RegularKey

Heuneburg

2005-11-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

Celtic fortified site overlooking the Danube River in Baden-Württemberg Land (state), Germany. Recent excavations have shown that the Heuneburg fort community carried on a prosperous trade with the Greeks at Massilia (Marseille) during the 6th century BC. Imported Greek black-figure pottery and Massiliote wine amphorae have been uncovered. Mediterranean influence

Extracellular Fluid

2005-10-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

In biology, body fluid that is not contained in cells. It is found in blood, in lymph, in body cavities lined with serous (moisture-exuding) membrane, in the cavities and channels of the brain and spinal cord, and in muscular and other body tissues. It differs from intracellular fluid (fluid within the cells) in that it generally has a high concentration of sodium and low concentration

Romanian Orthodox Church

2005-08-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Christianity first reached Dacia (roughly coextensive with modern Romania) under the Roman Empire at least as early as the 4th century

C.v.o.

2005-07-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, member of the third highest class of a British order of knighthood, although this rank does not confer knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

Azilian Industry

2005-07-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Tool tradition of Late Paleolithic and Early Mesolithic Europe, especially in France and Spain. The Azilian industry was preceded by the richer and more complex Magdalenian industry and was more or less contemporary with such industries as the Tardenoisian, Maglemosian, Ertebølle, and Asturian. Stone tools of the Azilian were mostly extremely small, called microliths,

Château

2005-07-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Originally, châteaus functioned as feudal communities; but with the rise of secular prosperity in the 14th century, the restrictive manorial system

Nizamabad

2005-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Also called Indur city, northwestern Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. The city is located on the Hyderabad–Godavari Valley line of the Central Railway, north-northwest of Hyderabad. Historical points of interest include a temple that now houses a water-supply tank and the fort of Indur. The city is also the site of several colleges affiliated with Osmania University in Hyderabad. Pop.

Nan-ga

2005-07-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

Also called Bunjin-ga (“Literati Painting”), style of painting practiced by numerous Japanese painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the most original and creative painters of the middle and late Edo period belonged to the Nan-ga school. The style is based on developments of 17th- and 18th-century individualism in the Ch'ing-dynasty painting of China. Nan-ga artists transformed as they borrowed,

Ma Yuan

2005-07-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Osvald Siren, Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and Principles, 7 vol. (1956–58, reissued 1974), is the standard history of Chinese painting. Ma Yuan's work is discussed in S. Shimada and Y. Yonezawa, Painting of Sung and Yuan Dynasties (1952); Kojiro Tomita, Portfolio of Chinese Paintings in the Museum: Han to Sung Periods, 2nd ed. (1938), from the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Sherman E. Lee, Chinese Landscape Painting, 2nd rev. ed. (1962); Laurence Sickman (ed.), Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection of John M. Crawford, Jr. (1962); James Francis Cahill, Chinese Painting, XI–XIV Centuries (1960); and Michael Sullivan, A Short History of Chinese Art, rev. ed. (1967, reissued 1970). The little available evidence on his position at the Southern Sung court is discussed in Chiang Chao-shen, “The Identity of Yang Mei-tzu and the Paintings of Ma Yuan,” National Palace Museum Bulletin, 2(2):1–15 and 2(3):8–14 (1967).

Chatter Mark

2005-06-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

Small, curved fracture found on glaciated rock surfaces. Chatter marks are commonly 1–5 centimetres ( 1/2–2 inches) but may be submicroscopic or as much as 50 cm in length. They occur mainly on hard, brittle rocks such as granite and are formed under a glacier by the pressure and impact of boulders moved along by irregular rolling or sliding. Chatter marks are commonly arranged

Biograph Company

2005-06-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of the major American motion-picture studios in the early days of filmmaking. Its most significant contribution to the film comes from the work of D.W. Griffith, the first great director, who developed the art of the cinema during his five years at Biograph. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company released its first film, Empire State Express, in 1896. It quickly became

Biblical Literature, The tribal league

2005-06-16T04:05:00.000-07:00

The invading tribes who became masters of parts of Canaan, although effectively autonomous and lacking a central authority, considered themselves a league of 12 tribes, although the number 12 seems to have been more canonical or symbolical than historical. Some scholars, on the analogy of Greek leagues of six or 12 tribes or cities with a common sanctuary, speak of the Israelite

Kukenaam Falls

2005-06-03T00:55:00.000-07:00

Spanish Salto Cuquenán, high waterfalls on the Guyana-Venezuelan border. They spring from a table mountain, Kukenaam (8,620 feet [2,627 m]), to the northwest of Mount Roraima (9,094 feet) and are the beginning of the Cuquenán River, a tributary of the Caroni River. The falls have a 2,000-foot (600-metre) drop, one of the highest drops in South America.

