DeepFlag

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of the hydrologic cycle

2005-03-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

The idea of the hydrological cycle developed independently in China as early as the 4th century BC and was explicitly stated in the L

Biograph Company

2005-03-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

One of the major American motion-picture studios in the early days of filmmaking. Its most significant contribution to the film comes from the work of D.W. Griffith, the first great director, who developed the art of the cinema during his five years at Biograph. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company released its first film, Empire State Express, in 1896. It quickly became

Allport, Gordon W(illard)

2005-03-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Appointed a social science instructor at Harvard University in 1924, he became professor of psychology six years later and, in the last year of his life, professor of social ethics. He consistently related his approach to the study of personality to

Nitroglycerin

2005-03-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

Pure nitroglycerin is a colourless, oily, somewhat toxic liquid having a sweet, burning taste. It was first prepared in 1846 by the Italian

Mesopotamia, History Of, The classical and medieval views of Mesopotamia; its rediscovery in modern times

2005-03-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

Before the first excavations in Mesopotamia, about 1840, nearly 2,000 years had passed during which knowledge of the ancient Middle East was derived from three sources only: the Bible, Greek and Roman authors, and the excerpts from the writings of Berosus, a Babylonian who wrote in Greek. In 1800 very little more was known than in AD 800, although these sources had served to stir the imagination

Aelle

2005-03-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aella, or Aelli first king of Deira in northern England, whose people threw off the Bernician overlordship upon the death of Ida, king of Bernicia. Aelle became king in 559, while Ida's descendants continued to reign in the northern kingdom. On Aelle's death the Bernician king Aethelric again subdued Deira, but Aelle's son Edwin (q.v.) would return to rule as the most powerful English ruler

Alb

2005-03-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

Derived from the long white tunic (tunica alba, or linea) commonly

Tasmania, Cultural life

2005-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

For the smallness and dispersion of its population, Tasmania has a remarkably vigorous cultural life. At the amateur level, there are many musical groups, ranging from the full orchestra to the ensemble, as well as choral societies and repertory companies. The University of Tasmania has a conservatorium of music and a school of art. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation,

Pavement

2005-03-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

In civil engineering, durable surfacing of a road, airstrip, or similar area. The primary function of a pavement is to transmit loads to the sub-base and underlying soil. Modern flexible pavements contain sand and gravel or crushed stone compacted with a binder of bituminous material, such as asphalt, tar, or asphaltic oil. Such a pavement has enough plasticity to absorb

Flodden, Battle Of

2005-02-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

(Sept. 9, 1513), English victory over the Scots, fought near Branxton, Northumberland. To honour his alliance with France (1512) and divert troops from the main English army, which was then in France under Henry VIII, James IV of Scotland crossed the border (Aug. 22, 1513) with an army of about 30,000 men supported by artillery. Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, Henry's lieutenant in the north, gathered an army

Ghibelline

2005-02-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

In medieval Italy, member of the pro-imperial party, opponents of the pro-papal Guelfs. See Guelf and Ghibelline.

Close, Chuck

2005-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Close began taking art lessons as a child and at age 14 saw an exhibition of Jackson Pollock's abstract paintings, which helped inspire him to become a painter. He studied at the University of Washington

Niederbayern

2005-02-20T00:53:00.000-08:00

English Lower Bavaria Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), east-central Bavaria Land (state), southeastern Germany. Niederbayern is bordered by the Czech Republic to the northeast, Austria to the southeast, and the Regierungsbezirke of Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) to the southwest and west and Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the north. Together with Oberbayern and Oberpfalz, the

Plisetskaya, Maya (mikhaylovna)

2005-02-18T22:55:00.000-08:00

A niece of the dancers Asaf and Sulamith Messerer, Plisetskaya studied with Paul Gerdt's daughter Yelizaveta and with Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova and graduated from the Bolshoi

