BoilingSnake

Parallax

2005-04-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

In astronomy, the difference in direction of a celestial object as seen by an observer from two widely separated points. The measurement of parallax is used directly to find the distance of the body from the Earth (geocentric parallax) and from the Sun (heliocentric parallax). The two positions of the observer and the position of the object form a triangle; if the base

Abbeville

2005-04-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pet Shop Boys, The

2005-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Formed in London in 1981 by vocalist Tennant (then a writer for the music magazine Smash Hits) and keyboardist Lowe, the Pet Shop

Computers, The Difference Engine

2005-04-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor: he invented the cowcatcher, reformed the British postal system, and was a pioneer in the fields of operations research and actuarial science. It was Babbage who first suggested that the weather of years past could be read from tree rings. He also had a lifelong fascination with keys, ciphers, and mechanical

Sarapul

2005-04-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

City and centre of Sarapul rayon (sector) of Udmurtia, in western Russia. It is a port on the Kama River. Founded in the 16th century as a Russian stronghold on the trade route to Siberia, it was attacked by Pugachov rebels in 1774; it was chartered in 1780. Sarapul's industries produce machine tools, radios, footwear, and foods. Several technical colleges and an agricultural college

Salamanca

2005-04-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

As an important Iberian settlement, it was ravaged by the Carthaginian general Hannibal in 217 BC. A Roman

Maha Maya

2005-04-01T01:32:00.000-08:00

According to Buddhist legend, Maha Maya dreamed that a white elephant with six tusks entered her right side, which was interpreted to mean that she had conceived a child who would become either a world ruler or a buddha. After 10 lunar months, feeling that the time of birth was near, she went to the Lumbini

China, Western challenge, 183960

2005-03-31T17:44:00.000-08:00

The opium question, the direct cause of the first Sino-British clash in the 19th century, began with a late 18th-century British attempt to counterbalance their unfavourable China trade with traffic in Indian opium. After monopolizing the opium trade in 1779, the East India Company's government began to sell the drug at auction to private British traders in India, who shipped

Durand-ruel, Paul

2005-03-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Durand-Ruel began his career in his father's art gallery, which he inherited in 1865. At the outset he concentrated on buying the work of Barbizon artists—particularly Camille Corot, Charles-François Daubigny, and Jules Dupré—and for

Strasbourg

2005-03-30T03:54:00.000-08:00

Besides its traditional role as the chief city of Alsace, Strasbourg is also the seat of the Council of Europe, an episcopal see, a university town, and an international communications centre. The river port, which lies east of the

Intendente

2005-03-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

Royal official appointed by the 18th-century kings of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain. Modeled after the French intendants, the intendentes were to serve as instruments of royal centralization and administrative reform but were frequently resisted as conflicting with local privileges. In the Spanish colonies the system was imposed in Cuba (1765) after the brief British

Weller, Thomas H.

2005-03-28T03:16:00.000-08:00

After

Syria, From the 9th to the 12th century

2005-03-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

As the 'Abbasid caliphate disintegrated in its turn, Syria drifted out of the sphere of influence of Baghdad. In 877 it was annexed by the Tulunid dynasty of Egypt, and this began a political connection that was to last with intervals for more than six centuries. In northern Syria the Tulunids were succeeded by a local Arab dynasty, the Hamdanids of Aleppo, founded by Sayf ad-Dawlah

Ariadne

2005-03-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos. She fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and, with a thread or glittering jewels, helped him escape the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that Minos kept in the Labyrinth. Here the legends diverge: she was abandoned by Theseus and hanged herself; Theseus carried

Kwangsi

2005-03-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

In full Chuang Autonomous Region of Kwangsi, Chinese (Wade-Giles) Kuang-hsi Chuang-tsu Tzu-chih-ch'ü, (Pinyin) Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, autonomous region located in southern China. It is bounded by the Chinese provinces of Yunnan on the west, Kweichow on the north, Hunan on the northeast, and Kwangtung on the southeast, and by Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin on the southwest. It covers an area of 85,100 square miles (220,400 square kilometres). Nan-ning, the capital, is about 75 miles (121 kilometres) southwest of the region's geographic

