DarkRat

Berain, Jean, The Elder

2005-04-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

Trained under the great French decorator Charles Le Brun, Berain was working at the Louvre when appointed, in 1674, royal designer to King Louis XIV of France. After the death

Ardabil Carpet

2005-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Either of two Persian floor coverings that are among the most famous examples of early classical Persian workmanship. The larger one measures 34 feet by 17.5 feet (10.4 by 5.3 m), and both carpets have a silk warp and wool pile. The carpets were completed in 1539–40, during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp I (1524–76), and they were originally laid in the Mosque of Ardabil, in the Iranian province of

Arrow Cross Party

2005-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hungarian Nyilaskeresztes Párt, Hungarian fascist organization that controlled the Hungarian government from October 1944 to April 1945 during World War II. It originated as the Party of National Will founded by Ferenc Szálasi in 1935. Szálasi's party was quite small and underwent numerous reorganizations; it reconstituted itself under a new name and emerged early in 1939 as the Arrow Cross Party. In the May 1939 national

Smith, Samuel

2005-04-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

Smith fought in the American

Faience Fine

2005-04-03T04:23:00.000-07:00

Fine white English lead-glazed earthenware, or creamware, imported into France from about 1730 onward. Staffordshire “salt glaze” was imported first, followed by the improved Wedgwood “Queen's ware” and the Leeds “cream-coloured ware.” It was cheaper than French faience, or tin-glazed earthenware, and more durable and was therefore subjected to heavy tariffs in 1741 and 1749. A Franco-British

Locke, John

2005-04-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

English philosopher who was an initiator of the Enlightenment in England and France, an inspirer of the U.S. Constitution, and the author of, among other works, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, his account of human knowledge, including the “new science” of his day—i.e., modern science.

Harvard Classification System

2005-04-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

In the 1860s the Italian astronomer Angelo Secchi distinguished four main spectral types of stars. At the Harvard College Observatory in the 1880s, during the compilation of the Henry

Moldova, Flag Of

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

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

Janmastami

2005-03-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

The occasion is observed with particular

Tokyo-yokohama Metropolitan Area, Transportation

2005-03-30T05:05:00.000-08:00

The emergence of modern Tokyo came at the beginning of the transportation revolution of the late 19th century. The first railroad in Japan was put through from Tokyo to Yokohama in 1872. The city continues to be the most important transportation centre in the country. The busiest rail stations are those accommodating commuters to the western suburbs, but the traveler

Aranyakas

2005-03-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Books of the Forest”), a later development of the Brahmanas, or expositions of the Vedas, which were composed in India in about 700 BC. The Aranyakas are distinguished from the Brahmanas in that they may contain information on secret rites to be carried out only by certain persons, and more philosophic speculation. Thus they were intended to be studied only by the initiated,

Annelid, Ecology

2005-03-29T05:53:00.000-08:00

There are no marine habitats containing specific polychaetes as there are for mollusks and echinoderms. Many species, such as Neanthes arenaceodentata and Capitella capitata, cosmopolitan in distribution, are found throughout the world. Aquatic oligochaete species are widespread in suitable environments; terrestrial forms are less widely distributed,

Dance, Western, The Soviet ballet

2005-03-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

Although Diaghilev's achievements were ignored there, the Soviet Union in the 1920s abounded with the daring choreographic experiments of Fyodor Lopukhov (1886–1973) and others. Despite the official imposition of “socialist realism” as the criterion of artistic acceptability in 1932, ballet gained enormous popularity with the Soviet people. They loved their dancers, who were superbly

Malanje

2005-03-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Malange, town, north-central Angola. The town developed in the mid-19th century as an important feira (open-air market) on the country's principal plateau, between Luanda, now the national capital, 250 miles (400 km) to the west and the Kwango valley, inhabited by the Mbundu people, 125 miles (200 km) to the east. Situated at an elevation of 4,373 feet (1,333 m), the town has a high-altitude tropical climate. The environs

Quahog

2005-03-27T01:52:00.000-08:00

Edible species of clam (q.v.).