Race, The institutionalizing of race

2005-02-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Slavery by nature creates social distance between masters and slaves, and intellectuals are commonly called upon to affirm and justify such distinctions. As learned men began to write a great deal about the “racial” populations of the New World, Indians and Negroes were increasingly projected as alien. In this way did the Enlightenment thinkers help pro-slavery

Quine, Willard Van Orman

2005-02-14T00:20:00.000-08:00

After studying mathematics and logic at Oberlin College (1926–30), Quine won a scholarship to Harvard University, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1932. On a traveling fellowship to Europe

Forbes-robertson, Sir Johnston

2005-02-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

Educated at Charterhouse School, he studied art before turning to the theatre in 1874, when he first appeared on the London stage. He acted with the Bancrofts—Squire

Space Exploration

2005-02-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

Germany's ROSAT, carrying an X-ray telescope,

Tzu-kung

2005-02-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Zigong, city in central Szechwan Province (sheng), China. Tzu-kung is a prefecture-level municipality (shih), which was formed in 1939 by the merger of Kung-ching—a great salt-producing district with a history dating to the 7th century AD—and the rapidly developing town of Tzu-liu-ching. The city is situated on the Ching Ho (river), a tributary of the T'o Chiang (river), and the area is connected

Neptune

2005-02-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

Neptune's festival (Neptunalia) took place in the heat of the summer (July 23), when water was scarcest; thus, its purpose was probably the propitiation of the

Vasily Iii

2005-02-04T03:26:00.000-08:00

In full Vasily Ivanovich grand prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. Succeeding his father, Ivan III (ruled Moscow 1462–1505), Vasily completed his father's policy of consolidating the numerous independent Russian principalities into a united Muscovite state by annexing Pskov (1510), Ryazan (1517), and Starodub and Novgorod-Seversk (now Novgorod-Seversky) by 1523. He also strengthened his growing state by capturing

Biblical Literature, The Septuagint (LXX)

2005-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

This narrative, repeated

Afonso V

2005-02-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

The son of King Edward (Duarte) and Queen Leonor, daughter of King Ferdinand I of Aragon, Afonso succeeded to the throne at the age of six. In 1440 his mother was deprived of the regency by his uncle Pedro, Duke de Coimbra, whose daughter Isabella Afonso married. The regent was in turn

Eisner, Kurt

2005-01-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

Eisner studied literature and neo-Kantian philosophy with Hermann Cohen at the University of Marburg. In 1892 he published Friedrich Nietzsche und die Apostel der Zukunft (“Friedrich Nietzsche and the Apostle

Polar Bear

2005-01-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

Also called White Bear, Water Bear, Sea Bear, or Ice Bear (Ursus maritimus, formerly Thalarctos maritimus), semiaquatic northern bear, family Ursidae, found throughout Arctic regions, generally on drifting oceanic ice floes. The polar bear is sought for its trophy value and (especially by Eskimo) for its hide, tendons, fat, and flesh; the liver, however, is inedible and often poisonous because of its high vitamin

Roland (de La Platière), Jeanne-marie

2005-01-25T01:13:00.000-08:00

Jeanne-Marie Phlipon was the daughter of a Paris engraver. Brilliant and cultured, she absorbed the democratic ideas of Jean-Jacques

Andrew Ii

2005-01-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

The son of Béla III, Andrew succeeded László III, his elder brother's son, on the throne in 1205. Powerful landed interests forced Andrew to spend royal funds so recklessly that the crown

Education, Philosophy Of, Lockean view

2005-01-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

John Locke, the 17th-century English philosopher, has been credited with formulating the classical liberal defense of individual freedom against the authorities of state and church. Opposed both to what he deemed the stagnation of unreflective tradition and the perils of enthusiastic radicalism, Locke saw science, reason, and experience as the best safeguards

