AbleSheep

T4 Program

2006-01-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

In October 1939, Adolf Hitler empowered his personal physician

Ninhursag

2005-10-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Ninhursaga , (Sumerian) Akkadian Belit-ili in Mesopotamian religion, city goddess of Adab and of Kish in the northern herding regions; she was the goddess of the stony, rocky ground, the hursag. In particular, she had the power in the foothills and desert to produce wildlife. Especially prominent among her offspring were the onagers (wild asses) of the western desert. As the sorrowing mother animal she appears

Rawsthorne, Alan

2005-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Rawsthorne studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music (1926–30) and in Berlin (1930–31) with Egon Petri. His early music with its pervasive linear counterpoint shows the influence

Coleopteran

2005-07-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Any member of the insect order Coleoptera, which includes the beetles and weevils. It is the largest order of insects, representing about 40 percent of the known insect species. Among the approximately 250,000 species of Coleoptera are many of the largest and most conspicuous insects, some of which also have brilliant metallic colours, showy patterns, or striking form. Beetles

Davenport, Edward Loomis

2005-07-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

In spite of family opposition, Davenport went on the stage, making his debut in 1836 under the stage name Mr. E. Dee, playing Parson

Ocean, The subtropical gyres

2005-07-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

These are anticyclonic circulation features. The Ekman transport within these gyres forces surface water to sink, giving rise to the subtropical convergence near 20°–30° latitude. The centre of the subtropical gyre is shifted to the west. This westward intensification of ocean currents was explained by the American meteorologist and oceanographer Henry M. Stommel

Võrtsjärv

2005-07-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Võrts-järv, or Virtsjärv, Russian Ozero Vyrts-yarv, lake (järv) in south-central Estonia, with an area of about 110 square miles (280 square km). Võrtsjärv forms part of the 124-mile (200-kilometre) course of the Ema River (German Embach, Lithuanian Emajõgi), which enters the lake from the south and drains it north and east into Peipsi Lake on the Estonia–Russia border. The Võrtsjärv is navigable, as is the lower course of the Ema. The lake and river

Arabian Sea

2005-07-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

To medieval Arabs the Arabian Sea was known as the Sea of India or as part of the “Great Sea,” from which smaller gulfs such as the Sea of Faris (Persian Gulf) or Sea of Kolzum (Red Sea) were distinguished. From about the 8th or 9th century onward, Arab and Persian seafarers learned to use the surface currents propelled by the summer and winter monsoon winds. Detailed navigational

Marquand, J(ohn) P(hillips)

2005-06-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Marquand grew up in New York City and suburban Rye in comfortable circumstances until his father's business failure, when he was sent to live with relatives in Newburyport. This experience of reduced status and

Rio Arriba

2005-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

County, northern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the north by Colorado. The Continental Divide separates the county's two geographic provinces. Eastern Rio Arriba county is high in the Southern Rocky Mountains, with pine-covered mountains of more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation, topped by Trampas Peak (12,175 feet [3,710 m]). Rushing mountain streams feed into the Rio Chama, which empties into

Balance

2005-06-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

The invention of the equal-arm balance dates back at least to the time of the ancient Egyptians, possibly as early as 5000 BC. In the earliest types, the beam was supported at the centre and the pans were hung from the ends by cords. A later improvement

Asher

2005-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

One of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times constituted the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the younger of two sons born to Jacob (also called Israel) and Zilpah, the maidservant of Jacob's first wife, Leah. After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua assigned territory to each of the 12 tribes. The

Endomorph

2005-05-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

A human physical type (somatotype) tending toward roundness, as determined by the physique classification system developed by American psychologist W.H. Sheldon. The extreme endomorph has a body as nearly globular as humanly possible; he has a round head, a large, round abdomen, large internal organs relative to his size, rather short arms and legs with fat upper arms

Pacatus Drepanius, Latinius

2005-05-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

It is uncertain whether Pacatus was pagan or Christian; in his speech he denounced Maximus' persecution of the Priscillianist heretics.

