WaitingBox

Allston, Robert (francis Withers)

2005-04-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Rice planter and governor of South Carolina whose papers, South Carolina Rice Plantation, provide important agricultural, political, and social information about the pre-Civil War South. By scientifically draining and reclaiming swamps in his state, he developed one of the last great rice plantations in the Atlantic

Igboid Languages

2005-04-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

A language cluster that constitutes a subbranch of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. There are nearly 20 million speakers of Igboid languages in southeastern Nigeria. In the early years of the 20th century an attempt to develop an artificial form of Igbo called Union-Igbo, based on four Igbo dialects, was not successful. Later a standard literary

Mauguin, Charles

2005-04-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mauguin was educated at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and in 1919 he joined the Faculty of Sciences

Gulf Series

2005-04-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

Major division of Upper Cretaceous rocks (66.4 to 97.5 million years old) in the Gulf coastal region of the United States. The Gulf Series has been divided into several groups of rocks. The lowermost groups of limestone and clay are overlain by the Eagleford Shale, about 145 m (475 feet) of clayey shales, which in turn is overlain by the Austin Chalk, about 130 m (420 feet) of chalks and marls. The Taylor

Furniture, Spain: 17th century

2005-04-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Golden Age of Spain during the 17th century also left its mark on the chair. Paintings show a type of chair with a relatively crude wooden frame; a back and seat, nailed on, consisting of two layers of leather, with horsehair stuffing in between, stitched to produce a pattern of small pads. The front board and a corresponding board at the back could be folded after loosening

Dieulafoy, Marcel-auguste

2005-03-31T11:01:00.000-08:00

Dieulafoy's published works include L'Art antique de la Perse, 5 vol. (1884–89; “The Ancient

Water Hyacinth

2005-03-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

Any aquatic plant of the genus Eichhornia of the pickerelweed family (Pontederiaceae), consisting of about five species, native primarily to tropical America. Some species float in shallow water; others are rooted in muddy stream banks and lakeshores. All have slender rootstocks, feathery roots, rosettes of stalked leaves, and few to many flowers

X Ray

2005-03-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest applications

Estelí

2005-03-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Nicaragua. It lies along the Estelí River in the central highlands, at an elevation of 2,674 feet (815 m). A Spanish settlement founded near prehistoric carved-stone figures, it was a scene of heavy fighting between Sandinista guerrillas and government troops in 1978–79 that left much of the centre of the city in ruins. Estelí is an agricultural and commercial centre,

Hohenlohe-schillingsfürst, Chlodwig Karl Viktor, Fürst Zu (prince Of)

2005-03-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

A Bavarian Roman Catholic, he was a member of a princely house and

Mammal, Distinguishing taxonomic features

2005-03-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

The higher classification of the Mammalia is based on consideration of a broad array of characters. Traditionally, evidence from comparative anatomy was of predominant importance, but more recently information from such disciplines as physiology, serology, and genetics has proved useful in considering relationships. Comparative study of living organisms

Lowie, Robert H(arry)

2005-03-25T06:03:00.000-08:00

Lowie studied under Franz Boas at Columbia University,

Bohemond Iv

2005-03-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

The younger son of Bohemond III and Orguilleuse, he became count of Tripoli in 1187 and succeeded his father in the principality of Antioch to the exclusion of his nephew Raymond Ruben in 1201. In 1216 Raymond seized control while Bohemond was off in Tripoli, but he was deposed in 1219 and died the following year. Bohemond reigned in Antioch and

Ear Disease, Ossicular interruption

2005-03-23T04:34:00.000-08:00

The ossicular chain of three tiny bones needed to carry sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the fluid that fills the inner ear may be disrupted by infection or by a jarring blow on the head. Most often the separation occurs at its weakest point, where the incus joins the stapes. If the separation is partial, there is a mild impairment of hearing; if it is complete,

Wampum

2005-03-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

Tubular shell beads that have been assembled into strings or woven into belts or embroidered ornaments, formerly used as a medium of exchange by some North American Indians. The terms wampum and wampumpeag were initially adopted by English settlers, who derived them from one of the eastern Algonquian languages; literally translated, wampumpeag means “strings

Abell, A.s.

