ReadyRail

Talavera De La Reina

2005-04-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Town, Toledo provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain, on the northern bank of the Tagus River near its confluence with the Alberche. The town originated as the Roman Caesarobriga and was conquered by King Alfonso VI in 1082. Alfonso XI gave it to his queen, Maria of Portugal, whence its appellation de la Reina (“of the

Kagawa Toyohiko

2005-04-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

As a youth Kagawa enrolled in a Bible class to learn English and was soon converted to Christianity. He continued his Christian studies in Japan and the United States. When he returned to Japan he became

Tsimlyansk Reservoir

2005-04-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Russian Tsimlyanskoye Vodokhranilishche, reservoir created by a giant barrage (dam) at the great bend of the Don River, near the town of Tsimlyansk in Rostov oblast (province), southern Russia. The reservoir, about 160 miles (257 kilometres) long, was constructed in 1950–51 in connection with the building of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal. It provides hydroelectric power and irrigation water for the extensive vineyards and market

Murnau, F.w.

2005-04-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

Murnau studied philosophy, art history, and literature at the Universities of Heidelberg and Berlin. In 1908 he joined the company of renowned

Ancient Rome, The Illyrian emperors

2005-04-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

After Claudius II's unexpected death, the empire was ruled from 270 to 284 by several “Illyrian” emperors, who were good generals and who tried in an energetic way to restore equilibrium. The most remarkable was Aurelian. He first gained hard-won victories over the Alemanni and the Juthungi, who had invaded the Alpine provinces and northern Italy. To cheer the inhabitants of

Tedder (of Glenguin), Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron

2005-04-02T00:27:00.000-08:00

Marshal of the Royal Air Force and deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who contributed significantly to the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944) and the German defeat on the Western Front during World War II through his policy of bombing

Trieste

2005-04-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) Tergeste, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian Trst, German Triest city and capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia regione and of Trieste provincia, northeastern Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste at the northeastern corner of the Adriatic Sea 90 miles (145 km) east of Venice. It was under Roman control by about 177 BC; Julius Caesar made it a colony and recorded its name as Tergeste in his Commentarii de bello Gallico (The Gallic War), written in 52–51 BC. Augustus

Pucallpa

2005-03-31T18:28:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Coronel Portillo provincia and Ucayali departamento, eastern Peru. It lies on the Ucayali River in the hot, humid Amazonian rain forest. Although the community dates from the early colonial era (1534), it remained isolated until 1945, when the Lima-Pucallpa highway, 526 miles (846 km) long, was completed. The largest community in Ucayali departamento, Pucallpa can be reached

Fux, Johann Joseph

2005-03-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

Fux was a prolific composer of vocal and instrumental

National Botanical Garden Of Belgium

2005-03-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

French Jardin Botanique National de Belgique , Flemish Nationale Plantentuin van België botanical garden consisting of the plant collections at Meise, on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium. The garden has about 18,000 different species of plants. Originally founded in 1870 on a 17-acre (7-hectare) site in the heart of Brussels, the botanical garden was gradually transferred after the mid-1960s to a magnificent estate at Meise, the Domaine de Bouchout. The world's largest greenhouse,

Cabezón, Antonio De

2005-03-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

Blind from infancy, Cabezón studied organ in Palencia and in 1526 became organist and clavichordist

Celsian

2005-03-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

An uncommon feldspar mineral, barium aluminosilicate (BaAl2Si2O8), that occurs as hard, light-coloured, glassy masses and crystals in association with manganese deposits in contact zones, as at Jakobsberg, Swed.; Tochigi prefecture, Japan; Rhiw, Wales; near the Omuramba Otjosondjou (dry riverbed), Namibia; and near Incline, Calif., U.S. It may be regarded as the barium equivalent

Essad Pasa (toptani)

2005-03-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

Essad was the scion of a rich Albanian family. He joined the Young Turk movement in 1908 and became deputy for Albania in the new Turkish parliament. The most powerful of the central native lords, he was given

Norway, Conflict of church and state

2005-03-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

Following the rule of Magnus III's sons, the increasing power of the church and the monarch contributed to a century of civil war. During the early 12th century the kings expanded their direct rule over the various provinces, and the family aristocracy in Norway grew discontented. With the accession of Harald IV (ruled 1130–36), interest groups within Norwegian society began

