SpecialLock

Industrial Design

2005-04-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Design of products made by large-scale industry for mass distribution. Designing such products means, first, planning their structure, operation, and appearance and then planning these to fit efficient production, distribution, and selling procedures. Clearly, appearance is but one factor in such a complex process. Nevertheless, in consumer goods especially, appearance

Spain, Phoenicians

2005-04-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Venerable historical traditions recount the Phoenician voyages to found new cities. Utica, on the Tunisian coast of North Africa, was reputedly founded in 1178 BC, and by 1100 BC the Phoenician city of Tyre supposedly had a Spanish colony at Gadir (Cadiz). Although intriguing, these historical traditions are unsupported by evidence. Excavations confirm that the Phoenicians settled

World War I, The Western Front, 1915

2005-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Repeated French attacks in February–March 1915 on the Germans' trench barrier in Champagne won only 500 yards (460 metres) of ground at a cost of 50,000 men. For the British, Sir Douglas Haig's 1st Army, between Armentières and Lens, tried a new experiment at Neuve-Chapelle on March 10, when its artillery opened an intense bombardment on a 2,000-yard front and then, after 35 minutes, lengthened its range,

Aphrodite

2005-04-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified by the Romans with Venus (q.v.). Because the Greek word aphros means “foam,” the legend arose that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshiped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she

Tasmania, Plant and animal life

2005-04-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

In general, the wettest areas have temperate rain forest, especially the beech or myrtle; areas having 30 to 60 inches of rain annually carry good-quality eucalypt forest; and the drier areas carry poor-quality eucalypt forest or savanna woodland. In certain areas, particularly in the forest of the south and southwest, an almost impenetrable thicket known as horizontal

Saba'

2005-04-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

Biblical Sheba kingdom in pre-Islamic southwestern Arabia, frequently mentioned in the Bible (notably in the story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba) and variously cited by ancient Assyrian, Greek, and Roman writers from about the 8th century BC to about the 5th century AD. Its capital, at least in the middle period, was Ma'rib (q.v.), which lies 75 miles (120 km) east of present-day San'a', in Yemen. A second

Sitrah

2005-04-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Town, in the state and emirate of Bahrain, located on Sitrah island in the Persian Gulf. An oil port, Sitrah handles not only the entire petroleum production of Bahrain but is also an export centre for oil fields in northeastern Saudi Arabia. A submarine and land pipeline runs northwest about 36 miles (58 km) across the Gulf of Bahrain and Bahrain island, from Al-Damman on the

Andover

2005-04-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

Andover's earliest-known

Tetragrammaton

2005-03-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

The four Hebrew letters, YHWH, in the name of God. See Yahweh.

Vail, Theodore Newton

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

After a highly successful career in the railway postal service, Vail was persuaded in 1878 to join Bell Telephone as general manager. During his active tenure in this

Brooks Range

2005-03-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

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

Bothriolepis

2005-03-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bothryolepis, genus of extinct fishes of the order Antiarcha, class Placodermi, characteristic of the Middle and Late Devonian (from about 387 million to 360 million years ago). The front end of Bothriolepis was very heavily encased in bony armour. The eyes were located on top of the head shield and situated very close to the light-receptive pineal eye. The shield was separated into two parts,

Painting, Western, The 17th century

2005-03-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

English painting during the 17th century had been dominated by a series of foreign-born practitioners, mostly portraitists (e.g., Rubens and Van Dyck), even before the Civil War. Sir Peter Lely and Sir Godfrey Kneller continued this trend after the Restoration. The vast majority of the painting executed by native artists remained thoroughly provincial. Lely began his

Pole Vault

2005-03-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sport in track-and-field athletics in which an athlete jumps over an obstacle with the aid of a pole. Originally a practical means of clearing objects, such as ditches, brooks, and fences, pole-vaulting for height became a competitive sport in the mid-19th century. An Olympic event for men since the first modern Games in 1896, a pole-vault event for women was added for the 2000 Olympics

Algeria, Manufacturing

2005-03-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

The manufacturing sector was mainly confined to food processing, textiles, cigarettes, and clothing before independence. Since 1967, however, the main emphasis has shifted toward heavy industry. The state steel corporation, for example, completed its large El-Hadjar steelworks complex at Annaba in the early 1970s and has constructed a zinc electrolysis plant near the El-Abed

Furniture, General works

2005-03-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

Ole Hanscher, Mobelkunsten (1966; Eng. trans., The Art of Furniture, 1967), is a chronological survey of the art of furniture (with illustrations). George Nakashima, The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections (1981), is an inspirational commentary of a designer and crafter on the art of furniture making.

