HighKettle

Scherrer, Paul

2005-11-18T03:40:00.000-08:00

Scherrer spent most of his life in Zürich, where he was professor of physics (1916–60) and director (1920–60) of the Physics

Vadianus, Joachim

2005-10-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

Crowned poet laureate by the Habsburg emperor Maximilian (1514), Vadianus served as rector at the University of Vienna (1516–17) and supervised the publication of the works of various ancient writers, notably Ovid and Pliny the

Disco

2005-07-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Initially ignored by radio, disco received its first significant exposure in deejay-based underground clubs that catered to black, gay, and

Clare, John

2005-07-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Clare grew up in extreme poverty and began work as a herder at the age of seven. Though he had little access to books, he had a prodigious memory, and his poetic gift, which revealed itself early, was nourished by his parents' store of

Processionary Caterpillar

2005-07-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Larval stage characteristic of the small insect family Thaumetopoeidae (order Lepidoptera), sometimes classified as part of the prominent moth family (Notodontidae). These hairy caterpillars live in communal webs and march in columns to their food source. During the movement each larva lays down a silken thread. The large adults have

Roberts, Kenneth (lewis)

2005-06-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

Roberts worked as a journalist until 1917, when he began service as a captain in the Intelligence Section of the U.S. Army's Siberian Expeditionary Force. He was staff correspondent of the Saturday Evening Post from 1919 until

Gia Dinh

2005-06-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Town just north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), southern Vietnam, in an area of intensive rice cultivation. It has several hospitals and an institution of higher learning. The Gia Dinh industrial park includes rubber tire and textile plants. It was largely ruined during the 1968 Viet Cong Tet offensive but subsequently rebuilt. Pop. (1971 est.) 400,109.

Succinic Acid

2005-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Succinic acid was first obtained as a distillation product of amber (Latin: succinum), for which it is named. The

'amiriyah, Al-

2005-05-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Formerly Maryut industrial district of al-Iskandariyah (Alexandria) muhafazah (governorate), northern Egypt. The centre of the 913-sq-mi (2,365-sq-km) district, which adjoins Lake Maryut (Mareotis) on the southwest, is al-'Amiriyah town. This town was originally a small gypsum-mining centre on the desert roads leading south to Cairo and west along the coast to Marsa Matruh. Al-'Amiriyah's modern development began in

Hvarenah

2005-05-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

In Zoroastrianism, the attribute of kingly glory. Introduced to the Persian religion from Iran as part of Mithraism, hvarenah is thought of as a shining halo that descends on a leader and makes him sacred. The king thus proclaims himself divine and can rule with absolute power in the name of God. The concept of hvarenah was especially popular with the Roman emperors,

Indonesian Languages

2005-03-15T05:07:00.000-08:00

Broadly, the Austronesian languages of island Southeast Asia as a whole, including the languages of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and the outlying areas of Madagascar and of Palau and the Mariana Islands of western Micronesia. A more restricted core area includes only the languages of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The term has been used

Biblical Literature, Masoretic texts

2005-03-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

The earliest extant Hebrew

Eureka Stockade

2005-03-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

The rebellion was the culmination of long-standing grievances on the part of the miners, or �diggers,� over exorbitant prospecting-license fees, brutal police procedures

Arabian Basin

2005-03-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

Submarine basin of the southern Arabian Sea, rising to meet the submerged Carlsberg Ridge to the south, the Maldive Island chain to the southeast, India and Pakistan to the northeast, Iran to the north, and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. It has a maximum depth of 19,275 feet (5,875 m) and is separated by the Carlsberg Ridge from the deeper Somali Basin to the south and west. The sill

Kyoga Lake

2005-03-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Kioga Lake, � lake in central Uganda, East Africa, north of Lake Victoria, formed by the Victoria Nile in its middle course. The many-armed lake is shallow, with swampy, papyrus-reeded shores; masses of papyrus are broken loose by strong winds and sometimes have completely blocked the river. Navigation for shallow-draft vessels is possible between Namasagali and Masindi Port. The

Lanai

2005-03-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Island, Maui county, Hawaii, U.S., across the Auau channel from Maui Island. Formed by the extinct volcano Palawai (3,370 feet [1,027 m]), it has an area of 140 square miles (363 square km). In 1854 a group of Mormon elders formed a colony there that failed 10 years later. Lanai was used primarily for cattle grazing until 1922, when it was purchased by the Dole Corporation for use as a pineapple plantation. In 1961, Castle

Aldrovandi, Ulisse

2005-03-08T02:21:00.000-08:00

After studying mathematics, Latin, law, and philosophy, Aldrovandi went to Padua in about 1545 to continue his studies. There he began to study medicine, the field in which he eventually earned a degree in 1553. On his return

Police Gazette, The

2005-03-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

The original Gazette, the Quarterly Pursuit, was founded in 1772 by John Fielding, chief magistrate of the Bow Street Police Court, then seat of London's police forces.