Fibula

2005-03-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

Greek fibulae from the 7th century BC were elaborately decorated along the long catch plate: rows of animals, such as ducks, lions, and sphinxes, might be soldered on, or a frieze of animals might be worked

Domitian

2005-03-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

Titus Flavius Domitianus was the second son of the future emperor Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla. During the civil war of AD 69 over the imperial crown, Domitian remained unharmed in Rome, but on December 18 he took refuge in the

Bohemian Confession

2005-03-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

Latin Confessio Bohemica, Protestant doctrinal statement formulated in Bohemia by the Czech Utraquists (moderate Hussites) in 1575 and subscribed to by the Unitas Fratrum, Lutherans, and Calvinists in the kingdom. The document was based on the Augsburg Confession, and it upheld the Lutheran position on justification and the Calvinist interpretation of the Eucharist. Though Emperor Maximilian

Gwandu

2005-03-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

Originally settled by the Kebbawa, a subgroup of the Hausa people, the town was named for the surrounding gandu (“royal farmlands”) that formerly belonged to Muhammadu Kanta, who founded the Kebbi kingdom in the 16th century. Although Fulani

Edgar The Aetheling

2005-03-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

Anglo-Saxon prince, who, at the age of about 15, was proposed as king of England after the death of Harold II in the Battle of Hastings (Oct. 14, 1066) but instead served the first two Norman kings, William I, Harold's conqueror, and William II. His title of aetheling (an Anglo-Saxon prince, especially the heir apparent) indicates he was a prince of the royal family; he was a grandson

Fabales

2005-03-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

The unique ecological role of the Fabales is in nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen is an element of all proteins and is an essential component in both plant and animal metabolism. Although elemental nitrogen makes up about 80 percent of the atmosphere, it is not directly available to living organisms; nitrogen that can be metabolized by living organisms must be in the form

Dacke War

2005-03-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Led by Nils Dacke, an outlaw, the peasants of the province of Småland took up arms against the King in the spring of 1542 in protest against the royal

Jyväskylä

2005-03-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Keski-Suomen lääni (province), south-central Finland. It lies at the north end of Lake Päijänne, southwest of Kuopio. The town, chartered in 1837, has three historic educational institutions: the first Finnish teachers' training college (founded 1863; replaced in 1934 by a pedagogical institute [designed by the architect Alvar Aalto] that in 1966 became a university); the Lyceum,

Arabia, Najd

2005-03-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

The western part of Najd (Nejd, meaning “Highland”), known as Upper Najd, lies within the Arabian shield with an average elevation of 4,000 feet; the eastern part falls within the sedimentary province with the city of Riyadh (Ar-Riyad), near the eastern edge, having an elevation of about 1,950 feet. The principal drainage of Najd consists of a number of eastward-flowing wadi systems that

Outcaste

2005-03-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

In the Hindu caste system, an individual or group that has been thrown out of caste, usually for some ritual offense. The outcasting may be temporary or permanent. In the 19th century, a Hindu faced excommunication for going abroad, where it was presumed he would be forced to break caste restrictions and, as a result, become polluted. Such an offender would be reinstated

Pitch Lake

2005-03-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Large surface deposit of natural asphalt, a mixture of heavy oils that is left after the lighter, more volatile components of a crude-oil seepage have evaporated. An example is Guanoco Lake in Venezuela, which covers more than 445 hectares (1,100 acres) and contains an estimated 6,000,000 tons of asphalt. It was used as a commercial source of asphalt from 1891 to 1935. Smaller deposits occur commonly

Rueda, Lope De

2005-03-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

A gold-beater by trade, Rueda was probably attracted to the stage by touring Italian actors; he organized a traveling theatre company and as its autor, or author-manager, took his troupe throughout Spain. He became popular and played

Visby

2005-03-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

A Stone Age settlement and port existed (c.

