ProbableStamp

Azaña Y Díaz, Manuel

2005-03-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Azaña studied law in Madrid and became a civil servant, journalist, and writer, figuring prominently in Ateneo, a Madrid literary club. He

Tepic

2005-03-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Nayarit estado (“state”), west-central Mexico, lying at 3,002 feet (915 m) above sea level along the Tepic River, at the foot of extinct Sangangüey volcano. Founded in 1542, much of the city retains its colonial atmosphere. The cathedral, municipal palace, and Amado Nervo Theatre especially reflect Spanish influence. Shops offer Indian handicrafts, and Huichol and Cora

ögödei

2005-03-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

The third son of Genghis, Ögödei succeeded his father in 1229. He was the first ruler of the Mongols to call himself khagan (“great khan”); his father used only the title khan. He made his headquarters on the Orhon River in central Mongolia, where he built the

Mercer, David

2005-03-15T04:47:00.000-08:00

Mercer left school at the age of 14 and became a medical laboratory technician. He eventually joined the Royal Navy and, after his discharge in 1948, studied painting at King's College, Newcastle

Beyer-garratt

2005-03-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Type of steam locomotive characterized by tremendous hauling capacity and light axle loads. This British-built locomotive had two articulated pivoting chassis, each with its own wheels, cylinders, and water tanks. These chassis supported a girder frame that carried a boiler, cab, and the fuel supply. The Beyer-Garratt was particularly well-suited for rail lines

Alkaloid

2005-03-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Alkaloids are found primarily in plants and are especially common in certain families of flowering plants. More

Hesychius Of Alexandria

2005-03-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Although nothing is known of his life, Hesychius indicated the comprehensive design of his lexicon in a letter prefacing the work. Entitled Synagoge pason

Jew's Harp

2005-03-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Jaw's Harp, or Guimbarde, musical instrument consisting of a thin wood or metal tongue fixed at one end to the base of a two-pronged frame. The player holds the frame to his mouth, which forms a resonance cavity, and plucks the instrument's tongue. The notes produced are limited to the fourth through tenth tones of the harmonic series (in relative pitch, c–e–g–b [approximately]–c¢–d¢–e¢). The tongue produces

Murder, Inc.

2005-03-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

In popular usage, an arm of the American national crime syndicate, founded in the 1930s to threaten, maim, or murder designated victims for a price; the organization lacked an official name. Murder, Inc., was headed by Louis “Lepke” Buchalter and later by Albert Anastasia, and its services were available to any syndicate member anywhere in the country. Most victims of Murder,

Uttar Pradesh

2005-03-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

The most populous state of India. Lying in north-central India, it is bordered by Nepal and the Indian state of Uttaranchal to the north, the Indian states of Haryana and Rajasthan and the union territory of Delhi to the west, the state of Madhya Pradesh to the south, the state of Bihar to the east, and the states of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh to the southeast. Uttar Pradesh extends

Melilite

2005-03-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

Any member of a series of silicate minerals that consist of calcium silicates of aluminum and magnesium; gehlenite is the aluminous end-member and åkermanite the magnesian end-member. These minerals crystallize from calcium-rich, alkaline magmas and from many artificial melts and blast-furnace slags. They occur in thermally metamorphosed limestones at contact

Paradip

2005-02-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

Town and major port of east-central Orissa state, eastern India, on the Bay of Bengal. It is situated on the delta of the Mahanadi River at the mouth of one of its branches. The development of Paradip was begun after 1958. In the 1970s it was enlarged and has since become Orissa state's principal port. Pop. (1981) 33,042.