Abbas, Mahmoud

2005-03-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

After months of intense international pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was installed as Palestinian prime minister on April 30, 2003. As a condition for pursuing their road map to peace, the quartet (U.S., European Union, Russia, and UN) had insisted on the appointment of a prime minister with wide powers in a move to circumvent Palestinian Pres. Yasir Arafat, who

Torbernite

2005-03-26T00:44:00.000-08:00

Hydrated copper uranate phosphate mineral, Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2×8–12H2O, that is one of the principal uranium-bearing minerals. Usually associated with autunite, it occurs as green crystals or micalike masses that are weathering products of uraninite. Torbernite is abundant in Cornwall, Eng., and in Katanga province, Congo (Kinshasa). For detailed physical properties, see phosphate

China, The dynasty's founder

2005-03-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

Chu Yüan-chang, founder of the new dynasty, came from a family of physiognomists from K'ai-feng who in Yüan times had deteriorated into itinerant tenant farmers in northern Anhwei Province. Orphaned by famine and plague in 1344, young Chu was taken into a small Buddhist monastery near Feng-yang city as a lay novice. For more than three years he wandered as a mendicant through

Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe Railway Company, The

2005-03-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Byname Santa Fe Railway, former railway that was one of the largest in the United States. Chartered in Kansas as the Atchison and Topeka Railroad Company in 1859, it later exercised great influence on the settlement of the southwestern United States. It was renamed the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1863 and acquired its modern name in 1895. Its founder was Cyrus K. Holliday, a Topeka lawyer and

Cottrell, Frederick Gardner

2005-03-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Cottrell taught chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1902 to 1911 and began his work on electrostatic precipitators in 1906. In 1912 he founded the Research Corporation, a nonprofit organization

Carlos De Austria

2005-03-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

Don Carlos spent his first years at Alcalá de Henares with his

France, History Of, German reparations

2005-03-23T02:46:00.000-08:00

The general elections of November 1919 resulted in a massive majority for the right-wing coalition called the Bloc

Fisk, Wilbur

2005-03-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

Fisk studied at Peacham Academy and the University of Vermont and graduated from Brown University in 1815 (he received an M.A. in 1818). Licensed as a local preacher at Lyndon, Vt., in 1818, he was received into the New England

Sabha

2005-03-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sebha, town, southwestern Libya, in a Saharan oasis. It was an active caravan centre from the 11th century. The modern town of stark white buildings and wide streets is surrounded by older settlements of mud-walled dwellings and covered alleyways. The former Italian Fort Elena, on a nearby hill, is now used for offices, shops, and a hospital. The town continues as a trade and transport

Islam, Cosmogony and eschatology

2005-03-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

The world was created by God's word kun (“Be”) out of nothing; after the creation of the angelic beings from light, Adam was formed from clay and destined to be God's vicegerent, khalifah. All of the angels obeyed God's order to prostrate themselves before Adam, except Iblis (Satan), who refused and was cursed; due to Iblis' instigation Adam ate the forbidden fruit (or grain) and was driven

Ahl Al-kitab

2005-03-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “People of the Book”), in Islamic thought, those religionists such as Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians who are possessors of divine books (i.e., the Torah, the Gospel, and the Avesta), as distinguished from those whose religions are not based on divine revelations. The latter are an imprecisely identified group referred to as Sabaeans but also considered “People of

Eyespot

2005-03-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

In the green one-celled organism Euglena, the eyespot is located in the gullet, at the base of the flagellum (a whiplike locomotory

Bridgman, Percy Williams

2005-03-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

Bridgman was the son of a journalist. He entered Harvard University in 1900, receiving his M.A. in 1905 and his Ph.D. in 1908. His experimental work on static high pressures was begun

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The land

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

Some islands have flat coral-covered surfaces, while the others, such as Great Nicobar, are hilly. Great Nicobar, rising to 2,106 feet (642 metres) and containing numerous fast-flowing streams, is the only island with sufficient fresh surface water. Lying between latitudes 6°45¢ and 9°15¢ N, the Nicobars experience temperatures between 64° and 92° F (18° and 33° C). The southwest monsoon (May through September)