Arabic Literary Renaissance

2005-06-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

After the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt (1798) and the subsequent establishment of an autonomous and Western-minded ruling dynasty there, many Syrian and Lebanese writers sought out the freer environment of Egypt, making it

Strategic Weapons System

2005-05-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

Any weapons system designed to strike an enemy at the source of his military, economic, or political power. In practice, this means destroying a nation's cities, factories, military bases, transportation and communications infrastructure, and seat of government. Strategic weapons systems use atomic or thermonuclear devices, because only these weapons have sufficient

World War I, The war at sea, 191415

2005-05-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

In August 1914 Great Britain, with 29 capital ships ready and 13 under construction, and Germany, with 18 and nine, were the two great rival sea powers. Neither of them at first wanted a direct confrontation: the British were chiefly concerned with the protection of their trade routes; the Germans hoped that mines and submarine attacks would gradually destroy Great Britain's numerical

Pacific Mountain System, Climate

2005-05-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

The orientation of the Pacific mountains has a profound effect on the climate of the western United States and Canada. Regionally, they act as a barrier to storms from the Pacific Ocean, which especially in winter bring large quantities of precipitation to the western slopes of the ranges. For example, the highest annual precipitation levels in the 48 coterminous

Ustyurt Plateau

2005-03-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Kazak ��stirt�, Turkmen ��styurt� plateau in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan, lying between the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya (river) delta in the east and the Mangyshlak (Tupqarghan) Plateau and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol (Garabogazk�l; an inlet of the Caspian Sea) in the west. It has an area of about 77,000 square miles (about 200,000 square km) and an average elevation of about 500 feet (about 150 m), rising to a maximum of 1,200 feet (365 m) in the southwest. At its

Spring

2005-03-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

In hydrology, opening at or near the surface of the Earth for the discharge of water from underground sources. A spring is a natural discharge point of subterranean water at the surface of the ground or directly into the bed of a stream, lake, or sea. Water that emerges at the surface without a perceptible current is called a seep. Wells are holes excavated to bring water

Tigris-euphrates River System

2005-03-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

Great river system of Southwest Asia, comprising the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have their sources within 50 miles (80 km) of each other in eastern Turkey and travel southeast through northern Syria and Iraq to the head of the Persian Gulf. The lower portion of the region that they define, known as Mesopotamia (Greek: �Land Between the Rivers�), was one of the cradles of

Sch�fer, Karl

2005-03-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Sch�fer started training to be a figure skater early in his youth. He placed fourth

Wyoming

2005-03-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

The county was formed in 1842; its name was derived from a Delaware Indian word meaning

Peter Ii

2005-03-02T04:24:00.000-08:00

Peter married (1204) Mary, lady of Montpellier, and thus greatly extended Aragonese power in southern France. Despite the violent objections of his subjects, he had himself crowned by Pope Innocent III in Rome and declared his kingdom a feudatory of the Holy See (1204). Peter, with other Spanish kings,

Widal, (georges-)fernand-isidore

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

In 1896 Widal developed a procedure for diagnosing typhoid fever based on the fact that antibodies in the blood of an infected individual cause the bacteria to bind together into clumps (the Widal reaction).

C.h.

2005-02-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Companion of honour, member of a British honorary society. See Companions of Honour, Order of the.

