Themistocles

Athenian politician and naval strategist who was the creator of Athenian sea power and the chief saviour of Greece from subjection to the Persian Empire at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC.

Annelid

Phylum name �Annelida, �also called �segmented worm, � any member of a phylum of invertebrate animals that are characterized by the possession of a body cavity (or coelom), movable bristles (or setae), and a body divided into segments by transverse rings, or annulations, from which they take their name. The coelom is reduced in leeches, and setae are lacking a few specialized forms, including leeches. A major invertebrate phylum

Strategy

In warfare, the science or art of employing all the military, economic, political, and other resources of a nation to achieve the objects of war.

Canada East

Settled primarily by French Canadians who wanted to preserve their distinctive identity and cultural traditions, Canada East was reluctant to join the proposed confederation

Astronaut

Person trained to pilot a spacecraft, operate any of its various systems, or conduct scientific experiments aboard such a craft during spaceflights. The term is commonly applied to those participating in U.S. space missions, as opposed to the designation cosmonaut used to refer to Soviet space travelers. The U.S. Department of Defense awards the rating of astronaut

Chad, Lake

French �Lac Tchad, � freshwater lake located in the Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at the conjunction of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. It is situated in an interior basin formerly occupied by a much larger ancient sea that is sometimes called Mega-Chad. Lake Chad ranks as the fourth largest lake in Africa, though its surface area varies greatly. When the surface of the lake is

Hamadryas

Also called �Sacred Baboon, or Arabian Baboon� (species Papio hamadryas), large, powerful monkey of the plains and open-rock areas of southern Arabia and northeast Africa. It has gray fur, and the male has a full mane over the forepart of the body. Length of the hamadryas is about 60 - 70 cm (24 - 28 inches), and weight may be up to 18 kg (40 pounds). The hamadryas is similar in habit to other baboon species but seems to live in smaller

Norfolk Island Pine

The wood of large trees is used in construction, furniture,

Wen-wang

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

Philippines, The early republic

Roxas, as expected, extended amnesty to all major collaborators with Japan. In the campaign for the election of 1949 there was an attempt to raise the collaboration issue against Jos� Laurel, the Nacionalista presidential candidate, but it was not effective. In the fluidity of Philippine politics, �guerrillas� and �collaborators� were by that time to be found on both sides

Philippines, The early republic

Roxas, as expected, extended amnesty to all major collaborators with Japan. In the campaign for the election of 1949 there was an attempt to raise the collaboration issue against Jos� Laurel, the Nacionalista presidential candidate, but it was not effective. In the fluidity of Philippine politics, �guerrillas� and �collaborators� were by that time to be found on both sides

Sunbeam Snake

(Xenopeltis unicolor), primitive, little-known burrowing serpent found in cultivated and other open regions of India and southeast Asia. It is sometimes classified as the sole member of the family Xenopeltidae. Its colour is dark brown or black, but it is highly iridescent (hence the common name). The sunbeam snake reaches a length of 1 m (about 3 feet). It feeds on lizards, other

Gaur

(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

Clover

Any member of the genus Trifolium, of the pea family (Fabaceae), comprising 300 or more annual and perennial species, occurring in most temperate and subtropical regions (except Southeast Asia and Australia). The alternate leaves are compound, usually with three toothed leaflets. The very small, fragrant flowers are crowded into dense heads, or spikes. The small,

Aquatint

A variety of etching widely used by printmakers to achieve a broad range of tonal values. The process is called aquatint because finished prints often resemble watercolour drawings or wash drawings. The technique consists of exposing a copperplate to acid through a layer of granulated resin or sugar. The acid bites away the plate only in the interstices between

Skeletal System, Human

The internal skeleton that serves as a framework for the body. This framework consists of many individual bones and cartilages. There also are bands of fibrous connective tissue, the ligaments and tendons, in intimate relationship with the parts of the skeleton. This article is concerned primarily with the gross structure and the function of the skeleton of the

Skeletal System, Human

The internal skeleton that serves as a framework for the body. This framework consists of many individual bones and cartilages. There also are bands of fibrous connective tissue, the ligaments and tendons, in intimate relationship with the parts of the skeleton. This article is concerned primarily with the gross structure and the function of the skeleton of the

Argali

(Ovis ammon), the largest living wild sheep, found in the highlands of eastern Central Asia. It may stand 1.3 m (4 feet) high at the shoulders and weigh more than 140 kg (300 pounds). Large horns, present in the rams, are especially massive in the Pamir argali, or Marco Polo sheep, in which they may be 1.8 m (6 feet) or more in length.