Apollonius Of Tralles

2005-05-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Greek sculptor from the province of Caria, in Asia Minor, known for his execution in collaboration with his brother Tauriscus of a marble group known as the “Farnese Bull.” The work represented Zethus and Amphion, the twin builders of Thebes, tying their stepmother, Dirce, to the horns of a wild bull in punishment for her torment of their mother, Antiope.

Turkic Languages

2005-03-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

Group of closely related languages that form a subfamily of the Altaic languages. The Turkic languages show close similarities to each other in phonology, morphology, and syntax, though Chuvash, Khalaj, and Sakha differ considerably from the rest. The earliest linguistic records are Old Turkic inscriptions, found near the Orhon River in Mongolia and the Yenisey

Armoire

2005-03-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

The word, which sometimes denoted

Fra Mauro

2005-03-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Crater on the Moon that appears to be heavily eroded, named for a 15th-century Italian monk and mapmaker. The site of the third manned lunar landing, the Apollo 14 mission in February 1971, is several miles north of the crater. About 80 km (50 miles) in diameter, Fra Mauro lies in Mare Nubium (the Sea of Clouds) at about 6� south latitude, 17� west longitude.

Blondel De Nesle

2005-03-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known about Blondel outside of his poetry. He was probably from Nesle, in Picardy; but the name Blondel may be a nickname, and it is uncertain how many of the 25 songs attributed to him are actually his. His poetry is conventional in its complaints to an unknown lady but contains no references

Fuji Bank

2005-03-05T01:03:00.000-08:00

Fuji Bank originated from a money-lending operation established in the 1860s by Yasuda Zenjiro, the founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu (business combine). In 1880 the business became

Antigen

2005-03-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

Foreign substance that, when introduced into the body, is capable of stimulating an immune response, specifically activating lymphocytes, which are the body's infection-fighting white blood cells. Virtually any large foreign molecule can act as an antigen, including those contained in bacteria, viruses, protozoa, helminths, foods, snake venoms, egg white, serum components,

Seto-guro Ware

2005-03-03T03:18:00.000-08:00

Japanese ceramic ware created at Mino during 1573 - 96. A black ware, it stands in contrast to the contemporary pure-white Shino ware. Seto-guro (�black Seto�) was produced by a process that involved firing the iron-glaze ware in an oxidizing kiln from which it was suddenly removed and immediately cooled. The shade of black achieved was far richer than had been achieved in the earlier

Portico

2005-03-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

The portico is a principal feature of Greek temple architecture and thus a prominent element in Roman and all subsequent classically inspired structures. The types of portico furnish the main terms

Chastellain, Georges

2005-03-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

Chastellain served Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, until in 1435, after the Peace of Arras, he abandoned soldiering. He spent the next years in France, mainly as secretary

Graybird

2005-02-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous cuckoo-shrikes of the genus Coracina. See cuckoo-shrike.

Madhya Pradesh, Industry

2005-02-27T02:53:00.000-08:00

Overall, Madhya Pradesh remains an industrially underdeveloped state. In 1981 the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. was established to improve the infrastructure in the state's identified growth centres. Before this planned development took place, western Madhya Pradesh was the main industrial area - primarily producing consumer goods - but

Brum, Baltasar

2005-02-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Statesman noted for his reform of the educational and welfare systems in Uruguay and for his proposal of an American league of nations. His dedication to democracy was so firm that he committed suicide to protest the suspension of the Uruguayan constitution and assumption of dictatorial powers by President Gabriel

Nataraja

2005-02-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

In the most common type of images, which includes the magnificent Cola bronzes of the 10th - 11th century, Siva is shown with four arms and flying locks dancing on the figure of a dwarf, the Apasmarapurusa (a symbol of man's ignorance; puru

