ThickStar

Holderness

2005-11-19T03:35:00.000-08:00

Low-lying peninsula and geographic region, geographic county of East Riding of Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England, between the River Humber estuary and the North Sea. The plain of Holderness terminates in a line of unstable clay cliffs along the coast of the North Sea to the east, where erosion is a serious problem north of Spurn Head, which is the peninsula's

Burgess, Anthony

2005-07-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Trained in English literature and phonetics, Burgess taught in the extramural department of Birmingham University (1946–50), worked for the Ministry of Education (1948–50), and was English master at Banbury

Tequistlatec

2005-07-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Indian people centred in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca estado (“state”), Mexico. Their subsistence is based on agriculture (staples are corn [maize], chilies, and beans), hunting, gathering, and animal husbandry. Towns and villages comprise one- and two-room houses, with a nuclear family generally occupying a single room. The communities are governed by adult males who

Sogamoso

2005-07-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

City, Boyacá departamento, east-central Colombia. It lies along the Chicamocha River in the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Oriental, at an elevation of 8,428 feet (2,569 m) above sea level. Once a sacred city of the pre-Columbian Chibcha Indians, Sogamoso is a commercial and manufacturing centre for the surrounding agricultural and pastoral lands. Flour and textile milling and

Hurley, Patrick J(ay)

2005-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Beginning the practice of law in Oklahoma (1908), Hurley served as a colonel in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. During the 1920s he became active in Republican Party politics,

Hymenium

2005-07-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

A spore-bearing layer of tissue in fungi (division Mycota) found in the classes Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. It is formed by end cells of hyphae—the filaments of the vegetative body (thallus).

Alaska, Government

2005-07-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Alaska's economy has been dominated by government since territorial days. From 1940 to 1960 the federal government invested nearly $2 billion in the development of military bases in Alaska. Nothing else in Alaska's history has produced such long-term results, bringing thousands of residents into the territory and creating jobs and a vast array of transportation and communications

Adams Family

2005-06-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Established in America by Henry Adams, who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1636, the family made no special mark until the time of John Adams (1735–1826). Perhaps the most profound political

Accentor

2005-06-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

Accentors breed chiefly in mountains but winter at lower elevations. A widespread lowland species is

Valencia

2005-06-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Valencia (Valentia) was a prosperous area during the Roman Empire and was taken by the Visigoths in the early 5th century AD. In the early 8th century it was captured by the

Adaptive Radiation

2005-06-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Evolution of an animal or plant group into a wide variety of types adapted to specialized modes of life. A striking example is the radiation, beginning in the Tertiary period (beginning 66.4 million years ago), of basal mammalian stock into forms adapted to running, leaping, climbing, swimming, and flying.

Metallography

2005-05-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Metal surfaces and fractures examined with the unaided eye or with a magnifying glass or metallurgical or binocular microscope at magnifications less than 10 diameters can reveal valuable information as to the crystalline, chemical,

Outjo

2005-05-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Thomas Lambert, the first European settler, arrived there in 1880, and German colonial authorities established a military post at Outjo in 1895. It became

Bradley, Bill

2005-05-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Bradley began to play basketball at the age of nine and became one of the best players in Missouri high school basketball history. At Princeton University, Bradley, a forward, was a playmaker and high scorer, averaging 30.1 points a game during three seasons, in each

Aesir

2005-03-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

Old Norse ��sir�, singular ��ss� in Scandinavian mythology, either of two main groups of deities, four of whom were common to the Germanic nations: Odin (q.v.), chief of the Aesir; Frigg (q.v.), Odin's wife; Tyr (q.v.), god of war; and Thor (q.v.), whose name was the Teutonic word for thunder. Some of the other important Aesir were Balder, J�rd, Heimdall, and Loki (qq.v.).