Aerospace Industry, Helicopters

2005-03-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

Helicopters occupy important niches in both military and civil aviation. Military models are of two kinds—combat and transport. Combat helicopters are designed by manufacturers specifically for that military purpose, whereas helicopters for transportation frequently exist in both civil and military variants. Short-distance personnel transportation,

Extortion

2005-03-25T03:07:00.000-08:00

Extortion may include threats of harm to a person or his property,

Ghana

2005-03-24T06:58:00.000-08:00

First of the great medieval trading empires of western Africa (fl. 7th–13th century). It was situated between the Sahara (Desert) and the headwaters of the Sénégal and Niger rivers, in an area that now comprises southeastern Mauritania and part of Mali. Ghana was populated by Soninke clans of Mande-speaking people who acted as intermediaries between the Arab and Berber

Scandinavian Literature, Post-classical literature in Iceland

2005-03-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

In the period following the classical age, little was written that attracted attention outside Iceland. Realism and detached objectivity declined, and sentimentality and fantasy gained the upper hand. The decline in literary standards is sometimes attributed to Iceland's loss of independence in 1262 and the changes that followed. Interest in earlier manuscripts

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-03-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

Almost all cats are strictly carnivorous and feed on small mammals and birds or on the larger herbivorous artiodactyls like deer and various types of antelope. The fishing cat (Felis viverrina) feeds largely on fishes and clams or snails and thus fits into a slightly different niche from that of most cats. The flatheaded cat (Felis planiceps) is the only felid known

Tavoy

2005-03-23T01:32:00.000-08:00

The surrounding area lies between the Andaman Sea and lower Thailand and is drained

Aurès

2005-03-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

Latin Aurasius Mons, mountains, part of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria, northern Africa, fronted by rugged cliffs in the north and opening out in the south into the two parallel fertile valleys of the wadies Abiod and 'Abdi, facing the Sahara. The highest peaks, which are snowcapped during winter, include Mount Chélia (7,638 feet [2,328 m]), the highest point in northern Algeria, and Mount Mahmel

Tunisia, Settlement patterns

2005-03-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Tunisia is divided into four natural and demographic regions: the north, which is relatively fertile and well watered; the semiarid central region; As-Sahil (the Sahel) in the east-central coastal region, which is preeminently olive-growing country; and the desert south, where, except in the oases, all vegetation disappears. In the central and southern regions, there are

Cytokine

2005-03-22T06:22:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of small, short-lived proteins that are released by one cell to regulate the function of another cell, thereby serving as intercellular chemical messengers. Cytokines effect changes in cellular behaviour that are important in a number of physiological processes, including reproduction, growth and development, and injury repair. However, they are

Boilly, Louis-léopold

2005-03-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Boilly, the son of a wood-carver, painted portraits for a living before moving to Paris in 1785. There he began to paint the detailed anecdotal pictures of fashionable

Cartography

2005-03-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

Cartography is an ancient discipline that dates from the prehistoric depiction of hunting and fishing

Madog Ab Owain Gwynedd

2005-03-20T03:22:00.000-08:00

A quarrel among Owain's sons over the distribution of their late father's estate led Madog to sail to Ireland and then westward. In a year or so he returned to Wales and assembled a group to colonize the land he had discovered. The party sailed west in 10 ships and was

Tzutujil

2005-03-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Zutuhil, or Tzutuhil, Mayan Indians of the midwestern highlands of Guatemala. The Tzutujil language is closely related to those of the neighbouring Cakchiquel and Quiché (qq.v.). The Tzutujil, like the neighbouring Mayan peoples, are agricultural, growing the Indian staple crops—corn (maize), beans, and squash. They also keep a few domestic animals such as sheep, pigs, and chickens. The people

