FutureGlove

Johnson, Ian William

2005-04-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Australian cricket player who was a reliable, slow off-spin bowler for Victoria and in 45 Test matches for Australia, including 17 as captain (1954-57). Johnson played first-class cricket for Victoria briefly in 1935, but he served as a fighter pilot in World War II before making his Test debut against New Zealand in 1946. In his 11-year career Johnson achieved a Test-career double, scoring 1,000 runs

ásgrímsson, Eysteinn

2005-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Records of Ásgrímsson's life are scant. In 1343 he was imprisoned, probably for thrashing his abbot and perhaps for a breach of chastity as well. In 1349 he was made an official of the Skálholt bishopric, and he attended the bishop on a mission

Belgium, History Of

2005-04-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

After the Burgundian regime in the Low Countries (1363–1477), the southern as well as the northern provinces had dynastic links with the Austrian Habsburgs, then with Spain and the Austrian Habsburgs together. Later, as a consequence of revolt in

Amorphous Solid

2005-04-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

One of the most important glass formers is silica (SiO2). Pure crystalline silica melts at 1,710° C. In pure form, silica glass exhibits such properties

Gao Xingjian

2005-04-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Gao was educated in state schools and from 1957 to 1962 attended the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute,

Tariq Ibn Ziyad

2005-03-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

Musa ibn Nusayr, the Arab conqueror of Morocco, left his general Tariq to govern Tangier in his place. Spain at this time was under Visigothic rule but was rent by civil war. The dispossessed sons of the recently deceased Visigothic king of Spain, Witiza, appealed to the Muslims for help in the civil war, and the Arabs quickly responded

Forckenbeck, Maximilian Franz August Von

2005-03-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Elected to the Prussian Chamber of Deputies in 1858, Forckenbeck subsequently helped found the left-liberal German Progressive Party (1861), which after 1862 spearheaded the continuing constitutional struggle over the state military budget with the

Furphy, Joseph

2005-03-31T03:50:00.000-08:00

The son of Irish immigrants, Furphy worked as a thresher, teamster, and gold miner before settling down in 1884 at his brothers'

Epidemic

2005-03-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

An occurrence of disease that is temporarily of high prevalence. An epidemic occurring over a wide geographical area is called a pandemic. The rise and decline in epidemic prevalence of an infectious disease is a probability phenomenon dependent upon transfer of an effective dose of the infectious agent from an infected individual to a susceptible one. After

Arabia, History Of, Hadramites

2005-03-30T04:49:00.000-08:00

Inscriptions from the Hadramite kingdom are scantier in number than from the Sabaean, Minaean, or Qatabanian. Yet the Hadramite was probably the wealthiest of them all. Hadhramaut and the Sa'kal area to the east (modern Dhofar province of the sultanate of Oman) are the only places in Arabia where climatic conditions make production of frankincense possible, and Pliny

Berceo, Gonzalo De

2005-03-29T02:59:00.000-08:00

Berceo's subjects were religious

Philadelphus

2005-03-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

Genus of deciduous shrubs of the family Hydrangeaceae, including the popular garden forms commonly known as mock orange (from its characteristic orange-blossom fragrance) and sweet syringa. Philadelphus, comprising about 65 species, is native to northern Asia and Japan, the western United States, the southern Atlantic coast of the United States, and Mexico. These

Soil Organism

2005-03-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

Any organism inhabiting the soil during part or all of its life. Soil organisms, which range in size from microscopic cells that digest decaying organic material to small mammals that live primarily on other soil organisms, play an important role in maintaining fertility, structure, drainage, and aeration of soil. They also break down plant and animal tissues, releasing

Meletius Of Antioch, Saint

2005-03-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Meletius, who was by origin Armenian, became bishop of Sebaste in 358. He was elected bishop of Antioch in late 360 or 361 when that church, tired of ecclesiastical strife over Arianism, was eager to choose a moderate

Ernst, Paul

2005-03-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ernst studied for the ministry but quickly became disillusioned with theology. He became a militant Marxist and the editor of the Berliner Volkstribüne. He severed his

