PastFinger

Allen, Richard

2005-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Soon after Allen was born, to slave parents, the family was sold to a Delaware farmer. At age 17 he became a Methodist convert and at 22 was permitted to preach. Two years later (1784), at the first general conference of the

Uaxactún

2005-04-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

Ruined ancient Mayan city of the southern lowlands, located in what is now north-central Guatemala, about 12 miles (20 km) north of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. Uaxactún was a ceremonial centre of only modest size, compared with Tikal, but it has been important in Mayan archaeology because intensive excavations made there by archaeologists of the Carnegie Institution

Sudan, The, Education

2005-04-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

A modern educational system was established in The Sudan in the 1970s when the government reorganized a haphazard system of schools inherited from the British colonial government. In the Muslim areas of the north, boys were long instructed in religious subjects according to traditional methods. Primary education was begun by the British in the northern Sudan after

Dubnow, Simon Markovich

2005-04-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

Dubnow early ceased to practice Jewish rituals. He later came to believe that his vocation as a historian of Judaism was as true to the faith of his ancestors as were the Talmudic

Holden, William

2005-04-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

While attending Pasadena Junior College, Beedle acted in local radio plays and became involved with the Pasadena Playhouse. He was discovered by a Paramount Pictures talent scout and given the more

Hovd

2005-04-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1731 as a trade depot linked commercially with Peking, Hovd is the main trade centre of western Mongolia.

Zaibatsu

2005-04-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “wealthy clique”), any of the large capitalist enterprises of Japan before World War II, similar to cartels or trusts but usually organized around a single family. One zaibatsu might operate companies in nearly all important areas of economic activity. The Mitsui combine, for example, owned or had large investments in companies engaged in banking, foreign

Amsterdam

2005-04-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

To the scores of tourists who visit each year, Amsterdam is known for its historical attractions, for its collections of great art, and for the distinctive colour and flavour of its old

Cicero

2005-03-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

City, western suburb of Chicago, Cook county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. First settled in the 1830s, it was named for Cicero, N.Y. Its development was stimulated when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was built through the site (1864) and by the arrival of land speculators and farmers after the American Civil War. Economic growth continued, but Cicero lost territory to

Eclipse

2005-03-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Sun is eclipsed when the Moon comes between it and the Earth; the Moon is eclipsed when it moves into the shadow of the Earth cast by the Sun. Eclipses of natural or artificial satellites of a planet occur as the satellites move

Karawanken

2005-03-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

Italian Caravanche , Serbo-Croatian Karavanke mountain range of the Eastern Alps, extending eastward along the Slovenian-Austrian border for 50 miles (80 km) from the town of Tarvisio in Italy. The range lies between the Drava River (north) and the upper Sava River (south) and rises to Hochstuhl (7,342 feet [2,238 m]) in the eastern part. The Karawanken, consisting mainly of limestone, is crossed by road at Wurzen, Loibl, and Seeberg passes.

Hancock, Winfield Scott

2005-03-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

A West Point graduate (1844), he served with distinction in the Mexican War (1846–48). Hancock was appointed a

Lettow-vorbeck, Paul Von

2005-03-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

A member of the South West Colonial

Anson, George Anson, Baron

2005-03-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Anson entered the Royal Navy

Dance, George, The Younger

2005-03-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

The youngest son of George Dance the Elder, who was clerk of works to the City of London from 1735 to 1768, the younger Dance received his formal training in the office of his father and during several years

Ballad Opera

2005-03-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

Characteristic English type of comic opera, originating in the 18th century and featuring farcical or extravaganza plots. The music was mainly confined to songs or interludes interspersed in spoken dialogue. It was based at first on ballads or folk songs to which new words were adapted; later, tunes were borrowed from popular operas, or music was occasionally newly

Douglas, Keith Castellain

2005-03-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

Douglas' education at Oxford University was cut short by the outbreak of war. By 1941 he was serving as a tank commander in North Africa, where some of his most powerful poems were

Man-chou-li

2005-03-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Manzhouli, formerly (1910–49) Lupin, city in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China. It is situated on the border opposite the Russian town of Zabaykalsk and lies 100 miles (160 km) west of Hailar and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Lake Hu-lun. Man-chou-li was long a small Mongolian settlement in the Hu-lun-pei-erh League. It developed after 1900 when it became the western terminus of the Russian-built Chinese Eastern Railway

Kamenshek, Dorothy

2005-03-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Kamenshek showed promise as an outfielder with a local softball league by the time she was 17. A scout for the newly created All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) persuaded her to try out in Chicago.