Tarakan Island

2005-03-18T05:19:00.000-08:00

Indonesian Pulau Tarakan island in Kalimantan Timur provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. It is situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of 117 square miles (303 square km) and has a length of approximately 10 miles (16 km). Its coastal area is low and swampy, and there are oil fields on the southwestern coast. During World War II the island was captured (January

Alvar

2005-03-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

The name Alvar means, in the Tamil language in which they sang, “one who is immersed

Târgoviste

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

Also spelled Tîrgoviste, city, capital of Dâmbovita judet (county), south-central Romania. It lies along the Ialomita River, in the southeastern Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians), 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Bucharest. Târgoviste was the capital of feudal Walachia from the 14th to the 17th century. Its monuments include a 16th-century watchtower and a 17th-century church founded by Vasile Lupu. The city

Earth Sciences, Water resources and seawater chemistry

2005-03-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Quantitative studies of the distribution of water have revealed that an astonishingly small part of the Earth's water is contained in lakes and rivers. Ninety-seven percent of all the water is in the oceans; and, of the fresh water constituting the remainder, three-fourths is locked up in glacial ice and most of the rest is in the ground. Approximate figures are also

Sevastopol

2005-03-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sevastopol ', city and seaport, Crimea, southern Ukraine, in the southwestern Crimean Peninsula on the southern shore of the long, narrow Akhtiarskaya Bay, which forms a magnificent natural harbour. West of the modern town stood the ancient Greek colony of Chersonesus, founded in 421 BC. Originally a republic, Chersonesus (Heracleotic Chersonese) became, in turn, part of the Kingdom of

Coral Sea

2005-03-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

Sea of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, extending east of Australia and New Guinea, west of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, and south of the Solomon Islands. It is about 1,400 miles (2,250 km) north-south and 1,500 miles east-west and covers an area of 1,849,800 square miles (4,791,000 square km). To the south it merges with the Tasman Sea, to the north with the Solomon Sea, and to the east with the Pacific; it is connected

Italic

2005-03-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

In printing, a sloping, light-bodied, compact, and almost cursive letter form, which, with roman and black letter shapes, has been one of the three major typefaces in the history of Western printing. Used today almost exclusively as a special function adjunct of roman letters, italic types were used first as body texts in small volumes in which their space-saving, humanistic

Mola

2005-03-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

Type of embroidered woman's outer garment, worn as part of the blouse by the Kuna Indians of the San Blas Archipelago, off the eastern coast of Panama. The mola's brightly coloured designs, done in reverse appliqué technique, traditionally are abstract, often based on the patterns of brain coral. Recently, schematically drawn figurative designs have become

Macadam

2005-03-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

Form of pavement invented by John McAdam of Scotland in the 18th century. McAdam's road cross section was composed of a compacted subgrade of crushed granite or greenstone designed to support the load, covered by a surface of light stone to absorb wear and tear and shed water to the drainage ditches. In modern macadam construction crushed stone or gravel is placed on

Radescu, Nicolae

2005-03-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Radescu fought in the Romanian army and in the 1920s served as military attaché in London. He resigned from the army in 1933 to protest the dictatorial policies of King Carol II. Under the pro-Axis regime of General Ion Antonescu during World War II, he incurred

Aurichalcite

2005-03-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

A mineral composed of the hydroxide carbonate of zinc and copper (Zn, Cu)5(OH)6(CO3)2. It is commonly found with malachite in the oxidized zone of zinc and copper deposits as at Tomsk, Siberia; Santander, Spain; and Bisbee, Ariz., U.S. Its pale blue-green featherlike form distinguishes it from malachite; and, because it is a weathered product of zinc-rich ores, it can serve as a guide to

Cheddar

2005-03-13T01:50:00.000-08:00

Village (“parish”), Sedgemoor district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the mouth of a spectacular limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills. The gorge (now owned by the National Trust) and caverns, in which human remains and artifacts dating back to the Stone Age have been found, attract many tourists. Cheddar cheese was first made there at or before