Arab League

2005-03-25T01:20:00.000-08:00

Also called League Of Arab States (LAS) , Arabic Al-Jami'a Al-'Arabiyah, or Al-Jami'a Ad-Duwal Al-'Arabiyah, regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East, formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945. The founding member states were Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Other members are Libya (1953); The Sudan (1956); Tunisia and Morocco (1958); Kuwait (1961); Algeria (1962); Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (1971); Mauritania (1973); Somalia (1974); the Palestine Liberation Organization

Abakanowicz, Magdalena

2005-03-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

A descendant of Polish nobility, Abakanowicz studied at the School of Fine Arts in Sopot, Poland (1949), and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1955). She began working as an independent artist in 1956 and initially earned success for large, three-dimensional

Kite

2005-03-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

Regardless of the design, a kite must conform to the laws of aerodynamics and embody three fundamental characteristics: an aerodynamic structure to gain lift from the wind, a tether to keep it from blowing away, and a bridle to direct the kite face at the proper angle to the wind. A bridle consists of two or more lines attached directly to the kite face. The bridle lines

Alaric

2005-03-23T01:55:00.000-08:00

A nobleman by birth, Alaric served for a time as commander of Gothic troops in the Roman army, but shortly after the death of the emperor Theodosius I in 395, he left the

'abbadid Dynasty

2005-03-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

In 1023 the qadi (religious judge) Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abbad declared Sevilla independent of Córdoba. His son Abu 'Amr 'Abbad, known as al-Mu'tadid (1042–69), greatly enlarged his territory by forcibly

Spanish Literature, The Romantic movement

2005-03-21T02:21:00.000-08:00

Literature in Spain in the first third of the 19th century was still affected by the Napoleonic Wars and their long aftermath. Many liberals driven into exile by Ferdinand VII after 1823 sought refuge in France; and, when they returned to Spain after his death in 1833, they had been so influenced by French Romanticism that this date has been taken as the beginning of the Romantic

La Salle, René-robert Cavelier, Sieur (lord) De

2005-03-20T04:46:00.000-08:00

French explorer in North America, who led an expedition down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and claimed all the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for Louis XIV of France, naming the region “Louisiana.” A few years later, in a luckless expedition seeking the mouth of the Mississippi, he

Arms, Roll Of

2005-03-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Illuminated manuscript describing (blazoning) and often illustrating (emblazoning) the arms of persons present at a particular battle or tournament. In addition to their historical interest, these rolls are excellent examples of heraldic art. There has been no break in the compilation of rolls of arms for official purposes since their origin in the mid-13th century.

Graham, George

2005-03-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

Graham was apprenticed to a London watchmaker and came to the notice of the renowned watchmaker Thomas Tompion. After completing his apprenticeship, Graham succeeded to Tompion's business and to his reputation as the best watchmaker of his time. He perfected

Ma'amadot

2005-03-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew: “stands,” or “posts”), 24 groups of Jewish laymen that witnessed, by turns of one week each, the daily sacrifice in the Second Temple of Jerusalem as representatives of the common people. Gradually ma'amadot were organized in areas outside Jerusalem, so that the people could hold special services in their villages while their representatives were present in the Temple.

Neal, Patricia

2005-03-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Neal studied theatre at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and then moved to New York City after landing an understudy assignment for the play The Voice of the

Jourdan, Jean-baptiste, Count

2005-03-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

After being a soldier in King Louis XVI's army and serving in the West Indies (1778–84), Jourdan retired and became a draper in Limoges. He supported the Revolution, however; and, having been elected

Basildon

2005-03-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

New town, Basildon district, administrative and historic county of Essex, England. Basildon new town was established in 1949. It was one of eight established 20 to 30 miles (32 to 48 km) from central London to help alleviate the city's acute post-World War II housing shortage. More than 230 factories have been built and nearly 400 shops, with more than 200 in the town centre. Pop. (1991) 100,924.