Essex

2005-03-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

County, extreme northeastern Massachusetts, U.S., bordered by New Hampshire to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its topography is largely hilly, with coastal lowlands in the east that include several islands in the Atlantic. The principal streams are the Merrimack, Ipswich, Parker, Shawsheen, and Sauqus rivers. Recreational areas include Bradley Palmer

Ibarbourou, Juana De

2005-03-23T03:56:00.000-08:00

Ibarbourou spent her childhood in a small village surrounded by country things. She was largely self-educated. In 1914 she married and later she bore a son. After a somewhat peripatetic existence, the family

Trask, Kate Nichols

2005-03-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Kate Nichols was of a wealthy family and was privately educated. In November 1874 she married Spencer Trask, a banker and financier. Although she had had literary leanings

Chancre

2005-03-21T01:49:00.000-08:00

Typical skin lesion of the primary stage of infectious syphilis, usually appearing on the penis, labia, cervix, or anorectal region. (Because in women the chancre often occurs internally, it may go unnoticed.) The lesion often occurs in combination with a painless swelling of the regional lymph nodes, and together these symptoms are the major characteristics of syphilis

Hadrumetum

2005-03-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

Modern Susah , also spelled Sousa, or Sousse ancient Phoenician colony some 100 miles (160 km) south of Carthage, on the east coast of the Al-Hammamat Gulf in what is now Tunisia. Hadrumetum was one of the most important communities within the Carthaginian territory in northern Africa because of its location on the sea at the edge of the fertile Sahel region. In the Third Punic War (149–146 BC) Hadrumetum sided with Rome, and its citizens

Granite

2005-03-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

Because of its use as paving block and as a building stone, the quarrying of granite was, at one time, a major industrial activity. Except for tombstones, however, for which there

Abu Al-'abbas As-saffah

2005-03-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

Islamic caliph (reigned 749–754), first of the 'Abbasid dynasty, which was to rule over eastern Islam for approximately the next 500 years. The 'Abbasids were descended from an uncle of Muhammad and were cousins to the ruling Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyads were weakened by decadence and an unclear line of succession, and they enjoyed little popular support, prompting the 'Abb

Kieslowski, Krzysztof

2005-03-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

Kieslowski graduated from the State Theatrical and Film College in Lódz, Poland, in 1968 and began his film career making documentaries, including one he had made for Polish television

Suchocka, Hanna

2005-03-18T23:51:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a pharmacist, Suchocka specialized in constitutional law at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan, from which she graduated in 1968. She lectured in law there and at the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1980 she joined the Sejm (parliament) as a member of the Democratic Party, which was then

Rabemananjara, Jacques

2005-03-18T02:42:00.000-08:00

Rabemananjara began writing in the early 1940s and published his first volume of verse, Sur les marches du soir (“On the Edges of Evening”), in 1942. A death sentence imposed on him for his alleged participation in the 1947 revolt in Madagascar embittered him, despite a later reprieve, and the poems of Antidote, written

Vulture

2005-03-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous large, carrion-eating birds of the order Falconiformes. Although often similar in appearance, the vultures of the New and Old World form separate taxonomic groups, the former comprising a distinct family (Cathartidae), the latter a subfamily (Aegypiinae) of the hawk and eagle family Accipitridae (order Falconiformes). The 20 species

Caldecott, Randolph

2005-03-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

While a bank clerk at Whitchurch, Shropshire, and at Manchester, Caldecott began drawing for local magazines. Through his acquaintance with George Du Maurier he began contributing to

Salesbury, William

2005-03-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

Salesbury spent most of his life at Llanrwst following antiquarian, botanical, and literary pursuits. About 1546 he edited a collection

Chekiang

2005-03-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Che-chiang, (Pinyin) Zhejiang, sheng (province) of China. It is the third smallest province of China and also one of the most densely populated and affluent. Its area is 39,300 square miles (101,800 square kilometres). A coastal province, it is bounded by the East China Sea on the east and by the provinces of Fukien on the south, Kiangsi on the southwest, Anhwei on the west, and Kiangsu on the north. The provincial capital

