TallComb

Permafrost

2005-04-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Perennially frozen ground, a naturally occurring material with a temperature colder than 0° C (32° F) continuously for two or more years. Such a layer of frozen ground is designated exclusively on the basis of temperature. Part or all of its moisture may be unfrozen, depending on the chemical composition of the water or the depression of the freezing point by capillary forces.

Gauda

2005-04-04T03:53:00.000-07:00

The name Gauda, in Sanskrit literature, is commonly applied to a country in what is now eastern India. In this sense it occurs fairly

Indiana University Of Pennsylvania

2005-04-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university comprises the Eberly College of Business and colleges of Education, Fine Arts, Health and Human Services, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. There is also an Honors

Maugham, W. Somerset

2005-04-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Maugham was orphaned at the age of 10; he was brought up by an uncle and educated at King's School, Canterbury. After a year at Heidelberg, he entered St. Thomas' medical school,

Paddy

2005-04-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Rice Paddy, small, level, flooded field used to cultivate rice in southern and eastern Asia. Wet-rice cultivation is the most prevalent method of farming in the Far East, where it utilizes a small fraction of the total land yet feeds the majority of the rural population. Rice was domesticated as early as 3500 BC, and by about 2,000 years ago it was grown in almost all of the present-day cultivation

Python

2005-03-31T23:45:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a huge serpent that was killed by the god Apollo at Delphi either because it would not let him found his oracle, being accustomed itself to giving oracles, or because it had persecuted Apollo's mother, Leto, during her pregnancy. In the earliest account the serpent is nameless and female, but later it is male and named Python (Pytho was the old name for

John Carroll University

2005-03-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in University Heights, Ohio, U.S. It is affiliated with the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church. The university comprises the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, and the Graduate School. The university offers both bachelor's and master's degree programs. Research facilities include the

Torah

2005-03-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

In Judaism, in the broadest sense the substance of divine revelation to Israel, the Jewish people: God's revealed teaching or guidance for mankind. The meaning of “Torah” is often restricted to signify the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Law or the Pentateuch. These are the books traditionally ascribed to Moses, the recipient of the original revelation

Haliburton, Thomas Chandler

2005-03-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

Haliburton was admitted to the bar in 1820 and, as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly (1826–29), led

Zane, Betty

2005-03-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Zane lived in her native Virginia (now part of West Virginia) in the town of Wheeling, which was founded in 1769 by her older brothers Ebenezer,

Mirambo

2005-03-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

Nyamwezi warlord of central Africa whose ability to unite the many hitherto separate Nyamwezi clans into a powerful kingdom by the 1870s gave him strategic control of Arab trade routes and threatened the preeminence of the Arabs' colony in Unyanyembe (near present Tabora, Tanzania). His capital, Urambo (now in Tanzania), became a major rival trading

Hyades

2005-03-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the five (or more) sisters of the Pleiades who nursed the infant wine god, Dionysus, and as a reward were made the five stars in the head of the constellation Taurus, the bull. According to another version, they so bitterly lamented the death of their brother Hyas that Zeus, out of compassion, changed them into stars. Their name means the Rainers, since they

Robert Ii

2005-03-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

Byname Robert The Jerusalemite, French Robert Le Hierosolymitain, Dutch Robrecht Van Jeruzalem count of Flanders (1093–1111), one of the most celebrated of crusaders. The son of Robert I, he sailed for the Holy Land on the First Crusade in 1096 and earned fame perhaps second only to that of Godfrey of Bouillon. Returning to Flanders in 1100, he fought with his suzerain, Louis VI the Fat of France, against the English and was drowned in 1111 by the breaking of a bridge. He was succeeded

Spandrel

2005-03-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Spandril, the roughly triangular area above and on either side of an arch, bounded by a line running horizontally through the apex of the arch, a line rising vertically from the springing of the arch, and the curved extrados, or top of the arch. When arches adjoin, the entire area between their crowns and springing line is a spandrel. If it is filled in, as is ordinarily the case, the

Performing Arts, Asia.