Cynognathus

2005-03-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Cynognathus was approximately as large as a modern

Kordofanian Languages

2005-03-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

A branch of the Niger-Congo language family that is geographically separated from the rest of the Niger-Congo languages and is believed to represent the oldest layer of languages in the region. The Kordofanian branch consists of some 20 languages spoken by 250,000 to 500,000 people, mainly in the Nuba Hills of central Sudan. Kordofanian is divided into four main groups of languages:

Port Blair

2005-03-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

City and capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the Bay of Bengal. The city lies on the hilly southeastern coast of South Andaman Island. It is a market town with a sawmill, several local museums, and an airport. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 74,810.

Radical

2005-03-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

In politics, one who desires extreme change of part or all of the social order. The word was first used in a political sense in England, and its introduction is generally ascribed to Charles James Fox, who in 1797 declared for a “radical reform” consisting of a drastic expansion of the franchise to the point of universal manhood suffrage. The term radical thereafter began

National Association Of Free Will Baptists

2005-03-15T03:08:00.000-08:00

One Free Will Baptist group was

Livingston, Henry Brockholst

2005-03-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

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

Spangenberg, August Gottlieb

2005-03-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

As a law student at Jena, Spangenberg was converted in 1722 to Pietism, a religious movement emphasizing biblical study, morality, and Christian living, and he began

Delisle, Guillaume

2005-03-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

A brother of the astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle and a student of the astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini, Delisle learned to fix accurate positions by astronomical observation. The accuracy of his continental outlines and his reduction of gross errors in determining lines of longitude

Yin-ch'uan

2005-03-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yinchuan , conventional Yinchwan capital of Hui Autonomous Region of Ningsia, north-central China. The city is located near the western bank of the upper course of the Huang Ho, near the western end of the Great Wall of China in the south-central section of the Ho-lan Mountains and Ordos Desert. It is served by a river port at Heng-ch'eng, about 9.5 miles (15 km) to the east. Until the 1950s the river, which is navigable downstream

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of the tides

2005-03-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

By contrast, the tides along the eastern shores of Asia generally have a considerable range and were the subject of close observation and much speculation among

Thomas The Rhymer

2005-03-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Thomas Learmont , or Thomas Of Erceldoune Scottish poet and prophet who was likely the author of the metrical romance Sir Tristrem, a version of the widely diffused Tristan legend. The romance was first printed in 1804 by Sir Walter Scott from a manuscript of about 1300. Thomas is now probably best known through the ballad “Thomas the Rhymer,” included by Scott in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802). In popular lore

Esquimalt

2005-03-11T00:49:00.000-08:00

District municipality and western suburb of metropolitan Victoria, southwestern British Columbia, Canada, at the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, on Juan de Fuca Strait. The name means “place of gradually shoaling waters” in the local Indian language. Its harbour was visited (1790) by Manuel Quimper of the Spanish navy, who called it Puerto de Cordova to honour the

West Berkshire

2005-03-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

Unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Berkshire, England. The unitary authority extends westward from the district of Reading along both sides of the River Kennet and edges into the Berkshire Downs on the north and the Hampshire Downs on the south; both downs are composed of chalk and rise to elevations of between 600 to 800 feet (185 to 245 m). The downs have occasional

Wylie, Elinor

2005-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Elinor Hoyt grew up from age 12 in Washington, D.C., where her father served as assistant U.S. attorney general and later as solicitor general. In 1904 she graduated from

O'brien, Flann

2005-03-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

O'Brien was educated in Dublin and later became a civil servant while also pursuing his writing career. He is most celebrated for his unusual novel At Swim-Two-Birds, which, though it was first published in 1939, achieved fame

Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria De'