2005-03-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Abell left school at the age of 14 to become a clerk in a store dealing in West Indian wares. He had hoped to become a printer, and in 1822 he was taken on as an apprentice by the Providence

Córdoba

2005-03-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Veracruz estado (“state”), east-central Mexico. It lies at 3,031 feet (924 m) above sea level along the San Antonio River, within sight of the dormant volcano Citlaltépetl. The settlement was founded in 1618 as Villa de Córdoba and was host to the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba on Aug. 24, 1821, giving Mexico its independence from Spain. The city is set in a tropical landscape and

France, History Of, The interwar years

2005-03-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

Frenchmen concentrated much of their energy during the early 1920s on recovering from the war. The government undertook a vast program of reconstructing the devastated areas and had largely completed that task by 1925. To compensate for manpower losses, immigration barriers were lowered, and two million foreign workers flooded into the country. Underlying all other

Euclidean Geometry, Axioms of congruence

2005-03-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

Five axioms (see Box

Houbraken, Arnold

2005-03-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Dutch painter and art writer noted for his three-volume biographical study of Netherlandish painters, De groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen (1718–21). Houbraken was a competent if rather uninspired academic painter, but his De Groote Schouburgh is the single most important source of information

Gabin, Jean

2005-03-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

Gabin was the son of a music-hall comedian (stage name Jean Gabin). In 1923 he began a theatrical career in the Folies-Bergère but left the stage after his film debut in Chacun sa chance (1931). He achieved fame in Maria Chapdelaine (1934) and later in Pépé le Moko (1937), directed

Hook, Sidney

2005-03-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

American educator and social philosopher who studied historical theory in relation to American philosophy. He was among the first U.S. scholars to analyze Marxism and was firmly opposed to all forms of totalitarianism, holding liberal democracy as the most viable political structure for social and scientific

Price River

2005-03-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

River that rises in the Wasatch Range near Scofield, central Utah, U.S. It flows generally southeastward through Carbon and northeast Emery counties, past Price and through Price Canyon, to join the Green River after a course of 130 miles (210 km). Scofield Dam (1946), near the river's source, impounds water for irrigation. The river was “discovered” in 1869 by the Mormon bishop William

Avignon School

2005-03-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

A body of late Gothic painting, not necessarily of a single stylistic evolution, produced in and around the city of Avignon in southeastern France from the second half of the 14th century into the second half of the 15th. Subject to both Italian and Flemish influences—in contrast to the contemporary art of northern France, which was entirely Flemish in character—the art

Pyx

2005-03-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

In Christianity, vessel containing the consecrated bread used in the service of Holy Communion. Although pyxes were made in various shapes, such as that of a dove, the most common form was that of a small, cylindrical box fitted with a cover, which is generally conical. An English pyx dating from the first half of the 14th century, known as the Godsfield Pyx, is of gilt bronze

Hancock, John

2005-03-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Harvard (1754), Hancock entered a mercantile house in Boston owned by his uncle Thomas Hancock, who later left him a large fortune. In 1765 he became a selectman of Boston and from 1769 to 1774 was a member of the Massachusetts

Performing Arts, Popular - International.

2005-03-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a classic one for African music, and arguably the finest of a batch of great new albums came from the celebrated Malian singer Salif Keita. His recent work had included excursions into jazz-rock and funk, but the album Moffou was very different—an acoustic set that marked a return to his African roots. The relaxed, gently rhythmic backing was provided by

France, History Of, Demographic changes

2005-03-11T23:14:00.000-08:00

Rates of demographic growth varied greatly from place to place: in Brittany, where typhoid fever was endemic, population figures peaked in 1700. In Quercy they grew by 70 percent between 1700 and 1786. But, regardless of local variations, France as a whole counted two million more peasants in 1790 than during the reign of Louis XIV. Better preventive medicine, a decline in infant mortality,

Ziggurat

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

Pyramidal, stepped temple tower that is an architectural and religious structure characteristic of the major cities of Mesopotamia (now in Iraq) from about 2200 until 500 BC. The ziggurat was always built with a core of mud brick and an exterior covered with baked brick. It had no internal chambers and was usually square or rectangular, averaging either 170 feet square or 125 ´ 170 feet (40 ´ 50 metres)