Nizam-i Cedid

2005-03-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

In 1792–93 Selim III, assisted by a committee, promulgated a series of reforms that included new regulations on provincial governorships and taxation, on land

Sana'i

2005-03-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Sana'i's early life. He was a resident of Ghazna and served for a time as poet at the court of the Ghaznavid sultans, composing panegyrics in praise of his patrons. At some point he underwent

Arts, Islamic, The 'Abbasids

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

It was not until the 'Abbasids assumed power in 750, settling in Baghdad, that the golden age of Arabic literature began. The influx of foreign elements added new colour to cultural and literary life. Hellenistic thought and the influence of the ancient cultures of the Near East, for example, contributed to the rapid intellectual growth of the Muslim community. Its members,

Trinidad And Tobago

2005-03-12T01:42:00.000-08:00

The nation's new coalition government

Springfield, Dusty

2005-03-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

British pop singer who in the 1960s recorded such hits as “I Only Want to Be with You,” “Wishin' and Hopin',” “The Look of Love,” “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me,” and “Son of a Preacher Man”; she was appointed O.B.E. in 1999 and was admitted posthumously into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (b. April 16, 1939, London, Eng.—d. March 2, 1999, Henley-on-Thames, Eng.).

Hughes, Howard (robard)

2005-03-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

He studied at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and later at the Rice Institute of Technology, Houston. Orphaned at 17, he quit school and

Ghana, Flag Of

2005-03-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

When Kwame Nkrumah organized the Convention People's Party in 1949 to work toward more self-government for the native African peoples of the British Gold Coast, a flag was developed for the movement. A simple horizontal tricolour of red-white-green, it became well known throughout the Gold Coast as a symbol of modernization and self-reliance. Self-government was introduced

Beyer, Absalon Pederssøn

2005-03-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Born on a farm, Beyer was adopted by a bishop after the death of his parents and educated at the universities of Copenhagen and Wittenberg, where he studied under the famous Protestant Reformation scholar Philipp Melanchthon. Beyer was a lecturer at the Bergen Cathedral

Strachey, (giles) Lytton

2005-03-08T03:05:00.000-08:00

English biographer and critic who opened a new era of biographical writing at the close of World War I. Adopting an irreverent attitude to the past and especially to the monumental life-and-letters volumes of Victorian biography, Strachey proposed to write lives with “a brevity which excludes everything

Mammal, Nervous and endocrine systems

2005-03-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

The nervous system and the system of endocrine glands are closely related to one another in their function, for both serve to coordinate activity. The endocrine glands of mammals generally have more complex regulatory functions than do those of lower vertebrates. This is particularly true of the pituitary gland, which supplies hormones that regulate the reproductive

Poel, William

2005-03-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Poel was reared among the Pre-Raphaelite artists, and as a boy he posed for William Holman Hunt. He early decided to go on the stage. After working for a time as an actor, stage manager, and theatre manager, he

Ai

2005-03-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Ancient Canaanite town destroyed by the Israelites under their leader Joshua (Joshua 7–8). Biblical references agree in locating Ai (Hebrew: ha-'Ay, “The Ruin”) just east of Bethel (modern Baytin in the West Bank). This would make it identical with the large early Bronze Age site now called At-Tall. Excavations there in 1933–35 by a French expedition uncovered a large temple and other remains

Mammal, Circulatory system

2005-03-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

In mammals, as in birds, right and left ventricles of the heart are completely separated, so that pulmonary (lung) and systemic (body) circulations are completely independent. Oxygenated blood arrives in the left atrium from the lungs and passes to the left ventricle, whence it is forced through the aorta to the systemic circulation. Deoxygenated blood from the tissues

Udon Thani

2005-03-06T02:30:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Thailand, near the northern (Laotian) border. Udon Thani is the major town of the northern Khorat Plateau and is served by road, rail, and air. The surrounding area produces rice, livestock, timber, and freshwater fish. Pop. (1986 est.) 82,706.