2005-03-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

After practicing law for eight years, he was ordained

Welsh Literary Renaissance

2005-03-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

Literary activity centring in Wales and England in the mid-18th century that attempted to stimulate interest in the Welsh language and in the classical bardic verse forms of Wales. The movement centred on Lewis, Richard, and William Morris, Welsh scholars who preserved ancient texts and encouraged contemporary poets to use strict metres of the ancient Welsh bards

Biblical Literature, Job

2005-03-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

The Book of Job is not only the finest expression of the Hebrew poetic genius; it must also be accorded a place among the greatest masterpieces of world literature. The work is grouped with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes as a product of the wisdom movement, even though it contains what might be called an anti-wisdom strain in that the hero protests vehemently against the

Watercress

2005-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Cress (Nasturtium officinale), perennial plant, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout North America in cool, flowing streams where it grows submerged, floating on the water, or spread over mud surfaces. Watercress often is cultivated in tanks for its young shoots, which are used in salads. The plant bears four-petalled, white flowers

Wilder, Douglas

2005-03-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

In full Lawrence Douglas Wilder American politician, the first popularly elected African American governor in the United States. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Virginia Union University (1951) and a law degree from Howard University (1959). Wilder pursued a legal and political career in Richmond, Virginia, and served as a director of the Richmond chapter of

The Hite Report

2005-03-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

The 478-page book contains the self-reported results of about 3,000 of 100,000 questionnaires Hite distributed to women ranging in age from 14 to 78. Like other writings on sexuality, such as the Kinsey Report and the work of William H. Masters

New Caledonia

2005-03-05T22:59:00.000-08:00

Officially Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies , French Territoire de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et Dépendances French overseas territory in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 kilometres) east of Australia. It includes the island of New Caledonia (the Grande Terre, or mainland), where the capital, Nouméa, is located; the Loyalty Islands; the Bélep Islands; and the Isle of Pines. These islands, which form more than 99 percent of the total land area of about 7,300 square miles (19,000 square

North Africa, History Of, Carthaginian supremacy

2005-03-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

By the 5th century BC, active military participation by Tyre in the west had doubtlessly ceased; from the latter half of the 6th century Tyre was under Persian rule. Carthage thus became the leader of the western Phoenicians and in the 5th century formed an empire of its own, centred on North Africa, which included existing Phoenician settlements, new ones founded by Carthage

Ghent, State University Of

2005-03-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

Dutch Rijksuniversiteit Te Gent, state-financed coeducational institution of higher learning with limited autonomy in Ghent, Belg. Founded in 1817 under King William I of The Netherlands, the university at first conducted its instruction in Latin; in 1830 the language was changed to French; in 1916, during the German occupation of World War I, to Flemish (Dutch); in 1918 back to French; and by 1930 back permanently to Flemish.

Accentual Verse

2005-03-04T04:44:00.000-08:00

In prosody, a metrical system based only on the number of stresses or accented syllables in a line of verse. In accentual verse the total number of syllables in a line can vary as long as there are the prescribed number of accents. This system is used in Germanic poetry, including Old English and Old Norse, as well as in some English verse. The poem "what if a much of a which

Wagner Act

2005-03-04T03:55:00.000-08:00

Sponsored by Senator Robert F. Wagner, a Democrat from New York, the Wagner Act established the federal government as the regulator and ultimate arbiter

Austin

2005-03-04T02:58:00.000-08:00

The state's

Paducah

2005-03-04T02:30:00.000-08:00

City, seat of McCracken county, southwestern Kentucky, U.S., at the confluence of the Ohio (there bridged to Brookport, Illinois) and Tennessee rivers. The site, known as Pekin, was part of a grant to soldier and frontiersman George Rogers Clark. At his death his brother William, who was coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, received the land, laid out the town in 1827, and named

Tasso, Bernardo

2005-03-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Bernardo Tasso was a cultivated man who served various noblemen during his career. His son Torquato was born in 1544 while he was in the service of Ferrante Sanseverino, prince of Salerno,