2005-03-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

The most attractive films to emerge from Japan were Kohei Oguri's Sleeping Man, which portrayed relationships in a village where people still feel close to older traditions governing the approach to nature, life, and death, and Higashi Yoichi's Village of Dreams, a magical evocation of the world of childhood. Adapted from the nostalgic memoirs of the artist Tashima

Montgomery

2005-03-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Capital of the state of Alabama, U.S., and seat (1822) of Montgomery county, located in the central part of the state. The city lies near the point where the Alabama River is formed by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers. It was originally the site of Native American villages and was visited by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540. About 1717 the French built Fort Toulouse

Moldova, Flag Of

2005-03-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

Moldova declared independence during World War I. At various times in prior centuries it had been a part of Moldavia, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania, and its symbols are derived from historical and cultural links with Moldavia and Romania. Its flag of December 1917 was the traditional Romanian tricolour of blue, yellow, and red in horizontal format. In the centre

Vancouver Aquarium

2005-03-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

Aquarium located in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C., Can., that has the largest collection of fishes and marine invertebrates in Canada. The collection includes nearly 3,000 specimens of about 300 fish species and more than 3,500 representatives of approximately 150 different kinds of invertebrates. The aquarium's specialty is marine fish species native to the eastern part of the North

China, The advent of bronze casting

2005-03-22T05:52:00.000-08:00

The 3rd and 2nd millennia witnessed the appearance of increasing warfare, complex urban settlements, intense status differentiation, and administrative and religious hierarchies that legitimated and controlled the massive mobilization of labour for dynastic work or warfare. The casting of bronze has left the most evident archaeological traces of these momentous

Solti, Sir Georg

2005-03-21T04:51:00.000-08:00

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

Kiribati

2005-03-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

In October 2000, in anticipation of hosting the Pacific Islands Forum (formerly the South Pacific Forum), Kiribati completed construction of its new parliamentary complex. The Forum, a meeting of heads of government of 16 countries in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, adopted the Biketawa Declaration, which addressed issues of political instability in

Beyer, Jinny

2005-03-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

Beyer received a B.A. in speech and French from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and an

Alamogordo

2005-03-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1899) of Otero county, southern New Mexico, U.S. It lies at the western base of the Sacramento Mountains and east of the Tularosa Basin. Founded by John A. and Charles B. Eddy in 1898 and named for its large cottonwood trees (Spanish: alamo “cottonwood,” gordo “fat”), it became a division point on the Southern Pacific Railroad and developed as a lumber town and agricultural-market

Viscometer

2005-03-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Instrument for measuring the viscosity (resistance to internal flow) of a fluid. In one version, the time taken for a given volume of fluid to flow through an opening is recorded. In the capillary tube viscometer, the pressure needed to force the fluid to flow at a specified rate through a narrow tube is measured. Other types depend on measurements of the time taken for

Aesthetics, The contributions of the ancient Greeks

2005-03-18T03:33:00.000-08:00

The two greatest Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, shared a sense of the importance of aesthetics, and both regarded music, poetry, architecture, and drama as fundamental institutions within the body politic. Plato notoriously recommends the banning of poets and painters from his ideal republic and in the course of his argument provides an extended theory

Ha'aretz

2005-03-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

Pitney, Mahlon

2005-03-17T06:03:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), Pitney studied law with his father and took over his father's practice when the latter was appointed vice chancellor of New Jersey in 1889. In 1894 Pitney was elected to the U.S. Congress, in which he served until

Zadar

2005-03-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

The old town on the peninsula dates from the 9th century BC, when it was a Liburnian settlement

Winchell, Walter

2005-03-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

Winchell was raised in New York City, and when he was 13 he left school to go into vaudeville with Eddie Cantor and George Jessel. Then he teamed with

Entomology

2005-03-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

Branch of zoology dealing with the scientific study of insects. The Greek word entomon, meaning “notched,” refers to the segmented body plan of the insect. The zoological categories of taxonomy, morphology, physiology, and ecology are included in this field of study. Also included are the applied aspects of economic entomology, which encompasses the harmful and beneficial