Maule

2005-02-27T02:31:00.000-08:00

Regi�n, central Chile. It faces the Pacific Ocean on the west and borders Argentina on the east. Created in 1974, it comprises Curic�, Talca, Cauquenes, and Linares provincias. Its area spans coastal mountains, the Central Valley, and the Andean cordillera. The region is drained in the north by the Mataquito River, the tributaries of which (the Teno and Lontu� rivers) rise in the

Juan-juan

2005-02-26T01:03:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Jwen-jwen, Jou-jan, Jeu-jen, or Geougen, � Central Asian people of historical importance. Because of the titles of their rulers, khan and khagan, scholars believe that the Juan-juan were Mongols or Mongol-speaking peoples. The empire of the Juan-juan lasted from the beginning of the 5th century AD to the middle of the 6th century, embracing a wide belt north of China from Manchuria to Turkistan. They were allies of

Land League

2005-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

Irish agrarian organization that worked for the reform of the country's landlord system under British rule. The league was founded in October 1879 by Michael Davitt, the son of an evicted tenant farmer and a member of the Fenian (Irish Republican) Brotherhood. Davitt asked Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Home Rule Party in the British Parliament, to preside

Philidor, Andr�

2005-02-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

The first recorded representatives of the family were Michel Danican (died c. 1659), upon whom the nickname Philidor (the name of a famous Italian musician) was bestowed by Louis XIII as a complimentary reference to his skill,

La Salle, Saint Jean-baptiste De

2005-02-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, La Salle was ordained priest in 1678 and devoted himself to education of the poor. He helped to establish

Gaulish Language

2005-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

Ancient Celtic language or languages spoken in western and central Europe and Asia Minor before about 500. Gaulish is attested by inscriptions from France and northern Italy and by names occurring in classical literature. Modern knowledge of the vocabulary and sounds of Gaulish is slight, and its exact relation to the Celtic languages of Britain and Ireland is not

Nagana

2005-02-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

A form of the disease trypanosomiasis (q.v.), occurring chiefly in cattle and horses and caused by several species of the protozoan Trypanosoma. The disease, which occurs in southern and central Africa, is carried from animal to animal chiefly by tsetse flies. Signs of infection include fever, muscular wasting, anemia, and swelling of tissues (edema). There is discharge

Domino, Fats

2005-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

From a musical family, Domino received early training

Kennedy, Robert F.

2005-02-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

Robert interrupted his studies at Harvard University to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II but returned to the university and was

Denison University

2005-02-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Granville, Ohio, U.S. It offers an undergraduate curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and fine arts. Many students participate in off-campus study programs such as engineering in cooperation with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and forestry in cooperation with Duke

Mareeba

2005-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Barron River, 40 mi (65 km) west of the port of Cairns on the Coral Sea. It was the earliest European settlement on the Atherton Plateau; at its founding it was called Granite Creek and served as a stop for miners on their way to goldfields in the interior. Its present name is derived from an Aboriginal term meaning �meeting of the

Philby, H. Saint John

2005-02-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

Philby was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and joined the Indian Civil Service in 1907. In 1917, as political officer of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary force, he was dispatched on a diplomatic

Increasing Safety In Auto Racing: A Winning Formula?

2005-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

In 2000 - 01 that balance was sorely

Subiaco

2005-02-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) �Sublaqueum� town, Roma provincia, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies along the Aniene River, 1,345 feet (410 m) above sea level, about 45 miles (73 km) east of Rome. Its ancient name recalls its position below three small lakes where the emperor Nero built a villa. An inundation destroyed the lakes in 1305, and only traces remain of the villa. St. Benedict retired as a hermit (c. 494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (�Holy

Extremadura

2005-02-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

During the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the name Extremadura was used during static periods to refer to the zones outside of Moorish territory; it

Avijja

2005-02-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

(Pali), in the Buddhist chain of dependent origination, the ignorance that fetters man to transmigration. See pratitya-samutpada.

Kore

2005-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Plural �Korai, � type of freestanding statue of a maiden - the female counterpart of the kouros, or standing youth - that appeared with the beginning of Greek monumental sculpture in about 660 BC and remained to the end of the Archaic period in about 500 BC. Over this period the kore remained essentially the same, although, as in all Greek art, it evolved from a highly stylized form to a more naturalistic

Muret, Marc-antoine De

2005-02-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

From age 18 Muret taught classics at various schools; Michel de Montaigne was among his pupils. During the 1540s his play Julius Caesar, written in Latin, was performed; it is the first tragedy on a secular theme known to have been written

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

2005-02-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

A period of preparation preceded the initiation in each of the mysteries. In the Isis religion, for example, a period of 11 days of fasting, including abstinence from meat, wine, and sexual activity, was required before the ceremony. The candidates were segregated from the common folk in special apartments in the holy precinct of the community centre; they were called