Resistance

2005-03-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

In electricity, property of an electric circuit or part of a circuit that transforms electric energy into heat energy in opposing electric current. Resistance involves collisions of the current-carrying charged particles with fixed particles that make up the structure of the conductors. Resistance is often considered as localized in such devices as lamps,

Florida State University

2005-03-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. It is part of the State University System of Florida and consists of eight schools and eight colleges, including a college of engineering that is jointly operated with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Branch campuses are located in Panama City and the Central American

Sanddab

2005-03-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

Any of certain edible, American Pacific flatfishes of the genus Citharichthys (family Bothidae). As in other flatfishes, sanddabs have both eyes on the same side of the head; as in other bothids, the eyes are usually on the left side. The most common species of sanddab is the Pacific sanddab (C. sordidus), a brownish fish mottled, in the male, with dull orange. It grows to about

Arab Bank For Economic Development In Africa

2005-03-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

French Banque Arabe Pour Le Développement Économique En Afrique (BADEA) , Arabic Al-bank Al-'arabi Lil-tatawur Al-iqtisadi Fi Afriqiya bank created by the Arab League summit conference in Algiers, in November 1973, to finance development projects. In 1975 BADEA began operating by supplying African countries with technical assistance. All members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) are eligible as recipients, except those countries belonging to the Arab League. BADEA includes all members of the Arab

Ayckbourn, Alan

2005-03-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

Successful and prolific British playwright, whose works—mostly farces and comedies—deal with marital and class conflicts and point up the fears and weaknesses of the English lower-middle class. He wrote more than 50 plays and other entertainments, most of which were first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round in Scarborough,

Channel-port Aux Basques

2005-03-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Town on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, Canada. It is the terminal for car ferries across Cabot Strait from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and is the connecting point for the 570-mile (917-kilometre) semicircular final stage of the Trans-Canada Highway to St. John's (east). Fishing and fish processing are local industries. A monument commemorates those who died when the ferry

Chabrol, Claude

2005-03-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

After attending the School of Political Science at the University of Paris, he was a critic and public relations man for Twentieth Century-Fox's French office. Le Beau Serge (1958; “Handsome Serge”; Bitter Reunion), written and produced by Chabrol, was an important

Blois

2005-03-16T03:17:00.000-08:00

Under Robert the Strong (d. 866), duke of the entire region between the Seine and Loire rivers and ancestor of the French royal house of Capet, Blois was an appointive viscounty. About

Papaloapan River

2005-03-14T23:44:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Papaloapan, river in Veracruz estado (“state”), southeastern Mexico. It is formed by the junction of several rivers in Oaxaca estado, near the Veracruz-Oaxaca border, and meanders generally northeastward for 76 miles (122 km) to Alvarado Lagoon, just south of Alvarado. Its chief headstreams include the Santo Domingo, Tonto, and Valle Nacional, which rise in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Since

Hanks, Nancy

2005-03-14T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hanks graduated from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, in 1949 and two years later settled in Washington, D.C. In 1953 she became an assistant to Nelson A. Rockefeller, then

Dace

2005-03-13T03:33:00.000-08:00

Any of a number of small, slim, active freshwater fishes of the carp family, Cyprinidae. In England and Europe, the dace is Leuciscus leuciscus, a relative of the chub. Usually found in moderately swift streams and rivers, the European dace is a rather small-headed, silvery fish attaining a usual length and weight of 25–30 cm (10–12 inches) and 0.5–0.7 kg (1–1 1/2 pounds). It lives

Switzerland, Social welfare

2005-03-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Public welfare services have developed in a typically federalistic way: first in the communes, then in the cantons, and later in the confederation. Support for the indigent remains mainly a communal task, sometimes in cooperation with the cantons; this poses particular budgetary problems for cities and small rural communities, which have the highest poverty rates.

Wüst, Georg

2005-03-13T01:15:00.000-08:00

Wüst received his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1919. After the death of his teacher Alfred

Gastronomy, Scandinavian

2005-03-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

Sweden's great contribution to international eating is the smorgasbord, literally a “bread-and-butter

Great Bend

2005-03-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1872) of Barton county, central Kansas, U.S. Great Bend lies on the Arkansas River where the High Plains begin to shade into tallgrass prairie. Situated in the alleged locality of the mythical city of Quivira sought by Francisco Coronado in the 16th century, the site was visited by the American explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806 and became a stopping point on the Santa Fe