Quincy Plan

2005-03-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

Also called �Quincy Method, � experimental, progressive, child-centred approach to education introduced in 1875 in Quincy, Mass., U.S., by superintendent of schools Francis W. Parker. Parker eliminated the rigid formalities of traditional school routine, arranged interrelated subjects around a central core, and emphasized socialized activities and creative self-expression. The curriculum included

Black Hand

2005-03-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

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

Berat

2005-03-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Located strategically between the ancient regions of Illyria and Epirus, Berat was the

Applied Logic

2005-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

The applications of logic cover a vast range, relating

United States, The coming of the war

2005-03-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

Faced with a fait accompli, Lincoln when inaugurated was prepared to conciliate the South in every way but one: he would not recognize that the Union could be divided. The test of his determination came early in his administration, when he learned that the Federal troops under Major Robert Anderson in Fort Sumter, South Carolina - then one of the few military installations in the South still in Federal hands - had to be promptly supplied or withdrawn. After agonized consultation with his cabinet, Lincoln determined that supplies must be sent even if doing so provoked the Confederates into firing the first shot. On April 12, 1861, just before Federal supply ships could reach the beleaguered Anderson, Confederate guns in Charleston opened fire upon Fort Sumter, and the war began.

Aerial Photography

2005-03-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

For the mapping of terrestrial features, aerial photographs usually are taken in overlapping series from an aircraft following a systematic flight pattern at a fixed altitude.

Adam Brothers

2005-03-01T02:44:00.000-08:00

Three French brothers who sculpted many monuments for the French and Prussian royal residences. They were exponents of a style that employed the textures of shells, corals, and perforated rocks. Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (1700 - 59) created sculptures for King Louis XV of France and Frederick the Great of Prussia. Nicolas-S�bastien Adam (1705 - 78) sculptured for Stanislas

Swanton, John Reed

2005-02-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

Swanton studied with anthropologist Franz Boas at Columbia University for two years but received

Andean Peoples

2005-02-27T02:07:00.000-08:00

Studies of the pre-Columbian history and culture of this area may be found in the bibliography of the article pre-Columbian civilizations. The best account of Andean cultures as they appeared to an eyewitness of the early years (16th century) of European rule is Pedro de Cieza de Le�n, The Incas (1959, reissued 1969; originally published in Spanish, 1554). An introduction to Andean archaeology may be found in John Howland Rowe and Dorothy Menzel (eds.), Peruvian Archaeology (1967), with selections mainly by American scholars. The role of irrigation in the cultural and political elaboration of coastal kingdoms is well illustrated in Paul Kosok, Life, Land, and Water in Ancient Peru (1965). Special regional problems are introduced in Louis C. Faron, Mapuche Social Structure (1961), a study of the reintegration of these people of Chile since the time of conquest; L.C. Faron, Hawks of the Sun (1964), on the Southern Andes; Betty J. Meggers, Ecuador (1966); Donald W. Lathrap, The Upper Amazon (1970); Paul T. Baker and Michael A. Little (eds.), Man in the Andes: A Multidisciplinary Study of High-Altitude Quechua (1976); Kevin Kling, Ecuador: Island of the Andes (1988; originally published in French, 1987), focusing on Indian culture and life and illustrated with photographs; and Steve J. Stern, Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest: Huamanga to 1640, 2nd ed. (1993).

Arran, James Stewart, Earl Of

2005-02-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

Both Stewart and his rival, Esm�, duke of Lennox, were deprived of office when the Protestant lords seized power by the raid of Ruthven (1582); but a year later they in turn were overthrown and driven into exile by Stewart. His tyranny and insolence, however,

Tetricus, Gaius Pius Esuvius

2005-02-25T00:22:00.000-08:00

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

Mahathir Bin Mohamad

2005-02-24T17:02:00.000-08:00

The son of a schoolmaster, Mahathir was educated at Sultan Abdul Hamid College and the University of Malaya in Singapore, where he studied medicine. After graduating in 1953, he worked as a government

Zanni

2005-02-23T21:26:00.000-08:00

Plural �Zanni, or Zannis, � stock servant character in the Italian improvisational theatre known as the commedia dell'arte. Zanni were valet buffoons, clowns, and knavish jacks-of-all-trades. All possessed common sense, intelligence, pride, and a love of practical jokes and intrigue; they were, however, often quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, spiteful, vindictive, and treacherous. The term is thought