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-02-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

The main editions of d'Alembert's collected works are: Oeuvres philosophiques, historiques et littéraires de d'Alembert, ed. by J.F. Bastien, 18 vol. (1805); and Oeuvres complètes de d'Alembert, ed. by Bossange and Belin, 5 vol. (1821, reprinted 1967). These may be supplemented by d'Alembert's Mélanges de littérature, d'histoire et de philosophie, 2 vol. (1753), 4 vol. (1759), 5th vol. (1767), which contain a few pieces omitted from the collected editions; and his Histoire des membres de l'Académie française morts depuis 1700 jusqu'en 1771, 6 vol. (1785–87, reprinted 1970). General studies are: Joseph Bertrand, D'Alembert (1889); and Ronald Grimsley, Jean d'Alembert, 1717–83 (1963).

Astrophysics

2005-02-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

Branch of astronomy concerned primarily with the properties and structure of cosmic objects, including the universe as a whole. See astronomy.

Dagobert Iii

2005-02-21T02:12:00.000-08:00

Merovingian Frankish king who succeeded his father, Childebert III, in 711. For most of his reign the boy was dominated by Pippin II of Herstal, the Austrasian mayor of the palace.

Maccabeus, Jonathan

2005-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Apphus, Maccabeus also spelled Maccabaeus Jewish general, a son of the priest Mattathias, who took over the leadership of the Maccabean revolt after the death of his elder brother Judas. A brilliant diplomat, if not quite so good a soldier as his elder brother, Jonathan refused all compromise with the superior Seleucid forces, taking advantage of their internal troubles to free Judaea again from external

Auckland

2005-02-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

When Europeans arrived in the early 19th century, the region was densely populated by Maoris. European settlements were

'umar Ibn Abi Rabi'ah

2005-02-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

'Umar belonged to the wealthy merchant family of Makhzum, a member of the Meccan tribe of Quraysh (of which the Prophet Muhammad was also a member). He spent most of his life in Mecca, also traveling to southern Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia.

Quintillus, Marcus Aurelius Claudius

2005-02-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

Roman emperor in AD 270, who died or was killed a few weeks after being proclaimed emperor.

Breathing

2005-02-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

The action of moving air or water across the surface of a respiratory structure, such as a gill or lung, to facilitate respiration (the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment). See respiration.

Avoirdupois Weight

2005-02-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

Traditional system of weight in the British Imperial System and the United States Customary System of weights and measures. The name derives ultimately from French avoir de pois (“goods of weight” or “property”). The avoirdupois pound contains 7,000 grains, or 256 drams of 27.344 grains each, or 16 ounces of 437 1/2 grains each. It is used for all products not subject to apothecaries' weight (for pharmaceutical

Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (joseph-désiré Mobutu)

2005-02-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

Zairean politician (b. Oct. 14, 1930, Lisala, Belgian Congo--d. Sept. 7, 1997, Rabat, Mor.), as president of Zaire for nearly 32 years, ruled with absolute power. During his reign he took full advantage of the backing he received from the West, which viewed him during the Cold War as a guardian against communism. He amassed a personal fortune worth billions of dollars at the expense of the country's

Mollendo

2005-02-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

City, Arequipa departamento and región, Peru, on the Pacific coast. Founded in 1872, its site was chosen by the American engineer Henry Meiggs, builder of the Arequipa-Mollendo Railroad. Additional rail connections to local mines and to Puno and Lake Titicaca, supplemented by its artificial harbour and the Pan-American Highway, have made Mollendo an export-import point

Acromegaly

2005-02-04T04:55:00.000-08:00

The onset of acromegaly

Refugee

2005-02-01T05:20:00.000-08:00

Any uprooted, homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection of his former government. Prior to the 19th century the movement from one country to another did not require passports and visas; the right to asylum was commonly recognized and honoured. Although there have been numerous waves of refugees throughout history,

Naguib, Muhammad

2005-01-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

A professional soldier, Naguib distinguished himself during the Egyptian defeat at the hands of Israel (1948) and won the respect of the Free Officers, a nationalist military group led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. In 1952 the Free

Tsimihety

2005-01-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

A Malagasy people living in mountainous north central Madagascar. The Tsimihety (“Those Who Never Cut Their Hair”) were originally sedentary mountain people living in extended families organized through patrilineal descent. They succeeded in remaining independent of the early Sakalava and Betsimisarake kingdoms but submitted to Merina rule in the 1820s and to