Zaragoza

2005-03-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Saragossa, provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Aragon, northeastern Spain. Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, it formed the old kingdom of Aragon. It extends north and south of the middle course of the Ebro River; it reaches the foot of the Pyrenees (north) and is bounded west by the provinces of Navarra, Logroño, and Soria, south by Guadalajara

Lopes, Fernão

2005-03-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Nothing certain is known of Lopes' early

Saimaa, Lake

2005-03-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

Lake in southeastern Finland. It lies just northwest of the Russian border and is northeast of Helsinki. Covering parts of the läänit (provinces) of Mikkeli and Kymi, it has an area of 443 square miles (1,147 square km) and is the primary lake in the Great Saimaa lake system, which, at 1,690 square miles (4,377 square km), is the largest system in Finland. The lake's two branches extend northward about

Biblical Literature, The Apocalypse of Baruch

2005-03-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

The Apocalypse of Baruch was written about the same time as II (IV) Esdras, and the less profound Apocalypse probably depends much upon II Esdras. The Apocalypse of Baruch survives only in a Syriac version translated from Greek; originally the book was composed in Hebrew or Aramaic and is ascribed to Baruch, the disciple of Jeremiah and a contemporary of the destruction

Roman à Clef

2005-03-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

(French: “novel with a key”), novel that has the extraliterary interest of portraying well-known real people more or less thinly disguised as fictional characters. The tradition goes back to 17th-century France, when fashionable members of the aristocratic literary coteries, such as Mlle de Scudéry, enlivened their historical romances by including in them fictional

Méliès, Georges

2005-03-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

When the first genuine movies, made by the Lumière brothers, were shown in Paris in 1895, Méliès, a professional magician and manager-director of the Théâtre Robert-Houdin, was among the spectators. The films were scenes from real life having the novelty of

Bowling

2005-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

The crown jewel among all international tenpin bowling tournaments of 1994 was the third world youth championships, held in Monterrey, Mexico, August 6-13. A record 29 countries sent their best young bowlers to Mexico to compete for world titles in boys' and girls' divisions. Stars of the tournament were Jaana Puhakka and Pasi Pöllänen of Finland, each of whom won two individual

San Lucas, Cape

2005-03-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

Spanish Cabo San Lucas, extreme southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The rocky headland forms the southern extremity of the Sierra de San Lazaro and includes the western shore of San Lucas Bay. The isolated town of San Lucas lies 2 miles (3 km) north of the cape.

Biblical Literature, Malachi

2005-03-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

The Book of Malachi, the last of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets, was written by an anonymous writer called Malachi, or “my messenger.” Perhaps written from about 500–450 BCE, the book is concerned with spiritual degradation, religious perversions, social injustices, and unfaithfulness to the Covenant. Priests are condemned for failing to instruct the people on their Covenant responsibilities,

Nordhausen

2005-03-07T02:18:00.000-08:00

City, Thuringia Land (state), central Germany, lying on the Zorge River, at the southern slopes of the Harz Mountains, in the fertile lowland known as the Goldene Aue (“Golden Meadow”). First mentioned in 927 as the site of a royal castle near the older Frankish settlement of Northusen (Nordhusa), it was made a free imperial city in 1290 and accepted the Reformation in 1522. It lost its independence

Perfume

2005-03-06T23:16:00.000-08:00

Fragrant product that results from the artful blending of certain odoriferous substances in appropriate proportions. The word is derived from the Latin per fumum, meaning “through smoke.” The art of perfumery was apparently known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Egyptians, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. References to perfumery materials and

Social War

2005-03-05T23:48:00.000-08:00

The allies in central and southern Italy had fought side by side with Rome in several wars and had grown restive under Roman autocratic rule, wanting instead Roman citizenship and the privileges it conferred. In 91 BC the Roman tribune Marcus Livius

Zabrze

2005-03-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

German Hindenburg (1915–45), town, Katowice województwo (province), southwestern Poland. It is situated in the Upper Silesian industrial district. The town became Prussian in 1742, and in 1921, when Upper Silesia was partitioned between Poland and Germany, it remained in German hands. Badly damaged in World War II, it was transferred to Poland in 1945. A major industrial and cultural centre, Zabrze is also one of