Abbas, Mahmoud

2005-03-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

Percheron

2005-03-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

Heavy draft-horse breed that originated in the Perche region of France. The breed probably stems from the Flemish “great horse” of the Middle Ages; modified by Oriental blood to develop a coach-horse type, it was changed again in the 19th century by introduction of draft-type blood to produce animals for heavy farm work. Although a few Percherons were imported earlier,

Barbados

2005-03-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

Barbados is not part of the Lesser Antilles, although it is sometimes

Staghorn Fern

2005-03-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Member of the genus Platycerium (family Polypodiaceae), which is bizarre in appearance and frequently displayed in conservatories and other collections. Platycerium is epiphytic—i.e., the plants grow upon other plants. The leaves are of two forms; one type is elongated, erect or pendulous, and repeatedly forked, hence the name staghorn. The other leaf type is flat or

Frederick William I

2005-03-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

The son of the elector Frederick III, later Frederick I, king of Prussia, Frederick William grew up at a glamorous court,

Atami

2005-03-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

City, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the northeastern coast of the Izu Peninsula, facing Sagami Gulf of the Pacific Ocean. The city occupies the crater of the extinct volcano Mount Atami. The surrounding hills are remnants of the crater wall, which has been drowned by the sea on the east. Atami's mild and warm climate, scenic seascape, and hot springs have

Gippius, Zinaida Nikolayevna

2005-03-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

During the

Liechtenstein

2005-03-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

In late October the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, ruled that Prince Hans Adam

Mitford, Nancy

2005-03-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

Nancy Mitford was one of six daughters (and one son) of the 2nd Baron Redesdale; the family name was actually Freeman-Mitford. The children were educated at home and were all highly original. Nancy's sister Unity (d. 1948) was notorious in Great Britain for her admiration of Adolf

Greek Religion, The Classical period

2005-03-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Sophists, with their relentless probing of accepted values, continued the process. Little is known of the general

Mon

2005-03-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mun , Burmese Talaing people living in the eastern delta region of Myanmar (Burma) and in west-central Thailand, numbering in the late 20th century more than 1.1 million. The Mon have lived in their present area for the last 1,200 years, and it was they who gave Myanmar its writing (Pali) and its religion (Buddhism). The Mon are believed to have spread from western China over the river lowlands from the Irrawaddy

Isma'il, Ahmad

2005-03-13T03:55:00.000-08:00

Isma'il graduated from the Cairo Military Academy in 1938, saw service with the Allies in the Western Desert during World War

Aldfrith

2005-03-13T03:08:00.000-08:00

King of Northumbria (685–704) and patron of literature. An illegitimate son of Oswiu, he succeeded to the throne when his brother Ecgfrith was killed at the Battle of Nechtansmere. Educated for the priesthood, he stimulated the growth of scholarship in Northumbria during his reign, producing conditions under which the historian Bede flourished.

Gull Falls

2005-03-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Icelandic Gullfoss waterfall, southwestern Iceland, on the Hvítá (river), a tributary of the Ölfusá. It is fed by the meltwaters of the Lang Glacier on the central plateau, falling down 105 feet (32 m) to the southern farming region. Gullfoss (“Golden Falls”) is one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions and is accessible by road from Reykjavík.

Price

2005-03-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

It follows from the definition just stated that prices perform an economic function of major significance. So long as they are not artificially controlled, prices provide an economic

Sucksdorff, Arne

2005-03-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

Swedish motion-picture director important in the post-World War II revival of the Swedish cinema because of his internationally acclaimed sensitivity in photographing nature. His patiently photographed flowers, insects, birds, and animals are composed into films in which the rhythm of nature is dominant and man is only

Taravana Syndrome

2005-03-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

Form of decompression sickness that is most frequently seen in pearl divers in Japan and the Polynesian islands. These skin divers acquire their pearls by making breath-holding dives down to depths as great as 165 feet (about 50 m). During a day's work, they may make 60 to 100 dives in succession, with intervals of only a few seconds to two minutes between dives. The major symptoms of