Jacobs, Helen Hull

2005-03-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Jacobs was the national junior tennis champion in 1924 - 25 and attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 1926 to 1929. She was defeated by Helen Wills in the 1928 finals at Forest Hills, New York, and in the Wimbledon

Amplifier

2005-03-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

In electronics, device that responds to a small input signal (voltage, current, or power) and delivers a larger output signal that contains the essential waveform features of the input signal. Amplifiers of various types are widely used in such electronic equipment as radio and television receivers, high-fidelity audio equipment, and computers. Amplifying action

Sabratha

2005-03-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Sabrata, � western-most of the three cities of ancient Tripolis, located near the modern town of Sabratah, west of Tripoli, in Libya. Founded by the Carthaginians as a trading post, it was first permanently settled in the 4th century BC. Sabratha had a modest natural harbour, later improved by the Romans, and together with Oea (Tripoli) it served as an outlet for the trans-Saharan caravan

Sha-ch'ing

2005-03-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

The artifacts of the group were mainly brick-red gritty bowls, stone tools, and large tri-legged vessels of grey pottery. Evidence of bronze

Gondophernes

2005-03-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

Gondophernes was first known from the apocryphal

Ear, Human, Outer ear

2005-03-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

The most striking differences between the human ear and the ears of other mammals are in the structure of the outermost part, the auricle (Figure 1). In humans the auricle is an almost rudimentary, usually immobile shell that lies close to the side of the head. It consists of a thin plate of yellow fibrocartilage covered by closely adherent skin. The cartilage is molded

H�

2005-02-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

H�leg�, a grandson of Genghis Khan, was appointed by his brother

Aerosmith

2005-02-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

American heavy metal band. One of the biggest arena-rock attractions of the late 1970s, Aerosmith became even more popular with its career revival in the mid-1980s. Principal members were Steven Tyler (byname of Steven Tallarico; b. March 26, 1948, New York, New York, U.S.), Joe Perry (b. September 10, 1950, Boston, Massachusetts), Brad Whitford (b. February 23, 1952, Winchester, Massachusetts), Tom Hamilton (b. December

Generation Of 1898

2005-02-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

The shock of Spain's defeat in the war, which left it stripped of the last vestiges of its empire and its international prestige,

Processionary Caterpillar

2005-02-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Abbado, Claudio

2005-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

One of a long line of Milanese musicians - his father, Michelangelo Abbado, was a violinist - Claudio Abbado at first studied privately. He entered the Giuseppe

Pacemaker

2005-02-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

A healthy human heart contains its own electrical conducting system capable of controlling both the rate and the order of cardiac contractions. Electrical impulses are generated at

Alamosa

2005-02-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1913) of Alamosa county, southern Colorado, U.S. It lies along the Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley, on the western flank of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Founded as Garland City near the site of a small encampment outside the gates of Fort Garland (1858), a cavalry post once commanded by Christopher �Kit� Carson, Alamosa (Spanish: �Cottonwood�) was a terminus of the Denver and

Christian-jaque

2005-02-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Christian-Jaque was educated at the School of Fine Arts and the School of Decorative Arts, both in Paris. He started his career as a journalist and film critic and in 1926 entered the film industry

Lockhart, John Gibson

2005-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Lockhart, the son of a Presbyterian minister descended from the landed gentry, studied at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford and began the practice

Confucianism, The Sung masters

2005-02-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Sung dynasty (960 - 1279) was militarily weak and much smaller than the T'ang, but its cultural splendour and economic prosperity were unprecedented in human history. The Sung's commercial revolution produced flourishing markets, densely populated urban centres, elaborate communication networks, theatrical performances, literary groups, and popular religions - developments

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Philosophical treatises

2005-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

De ente et essentia (before 1256; On Being and Essence, 1949); Contra impugnantes Dei cultum et religionem (1256; An Apology for the Religious Orders, 1902); De regno (De regimine principum) ad regem Cypri (1266; On Kingship, 1949); De perfectione vitae spiritualis (1269 - 70); De unitate intellectus contra Averroistas (1270; The Unicity of the Intellect, 1946); De aeternitate mundi contra murmurantes (1270 - 72); De substantiis separatis, seu de angelorum natura (undated; Treatise on Separate Substances, 1959).