Consonance And Dissonance

2005-03-11T04:32:00.000-08:00

In music, the impression of stability and repose (consonance) in relation to the impression of tension or clash (dissonance) experienced by a listener when certain combinations of tones or notes are sounded together. In certain musical styles, movement to and from consonance and dissonance gives shape and a sense of direction, for example, through increases and decreases

Nafusah Plateau

2005-03-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jabal Nafusah, Nafusah also spelled Nefusa, hilly limestone massif, northwestern Libya. It extends in a west-northeasterly arc between Al-Jifarah (Gefara) plain and Al-Hamra' Plateau. With heights ranging from 1,500 to 3,200 feet (460 to 980 m), the plateau runs east for 120 miles (190 km) from the Tunisian border to the Kiklah Trough and then curves northeast for 93 miles (150 km), ending in hills near the Mediterranean coast at Al-Khums. It is crowned by a

Mystery Story

2005-03-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

Ages-old popular genre of tales dealing with the unknown; it may be a narrative of horror and terror, a pseudoscientific fantasy, a crime-solving story, an account of diplomatic intrigue, an affair of codes and ciphers and secret societies, or any situation involving an enigma. By and large, mystery stories may be divided into two sorts: tales of the supernatural and riddle

Annexation

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

Annexation is frequently preceded by conquest and military occupation of the conquered

Overbeck, Johann Friedrich

2005-03-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

In 1806 Overbeck entered the Academy of Vienna, where, disappointed in the academic approach to teaching, he and Franz Pforr in 1809 founded the Lucas Brotherhood. They sought to revive

O'higgins, Bernardo

2005-03-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

Bernardo O'Higgins was born in Chillán, a town in southern Chile, then a colony of Spain. As noted in his certificate of Baptism, he was the illegitimate

Arabia, History Of, The Iran-Iraq War

2005-03-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

A fresh threat to the rich oil states of the gulf arose with the revolution in Iran in 1978–79 and with the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980. Islamic fundamentalism in the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Iran struck an answering chord with Shi'ites and Iranian workers in the Arabian states, which gave financial support to Iraq. U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his successor in 1981, Ronald

Arnaud, Henri

2005-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

After studying theology in Switzerland, Arnaud returned to Piedmont and established himself as pastor at Torre Pellice (1685), where he

Pacific Ocean, Fisheries

2005-03-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

Because of the biological richness of certain reaches of the Pacific and because of the large human populations in many of the nations bordering it, the catches there are substantially larger than those in the other oceans and comprise three-fifths of the total world catch. Among Pacific nations, Japan and Russia have the largest fisheries in the world as measured

Glacial Landform, Permafrost, patterned ground, solifluction deposits, and pingos

2005-03-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

Permafrost is ground that remains perennially frozen (see permafrost). It covers about 20–25 percent of the Earth's land surface today. The “active layer” of soil close to the surface of permafrost regions undergoes many seasonal and daily freeze-thaw cycles. The constant change in the volume of water tends to move the coarser particles in the soil to the surface. Further

Allegany

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

County, western Maryland, U.S. It consists of an irregular neck of land between Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south (the North Branch Potomac River constituting the border with West Virginia). The county rests on part of the Allegheny Plateau and includes Rocky Gap State Park, Green Ridge State Forest, and the scenic gorge of Cumberland Narrows (1,000 feet

Devrient, Ludwig

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

Born to a family of wholesale drapers,

Quinton, Amelia Stone

2005-03-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

Amelia Stone grew up in a deeply religious Baptist household. As a young woman, she worked as a teacher and did charitable work at almshouses and prisons. She joined the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1874 and worked as its New York organizer until 1877, when she

Ambulatory

2005-03-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

In architecture, continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave (central part of the church) around the apse (semicircular projection at the east end of the church) or chancel (east end of the church where the main altar stands) to form a continuous processional way. The ambulatory often provided improved sites for the numerous altars for saints, which formerly