Kesennuma

2005-03-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

City, Miyagi Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Its harbour and commercial fishing port are located on the deeply indented coast at the head of Kesennuma-wan (Kesennuma Bay). Deep-sea fishing (tuna, bonito, and saury) is important, and oysters are cultivated. Industries produce textiles and rubber and leather goods. The nearby scenic coastal area is

Fishing

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

Also called Angling, the sport of catching fish, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line, and hook. Like hunting, fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival. Fishing as a sport, however, is of considerable antiquity. An Egyptian angling scene of about 2000 BC shows figures fishing with rod and line and with nets. A Chinese account of about the 4th century BC refers to fishing

Earth Sciences, Composition of the atmosphere

2005-03-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

Studies of barometric pressure by the British chemist and physicist John Dalton led him to conclude that evaporation and condensation of vapour do not involve chemical transformations. The introduction of vapour into the air by evaporation must change the average specific gravity of the air column and, without altering the height of that column, will change

Schaerbeek

2005-02-28T00:49:00.000-08:00

Flemish Schaarbeek municipality, Brabant province, central Belgium. A village until 1795, it is now an industrial suburb northeast of Brussels and one of the 19 communes that make up Greater Brussels. A rail junction with switch and freight yards, it has an electric power station and manufactures clothing, chemicals, and machinery. The conspicuous domed Church of Sainte-Marie (1845–53) is built in the

Cramer, Johann Baptist

2005-02-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

Cramer was taken to England in 1772 by his father. His piano teachers included the noted pianist and composer Muzio Clementi, under whom he developed the

Jackson, Andrew

2005-02-27T03:50:00.000-08:00

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.)

Plum-yew

2005-02-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

(Cephalotaxus species), any of about seven species of small coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Cephalotaxus, comprising the plum-yew family (Cephalotaxaceae). Native to central and eastern Asia, these plants are used in many temperate-zone areas as ornamentals. The small, fleshy, plumlike fruit contains a single, hard seed. The Japanese plum-yew, or cow's tail pine

Capital Levy

2005-02-26T04:14:00.000-08:00

Strictly defined, a direct tax assessed simultaneously on the capital resources of all persons possessing taxable wealth in excess of a minimum value and paid at least partly out of capital resources. This definition excludes death duties because in any given year their application is necessarily limited to the estates of deceased persons. Various taxes have

Naresuan

2005-02-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

In 1569 the Myanmar king Bayinnaung (reigned 1551–81) conquered Siam and placed Naresuan's father, Maha Thammaracha, on the throne as his vassal. The capital, Ayutthaya, was pillaged, thousands of Siamese

Cumberland

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

County, south-central Pennsylvania, U.S. It consists of a hilly region in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley physiographic province bounded to the north by Blue Mountain, to the east by the Susquehanna River, to the southeast by Yellow Breeches Creek, and to the south by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Conodoguinet Creek and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail cross the

Cézanne, Paul

2005-02-24T23:42:00.000-08:00

French painter, one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists, whose works and ideas were influential in the aesthetic development of many 20th-century artists and art movements, especially Cubism. Cézanne's art, misunderstood and discredited by the public during most of his life, grew out of Impressionism and

Papantla

2005-02-24T00:22:00.000-08:00

In full Papantla De Olarte, city, north-central Veracruz estado (“state”), east-central Mexico. Formerly known as Papantla de Hidalgo, the city lies in the hills dividing the Cazones and Tecolutla river basins. Corn (maize), beans, tobacco, and fruits flourish in the hot, humid climate. The city is the centre of Mexico's most important vanilla-producing region; almost all the vanilla is exported. Cattle

Ujung-kulon National Park

2005-02-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

English Point Kulon National Park

Abbott, Sir John

2005-02-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Educated at McGill University, Montreal, Abbott became a lawyer in 1847 and was made queen's counsel in 1862. He served as dean of the McGill faculty of law from 1855 to 1880. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the then-united province of Canada in 1857 and

Physical Science, Principles Of, Simplified models

2005-02-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

The process of dissection was early taken to its limit in the kinetic theory of gases, which in its modern form essentially started with the suggestion of the Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (in 1738) that the pressure exerted by a gas on the walls of its container is the sum of innumerable collisions by individual molecules, all moving independently of each other.