Unification Church

2005-03-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

Born in 1920, Moon was raised in the Presbyterian church, which eventually excommunicated him for heresy. As a teenager he had a

Kara-yo

2005-03-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “Chinese style”), one of the three main Japanese styles of Buddhist temple architecture in the Kamakura period (1192–1333). Kara-yo originally followed Chinese forms that featured strict symmetry on a central axis. The word kara-yo is written with the character that stands for the Chinese T'ang dynasty (618–907), but the style seems to have represented the official building code

Capuchin

2005-03-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

Member of Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (O.F.M.Cap.) an autonomous branch of the Franciscan order of religious men, begun as a reform movement in 1525 by Matteo da Bascio, who wanted to return to a literal observance of the rule of St. Francis of Assisi and to introduce elements of the solitary life of hermits. Matteo was concerned that the habit, or religious uniform, worn by the Franciscans was not one that St. Francis had worn;

Addax

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

(species Addax nasomaculatus), desert-dwelling antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), once found throughout the Sahara but now much reduced in numbers and distribution and threatened with extinction from overhunting. A heavy-bodied, short-legged, gregarious antelope, the addax is characterized by broad hooves that are adapted to travel

Aesthetics, The value of art

2005-03-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

Theories of the value of art are of two kinds, which we may call extrinsic and intrinsic. The first regards art and the appreciation of art as means to some recognized moral good, while the second regards them as valuable not instrumentally but as objects unto themselves. It is characteristic of extrinsic theories to locate the value of art in its effects on the person

Facta, Luigi

2005-03-03T02:14:00.000-08:00

After studying law, Facta became a journalist. He was elected deputy in 1891. He served as undersecretary first of justice and then of the interior in Giovanni Giolitti's coalition cabinet (1903–05). In succeeding ministries he was three times minister of finance

India Ink

2005-03-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Chinese Ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon black, mixed with a gum or glue and sometimes perfume. India ink was used in China and Egypt

Iridescence

2005-03-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

Interference of light either at the surface or in the interior of a material that produces a series of colours as the angle of incidence changes. Best known are the colours seen in precious opal resulting from the interference of light by submicroscopic layers of nearly spherical particles 1,500–3,000 angstroms in diameter that are arranged in a regular pattern. Common opal

Calchas

2005-03-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of Thestor (a priest of Apollo) and the most famous soothsayer among the Greeks at the time of the Trojan War. He foretold the duration of the siege of Troy, demanded the sacrifice of Iphigeneia, daughter of Agamemnon (king of Mycenae), and advised the construction of the wooden horse with which the Greeks finally took Troy. It had been predicted

Kartvelian Languages

2005-03-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

Of the Kartvelian language family, only Georgian, the official language of Georgia, has an ancient literary tradition. Georgian dates to the 5th century AD. The Georgian written form is also used by speakers of the other languages, which are nonliterate.

Amphibian, Reproduction

2005-02-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

The three living groups of amphibians have distinct evolutionary lineages and exhibit a diverse range of life strategies. The breeding behaviour of each order will be discussed in its individual section below. One similar tendency among amphibians has been the evolution in some species of direct development of young in terrestrial eggs, thus eliminating the

'ayn, Al-

2005-02-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Al-ain principal town in al-Buraymi oasis, southeastern Abu Dhabi emirate, United Arab Emirates. The oasis town consists of houses of dried earth in a large palm grove; it also has a modern mosque and many gardens. Al-'Ayn is situated in a large expanse of fertile land at the foot of Jabal (mount) Hafit. Grave mounds at al-'Ayn have tombs with figures of animals and people carved from stone

Biblical Literature, The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

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

This letter, as is I Corinthians, is composed of a collection of fragments of Paul's correspondence with the Corinthians about a year later (i.e., c. 55) from Macedonia. The diversity of I Corinthians was caused by the variety of problems discussed, but the diversity of II Corinthians was the result of a reflection of the underlying, rather turbulent history of Paul and his

Mithradates I

2005-02-27T04:25:00.000-08:00

Before 160 Mithradates I seized Media from the Seleucid ruler Timarchus. Turning to the east, he won two provinces, Tapuria and Traxiana, from the Bactrian king Eucratides. Mithradates then captured the province of Elymais (ancient Elam) and invaded Babylonia (142 or 141). The Seleucid king Demetrius II