Eusebius Of Laodicea

2005-03-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

When Alexandria was besieged in 262 by troops of Valerian's successor and son, Gallienus,

Ear, Human, Organ of Corti

2005-03-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

Arranged on the surface of the basilar membrane are orderly rows of the sensory hair cells, which generate nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations. Together with their supporting cells they form a complex neuroepithelium called the basilar papilla, or organ of Corti. The organ of Corti is named after the Italian anatomist Alfonso Corti, who first described

Biblical Literature, Spanish versions

2005-03-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known from earlier than the 13th century when James I of Aragon in 1233 proscribed the possession of the Bible in “romance” (the Spanish

Earth, Composition of the mantle

2005-03-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

The composition of the upper mantle is less easily determined than that of the crust. Samples of mantle rock come mainly from two sources: ophiolites and xenoliths. The latter, in particular, include rocks that have been brought from great depth by explosive eruptions. Most notably, the occurrence of diamonds with some xenoliths requires a source beyond 150 kilometres

Wrigley, William, Jr.

2005-03-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

Wrigley went to work as a traveling soap salesman for his father's company at age 13. In 1891 he went to Chicago as a soap distributor and there started offering baking powder as a premium with each box of soap.

Alto

2005-03-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Alto derives from the term contratenor altus, which in Renaissance music referred to the part immediately above the tenor

Avoidance, Zone Of

2005-03-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

The zone of avoidance can be penetrated only by observations made in the far infrared end of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is entirely a local Milky Way

Vysotsky, Vladimir

2005-03-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

Vysotsky's parents were divorced soon after his

Asilah

2005-03-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Arzila, Spanish Arcila, city on the Atlantic coast of western Morocco. Built on the site of an ancient Phoenician-Carthaginian settlement (Zili), it later fell to the Romans. It passed to the Idrisids, who in the early 11th century repulsed several attacks by Normans. From AD 972 on, it was dominated by the Marinids, until in 1471 the Portuguese occupied Asilah, which they fortified as a military base (the walls

Cohoba

2005-03-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Yopo, hallucinogenic snuff made from the seeds of a tropical American tree (Piptadenia peregrina) and used by Indians of the Caribbean and South America at the time of early Spanish explorations. DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and bufotenine (qq.v.) are thought to have been the active principles. Cohoba was inhaled deeply by means of special bilateral tubes.

Straits Question

2005-03-19T03:06:00.000-08:00

The straits were in Turkish territory, but when Russia gained control of the north shore of the

Jeffreys (of Wem), George Jeffreys, 1st Baron

2005-03-18T00:38:00.000-08:00

Born into the Welsh gentry, Jeffreys was admitted to the bar in 1668, and in

Jackson, Thomas Jonathan

2005-03-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

Byname Stonewall Jackson Confederate general in the American Civil War, one of its most skillful tacticians, who gained his sobriquet “Stonewall” by his stand at the First Battle of Bull Run (called First Manassas by the South) in 1861.

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2005-03-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Rachmaninoff was born on an estate belonging to his grandparents, situated near Lake Ilmen in the Novgorod district. His father was a retired army officer and his mother the daughter of a general. The boy was destined to become an army officer until his father lost the entire family fortune through risky financial ventures and then deserted the family. Young Sergey's

Marquess Of Queensberry Rules

2005-03-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Rule 1—To be a fair stand-up boxing match in a 24-foot ring, or as near

Bead

2005-03-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Small, usually round object made of glass, wood, metal, nut, shell, bone, seed, or the like, pierced for stringing. Among primitive peoples, beads were worn as much for magical as for decorative purposes; hence, little variation was allowed in their shapes and materials. In Arab countries in the 20th century, single blue talismanic beads are attached to domestic animals, children,

Kilauea

2005-03-15T05:40:00.000-08:00

The world's largest active volcanic mass, located on southeastern Hawaii Island, Hawaii, U.S. The central feature of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea (“Much Spreading”) is an elongated dome built of lava eruptions from a central crater and from lines of craters extending along east and southwest rifts, or fissures. The volcano's 4,090-foot (1,250-metre) summit has collapsed