Palladius

2005-03-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

Palladius took up the ascetical life himself, first at the Mount of Olives, the scene of Christ's Passion outside Jerusalem,

Costumbrismo

2005-03-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

(from Spanish costumbre, “custom”), a trend in Spanish literature that emphasized the depiction of the everyday manners and customs of a particular social or provincial milieu. Although the origins of costumbrismo go back to the Golden Age of Spanish literature in the 16th and 17th centuries, it grew into a major force in the first half of the 19th century, first in verse and

Swaminathan, M(onkombu) S(ambisivan)

2005-03-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

Swaminathan, the son of a surgeon, was educated in India and at the University of Cambridge (Ph.D., 1952) as a geneticist.

Hackl, Georg

2005-03-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

Hackl was born and raised in the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden, just four miles from the Königssee luge

Knappertsbusch, Hans

2005-03-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

At his family's urging, Knappertsbusch studied philosophy at the University of Bonn. However, he also pursued his interest in music and in 1908 began studying at the Cologne Conservatory under Fritz Steinbach

Eclogue

2005-03-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

A short pastoral poem, usually in dialogue, on the subject of rural life and the society of shepherds, depicting rural life as free from the complexity and corruption of more civilized life. The eclogue first appeared in the Idylls of the Greek poet Theocritus (c. 310–250 BC), generally recognized as the inventor of pastoral poetry. The Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BC) adopted the form for his

Cartwright, Sir Richard John

2005-03-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

Already a successful businessman, Cartwright was elected to the Parliament of the united province of Canada as an independent Conservative

Orvieto

2005-03-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

Town, Terni provincia, in the Umbria regione of central Italy. The town is situated atop an isolated rock 640 feet (195 m) above the junction of the Paglia and Chiana rivers. An Etruscan and later a Roman city (in late Roman times it was called Urbs Vetus, from which its Italian name is derived), Orvieto was the seat of a Lombard duchy and of a Tuscan countship before becoming an independent

Mollisol

2005-03-09T23:51:00.000-08:00

One of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Mollisols are characterized by a significant accumulation of humus in the surface horizon, or uppermost layer, which is almost always formed under native grass vegetation. They are highly arable soils used principally for growing grain and cereal crops, often inspiring the name “breadbasket” for the regions where they

Acrocephalosyndactyly

2005-03-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Apert's Syndrome congenital malformation of the skeleton, affecting the skull, hands, and feet, first described by the French pediatrician Eugène Apert. The head is shortened front-to-back and appears pointed (acrocephaly) because of premature closing of the cranial sutures between the individual bones that make up the skull. The bones and skin of the hands and feet are fused (syndactyly),

Blood River, Battle Of

2005-03-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 16, 1838), South African battle between the Zulu and the Voortrekkers (the Boers who made the Great Trek from Cape Colony to Transvaal). It was fought on the banks of a tributary of the Buffalo River, which became known as Blood River after its water reddened with the slaughter of about 3,000 Zulu. Four Boers were wounded. This battle turned Voortrekker fortunes in Natal, at a low ebb

Rackham, Arthur

2005-03-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Reared in London, Rackham enrolled in evening classes at the Lambeth School of Art in 1884 and spent seven years studying there while also working full-time in an insurance office. While a staff artist for a newspaper, the Westminster

Wrought Iron

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

One of the two forms in which iron is obtained by smelting; the other is cast iron (q.v.). Wrought iron is a soft, ductile, fibrous variety that is produced from a semifused mass of relatively pure iron globules partially surrounded by slag. It usually contains less than 0.1 percent carbon and 1 or 2 percent slag. It is superior for most purposes to cast iron, which is overly hard and

Lorentz, Hendrik Antoon

2005-03-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

In his doctoral thesis at the University of Leiden (1875), Lorentz refined the electromagnetic theory of James

Rama I

2005-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Rama I was the son of a high court official and his part-Chinese wife. At the time of the Burmese invasion of Siam in 1766–67, he was serving as chief judge in Rat Buri province. After the fall of Ayutthaya (1767), the Thai capital, he joined

Husband, Rick D.

