PresentWalk

21-centimetre Radiation

2005-03-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

Electromagnetic radiation of radio wavelength emitted by cold, neutral, interstellar hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atom is composed of a positively charged particle, the proton, and a negatively charged particle, the electron. These particles can be considered as spinning around their own axes of rotation. When the spins of the two particles are antiparallel, then

Marginal Efficiency Of Investment

2005-03-17T22:51:00.000-08:00

In economics, expected rates of return on investment as additional units of investment are made under specified conditions and over a stated period of time. A comparison of these rates with the going rate of interest may be used to indicate the profitability of investment. The rate of return is computed as the rate at which the expected stream of future earnings

Sickel, Theodor Von

2005-03-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

Educated at the École des Chartes de Paris (1850–52) and in Berlin, Sickel, on grants from the French government, carried out research projects

Istiwa'iyah, Al-

2005-03-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

Al-Istiwa'iyah is geographically isolated from the rest of The Sudan by the vast swamps of As-Sudd to the north and by intermontane rainforests that cover the southernmost part of the country.

Yung-ho

2005-03-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Shih (municipality), T'ai-pei hsien (county), northern Taiwan, 1 mi (1.6 km) south of Taipei city, in the northern part of the island's western coastal plain. Situated on the east bank of Shuang Hsi (river), the city flourished in the early 18th century. It is a market centre for the tea and rice produced in the surrounding region. Glass and glass products, and small machinery manufacturing

Leveler

2005-03-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

The Leveler movement originated in 1645–46 among radical supporters of Parliament in and around London. The Civil War had been waged in the name

Acceleration Stress

2005-03-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Physiological changes that occur in the human body in motion as a result of rapid increase of speed. Rapid acceleration and surges in acceleration are felt more critically than are gradual shifts. Pilots are especially subject to the effects of acceleration because of the high speeds at which they travel. Acceleration forces are measured in units of gravitational

Wahhab, Muhammad Ibn 'abd Al-

2005-03-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Having completed his formal education in the holy city of Medina, in Arabia, 'Abd al-Wahhab lived abroad for many years. He taught for four years in Basra, Iraq, and in Baghdad he married an affluent woman whose property he inherited

Wahhab, Muhammad Ibn 'abd Al-

2005-03-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Byname Star Wars proposed U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks—as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union. The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983. Because parts of the defensive system that Reagan advocated would be based in space, the proposed system was dubbed “Star Wars,” after the space

Howe, E.w.

2005-02-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Howe went to work at age seven on his father's homestead near Bethany, Mo. An apprentice printer at 12, he worked at the trade in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah (1867–72). At 19 he was publisher of the Golden (Colo.) Globe and in 1877 founded the Atchison (Kan.) Daily Globe, made famous

Kinship, Double unilineal descent

2005-02-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

Double unilineal, or duolineal, descent is very rare. Arguably, a form of double descent exists among groups of Australian Aboriginals, but the most definitive examples are found in Africa. The Yako of Nigeria and the Herero of Namibia and Botswana are best known. The principle of double descent is that two kinds of descent group, patrilineal and matrilineal, exist

Nelson, Baby Face

2005-02-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

From petty crime Nelson graduated into labour racketeering, working for Al Capone (1929–31) and other bootleg bosses; he was let go, however, proving too violent even for them. He then turned to bank robberies, joining with John Dillinger on two occasions

Maharaja

2005-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

The title seems to have been introduced sometime in the first century BC by the Kushans. They had been

Buchan, John, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

2005-02-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

A clergyman's son, Buchan was educated at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, where he began

Bonaparte, (napoléon-eugène-)louis

2005-02-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

He was a delicate boy, but when the Franco-German War of 1870 broke out his mother sent him to the army. After the first defeats he had to flee from France with the Empress and settled in England at Chislehurst, completing his military education at Woolwich. On his

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

2005-02-17T02:53:00.000-08:00

Natural area in western Colorado, U.S., encompassing a deep, narrow gorge 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose. It was established as a national monument in 1933 and was elevated to national park status in 1999; the park occupies an area of 47 square miles (122 square km). Curecanti National Recreation Area borders it to the southeast. The canyon was cut by the Gunnison River (named for the army engineer