Elgin, James Bruce, 8th Earl Of, 12th Earl Of Kincardine

2005-03-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

Bruce was elected to the British House of Commons for Southampton as a liberal Tory in 1841, but later that year he inherited his father's title (Scottish

Goncharova, Natalya

2005-03-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

The daughter of an aristocratic family, Goncharova studied painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow. After an early preoccupation

Tz'u

2005-03-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

In Chinese poetry, song form characterized by lines of unequal length, with prescribed rhyme schemes and tonal patterns, each bearing the name of a musical air. The varying line lengths are comparable to the natural rhythm of speech and therefore easily understood when sung. First sung by ordinary folk, they were popularized by professional women singers and poets

Azaïs, Pierre-hyacinthe

2005-03-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Philosopher whose optimism was rooted in the idea that human experience is imbued with a natural and harmonious balance between joy and sadness and that it is in this balance that meaning can be discovered. He advocated the idea in the work that first brought him fame, Des compensations dans les destinées humaines, 3 vol. (1809). In a following work,

Sigebert Of Gembloux

2005-03-01T23:04:00.000-08:00

After receiving

Arupa-loka

2005-03-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

In arupa-loka, existence depends on the stage

Processionary Caterpillar

2005-03-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

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

Kadoma

2005-02-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Formerly Gatooma, town, central Zimbabwe. Named for nearby Kadoma (Gatooma) Hill, it was constituted a village in 1907 and received municipal status in 1917. Located in a fertile area and on the main road and railway between Harare (formerly Salisbury) and Bulawayo, the town is a commercial centre for agricultural products (cattle, cotton, corn [maize], and tobacco) and manufactures cotton textiles.

Tell Atlas

2005-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Maritime Atlas, French Atlas Tellien, Arabic Tel Al-atlas, range of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, extending about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from eastern Morocco through Algeria to Tunisia. In Morocco, from Ceuta east to Melilla (150 miles [240 km]), the Er-Rif mountain range of the Tell Atlas faces the Mediterranean Sea, and there, as along the whole coast eastward to Cape Bon in Tunisia, many rugged rocks rise dramatically above the general level.

Sá De Miranda, Francisco De

2005-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of a canon of Coimbra, Gonçalo Mendes de Sá, and Dona Inês de Melo, he was made legitimate in 1490. He studied at the university, which was then in Lisbon, and seems to have lived mainly in the capital until 1521, frequenting the royal court and taking part in the poetical improvisations

Indiana

2005-02-27T04:46:00.000-08:00

Borough (town), seat of Indiana county, west-central Pennsylvania, U.S., in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. Settled about 1764, it was laid out in 1805 on land donated for a county seat by George Clymer of Philadelphia, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It was incorporated in 1816. Prior to the American Civil War, Indiana was a station

Reggae

2005-02-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

According to an early definition in The Dictionary of Jamaican English (1980), reggae is

Chagai

2005-02-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

District in Quetta Division, Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan, on the east and south by Kalat and Kharan districts, and on the west by Iran and has an area of 19,516 sq mi (50,546 sq km), consisting of a level plain in the east, part of the Baluchistan desert in the west, the Chagai Hills in the north, and the Ras Koh Range in the south. Sparse scrub vegetation

Bantock, Sir Granville

2005-02-26T04:04:00.000-08:00

After preparing for the Indian civil service, Bantock studied at Trinity College of Music, London, and the Royal Academy of Music, London. He was active as a conductor, founded and edited the New Quarterly Music Review (1893–96), and succeeded Sir Edward Elgar as professor

Buraydah

2005-02-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

Town, Najd (Central) region, north central Saudi Arabia. It has long been a commercial rival of 'Unayzah to the south, at one time controlling the export of Arab horses and monopolizing the camel caravan trade of Arabia. Now a principal oasis and agricultural centre, it has extensive date, lemon, and orange groves; other fruits are grown, and cattle and sheep are reared on

Yuzhno-sakhalinsk

2005-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Iuzhno-sakhalinsk, or Juzno-sachalinsk, city and administrative centre of Sakhalin oblast (province), far eastern Russia. It lies in the south of Sakhalin Island on the Susuya River, 26 miles (42 km) north of the port of Korsakov. Originally the Japanese settlement of Toyohara, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk passed to the Soviet Union in 1945 and was given its present name in 1946. It is a communications hub, with railways that extend to