Liliales

2005-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Lily order of the monocotyledonous flowering plants, a division of the subclass Liliidae. The order is a vast assemblage of plants whose flowers usually have three petals and three sepals - the sepals usually resembling the petals in shape and colour - and whose leaves are generally linear or strap-shaped with parallel veins. Within this large order, exemplified

Yamaguchi

2005-02-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

Prefecture (ken), extreme western Honshu, Japan, bordered by the Sea of Japan (north), the Shimonoseki-kaikyo (Shimonoseki Strait; southwest), and the Inland Sea (south). Most of its 2,355-sq-mi (6,100-sq-km) area is composed of plateaus and hills, and there are no extensive plains. The limestone caves and outcroppings of the Akiyoshi-dai (plateau) in the west present a typical karst formation

Nitrate And Iodate Minerals

2005-02-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

Small group of naturally occurring inorganic compounds that are practically confined to the Atacama Desert of northern Chile; the principal locality is Antofagasta. These minerals occur under the loose soil as beds of grayish caliche (a hard cemented mixture of nitrates, sulfates, halides, and sand) 2 - 3 m (7 - 10 feet) thick. The much rarer iodate minerals occur sporadically,

2005-02-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Introducing the historical novel to Croatian literature,

Camar

2005-02-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

Widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word carmakara, or �skin worker.� The more than 150 subcastes are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils). Because their work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Camars have suffered from the stigma of being considered

Polignac Family

2005-02-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

From the 1050s and perhaps even from 860, the first viscounts of Polignac (in the modern d�partement of Haute-Loire) were practically independent rulers of Velay, where the Loire River rises. Their ultimate heiress, Valpurge, was married in 1349 to Guillaume III de Chalen�on, whose descendants assumed the Polignac name in 1421. The actual

Terminalia

2005-02-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 200 species of trees of the family Combretaceae. Some species are commercially important for products such as gums, resins, and tanning extracts. T. arjuna, of Southeast Asia; T. hilariana, of tropical America; T. obovata, of the West Indies and South America; and T. superba, of West Africa yield woods used for cabinetwork, tools, and boat construction.

Sex Chromosome

2005-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Individuals having two X chromosomes (XX) are

Anode

2005-02-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

The terminal or electrode from which electrons leave a system. In a battery or other source of direct current the anode is the negative terminal, but in a passive load it is the positive terminal. For example, in an electron tube electrons from the cathode travel across the tube toward the anode, and in an electroplating cell negative ions are deposited at the anode.

Akimov, Nikolay Pavlovich

2005-02-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Scenic designer and producer, known for the diversity of his bold experiments in stage design and dramatic interpretation - most especially for his cynical reinterpretation of Hamlet (1932), in which the king's ghost was represented as a fiction cunningly devised by Hamlet,

Eug�nie

2005-02-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a Spanish noble who fought on the French side during Napoleon I's Peninsular War in Spain, Eug�nie went to Paris when Louis-Napol�on became president of the Second Republic in December 1848. They were married in

Kulakova, Galina

2005-02-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

A member of four Soviet Olympic ski teams from 1964 to 1976, Kulakova was a national champion from 1969 to 1971 and a world champion in 1969 and 1970. In 1968 at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Kulakova won

Texas, The people

2005-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Texas has long been a huge reservoir for diverse streams of races and cultures. For the bands of prehistoric hunters, for the waves of Indian tribes, for the Spanish and Mexicans pushing northward, for the Anglo-Americans from the North and East, and for colonizers who came to Texas directly from Europe, there was more than enough room for settlement and for the opportunity

Xavier, Saint Francis

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

Francis was born in Navarre (now in northern Spain), at the family castle of Xavier, where Basque was the native language. He was the third son of the president of the council of the king of Navarre, most of whose kingdom was soon to fall to the crown of Castile (1512). Francis grew up at Xavier and received his early education there. As was often the case with younger sons of the nobility,

Furniture, Clocks

2005-02-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Clocks are considered furnishings if the movement is enclosed within a case, which need not necessarily be of wood. Clocks can be divided into table clocks and long-case clocks. There were two creative centres for table clocks, namely England and France. In 17th- and 18th-century France, the table clock became an object of monumental design, the best examples of which are