Biblical Literature, First introductory discourse of Moses

2005-01-19T02:50:00.000-08:00

The first introductory discourse, spoken by Moses, traces the journey of the Israelites from Mt. Horeb to Moab, with some noticeable differences in detail from the account in Exodus and Numbers and an emphasis on Moses being banned from entrance into the Promised Land because the Lord was angry at the Israelites. To this historical retrospect is appended an exhortation

Hancock, Thomas

2005-01-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

English inventor and manufacturer who founded the British rubber industry. His chief invention, the “masticator,” worked rubber scraps into a shredded mass of rubber that could be formed into blocks or rolled into sheets. This process, perfected in 1821, led to a partnership with the Scottish chemist and inventor of waterproof

Latin Literature, Early writers

2005-01-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

The ground for Roman literature was prepared by an influx from the early 3rd century BC onward of Greek slaves, some of whom were put to tutoring young Roman nobles. Among them was Livius Andronicus, who was later freed and who is considered to be the first Latin writer. In 240 BC, to celebrate Rome's victory over Carthage, he composed a genuine drama adapted from the Greek. His success

Latin Literature, Early writers

2005-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

From 1946 the CSU has held the government of Bavaria continuously with only one exception, in 1954–57, though it was forced to

Mclachlan, Alexander

2005-01-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

Scottish-born poet, called by some the Burns of Canada for his Scots dialect poetry, much of which deals with the homesickness of Scots immigrants. McLachlan was the foremost among a number of such Scottish bards, whose themes of nostalgia for Scotland appear to be literary conventions rather than original

Arartree

2005-01-10T00:25:00.000-08:00

A pyramidal tree 12 to 15 metres (about 40 to 50 feet) tall, the arartree has fragrant, brown or reddish-brown wood that has long been popular for furniture and cabinetmaking. The tree also yields large quantities

O Dalaigh, Cearbhall

2005-01-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

Son of parents active in the struggle for Irish independence, O Dalaigh studied at University College, Dublin, earning a degree in Celtic studies in 1931. He was an Irish-language editor on The Irish Press (1931–42), meanwhile becoming a lawyer (1935). In 1945 he became Ireland's

Wright, Quincy

2005-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

Wright received his B.A. from Lombard College, Galesburg, Ill., in 1912 and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1915. He taught at Harvard University in 1916–19 and at the University of Minnesota in 1919–23. In 1923 he became

Gunasthana

2005-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

The initial stages of development are: (1) mithyatva

Amati Family

2005-01-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Andrea (c. 1520–c. 1578), the founder of the Cremona school of violin making, was perhaps originally influenced by the work of slightly earlier makers from Brescia. His earliest-known violins are dated about 1564. In essentials, they set the style for all the models made by later members of the family and,

Fish Meal

2004-12-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

To be processed

Kirovohrad

2004-12-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Russian Kirovograd oblast (province), south-central Ukraine. It extends from the Dnieper River in the northeast across the rolling hills of the Dnieper Upland to the basin of the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River in the southwest. The oblast's natural vegetation of grass steppe on fertile soils has been almost wholly plowed up, and unsound practices have resulted in serious and widespread

Chateaubriand, François-auguste-rené, Viscount (vicomte) De

2004-12-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

The youngest child of an eccentric and impecunious noble, Chateaubriand spent his school holidays largely with his sister in the romantic

Novi Sad

2004-12-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

German Neusatz, Hungarian Újvidék, city and administrative capital of the ethnically mixed autonomous region of Vojvodina, Serbia, Yugoslavia. It is a transit port on the heavily trafficked Danube River northwest of Belgrade and is also situated on the Belgrade-Budapest rail line. The Backa canal system connects with the Danube at Novi Sad, which is the economic and cultural focus for northern Vojvodina.