Health And Disease

2005-02-24T01:10:00.000-08:00

In early 2003 a virulent new infectious disease caught the world off guard. The Chinese Ministry of Health reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-February that 305 people in Guangdong province had developed an acute pneumonia-like illness and that 5 of them had died. Laboratory tests had been negative for influenza viruses, anthrax, plague, and other infectious

Bohemian Confession

2005-02-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

Latin �Confessio Bohemica, � Protestant doctrinal statement formulated in Bohemia by the Czech Utraquists (moderate Hussites) in 1575 and subscribed to by the Unitas Fratrum, Lutherans, and Calvinists in the kingdom. The document was based on the Augsburg Confession, and it upheld the Lutheran position on justification and the Calvinist interpretation of the Eucharist. Though Emperor Maximilian

Paneth's Cell

2005-02-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

Also called �Davidoff's Cell,� specialized type of epithelial cell found in the mucous-membrane lining of the small intestine and of the appendix, at the base of tubelike depressions known as Lieberk�hn glands. Named for the 19th-century Austrian physiologist Joseph Paneth, the cell has one nucleus at its base and densely packed secretory granules throughout the rest of its body. The cells' function

Computers, Application software

2005-02-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

The availability of BASIC and CP/M enabled more widespread software development. By 1977, a two-person firm called Structured Systems Group started developing a General Ledger program, perhaps the first serious business software, which sold for $995. The company shipped its software in zip-lock bags with a manual, a practice that became common in the industry. General Ledger

Toque

2005-02-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

In the late 16th century, brimless, black velvet toques were popular with men and women. Throughout the 19th century, women wore toques, often small, trimmed with fur, lace,

Par�

2005-02-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

Estado (state) of northern Brazil through which the lower Amazon River flows to the sea. It is bounded to the north by Guyana, Suriname, and the Brazilian state of Amap�, to the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by the Brazilian states of Maranh�o and Tocantins, to the south by Mato Grosso, and to the west by Amazonas. It is the second largest state in Brazil. The capital

Thun Und Hohenstein, Franz Anton, Prince (f�rst) Zu

2005-02-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

Franz Anton was the son of Friedrich, Count von Thun und Hohenstein, and he shared the moderate pro-Czech

Kirkland, Lane

2005-02-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

Kirkland graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1942 and then served as an officer on American merchant ships throughout World War II. He settled in Washington,

Haber, Fritz

2005-02-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

In 1911, at the age of 42, he was appointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry in Berlin, a new research establishment that was to become even more famous than the school he had built up in Karlsruhe. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, he immediately placed himself and his laboratory at the service of the government, his first concern being to organize

Bottle

2005-02-15T02:41:00.000-08:00

Although early bottles were made from such materials as gourds and animal skins, glass eventually became the major material employed.

Ashwell, Lena

2005-02-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Reared and educated in Canada, Ashwell studied music at Lausanne, Switz., and at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her voice proved

Adam, Robert

2005-02-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

As a designer of furniture, too, Adam played a leading role and was prolific, turning his hand to everything from organ cases and sedan chairs to saltcellars and door fittings. The furniture style he evolved, popularized by the cabinetmaker George Hepplewhite, was always meant to harmonize with the rest of the home. It is one of the outstanding features of an Adam interior

China, The Plateau of Tibet

2005-02-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

This great massif occupies about one-fourth of the whole country. A large part of the plateau lies at elevations above 13,000 - 15,000 feet. The border ranges of the plateau are even higher, with individual peaks rising to heights of 23,000 - 26,000 feet. The interior slopes of these border mountains, as a rule, are gentle, while the exterior slopes are very steep. In its eastern and southern periphery,

Abu Dhabi

2005-02-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Abu Zaby, � town, capital of Abu Dhabi emirate, one of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States, or Trucial Oman), and the national capital of that federation. The town occupies most of a small triangular island of the same name, just off the Persian Gulf coast and connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Abu Dhabi was formerly an undeveloped town of only local importance,