Abecedarius

2005-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

A type of acrostic in which the first letter of each line of a poem or the first letter of the first word of each stanza taken in order forms the alphabet. Examples of these are some of the Psalms (in Hebrew), such as Psalms 25 and 34, where successive verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order. The word is from the late Latin for “alphabetical” and is derived from

Armilus

2005-02-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

In Jewish legends, an enemy who will conquer Jerusalem and persecute Jews until his final defeat at the hands of God or the true Messiah. His inevitable destruction symbolizes the ultimate victory of good over evil in the messianic era. Some sources depict Armilus as partially deaf and partially maimed, the frightful offspring of Satan or evil creatures. Parallel

Urso, Camilla

2005-02-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Urso was the daughter of an Italian flutist and a Portuguese singer. When she was six years old, despite general skepticism about her ability to master a “masculine” instrument, she began taking violin lessons. The success of

Cummingtonite

2005-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

An amphibole mineral, an iron and magnesium silicate that occurs in metamorphic rocks. For chemical formula and detailed physical properties, see amphibole (table).

Spontaneous Combustion

2005-02-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

The outbreak of fire without application of heat from an external source. Spontaneous combustion may occur when combustible matter, such as hay or coal, is stored in bulk. It begins with a slow oxidation process (as bacterial fermentation or atmospheric oxidation) under conditions not permitting ready dissipation of heat—e.g., in the centre of a haystack or a pile of

Procyon

2005-02-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Canis Minoris brightest star in the northern constellation Canis Minor (Lesser Dog) and one of the brightest in the entire sky, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.34. Procyon lies about 11 light-years from the Earth and is a visual binary, a bright yellow-white subgiant with a faint, white dwarf companion of about the 11th magnitude. The name apparently derives from Greek words for “before

Deborah

2005-02-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Debbora, prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the “Song of Deborah” (Judg. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the Bible and is of great importance

Goncharov, Ivan Aleksandrovich

2005-02-18T04:30:00.000-08:00

Goncharov was born into a wealthy merchant family and, after graduating from Moscow University in 1834, served

East Dunbartonshire

2005-02-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Council area, west-central Scotland. East Dunbartonshire's largest towns, Bearsden and Milngavie in the southwest and Kirkintilloch in the southeast, lie within the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The council area also includes a small area in the south around the town of Bishopbriggs in the historic county of Lanarkshire and a more extensive area in the northeast

Aide-de-camp

2005-02-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

(French: “camp assistant”), an officer on the personal staff of a general, admiral, or other high-ranking commander who acts as his confidential secretary in routine matters. On Napoleon's staff such officers were frequently of high military qualifications and acted both as his “eyes” and as interpreters of his mind to subordinate commanders, even on occasion exercising

Resserella

2005-02-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of brachiopods (lamp shells) that occurs as fossils in marine rocks of Middle Ordovician to Lower Silurian age (421 to 478 million years old).Resserella has a dorsal shell whose margin is horizontal, and a distal, or upper, shell with an arcuate (bow-shaped) margin. Both valves are often gently convex. Surface markings consist of fine lines, and the internal structure

Guchkov, Aleksandr Ivanovich

2005-02-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

The son of a wealthy Moscow merchant, Guchkov studied at the universities of Moscow and Berlin, traveled widely, fought against the British in the South African (Boer) War (1899–1902), and headed the Russian Red Cross during the Russo-Japanese

Hindemith, Paul

2005-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

One of the principal German composers of the first half of the 20th century and a leading musical theorist. He sought to revitalize tonality, the system underlying Western music for three centuries, which had begun to disintegrate, and also pioneered in the writing of Gebrauchsmusik, or “utility music,” compositions