Avalon Peninsula

2005-03-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Peninsula in southeastern Newfoundland, Canada; it is joined to the main part of the island by a 4-mi- (6-km-) wide isthmus between Placentia and Trinity bays and extends for about 110 mi with a maximum width of 60 mi. Its high point is about 1,000 ft (300 m) on the Atlantic coast south of St. John's, and it is deeply indented by Conception Bay (north) and St. Mary's Bay (south). Probably first visited in 1497 by

Myanmar, Religious groups

2005-03-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

The vast majority of the population is Theravada Buddhist. The Burmans are Buddhists except for minimal numbers of Christians and Muslims; the Shan also are Buddhists. Among the Karen, there are many more Buddhists than Christians. The other hill peoples are animists except for a small number of Kayah Buddhists and Kachin and Chin Christians, and even they practice

Metaphysical Poet

2005-03-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

Their work is a blend of emotion and intellectual ingenuity,

La Follette, Robert M

2005-03-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Resigning as governor in 1906, he was elected to the Senate at a time when that institution was widely believed to be a refuge for millionaires. La Follette acquired instant fame as a new type of senator, one who was not controlled by “the interests,” and in his first three years there La Follette achieved the passage of laws aimed against the freight rates, labour policies,

Canada East

2005-03-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Settled primarily by French Canadians who wanted to preserve their distinctive identity and cultural traditions, Canada East was reluctant to join the proposed confederation

Centwine

2005-03-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

King of the West Saxons, or Wessex (from 676), son of King Cynegils and brother of King Cenwalh. His reign was marked by renewed victories over the Welsh. Centwine was described by the contemporary writer Aldhelm as a strong king who won three battles, one presumably being that of 682, when he drove the Britons to the sea. Yet the Venerable Bede mentions a 10-year period of Wessex's division

Floor Covering, Selection and preparation of design

2005-03-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

Design creation or selection involves consideration of the range or limitations of the various methods of carpet manufacture. The number of colours that can be used for Jacquard Wilton and gripper Axminster are limited; spool and chenille Axminster allow unlimited colour range. Density tends to be greatest for Wilton carpet, sometimes reaching as high as 130 per

Asunción, La

2005-03-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Nueva Esparta state, northeastern Venezuela, on Isla de Margarita, in the Caribbean Sea, 12 mi (19 km) off the mainland. Lying in a fertile inland valley in the eastern portion of the island, La Asunción was first settled by Spaniards in 1524. Testimony to its prosperity during the colonial era is borne by the many remaining colonial buildings, most notably the Castle

Constance

2005-03-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

The daughter of King Roger II of Sicily, Constance married the future emperor Henry VI in 1186 and was crowned with him in Rome in 1191. On the death of her nephew William

X Ray

2005-03-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

The particle nature of X rays is graphically demonstrated in the photoelectric effect and the Compton effect. In an attempt to explain blackbody radiation (radiation from a theoretically perfectly nonreflecting, or completely absorbing [i.e., “black”], body), Max Planck postulated that energy is radiated in small packets, or quanta, with an energy given by hn, in which n is

Ukko

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

In Finnish folk religion, the god of thunder, one of the most important deities. The name Ukko is derived from ukkonen, “thunder,” but it also means “old man” and is used as a term of respect. Ukko had his abode at the centre of the heavenly vault, the navel of the sky; hence he was often called Jumala, “Heaven God.” Ukko was believed to control rainfall and thus the fertility of the land,

Malolos

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

Town, south-central Luzon, Philippines. It lies at the head of the Pampanga River delta, near the northern shore of Manila Bay. During a revolt against U.S. administration, the insurgent congress met there in the Barasoain Church, where they framed the “Malolos Constitution” and proclaimed a republic on January 23, 1899. The insurgent leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, established his

Mahakavya

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

In its classical form, a mahakavya consists of a variable number of comparatively short cantos, each composed in a metre appropriate to its particular subject matter. The subject matter of the mahakavya is