Daimbert

2005-02-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Named bishop in 1088 and elevated to archbishop when Pisa was made an archdiocese in 1092, Daimbert accompanied Pope Urban II to France in 1095 to preach the First Crusade. Returning to Pisa the following year, he raised a

Amorphous Solid, Magnetic glasses

2005-02-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

The last entry in the Table is an application of metallic glasses having magnetic properties. These are typically iron-rich amorphous solids with compositions such as Fe0.8B0.2 iron-boron and Fe0.8B0.1Si0.1 iron-boron-silicon. They are readily formed as long metallic glass ribbons by melt spinning or as wide sheets by planar flow casting. Ferromagnetic glasses are mechanically

Henley Royal Regatta

2005-02-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

Annual four-day series of rowing races held the first week in July on the River Thames, at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Eng. The regatta was established in 1839; and in 1851 Prince Albert became its patron and gave the event its “royal” prefix. The regulation distance for the races is 1 mile 550 yards (2,100 m). Probably the most significant of the traditional Henley races are the Grand Challenge

Computers, Von Neumann's Preliminary Discussion

2005-02-25T03:53:00.000-08:00

But the design of the modern, or classical, computer did not fully crystallize until the publication of a 1946 paper by Arthur Burks, Herman Goldstine, and John von Neumann titled “Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument.” Although many researchers contributed ideas directly or indirectly to the paper, von Neumann was the principal

Interference Fringe

2005-02-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

A bright or dark band caused by beams of light that are in phase or out of phase with one another. Light waves and similar wave propagation, when superimposed, will add their crests if they meet in the same phase (the waves are both increasing or both decreasing); or the troughs will cancel the crests if they are out of phase; these phenomena are called constructive and destructive

Abercromby, Sir Ralph

2005-02-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

Entering the army in 1756, Abercromby served in the Seven Years' War. When war

Tariqa

2005-02-24T01:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tariqah, Arabic Tariqah (“road,” “path,” or “way”), the Muslim spiritual path toward direct knowledge (ma'rifah) of God or Reality (haqq). In the 9th and 10th centuries tariqa meant the spiritual path of individual Sufis (mystics). After the 12th century, as communities of followers gathered around sheikhs (or pirs, “teachers”), tariqa came to designate the sheikh's entire ritual system, which was followed by the community

Plumage

2005-02-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

Collective feathered covering of a bird. It provides protection, insulation, and adornment and also helps streamline and soften body contours, reducing friction in air and water. Plumage of the newborn chick is downy, called neossoptile; that which follows is termed teleoptile. Juvenal plumage, frequently distinct from that of the adult bird, is often drab, streaked,

Roland (de La Platière), Jeanne-marie

2005-02-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

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

Earth Exploration, Electrical and electromagnetic methods

2005-02-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

A multitude of electrical methods are used in mineral exploration. They depend on (1) electrochemical activity, (2) resistivity changes, or (3) permittivity effects. Some materials tend to become natural batteries that generate natural electric currents whose effects can be measured. The self-potential method relies on the oxidation of the upper surface of metallic

Powell, Eleanor

2005-02-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

Powell studied ballet at age six and began dancing in Atlantic City nightclubs before she was a teenager. She joined the Co-Optimists

Asia, Petroleum and natural gas

2005-02-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

At least two-thirds of the world's known crude oil and natural gas reserves are found in Asia; the proportion may prove higher as Siberia, the Caspian basin, and the seas of southeastern Asia are further explored. Many of the island chains bordering eastern Asia have geologic formations favouring petroleum accumulation, and oil fields—both on land and offshore—are

Anders, William A(lison)

2005-02-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

U.S. astronaut who participated in the Apollo 8 flight (Dec. 21–27, 1968), in which the first manned voyage around the Moon was made. The astronauts, including Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell, remained in an orbit about 70 miles (112 km) above the surface of the Moon for about 20 hours, transmitting television pictures back to Earth and verifying that lunar landmarks could be

Gabon, Resources

2005-02-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

Gabon possesses important resources in woods and minerals and much hydroelectric potential. But its poor transportation infrastructure and lack of financing, as well as unfavourable world market conditions, hinder the development of some of these resources.