Regino Von Prüm,

2005-03-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

Born to a noble family, Regino joined the Benedictine monastic order at the flourishing Abbey of Prüm and studied theology and canon law. He was elected

Handgun

2005-03-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Any firearm small enough to be held in one hand when fired. It usually fires a single projectile or bullet, and additional ammunition may be available in a revolving mechanism or magazine. Handguns may be used for target shooting, hunting small game, or personal self-defense. Automatic handguns are illegal in many countries, and private ownership of any handgun is

Deformation And Flow

2005-03-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

Everyday substances are ordinarily classed as either solids, liquids, or gases, and, under normal circumstances, gases and liquids flow relatively freely and solids deform when they are subjected

Aesthetics, The aesthetic experience

2005-03-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

Such considerations point toward the aforementioned approach that begins with the aesthetic experience as the most likely to capture the full range of aesthetic phenomena without begging the important philosophical questions about their nature. Can we then single out a faculty, an attitude, a mode of judgment, or a form of experience that is distinctively aesthetic?

Pacific Islands, Continental islands

2005-03-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

The islands of the broad western Pacific margin, formed mainly of metamorphosed rocks, sediments, and andesitic volcanic material, are separated from the basaltic volcanic islands of the central and eastern Pacific by deep ocean trenches along the eastern borders of Japan, the Marianas, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Zealand, a demarcation that is commonly

China, Attacks on party members

2005-03-12T00:51:00.000-08:00

Gradual transference of the revolution to top echelons of the party was managed by a group centred on Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng, and Chen Boda. In May 1966 Mao secretly assigned major responsibilities to the army in cultural and educational affairs. Another purpose of the Cultural Revolution, as then conceived, would be a “revolution in the

Iraq, Alluvial plains

2005-03-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

The plains of lower Mesopotamia extend southward some 375 miles (600 km) from Balad on the Tigris and Al-Ramadi on the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf. They cover more than 51,000 square miles (132,000 square km), almost one-third of the country's area, and are characterized by low elevation, below 300 feet (100 metres), and poor natural drainage. Large areas are subject to widespread seasonal flooding, and

Hendrix, Jimi

2005-03-11T02:08:00.000-08:00

Though his active career as a featured artist lasted a mere four years, Hendrix altered the course of popular music and became one of

Hydra

2005-03-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Genus of invertebrate freshwater animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The body of such an organism consists of a thin, usually translucent tube that measures up to about 30 millimetres (1.2 inches) long but is capable of great contraction. The body wall is comprised of two layers of cells separated by a thin, structureless layer of connective tissue called the

Theobald I

2005-03-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Theobald III of Champagne,

Clammyweed

2005-03-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

(Polanisia trachysperma), North American herb of the caper family (Capparaceae). The plant is 60 cm (2 feet) tall and has leaves that give off a foul odour when bruised. The stems and three-parted leaves are hairy and sticky. Bladelike bracts (leaflike appendages) are crowded along the flowering stalks. The flowers have four sepals, four white petals, and eight-to-many protruding

Yuna River

2005-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Yuna is formed by the union of many headstreams arising near Bonao in the tangled mountains of the Cordillera Central. The river descends northeastward into the fertile region known as the

Middleton, John Middleton, 1st Earl Of

2005-03-08T03:53:00.000-08:00

In early life he served as a soldier in France. Later, although he fought against Charles I in both England and Scotland, being especially prominent at the Battle of Philiphaugh and in other operations against the great Montrose, he held a high command in the Scottish army that marched to

Kaduqli

2005-03-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Sudan. It is situated 149 miles (240 km) south of al-Ubayyid, at the northern edge of the White Nile plain. Kaduqli came under Egyptian rule in the early 19th century and was probably a centre for recruiting slaves for the Egyptian army. It is now a trading centre for gum arabic and livestock. Industries include textiles, soap factories, and the production of leather