Nader, Ralph

2005-02-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Running as the candidate of the Green Party, American consumer advocate Ralph Nader won fewer than 3% of the votes cast in the U.S. presidential election held on Nov. 7, 2000, but as it turned out, he was crucial to the outcome. He took far more votes from the Democratic candidate, Vice Pres. Al Gore, than from the Republican, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and in two states, Florida and New Hampshire,

Floriano

2005-02-24T03:19:00.000-08:00

City, west central Piauí state, northeastern Brazil, on the Rio Parnaíba, at 280 ft (85 m) above sea level. Floriano was elevated to city status in 1897. It is a trade centre with livestock raising and the extraction of carnauba wax as the principal economic activities. Chemicals and textiles are also produced there. Floriano is bridged to Barão de Grajaú, just across the river in

Indonesia Botanical Gardens

2005-02-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

The 215-acre (87-hectare) site was first used by the Dutch for introducing tropical plants from other parts of the world into the region. In 1817 it was converted into a botanical garden and served as a training ground for specialists in tropical botany. A large area of the original rainforest

Castelnau, Michel De, Sieur (lord) De La Mauvissière

2005-02-23T04:02:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Castelnau served under local commanders in Piedmont and in Picardy. After the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), he entered the king's service and was sent on diplomatic missions in 1560 to England, Germany, Savoy, and Rome. After

Christian Vi

2005-02-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

Tolerably gifted, he became a diligent and conscientious ruler, choosing able administrators; but he was shy, reserved, and unprepossessing in appearance. Like his consort, Sophie Magdalene

Literature, Poetry.

2005-02-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

Poet and MacArthur fellow Jim Powell brought out Sappho: A Garland, new translations of the poems and fragments of the 6th-century BC poet from the Mediterranean island of Lesbos. The power of Sappho's poetry resonates throughout the brief 25 pages of this new rendering of her work. Twenty-one living American poets offered their versions of the cantos in Dante's

Orange River

2005-02-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

River in southern Africa, one of the longest rivers on the continent and one of the longest south of the Tropic of Capricorn. After rising in the Lesotho Highlands, less than 125 miles (200 kilometres) from the Indian Ocean, the river flows to the Atlantic Ocean in a generally westerly direction for some 1,300 miles. The Orange traverses the veld region of South Africa, after which

Italian Confederation Of Workers' Unions

2005-02-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Italian Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori (CISL), Italy's second largest trade union federation. The CISL was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Free General Italian Confederation of Labour (Libera Confederazione Generale Italiana dei Lavoratori) and the Italian Federation of Labour (Federazione Italiana del Lavoro). From its founding it had strong ties with Roman Catholics and Christian Democrats. It vigorously

Amyl Alcohol

2005-02-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Pentyl Alcohol, any of eight organic compounds having the same molecular formula, C5H11OH, but different structures. The term is commonly applied to mixtures of these compounds, which are used as solvents for resins and oily materials and in the manufacture of other chemicals, especially amyl acetate, a solvent for nitrocellulose lacquers. Commercial amyl alcohols are colourless

Guna

2005-02-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Goona city, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India. A road and rail junction, Guna is a major agricultural distribution centre. Cotton ginning, oilseed milling, and handloom weaving are important industries. The city has several colleges affiliated with Jiwaji University. Wheat, sorghum, legumes, corn (maize), and oilseeds are the major crops grown in the surrounding

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

2005-02-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

The company as originally founded in Moji (now a part of Kita-Kyushu), Japan, by Idemitsu Sazo was a general trading company, dealing in the distribution of various goods, including such commodities as grain and such

Claude, Georges

2005-02-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

In 1897 Claude discovered that acetylene gas could be transported safely by dissolving it in acetone. His method was generally adopted and brought a wide expansion to the acetylene industry. Independently

Wilberforce, Samuel

2005-02-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

The son of the politician and antislavery

Henry, William

2005-02-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

Henry took his doctor of medicine degree at Edinburgh (1807). When ill health forced him