Dahriyah

2005-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

The Dahriyah are portrayed in Islamic theological literature

Cabildo

2005-02-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “municipal council”), the fundamental unit of local government in colonial Spanish America. Conforming to a tradition going back to the Romans, the Spaniards considered the city to be of paramount importance, with the surrounding countryside directly subordinate to it. In local affairs each municipality in Hispanic America was governed by its cabildo,

Dielectric Heating

2005-02-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

Also called Capacitance Heating, method by which the temperature of an electrically nonconducting (insulating) material can be raised by subjecting the material to a high-frequency electromagnetic field. The method is widely employed industrially for heating thermosetting glues, for drying lumber and other fibrous materials, for preheating plastics before molding, and for fast jelling and

Simon, Claude

2005-02-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

The son of a cavalry officer who was killed in World War I, Simon was raised by his mother in Perpignan, France. After studies at Paris, Oxford, and Cambridge, he traveled

Outback

2005-02-07T01:49:00.000-08:00

In Australia, any inland area remote from large centres of population. Generally, the term is applied to semiarid inland areas of eastern Australia and to the arid centre of the Western Plateau and its semiarid northern plains (in Western Australia) where bodies of water are scattered and frequently dry. The Macdonnell, Musgrave, and Petermann mountain ranges and

Gauss Elimination

2005-02-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

In linear and multilinear algebra, a process for finding the solutions of a system of simultaneous linear equations by first solving one of the equations for the first variable (in terms of all the others) and then substituting this expression into the remaining equations. The result is a new system in which the number of equations and variables is one less than in

Technicolor

2005-02-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

(trademark), motion-picture process using dye-transfer techniques to produce a colour print. The Technicolor process, perfected in 1932, originally used a beam-splitting optical cube, in combination with the camera lens, to expose three black-and-white films. The light beam was split into three parts as it entered the camera, one beam favouring the red portion of the spectrum,

Subsistence Farming

2005-01-31T03:58:00.000-08:00

Form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and his family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world have traditionally practiced subsistence farming. Some of these peoples moved from site to site as they exhausted the soil at each location.

Seven Oaks Massacre

2005-01-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

On June 19, 1816, a party of about 60 Métis (persons of mixed European and Indian blood) under Cuthbert Grant, a North West Company employee, set out to run provisions for North West Company canoes past the Red River colony; they plundered some

Beveridge (of Tuggal), William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron

2005-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Beveridge, the son of a British civil servant in India, was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. More than any other single figure,

Animal Breeding

2005-01-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Controlled propagation of domestic animals. Its aim is the improvement of qualities considered desirable by humans. Breeding procedures involve the application of several basic sciences, chiefly reproductive physiology, genetics, and statistics. This article deals with the practical application of scientific principles to the selection of superior animals

Amatitlán, Lake

2005-01-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Spanish Lago De Amatitlán, lake, south-central Guatemala, in the central highlands at 4,085 feet (1,248 m) above sea level. The volcanic lake, 130 feet (40 m) deep, is 7 miles (11 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide and has an area of about 6 square miles (15 square km). It is fed by the Villalobos River and drained by the Michatoya River. A popular tourist area, the lake and the town of Amatitlán, at the head of the Michatoya, are situated by highway

William I

2005-01-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

Also called William Longsword, French Guillaume Longue-épée son of Rollo and second duke of Normandy (927–942). He sought continually to expand his territories either by conquest or by exacting new lands from the French king for the price of homage. In 939 he allied himself with Hugh the Great in the revolt against King Louis IV; through the mediation of the pope, the war ended, and Louis renewed William's investiture of Normandy

Essex, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2005-01-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Because his father, Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex, had been executed for treason (1601), Devereux had to obtain special permission from Parliament to succeed (1604) to his family titles

Hale, Edward Everett

2005-01-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

A grandnephew of the Revolutionary hero Nathan Hale and a nephew of Edward Everett, the orator, Hale trained on his father's newspaper, the Boston Daily Advertiser, and turned early to writing. For 70 years newspaper articles, historical

Salamá

2005-01-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

City, central Guatemala. It lies between the Chuacús Mountains and the Minas Mountains on the Salamá River, a tributary of the Chixoy, at 3,084 feet (940 m) above sea level. Salamá is a commercial and manufacturing centre for its agricultural and pastoral hinterland. The city suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 1976. Salamá is accessible by road from San Cristóbal Verapaz

