain was formed as the Indian subcontinent, a passenger on the same plate that currently underthrusts the Sunda arc, collided with the southern margin

Gisborne

2005-01-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

Unitary authority, east-central North Island, New Zealand. The authority includes the eastern side of East Cape (the easternmost promontory of North Island), most of the Raukumara Range, and the Waipaoa and Mata rivers. Gisborne is bounded by the Bay of Plenty local government region to the west and by the Pacific Ocean to the north and east. The cape was the first landing

B�k�

2005-01-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Megye (county), southeastern Hungary, occupying 2,175 square miles (5,632 square km) of agricultural flatland on the Great Hungarian Plain. It has hot summers, severe winters, light rainfall, and a sparse natural vegetation. In the northern part of the megye, broad areas along the K�r�s and Beretty� rivers are irrigated. In addition to cereals, specialty crops of poppy seeds and sour

Water Plantain

2005-01-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

Any freshwater perennial herb of the genus Alisma, commonly found in lakes, ponds, and ditches. The three or four species are widely distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and Australia. Water-plantain leaves float or extend out of the water. They are sometimes ribbonlike or grasslike, are without lobes, and are often heart-shaped

Japan, Temperature

2005-01-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

Temperatures are generally warmer in the south than in the north, and the transitional seasons of spring and fall are shorter in the north. At Asahikawa, in central Hokkaido, the mean temperature in January, the coldest month, is 16 �F (-9 �C), and the mean temperature in August, the hottest month, is 70 �F (21 �C), with an annual average temperature of 43 �F (6 �C). At Tokyo, the mean temperature for January

Brooks Range

2005-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Northernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains in northern Alaska, U.S. It is separated from the Alaska Range (south) and the Mackenzie Mountains (southeast) by the lowlands of the Yukon and Porcupine river systems. It extends about 600 miles (1,000 km) in a west - east direction across Alaska, from the Chukchi Sea to the Yukon (Canadian) border, and reaches widths of 80 miles (128 km). Its peaks

Panama Canal, The canal

2005-01-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

The Panama Canal lies at a latitude of 9� N. The canal does not, as is generally supposed, cross the isthmus from east to west. It runs due south from its entrance at Col�n on the Atlantic side through the Gat�n (Gatun) Locks to a point in the widest portion of Gat�n Lake; it then turns sharply toward the east and follows a course generally to the southeast until it reaches the

Amphibian

2005-01-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

Any member of the class Amphibia, vertebrates distinguished by their ability to exploit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They include the frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians. The name, derived from the Greek amphibios meaning �living a double life,� reflects this dual life strategy. Despite this distinction, however, some species are permanent

Selkirk, Alexander

2005-01-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

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

Halberd

2005-01-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Halbert, or Halbard, � weapon consisting of an ax blade balanced by a pick with an elongated pike head at the end of the staff. It was usually about 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 feet) long. The halberd was an important weapon in middle Europe in the 15th and early 16th centuries. It enabled a foot soldier to contend with an armoured man on horseback; the pike head was used to keep the horseman at a distance, and the ax blade

Lewis, John L.

2005-01-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

The son of immigrants from Welsh mining towns, Lewis left school in the seventh grade and went to work in the mines at age 15. In the coal-mining town of Panama,

Andes Mountains

2005-01-20T01:03:00.000-08:00

As mentioned above, the Andes have been populated for millennia. By the time of the Spanish conquest in the 1530s, the indigenous highland peoples had developed a thorough knowledge of the Andes and had built in them an extensive network of cities and connecting roads. Early Spanish exploration of the mountains consisted of plundering raids, although in the process

Yamagata Aritomo, Koshaku

2005-01-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Japanese soldier and statesman who exerted a strong influence in Japan's emergence as a formidable military power at the beginning of the 20th century. He was the first prime minister under the parliamentary regime, serving 1889 - 91 and 1898 - 1900.

Xenophon

2005-01-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

As a writer of prose, Xenophon ranked with his fellow historians Herodotus and Thucydides in the opinion of literary critics of antiquity and had a stronger influence on Latin literature than either. His works were translated into many European languages in the 16th century, and, until comparatively recently, his reputation stood high. He was the first journalist

Zamenhof, L.l.

2005-01-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

A Jew whose family spoke Russian and lived in an environment of racial and national conflict on the Polish-Russian borderland, Zamenhof dedicated himself to promoting tolerance, mainly

Tetricus, Gaius Pius Esuvius

2005-01-16T01:36:00.000-08:00

He was a Gallic noble related to the usurping ruler of Gaul, Victorinus, and to Victorinus' mother, Victoria. Upon the murder of Victorinus, Tetricus, who was governor of Aquitania, was proclaimed emperor, apparently backed by the influence and money of Victoria. During his short and nominal reign, the monetary inflation

Foltz, Clara Shortridge

2005-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Clara Shortridge taught school in her youth and in 1864 married Jeremiah R. Foltz, with whom she moved to California.