Wu School

2005-03-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Wu group of Chinese painters of the Ming dynasty active in the second half of the 15th and first half of the 16th centuries. They were scholar-artists who, in their “literati painting” (wenrenhua), perpetuated the personally expressive styles and attitudes of former artists such as the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty, in contrast to their contemporaries of the Zhe school, who

Olympic Games, Antwerp, Belgium, 1920

2005-02-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

The city, plagued by bad weather and economic woes, had a very short time to clean up the rubble left

Husted, Marjorie Child

2005-02-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Husted attended public schools and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1913. She remained at the university to take a degree in education the next year. After a

Ghata-pallava

2005-02-27T02:14:00.000-08:00

In Indian art, important decorative motif consisting of a pot filled with flowers and leaves. In Vedic literature it is the symbol of life, the source of vegetation, a meaning that is still retained. The motif occurred in Indian art almost from its inception and has been used prominently in all periods. From the 5th century the ghata-pallava began to be used

Aesthetics, Understanding art

2005-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

The use of the concept of understanding in describing the appreciation of art marks out an interesting distinction between art and natural beauty. A person may understand or fail to understand T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets, Michelangelo's “David,” or Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, but he cannot understand or fail to understand the Highlands of Scotland, even when he finds

Schäffle, Albert

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

Schäffle became a professor of political economy at Tübingen (1860) and later Vienna (1868). He was a member of the Württemberg Landtag (assembly)

Mosher, Eliza Maria

2005-02-25T04:21:00.000-08:00

In 1869, over the objections of friends and family, Mosher entered the New England Hospital for Women and Children as an intern apprentice. After a year she was forced to suspend her education

Biblical Literature, Developments in the 16th century

2005-02-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

With the advent of printing and differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants, the canon and its relationship to tradition finally became fixed. During the Counter-Reformation Council of Trent (1545–63), the canon of the entire Bible was set in 1546 as the Vulgate, based on Jerome's Latin version. For Luther, the criterion of what was canonical was both apostolicity, or what

Armco Inc.

2005-02-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

Originally a manufacturer of sheet iron and steel, the company diversified, and its activities now

Alloway

2005-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

Southern suburb of the town of Ayr, South Ayrshire council area, historic county of Ayrshire, Scotland, famous as the birthplace of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. There is a museum alongside the thatched cottage where he was born in 1759 and a memorial built in 1820 in the form of a Grecian temple. The Brig o' Doon, immortalized in Burns's poem “Tam o' Shanter,” is nearby.

Hawaiian Honeycreeper

2005-02-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

Any of 23 species of birds found only in the forests of the Hawaiian Islands. They constitute the family Drepanididae, order Passeriformes. Most of the species are called by native names (see amakihi; apapane; iiwi; mamo). Habitat destruction and the introduction of foreign birds and mammals has led to the extinction of at least 8 of the 23 species; most of the survivors are endangered.

Bar Code

2005-02-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

A printed series of parallel bars or lines of varying width that is used for entering data into a computer system. The bars are typically black on a white background, and their width and quantity vary according to application. The bars are used to represent the binary digits 0 and 1, sequences of which in turn can represent numbers from 0 to 9 and be processed by a digital computer.

Mahakavya

2005-02-19T23:47:00.000-08:00

In its classical form, a mahakavya consists of a variable number of comparatively short cantos, each composed in a metre appropriate to its particular subject matter. The subject matter of the mahakavya is

Shimabara

2005-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

Shimabara

Sibling Rivalry

2005-02-19T03:31:00.000-08:00

Intense competition among siblings for recognition and the attention of their parents. Sibling rivalry normally begins when a baby is introduced to a family and the older sibling fears the baby will replace him or her. The older child may become extremely jealous and display aggressive behaviour toward the baby or such regressive acts as bed-wetting or baby talk.