Distributive Law

2005-01-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, the law relating to number operations stated symbolically, a(b + c + d) = ab + ac + ad; that is, the monomial factor a is distributed, or separately applied, to each term of the polynomial factor b + c + d, resulting in the product ab + ac + ad. Hence, the result of first adding several numbers and then multiplying the sum by some number is the same as first multiplying each separately

Atherosclerosis

2005-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

An arteriosclerosis characterized by the deposition of fatty substances in and fibrosis of the inner layer of the arteries. See arteriosclerosis.

Thomas, Isaiah

2005-01-13T02:03:00.000-08:00

At an early age Thomas was apprenticed to a printer, and by the age of 17 he was regarded an excellent printer himself. With a partner he founded the Massachusetts Spy in 1770, and he soon bought out

Henry I

2005-01-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

Byname Henry Beauclerc (Good Scholar), French Henri Beauclerc youngest and ablest of William I the Conqueror's sons, who as king of England (1100–35) strengthened the crown's executive powers and, like his father, also ruled Normandy (from 1106).

Dance, Western

2005-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

The peoples of the West—of Europe and of the countries founded through permanent European settlement elsewhere—have a history of dance characterized by great diversity and rapid change. Whereas most dancers of the East

Murex

2005-01-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

The animal

Cat

2005-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

The history of the cat family can be traced through the fossil record to the Late Eocene Epoch (43.6 to 36.6 million

Rzeszów

2005-01-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Rzeszów województwo (province), southeastern Poland. It lies along the Wislok River at the juncture of the Carpathian Mountains and the Sandomierz Basin. The town lies on the main Kraków-Lviv (Ukraine) road and rail line. The city's economy has expanded greatly since World War II, and some of Poland's largest metal-production plants are located there, as

Raman Effect

2005-01-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. The phenomenon is named for Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, who discovered it in 1928. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of

Rzeszów

2005-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Public broadcasting service over AM and FM radio networks and television networks in English and French, two national cable television channels, and shortwave radio, among other media in Canada. Advertising sales and, primarily, annual appropriations from Parliament finance the CBC's operations. It is especially noted for the high quality of its news and public

Hanafuda

2005-01-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

Hanafuda evolved after the Portuguese had brought Western cards to Japan in the 17th century. Hanafuda bear no numbers

D'urfey, Thomas

2005-01-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Patronized by King Charles II, whom he entertained as a jester

Luther V. Borden

2005-01-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

In the spring of 1842, Rhode Island had two governors and two legislatures. One government was committed to retaining the old colonial charter, which severely limited voting rights, as the state's constitution. The other government, led by Thomas W. Dorr and providing for white

Monticello

2005-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Unlike most great mansions of the period,

Biblical Literature, The united monarchy

2004-12-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

The monarchy was initiated during the career of Samuel, a prophet of great influence and authority who was also recognized as a judge and is depicted in varying biblical accounts as either favouring or not favouring the reign of a human king over Israel. In any case, he anointed Saul, a courageous military leader of the tribe of Benjamin, as king (c. 1020 BCE). Saul won substantial

Graz

2004-12-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Bundesland (federal state) Steiermark, southeastern Austria. The country's second largest city, it lies on the Mur River between the Styrian Alps and a wide, fertile valley, the Grazerfeld. In the 9th century there was probably a fortress on the Schlossberg, a rocky cone (1,552 feet [473 m]) that dominates the city. The name Graz is derived from gradec, a Slavic word meaning

Ford Foundation

2004-12-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

American philanthropic foundation, established in 1936 with gifts and bequests from Henry Ford and his son Edsel. At its peak it had assets of more than $4,000,000,000. Its chief concerns have been international affairs (particularly population control and the alleviation of food shortages), communications (especially public television), humanities and the arts, and, in later years,

Floral Decoration, Other cultures

2004-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Outside the West and the Far East, the arranging of plant materials was more a casual part of everyday life than a formally recognized medium of artistic expression. The elaborate stylistic traditions evolved and formulated in the West and Far East through centuries of sophisticated creative activity are rarely found, therefore, in other cultures. In the Islamic