Yonezawa

2005-03-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

City, Yamagata Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, on the Ou Line (railway). From the Muromachi period (1338–1573) to the Meiji Restoration (1868) it was a castle town of the Uesugi daimyo family (see Uesugi family). The ruling family initiated agrarian reforms by constructing irrigation systems and allowing samurai (warriors) to cultivate the fields and manufacture silk. Industrialization

W Particle

2005-03-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

The existence of intermediate vector bosons and their properties were predicted in the late

Iron Gate

2005-03-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

Romanian Portile de Fier , Serbo-Croatian Gvozdena Vrata the last gorge of the Djerdap gorge system on the Danube River, dividing the Carpathian and Balkan mountains and forming part of the boundary between Yugoslavia and Romania. It is about 2 miles (3 km) long and 530 feet (162 m) wide, with towering rock cliffs that make it one of the most dramatic natural wonders of Europe. Near the town of Sip a large rock reef (called Perigrada) obstructed

Kirksville

2005-03-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Adair county, northeastern Missouri, U.S., near the Chariton River. Founded about 1841 as the county seat, it was known as Long Point and Hopkinsville before being renamed for Jesse Kirk, an early resident. A minor American Civil War battle was fought (1862) nearby. Kirksville is a trading and shipping centre for a grain and livestock area. The city's light manufactures

Van De Graaff, Robert Jemison

2005-03-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

After working for a time as an engineer with the Alabama Power Company,

France, History Of, Financial crisis

2005-03-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

The aftermath of the Ruhr occupation was to cast doubt on its apparent success. The German republic was weakened by the runaway inflation of 1923 and its future clouded; the occupation had embittered Britain and the United States. Even among Frenchmen, the victory had left a sour aftertaste because the costs of the occupation forced an increase in French taxes. In the

Percy Family

2005-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

The family was founded by William de Percy (c. 1030–96), a follower of William I the Conqueror, who bestowed on him a great fief in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. His grandson William (d. 1175) was the last of the house in the direct line, leaving two daughters and coheiresses, Maud, who died childless,

Tswana

2005-03-04T04:22:00.000-08:00

The Tswana live in a grassland environment where they practice animal

Wandiwash, Battle Of

2005-03-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Lally, cut off from sea support by the withdrawal of Admiral d'Aché's fleet and hampered by lack of funds and dissensions among his troops, tried

Thomism

2005-03-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

Philosophical and theological system developed by Thomas Aquinas, by his later commentators, and by modern revivalists of the system, known as neo-Thomists.

Interior Design, Lighting

2005-03-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

Light is one of the key elements of interior design. Most interior spaces constructed in the 20th century are used as much with artificial light as with daylight; because of this lighting has become a very significant tool for the interior designer. There are three major aspects to lighting: function, aesthetics, and health. The latter factor is often ignored, but insufficient

Wanamaker, John

2005-02-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Wanamaker began work at age 14 as an errand boy for a bookstore and served as secretary of the Philadelphia YMCA from 1857 to 1861. In 1861 he established with Nathan Brown the clothing firm of Brown and Wanamaker, a partnership that ended with Brown's death in 1868. In 1869 he founded

Wolff, Tobias

2005-02-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Wolff's parents divorced when he was a child; from age 10 until he joined the U.S. Army, he traveled with his mother, who relocated frequently and finally settled in Seattle, Washington, where she remarried. Wolff wrote about

Coast Ranges

2005-02-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Pacific Coast Ranges, segment of the Pacific mountain system (q.v.) of western North America, consisting of a series of ranges in the United States running parallel to the Pacific coast for more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from west-central Washington in the north to southern California in the south. The Coast Ranges are separated from the higher mountains of the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada to

Aëtius

2005-02-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Originating probably near Antioch, Aëtius studied there under Arian masters while supporting himself as a goldsmith and a physician, rendering gratuitous service

Gates, Horatio

2005-02-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Gates first served in North America in the French and Indian War (1754–63), emerged as a major, and returned to England. In 1772 he immigrated to the region that