Dieting

2005-02-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Regulating one's food intake for the purpose of improving one's physical condition, especially for the purpose of reducing obesity, or what is conceived to be excess body fat. Dieting plans are based on the reduction of any of the macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) that constitute the major portions of food that a person eats (other than water) and that

Camden

2005-02-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1791) of Kershaw county, in north-central South Carolina, U.S. It was founded by English settlers along the Wateree River about 1733 and was originally known as Pine Tree Hill. It changed its name in 1768 to honour Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a British supporter of the colonial cause and became a contested site in the American Revolution (see Camden, Battle of). Afterward Camden

Appoggiatura

2005-02-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

(from Italian appoggiare, �to lean�), in music, an ornamental note of long or short duration that temporarily displaces, and subsequently resolves into, a main note, usually by stepwise motion. During the Renaissance and early Baroque, the appoggiatura was of moderate length, averaging one-third of the main note, and was more in the nature of a melodic than a harmonic ornament.

Durango

2005-02-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

State, north central Mexico. It is bounded by the states of Chihuahua (north), Coahuila and Zacatecas (east), Jalisco and Nayarit (south), and Sinaloa (west). The western portion of the state's 47,560 sq mi (123,181 sq km) of territory lies within the mineral-laden Sierra Madre Occidental; semiarid plains, used for ranching, comprise the eastern portion. Coursing eastward from the Sierra Madre,

Wichale, Treaty Of

2005-02-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Article XVII of the Treaty of Wichale stated that the emperor of Ethiopia �could� have

Ribeiro, Bernardim

2005-02-10T01:32:00.000-08:00

Ribeiro was

Syracuse

2005-02-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

The site, once the territory of the Onondaga Indians and headquarters of the Iroquois Confederacy, was visited by explorers Samuel de Champlain in 1615 and Pierre Esprit, sieur de Radisson (while a captive of the Mohawks), in 1651. The Jesuit

Neal, Patricia

2005-02-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

Neal studied theatre at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and then moved to New York City after landing an understudy assignment for the play The Voice of the

Bulbil

2005-02-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �bulbel�, also called �bulblet, � in botany, tiny secondary bulb that forms in the angle between a leaf and stem or in place of flowers on certain plants. Bulbils, called offsets when full-sized, fall or are removed and planted to produce new plants. They are especially common among such plants as onions and lilies.

Radioactive Fallout

2005-02-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

The deposition of radioactive materials on the Earth from the atmosphere. See fallout.

Trevelyan, G(eorge) M(acaulay)

2005-02-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

The third son of Sir George Otto Trevelyan, he was educated

Poland

2005-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

Parliamentary elections in September 1997 brought a dramatic reversal in Polish politics. The Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS), a loose coalition of some 30 right-wing groups dominated

Taraba

2005-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Most of the northern part of the state is a wooded savanna region drained by the Benue River and its tributaries.

Ascham, Roger

2005-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

As a boy of 14, Ascham entered the University of Cambridge, where he later took his M.A. and was elected a fellow of St. John's and appointed reader in Greek. The new Renaissance enthusiasm for the classics, especially

Tyard, Pontus De

2005-01-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

Tyard was seigneur (lord) of Bissy-sur-Fley and an associate of the Lyonese poets, especially Maurice Sc�ve. In 1551 he translated Le�n Hebreo's Dialoghi di amore (�Dialogues

Lens

2005-01-30T05:56:00.000-08:00

Industrial town, Pas-de-Calais d�partement, Nord-Pas-de-Calais r�gion, northern France, south-southwest of Lille. It is the chief urban centre of the Pas-de-Calais coal basin (a portion of which was scheduled to be abandoned after 1983); the urban agglomeration includes the mining settlements of Li�vin, Bruay-en-Artois, and H�nin-Li�tard. The town is active in both service industries

Robert I

2005-01-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

Original name �Robert VIII de Bruce, or Robert the Bruce � king of Scotland (1306 - 29), who freed Scotland from English rule, winning the decisive Battle of Bannockburn (1314) and ultimately confirming Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).