Scotland, Daily life and social customs

2005-02-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Although bagpipes have ancient origins elsewhere and are found throughout the world, they are one of the most recognized symbols of Scottish culture. By the 16th century, various clans had established hereditary pipers, and later the instrument was used in wartime to inflame the passions of soldiers in battle. The form of the kilt, Scotland's national costume, has evolved

Limited Liability

2005-02-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Condition under which the loss that an owner (shareholder) of a business firm may incur is limited to the amount of capital invested by him in the business and does not extend to his personal assets. Acceptance of this principle by business enterprises and governments was a vital factor in the development of large-scale industry, because it enabled business concerns

Astyanax

2005-02-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, prince, son of the Trojan prince Hector and his wife Andromache; he was also known as Scamandrius, after the River Scamander, near Troy. After the fall of Troy he was hurled from the battlements of the city by the Greek warrior Neoptolemus. According to medieval legend, however, he survived the war, established the kingdom of Messina in Sicily, and founded

Samoa

2005-02-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

The assassination of the minister of public works in July 1999 continued to produce legal and political consequences in 2000. The two cabinet ministers who plotted the murder (and the son of one of them who actually committed the deed) were tried and found guilty, but their mandatory death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. By-elections were held following the

Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiac pacemakers

2005-02-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

The normal rhythm of the heart is generated by spontaneous electrical activity in cells in an area of the heart called the sinoatrial node. The electrical activity is usually at a rate of about 70 beats per minute at rest and is transmitted to the pumping chambers of the heart, the atria, and the ventricles through a specialized conducting system. The electrical activity

Lipa

2005-02-15T05:12:00.000-08:00

Chartered city, Batangas province, southwestern Luzon, Philippines. Formerly a Spanish military headquarters, it is a market town for a fruit-growing region. Lipa was rebuilt (including its cathedral) after a disastrous volcanic eruption in 1754 and again after its virtual destruction under Japanese occupation in World War II. Industries include clothing manufacture

John Day

2005-02-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

City, Grant county, northeast-central Oregon, U.S., situated at the confluence of John Day River and Canyon Creek, near the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Area. (The North Fork of the John Day is part of the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers system.) A stopover on the Pony Express trail from The Dalles (220 miles [354 km] northwest), it originated in the early 1860s, along with adjacent Canyon City,

Antibiotic

2005-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

Although antibiotics are released naturally into the soil by bacteria and fungi, they did not come into worldwide prominence until the introduction of penicillin in 1941. Since then they have revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections

Cape Verde

2005-02-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund structural-adjustment programs had profound implications for national politics in Cape Verde in 2000. Designed to help attract foreign investment, the government's privatization program—especially the privatization of the state petroleum company Enacol—was strongly criticized by the main opposition party, the

Reformed Churches In The Netherlands

2005-02-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

The Christian Reformed Church was organized by seceders who left The Netherlands Reformed Church (q.v.) in 1834 because of disagreements over church organization

Nara Canal

2005-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Important water channel in Sindh province, Pakistan. From its source above Rohri, it runs southward and discharges into the Puran River, an old channel of the Indus River, which flows to the sea farther south through the Rann of Kutch. Because of the uncertain water supply received through the Nara, it was connected in 1858–59 with the Indus at Rohri by a supply channel 12 miles (19 km)

French Literature, Secular drama

2005-02-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

The earliest comic plays extant date from the second half of the 13th century. Le Garçon et

Europe, Caledonian orogenic belt

2005-02-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

The major factor that controlled the early mid-Paleozoic development of Europe was the opening and closing of the Iapetus Ocean, which gave rise to the Caledonian orogenic belt that extends from Ireland and Wales through northern England and Scotland to western Norway and northward to Finnmark in northern Norway. The belt is confined between the stable blocks

Defense Of Rights, Associations For The

2005-02-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

The league was actually a coalition of middle-class organizations,

Toowoomba

2005-02-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Great Dividing Range. The principal inland city in the state, Toowoomba is a rail and road junction, tourist resort, service centre for Darling Downs (a livestock, grain, and dairying region of about 3,500,000 acres [1,400,000 hectares]), and site of the Perseverence Creek Water Supply Scheme. The town's industries include engineering works,

Burges, William

2005-02-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

During Burges' apprenticeship he studied medieval architecture, visiting the Continent to gain firsthand impressions. In 1856 he received the first award in an international competition for the Cathedral of Lille, France. He designed the Cathedral