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

2005-02-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

Welch, William Henry

2005-02-05T01:17:00.000-08:00

Undertaking graduate medical study in Germany (1876 - 78), Welch was working in the

Stresemann, Gustav

2005-02-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

After completing his studies, Stresemann began his professional career in a trade association. Unusually rapid success in commerce gave him a springboard into politics. As an administrative assistant in the German Chocolate Makers' Association from 1901 to 1904, he gained a reputation as an accomplished organizer and negotiator. By 1902 he had founded the Saxon Manufacturers'

Procopius

2005-02-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

From 527 to 531 he was adviser (consilarius) to the military commander Belisarius on his first Persian campaign. In 533 and 534 he took part in an expedition against the Vandals and was in Africa until 536, when

Stefan Du

2005-02-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

King of Serbia (1331 - 46) and �Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks� (1346 - 55), the greatest ruler of medieval Serbia, who promoted his nation's influence and gave his people a new code of laws.

Lira

2005-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Plural �lire � the former monetary unit of Italy. The lira was introduced in Europe by Charlemagne, who based it on the pound (libra) of silver. No lira coins were struck during the Middle Ages, and the lira remained strictly a money of account. By the 16th century several of the Italian states actually struck lira coins, but they varied considerably in weight. One of the states that used

Omar Khayyam

2005-01-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

Arabic in full �Ghiyath al-Din Abu al-Fath 'Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Nisaburi al-Khayyami� Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet, renowned in his own country and time for his scientific achievements but chiefly known to English-speaking readers through the translation of a collection of his roba'iyat (�quatrains�) in The Rub�iy�t of Omar Khayy�m (1859), by the English writer Edward

Adam, Robert

2005-01-30T23:31:00.000-08:00

In 1754 Robert Adam, who by then considered himself to be worth �5,000, was invited to accompany the Honourable Charles Hope, the earl of Hopetoun's younger brother, to Italy. He thus had the opportunity to realize the dream he had been saving for since his father's death, and, just as important, he had the social advantages of traveling with the brother of an earl. He was as much concerned

Colfax, Schuyler

2005-01-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

At the end of his term, Colfax returned to private life under a cloud but managed to make a living by delivering popular lectures.

R Monocerotis

2005-01-28T01:48:00.000-08:00

(catalog number NGC 2261), stellar infrared source and nebula in the constellation Monoceros (Greek: Unicorn). The star, one of the class of dwarf stars called T Tauri variables, is immersed in a cloud of matter that changes in brightness erratically, reflecting or re-radiating energy from the star.

S�rensen, Villy

2005-01-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

S�rensen's first collection of short stories, Saere historier (Tiger in the Kitchen and Other Strange Stories), appeared in 1953; it was followed in 1955 by Ufarlige historier (�Harmless Stories�) and in 1964 by the important

Northwest Spitsbergen National Park

2005-01-26T03:14:00.000-08:00

Norwegian �Nordvest-spitsbergen Nasjonalpark, � national park and bird sanctuary established in 1973 by Norway on the northwestern corner of the island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. With an area of 1,268 square miles (3,283 square km), the park typifies a high-arctic-tundra biologic community. The glaciated uplands of Albert I Land and Haakon VII Land, together with offshore islands, constitute

Haakon Sigurdsson

2005-01-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

The son of the Norwegian earl of Lade, who was killed by Harald II Graycloak, Haakon

Nitrate And Iodate Minerals

2005-01-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

Small group of naturally occurring inorganic compounds that are practically confined to the Atacama Desert of northern Chile; the principal locality is Antofagasta. These minerals occur under the loose soil as beds of grayish caliche (a hard cemented mixture of nitrates, sulfates, halides, and sand) 2 - 3 m (7 - 10 feet) thick. The much rarer iodate minerals occur sporadically,

Vanderbilt, William Henry

2005-01-23T09:26:00.000-08:00

A frail and seemingly unambitious youth, William was dismissed by his strong and dynamic father as incompetent to run the family business. The two split on

Ailly, Pierre D'

2005-01-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

D'Ailly studied at the College of Navarre of the

Genealogy

2005-01-21T02:34:00.000-08:00

The study of family origins and history. Genealogists compile lists of ancestors, which they arrange in pedigree charts or other written forms. The word genealogy comes from two Greek words - one meaning �race� or �family� and the other �theory� or �science.� Thus is derived �to trace ancestry,� the science of studying family history. The term pedigree comes from the Latin pes