Mountain, Tectonic processes that destroy elevated terrains

2005-01-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

Besides erosion, which is the principal agent that destroys mountain belts, two tectonic processes help to reduce high elevations. Horizontal crustal extension and associated crustal thinning can reduce and eliminate crustal roots. When this happens, mountain belts widen and their mean elevation diminishes. Similarly, the cooling and associated thermal

Albalag, Isaac

2005-01-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

Jewish philosopher who rendered a Hebrew translation of parts of the Maqasid al-falasifah (�Aims of the Philosophers�), a review of doctrines of earlier thinkers by the Arabic philosopher al-Ghazali, to which Albalag added his own views and comments. In defending philosophy against the accusation that it undermined religion,

Christian X

2005-01-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of the future King Frederick VIII and Louise of Sweden and Norway, Christian became chief of the royal guard in 1898 and married Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Becoming crown prince in 1906, Christian led the

Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Of Antioch

2005-01-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

In the 5th and 6th centuries a large body of Christians in Syria repudiated the patriarchs of Antioch who had supported the Council of Chalcedon (451) in affirming the dual nature of Christ. Like many Copts, Ethiopians, and Armenians,

Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Of Antioch

2005-01-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Lur

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

Also spelled �lure � bronze horn, or trumpet, found in prehistoric Scandinavian excavations. It has a conical bore that extends in length from roughly 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 metres) in a bent S-shape (somewhat resembling a mammoth tusk) and ends in an embossed metal disk. The mouthpiece of the lur is permanently affixed. Lurs are usually found in pairs and were probably played ritually.

Turan Plain

2005-01-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Uzbek �Turon� extensive lowland in southwestern Kazakhstan and northwestern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is bounded by the Saryarqa (Kazakh uplands) in the north, the outliers of the Tien Shan, Pamir, and Alay mountains in the east, the Kopet-Dag Range in the south, and the Caspian Sea in the west. It is traversed by the lower courses of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, both of which drain

Slave Dynasty

2005-01-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Slave dynasty was founded by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, a favourite slave of the Muslim general and later sultan Muhammad of Ghur. Qutb-ud-Din had been among Muhammad's most trusted Turkish officers and had overseen his master's Indian conquests. When Muhammad was assassinated in 1206, Qutb took power

Frederick I

2005-01-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

The younger son of Christian I, king of Denmark and Norway, Frederick divided the duchies of Schleswig (now in Germany and Denmark) and Holstein

Barcelona

2005-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

On his visit to the city in 1862, Hans Christian

Alaskan Mountains

2005-01-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

The mountain ranges of Alaska give their state a rugged and beautiful terrain across its entire expanse. They include the highest peak in North America and are characterized by glaciers, earthquakes, and continuing volcanic activity. Structurally, the ranges are

Thompson

2005-01-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Manitoba, Canada. It lies along the Burntwood River, in the Mystery-Moak lakes area, 130 miles (210 km) north of Lake Winnipeg. Planned in 1956 by the International Nickel Company of Canada and named for John F. Thompson, the company chairman, the community was completed in 1961. Its integrated nickel mining-smelting-refining plant was the first in the Western Hemisphere.

Korsakoff Syndrome

2005-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Also called �Korsakoff psychosis�, or �Korsakoff disease� neurological disorder characterized by severe amnesia (memory loss). Many cases result from severe chronic alcoholism, while others are due to a variety of brain disorders, severe head injury, or a thiamine deficiency. Patients with Korsakoff syndrome typically are unable to remember events in the recent or even the immediate past, and some can store information

Argentina, National consolidation, 1852 - 80

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

General Urquiza called a constitutional convention that met in Santa Fe in 1852. Buenos Aires refused to participate, but the convention adopted a constitution for the whole country that went into effect on May 25, 1853. Buenos Aires recoiled from the new confederation, the first elected president of which was Urquiza and the first capital of which was Paran�. The porte�o dissidence

Staircase

2004-12-31T08:33:00.000-08:00

The origin of the staircase is uncertain. On the road up Tai Shan (mountain) in China there are many great flights of ancient granite steps; the earliest staircases seem to have been built with walls on both

Cusp

2004-12-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

In architecture, the intersections of lobed or scalloped forms, particularly in arches (cusped arches) and in tracery. Thus the three lobes of a trefoil (cloverleaf form) are separated by three cusps. Cusped forms appear commonly in early Islamic work, as in the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun at Cairo (c. 879), and were especially common in the Moorish architecture of North Africa and

Bach, Johann Sebastian

2004-12-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

Composer of the Baroque era, the most celebrated member of a large family of northern German musicians. Although he was admired by his contemporaries primarily as an outstanding harpsichordist, organist, and expert on organ building, Bach is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers

North Africa, History Of, Geography and prehistory

2004-12-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

North Africa as here used means the area of present-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. In ancient times the Greeks used the word Libya, derived from the name of a tribe on the Gulf of Sidra, to describe the land north of the Sahara, the territory whose native peoples were subjects of Carthage, and also as a name for the whole continent. The Romans applied the name Africa

Cape Tulip

2004-12-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

A few species have white flowers. Some species are variously known as Natal paintbrush, Catherine wheel, giant paintbrush, and

Bridge

2004-12-26T02:32:00.000-08:00

In electrical measurement, instrument for measuring electrical quantities. The first such instrument, invented by British mathematician Samuel Christie and popularized in 1843 by Sir Charles Wheatstone, measures resistance by comparing the current flowing through one part of the bridge with a known current flowing through another part. The Wheatstone

North Germanic Languages, Norwegian

2004-12-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Old Norwegian writing traditions gradually died out in the 15th century after the union of Norway with Denmark and the removal of the central government to Copenhagen. After independence was achieved in 1814, the linguistic union with Danish persisted, but educational problems due to the linguistic distance between Danish and spoken Norwegian and socio-political

Allele

2004-12-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

Also called �Allelomorph, � any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles may occur in pairs, or there may be multiple alleles affecting the expression (phenotype) of a particular trait. If the paired alleles are the same, the organism is said to be homozygous for that trait; if they are different, the organism is heterozygous. A dominant allele

Subsistence Farming

2004-12-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

Form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and his family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world have traditionally practiced subsistence farming. Some of these peoples moved from site to site as they exhausted the soil at each location.

Man

2004-12-19T00:37:00.000-08:00

Town, western C�te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The town is situated along the Ko River, in a mountainous area (Massif de Man) on the eastern edge of the Nimba Range. There are iron-ore reserves in the mountains east of Man. The chief trade centre (rice, cassava, livestock, and palm oil and kernels) for a forested region mainly inhabited by the Dan and the Ngere (or Guere) and Wobe peoples,

Tumba, Lake

2004-12-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

Lake, part of the Congo River basin, northwestern Congo (Kinshasa). Lake Tumba lies 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Lake Mai-Ndombe (formerly Lake L�opold II). It covers 190 square miles (500 square km) and is 6 - 20 feet (2 - 6 m) deep. The lake empties into the Congo River by Irebu channel, just opposite its confluence with the Ubangi River. Lake Tumba is shallow, with low shores, and is navigable by river

Die

2004-12-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

Tool or device for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material. Examples include a perforated block through which metal or plastic is drawn or extruded, the hardened steel forms for producing the patterns on coins and medals by pressure, and the hollow molds into which metal or plastic is forced. See also diesinking.

Plutarch

2004-12-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Greek �Plutarchos�, Latin �Plutarchus� biographer and author whose works strongly influenced the evolution of the essay, the biography, and historical writing in Europe from the 16th to the 19th century. Among his approximately 227 works, the most important are the Bioi paralleloi (Parallel Lives), in which he recounts the noble deeds and characters of Greek and Roman soldiers, legislators,

Koch, Martin

2004-12-15T02:35:00.000-08:00

Koch came from a lower middle-class family, which his father deserted when the children were very young. The young Koch worked as a labourer's helper, studied art, and became active in the Good Templars Lodge. His first publication

David, Eduard Heinrich (rudolph)

2004-12-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

As a young grammar school teacher, David founded (1893) the Socialist Mitteldeutsche Sonntagszeitung (�Mid-German Sunday News�); but his affiliation with the Social Democrats soon

Ambulatory

2004-12-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

In architecture, continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave (central part of the church) around the apse (semicircular projection at the east end of the church) or chancel (east end of the church where the main altar stands) to form a continuous processional way. The ambulatory often provided improved sites for the numerous altars for saints, which formerly

Simeon I

2004-12-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

His dominant ambition, which was to himself ascend the imperial throne of Byzantium - an aspiration

Simeon I

2004-12-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

His dominant ambition, which was to himself ascend the imperial throne of Byzantium - an aspiration

Biblical Literature, Origen's Hexapla

2004-12-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

The multiplication of versions doubtless proved to be a source of increasing confusion in the 3rd century. This situation the Alexandrian theologian Origen, working at Caesarea between 230 and 240 CE, sought to remedy. In his Hexapla (�six-fold�) he presented, in parallel vertical columns, the Hebrew text, the same in Greek letters, and the versions of Aquila, Symmachus, the Septuagint,

Interior Design, Primitive peoples

2004-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Although the practices of present-day primitive peoples sometimes shed light on the historical origins of those practices, there is too little art and decoration in such communities today to illuminate the beginnings of interior decoration. No clear-cut progressions of styles, like those that occurred in Europe, can be identified except among peoples who could