Gu

2005-01-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

The bronze gu was produced during

Turkey, Government

2005-01-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Following a period of authoritarian, one-party rule under the first president of the republic, Mustafa Kemal (Atat�rk; 1923 - 38), and his successor, Ismet In�n� (1938 - 50), multiparty democracy was instituted in 1950. Parliamentary democracy has for the most part remained in force since that date, although it has been interrupted by brief periods of military government at times when civilian

Shabestari, Sa'd Od-din Mahmud

2005-01-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

The details of Shabestari's life are obscure; apparently he spent most of it in Tabriz. He grew up in an age of spiritual confusion, following the Mongol invasion of Iran, the sack of Baghdad, and the final fall of the

Nahyan, Shaykh Shakhbut Ibn Sultan An-

2005-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

As ruler of the largest emirate within the British-controlled Trucial Coast, Shakhbut maintained friendly relations with the United Kingdom and successfully resisted territorial incursions in a prolonged border dispute with Saudi Arabia. He was

Akund Floss

2005-01-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

Also called �Calotropis Floss, � downy seed fibre obtained from Calotropis procera and C. gigantea, plants of the Asclepiadaceae family. The plants are native to southern Asia and Africa and were introduced to South America and the islands of the Caribbean. The yellowish material is made up of thin fibres 2 to 3 cm (0.75 to 1.12 inches) long and 12 to 42 microns (a micron is about 0.00004 inch) in diameter and is harvested by hand.

Ferri, Ciro

2005-01-23T04:35:00.000-08:00

When he was a little past 30, Ferri completed the painting of the ceilings and other internal decorations begun by his master in the Pitti Palace, Florence. He also cooperated in or finished

Gadsden

2005-01-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1866) of Etowah county, northeastern Alabama, U.S. It is situated on the Coosa River in the Appalachian foothills, 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Birmingham. The original farming settlement was known as Double Springs, and the town was founded there in 1846 as a steamboat station. It was renamed for James Gadsden, who later negotiated the Gadsden Purchase (1853) of territory from Mexico.

Gadsden

2005-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

In American history, major New Deal program to restore agricultural prosperity by curtailing farm production, reducing export surpluses, and raising prices. The Agricultural Adjustment Act (May 1933) was an omnibus farm-relief bill embodying the schemes of the major national farm organizations. It established the Agricultural Adjustment Administration under

Monasticism, Sikhism

2005-01-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

Sikhism, founded by the Punjabi reformer Nanak, was and is a martial version of Hinduism. Of all the indigenous Indian religions, it was the least sympathetic to monastic inspirations. The aforementioned Sikh monastic Nirmal-akhada and the quasi-monastic Nihang Sahibs are patently compromises with the overall Indian trend to establish monastic traditions to express

Gneisenau, August, Count (graf) Neidhardt Von

2005-01-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Of impoverished noble parentage, Gneisenau served in the Austrian army and with an Ansbach regiment under

Nephridium

2005-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Nephridia occur in two

Aust-agder

2005-01-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

Fylke (county), southern Norway. With an area of 3,557 square miles (9,212 square km), it extends 120 miles (190 km) northwestward into the mountains from the coastline on the Skagerrak (strait between Norway and Denmark). The landscape is broken and uneven, with the Setes Valley in the west bounded by steep coniferous-forested mountains rising to 3,500 feet (1,070 m); branching valleys in the middle of the

Ring-necked Duck

2005-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

(species Aythya collaris), diving duck (family Anatidae), a popular game bird that is considered excellent table fare. The ring-necked duck is about 43 cm (17 inches) long. The male has a purplish black, iridescent head, a black back, and gray sides with a vertical wedge-shaped white patch in front of the wing. The female is brown with a white eye ring. Both sexes have an inconspicuous

Marie-antoinette

2005-01-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

The 11th daughter of the Holy Roman emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, Marie-Antoinette was married in 1770 to the dauphin Louis, grandson of

Cam

2005-01-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

Cams are made in a variety of forms, such as: (1) a rotating disk

Xenakis, Iannis

2005-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Romanian-born Greek-French composer and architect (b. May 29, 1922, Braila, Rom. - d. Feb. 4, 2001, Paris, France), based his music on mathematical principles, particularly theories of probability. Although his music was generated by the rigorous application of nonmusical ideas, the results were often powerful and moving. He created orchestral, ensemble, and solo works for traditional instruments