Wollaston, William

2005-01-27T05:04:00.000-08:00

After studies at the University of Cambridge, Wollaston became a schoolteacher in Birmingham (1682) and soon afterward was ordained a priest. In 1688 he inherited the major part of his

Interior Monologue

2005-01-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

In dramatic and nondramatic fiction, narrative technique that exhibits the thoughts passing through the minds of the protagonists. These ideas may be either loosely related impressions approaching free association or more rationally structured sequences of thought and emotion. Interior monologues encompass several forms, including dramatized inner

Muir Woods National Monument

2005-01-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

One of the two virgin stands of coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) in the U.S. National Park Service. The groves lie near the Pacific coast of California, U.S., 15 mi (24 km) northwest of San Francisco at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais. Some of these trees are more than 300 ft (90 m) high and 15 ft in diameter and are more than 2,000 years old. The forest, established in 1908 with an area of 503 ac (204 ha), was a gift of Congressman

Aardvark

2005-01-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

Also called African Ant Bear (Orycteropus afer), heavily built mammal, ranging south of the Sahara in forest or plain, that constitutes the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its stout, piglike body, up to 180 centimetres (6 feet) long, including the 60-cm tail. Its coat varies from glossy black and full to sandy yellow

Valdés, Alfonso De

2005-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

Valdés may have studied at the University of Alcalá before joining the court of the emperor Charles V as a secretary and official Latinist. Valdés held important positions at the Diet of Worms, where he worked

New Orleans, Education

2005-01-19T00:05:00.000-08:00

Among New Orleans's institutions of higher learning are Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, Delgado Community College, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Dillard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern University at New Orleans. The city has many private, parochial, and business schools. The public school

Beilby, Sir George Thomas

2005-01-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of

Obelisk

2005-01-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

Tapered monolithic pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually red granite from the quarries at Aswan. It was designed to be wider at its square or rectangular base than at its pyramidal top, which was often covered with an alloy of gold and silver called electrum.

China, Unification

2005-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Though a militarist himself, T'ai-tsu ended militarism as well as usurpation. Even his own coup was skillfully disguised to make it appear that the popular acclaim of the rank and file left him with no choice. Masterful in political maneuvering, T'ai-tsu, as emperor (reigned 960–976), did not destroy other powerful generals as had many previous founding rulers. Instead, he persuaded

China, Road networks

2005-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

The first modern highway in China was built in 1913 in Hunan Province. The highways of China may be divided into three categories: (1) state, provincial, or regional highways of political, economic, or military importance; (2) local highways of secondary importance, operated by counties or communes; (3) special-purpose highways, mostly managed by factories, mines, state farms, forestry

Robbins, Frederick Chapman

2005-01-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

American pediatrician and virologist (b. Aug. 25, 1916, Auburn, Ala.—d. Aug. 4, 2003, Cleveland, Ohio), received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for successfully growing the poliovirus in tissue cultures and thereby paving the way for the development of polio vaccines; he shared the award with John Franklin Enders and Thomas H. Weller. A graduate of Harvard University Medical

Wolf

2005-01-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

The gray wolf has a larger natural

John

2005-01-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

He was born the son of the future Holy Roman emperor Henry VII of the house of Luxembourg and was made count of Luxembourg in 1310. At about the same time, he also was named king of Bohemia, and on Feb.

F-14

2005-01-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

The F-14 is equipped with variable-geometry

Arrau

2005-01-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

This species, known in Brazil as tartaruga da Amazonia, can attain a shell

France, History Of, Political ideology

2005-01-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

A strong element in Calvin's teaching was the importance of passive obedience to secular authority—an idea that became impossible for the Huguenots to support after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's

Abelard, Peter

2005-01-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

French Pierre Abélard, or Abailard, Latin Petrus Abaelardus, or Abeilardus French theologian and philosopher best known for his solution of the problem of universals and for his original use of dialectics. He is also known for his poetry and for his celebrated love affair with Héloïse.