Arctic Circle

2005-03-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

Parallel, or line of latitude around the Earth, at approximately 66°30¢ N. Because of the Earth's inclination of about 23 1/2° to the vertical, it marks the southern limit of the area within which, for one day or more each year, the Sun does not set (about June 21) or rise (about December 21). The length of continuous day or night increases northward from one day on the Arctic Circle to six months

Xenakis, Iannis

2005-03-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

Romanian-born Greek-French composer and architect (b. May 29, 1922, Braila, Rom.—d. Feb. 4, 2001, Paris, France), based his music on mathematical principles, particularly theories of probability. Although his music was generated by the rigorous application of nonmusical ideas, the results were often powerful and moving. He created orchestral, ensemble, and solo works for traditional instruments

Raga

2005-03-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit Raga (“colour,” or “passion”), in the music of India and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation based on a given set of notes (usually five to seven) and characteristic rhythmic patterns. The basic components of a raga can be written down in the form of a scale (in some cases differing in ascent and descent). By using only these notes, by emphasizing certain degrees of the scale,

Wright Flyer Of 1903

2005-03-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

First powered airplane to demonstrate sustained flight under the full control of the pilot. Designed and built by Wilbur and Orville Wright in Dayton, Ohio, it was assembled in the autumn of 1903 at a camp at the base of the Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, a village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After a first attempt failed on December 14, the machine was flown four times

Binet, Alfred

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

Fascinated by the work of the French neurologist Jean Charcot on hypnosis at the Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, Binet abandoned a law career in 1878 to devote himself

Rocky Mountains

2005-03-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

Byname the Rockies, mountain range forming the backbone of the great upland system that dominates the western North American continent. Generally, the ranges included in the Rockies stretch from northern Alberta and British Columbia southward to New Mexico, a distance of some 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres). In places the system is 300 or more miles wide. Limits are mostly arbitrary, especially in

Bilbays

2005-03-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bilbeis, or Bilbis, town, southwestern ash-Sharqiyah muhafazah (governorate) in the eastern Nile River delta, Lower Egypt. Bilbays lies northeast of Cairo, on the main road from Ismailia and Port Said and on the al-Isma'iliyah Canal. Its name is an Arabic corruption of the Coptic Phelbes. Situated on a caravan and natural invasion route from the east, Bilbays was conquered in AD 640 by the Arabs, who in 727 resettled

Xiangkhoang

2005-03-07T02:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Xieng Khouang, town, north-central Laos. Xiangkhoang lies just south of the Plain of Jarres and is situated in the Xiangkhoang Plateau. Corn (maize) and rice are raised by valley Lao north of Xiangkhoang and by Lao-Theung (Mon-Khmer) and Tai Neua groups in scattered upland areas to the north and east of the town; the Hmong (Miao, or Meo), a highland minority, have traditionally grown opium poppies

Eusebius Of Emesa

2005-03-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

A friend of the Roman emperor Constantius II, whom he often accompanied on expeditions against the Persians, Eusebius was appointed (c. 339) to the see

Pol Pot

2005-03-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

Original name Saloth Sar Khmer political leader whose totalitarian regime (1975–79) imposed severe hardships on the Cambodian people. His radical communist government forced the mass evacuations of cities, killed or displaced millions of people, and left a legacy of brutality and

Faguet, émile

2005-03-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

Faguet was educated at Poitiers and at the École Normale in Paris. He served as drama critic (1888–1907) for the Journal des Débats, was appointed to a chair at the Sorbonne in 1890, and was elected to the French Academy in 1900. He contributed

R.e.m.

2005-03-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Yar'adua, Shehu Musa

2005-03-04T02:41:00.000-08:00

Nigerian major general (ret.) and former vice president in Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo's military government (1976-79) who, amid international protests, was convicted in 1995 of conspiring to overthrow Gen. Sani Abacha's Provisional Ruling Council and reestablish civilian rule. Yar'Adua died while serving a 25-year prison term (b. March 5, 1943--d. Dec. 8, 1997).