Osa

2005-02-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Osa rayon (sector), Perm oblast (province), Russia, on the left bank of the Kama River near its confluence with the Tulva River. The city is about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of the city of Perm. Originally a village of Khanty (Ostyak), a Ugric-speaking people, it became the Russian town of Nikolskaya Sloboda in 1557 and was renamed Osa in 1737. Yemelyan Pugachov

Outer Banks

2005-02-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

Also called �the Banks � chain of barrier islands extending southward more than 175 miles (280 km) along the coast of North Carolina, U.S., from Back Bay, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. From north to south they comprise Currituck Banks; Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke, and Portsmouth islands; and North Core, South Core, and Shackleford banks. The Outer Banks form a bowlike arc that curves southeastward

Haley, Margaret Angela

2005-02-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

Haley attended public and convent schools and from 1876 taught in a succession of schools around Chicago. She was an early member of the Chicago Teachers' Federation, formed in March 1897, and rose quickly in the organization to become

Andersen Nex�, Martin

2005-02-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Nex� came from an extremely poor family in the slums of Copenhagen but spent most of his childhood on the island of Bornholm, where he worked as a shepherd

Berceuse

2005-02-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

(French: �lullaby�), musical composition, typically of the 19th century, having the character of a lullaby. While the word appears to imply no particular formal pattern, rocking rhythms in 6/8 time are common not only in the vocal prototype but also in its stylized instrumental counterparts, usually for piano. A well-known example of the latter is Fr�d�ric Chopin's Berceuse,

Aeolis

2005-02-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Also called �Aeolia, � group of ancient cities on the west coast of Anatolia, which were founded at the end of the 2nd millennium BC by Greeks speaking an Aeolic dialect. The earliest settlements, located on the islands of Lesbos and Tenedos and on the mainland between Troas and Ionia, resulted from migrations during 1130 - 1000 BC. A second group of Aeolian settlements was colonized in the 7th century BC. At the

Condell, Henry

2005-01-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

Condell may have been acting as early as 1590 - 91, but he first certainly appeared

Interior Design, Other components

2005-01-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

The detailing referred to in connection with the handling of doors is one of the most important factors in interior design. Every architectural component must be detailed well. Poor details make for poor design. The meaning of detailing in a design sense is more than the graphic explanation of certain components on a drawing. It means the way materials are put together,

Jones, Jo

2005-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Jones grew up in Alabama, studied music for 12 years, and became a skilled trumpeter and pianist; he toured with carnivals as a tap dancer as well as an instrumentalist. He played with Southwestern �territory

Rabin, Leah

2005-01-27T01:14:00.000-08:00

German-born Israeli consort and peace activist (b. April 8, 1928, K�nigsberg, Ger. [now Kaliningrad, Russia] - d. Nov. 12, 2000, Tel Aviv, Israel), was the wife of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995. She grew up in Tel Aviv and met her husband while both were serving in the Palmach, a Jewish militia unit. The two were married during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 - 49. Leah Rabin

Gauging Station

2005-01-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

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

Long Branch

2005-01-25T00:26:00.000-08:00

City, Monmouth county, eastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Atlantic Ocean, 50 miles (80 km) south of New York City. Settled in 1668 on land purchased from the Delaware Indians, it was named for its location on the Long Branch of the South Shrewsbury River. Its development as a summer coastal resort began in the 1780s. By the 1830s gambling and horse racing brought an influx of visitors into

Macdonald-wright, Stanton

2005-01-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

Painter and teacher who, with Morgan Russell, founded the movement known as Synchromism about 1912. Synchromism proclaimed colour to be the basis of expression in painting, and, although the movement was short-lived, it proved to be the first abstract art movement developed by American

Usuki

2005-01-23T03:29:00.000-08:00

City, Oita ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan. The city faces Usuki Bay on the Bungo Channel between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. An early castle town, Usuki once carried on trade with Portugal. It is now a fishing port and commercial centre; the main industrial activity is brewing. Usuki is perhaps most noted as the site of the former Buddhist Mangetsu Temple, with its