Endocrine System, Human, Hypoaldosteronism

2005-02-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

Isolated aldosterone deficiency results in a low level of sodium in the serum (hyponatremia)

West Devon

2005-02-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

The bleak granite mass of Dartmoor comprises about

Liechtenstein

2005-02-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

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

Rhyolite

2005-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

Extrusive igneous rock that is the volcanic equivalent of granite. Most rhyolites are porphyritic, indicating that crystallization began prior to extrusion. Crystallization may sometimes have begun while the magma was deeply buried; in such cases, the rock may consist principally of well-developed, large, single crystals (phenocrysts) at the time of extrusion.

Keely, John E.w.

2005-02-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

Keely was orphaned in early childhood. He is said to have been an orchestra leader, a circus performer, and a carpenter. In 1873 he announced that he had discovered a new physical force, one that, if harnessed, would produce unheard-of power. He claimed, for example, to be able to produce from a quart of water enough fuel

Lenngren, Anna Maria

2005-02-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

Educated by her father, a lecturer at Uppsala University, Lenngren began to publish poetry at age 18. In 1780 she married Carl Lenngren, founder (with

Vlach

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

The

Bean, Roy

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

For much of his life from the time he left his Kentucky home in 1847, Bean moved from town to town - in Mexico, Southern California, New Mexico, and Texas - getting into and fleeing from one scrape after another, killing at least two men in duels. During the Civil

Hughes, (james Mercer) Langston

2005-02-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Black poet and writer who became, through numerous translations, one of the foremost interpreters to the world of the black experience in the United States. Hughes's parents separated soon after his birth, and young Hughes was raised by his mother and grandmother. After his grandmother's death, he and his mother moved to half a dozen

Colombia, Preconquest

2005-01-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

Even before the Spanish conquest, the western mountainous part of Colombia attracted the bulk of the population. The more advanced Indian cultures were found in this region, and the most favourable location for the growth of civilization was the high plateau in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes. The present capital city of Bogot� is located near the

Tasmania

2005-01-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Van Diemen's Land� island state of Australia, lying about 150 miles (240 kilometres) south of the state of Victoria, from which it is separated by the relatively shallow Bass Strait. Physically, Tasmania forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The state comprises a main island called Tasmania; Bruny Island, nestling close to the southeastern coast; King and Flinders islands in Bass Strait; numerous

Block Island

2005-01-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

Pear-shaped island coextensive with the town (township) of New Shoreham (inc. 1672), Washington county, southern Rhode Island, U.S., between Block Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Lying about 9 miles (14 km) south of the mainland, it is about 6 miles (10 km) long and 3.5 miles (5.5 km) wide and has a land area of 10 square miles (25 square km). Originally called Manisses (�Manitou's Little Island�) by Narraganset

Black, Conrad

2005-01-28T23:35:00.000-08:00

In 1994 financier Conrad Black, whose inherited wealth and acquisitive nature helped establish him as an international press baron, expanded his already vast empire by purchasing the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. As head of one of Canada's largest conglomerates, he was a symbol of Canadian capitalism. Black began in 1967 as part-owner and operator of two small Quebec weeklies.

Great Falls

2005-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1887) of Cascade county, west-central Montana, U.S. It lies along the Missouri River, near the falls (96 feet [29 metres] high) for which it was named. In 1805 the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark observed the falls and nearby Giant Springs, one of the world's largest freshwater springs. First settled in 1883, the community was sustained with the arrival in 1887 of the Manitoba

Paraguay, Flag Of

2005-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Isolated from much of the rest of Spanish-dominated South America, Paraguay developed a unique flag design. The earliest known emblem (c. 1812) of local independence was based on the Spanish flag; it had red-yellow-blue stripes with a coat of arms. Later the colour blue was used in two quite different flags - one of equal horizontal stripes of blue and yellow, the other a plain