Hooker, Sir William Jackson

2005-03-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Hooker was the son of a merchant's clerk and descendant of Richard Hooker, noted theologian of the 16th century. A fortuitous discovery in 1805 of

Crime, Law Enforcement, And Penology

2005-03-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Several countries acted to widen the scope of the

Esterházy Family

2005-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

By the 18th century the Esterházys had become the largest landowners in Hungary, and they came to possess a private fortune even larger than that of the Habsburg emperors whose supporters they were. The various members of the family continued to hold important

Than Tun, Thakin

2005-03-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

Than Tun was educated at Rangoon (Yangon) Teachers' Training School and taught at a high school in Rangoon. Influenced at an early age by Marxist writings, he joined in 1936 the nationalist Dobama Asi-ayone (We-Burmans Association). Than Tun helped form the

Skeleton Shrimp

2005-03-06T01:37:00.000-08:00

Aeginella longicornis (longicornia), which occurs among eelgrass, sponges, and wharf pilings

Vigny, Alfred-victor, Comte De

2005-03-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

Poet, dramatist, and novelist who was the most philosophical of the French Romantic writers.

Abaca

2005-03-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

The plant, native to the Philippines

Celestial Globe

2005-03-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Some globes were made in ancient Greece; Thales of Miletus (fl. 6th century BC) is generally credited with having constructed the first. Probably the oldest in existence is the

Alarcos, Battle Of

2005-03-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

(July 18, 1195), celebrated Almohad victory in Muslim Spain over the forces of King Alfonso VIII of Castile. In 1190 the Almohad caliph Abu Yusuf Ya'qub forced an armistice on the Christian kings of Castile and Leon, after repulsing their attacks on Muslim possessions in Spain. At the expiration of the truce (c. 1194) Alfonso invaded the province of Sevilla (Seville), prompting Abu Yusuf to leave

Nigeria

2005-03-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

In 1999 Nigeria underwent major political change. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, interim leader since the death of Sani Abacha in June 1998, oversaw the transition to a democratically elected government and the establishment of a new constitution. Three parties participated in the national elections: the centre-left People's Democratic Party (PDP), the Alliance for Democracy

San Carlos

2005-03-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Luzon, Philippines. Founded in 1587 by Dominicans, it was named in 1718 for St. Charles Borromeo. San Carlos was organized as a city in 1966. It is a pottery-making centre and also produces articles made from bamboo. Rice and corn (maize) are the major crops grown in the surrounding area. The city is situated along the Manila-North Railroad 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Lingayen.

Mental Disorder, Affective disorders

2005-03-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

Depression is characterized by a sad or hopeless mood, pessimistic thinking, a loss of enjoyment and interest in one's usual activities and pastimes, reduced energy and vitality,

Giry, Arthur

2005-03-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

After a brief career in administrative services and journalism, Giry devoted himself to scholarship. His first major work was Histoire de la ville de Saint-Omer et de ses institutions jusqu'au XIVe siècle (1877). The type of research involved in this work led him to similar studies

Orange Order

2005-03-01T00:52:00.000-08:00

The society was formed in 1795 to maintain the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland in the face of rising demands for Catholic Emancipation. Enmity between Roman Catholics and Protestants had always

Wadi Halfa

2005-02-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

Town, extreme northern Sudan. It lies on the east bank of the Nile River 6 miles (10 km) below the Second Cataract, just south of the Egyptian border. Located within ancient Nubia, the town and its environs are rich in antiquities; the ruins of Buhen—an Egyptian colony of the Middle Kingdom period that existed until Roman times—lie across the river. A terminus of both railway

Denikin, Anton Ivanovich

2005-02-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

A professional in the Imperial Russian Army, Denikin served in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05) and in World War I (1914–16). After the February Revolution of 1917, which overthrew the Romanov dynasty, he became chief of staff