Outlaw Music

2004-12-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

Movement of American country music in the 1970s spearheaded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings (b. June 15, 1937, Littlefield, Texas, U.S.—d. February 13, 2002, Chandler, Arizona). Sometimes called progressive country, outlaw music was an attempt to escape the formulaic constraints of the Nashville Sound (simple songs, the use of studio musicians, and lush production), country's dominant style

Bey

2004-12-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Turkish Bey, Old Turkish Beg, Arabic Bay, or Bey, title among Turkish peoples traditionally given to rulers of small tribal groups, to members of ruling families, and to important officials. Under the Ottoman Empire a bey was the governor of a province, distinguished by his own flag (sancak, liwa). In Tunis after 1705 the title become hereditary for the country's sovereign. Later “bey” became a general title of respect in Turkish

Star Catalog

2004-12-26T02:50:00.000-08:00

Hipparchus completed the first known

Silchar

2004-12-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

City, southern Assam state, northeastern India. Situated on the Surma River near the Bangladesh border, it is a trade and processing centre for tea, rice, and other agricultural products. There is limited industry, principally papermaking and tea-box manufacturing. The city has an airport and lies on both a rail line and a motor road connecting Aizawl in Mizoram state

Turin Papyrus

2004-12-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Turin Papyrus Of Kings, or Turin Canon, hieratic manuscript of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, listing the kings of Egypt from earliest times to the reign of Ramses II (1279–13 BC), under whom it was written. Although the papyrus, now in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, is in very fragmentary condition, it is still considered the most detailed and reliable of the existing Egyptian king lists. It lists not only names but also

Gaur

2004-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

(Bos gaurus), one of several species of wild cattle, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). The gaur lives in small herds in the mountain forests of India, Southeast Asia, and the Malay Peninsula. Larger than any other wild cattle, it attains a shoulder height of 1.8 m (6 feet) or more. It is heavy-bodied and typically blue-eyed and has curving horns, a high ridge on the forepart

Ayllón, Lucas Vázquez De

2004-12-22T01:51:00.000-08:00

Going to the West Indies in 1502, he became a judge in the colonial administration of Hispaniola (Santo Domingo). In 1520 he went to Mexico to mediate the dispute between the Spanish commanders Hernán Cortés and Diego Velázquez. An expedition sent by him under

Computers, Commodore and Tandy enter the field

2004-12-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

The next year, another established company entered the

Machado De Assis, Joaquim Maria

2004-12-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

The son of a house painter of mixed black and Portuguese ancestry, he was raised, after his mother's death, by a stepmother,

Fabry's Disease

2004-12-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Angiokeratoma Corporis Diffusum, sex-linked hereditary disease in which a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A results in abnormal deposits of a glycosphingolipid (ceramide trihexoside) in the blood vessels. These deposits in turn produce heart and kidney disturbances resulting in a marked reduction in life expectancy. Distinctive clusters of dark red granules in the skin on the

Tabwa

2004-12-18T05:09:00.000-08:00

Tabwa observe matrilineal

Harappa

2004-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Village on the left bank of a now dry course of the Ravi River, west-southwest of the town of Sahiwal, in the Punjab, in eastern Pakistan. The village stands on an extensive series of mounds in which excavations since 1921 have disclosed the remains of a large city of the Indus civilization (q.v.), in size second only to Mohenjo-daro, which lies about 400 miles (644 km) to the southwest. The English

Hoodmold

2004-12-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Also called dripstone , or label molding projecting from the face of the wall, immediately above an arch or opening whose curvature or outline it follows. The hoodmold, which originated during the Romanesque period to protect carved moldings and to direct rainwater away from the opening, was later developed into an important decorative feature. It appears almost universally over exterior arches

Sabine River

2004-12-14T00:27:00.000-08:00

River in the southwestern United States, rising in northeastern Texas and flowing southeast and south, broadening near its mouth to form Sabine Lake, and continuing from Port Arthur through Sabine Pass, a dredged navigable channel, to the Gulf of Mexico after a course of 578 mi (930 km). It drains 10,400 sq mi (26,950 sq km), entirely in Texas and the Louisiana Coastal Plain. The Sabine has successively