Kazak

2004-12-22T01:23:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kazakh, an Asiatic Turkic-speaking people inhabiting mainly Kazakstan and the adjacent parts of the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang in China. The Kazaks emerged in the 15th century from an amalgam of Turkic tribes who entered Transoxiana about the 8th century and of Mongols who entered the area in the 13th century. At the end of the 20th century there were roughly 7,600,000 in Kazakstan

Skeena River

2004-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

River in western British Columbia, Canada. It rises in the Skeena Mountains in the northern part of the province and flows generally southwestward, receiving its two major tributaries, the Babine and Bulkley rivers, before emptying into Chatham Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean), south of Prince Rupert, after a course of about 360 miles (580 km). The Skeena is an important salmon-fishing

Chatsworth

2004-12-19T04:17:00.000-08:00

Estate near Rowsley, Derbyshire Dales district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England, containing the principal seat of the English dukes of Devonshire. Chatsworth House itself stands near the left bank of the River Derwent. Construction of the original building began in 1553, but, after suffering occupation by both parties to the English Civil

Gonionemus

2004-12-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

Genus of small marine jellyfish of the hydrozoan order Limnomedusae (phylum Cnidaria). Gonionemus species are bell-shaped and measure about 15 mm (0.6 inch) or more in diameter. From the centre of the bell hangs the manubrium, a tubular structure that contains the mouth, and around the bell's rim are hollow tentacles armed with stinging structures called nematocysts. Each

Kubitschek, Juscelino

2004-12-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

Kubitschek attended the Diamantina Seminary, worked his way through medical school at the University of Minas Gerais (graduated 1927), and did internships in surgery in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. He became head of

Loyola University Chicago

2004-12-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Chicago, Ill., U.S. It is affiliated with the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church. Comprising nine schools and colleges across six campuses, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees in more than 40 fields, doctoral degrees in more than 30 programs, and several professional degrees. One of the two Chicago campuses,

Williams, Marion

2004-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

U.S. gospel singer (b. Aug. 29, 1927, Miami, Fla.--d. July 2, 1994, Philadelphia, Pa.), drew on blues, jazz, folk, and calypso music as inspirations for her innovative vocals, which included octave-spanning leaps from contralto to spine-tingling falsetto tones; her exceptional artistry was often compared to that of Mahalia Jackson. As a child Williams began singing with the congregation at her

Tunnels And Underground Excavations, Rock bolts

2004-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Rock bolts are used to reinforce jointed rock much as reinforcing bars supply tensile resistance in reinforced concrete. After early trials about 1920, they were developed in the 1940s for strengthening laminated roof strata in mines. For public works their use has increased rapidly since 1955, as confidence has developed from two independent pioneering applications, both

Talisman

2004-12-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

Object bearing a sign or engraved character and thought to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune. See amulet.

Van Allen Radiation Belt

2004-12-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

The Van Allen belts are most intense over the Equator and are effectively absent above the poles. No

Jablonski, Daniel Ernst

2004-11-30T15:39:00.000-08:00

Jablonski studied at Frankfurt an der Oder and at Oxford University and began preaching at Magdeburg in 1683. From 1686 to 1691 he headed the Moravian College at Lissa, becoming court preacher at Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia)

Saisunaga Dynasty

2004-11-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sisunaga, or Susunaga, the founder, was of obscure origin and may have initially served as Magadhan

Alveolar Proteinosis

2004-11-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

Respiratory disorder caused by the filling of large groups of alveoli with protein and lipid (fat) particles. The alveoli are air sacs, minute structures in the lungs in which the exchange of respiratory gases occurs. The gas molecules must pass through a cellular wall, the surface of which is generally covered by a thin film of fatty material secreted from the alveolar

Bashkir

2004-11-25T02:18:00.000-08:00

The Bashkirs settled their land under the Mongol khanate of Kipchak from the 13th to the 15th century.