China, Land and people

2005-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

Physical geography is surveyed in The Physical Geography of China, 2 vol., trans. from Russian (1969), prepared by the Institute of Geography, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences; Songqiao Zhao, Physical Geography of China (1986); and Shih-hsun Ch'en, The Climate of China (1962). Studies of population include June Teufel Dreyer, China's Forty Millions (1976), an examination of China's minorities and their integration into society since 1949; C.K. Leung and Norton Ginsburg (eds.), China: Urbanization and National Development (1980); Liu Zheng et al., China's Population: Problems and Prospects (1981), containing surveys and case studies; Judith Banister, China's Changing Population (1987), an analysis of modern demographic trends; and New China's Population (1988), studies by Chinese demographers of three censuses. Atlases include Chiao-min Hsieh, Atlas of China, ed. by Christopher L. Salter (1973); P.J.M. Geelan and D.C. Twitchett (eds.), The Times Atlas of China (1974); Caroline Blunden and Mark Elvin, Cultural Atlas of China (1983); The Population Atlas of China (1987), on the 1982 census, prepared by the Population Census Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Nathan Sivin (ed.), The Contemporary Atlas of China (1988), including maps, illustrations, essays, and a chronology.

Orange Order

2005-02-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

Any of a number of contagious diseases that are most commonly acquired in sexual intercourse. See sexually transmitted disease.

Stephen F. Austin State University

2005-02-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher education in Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. It comprises the Graduate School, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry, and colleges of applied arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, liberal arts, and sciences and mathematics. Bachelor's and master's degrees are offered in a range of fields, and doctoral degrees are available

Insurance, Professional liability insurance

2005-02-26T02:31:00.000-08:00

Known as malpractice, or errors-and-omissions, insurance, professional liability contracts are distinguished from general business liability policies because of the specialized nature of the liability. Professional persons requiring liability contracts include physicians and surgeons, lawyers, accountants, engineers, and insurance agents. Important

Osaka-kobe Metropolitan Area, Industry

2005-02-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

Osaka was once known as the Manchester of the Orient because of its great textile industry; now, however, its leading industries are the manufacture of electrical and other machinery, iron and steel, fabricated metals, and chemicals. Between Osaka and Kobe are several other industrial cities. The largest, Amagasaki, is a centre of machinery, metallurgy, chemicals, cement,

Epistemology, Skepticism

2005-02-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Until the beginning of Part IV of Book I

Concordat

2005-02-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

A pact, with the force of international law, concluded between the ecclesiastical authority and the secular authority on matters of mutual concern; most especially a pact between the pope, as head of the Roman Catholic church, and a temporal head of state for the regulation of ecclesiastical affairs in the territory of the latter. Matters often dealt with in concordats

Definite Proportions, Law Of

2005-02-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

Statement that every chemical compound contains fixed and constant proportions (by weight) of its constituent elements. Although many experimenters had long assumed the truth of the principle in general, the French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust first accumulated conclusive evidence for it in a series of researches on the composition of many substances, especially

Painting, Western, The 17th century

2005-02-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

English painting during the 17th century had been dominated by a series of foreign-born practitioners, mostly portraitists (e.g., Rubens and Van Dyck), even before the Civil War. Sir Peter Lely and Sir Godfrey Kneller continued this trend after the Restoration. The vast majority of the painting executed by native artists remained thoroughly provincial. Lely began his

Euripides

2005-02-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Greek fleet is becalmed at Aulis and is thus unable to convey the expeditionary force against Troy. Agamemnon learns that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia as a means of appeasing the goddess Artemis, who has caused the unfavourable weather. Agamemnon lures his daughter into coming to Aulis to be sacrificed by pretending that she will marry Achilles.

Tea

2005-02-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

Beverage produced by steeping in freshly boiled water the young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). Hybrids of these two varieties are also grown. The leaves may be fermented or left unfermented.