Rashi

2005-02-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

Acronym of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi renowned medieval French commentator on the Bible and Talmud (the authoritative Jewish compendium of law, lore, and commentary). Rashi combined the two basic methods of interpretation, literal and nonliteral, in his influential Bible commentary. His commentary on the Talmud was a landmark in Talmudic exegesis, and his work still serves

Boii

2005-02-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

A Celtic tribe, one section of which settled in Cisalpine Gaul around Bononia (Bologna, Italy) and another in what was later Bohemia, to which it gave its name. The Cisalpine group, after struggling against the Romans throughout the 3rd century BC, was subdued and made a Latin colony in 191 BC. The second group, which joined with another Celtic tribe, the Helvetii, to invade Gaul, was

Stein, Charlotte Von

2005-02-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

German writer and an intimate friend of and important influence on Goethe; she was the inspiration for the female figures Iphigenie in Iphigenie auf Tauris and Natalie in Wilhelm Meister. She remained for Goethe an unattainable feminine ideal and should not be confused with the warm and simple Lotte, heroine

Aurichalcite

2005-02-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

A mineral composed of the hydroxide carbonate of zinc and copper (Zn, Cu)5(OH)6(CO3)2. It is commonly found with malachite in the oxidized zone of zinc and copper deposits as at Tomsk, Siberia; Santander, Spain; and Bisbee, Ariz., U.S. Its pale blue-green featherlike form distinguishes it from malachite; and, because it is a weathered product of zinc-rich ores, it can serve as a guide to

Mother Goddess

2005-02-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

Any of a variety of feminine deities and maternal symbols of creativity, birth, fertility, sexual union, nurturing, and the cycle of growth. The term also has been applied to figures as diverse as the so-called Stone Age Venuses and the Virgin Mary. Because motherhood is one of the universal human realities, there is no culture that has not employed some maternal symbolism

Moses, Grandma

2005-02-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

Anna Robertson had only sporadic periods of schooling during her childhood. At age 12 she left her parents' farm and worked as a hired girl until she married

São Francisco River, Physiography

2005-02-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

The São Francisco River rises at about 2,400 feet (730 metres) above sea level on the eastern slope of the Serra da Canastra in southwestern Minas Gerais state, about 150 miles northwest of the city of Belo Horizonte. The river flows for more than 1,000 miles northward across the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, through the extensive Sobradinho Reservoir, to the twin cities of Juàzeiro

Hokusai

2005-02-20T03:51:00.000-08:00

In full Katsushika Hokusai , professional names Shunro, Sori, Kako, Taito, Gakyojin, Iitsu , and Manji Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukiyo-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, and surimono (“printed things”), such as greetings and announcements. Later he concentrated on the classical

Toponymy

2005-02-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Taxonomic study of place-names, based on etymological, historical, and geographical information. A place-name is a word or words used to indicate, denote, or identify a geographic locality such as a town, river, or mountain. Toponymy divides place-names into two broad categories: habitation names and feature names. A habitation name denotes a locality that is peopled

Metalation

2005-02-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Any chemical process by which a metal atom is introduced into an organic molecule to form an organometallic compound, but more commonly the process involving a hydrogen–metal exchange. An example is the metalation of benzene (C6H6) by reaction with ethylsodium (C2H5Na), forming phenylsodium (C6H5Na) and ethane (C2H6). Metalation by means of hydrogen–metal exchange is a very powerful

Shah Rokh

2005-02-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

Shah Rokh was the fourth son of Timur (Tamerlane), founder of the Timurid dynasty. At Timur's death in 1405, a struggle for control of his empire broke out among members of his family. Shah Rokh gained control of most of the empire,

Haworth

2005-02-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Town, Bradford metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England, overlooking the River Worth and adjoining the town of Keighley. In 1820 the Reverend Patrick Brontë brought his wife and six children—including Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, later of international literary fame—to Haworth. The Church of St. Michael contains

Kamidana

2005-02-17T03:14:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “god-shelf”), in the Shinto religion of Japan, a miniature shrine, the centre of daily worship in a household or a shop. The kamidana usually consists of a small cupboard or shelf on which are displayed articles of veneration and daily offerings. At the centre of the shrine stands the taima, an inscribed board from the main Shinto shrine at Ise, which represents a universal