Duckpins

Bowling game played on a standard tenpin lane with smaller pins and balls. Duckpins are 9.4 inches (23.3 cm) tall. The ball that is used to knock the pins down is a maximum of 5 inches in diameter and 3 pounds 12 ounces (1.7 kg) in weight, and it has no finger holes. Three balls may be rolled in each frame of the 10-frame game. There is no bonus for knocking down all 10 pins with three balls. Other rules are

Bosch, Carl

Bosch was educated at the University of Leipzig, where he studied under Johannes Wislicenus and obtained

Daikoku

In Japanese mythology, one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Gods of Luck); the god of wealth and guardian of farmers. He is depicted in legend and art as dark-skinned, stout, carrying a wish-granting mallet in his right hand, a bag of precious things slung over his back, and sitting on two rice bags. Rats are sometimes shown nibbling at the rice, further emphasizing the theme of

Computers, ALGOL

During the late 1950s a multitude of programming languages appeared. This proliferation

Huysum, Jan Van

He was the eldest son of Justus van Huysum, a versatile painter whose subjects included landscapes, seascapes, battle scenes, portraits, and flowers. Jan van Huysum studied under his father but soon surpassed him in skill. He specialized in exquisitely detailed, dramatically

Shamanism, Drama and dance

Shamanic symbolism is impressively presented in dramatic enactment and dance, as observed among the peoples where the shamanistic rites survived longest (such as the Samoyed, Tofalar, Buryat, and Tungus). The shaman, garbed in his ritual robes, lifts his voice in song to the spirits. This song is always improvised, with certain obligatory images and similes, dialogue,

Nietzsche, Friedrich

Apart from the books Nietzsche wrote between 1879 and 1889, it is doubtful that his life held any intrinsic interest. Seriously ill, half-blind, in virtually unrelenting pain, he lived in boarding houses in Switzerland, the French Riviera, and Italy, with only limited human contact. His friendship with Paul R�e was undermined by 1882 by their mutual if unacknowledged affection for

Tsuruoka

City, Yamagata ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, in the Shonai Plain. Tsuruoka developed as a castle town during the Tokugawa period (1603 - 1867), and most of its buildings are of that period. Traditional industries produce candles, silk textiles, and sake (rice wine). After the Meiji period (1868 - 1912), large textile and agricultural machinery factories became established. The city is also a distribution

Decapolis

League of 10 ancient Greek cities in eastern Palestine that was formed after the Roman conquest of Palestine in 63 BC, when Pompey the Great reorganized the Middle East to Rome's advantage and to his own. The name Decapolis also denotes the roughly contiguous territory formed by these cities, all but one of which lay east of the Jordan River. According to Pliny the Elder (Natural

Lurgan

Market town, Craigavon district (established 1973), formerly in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In 1610 James I granted land to John Brownlow, who formed an English colony there. By the end of the 17th century, linen manufacture, which is still the chief industry, was established. James Logan emigrated from Lurgan in 1699 to become one of the founders of Pennsylvania. Lurgan Castle (now

Mizo Hills

Formerly �Lushai Hills, � mountain range in southeastern Mizoram state, northeastern India, forming part of the north Arakan Yoma system. They rise to about 7,000 feet (2,125 m), and their slopes are covered with thick evergreen forest containing valuable timber and bamboo. In the intermontane valleys, slash-and-burn agriculture and some terrace cultivation are practiced.

Bon, Cape

Arabic �Ra's At-tib, � peninsula of northeastern Tunisia, 20 miles (32 km) wide and protruding 50 miles (80 km) into the Mediterranean Sea between the Gulf of Tunis and Khalij (gulf) al-Hammamat (Hammamet). Cape Bon was the site of the surrender of more than 250,000 Germans and Italians to the Allies in 1943. A region of hills and fertile plains, with a Mediterranean climate and adequate rainfall, it is noted for its irrigated

J.p. Morgan Chase

The Morgan branch of the corporation traces its history to J.P. Morgan and Company, Inc. (established 1895), and Guaranty Trust Company of New York (1864), which merged in 1959. The bank was renamed Morgan Guaranty