Margaret Of Valois

2005-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de Médicis, she played a secondary part in the Wars of Religion (1562–98) from the moment she took her place at court in 1569. Her relations with her brothers Charles IX

Lauzun, Antonin-nompar De Caumont, Count And Duke (comte Et Duc) De

2005-01-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

The son of Gabriel de Caumont, comte de Lauzun, he was at first known as the marquis de Puyguilhem. In 1658 he was appointed colonel of Louis XIV's foreign dragoons.

Ray, Charlotte E.

2005-01-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

Ray studied at the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., and by 1869 she was teaching at Howard University. There she studied law, receiving her degree in 1872. Her admission that year to the District of Columbia bar made her the first

Ammonia-soda Process

2005-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

In the ammonia-soda process, common salt, sodium chloride, is treated with ammonia and then

Kennedy, Robert F.

2005-01-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

Robert interrupted his studies at Harvard University to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II but returned to the university and was

Amalekite

2005-01-01T05:36:00.000-08:00

Member of an ancient nomadic tribe, or collection of tribes, described in the Old Testament as relentless enemies of Israel, even though they were closely related to Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The district over which they ranged was south of Judah and probably extended into northern Arabia. The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt

Handa

2004-12-31T17:37:00.000-08:00

City, Aichi ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. Handa lies on the Chita Peninsula, facing Chita Bay of the Pacific Ocean. It served as an important commercial port during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), when the local production of processed foods and cotton began. An irrigation system in the hills behind the city was opened in 1962. Vegetables, fruit, and flowers are raised in the vicinity

Alencar, José (martiniano) De

2004-12-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

Journalist, novelist, and playwright whose novel O Guarani (1857; “The Guarani Indian”) initiated the vogue of the Brazilian Indianista novel (romantic tales of indigenous life incorporating vocabulary of Amerindian origin referring to flora, fauna, and tribal customs). O Guarani, which was subsequently utilized as the libretto

Ekoi

2004-12-29T04:27:00.000-08:00

Group of peoples situated in extreme southeastern Nigeria and extending eastward into neighbouring Cameroon. Ekoid Bantu languages are spoken by many groups, including the Atam, Boki, Mbembe, Ufia, and Yako. The Ekoi live in proximity to the Efiks of southeastern Nigeria and claim to have migrated from the north to that area. The inhabitants of Kwa, located near Calabar,

Kusf And College Radio

2004-12-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

College radio stations—once considered little more than laboratories for students who had chosen broadcasting as an avocation—came to play an important gatekeeping role in the development of rock music beginning in the 1970s, in the aftermath of free-form FM rock radio and on the eve of the punk revolution. With a bent toward alternative rock, college stations gave

Kidston, Robert

2004-12-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

Kidston studied botany at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1880 he became honorary paleobotanist to the British Geological Survey. In this first period

Shi'i, Abu 'abd Allah Ash-

2004-12-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Ash-Shi'i appeared among the Kutama, a Berber tribe of North Africa, at the end of the 9th century, proclaiming himself a precursor of the mahdi (messianic deliverer) and urging the people to revolt. He had met the Berbers at an earlier time during a pilgrimage to Mecca. After

Rawson

2004-12-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Chubut province, southern Argentina. It lies along the Chubut River near the latter's mouth, about 5 miles (8 km) upriver from the Atlantic coast. It was founded in 1865 by Welsh settlers and named after Guillermo Rawson (1821–90), then Argentine minister of the interior. Although the port has declined in importance, there are small installations for fisheries. A beach

Syrian Desert

2004-12-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Arabic Badiyat Ash-sham, arid wasteland of southwestern Asia, extending northward from the Arabian Peninsula over much of northern Saudi Arabia, eastern Jordan, southern Syria, and western Iraq. Receiving on the average less than 5 inches (125 mm) of rainfall annually and largely covered by lava flows, it formed a nearly impenetrable barrier between the populated areas of the Levant and Mesopotamia

Mamou

2004-12-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Guinea. Located on the Conakry-Kankan railway and at the intersection of roads from Kindia, Dalaba, Dabola, and Faranah, Mamou was founded in 1908 as a collecting point on the railroad from Conakry (125 miles [201 km] southwest). It is the chief trading centre for the rice, cattle, citrus fruits, bananas, tomatoes, and mangoes raised in the surrounding agricultural area.