Malacca, Strait Of

2005-02-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

Waterway connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). It runs between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and West Malaysia and peninsular Thailand to the east and has an area of 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km). The strait is 500 miles (800 km) long and is funnel-shaped, with a width of only 40 miles (65 km) in the south that broadens northward to 155 miles

Durbar

2005-02-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

The three best-known durbars were held in Delhi in 1877, 1903, and 1911. They celebrated Queen Victoria's assumption of the title of Empress

I-ch'ang

2005-02-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

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

Wachsmann, Konrad

2005-02-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

Originally apprenticed as a cabinetmaker, Wachsmann studied at the arts-and-crafts schools of Berlin and Dresden and at the Berlin Academy of Arts (under the Expressionist architect Hans Poelzig). During

Aseret Yeme Teshuva

2005-02-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

English Ten Days of Penitence the first 10 days of the Jewish religious year. See yamim nora'im.

Quinoline

2005-02-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of organic compounds of the aromatic heterocyclic series characterized by a double-ring structure composed of a benzene and a pyridine ring fused at two adjacent carbon atoms. The benzene ring contains six carbon atoms, while the pyridine ring contains five carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom. The simplest member of the quinoline family is quinoline

Uhf

2005-02-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

UHF waves are very weakly reflected by the ionized layers of the upper

Ghiberti, Lorenzo

2005-02-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

Important early Italian Renaissance sculptor, whose doors (“Gates of Paradise”; 1425–52) for the Baptistery of the cathedral of Florence are considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian art in the Quattrocento. Other works include three bronze statues for Or San Michele (1416–25) and the reliefs for Siena cathedral (1417–27). Ghiberti also wrote three

Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Von

2005-02-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

German philosopher and educator, a major figure of German idealism, in the post-Kantian development in German philosophy. He was ennobled (with the addition of von) in 1806.

Azuchi-momoyama Period

2005-02-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Momoyama Period (1574–1600), in Japanese history, age of political unification under the daimyo Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who finally brought all provinces under the control of the central government. In contrast to the restraint of the preceding Muromachi, or Ashikaga, period (1338–1573), it was an age of magnificence and ostentation. The building of great castles and mansions

Denham, Sir John

2005-02-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, Denham was admitted to the bar, but he was already actively writing. He had translated six books of the Aeneid, parts of which were later printed; but he made his reputation with The Sophy, a blank-verse

Armstrong, Edwin H.

2005-02-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

In full Edwin Howard Armstrong American inventor who laid the foundation for much of modern radio and electronic circuitry, including the regenerative and superheterodyne circuits and the frequency modulation (FM) system.

Antarctica, Glaciation

2005-02-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

Antarctica provides the best available picture of the probable appearance 20,000 years ago of northern North America under the great Laurentide Ice Sheet. Mountain glaciers, which formed on such highlands as the Sentinel Range perhaps as early as 50 million years ago, advanced down valleys to calve into the sea. Fringing ice shelves were built and later became grounded

Mahanadi River

2005-02-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

River in central India, rising in the hills of southeastern Madhya Pradesh state. Its upper course runs north as an insignificant stream, draining the eastern Chhattisgarh Plain. After receiving the Seonath River, below Baloda Bazar, it turns east and enters Orissa state, its flow augmented by the drainage of hills to the north and south. At Sambalpur the Hirakud Dam on the

Switzerland

2005-02-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Although Switzerland may not rank foremost among the centres of European culture, the country nevertheless can boast an impressive list of contributors to the arts and sciences. On the one hand, because of limited opportunities at home, some of Switzerland's creative minds have chosen to live elsewhere. This has been especially true of architects. On the other hand,

Tepehuan

2005-02-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

The habitat of both the

Yukaghir

2005-02-11T04:55:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yukagir or Jukagir , self-name Odul remnant of an ancient human population of the tundra and taiga zones of Arctic Siberia east of the Lena River in Russia, an area with one of the most severe climates in the inhabited world. Brought close to extinction by privation, encroachment, and diseases introduced by other groups, they numbered some 1,100 in the late 20th century. Although they still generally inhabit