Ujung-kulon National Park

2004-11-22T03:18:00.000-08:00

English Point Kulon National Park

Hertfordshire

2004-11-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

Administrative and historic county of southern England, adjoining Greater London to the south. The administrative county and the historic county cover slightly different areas. The administrative county comprises 10 districts: East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire, Three Rivers, and Welwyn Hatfield; the boroughs of Broxbourne, Dacorum, Hertsmere, Stevenage

Earth

2004-11-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

The basic structure and composition of the Earth's interior have been known since the mid-20th century. In a landmark paper published in 1952, the American geophysicist Francis Birch described the constitution of the planetary interior based on a broad array of seismological, experimental, and geochemical observations. Although there have been numerous advances in

Farinacci, Prospero

2004-11-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

After studying law at Padua and earning a reputation as an advocate,

Mürren

2004-11-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

Alpine village, Bern canton, south central Switzerland, situated high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Oberland (highland), opposite the Jungfrau (13,642 ft [4,158 m]). It is the highest village in the canton (elevation 5,450 ft) that is inhabited all the year round. A noted health and international winter-sports resort, it is also a ballooning centre with an annual international

Gaspé Current

2004-11-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

Outflow from the St. Lawrence River, which moves around the Gaspé Peninsula and along the southern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It merges with a cold branch of the Labrador (Cabot) Current before flowing through the Cabot Strait and into the North Atlantic Ocean. The current responds to the river's flow, being strong and warm in the summer and cold and weak in the winter.

Haley, Bill

2004-11-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

If not the father of rock and roll, Haley is certainly one of its fathers. He cut his first record in 1948 and the next year settled into a job as a disc jockey in Chester, Pennsylvania. At the time his groups

Arnold, Matthew

2004-11-09T05:09:00.000-08:00

Matthew was the eldest son of the renowned Thomas Arnold, who was appointed headmaster of Rugby School in 1828. Matthew entered Rugby (1837) and then attended Oxford as a scholar of Balliol College; there he won the Newdigate Prize with his poem Cromwell (1843) and was graduated with second-class honours in 1844. For Oxford Arnold retained an impassioned affection. His Oxford was the Oxford

Cinchona

2004-11-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

Four species of Cinchona were cultivated for many years, primarily in Java and also in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Their bark was processed to obtain quinine, which is

Kwangsi, Resources

2004-11-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

The region has sufficient coal and iron deposits to support moderate industrial development. Coal is mined north of Kuei-lin and south of Liu-chou. Iron is mined in the area near the Kwangtung–Hunan border as well as in southeastern Kwangsi. Other exploited mineral resources include tin (of which Kwangsi is a major producer), tungsten, manganese, and antimony. Moderate

Dysprosium

2004-11-02T03:14:00.000-08:00

(Dy), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table. A relatively hard and very reactive metal, it is oxidized by air and by water. Its high melting point and ability to absorb neutrons make it useful in control rods for nuclear reactors. Its compounds have been used for making laser materials, as components in some electronic equipment,

Adal

2004-11-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Historic Islamic state of eastern Africa, in the Danakil-Somali region southwest of the Gulf of Aden, with its capital at Harer (now in Ethiopia). Its rivalry with Christian Ethiopia began in the 14th century with minor border raids and skirmishes. In the 16th century, Adal rose briefly to international importance by launching a series of more serious attacks. The first phase,

Biblical Literature, The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

2004-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

In all probability I Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul's letters, particularly because the memory of the events that led to the founding of that congregation are still fresh in the mind of the Apostle. The letter was written from Corinth. According to I Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 2, Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica from Athens during his brief stay there,

Armenian Chant

2004-10-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Vocal music of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the religious poetry that serves as its texts. Armenia was Christianized quite early by missionaries from Syria and Greek-speaking areas of the eastern Mediterranean and accepted Christianity as the state religion about AD 300. The development of a distinctive Armenian liturgy was influenced by various factors. Toward

Brief

2004-10-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

In the United States a brief is a written legal argument that is presented to a court to aid it in reaching a conclusion on the legal issues involved in the case. It is invariably employed in appellate courts