Art For Art's Sake

2004-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

A slogan translated from the French l'art pour l'art, which was coined in the early 19th century by the French philosopher Victor Cousin. The phrase expresses the belief held by many writers and artists, especially those associated with Aestheticism, that art needs no justification, that it need serve no political, didactic, or other end.

Paraguaná Peninsula

2004-12-22T04:16:00.000-08:00

Spanish Península De Paraguaná, Falcón estado (“state”), northwestern Venezuela. It lies between the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Gulf of Venezuela on the west. Of low elevation, the peninsula has infertile soil and is sparsely populated, but the development of the petroleum industry, especially in the 1950s and '60s, gave Paraguaná great economic importance. Pipelines lead from the oil fields at Lake Maracaibo

Ramadier, Paul

2004-12-20T05:25:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate in law from the University of Paris, Ramadier became an advocate at the Paris Court of Appeals. He became mayor of Decazeville in 1919 and represented Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the Chamber of Deputies from 1928 to 1940. In 1936–37 Ramadier served in the public

Kazankina, Tatyana

2004-12-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

A seemingly fragile individual standing 1.61 metres (5 feet 3 inches) tall and weighing just 48 kg (106 pounds), Kazankina made an international impression with her fortitude and speed during a string of victories

Dangerfield, Thomas

2004-12-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Dangerfield robbed his father, a farmer, and was imprisoned several

Cbs Corporation

2004-12-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1928–74) Columbia Broadcasting System, or (1974–97) CBS Inc., major American broadcasting company and operator of the CBS national radio and television networks. The company was incorporated in 1927 as United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. Its name was changed a year later to Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., and in 1974 it adopted the name CBS Inc. In 1995 CBS Inc. was bought by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which changed its name

Manawatu River

2004-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

River, in south-central North Island, New Zealand, rising on the east slopes of the Ruahine Range. The river, 113 miles (182 km) long, flows west and southwest for 30 miles (48 km) to Woodville and turns sharply northwest to pass between the Ruahine and Tararua ranges through the 4-mile- (6.4-kilometre-) long Manawatu Gorge. Emerging from the gorge at Ashhurst, the river runs southwest past Palmerston

Aichbühl

2004-12-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

Site of a Middle Neolithic settlement (end of the 3rd millennium BC) on the shores of Lake Feder (Federsee) in southeastern Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. Foundations of 25 rectangular buildings arranged in an irregular row along the shoreline were uncovered in the peat wetland by R. Schmidt in 1930. Approximately 20 of the buildings were two-room houses averaging

Brooks Range

2004-12-14T01:03:00.000-08:00

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

Harborough

2004-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Leicestershire, England. The district lies mostly within the historic county of Leicestershire, but it includes an area in Market Harborough that lies to the south of the River Welland in the historic county of Northamptonshire. The district encompasses the southern part of Leicestershire and is in general a rural area known

Bharhut

2004-12-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

The stupa was probably begun in the time

Aqaba, Gulf Of

2004-12-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Arabic Khalij Al-'aqabah, northeastern arm of the Red Sea, penetrating between Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. It varies in width from 12 to 17 miles (19 to 27 km) and is 100 miles (160 km) long. The gulf lies in a pronounced cleft between hills rising abruptly to about 2,000 feet (600 m). Navigation is difficult because of the gulf's narrow entrance at the Straits of Tiran and its islands, coral reefs, and sudden squalls. The

France, Anatole

2004-12-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

The son of a bookseller, he spent most of his life around books. At school he received the foundations of a solid humanist culture

Catalexis And Acatalexis

2004-12-09T03:44:00.000-08:00

In prosody, an omission or incompleteness in the last foot of a line or other unit in metrical verse and, conversely, the metrical completeness of such a unit.