Skimmer

2005-01-25T02:22:00.000-08:00

By day the skimmer rests onshore, and at twilight the bird feeds, skimming calm, shallow water with the bill tip submerged;

France, History Of

2005-01-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

From the 9th to the 11th century the peoples and lands dominated by west Frankish kings were transformed. The Carolingian protectorate of local order collapsed under the pressures of external invasions and internal usurpations of power. Growing populations and quickening economies were reorganized in principalities whose leaders struggled to carry on the

Radical

2005-01-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

In politics, one who desires extreme change of part or all of the social order. The word was first used in a political sense in England, and its introduction is generally ascribed to Charles James Fox, who in 1797 declared for a �radical reform� consisting of a drastic expansion of the franchise to the point of universal manhood suffrage. The term radical thereafter began

Ovonramwen

2005-01-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

He was called Idugbowa

Anzali, Bandar-e

2005-01-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

Founded in the early 19th century, the town lies on both sides of the entrance to Mordab Lagoon. It was occupied by the Russians in 1920; they declared a Soviet Republic of Gilan, but that entity

F�chsel, Georg Christian

2005-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

F�chsel began medical practice in 1756 and the following year was appointed to organize the natural science collections of Friedrich Carl, later prince of the German principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,

Pacific Mountain System, Agriculture and fishing

2005-01-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is important in some of the valleys within the ranges. From southern British Columbia to northern California, dairying and egg production are leading activities. Some of California's most important vineyards are in the Coast Ranges near San Francisco, notably the Napa and Sonoma valleys to the north. The Salinas Valley south of San Francisco and the

Minhah

2005-01-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

Minhah consists

San Bernardino Pass

2005-01-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

German �Sankt Bernhardinpass, �Italian �Passo Di San Bernardino, � mountain pass (6,775 ft [2,065 m]), in the Lepontine Alps of Graub�nden canton, southeastern Switzerland. Although the pass was not mentioned until 941, it is believed to have been in use since prehistoric times. The road over the pass connects the villages of Spl�gen and Hinterrhein in the Hinterrhein River Valley to the north with the towns of Mesocco and Bellinzona in the Moesa River

Beira

2005-01-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Port city, central Mozambique. Beira is situated on the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) at the mouths of the P�ngo� and B�zi rivers. It was founded in 1891 as the headquarters of the Companhia de Mo�ambique (�Mozambique Company�) on the site of an old Muslim settlement. The city's administration passed from the trading company to the Portuguese government in 1942 and then to independent

�lvarez Quintero, Seraf�n And Joaqu�

2005-01-15T03:35:00.000-08:00

Spanish brothers who collaborated in almost 200 dramas depicting the life, manners, and speech of Andalusia. Their work was among the most popular in Spain during the early 20th century and greatly added to the revival of the Spanish theatre. Their dramas are remarkable for a vivacious and skilled presentation.

Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui

2005-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

Pachacuti first conquered various peoples in what is now southern Peru and then extended his power

Tasso, Bernardo

2005-01-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

Bernardo Tasso was a cultivated man who served various noblemen during his career. His son Torquato was born in 1544 while he was in the service of Ferrante Sanseverino, prince of Salerno,

Atakpam�

2005-01-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Togo. It lies along the railroad running north from Lom�, the capital, to Blitta. Atakpam� dates from the 19th century and was first settled by Ewe and Yoruba peoples. It developed as both a commercial centre on a major north-south caravan route and as a haven for refugees fleeing from Dahomean attacks. As a consequence, Atakpam� experienced numerous

Bloc Qu�b�cois

2005-01-11T04:35:00.000-08:00

Lucien Bouchard, a Progressive

Amaranthaceae

2005-01-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

The amaranth family of flowering plants in the order Caryophyllales, with about 60 genera and more than 800 species of herbs, with a few shrubs, trees, and vines, native to tropical America and Africa. The leaves of members of the family usually have nonindented edges. Flowers may be male or female or contain both types of reproductive structures; several