Puerto Padre

2005-02-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Las Tunas provincia, eastern Cuba. Lying on sheltered Puerto Padre Bay, off the Atlantic Ocean, the city is a commercial and manufacturing centre for a fertile irrigated hinterland. Sugarcane, tobacco, fruit, and livestock produced in the area are processed in the city, which also contains brickyards and sawmills. Saltworks, asphalt deposits, and

Puget Sound

2005-02-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

Deep inlet of the eastern North Pacific Ocean indenting northwestern Washington, U.S. It stretches south for 100 miles (160 km) from Admiralty Inlet and Whidbey Island (beyond which lie the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca). Hood Canal is a large western extension. The sound is the submerged northern end of the Cowlitz-Puget trough, which extends for some 350 miles (565 km) between the

Spoon River

2005-02-16T03:53:00.000-08:00

River in west-central Illinois, U.S. It rises in southwestern Bureau county and flows south and southwest to a point near Lewistown, where it turns southeast, joining the Illinois River opposite Havana after a course of 160 miles (257 km). The Dickson Mounds, a rich archaeological area, are near the confluence of the two rivers. Spoon River was made famous by Edgar Lee Masters, the

Molina, Luis De

2005-02-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Molina's

Argentina, Music and dance

2005-02-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Another cultural hybrid is the tango, a music style and dance that emerged from the poor immigrant quarters of Buenos Aires toward the end of the 19th century and quickly became famous around the world as a symbol of Argentine culture. Influenced by the Spanish tango and, possibly, the Argentine milonga, it was originally a high-spirited local phenomenon, but, after it

Hull

2005-02-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Outaouais region, southwestern Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the north bank of the Ottawa River, opposite Ottawa, Ont. Originating in the early 19th century as a lumbering settlement named for Hull, Yorkshire, Eng., the city grew to become the chief business and administrative centre for southwestern Quebec and the industrial centre for metropolitan

Biblical Literature, The Letter of James

2005-02-14T01:51:00.000-08:00

The Letter of James, though often criticized as having nothing specifically Christian in its content apart from its use of the phrase the “Lord Jesus Christ” and its salutation to a general audience depicted as the twelve tribes in the dispersion (the Diaspora), is actually a letter most representative of early Christian piety. It depicts the teachings of the early

Hukbalahap Rebellion

2005-02-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Huk Rebellion (1946–54), Communist-led peasant uprising in central Luzon, Philippines. The name of the movement is a Tagalog acronym for Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, which means “People's Anti-Japanese Army.” The Huks came close to victory in 1950 but were subsequently defeated by a combination of advanced U.S. weaponry supplied to the Philippine government and administrative reforms under the

Trafalgar, Battle Of

2005-02-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

At the end of September 1805, Villeneuve had

Acceleration Stress

2005-02-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

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

China, Population

2005-02-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Ming China's northward orientation in foreign relations was accompanied by a flow of Chinese migrants from the crowded South back into the vast North China Plain, and by a concomitant shift in emphasis from an urban and commercial way of life back to a rural and agrarian pattern. Thus, demographic and economic trends that had characterized China for centuries—the

Rocky Mountains, Climate

2005-02-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Along the great north-south extent of the mountains, the climate of the Rockies extends from the northern fringe of the subtropical zone in the far south to the Arctic in the far north. In the south, however, the continentality and high elevation of the mountains tend to reduce the advantages of latitude. Two vertical zones prevail throughout much of the range. The lower

Luther, Martin, Luther's questioning of authority

2005-02-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Eck was able to go off to Rome with new prestige to give sharpness to the process of Luther's official condemnation. Luther had now to examine the further implications of his actions to date, in relation to the authority of the church, of councils, and of Scripture; his correspondence shows that he was reaching something like a crisis in his attitude to papal

Oak Park

2005-02-07T04:59:00.000-08:00

Village, Cook county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It is a western suburb of Chicago. Settled in 1833 by Joseph Kettlestrings, who operated a sawmill on the east bank of the Des Plaines River, it was originally called Oak Ridge and served as a stopping place for farmers taking their produce into Chicago. In 1871, after the Chicago fire, the population grew rapidly. The village, primarily

Sigismund Ii Augustus

2005-02-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

The only son of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, Sigismund II was elected and crowned coruler with his father in 1530. He ruled the duchy of Lithuania from 1544 and became king