Bartoli, Daniello

2005-01-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

Bartoli entered the Society of Jesus in 1623 and wrote the well-known and frequently translated L'uomo di lettere difeso ed emendato (1645; The Learned Man Defended and Reformed). In addition to writing a history of the Jesuits in Italian, Istoria della Compagnia

Chibougamau

2005-01-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

City, Nord-du-Qu�bec region, central Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the northwest shore of the Lac Dor� part of Chibougamau Lake. Gold and copper were discovered in the area by Peter McKenzie in 1903, but his and several subsequent attempts at mining the ore failed because of the region's remoteness. Finally, in the late 1940s, the provincial government began building a road

Frederick I

2005-01-19T01:56:00.000-08:00

In 1688 Frederick succeeded to the electorate and at once set out, assisted

Auerbach, Berthold

2005-01-18T03:25:00.000-08:00

Auerbach prepared for the rabbinate, but, estranged from Jewish orthodoxy by the study of the 17th-century Dutch philosopher Benedict de Spinoza, he turned instead to literature. Spinoza's life formed the basis of his first novel (1837); a translation

Jewish Religious Year, Importance

2005-01-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

The central significance of the Sabbath for Judaism is reflected in the traditional commentative and interpretative literature called Talmud and Midrash (e.g., �if you wish to destroy the Jewish people, abolish their Sabbath first�) and in numerous legends and adages from more recent literature (e.g., �more than Israel kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept Israel�). Some of

Cordgrass

2005-01-15T01:14:00.000-08:00

Most species grow in clumps, with short flower spikes alternating along and often adherent to the upper portion of the stems,

Antarctica, The Antarctic Treaty

2005-01-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

With the ending of IGY the threat arose that the moratorium too would end, letting the carefully worked out Antarctic structure collapse into its pre-IGY chaos. In the fall of 1957 the U.S. Department of State reviewed its Antarctic policy and sounded out agreements with the 11 other governments with Antarctic interests. On May 2, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued identical

Giono, Jean

2005-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

A love of nature came to Giono from his mountain town and from the shepherd family with whom, as a boy, he spent his summers. He was largely self-taught. As an infantryman in World War I, he was one of his company's

Chilpancingo, Congress Of

2005-01-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

(September - November 1813), meeting held at Chilpancingo, in present Guerrero state, Mex., that declared the independence of Mexico from Spain and drafted a constitution, which received final approval (Oct. 22, 1814) at the Congress of Apatzing�n. Jos� Mar�a Morelos y Pav�n, who called the congress at Chilpancingo, had assumed leadership of the Mexican independence movement after

Maccready, Paul Beattie

2005-01-11T23:33:00.000-08:00

MacCready was a national champion model-plane builder in the 1930s and received his pilot's license at the age of 16. He graduated with a B.S. degree in physics from

Yung-lo

2005-01-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his reign, he seems to have been fascinated by the regions beyond China's southern borders, perhaps in part because of rumours that the emperor Chu Y�n-wen had escaped overseas. In 1403 the Yung-lo emperor sent out three fleets under eunuch commanders to proclaim his accession throughout Southeast Asia as far as Java and southern India. More vigorously

Turkish Bath

2005-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Kind of bath that originated in the Middle East and combines exposure to warm air, then steam or hot-air immersion, massage, and finally a cold-water bath or shower. The Turkish bath typically requires movement from one room or chamber to the next. Separate wash rooms and soaking pools may be included in the bath building, as are dressing and rest rooms. The Turkish bath

Baraka, Amiri

2005-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Jones graduated from Howard University (B.A., 1953) and served in the U.S. Air Force. After military duty, he joined the Beat movement, attended graduate school, and published his first major collection of poetry, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide

Earth, Secular variation of the main field

2005-01-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

The main magnetic field of the Earth, as observed at the surface, changes continuously with time. Changes of very short duration compared with geologic processes are called secular variation. Observations of declination made in London since 1540, for example, show that the direction of the field at that site has nearly completed a full cycle with a peak-to-peak amplitude