2005-03-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

American astronaut (b. July 12, 1957, Amarillo, Texas—d. Feb. 1, 2003, over Texas), was commander of the space shuttle Columbia's mission. Husband was educated at Texas Tech University and at California State University at Fresno, where he earned a master's degree in 1990. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1980. In 1999 he flew on the Discovery on the first space shuttle mission to dock with the International Space

Tung Chung-shu

2005-03-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

As a chief minister to the emperor Wu (c. 140–87) of the Han dynasty, Tung was chiefly responsible for the

Harden, Maximilian Felix Ernst

2005-03-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Initially an actor, Harden founded and edited the weekly Die Zukunft (1892–1923; “The Future”), which attained great influence by tasteless methods. Calling war a “bracing educational

Epiphyte

2005-03-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

Any plant that grows upon or is in some manner attached to another plant or object merely for physical support. Epiphytes are primarily tropical in distribution and are often known as air plants because they have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source. They obtain water and minerals from rain

Dysprosium

2005-03-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

(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,

Accent

2005-03-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

In prosody, a rhythmically significant stress on the syllables of a verse, usually at regular intervals. The word accent is often used interchangeably with stress, though some prosodists use accent to mean the emphasis that is determined by the normal meaning of the words while stress is used to mean metrical emphasis. In classical prosody, which was based on a quantitative

Elizabethan Literature

2005-03-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

Body of works written during the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558–1603), probably the most splendid age in the history of English literature, during which such writers as Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Roger Ascham, Richard Hooker, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare flourished. The epithet Elizabethan is merely a chronological reference and does not describe

Plum-yew

2005-03-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

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

Reproductive System, Human, The vagina

2005-03-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

The vagina (the word means “a sheath”) is the canal that extends from the cervix (outer end) of the uterus within the lesser pelvis down to the vestibule between the labia minora. The orifice of the vagina is guarded by the hymen. The vagina lies behind the bladder and urethra and in front of the rectum and anal canal. Its walls are collapsed; the anterior wall is some 7.5 centimetres

Hyacinth

2005-03-01T03:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jacinth, a red, orange, or yellow variety of the gemstone zircon (q.v.).

Crompton, Samuel

2005-02-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

As a youth Crompton spun cotton on a spinning jenny for his family; its defects inspired him to try to invent a better device. In 1779, after devoting all his spare time and money to the effort, he produced a machine

Hawaii

2005-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

Volcanic island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies south of Maui Island and constitutes Hawaii county. Known as the Big Island, it is the largest (area 4,028 square miles [10,433 square km]) and southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Island group. It is the youngest geologically and was formed by five volcanoes connected by lava saddles (ridges). Kilauea is the world's most active volcano. The island is roughly

Latinus

2005-02-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

According to the

Wagner, Carl

2005-02-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

Wagner was educated at the universities of Munich and Leipzig

Libraries And Museums

2005-02-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the year the International Council

Hvar

2005-02-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Italian Lesina island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia. At 116 square miles (300 square km) in area and 43 miles (69 km) in length, it is the longest island in the Adriatic. A rocky island, it reaches 2,054 feet (626 m) in elevation at Mount Sveti Nikola and is separated from the island of Brac by a narrow channel. The Mediterranean climate is favourable to the production of various fruits, honey, lavender, rosemary,

Leverkusen

2005-02-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), west-central Germany, on the Rhine River at the mouth of the Wupper River, in the Dhünn valley just north of Cologne. Formed in 1930 by the union of the villages of Schlebusch, Rheindorf, and Steinbüchel with the town of Wiesdorf, it is well served by highway and rail and is the site of the Bayer Works (chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and photographic

Mormon

2005-02-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the principal formal body embracing

Atacama

2005-02-25T00:40:00.000-08:00

In their widely scattered settlements the Atacama cultivated crops such as corn (maize), beans, quinoa, and squash with the aid of irrigation. They herded llama

Quadruple Alliance

2005-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Alliance formed on April 22, 1834, between Britain, France, and the more liberal claimants to the thrones of Spain and Portugal against the conservative claimants to those thrones. The alliance successfully supported Maria Cristiana, who was acting as regent for Isabella II in Spain and had allied herself with the liberals against the pretender Don Carlos in the First

Saudi Arabia, Foreign affairs under Sa'ud and Faysal

2005-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

After World War II the United States became the most influential foreign power in Saudi Arabia. American interest was directed

Liliidae, Phytochemistry

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

As might be expected from so large a group, Liliidae are very diverse in their flavonoids. These compounds have systematic importance only at the generic level. The unusual steroid saponins, however, characterize Liliidae to a remarkable degree, although they are absent from several groupings—notably Lilium and its close allies as well as several genera with alkaloids

Hojo Masako

2005-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Masako fell in love with Yoritomo when he was exiled from the capital by his family's rivals, the Taira clan, and put under the watch of Masako's father.