Godarpura

2005-01-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

Also called �Mandhata�, or �Omkarji� pilgrimage centre, western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It lies along the Narmada River southeast of Indore. Godarpura has noted Saivite, Vaisnavite, and Jaina temples, mostly of the 14th and 18th centuries. The Omkar temple, on an island in the river, contains one of the 12 great Siva (Shiva) phallic symbols, or lingas; another linga stands outside the Gauri Somnath temple. The

Ike Taiga

2005-01-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

The son of a farmer, Ike was taught

Steady-state Theory

2005-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

In cosmology, a view that the universe is always expanding but maintaining a constant average density, matter being continuously created to form new stars and galaxies at the same rate that old ones become unobservable as a consequence of their increasing distance and velocity of recession. A steady-state universe has no beginning or end in time; and from any point

Adab

2005-01-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

The original sense of the word was simply �norm of conduct,� or �custom,� derived in ancient Arabia from ancestors revered as models. As such practice

Ancus Marcius

2005-01-05T04:50:00.000-08:00

Traditionally the fourth king of Rome, from 642 to 617 BC. The details of his reign, provided by Roman historians such as Livy (64 or 59 BC - AD 17), must be regarded as largely legendary - e.g., the settlement of the Aventine Hill outside Rome, the first extension of Rome beyond the Tiber River to the Janiculum Hill, and the founding of the port of Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber.

Percy, Walker

2005-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Orphaned in late childhood, Percy and his brothers went to live with his father's cousin, a bachelor and lawyer, in Greenville, Miss. Percy studied at the University of North Carolina (B.A., 1937) and Columbia University (M.D., 1941) and, while working as a pathologist

Ammannati, Bartolommeo

2005-01-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ammannati began his career as a sculptor, carving statues in various Italian cities in the 1530s and '40s. He trained first under Baccio Bandinelli and then under Jacopo Sansovino

Arts, Central Asian, Afghanistan and the sedentary population of Turkistan

2005-01-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

This region of Central Asia includes Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the oases of eastern (Chinese) Turkistan. The region lies within the Persian cultural area, and in the arts and in language the Persian imprint has endured over many centuries. In music the links with Persia appear most clearly in terminology and instruments. Islam, another Middle Eastern

Arts, Central Asian, Afghanistan and the sedentary population of Turkistan

2005-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

Nationwide association of labour unions in Canada, comprising both wholly Canadian �national� unions and �international� unions that are Canadian branches of unions based in the United States. The CLC was formed in 1956 through the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour. At the onset of the 21st century, a majority of the four

Paul, Les

2004-12-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

Paul designed a solid-body electric guitar in 1941, but, by the time the Les Paul Standard was ready for production by the Gibson Guitar Company in 1952, Leo Fender had already mass-produced the Fender Broadcaster four years earlier, thus beating Paul to popular credit for the invention. Nonetheless, the

Nurhachi

2004-12-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Juchen (Jurchen) were a Tungus people who belonged to those border groups at the periphery of the Chinese empire that normally were under the influence of

Hill, A.v.

2004-12-29T01:42:00.000-08:00

In full �Archibald Vivian Hill� British physiologist and biophysicist who received (with Otto Meyerhof) the 1922 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the production of heat in muscles. His research helped establish the origin of muscular force in the breakdown of carbohydrates with formation of lactic acid in the

Soto

2004-12-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

The sect was founded in China in the 9th century by Liang-chieh and Pen-chi, where it was known as Ts'ao-tung (after its monastic centres on the mountains Ts'ao and Tung). It was transmitted to Japan by Dogen, who founded the Eihei Temple

Ear, Human

2004-12-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

The human ear, like that of other mammals, contains sense organs that serve two quite different functions: that of hearing and that of postural equilibrium and coordination

Chasuble

2004-12-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

Liturgical vestment, the outermost garment worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops at mass and by some Anglicans and Lutherans when they celebrate the Eucharist. The chasuble developed from an outer garment worn by Greeks and Romans called the paenula or casula (�little house�), a conical or bell-shaped cloak made from a semicircular piece of cloth sewn partially

Furniture, Fixed and mechanical tables

2004-12-25T02:30:00.000-08:00

In general, tables can be divided into fixed and mechanical types. The fixed table, consisting of a square or round top supported by one or more legs, is the least complicated from the viewpoint of craftsmanship. It is a form that requires wood of thick dimensions in order to make the joints by which the top is fastened to the legs strong enough to resist lateral pressure.