Eisenstadt

2005-01-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

City, capital (since 1925) of Burgenland Bundesland (federal state), eastern Austria. It lies at the southern end of the Leitha Mountains, south of Vienna. Mentioned in 1264, it was a free city of Hungary from 1648 until Burgenland was ceded to Austria in 1920. Eisenstadt's notable landmarks include the former castle of the Esterh�zy princes (14th century; rebuilt 1663 - 72); the Mount Calvary Church (Kalvarienbergkirche),

Ahenobarbus, Gnaeus Domitius

2005-01-02T02:18:00.000-08:00

With his father, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, he had been a member of the party that in 49 made an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Caesar from seizing power. After the assassination of Caesar in 44 by a group led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius

Cartel

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

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

Cloisonn�

2004-12-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

In the decorative arts, an enameling technique or any product of that technique, which consists of soldering to a metal surface delicate metal strips bent to the outline of a design and filling the resulting cellular spaces, called cloisons (French: �partitions,� or �compartments�), with vitreous enamel paste. The object then is fired, ground smooth, and polished. Sometimes

Earth, Composition of the core

2004-12-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

Aside from having a high density, the generation of the magnetic field also requires that the core, unlike the mantle, be metallic. Birch's conclusion in 1952 was that iron is the most plausible constituent of the core. This was bolstered by subsequent work that has shown that iron is by far the most abundant element in the cosmos with density, elasticity, and electrical properties

Dehydration

2004-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Dehydration may be caused by restriction of water

Stalin, Joseph

2004-12-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

During the quarter of a century preceding his death, the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin

Aguilar, Grace

2004-12-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

Aguilar was the daughter of Sephardic Jews. She was tutored in the classics at home and (even in adulthood) was not permitted to move outside

Baden

2004-12-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

Also called �Baden Bei Wien, � spa, Nieder�sterreich Bundesland (federal state), Austria. It lies along the Schwechat River, at the eastern edge of the Wiener Forest, south of Vienna. Settled in prehistoric times, it was a Roman watering place, or aquae, and was recorded in 869 as the seat of a Frankish imperial palace. Chartered in 1480, it was destroyed by the Turks in 1529 and 1683. It is famous for its warm sulfur-chlorine

Ibn Tufayl

2004-12-25T03:17:00.000-08:00

Moorish philosopher and physician who is known for his Hayy ibn yaqzan (c. 1175; Eng. trans. by L.E. Goodman, Hayy ibn Yaqzan by Ibn Tufayl, 1972), a philosophical romance in which he describes the self-education

Aix-la-chapelle, Congress Of

2004-12-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

(Oct. 1 - Nov. 15, 1818), the first of the four congresses held by Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and France to discuss and take common action on European problems following the Napoleonic Wars (1800 - 15). This congress (held at Aix-la-Chapelle - now Aachen, Ger.) was attended by Alexander I of Russia, Francis I of Austria, Frederick William III of Prussia, and their representatives. Great Britain

Silent Trade

2004-12-23T03:09:00.000-08:00

Also called �dumb barter�, or �depot trade� specialized form of barter in which goods are exchanged without any direct contact between the traders. Generally, one group goes to a customary spot, deposits the goods to be traded, and withdraws, sometimes giving a signal such as a call or a gong stroke. Another group then comes to leave a second set of articles and retreats. The first group returns, removing these

Vacuum Technology

2004-12-22T23:48:00.000-08:00

Capacities >are available from 1/2 to 1,000 cubic feet per minute, operating from atmospheric pressure down to as low as 2 � 10-2 torr for single-stage pumps and less than 5 � 10-3 torr for two-stage pumps. The pumps develop their full speed from atmosphere to about one torr, the speed then decreasing to zero at their ultimate pressures. One device of this type, useful for pumping both liquids

Awdl

2004-12-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

Plural �Awdlau, � in Welsh verse, a long ode written in cynghanedd (a complex system of alliteration and internal rhyme) and in one or more of the 24 strict bardic metres, though only 4 bardic metres are commonly used. The awdl was, by the 15th century, the vehicle for many outstanding Welsh poems. It remains the predominant form in the annual national eisteddfod (bard and minstrel competition);

Indiana State University

2004-12-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Terre Haute, Ind., U.S. It comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and schools of Business, Education, Nursing, Technology, Graduate Studies, and Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. The university offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Campus facilities include an observatory,