Nagual

2005-01-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

The person who is

Nepos, Cornelius

2005-01-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

Nepos came, like Catullus, from northern Italy. His principal writings were De viris illustribus (�On Famous Men�), comprising brief biographies of distinguished Romans and foreigners; Chronica, which introduced to the Roman reader a Greek invention, the universal

China, Tibet and Nepal

2005-01-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

Ch'ing control of Tibet reached its height in 1792. But thereafter China became unable to protect Tibet from foreign invasion. When an army from northern India invaded western Tibet in 1841, China could not afford to reinforce the Tibetans, who expelled the enemy on their own. China was a mere bystander during a coup d'�tat in Lhasa in 1844 and could not protect Tibet when it was invaded

Sorin, Edward Frederick

2005-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

Sorin was ordained a priest in 1838, and two years later he joined the Congregation of Holy Cross, a group of priests and brothers organized at Le Mans, Fr. Sorin and six brothers went to Vincennes, Ind., in 1841 at the invitation of Bishop C�lestine

Biblical Literature, Rule by the Herods

2005-01-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Herods who followed were under the control of Rome. Herod the Great, son of Antipater of Idumaea, was made king of Judaea, having sided with Rome, and he ruled with Roman favour (37 - 4 BC). Though he was a good statesman and architect, he was hated by the Jews as a foreigner and semi-Jew. Jesus was born a few years before the end of his reign, and �the slaughter of the innocents,� young children

Pyrrhus

2005-01-07T01:38:00.000-08:00

Upon becoming ruler at the age of 12, Pyrrhus allied himself with Demetrius, son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus of Macedonia.

Tonga

2005-01-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Tongan economy. Coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans constitute the main cash crops, and other important crops include yams, taro, cassava, corn (maize), watermelons, pineapples, and tomatoes. All land is essentially owned by the Crown, but large estates have been divided among the nobles of Tonga. Land is parceled out to peasant proprietors:

Sandeau, L�onard-sylvain-julien

2005-01-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Sandeau became the lover of Amandine-Aurore-Lucie Dudevant (later known as George Sand) and worked with her on the novel Rose et Blanche (1831; �Red and White�), which was published under the pseudonym Jules Sand. At the end of 1832, she broke off the

Arts, Central Asian, Paleolithic cultures

2005-01-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

The earliest artifacts discovered in Central Asia were found in Siberia and western Turkistan and are from about the 13th millennium BC. During the millennia that followed, migrants entered the region from various directions, regardless of the geographic obstacles they encountered. As a result, some of their artifacts correspond with those produced at a similar

Guliston

2005-01-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Gulistan, �formerly �(until 1961) Mirzachul, � city, eastern Uzbekistan. It lies in the southeastern part of the Mirzach�l (formerly Golodnaya) steppe, 75 miles (120 km) southwest of Tashkent. It became important after irrigation works enabled cotton to be grown in the area. It served as the administrative centre of Syrdarya oblast (province) from 1963 to 1991, during the Soviet period. Pop. (1991 est.) 56,900.

1945--a Watershed Year

2005-01-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

The Test.--The first atomic bomb in the history of mankind was exploded at 5:30 A.M. on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo air base in the desert 120 mi. southeast of Albuquerque, N.M. The bomb had been placed on a tall steel tower while scientists and military experts occupied

Connecticut, Cultural life

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

Numerous sites important in Connecticut's past or associated with

Hoffmann, Josef

2004-12-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

Hoffman studied under Otto Wagner in Vienna and in 1899 joined in the founding of the Vienna Sezession, which, although influenced by the Art Nouveau movement, was more modernist than Wagner's approach. Beginning

Raccoon Dog

2004-12-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

(Nyctereutes procyonoides), member of the dog family (Canidae) native to eastern Asia and introduced into Europe. Some authorities place it in the raccoon family, Procyonidae. It resembles the raccoon in having dark facial markings that contrast with its yellowish brown coat, but it does not have a ringed tail. It has short, brown or blackish limbs, a heavy body, and rounded

Kiddush

2004-12-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Qiddush (Hebrew: �sanctification�)� Jewish benediction and prayer recited over a cup of wine immediately before the meal on the eve of the sabbath or of a festival; the ceremony acknowledges the sanctity of the day that has just begun. Chanting, or recitation, usually performed by the head of the household, may involve several or all members of the family, depending on the custom; each then sips wine from