Epistle

2004-12-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

In literature there are two basic traditions of verse epistles, one derived from Horace's Epistles and the other from Ovid's Epistulae heroidum (better known as Heroides). The tradition based on Horace addresses moral and philosophical themes and has been the most popular

Van Gennip, Yvonne

2004-12-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

At the start of the 1988 Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, much of the attention in the women's speed-skating competition was focused on the East German team, which had dominated at the previous Olympics, capturing

Albert Of Saxony

2004-12-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

He studied at Prague and then at the University of Paris, where he was a master of arts from 1351 to 1362 and rector in 1353. Most probably he is to be identified with the Albert of Ricmestorp, or Rückmersdorf, who was rector of the University of Vienna in 1365 and bishop

Düren

2004-12-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. It lies along the Ruhr River, on the northeastern slopes of the Eifel Hills. A Frankish settlement first mentioned in 748, it grew from the Villa Duria of Pippin III the Short, the king of the Franks. It was subsequently the seat of diets and synods under Charlemagne and the base for several of his Saxon campaigns. After

Canalejas, José

2004-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Canalejas's political career began with his election to the Cortes (parliament) in 1881 for the district of Soria. In the following years, Canalejas represented the

Tereus

2004-12-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, king of Thrace who married Procne, daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. Later Tereus seduced her sister Philomela, pretending that Procne was dead. In order to hide his guilt, he cut out Philomela's tongue. But she revealed the crime to her sister by working the details in embroidery. Procne sought revenge by serving up her son Itys for Tereus' supper. On learning

Literary Criticism, Criticism and knowledge

2004-12-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

The debate over poetic truth may illustrate how modern discussion is beholden to extraliterary knowledge. Critics have never ceased disputing whether literature depicts the world correctly, incorrectly, or not at all, and the dispute has often had more to do with the support or condemnation of specific authors than with ascertainable facts about mimesis. Today

Holborn

2004-11-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

Neighbourhood and former metropolitan borough (until 1965) of London. Now part of the borough of Camden, it lies northwest of the City of London and south of the Islington neighbourhood of Clerkenwell. Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn, two of the four Inns of Court, are central features of the district. The houses of Sir John Soane's Museum overlook Lincoln's Inn Fields from the north,

Tsutsumi Family

2004-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Born into a peasant family, Tsutsumi Yasujiro (b. 1889, Shiga prefecture, Japan—d. April 26, 1964) graduated from Waseda University in 1913. He founded the Kokudo Keikaku land-management company in 1918 and began buying

I-lan

2004-11-28T02:47:00.000-08:00

Hsien (county), northeastern Taiwan, occupying an area of 825 square miles (2,137 square km) and bordered by the hsien of T'ai-pei (north), T'ao-yüan and Hsin-chu (west), and T'ai-chung and Hua-lien (south) and by the Philippine Sea (east). The Chung-yang Mountains extend over the southern part, and the Hsüeh-shan Mountains border the northwestern part of I-lan hsien. In the northeast, the I-lan River

Switzerland, The Burgundian War

2004-11-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

Then followed a series of events that led directly to the Burgundian War. The Swiss came to the aid of Mulhouse and successfully repelled all threats to the city. Wishing to further probe the Habsburg defense, the Bernese moved eastward, laying siege to the key fortress town of Waldshut, sited near the confluence of the Aare and Rhine rivers, thereby controlling all

Acta

2004-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Acta Senatus, or Commentarii Senatus, were the minutes of the proceedings of the Senate. The emperor Augustus continued to keep them but forbade their publication. From the reign of his successor, Tiberius, in the