Alberdi, Juan Bautista

2004-12-13T01:57:00.000-08:00

As an opponent of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, Alberdi went into exile in 1838, studying law in Uruguay and also living in Chile and in Europe. After the overthrow of Rosas in 1852, Alberdi wrote

Quaker Foods And Beverages

2004-12-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Quaker Oats trademark was registered in 1877 by Henry Parsons Crowell (1855–1944), an Ohio milling company owner who in 1891 joined with two other millers, Robert Stuart and

Biblical Literature, The Second Letter of John

2004-12-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

II John warns a specific church (or perhaps churches), designated as “the elect lady and her children,” against the influence of the Docetic heresy combatted in I John, whose proponents lured Christians from “following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.” In II John, as in the Gospel According to John and I John, the light–darkness images are similar to those

Clairvoyance

2004-12-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

(French: “clear seeing”), knowledge of information not necessarily known to any other person, not obtained by ordinary channels of perceiving or reasoning; thus a form of extrasensory perception ESP. Spiritualists also use the term to mean seeing or hearing (clairaudience) the spirits of the dead that are said to surround the living. Parapsychological research, using

Arabia, History Of, The gulf states

2004-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

In 1835 the Qawasim coastal tribes of the Persian Gulf, earlier conquered and inspired by the Wahhabis, were induced to bind themselves by a maritime truce to end hostilities with the British by sea, and the truce was made permanent in 1853. In Oman, Sultan ibn Ahmad, revolting against his uncle the imam in 1793, gained mastery of the coastal towns. The British made Omani Zanzibar, in East Africa,

Platt, Orville Hitchcock

2004-12-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

Platt began the practice of law in Meriden, Conn., in 1850 and was active in Connecticut politics, serving as secretary of state (1857), state senator (1861–62), and member of the

Vyshny Volochyok

2004-12-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vyshnii Volochek , or Višnij Volocok city, Tver oblast (province), western Russia. The city's importance began in the 18th century as a result of its position on the highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It soon became important for its textiles and hosiery, and today it also has industries in the woodworking, paper, and food-processing fields. There is a textile college and a medical school. The city is often

France, History Of, Institutions

2004-12-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

The institutions of government underwent great changes under the Frankish monarchs.

Medicine

2004-12-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

The subject of medicine is treated in a number of articles, the principal of which is medicine, history of. For a treatment of general considerations and current techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, see diagnosis and therapeutics. For fields

Base

2004-12-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Radix, in mathematics, an arbitrarily chosen number in terms of which any number can be expressed. See number system.

Extrinsicism

2004-12-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

In Christian thought, for example, this is illustrated by the tendency

Tasmania, The economy

2004-12-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Tasmania is well endowed with mineral, forest, water, and tourist resources. It has a diversity of economic activity and fairly stable labour relations. Its economy, however, suffers markedly from the small scale of much of its resource base, from restricted local markets, and from problems of transport to external markets. The Tasmanian Development Authority seeks

Andreini, Giovambattista

2004-11-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

Andreini began his stage career with the Compagnia dei Gelosi founded by his parents, but about 1601 he formed his

B-17

2004-11-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. The B-17 was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company to specifications written in 1934. A prototype flew in 1935, and the craft was in small-scale production in 1937. The seventh substantial variation of the original design, the B-17G, was equipped with superchargers to allow it to cruise at 35,000 feet (10,670 m) at a maximum speed of 287 miles per hour (462 km/h). It was called

Middle Comedy

2004-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Style of drama that prevailed in Athens from about 400 BC to about 320 BC. Preoccupied with social themes, Middle Comedy represents a transition from Old Comedy, which presented literary, political, and philosophical commentary interspersed with scurrilous personal invective, to New Comedy, with its gently satiric observation of contemporary domestic life. Aristophanes'

Canals And Inland Waterways

2004-11-28T01:01:00.000-08:00

Despite modern technological advances in air and ground transportation, inland waterways continue to fill a vital role and, in many areas, to grow substantially. This article traces the history of canal building from the earliest times to the present day and describes

Olson, Charles (john)

2004-11-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

Olson was educated at Wesleyan University, where he earned an M.A. in 1933. He taught at Clark University, Harvard University, and Radcliffe College, but his real influence began in the late 1940s as an instructor and then as rector (1951–56) at Black