Scandinavian Literature, The mythological lays

2005-02-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Mythological lays about the Norse gods made up the first half of the Poetic Edda. It is unlikely that any of these originated outside Norway, Iceland, and Norse colonies in the British Isles. The Völuspá (“Sibyl's Prophecy”) was a striking poem on the history of the world of gods, men, and monsters, from the beginning until the “twilight of the gods.” Many passages in the poem are

Kumarajiva

2005-02-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Before his ordination at the

Insurance, Ocean marine insurance

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

Ocean marine contracts are written to cover four major types of property interest: (1) the vessel or hull, (2) the cargo, (3) the freight revenue to be received by the ship owner, and (4) legal liability for negligence of the shipper or the carrier. Hull insurance covers losses to the vessel itself from specified perils. Usually there is a provision that the marine hull should be covered

Scandinavian Literature, The mythological lays

2005-02-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

One of the various plated dinosaurs (Stegosauria) of the Late Jurassic Period (159 million to 144 million years ago) recognizable by its spiked tail and series of large triangular bony plates along the back. Stegosaurus usually grew to a length of about 6.5 metres (21 feet), but some reached 9 metres (30 feet). The skull and brain were very small for such a large animal. The forelimbs were much

Corbusier, Le

2005-02-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

Byname of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret internationally influential Swiss architect and city planner, whose designs combine the functionalism of the modern movement with a bold, sculptural expressionism. He belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture and was their most able propagandist

Fructose

2005-02-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

A member of a group of carbohydrates known as simple sugars, or monosaccharides. Fructose, along with glucose, occurs in fruits, honey, and syrups; it also occurs in certain vegetables. It is a component, along with glucose, of the disaccharide sucrose, or common table sugar. Phosphate derivatives of fructose (e.g., fructose-1-phosphate, fructose-1,6-diphosphate) are important

British Antarctic Territory

2005-02-18T02:13:00.000-08:00

A territory of the United Kingdom lying southeast of South America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. Triangular in shape, it has an area (mostly ocean) of 2,095,000 square miles (5,425,000 square km), bounded by the South Pole (south), latitude 60° S (north), and by longitudes 20° W (east) and 80° W (west). It includes all land areas south of 60° S and between the aforementioned

Aerospace Industry, Historical context

2005-02-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Understanding modern aerospace manufacturing processes requires that they be viewed in the context of the historical development of vehicle design. The spruce and fir frames of aircraft through World War I required skilled woodworkers and their equipment, coupled with crafters—often women transferring homemaking skills to the shop—who laced or sewed fabric

Gyangu

2005-02-17T03:26:00.000-08:00

Also called Yakuza, Japanese gangster or mobster, a member of a boryokudan (q.v.), or gang of racketeers.

Hwange

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

Formerly Wankie, town, western Zimbabwe. It was founded about 1900 after the discovery of coal in the vicinity and was named for a local chief, Whanga, who was the dynastic head of the Abananza people. By 1908 a brickyard was established, utilizing local clays, and the production of coke began in 1913. The town is located on road and rail lines to Bulawayo and Zambia, and the coal-mining industry remains

Plymouth Company

2005-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

The Plymouth Company was less successful than its twin, the London Company (q.v.). In 1606 it established two colonies, and in 1607 settlers landed at the mouth of the

China, Beginnings of a national revolution

2005-02-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

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

China, The Mongol conquest of China

2005-02-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Genghis Khan rose to supremacy over the Mongol tribes in the steppe in 1206, and within a few years he attempted to conquer northern China. By securing the allegiance of the Tangut state of Hsi Hsia in what are now Kansu and northeastern Tibet (1209), he disposed of a potential enemy and prepared the ground for an attack against the Chin state of the Juchen in northern China. At that

Amtrak

2005-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

Formally National Railroad Passenger Corporation federally supported corporation that operates nearly all intercity passenger trains in the United States. It was established by Congress in 1970 and assumed control of passenger service from the nation's private rail companies the following year. Virtually all railways, with the exception of a small handful, signed contracts with Amtrak. The corporation pays the

Factor

2005-02-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, a number or algebraic expression that divides another number or expression evenly, i.e., with no remainder. For example, 3 and 6 are factors of 12 because 12 ¸ 3 = 4 exactly and 12 ¸ 6 = 2 exactly. The other factors of 12 are 1, 2, 4, and 12. With the exception of 1, a positive integer or an algebraic expression that has only two factors (i.e., itself and 1) is termed prime; a positive integer or an algebraic