Calabrian Stage

2005-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

All those rocks deposited worldwide during the Calabrian Age (1,600,000–10,000 years ago). The stage's name is derived from the region of Calabria in southern Italy, which has traditionally served as the type district for rocks of this age. The Calabrian Stage encompasses those rocks laid down during the Pleistocene Epoch. As defined in 1985 by the International Commission on Stratigraphy,

Biblical Literature, Numbers

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

In the Hebrew Bible this book is entitled Bemidbar (In the Wilderness) after one of its opening words, while in English versions it is called Numbers, a translation of the Greek Septuagint title Arithmoi. Each of the titles gives an indication of the content of the book: (1) the narrative of “40 Years” of wanderings in the wilderness, or desert, between Sinai and Canaan; and (2) the

Arabian Religion, South Arabia

2005-03-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

The name of the Venus god 'Athtar corresponds to that of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar (Venus). Hawbas, a goddess, was his consort (but seems

Aesthetics, Medieval aesthetics

2005-03-02T04:05:00.000-08:00

St. Thomas Aquinas devoted certain passages of his Summa Theologiae (c. 1266–73) to the study of beauty. To his thinking, man's interest in beauty is of sensuous origin, but it is the prerogative of those senses that are capable of “contemplation”—namely, the eye and the ear. Aquinas defines beauty in Aristotelian terms as that which pleases solely in the contemplation of it and recognizes

Amphibian, Size range and diversity of structure

2005-03-02T03:42:00.000-08:00

The three living groups of amphibians vary greatly in size and structure. Long tails and two pairs of limbs of about equal size distinguish the salamander, although members of the family Sirenidae have no hindlimbs. Their total length varies greatly; a diminutive terrestrial species in Mexico measures 27 millimetres (1.06 inches) long, and the giant aquatic salamander

China, State and society

2005-03-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

The state barred literati from using the academies and literary societies for explicitly political activities. Scholars in Peking and in the rich cities of the Yangtze Delta turned from politics to the study of texts that marked the empirical school of scholarship (k'ao-cheng hsüeh). Influenced by their knowledge of European mathematics and mathematical astronomy,

French Literature, Prose literature

2005-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Prose flourished as a literary medium from about 1200. A few years earlier Robert de Borron had used verse for his Joseph d'Arimathie (recounting the Holy Grail's sacred origins) and his Merlin; but both were soon turned into prose. Other Arthurian romances adopted it, notably the great Vulgate cycle with its five branches by various hands. These included the immensely popular

Hughes Medical Institute

2005-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

In full Howard Hughes Medical Institute, American philanthropic foundation, established in 1953 by the aviator and industrialist Howard Hughes. From its offices in Bethesda, Md., the organization subsidizes biomedical research at hospitals and universities throughout the United States, chiefly in genetics, immunology, cell biology, structural biology, and the neurosciences. It also provides educational

Peter Iii

2005-02-28T01:05:00.000-08:00

King consort of Portugal from 1777, with Queen Maria I. The younger son of John V of Portugal, he was married in July 1760 to the daughter of his elder brother, King Joseph. When she became queen as Maria I (February 1777), Peter became nominally king. He devoted himself entirely to religious practices.

Tees, River

2005-02-27T02:45:00.000-08:00

River in northeastern England, rising on Cross Fell in the northern Pennines and flowing 70 miles (110 km) east to the North Sea. It forms the boundary between the historic counties of Yorkshire and Durham. In its upper course the Tees flows in a typical Pennines dale (valley) where high moorlands flank an attenuated strip of farmland. At Caldron Snout and High Force there are

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield

2005-02-25T21:55:00.001-08:00

Canfield received a Ph.D. in Romance languages from Columbia University in 1904, a rare accomplishment for a woman of her generation. In 1907 she married John Redwood Fisher and, under the pen name Dorothy Canfield, published her first novel,