Distribution Function

2004-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Mathematical expression that describes the probability that a system will take on a specific value or set of values. For example, the probability (dP) that a molecule of gas will be found with velocity components u, v, and w in the x, y, and z directions, respectively, is given by the product of the distribution function and the infinitesimal volume du dv dw; i.e., dP = f (u, v, w) du dv

Vaughan, Frankie

2004-12-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

British theatre and cabaret singer who was one of the most popular romantic crooners of the 1950s through the '90s; darkly handsome and elegantly dressed, �Mr. Moonlight� (as he was known from his signature tune, �Give Me the Moonlight�) also appeared on television in Britain, the U.S., and across Europe and in motion pictures, notably in a musical number with Marilyn Monroe in Let's

Nicholas Of Lyra,

2004-12-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

Becoming a Franciscan c. 1300, by 1309 Nicholas was a professor at the Sorbonne, where he taught for many years. From 1319 he headed the Franciscans in France and in 1325 founded the College

Waiuku

2004-12-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Town, Auckland local government region, northern North Island, New Zealand. It lies along the Waiuku estuary, which is the southern arm of Manukau Harbour. The settlement was founded in 1843 as a port on the route between Auckland and the agricultural area of the Waikato River to the south. Its function as a trading centre ceased with the Waikato War of 1863 - 64, when it was made a stockade.

Sayf Ad-dawlah

2004-12-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sayf ad-Dawlah began his career as lord of the city of Wasit in Iraq and became involved in the struggles of the 'Abbasid caliph (the titular leader of the

Activation Energy

2004-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, the minimum amount of energy that is required to activate atoms or molecules to a condition in which they can undergo chemical transformation or physical transport. In terms of the transition-state theory (q.v.), the activation energy is the difference in energy content between atoms or molecules in an activated or transition-state configuration and

Vanadium

2004-12-21T03:45:00.000-08:00

Vanadium was discovered

Kamenshek, Dorothy

2004-12-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

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

Clove Tree

2004-12-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Tropical tree, a species of the genus Eugenia (q.v.).

Furniture, Egypt

2004-12-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

Two ancient Egyptian chair forms, both the result of careful design, are known from discoveries made in tombs. One of these is a four-legged chair with a back, the other a folding stool. The classical Egyptian chair has four legs shaped like those of an animal, a curved seat, and a sloping back supported by vertical stretchers. In this way a strong triangular construction

Van Diemen's Land

2004-12-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

(1642 - 1855), the southeastern Australian island colony that became the commonwealth state of Tasmania. Named for Anthony van Diemen, governor general of the Dutch East Indies, the island was discovered and named in 1642 by Abel J. Tasman, a celebrated navigator under Van Diemen's command. The first British settlers in the early 19th century retained the name. After being a part of the

France, History Of, The kings and the royal government

2004-12-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

The French monarchy was greatly strengthened by Louis VII's successor, Philip II Augustus (ruled 1180 - 1223), who could claim descent from Charlemagne through his mother. Philip proved to be the ablest Capetian yet to reign. He was practical and clear-sighted in his political objectives; the extension of territorial power and the improvement of mechanisms with which to govern

Valens

2004-12-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

Eastern Roman emperor from 364 to 378. He was the younger brother of Valentinian I, who assumed the throne upon the death of the emperor Jovian (Feb. 17, 364). On March 28, 364, Valentinian appointed Valens to be co-emperor. Valens was assigned to rule the Eastern part of the empire, while Valentinian took the throne in the West. Soon Valens was challenged by the pagan Procopius, who had himself

Schlesinger, Arthur M(eier)

2004-12-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

Schlesinger graduated from Ohio State University in 1910. When he entered Columbia University, New York City, to continue graduate study in history, he came under the influence of the progressive scholarship of James H. Robinson,

C�mara, H�lder Pessoa

2004-12-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

C�mara was ordained a priest in 1931. In close collaboration with Monsignor Giovanni

Moses De Le�

2004-12-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

The details of Moses de Le�n's life, like those of most Jewish mystics,

China, Prosperity and progress

2004-12-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hs�an-tsung's reign (712 - 756) was the high point of the T'ang dynasty. It was an era of wealth and prosperity that saw institutional progress along with a flowering of the arts. Political life was at first dominated by the bureaucrats recruited through the examination system who had staffed the central government under Wu-hou. But a gradual revival of the power of the great aristocratic