Kieta

2004-10-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Town, southeast coast of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. It is situated on Arawa Bay (Rawa Harbour) and is a port of call with a long wharf for coastal and Australian shipping. The town trades chiefly in copra, cocoa, and small amounts of gold. Two new settlements, Toniva and Nairovi, located just outside of Kieta, are considered part of that town. They grew after an increase

Shellfish Poisoning

2004-10-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Illness in humans resulting from the eating of certain mussels and clams. The source of the poison has been traced to the plankton upon which shellfish feed during parts of the year. Symptoms often begin within 10 minutes after eating the shellfish. Initially, there is tingling and numbness about the lips and prickly feelings in the fingertips. The throat is often dry.

Schauspiel

2004-10-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Any spectacle or public performance. In late 18th-century German literature the word took on the more specific meaning of a play that has characteristics of both a tragedy and a comedy in that it is a serious play with a happy ending and in which the hero does not die.

Elizabeth Ii

2004-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth was the elder daughter of Albert, duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. As the child of a younger son of King George V, the young Elizabeth had little prospect of acceding to the throne until her uncle, Edward VIII (afterward duke of Windsor), abdicated

Cullen, Countee

2004-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Reared by a woman who was probably his paternal grandmother, Countee at age 15 was unofficially adopted by the Reverend F.A. Cullen, minister of Salem M.E. Church, one of Harlem's largest congregations. He won a citywide poetry contest as a schoolboy and saw his winning stanzas

Bendix Corporation

2004-10-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

The company's founder, Vincent Bendix, himself an inventor, joined with French inventor Henri Perrot

Balard, Antoine-jérôme

2004-10-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

In studying salt marsh flora from Mediterranean waters, Balard, after crystallizing sodium chloride and sodium sulfate from the seawater, saturating

Andreotti, Giulio

2004-10-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

Andreotti took a degree in law at the University of Rome and was president of the Catholic students' federation. In 1942 he became a protégé of Alcide De

Adygea

2004-10-05T02:04:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Adygeya republic, southwestern Russia. It extends from the Kuban River south to the Caucasus foothills. Adygea was established as an oblast (province) in 1922 for the Adyghian people, one of two major branches of the Circassians (Cherkess), who make up about one-fifth of its total population. Apart from the foothills in the south, which are covered in deciduous forest, most of Adygea

Mola Di Bari

2004-10-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Town, Bari provincia, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southern Italy. In the European Middle Ages it was an embarkation point for the crusaders, and it has a 13th-century cathedral of Renaissance reconstruction. A fishing port and bathing resort, the modern town has tanneries and soap and button factories. Pop. (1989 est.) mun., 26,942.

Wahoo

2004-10-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

(Acanthocybium solanderi), swift-moving, powerful, predacious food and game fish of the family Scombridae (order Perciformes) found worldwide, especially in the tropics. The wahoo is a slim, streamlined fish with sharp-toothed, beaklike jaws and a tapered body ending in a slender tail base and a crescent-shaped tail. Gray-blue above and paler below, it is marked with a series

Bald Eagle

2004-09-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus), bird of the family Accipitridae, the only eagle solely native to North America. Since 1782 the bald eagle has been the national bird of the United States. It is a sea eagle (Haliaeetus) that commonly occurs inland, along rivers and large lakes. The adult male bald eagle is about 90 cm (36 inches) long and has a wingspan of 2 m (6.5 feet).