Agricultural Technology, Rainmaking

2005-02-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

Attempts to increase the amount of precipitation from clouds by seeding them with salt or silver iodide have been made for nearly three decades. Both aircraft and ground generators have been employed, but the techniques are typically beyond the means of an individual farmer. Results suggest that cloud modification is entirely possible, but the proof of increased

Scandinavian Literature, Faeroese

2005-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Faeroese literature came into its own after the turn of the century. Jens H.O. Djurhuus, who created rhetorical poetry of splendid resonance, was the first to emerge as a writer of international stature. His brother, Hans Andrias Djurhuus, wrote in a more naive manner, producing poems, fairy tales, and plays, which were based on native historical traditions and

World War I, The war in the east, 1914

2005-02-25T02:33:00.000-08:00

Urged by the

Hypothermia

2005-02-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

Abnormally low body temperature in a warm-blooded creature, associated with a general slowing of physiologic activity. Hibernating animals allow their body temperatures to fall to levels only slightly above ambient temperature, in a unique kind of hypothermia from which they can recover rapidly when necessary; similar temperatures would be fatal to

Estaunié, Edouard

2005-02-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

A theme recurrent in the 12 novels of Estaunié is expressed by the title of one of them, La Vie Secrète (1908; “The Secret Life”): each man's outward life masks another,

Bhaktivedanta, A(bhay) C(haranaravinda)

2005-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

In 1920 Bhaktivedanta completed his B.A. in chemistry at the Scottish Churches' College in Calcutta; by that time, his family had arranged a marriage for him, and he later established

Kerala

2005-02-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

State of India. It has an area of 15,005 square miles (38,863 square kilometres), only about 1 percent of the total area of the country. The state stretches for 360 miles (580 kilometres) along the Malabar Coast on the southwestern side of the Indian peninsula; its width varies from 20 to 75 miles. It is bordered by the states of Karnataka (formerly Mysore) to the north and Tamil Nadu to the east and by the Arabian

Epistle

2005-02-21T22:32:00.000-08:00

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

Nguyen Dynasty

2005-02-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

After Mac Dang Dung usurped the Vietnamese throne in 1527, Nguyen Kim fought to restore a Le emperor in 1533, leaving the Mac family in power in the northern section

Lira

2005-02-21T01:32:00.000-08:00

The word lira, a misapplication

Arts, Central Asian, Uighurs

2005-02-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

The figural arts found new patrons in eastern Turkistan among the Turkic Uighurs, who while living in T'ang dynasty China had been influenced by Manichaean figurative art. The overthrow in China in AD 846 of Buddhism by official Confucianism forced the Buddhist Uighurs to migrate to eastern Turkistan. Gradually, they gained control over the Tien Shan region, Turfan, and

Judaism, Sa'adia ben Joseph

2005-02-20T11:51:00.000-08:00

This belief in reason, as well as some of the tenets of Mu'tazilite theology, were taken over by Sa'adia ben Joseph, who was also influenced, either directly or through the intermediary of an Arabic philosopher, by the arguments of a Christian 6th-century philosopher, John Philoponus, against certain Aristotelian and Neoplatonic positions. Sa'adia's main theological

Robert The Devil

2005-02-20T03:24:00.000-08:00

French Robert Le Diable, legendary son of a duke of Normandy, born in answer to prayers addressed to the devil. He uses his immense strength only for crime. Directed by the pope to consult a certain holy hermit, he is delivered from his curse by maintaining absolute silence, feigning madness, taking his food from the mouth of a dog, and provoking ill-treatment from the common people without retaliating.