Arachnid, Annotated classification

2004-11-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Chelicerate arthropods with adult body composed of 18 somites, divided into anterior prosoma (6 somites) and posterior opisthosoma

Van Peebles, Melvin

2004-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A., 1953), Van Peebles traveled extensively

Ogburn, William Fielding

2004-11-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Ogburn was a professor at Columbia University (1919–27) and the University of Chicago (1927–51). He frequently served as a labour mediator

Holi

2004-11-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hindu spring festival celebrated on the full-moon day of Phalguna (February–March). The festival, probably of ancient origin, has many characteristics of a saturnalia. Participants throw coloured waters and powders on one another, and, on this one day only, the usual restrictions of caste, sex, status, and age are disregarded. In the streets the celebrations are often marked

Music

2004-11-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

Both the simple folk song and the complex electronic composition belong to the same activity, music. Both are humanly engineered; both are conceptual and auditory, and

China, Reorganization of the KMT

2004-11-20T04:06:00.000-08:00

The KMT held its First National Congress in Canton on Jan. 20–30, 1924. Borodin, who had reached Canton in October 1923, began to advise Sun in the reorganization of his party. He prepared a constitution and helped draft a party program as a set of basic national policies. Delegates from throughout China and from overseas branches of the party adopted the program and the new constitution.

Portico

2004-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

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

Stone Age, Egypt

2004-11-17T05:32:00.000-08:00

The Pleistocene terrace gravels of the Nile Valley in Egypt have produced a wealth of Paleolithic materials. The 30-metre terrace contains typical Abbevillian and early Acheulean hand axes, including a special form with a triangular section known as the Chalossian type. These are associated with primitive flake implements. In the 15-metre terrace, developed Acheulean

Agrippina The Elder

2004-11-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

Agrippina was married to Germanicus Caesar (great-nephew of Augustus and nephew and adopted son of Tiberius). She accompanied her husband to Germany and to the East, where he died

Spadebill

2004-11-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Any of six species of New World flycatchers (family Tyrannidae, order Passeriformes) whose triangular bill is very broad and flat. The white-throated, or stub-tailed, spadebill (Platyrinchus mystaceus), scarcely 10 centimetres (4 inches) long, is the most widespread species; it inhabits forest undergrowth from southern Mexico to Argentina in southern South America.

General Grant National Memorial

2004-11-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Grant's Tomb, mausoleum of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in New York City, standing on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. It was designed by John H. Duncan. The monument, 150 feet (46 m) high in gray granite, was erected at a cost of $600,000 raised by public contributions. It was dedicated April 27, 1897, and made a national memorial in 1959. The memorial is a combination of several classical styles, its lower section

Nicobar Islands

2004-11-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

Island group, Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India. The islands lie in the Bay of Bengal and have a land area of 711 square miles (1,841 square km). With the nearby Andaman Islands, they constitute a union territory of India (see Andaman and Nicobar Islands). The Nicobar group includes the islands of Car Nicobar (north), Camorta (Kamorta) and Nancowry (central group), and

Scandinavian Literature, Prose

2004-11-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Prose literature of the 14th century included several sagas. Among them were the Finnboga saga ramma (“Saga of Finnbogi the Strong”), about a 10th-century hero, and another telling the love story of its hero Víglundr. Sagas about bishops, already a theme in the 13th century, became more numerous, as did lives of foreign saints. A large collection of exempla (moral tales) was also made,

Fairfield

2004-11-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

In the mid-18th century the area's favourable climate

Nitrous Acid

2004-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

Nitrous acid decomposes into nitric oxide,

Botany

2004-11-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Branch of biology that deals with the study of plants, including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes. Also included are plant classification and the study of plant diseases and of interactions with the environment. The principles and findings of botany have provided the base for such applied sciences as agriculture, horticulture, and

Sea Pansy

2004-11-08T00:43:00.000-08:00

Any of certain marine animals of the sea pen (q.v.) group.

Waccho

2004-11-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

Waccho assassinated his uncle Tato and usurped the throne about 510, ruling for 30 years. Tato's son and grandson took refuge with the king of a neighbouring people, the Gepidae, making several fruitless attempts to

Deng Yingchao

2004-11-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

Deng's involvement in political and social causes began in her youth. She joined the movement to abolish the custom of binding women's feet