China, Urbanization and assimilation

2004-12-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

At the same time a process of urbanization was occurring. Minor fortified cities were built, radiating out from each of the major centres, and other towns radiated from the minor cities. From these cities and towns, orders were issued, and to them the resources of the countryside were sent. The central plain along the Huang Ho was the first to be saturated by clusters

Triballi

2004-12-23T05:14:00.000-08:00

A Thracian people whose earliest-known home was the �Triballian plain� (probably the Plain of Kosovo), near the junction of the Angrus and Brongus rivers (the western and southern Morava) in the north-central Balkans. Sometime after 424 BC they were overcome by the Autariatae, an Illyrian tribe. In 339 BC the Triballi refused to allow Philip II of Macedon to pass through the Haemus

Stone Age, Ax factories and flint mines

2004-12-22T23:43:00.000-08:00

Celts, or axes, were manufactured in factories where specially suitable rock outcrops occurred, and they were traded over great distances. Products of the factories at Graig Lwyd, Penmaenmawr, North Wales, were transported to Wiltshire and Anglesey, those of Tievebulliagh on the Antrim coast to Limerick, Kent, Aberdeen, and the Hebrides. Similarly, large nodules of

Thun

2004-12-21T06:27:00.000-08:00

Founded in the 12th century, the town belonged to the kingdom of Burgundy until it passed to

Plotina, Pompeia

2004-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Wife of the Roman emperor Trajan. She earned great respect in her lifetime by her virtue and her advocation of the people's interests. During the ceremony of Trajan's accession, she is supposed to have turned around as she climbed the palace steps and addressed the crowd, saying that she desired always to be the same as she was then. One of her accomplishments was to curb

Furniture, India

2004-12-18T23:02:00.000-08:00

India's place in the history of furniture is that of an adapter or transformer of imported Western styles rather than a creator of independent styles of its own. Domestic furniture in the sense in which it is known in Europe was not traditional in India before the 16th century, and even such familiar objects as tables and chairs were rarely used until the spread of Portuguese,

Fender, Leo

2004-12-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

Together with George Fullerton, Fender developed the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar, in 1948. Called the Fender Broadcaster (renamed the Telecaster in 1950), it was produced under the auspices of the Fender Electric Instruments Company, which

Koguryo Style

2004-12-16T01:40:00.000-08:00

Korean visual-arts style characteristic of the Koguryo kingdom (37 BC - AD 668) of the Three Kingdoms period. The Koguryo were a horse-riding northern people, and their art was powered by the forceful spirit of a hunter-warrior tribe. Their fresco paintings on the walls of tombs are characterized by movement and emotion rather than formal beauty and decorative visual effect. Outlines

Ekkehard I The Elder

2004-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Ekkehard was educated at the Benedictine monastery of Sankt Gallen (St. Gall) in Switzerland, then one of Europe's greatest centres

Allouez, Claude-jean

2004-12-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Allouez entered the Society of Jesus at Toulouse, was ordained priest in 1655, and sailed for Quebec in 1658. He was stationed at settlements along the St. Lawrence River until his appointment (1663) as vicar general of the Northwest. He

Hindu Kush

2004-12-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Hindu Kush is one of the great watersheds of Central Asia, forming part of the vast Alpine zone that stretches across Eurasia from east to west. It runs northeast to southwest and divides the valley of the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus River) to the north from the Indus