Hancock, Winfield Scott

2005-02-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

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

Wen-wang

2005-02-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Wen was the ruler of Chou, one of the semibarbaric states on the western frontier of China, long a battleground between the civilized Chinese and nomadic invaders. By 1144 he had assumed the title Hsi Po (King of the West) and had begun

Chatham

2005-02-06T05:20:00.000-08:00

Town, Northumberland county, eastern New Brunswick, Canada. It lies near the mouth of the Miramichi River opposite Newcastle, 84 miles (135 km) north-northwest of Moncton. Founded about 1800 by Francis Peabody, it was probably named in honour of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. It has pulp and paper mills, foundries, and shipyards and is a lumber-shipping and salmon-fishing port. In the

Guru

2005-02-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

In Sikhism, any of the first 10 leaders of the Sikh religion of northern India. The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit sisya (“disciple”), and all Sikhs are disciples of the Guru (spiritual guide, or teacher). The first Sikh Guru, Nanak, established the practice of naming his successor before his death (1539), and from the time of Ram Das, the fourth to reign, the Gurus all came from one family.

Casualty Insurance

2005-02-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

Liability insurance contracts may cover liability arising out of the use of an automobile, the operation of a business, professional negligence

Killanin (of Galway), Michael Morris, 3rd Baron

2005-02-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

British-born Irish journalist, film producer, author, and sports administrator (b. July 30, 1914, London, Eng.—d. April 25, 1999, Dublin, Ire.), served as president (1972–80) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during a turbulent period marked by boycotts and international disputes. He inherited the title of Baron Killanin when his uncle died in 1927, and he attended the Sorbonne (1932) in Paris and Magdalene

Scheie's Syndrome

2005-02-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

Also called Mucopolysaccharidosis I S , or Mps I S uncommon hereditary metabolic disease characterized by clawing of the hands, corneal clouding, incompetence of the aortic valve of the heart, and painful nerve compression in the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). The disease was described by Harold Scheie of the United States in 1962 and is a mild variant of Hurler's syndrome (MPS I H), a disorder associated with subnormal

Fracastoro, Girolamo

2005-02-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

At the University of Padua Fracastoro was a colleague of the astronomer Copernicus. As a physician, he maintained

Ayr

2005-02-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Queensland, Australia, on the delta of the Burdekin River. The settlement was surveyed and gazetted in 1881. Declared a town in 1882 and named after the Scottish birthplace of Sir Thomas McIllwraith, then state premier, it became a shire in 1903. On the north coast rail line and the Bruce Highway to Townsville (45 miles [70 km] northwest) and Brisbane (657 miles [1,057 km] southeast), it

Arran, James Hamilton, 3rd Earl Of

2005-01-31T18:39:00.000-08:00

Earl of Arran who was twice considered as a husband both for Mary Stuart and for Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth (afterward Elizabeth I). During his childhood these projects arose from his father's ambitions; later, when he had returned from commanding the Scots guards in France (1554–59) and had joined the lords of the congregation, the Protestants proposed him as suitor

Bingham, Amelia

2005-01-31T07:08:00.000-08:00

Amelia Swilley left Ohio Wesleyan University in 1890 when she was encouraged by Lloyd Bingham, manager of a traveling professional theatrical company, to go on the stage.

Madinat Ash-sha'b

2005-01-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Yemen, former administrative capital of Yemen (Aden). The town is located on the Little Aden Peninsula on the western side of At-Tawahi Bay (Aden Harbour), across from Aden city. Founded in 1959 as Al-Ittihad (Arabic: “Unity”), it was at first the capital of the Protectorate of South Arabia under British rule. It was renamed after Yemen (Aden) was founded in 1967. Pop. (latest est.) 20,000.

Fisher, M.f.k.