Wang Pi

2005-02-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

By the time of his death at the age of 23, Wang was already the author of outstanding commentaries on the Taoist classic, the Tao-te Ching, or Lao-tzu, and the Confucian mystical classic, the I Ching (“Classic of Changes”). Through these commentaries he helped introduce metaphysics into Chinese

Koganei

2005-02-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

City, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the Chuo Main Line railway, west of Tokyo city. During the mid-Tokugawa period (1603–1867) several settlements were established in the area. The opening of the Musashi-Koganei Line railway station in 1926 prompted increased construction of housing and educational facilities. After World War II the population increased rapidly, and

Sacasa, Juan Bautista

2005-02-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

Sacasa studied in the United States from 1889 to 1901, earning an M.D. from Columbia University. In 1924 he was elected vice president of Nicaragua as leader of the Liberal Party in a coalition government. The following year a coup d'état installed General Emiliano Chamorro

Aegean Civilizations, The Early Bronze Age (c. 30002200)

2005-02-14T03:55:00.000-08:00

The transition from Neolithic to Bronze Age in the Aegean was marked by changes in pottery and other aspects of material culture. These changes may reflect the arrival in Crete and the Cyclades of new people from lands farther east bringing knowledge of metalworking with them. In Crete and the islands, the changes that inaugurated the Bronze Age were more or less

Kirovohrad

2005-02-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Russian Kirovograd oblast (province), south-central Ukraine. It extends from the Dnieper River in the northeast across the rolling hills of the Dnieper Upland to the basin of the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River in the southwest. The oblast's natural vegetation of grass steppe on fertile soils has been almost wholly plowed up, and unsound practices have resulted in serious and widespread

Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl Of, Lord Campbell, Lorne, And Kintyre

2005-02-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

In his youth Campbell studied abroad but returned to Scotland in 1649. He fought at Dunbar (Sept. 3, 1650) and, after the Battle of Worcester, joined the Royalist leader Glencairn in the Highlands. Ultimately he fell foul of

Nitrite

2005-02-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

Any member of either of two classes of compounds derived from nitrous acid. Salts of nitrous acid are ionic compounds containing the nitrite ion, NO-2, and a positive ion such as Na+ in sodium nitrite (NaNO2). Esters of nitrous acid are covalent compounds having the structure R-O-N-O, in which R represents a carbon-containing combining group such as ethyl (C2H5) in ethyl nitrite.

Arabia, An-Nafud (Great Nafud)

2005-02-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

The second largest sand desert in the Arabian Peninsula, An-Nafud, marks the northern limit of Najd. Lying just beyond the shield, it occupies an area of about 25,000 square miles. Its sands almost reach the oasis towns of Tayma' (Taima) in the west, Al-Jawf and Sakakah in the north, and Ha'il in the south. The sands are gradually moving toward the southeast, where they enter either the Mazhur

Kizil Adalar

2005-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

English Princes Islands , historically Demonesi Insulae group of nine islands (adalar) in the Sea of Marmara a few miles southeast of Istanbul; they are part of Turkey. There are permanent inhabitants on the smallest island, Sedef Adasi (ancient Antirobethos), and on the four larger islands, Büyükada (Prinkipo, ancient Pityoussa), Heybeli Ada (Halki, ancient Chalcitis), Burgaz Adasi (Antigoni, ancient Panormos), and Kinali Ada (Proti).