Biblical Literature, Scandinavian versions

2005-02-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

In pre-Reformation times, only partial translations were made, all on the basis of the Latin Vulgate and all somewhat free. The earliest and most celebrated is that of Genesis–Kings in the so-called Stjórn (“Guidance”; i.e., of God) manuscript in the Old Norwegian language, probably to be dated about 1300. Swedish versions of the Pentateuch and of Acts have survived from the 14th century

Aurgelmir

2005-02-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

Also called Ymir in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. Aurgelmir was the father of all the giants; a male and a female grew under his arm, and his legs produced a six-headed son. A cow, Audumla, nourished him with her milk. Audumla was herself nourished by licking salty, rime-covered

Yamana Mochitoyo

2005-02-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

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

Hypnosis

2005-02-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

A special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state. This state is characterized by a degree of increased receptiveness and responsiveness in which inner experiential perceptions are given

Paramagnetism

2005-02-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

Kind of magnetism characteristic of materials weakly attracted by a strong magnet, named and extensively investigated by the British scientist Michael Faraday beginning in 1845. Most elements and some compounds are paramagnetic. Strong paramagnetism (not to be confused with the ferromagnetism of the elements iron, cobalt, nickel, and other alloys) is exhibited by

Saint Andrews

2005-02-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

City, royal burgh (1160), university town, golfing mecca, and former fishing port in Fife council area and historic county, Scotland. Located on St. Andrews Bay of the North Sea 13 miles (20 km) southeast of Dundee, it occupies a plateau of sandstone rock about 50 feet (15 metres) in elevation, which breaks off to the north in precipitous cliffs. The Eden River enters St. Andrews Bay northwest

Malabo

2005-02-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1973) Santa Isabel, capital of Equatorial Guinea. It lies on the northern edge of the island of Bioko (or Fernando Po) on the rim of a sunken volcano. With an average temperature of 77° F (25° C) and an annual rainfall of 75 inches (1,900 mm), it has one of the more onerous climates in the Bight of Biafra (Gulf of Guinea). Malabo is the republic's commercial and financial centre. Its harbour can dock several ships, and

Muhly

2005-02-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Most muhlys are perennials, and all species have only one floret on each branch,

Restaurant

2005-02-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

The first restaurant proprietor is believed to have been one A. Boulanger, a soup vendor, who opened his

Pox Disease

2005-02-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Any of a complex of viral diseases in human beings and domestic animals, marked chiefly by eruptions of the skin and mucous membranes. Sheep pox and rabbit pox are spread by airborne infectious particles that are inhaled. Horse pox, fowl pox, and mouse pox usually are spread by skin contact. Cowpox (vaccinia) and pseudo-cowpox (paravaccinia), localized on the udder and

Uzbek Khanate

2005-02-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

Any of the three states that ruled Transoxania, in present-day Uzbekistan, before it came under Russian rule in the 19th century. The khanates of Bukhara and Khiva (Khwarezm) were established by two branches of the Shaybanid dynasty, which won control of Transoxania from the Timurids in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Shaybanids were replaced at Bukhara successively

Bar Kokhba

2005-02-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

During his tour of the Eastern Empire in 131, the Roman emperor Hadrian decided upon a policy of Hellenization to integrate the Jews into the empire. Circumcision was proscribed, a Roman colony (Aelia) was founded in Jerusalem, and a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus was erected over

I-ch'ang

2005-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yichang, city in western Hupeh sheng (province), China. I-ch'ang stands on the left bank of the middle Yangtze River, immediately below the entrance to the magnificent gorges of the Ta-pa Mountains to the west, and has a harbour formed by the small island of Hsia-pa. The level of the river, which has a violent current, varies enormously—sometimes by as much as 50 feet (15 m) between high and low

Mahan, Alfred Thayer

2005-02-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Mahan was the son of a professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., in 1859 and went on to serve nearly 40 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. He fought in

Bradford

2005-02-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

A fulling mill recorded in 1311 indicates the early importance of the manufacture of wool products. In the late 17th century the fine worsted trade followed. With