Plücker, Julius

2005-02-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

Plücker attended the universities in Heidelberg, Bonn, Berlin, and Paris. In 1829, after four years as an unsalaried lecturer, he became a professor at the University of Bonn, where

Eurocommunism

2005-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

The term Eurocommunism was coined in the mid-1970s and received wide publicity after the publication

Prosper Of Aquitaine, Saint

2005-02-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

Latin Prosper Tiro early Christian polemicist famous for his defense of Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine on grace, predestination, and free will, which became a norm for the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Prosper's chief opponents were the Semi-Pelagians, who believed in the power of man's innate will to seek God, but at the

Tin Processing

2005-02-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

There is evidence from both archaeology and literature that tin was one of the earliest metals to be known and used. Its earliest application was as an alloy with copper to form bronze, which was fashioned into tools and weapons. Bronze articles (typically containing about 10 percent tin) have been found in the Middle East dating from about 3500 BC and in Egypt from 3000 BC. Other ancient

Ba Jin

2005-02-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

Born to a wealthy gentry family, Ba received a traditional

Nord-pas-de-calais

2005-02-19T04:50:00.000-08:00

Région, encompassing the northernmost French départements of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. The capital is Lille. The région is bounded by the départements of Somme and Aisne to the south. The English Channel lies to the northwest and Belgium to the northeast. Flatlands predominate in the north, with much of the land lying below sea level. The hills of Cambrais and Avesnois

Asceticism

2005-02-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

In all strictly ascetic movements, celibacy (q.v.) has been regarded as the first commandment. Virgins and celibates emerged among the earliest Christian communities and came to occupy a prominent status. Among the earliest Mesopotamian Christian communities, only the celibates were accepted as full members of the church, and in some religions only celibates have

Hanau

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

In full Hanau Am Main, city, Hesse Land (state), central Germany, a port on the right bank of the canalized Main at the mouth of the Kinzig, east of Frankfurt am Main. The old town grew up around the castle of the lords of Hanau (counts from 1429) and was chartered in 1303; the new town was founded in 1597 for Protestant Dutch and Walloon refugees. Hanau passed to Hesse-Kassel in 1736. In 1813 it was the scene of a battle between

Armstrong, Neil (alden)

2005-02-18T01:38:00.000-08:00

Armstrong became a licensed pilot on his 16th birthday and a naval air cadet in 1947. His studies in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., were interrupted in 1950 by the Korean War, in which he was shot down once and was awarded three Air Medals. In 1955 he became a civilian research

Atbasar

2005-02-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Kazakstan, on the Zhabay River. Founded as a Cossack settlement in 1846, it became known for its annual fair. Atbasar is now a railway junction and a centre for processing local grain and livestock. Pop. (1991 est.) 40,000.

Dinosaur, Pachycephalosauria

2005-02-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

In important respects the pachycephalosaurs conformed to the basic ornithopod body plan, and there is some evidence that pachycephalosaurs actually evolved from (and are therefore members of) ornithopods, perhaps similar to hypsilophodontids. All of them appear to have been bipedal. They bore the typical ornithopod ossified tendons along the back, and they

Middle East

2005-02-16T05:33:00.000-08:00

The lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran and sometimes beyond. The central part of this general area was formerly called the Near East, a name given to it by some of the first modern Western geographers and historians, who tended to divide the Orient into three regions. Near

Ch'ungch'ong, South

2005-02-15T02:56:00.000-08:00

With one-third of its land area under cultivation, South Ch'ungch'ong is one of the best granaries in the country, producing rice, ginseng, tobacco, and peppermint.