John (iv)

2005-02-10T00:34:00.000-08:00

At first, John of Montfort had recognized John III's designation of Charles of Blois (nephew of King Philip VI of France) as the successor; but then John of Montfort reneged, had himself crowned at a convocation of bishops and lords at Nantes,

Vanadium Processing

2005-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Vanadium (V) is a grayish silver metal whose crystal structure is a body-centred cubic (bcc) lattice, with a melting point of 1,926° C (3,499° F). The metal is used principally as an alloying addition to high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels and, to a lesser extent, in tool steels and iron and steel castings. It is also an important strengthener

Middle Passage

2005-02-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

In the days of the African slave trade to the New World, the middle part of the slave's journey—i.e., the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. From about 1518 to the mid-19th century, millions of African men, women, and children made the 21-to-90-day voyage aboard grossly overcrowded sailing ships manned by crews mostly from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France. Slaver captains

Ravalomanana, Marc

2005-02-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Throughout 2002 the African island nation of Madagascar continued to reel from the disputed presidential elections of December 2001. A court-ordered recount was required for decision to be reached on the close contest between challenger Marc Ravalomanana, mayor of the capital city of Antananarivo, and Didier Ratsiraka, the sitting president for more than two decades.

Ender, Otto

2005-02-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ender served (1918–34) as governor of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the Swiss border, and after World War I he negotiated unsuccessfully for the incorporation of Vorarlberg in the Swiss confederation. Despite his

Habsburg, House Of

2005-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

The War of the Austrian Succession cost Maria Theresa most of Silesia, part of Lombardy, and the duchies of Parma and Piacenza (Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1748) but left her in possession of the rest of her father's hereditary lands. Moreover, her husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine, who in 1737 had become hereditary grand duke of Tuscany, was finally recognized as Holy Roman emperor,

Water Milfoil

2005-02-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

Any member of the genus Myriophyllum (family Haloragaceae), about 45 widely distributed species of submerged freshwater plants with whorls of feathery leaves and emergent, wind-pollinated flowers. Some species are cultivated in pools and aquariums, especially the parrot's feather, or water feather, (M. aquaticum) and the myriad leaf (M.

Macdonald, Ross

2005-02-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

Though born in California, Millar spent almost all his youth in Canada. He studied at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute (near Toronto), the University

Macdiarmid, Hugh

2005-02-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

The son of a postman, MacDiarmid was educated at Langholm Academy and the University of Edinburgh. After serving in World War I he became a journalist in Montrose, Angus, where he edited three issues of the first

Ruways, Ar-

2005-02-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ruweis, or Ru'ays, site of a giant industrial complex, Abu Dhabi emirate, United Arab Emirates. It lies along the Persian Gulf about 140 miles (220 km) west of Abu Dhabi, the national capital. Ar-Ruways has natural-gas-processing plants under the control of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Ar-Ruways has a small airport and is linked by road with Abu Dhabi city and Jabal az-Zannah.

Chares

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

In 357 BC Chares regained for Athens the Thracian Chersonese from the Thracian king Cersobleptes. During the Social War (Athens against her allies, 357–355), he commanded the Athenian forces; in 356 he was joined by Iphicrates and Timotheus with reinforcements. Having blamed the subsequent defeat on his colleagues, Chares was

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, China

2005-02-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

Chinese philosophers from the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) onward often used extended metaphors (from which fable is the logical development) to make their points. This is believed to reflect the fact that, as “realistic” thinkers, the Chinese generally did not favour more abstract argument. Thus simple allegory helped to stimulate audience interest and to increase the force of

Parallel Bars

2005-02-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

In gymnastics

Itinerarium

2005-02-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

The only surviving map is the Peutinger Table, a 13th-century copy of a Roman world map. The 4th-century “Antonine Itinerary,” one of the few

Eyre Peninsula

2005-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

Large promontory of South Australia, projecting into the Indian Ocean. A broad-based triangular formation about 200 miles (320 km) on each side, it extends from a base along the Gawler Ranges and lies between the Great Australian Bight to the west and Spencer Gulf to the east. Generally sandy and rocky, it rises from an irregular coastline to a maximum elevation of 1,550 feet (472 m) at Nukey

Turkey Work

2005-01-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

Form of knotted embroidery practiced in England from the 16th century to the mid-18th century, but especially in the 17th century. Used for upholstery and table covers, it was worked in imitation of Turkish carpets, which are known from paintings to have been imported to England from the 16th century. The designs were usually of geometrically stylized flowers. A document from