Alekseyev, Vasily Ivanovich

2004-12-18T00:29:00.000-08:00

Alekseyev was the son of a lumberjack; at age 12 he was felling trees alongside the men and at age 14 was wrestling them on even terms. He enrolled in a forestry institute in 1961 and graduated from Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute

Arabia, Tribal relations

2004-12-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Throughout Arabian history, even during phases of foreign rule, it was the free, arms-bearing tribesmen who dominated other classes of society, be the tribes nomadic or oasis dwellers, settled farmers in the highlands, or sailors, traders, and pirates gaining their livelihood at sea. The sultans, emirs, and sheikhs were drawn from the tribes, whom they had to cosset to

Kazakstan, Drainage

2004-12-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

Kazakstan's east and southeast possess extensive watercourses: most of the country's 7,000 streams form part of the inland drainage systems of the Aral and Caspian seas and Lakes Balkhash and Tengiz. The major exceptions are the great Irtysh, Ishim (Esil), and Tobol rivers, which run northwest from the highlands in the southeast and, crossing Russia, ultimately drain into

Nuclear Engineering, Early schools

2004-12-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

In 1946 Clinch College was established at Oak Ridge. In its first year 35 American participants from universities, industry, the

Azay-le-rideau

2004-12-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Town and ch�teau, Indre-et-Loire d�partement, Centre r�gion, central France. The town lies along the Indre River a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Loire River, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Tours. Originally the site of a Roman villa, the town was known in the 12th century as Azayum. When the French dauphin (later Charles VII) was insulted by the Burgundian guard

Hawkwood, Sir John

2004-12-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

The son of a tanner, Hawkwood chose a soldier's career, serving in the French wars of Edward III, who probably bestowed a knighthood on him. After the Treaty of Br�tigny temporarily ended Anglo-French hostilities (1360), Hawkwood became the leader

Gyrfalcon

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

(Falco rusticolus), Arctic bird of prey of the family Falconidae, the world's largest falcon (q.v.). The gyrfalcon may reach 60 cm (2 feet) in length. Confined as a breeder to the circumpolar region except for isolated populations in Central Asian highlands, it is sometimes seen at lower latitudes in winters when food is scarce. The gyrfalcon varies from pure white with black speckling

Goblin Shark

2004-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Rare species of shark belonging to the family Mitsukurinidae (order Lamniformes). Only one extant species (Mitsukurina owstoni) is known, on the basis of a few specimens, although fossils of extinct species have been found. The goblin shark is closely related to the sand shark. Most specimens have been taken from deep marine waters near Japan. They have a long, protruding

Vaginitis

2004-12-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

Inflammation of the vagina, usually owing to infection. The chief symptom is leukorrhea, i.e., the abnormal flow of a whitish or yellowish discharge from the vagina. The treatment of vaginitis depends on the cause of the inflammation. Several different microorganisms can produce vaginitis in women of reproductive age; atrophic vaginitis, caused by reduced estrogen

Avidya

2004-12-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit), in the Buddhist chain of dependent origination, the ignorance that fetters man to transmigration. See pratitya-samutpada.

Asahara, Shoko

2004-12-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Chizuo Matsumoto, who changed his name to Shoko Asahara, was born in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan,

Chadwick, Sir Edwin

2004-12-07T02:13:00.000-08:00

As secretary of the royal commission on reform of the poor laws (1834 - 46), Chadwick was largely responsible for devising the system under which the country was divided into groups of parishes administered by elected boards of guardians,

Mckellen, Sir Ian (murray)

2004-12-05T01:34:00.000-08:00

McKellen attended St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, where as a student actor he was often directed by John Barton, later of the Royal Shakespeare Company. After receiving a bachelor's degree in 1961, McKellen made his professional

Dietrich Von Bern

2004-12-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

Dietrich's exploits are related in a number of south German songs preserved in Das Heldenbuch (�The Heroes Book�) - including Dietrichs Flucht (�Dietrich's Flight�), Die Rabenschlacht (�The Battle of Ravenna�), Alpharts Tod (�Alphart's Death�), and a number