Nathdwara

2005-02-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Rajasthan state, northwestern India, just south of the Banas River. Connected by road with Udaipur and close to the Malvi rail junction, Nathdwara is a place of Hindu pilgrimage; it contains a 17th-century Vaishnavite shrine that is one of the most famous in India. Within the temple is a celebrated image of the god Krishna, popularly said to date to the 12th century

Calcutta

2005-02-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

Bengali Kalikata city, capital of West Bengal state, and former capital (1772–1912) of British India. It is India's largest city and one of its major ports. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, once the main channel of the Ganges River, about 96 miles (154 kilometres) upstream from the head of the Bay of Bengal; there the port city developed as a point of transshipment from water to land and

Robert-houdin, Jean-eugène

2005-02-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

Original name Jean-Eugène Robert French magician who is considered to be the father of modern conjuring. He was the first magician to use electricity; he improved the signalling method for the “thought transference” trick; and he exposed “fakes” and magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats. Although he did not do away with apparatus, he

Kido Takayoshi

2005-02-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

Born into an influential warrior family, Kido early became active in the politics

Bhave, Vinoba

2005-02-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

Born of a high-caste Brahman family, he abandoned his high-school studies in 1916 to join Gandhi's ashram (ascetic community). Gandhi's teachings led Bhave to a life of austerity, dedicated

Tabataba'i, Sayyid Zia Od-din

2005-02-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Tabataba'i became prominent during World War I as the editor of a pro-British newspaper, Ra'd (“Thunder”). In 1919 he led a quasi-diplomatic mission to negotiate a commercial agreement with the anti-Communist Russian revolutionaries at Baku. On his return to Iran he joined a secret nationalist

Robert-houdin, Jean-eugène

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

Any of 21 species of medium-sized toothed whales with extended snouts, including the bottlenose whales. Little is known about this family of cetaceans; one species was first described in 1995, two others are known only from skeletal remains, and the bodies of undescribed species occasionally drift ashore.

Stephen Ii (or Iii)

2005-02-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

He was a deacon when chosen on March 26, 752, as the second successor to Pope St. Zacharias (the first successor, Stephen II, had died on the previous day without being consecrated). The central act of his pontificate was to free the papacy from Byzantium and to ally it with the Franks

Indra

2005-02-15T04:03:00.000-08:00

His weapons are lightning and the thunderbolt, and he is strengthened for these feats by drinks of the elixir soma, the offering of the sacrifice. Among his allies

Suckling, Sir John

2005-02-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

He was educated at Cambridge and inherited his father's considerable estates at the age of 18. He entered Gray's Inn in 1627 and was knighted in 1630. He became a prominent figure at court with a reputation for being “the greatest gallant of his time, and the greatest

Brecht, Bertolt

2005-02-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

Until 1924 Brecht lived in Bavaria, where he was born, studied medicine (Munich, 1917–21), and served in an army hospital (1918). From this period date his

Argenteuil

2005-02-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

Town, Val-d'Oise département, Île-de-France région, France. It lies along the north bank of the Seine River, northwest of Paris. The town's name comes from silver (argent) deposits exploited there by the Gauls. Argenteuil grew up around a convent that was founded there in the 7th century and of which Charlemagne's daughter Théorade may have been an early abbess. Héloïse, of the

Furniture, The American colonies

2005-02-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

Information in inventories and

Grafton

2005-02-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

County, western New Hampshire, U.S. It is bounded to the west by Vermont (the Connecticut River constituting the entire border) and consists of a mountainous region, with the White Mountains and a large portion of White Mountain National Forest occupying the northeastern part of the county. It is drained by the Ammonoosuc, Baker, Mascoma, and Pemigewasset rivers. Other

Aleppo

2005-02-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

The city's

Textile, Napping and shearing

2005-02-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

Napping is a process that may be applied to woollens, cottons, spun silks, and spun rayons, including both woven and knitted types, to raise a velvety, soft surface. The process involves passing the fabric over revolving cylinders covered with fine wires that lift the short, loose fibres, usually from the weft yarns, to the surface, forming a nap. The process, which increases

New Castle

2005-02-11T02:41:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1822) of Henry county, eastern Indiana, U.S. It lies along the Blue River, 50 miles (80 km) east of Indianapolis. Founded in 1819 and named by Ezekiel Leavell for his hometown in Kentucky, it was incorporated in 1839. In 1900 a decade of expansion began when automobile and piano manufacturing, as well as other industries, were started there. During this same period, the large-scale commercial