Thompson Submachine Gun

2004-09-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Byname Tommy Gun, submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, General John T. Thompson. The weapon became famous during the U.S. Prohibition era (1920–33) as the gun used by gangsters. Indeed it became so widely known in that era that it is commonly (but erroneously) believed to be the first submachine gun. It weighed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) empty and fired .45-calibre ammunition. The magazine was either

Rushdie, Salman

2004-09-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

Rushdie was the son of a prosperous Muslim businessman in India. He was educated at Rugby School and the University of Cambridge,

Theatre-in-the-round

2004-09-23T04:08:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Theater-in-the-round, also called Arena Stage, Central Stage, or Island Stage, form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. It has been theorized that the informality thus established leads to increased rapport between the audience and the actors. Theatre-in-the-round has its roots in rituals such as those performed by the ancient Greeks, which evolved into

Altitude And Azimuth

2004-09-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

In astronomy, gunnery, navigation, and other fields, two coordinates describing the position of an object above the Earth. Altitude in this sense is expressed as angular elevation (up to 90°) above the horizon. Azimuth, in astronomical measurement, is the number of degrees clockwise from due south (usually) to the object's vertical circle (i.e., a great circle through the object

Gates Of The Arctic National Park And Preserve

2004-09-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

Large, remote wilderness area in northern Alaska, U.S. It is part of a vast region of national parks, monuments, and preserves located north of the Arctic Circle that stretches for hundreds of miles from west to east. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area underwent boundary changes in 1980 when it became a national park and preserve. The total area of the park is 11,756 square

Accompaniment

2004-09-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

In music, auxiliary part or parts of a composition designed to support the principal part or to throw it into relief. In secular medieval music and in much folk and non-European music, instrumental accompaniments for singers consist of unison or octave duplications of the melody (sometimes with slight differences, creating heterophony, the simultaneous performance

Abraha

2004-09-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Abraha was viceroy of the principality of Saba' in Yemen for the (Christian) emperors of Ethiopia. A zealous Christian himself, he is said to have built a great church at San'a' and to have repaired the principal irrigation dam at the Sabaean capital of Ma'rib. Abraha is chiefly famous, however, for the military

Wykeham, William Of

2004-09-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Wykeham evidently came from a very poor family. Wealthy patrons helped him obtain an education, and about 1356 he entered the service of King Edward III. By the mid-1360s he was the king's most trusted assistant. In 1367 he was made chancellor

Parakeet

2004-09-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Parrakeet any of numerous seed-eating parrots of small size, slender build, and long, tapering tail. In this sense the name is given to some 115 species in 30 genera of the subfamily Psittacinae (family Psittacidae) and has influenced another parrot name, lorikeet (see parrot). To indicate size only, the name is sometimes extended to little parrots with short, blunt tails, as the hanging

Papal Infallibility

2004-09-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

In Roman Catholic theology, the doctrine that the pope, acting as supreme teacher and under certain conditions, cannot err when he teaches in matters of faith or morals. As an element of the broader understanding of the infallibility of the church, this doctrine is based on the belief that the church has been entrusted with the teaching mission of Jesus Christ and

Wright, Frances

2004-09-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

Wright was the daughter of a well-to-do Scottish merchant and political radical who had circulated the works of Thomas

Ribbentrop, Joachim Von

2004-09-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ribbentrop was the son of an army officer in a middle-class family. After attending schools in Germany, Switzerland, France, and England, he went to Canada (1910), but he returned to Germany at the outbreak of World

Insurance, Ocean marine insurance

2004-09-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

Smith, George

2004-09-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Smith's father, also named George Smith (1789–1846), learned bookselling in his native Scotland and, after moving to London, joined with another Scot, Alexander Elder,

Du Toit, Jakob Daniel

2004-08-31T02:42:00.000-07:00

Du Toit was educated in Pretoria, Rustenburg, and Daljosafat, studied at the theological seminary at Burgesdorp, and passed his final

April Fools' Day

2004-08-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Also called All Fools' Day in most countries the first day of April. It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day—for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so-called fools' errands. Although the day has been observed for centuries, there are different explanations for its origin. It resembles festivals such as the Hilaria of

Tectonics

2004-08-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Scientific study of the deformation of the rocks that make up the Earth's crust and the forces that produce such deformation. It deals with the folding and faulting associated with mountain building; the large-scale, gradual upward and downward movements of the crust (epeirogenic movements); and sudden horizontal displacements along faults. Other phenomena studied