Rdx

2005-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of �Research Department Explosive�, formally �cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine�, also called �cyclonite, �hexogen�, or �T4� powerful explosive, discovered by Hans Henning of Germany in 1899 but not used until World War II, when most of the warring powers introduced it. Relatively safe and inexpensive to manufacture, RDX was produced on a large scale in the United States by a secret process developed in the United States and Canada. The name RDX was coined by the British, and this name was accepted

Porsangen

2005-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Fjord, indenting the coast of Finmark fylke (county), extreme northern Norway on the Arctic Ocean. An inlet of the Barents Sea, the fjord is approximately 80 mi (130 km) long and lies well north of the Arctic Circle. Adjacent to the mouth of the fjord is a largely uninhabited area, Sv�rholtklubben, which serves as home to thousands of seabirds. Many islands are found in Porsangen;

Water Moss

2005-01-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

Also called �Brook Moss, or Fountain Moss� (Fontinalis), genus of mosses belonging to the order Bryales, found in flowing freshwater streams and ponds in temperate regions. About 25 species are native to North America. A brook moss may have shoots 30 to 100 (rarely up to 200) cm (12 to 40 inches) long, and is usually attached to a stone or a tree root. The most common species, F. antipyretica, has long, slender branches covered with glossy,

Reformation Day

2005-01-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

Anniversary of the day Martin Luther is said to have posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Ger. (Oct. 31, 1517), later identified by Protestants as the beginning of the Reformation. (See Researcher's Note.) The European Lutheran territorial churches at first commemorated the Reformation on various days, among them the anniversary of Luther's

Balantidium

2005-01-16T00:33:00.000-08:00

Genus of ovoid protozoans of the holotrichous order Trichostomatida. Uniformly covered with longitudinal rows of minute, hairlike projections (cilia), Balantidium exists as a parasite in the intestines of pigs, apes, and other animals. The species B. coli can, in rare cases, infect humans and cause balantidiosis (balantidial dysentery), a relatively severe disease

April

2005-01-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

Fourth month of the Gregorian calendar. See month and the accompanying Table.

Canadian Alliance

2005-01-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

The Canadian Alliance traced its roots to the Reform Party, which formed in 1987 as a populist and conservative expression of western Canadian frustration with the governing Progressive Conservative Party and previous governments led by the Liberal Party. The Reform

Aversa

2005-01-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

Town and episcopal see, Caserta province, Campania region, southern Italy, in the fertile Campanian plain north of Naples. Founded in 1030 by the Normans, who made it the capital of the first Norman county in Italy, it became a centre of culture, noted for its grammar schools, and a diocese of the Holy See. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Notable landmarks include the

Anole

2005-01-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

(genus Anolis)� any of about 250 species of small, tree-dwelling lizard related to iguanas (family Iguanidae). Anoles occur throughout the warmer regions of North and South America and are abundant in the West Indies. Like the gecko, all anoles have enlarged finger and toe pads that are covered with microscopic hooks. These clinging pads, together with sharp claws, enable them to

Arabia, History Of, Mamluk and Ottoman influence

2005-01-10T04:18:00.000-08:00

Although the Yemeni Rasulids sometimes disputed with the Mamluks the overlordship of the Holy Cities, the Mamluks generally prevailed. Egyptians and Meccans attacked al-Mujahid the Rasulid on a pilgrimage in 1350, and he was held prisoner in Egypt though released later.

Robert Ii

2005-01-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Byname �Robert The Jerusalemite, �French �Robert Le Hierosolymitain, �Dutch �Robrecht Van Jeruzalem� count of Flanders (1093 - 1111), one of the most celebrated of crusaders. The son of Robert I, he sailed for the Holy Land on the First Crusade in 1096 and earned fame perhaps second only to that of Godfrey of Bouillon. Returning to Flanders in 1100, he fought with his suzerain, Louis VI the Fat of France, against the English and was drowned in 1111 by the breaking of a bridge. He was succeeded

Dumuzi-abzu

2005-01-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Kinirsha near Lagash in the southeastern marshland region. She represented the power of fertility and new life in the marshes. Dumuzi-Abzu corresponded to the Sumerian god Dumuzi of the central steppe area, and thus around Eridu she was viewed as male and as son of Enki (Akkadian: Ea, also called the Lord of