Durisol

2005-02-15T00:56:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Durisols are soils in semiarid environments that have a substantial layer of silica within 1 metre (39 inches) of the land surface. The silica occurs either as weakly cemented nodules or as hardpan and accumulates as a result of downward translocation (migration) when solubilized

Raymond, Alex(ander Gillespie)

2005-02-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

At 18 Raymond went to work in a brokerage office on New York City's Wall Street, but the stock market crash of 1929 ended his career in finance. He then worked briefly as an assistant to Russ Westover on his strip “Tillie

Solaro Della Margarita, Clemente, Count

2005-02-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

Entering the Piedmontese diplomatic service in 1816, Solaro della Margarita rose to become foreign minister in 1835. He pursued a policy of cautious neutrality between France and Austria while opposing constitutional reform at home. When agitation

Nizam Shahi Dynasty

2005-02-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

The Nizam Shahi dynasty was engaged in constant

India, Flag Of

2005-02-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

For decades the All-India Congress under the leadership of Mohandas K. Gandhi struggled to rally the millions of British-ruled peoples in the Indian subcontinent. Like similar movements in other countries, it early felt the need for a distinctive symbol that could represent its nationalist objectives. In 1921 a student named Pinglay Venkayya presented a flag design

Hawrani, Akram Al-

2005-02-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hawrani's radical orientation had its roots in direct personal experience rather than in intellectual reflection. He resented the large landlords' exploitation of the Syrian peasantry and strove to rouse

Radiation Therapy

2005-02-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Also called Radiotherapy, or Therapeutic Radiology, use of radiation sources in the treatment or relief of diseases. Radiation therapy almost always makes use of ionizing radiation, deep tissue-penetrating rays, which can physically and chemically react with diseased cells to destroy them. The other forms of radiation, infrared and ultraviolet, can be employed in heat lamps for neuritis and arthritis conditions

Carlisle, John G(riffin)

2005-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

Carlisle was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1858 and practiced law in Covington before his election to a term in the state legislature (1859–61); he also served in the Kentucky state senate (1866–71) and as lieutenant

Paul, Alice

2005-02-10T18:56:00.000-08:00

Paul was reared in a Quaker home. She graduated from Swarthmore College (1905) and pursued postgraduate studies at the New York School of Social Work. She then went to England to do settlement work (1906–09), and during her stay there

Sudan, The, Transportation

2005-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

The transport system is underdeveloped and is a serious constraint on economic growth. The country's vast area and the availability of only one major outlet to the sea place a heavy burden on the limited facilities, especially on the government-owned Sudan Railways and on the country's growing road network. The railways had traditionally hauled most of The Sudan's

Abdullah Bin Abdul Kadir

2005-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Of mixed Arab (Yemeni) and Tamil descent, and Malayo-Muslim culture, Abdullah was born and grew up in a Malacca newly British, and he spent most of his life interpreting Malay

Huxley, T.h.

2005-02-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Huxley's controversial positions in the 1860s and '70s won the support of an increasing number of his contemporaries, while his research established him as one of the leading scientists of his era. As a scientific popularizer he was without peer, and he was an energetic organizer and political infighter. These qualities gave Huxley the levers necessary to elevate the position

Abseron Peninsula

2005-02-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Apsheron , Azerbaijani Abseron Yasaqligi peninsula in Azerbaijan that extends 37 miles (60 km) eastward into the Caspian Sea and reaches a maximum width of 19 miles (30 km). An eastern extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the Abseron Peninsula consists of a gently undulating plain, in part dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes and lands flooded by tides. Vineyards and tea plantations are features

Earth Sciences, Charles Lyell and uniformitarianism

2005-02-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

In opposition to the catastrophist school of thought, the British geologist Charles Lyell proposed a uniformitarian interpretation of geologic history in his Principles of Geology (3 vols., 1830–33). His system was based on two propositions: the causes of geologic change operating include all the causes that have acted from the earliest time; and these causes have always

Aruqtai

2005-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Chief of the As (or Alan) Mongols, who allied himself with Mahamu, chief of the Oyrat Mongols, and with him defeated Ugechi, whom the Ming dynasty had recognized as the chief of the Mongols. In 1423 Aruqtai proclaimed himself great khan of the Mongols, launching devastating raids into North China. He was finally defeated when Mahamu's son, Togon-temür, rebelled against

Memory Abnormality, Hypnotic amnesia

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

Memory of a hypnotic trance is often vague and fragmentary, as in awakening from an ordinary dream. This may be due in part to defect of registration during the period of altered consciousness. At the same time, very much more complete posthypnotic amnesia can be induced if an individual is told that, when he awakens, he will remember nothing of what went on during the