2005-01-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

In full Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher American writer whose compelling style, wit, and interest in the gastronomical made her one of the major American writers on the subject of food. In her 15 celebrated books, Fisher created a new genre: the food essay. Seeing food as a cultural metaphor, she proved to be both an insightful philosopher of food and a writer of fine

Limassol

2005-01-29T02:25:00.000-08:00

Limassol's rise from a humble market town between the ancient settlements of Amathus and Curium took place at the end of the Byzantine Empire, when Richard I the Lion-Heart landed

Ta Yü

2005-01-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Da Yu (Chinese: “Yü the Great”), in Chinese mythology, the Tamer of the Flood, one of China's saviour-heroes and reputed founder of China's oldest dynasty, the Hsia. One legend among many recounts Ta Yü's extraordinary birth: a man called Kun was given charge of controlling a great deluge. To dam the water, he stole from heaven what seems to have been a piece of magic soil. Angered by the

Baden

2005-01-27T23:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Baden Bei Wien, spa, Niederösterreich Bundesland (federal state), Austria. It lies along the Schwechat River, at the eastern edge of the Wiener Forest, south of Vienna. Settled in prehistoric times, it was a Roman watering place, or aquae, and was recorded in 869 as the seat of a Frankish imperial palace. Chartered in 1480, it was destroyed by the Turks in 1529 and 1683. It is famous for its warm sulfur-chlorine

Sculpture, Western, The Archaic period

2005-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

The kouroi, which had become standardized as freestanding statues of naked youths with hands to sides and one leg advanced, were the most representative examples of Archaic sculpture. At first their proportions were based on theory rather than observation; much the same was true of the anatomical details, which were treated as separate patterns applied to the

Earth, Expansion phase

2005-01-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

The expansion phase is less well understood than the growth phase. Many investigators support the “near-Earth neutral-line” model, but concurrently other explanations have been suggested. In the neutral-line model a localized x-type neutral line is formed inside the plasma sheet somewhere between 20 and 40 Re (earth radii) behind the Earth. Figure 13 (top) shows the topology

Wells, Horace

2005-01-27T04:57:00.000-08:00

While practicing in Hartford, Conn., in 1844, Wells noted the pain-killing properties of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) during a laughing-gas road show and thereafter used it in performing painless dental operations. He was allowed to demonstrate the method at the Massachusetts

Clambake

2005-01-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Seafood picnic traditional in the New England region of the United States. Early settlers on the Atlantic Coast adopted and elaborated the practice from the coastal Indians, who steamed shellfish over hot stones under a covering of seaweed. Clambakes, best undertaken on a large scale, have long been a feature of civic and fraternal celebrations in areas where clams,

France, History Of, Religious and cultural life

2005-01-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

The Christian church was badly disrupted by the invasions. In Normandy five successive bishops of Coutances resided at Rouen, far from their war-torn district, which had lapsed into paganism. Elsewhere standards of clerical deportment declined, threatening the moral leadership by which Carolingian prelates had supported public order. Renewal came in two influential

Axminster

2005-01-24T00:54:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), East Devon district, administrative and historic county of Devon, England, on the River Axe. Founded about 705 at the intersection of two Roman roads, Portway and Fosse Way, it was one of the earliest Saxon settlements in Devon. Carpet making, for which it is famous, was established there in 1755 and is continued in a modern factory. The typical Axminster carpet has

Cam Ranh Bay

2005-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

The Binh Ba Bay, or outer bay, with Binh Ba Island lying off the tip of Point Cam Linh, offers some protection to ships at anchor, but the 1-mile- (1.6-kilometre-) wide

Biblical Literature, Gospels

2005-01-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

A few papyrus fragments come from gospels not known by name (e.g., Egerton Papyrus 2, Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 840, Strasbourg Papyrus 5–6). There are also the Gospel produced in the 2nd century by Marcion (a “semi-Gnostic” heretic from Asia Minor), who removed what he regarded as interpolations from the Gospel According to Luke; the lost Gnostic Gospel of Perfection; and the Gospel of

Holberg, Ludvig, Friherre (baron) Holberg

2005-01-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

Orphaned as a child, Holberg lived with relatives in Bergen until the city was destroyed by fire in 1702, when he was sent to the University of Copenhagen. Longing

Wackernagel, Jacob

2005-01-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

Influenced by his father, Wilhelm Wackernagel, a professor of Germanic studies at the University of Basel, he became interested in comparative linguistics and Sanskrit while studying at the University of Göttingen. In 1876 Wackernagel became