Arnulf Of Metz, Saint

2005-01-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

A Frankish noble, Arnulf gave distinguished service at the Austrasian court under Theudebert II (595 - 612). In 613, however, with Pippin, he led the aristocratic opposition to Brunhild that led to her downfall and to the reunification of Frankish

Dire Wolf

2005-01-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

(species Canis dirus), wolf that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago). It is probably the most common mammalian species to be found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California. The dire wolf differed from the modern wolf in several ways: it was larger and it had a more massive skull, a smaller brain, and relatively light limbs. It is probable that

Margam

2005-01-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

Locality, Neath Port Talbot county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), Wales. Situated inland of the sandy Margam Burrows at the base of the peaks Mynydd Margam and Moel Ton-mawr, the community of Margam developed around a Cistercian abbey founded by Robert, earl of Gloucester, in 1147. Margam Abbey was a prominent cultural and educational centre until its

Sea Whip

2005-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Any of several genera of corals of the order Gorgonacea (phylum Cnidaria), characterized by a long, whiplike growth and a variety of bright colours. The �whip� consists of a colony of tiny polyps (cylindrical, stalklike forms with a mouth and eight tentacles at the upper, or free, end) that grow upon one another in a continuous single stem. Spicules, or needlelike

Dependent States

2005-01-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

French Polynesia Pres. Gaston Flosse continued to pursue constitutional changes that would increase French Polynesia's autonomy while retaining its connection to France. In October agreement was reached on France's financial assistance to the territory, with the provision of

Oman

2005-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, Oman, in fulfillment of preparations launched two and a half years earlier, hosted a joint military exercise with Great Britain. The presence of some 30,000 British troops in the sultanate facilitated the U.S.-led coalition's military campaign against the Taliban regime and al-Qaeda terrorist network

Hawaiian

2005-01-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

Any of the aboriginal people of Hawaii, descendants of Polynesians who migrated to Hawaii in two waves: the first from the Marquesas Islands, probably about AD 400; the second from Tahiti in the 9th or 10th century. Numbering about 300,000 at the time of Captain James Cook's arrival at the islands in 1778, full-blooded Hawaiians numbered fewer than 10,000 in the late 20th century (though there are large

Themistocles

2004-12-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

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

Wen-wang

2004-12-23T00:28:00.000-08:00

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

Philippines, The early republic

2004-12-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Sunbeam Snake

2004-12-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

(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

2004-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

(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

Clover

2004-12-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Argali

2004-12-14T02:32:00.000-08:00

(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

2004-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-12T00:23:00.000-08:00

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

RegularKey

Heuneburg

Extracellular Fluid

Romanian Orthodox Church

C.v.o.

Azilian Industry

Château

Nizamabad

Nan-ga

Ma Yuan

Chatter Mark

Biograph Company

Biblical Literature, The tribal league

Kukenaam Falls

Arabic Literary Renaissance

Strategic Weapons System

World War I, The war at sea, 191415

Pacific Mountain System, Climate

Ustyurt Plateau

Spring

Tigris-euphrates River System

Sch�fer, Karl

Wyoming

Peter Ii

Widal, (georges-)fernand-isidore

C.h.

Maule

Juan-juan

Land League

Philidor, Andr�

La Salle, Saint Jean-baptiste De

Gaulish Language

Nagana

Domino, Fats

Kennedy, Robert F.

Denison University

Mareeba

Philby, H. Saint John

Increasing Safety In Auto Racing: A Winning Formula?

Subiaco

Extremadura

Avijja

Kore

Muret, Marc-antoine De

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

Welch, William Henry

Stresemann, Gustav

Procopius

Stefan Du

Lira

Omar Khayyam

Adam, Robert

Colfax, Schuyler

R Monocerotis

S�rensen, Villy

Northwest Spitsbergen National Park

Haakon Sigurdsson

Nitrate And Iodate Minerals

Vanderbilt, William Henry

Ailly, Pierre D'

Genealogy

Rdx

Porsangen

Water Moss

Reformation Day

Balantidium

April

Canadian Alliance

Aversa

Anole

Arabia, History Of, Mamluk and Ottoman influence

Robert Ii

Dumuzi-abzu

Arnulf Of Metz, Saint

Dire Wolf

Margam

Sea Whip

Dependent States

Oman

World War I, The war at sea, 191415