World War I, The Turkish entry

2005-02-14T06:58:00.000-08:00

The entry of Turkey (or the Ottoman Empire, as it was then called) into the war as a German ally was the one great success of German wartime diplomacy. Since 1909 Turkey had been under the control of the Young Turks, over whom Germany had skillfully gained a dominating influence. German military instructors permeated the Turkish Army, and Enver Pasa, the leader of the Young Turks,

Nizam-i Cedid

2005-02-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

In 1792–93 Selim III, assisted by a committee, promulgated a series of reforms that included new regulations on provincial governorships and taxation, on land

Locarno, Pact Of

2005-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

The agreements consisted of (1) a treaty of mutual guarantee between Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Italy; (2) arbitration agreements between

Abbott, Lyman

2005-02-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

Abbott left law practice to study theology and was ordained in 1860. After serving in two pastorates he became associate editor of Harper's Magazine and in 1870 editor of the Illustrated Christian Weekly. In 1876 he joined Henry Ward Beecher's Christian

Nolde, Emil

2005-02-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

Born of a peasant family, the youthful Nolde made his living as a wood-carver. He was able to study art formally only when some of his early works

Westmorland, Ralph Neville, 1st Earl Of, 4th Baron Neville Of Raby

2005-02-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of John, 3rd Baron Neville, he was knighted during a French expedition in 1380, succeeded to his father's barony in 1388, and was created Earl of Westmorland on Sept. 29, 1397. Further royal

Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton

2005-02-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

Hooker,

Black Belt

2005-02-10T03:11:00.000-08:00

Physical region in Alabama and Mississippi, U.S., so named for its soil. The Black Belt is a fertile plain, generally 25–30 miles (40–50 km) wide and stretching approximately 300 miles (480 km) across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous soils, it was one of the South's most important agricultural areas before the American Civil War. Though corn (maize) was

Cambisol

2005-02-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cambisols are characterized by the absence of a layer of accumulated clay, humus, soluble salts, or iron and aluminum oxides. They differ from unweathered parent material in their aggregate structure, colour, clay content, carbonate content, or other properties that

Conté, Nicolas-jacques

2005-02-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

At 14 he took up portrait painting, from which he derived a considerable income. Passionately interested in mechanical arts and science, he began displaying his inventive faculty during the French Revolution. With the supply

Nicholas I

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

A close associate of the controversial patriarch Photius of Constantinople, Nicholas began his career in the

X Ray

2005-02-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

According to classical electromagnetic theory, the deceleration of electrons will produce electromagnetic radiation, in the same way that accelerated electrons in a radio antenna produce radio waves. The failure of magnetic fields to deflect an X-ray beam seems to confirm this classical idea of the origin of X rays. Crucial evidence for the existence of waves

Wigeon

2005-02-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Widgeon, any of four species of dabbling ducks (family Anatidae), popular game birds and excellent table fare. The European wigeon (Anas, or Mareca, penelope) ranges across the Palaearctic and is occasionally found in the Nearctic regions. The American wigeon, or baldpate (A. americana), breeds in northwestern North America and winters along the U.S., Mexican, Central American, and

Argentina, Discovery and settlement

2005-02-07T02:05:00.000-08:00

The main Atlantic outline of Argentina was revealed to European explorers in the early 16th century. The Río de la Plata estuary was discovered years before Ferdinand Magellan traversed the Strait of Magellan in 1520, although historians dispute whether the estuary was first reached by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501–02 or by Juan Díaz de Solís in his ill-fated voyage of 1516. Solís and a

Biblical Literature, Sources of the Septuagint

2005-02-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

A Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint because there allegedly were 70 or 72 translators, six from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, and designated LXX, is a composite of the work of many translators labouring for well over 100 years. It was made directly from Hebrew originals that frequently differed considerably from the present Masoretic text. Apart