Absolution

2004-11-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

In the Christian religion, a pronouncement of remission (forgiveness) of sins to the penitent. In Roman Catholicism, penance is a sacrament and the power to absolve lies with the priest, who can grant release from the guilt of sin to the sinner who is truly contrite, confesses his sin, and promises to perform satisfaction to God. In the New Testament the grace of forgiveness

United States Court Of Appeals For The Armed Forces

2004-11-24T00:43:00.000-08:00

Originally consisting of three civil judges, the court since 1990 has consisted of five judges appointed by the president and

Ogoja

2004-11-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

Town, Cross River state, southeastern Nigeria, on the road from Abakaliki. A major trade centre (yams, cassava, corn [maize], rice, palm oil and kernels, kola nuts), it is mainly inhabited by the Ekoi peoples. Ogoja is the headquarters of a local government council and the site of a teacher-training college, a secondary school, and several hospitals and clinics. Pop. (1982 est.) 22,020.

Sino-japanese War

2004-11-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

(1937–45), conflict that broke out when China began full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory (begun in 1931). In an effort to unseat the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese occupied large areas of eastern China in 1937–38. A stalemate then ensued, and Japanese forces were diverted to Southeast Asia and to the Pacific War against the

United States Court Of Appeals For The Armed Forces

2004-11-21T00:28:00.000-08:00

Interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. The NAACP was created in 1909 by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White

Sunbird

2004-11-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

Any of about 95 species of the songbird family Nectariniidae (order Passeriformes) that have brilliant plumage in breeding males. They are 9 to 15 cm (3 1/2 to 6 inches) long and live chiefly on nectar. Unlike hummingbirds, sunbirds rarely hover while feeding but instead perch on the flower stalk (see photo). Sunbirds are most numerous

Abell, Kjeld

2004-11-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

Abell studied political science but afterward began a career as a stage designer in Paris. He

Balanchine, George

2004-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Original name Georgy Melitonovich Balanchivadze most influential choreographer of classical ballet in the United States in the 20th century. His works, characterized by a cool neoclassicism, include The Nutcracker (1954) and Don Quixote (1965), both pieces choreographed for the New York City Ballet, of which he was a founder (1948), the artistic director, and the

Computers, Time-sharing from Project MAC to UNIX

2004-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

In 1959 Christopher Strachey in the United Kingdom and John McCarthy in the United States independently described something they called time-sharing. Meanwhile, computer pioneer J.C.R. Licklider at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began to promote the idea of interactive computing as an alternative to batch processing. Batch processing was the normal

Paneth's Cell

2004-11-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Davidoff's Cell, specialized type of epithelial cell found in the mucous-membrane lining of the small intestine and of the appendix, at the base of tubelike depressions known as Lieberkühn glands. Named for the 19th-century Austrian physiologist Joseph Paneth, the cell has one nucleus at its base and densely packed secretory granules throughout the rest of its body. The cells' function

Flaxman, John

2004-11-15T04:56:00.000-08:00

As a youth, Flaxman worked in his father's plaster-casting studio in London while studying Classical literature, which was to be a continual source of inspiration. In 1770 he entered the Royal Academy schools. After 1775 he began to work for the potter

Indian Botanic Garden

2004-11-14T22:42:00.000-08:00

Formerly Royal Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Calcutta, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). The garden covers more than 109 hectares (270 acres), on which about 1,700 plant species are cultivated. It was founded in 1787 by the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of acclimatizing new plants of commercial value and growing spices

Ferdinand Ii

2004-11-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

The son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (and cousin of Prince Albert of Great Britain), he was married to Maria in January 1836, only 10 months after the sudden death of

Proteales

2004-11-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

The members of the family Proteales are woody trees

Yung-lo

2004-11-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yonglo (reign name), temple name (ming) Ch'eng Tsu , or (ming) T'ai Tsung , posthumous name, or shih, Wen Ti , personal name Chu Ti third emperor (1402–24) of China's Ming dynasty, which he raised to its greatest power. He moved the capital from Nanking to Peking, which was rebuilt with the Forbidden City.