EqualHead

Promotional pens: everyone seems to want one.

2007-02-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for potential suppliers of promotional
products? From economy ballpoint pens to exclusive pen sets, you can choose
the best advertising promotional
pens for your advertising needs. That is a great way to easily promote your
business. Cheap promotional pens are always popular and extremely affordable (also
they travel well). But not forget to consider other effective products:t-shirt
(can be seen by hundreds of people each time your shirt is worn), key chains,
mugs and travel Mugs, magnets, desk Items, calendars. Think carefully about your
target audience and their lifestyle, then you can determine if these promotional
products are the best selection to accomplish your objectives.

Crab Apple

2005-04-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Also called Crab, any of several small trees of the genus Malus, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to North America and Asia. Crabs are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. The fragrant five-petaled, white, pink, carmine, or purplish flowers appear early in showy masses. The fruits are much smaller and more tart than the common

Fyrd

2005-04-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Tribal militia-like arrangement existing in Anglo-Saxon England from approximately AD 605. Local in character, it imposed military service upon every able-bodied free male. It was probably the duty of the ealderman, or sheriff, to call out and lead the fyrd. Fines imposed for neglecting the fyrd varied with the status of the individual, landholders receiving the heaviest

Ahmad Shah

2005-04-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

In full Ahmad Shah Bahadur Mujahid-ud-din Abu Nasr ineffectual Mughal emperor of India from 1748 to 1754, who has been characterized as a “good-natured imbecile,” without personality, training, or qualities of leadership. He was entirely dominated by others, including the queen mother, Udham Bai, and the eunuch superintendent of the harem, the emperor's vicar Javid Khan. Twice during his reign, the Afghan

Roman Republic

2005-04-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

French République Romaine, Italian Repubblica Romana, republic established in February 1798 by French troops occupying Rome and its environs. The pope was forced into exile, and the new republic was set up under an executive of seven consuls. In November 1798 Ferdinand IV of Naples sent an army that recaptured Rome, but the French returned victoriously the next month. The reestablished republic lasted only until 1799, when the Austrian-Russian

Eliot, Sir John

2005-04-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

The son of a wealthy landowner, Eliot was first elected

G.m.

2005-03-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

Recipient of the George Medal, a British decoration for valour. See George Cross.

Stagecoach

2005-03-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

Any public coach regularly travelling a fixed route between two or more stations (stages). Used in London at least by 1640, and about 20 years later in Paris, stagecoaches reached their greatest importance in England and the United States in the 19th century, where the new macadam roads made travel quicker and more comfortable. In the United States, coaches were the only means

Xia Gui

2005-03-31T05:10:00.000-08:00

For a time after his death, Xia may have suffered the same low esteem as other Southern Song academy painters in the eyes of proponents of the new literati, or scholar-amateur, school of painting, for whom professionalism was equated with empty technique and academicism. Zhuang Su wrote in 1298 in Huaji Buyi:He painted landscapes and figures, all very vulgar and debased.

Ch'i-ying

2005-03-29T03:29:00.000-08:00

A member of the Imperial family of the Ch'ing dynasty (1644–1912), Ch'i-ying served in various high governmental positions before being sent to the east-central Chinese city of Nanking in 1842 to negotiate a treaty with the

Biblical Literature, The Revised Standard Version

2005-03-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

The American Standard Version had been an expression of sensitivity to the needs of the American public. At the same time, several individual and unofficial translations into modern speech made from 1885 on had gained popularity, their appeal reinforced by the discovery that the Greek of the New Testament used the common nonliterary variety of the language spoken

Gattamelata

2005-03-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Equestrian monument of Erasmo da Narni bronze statue of the Venetian condottiere Erasmo da Narni, (popularly known as Gattamelata, meaning “honeyed cat”) by the 15th-century Italian Early Renaissance sculptor Donatello. It was completed between 1447 and 1450 but was not installed on its pedestal in the Piazza del Santo in front of the Basilica of Sant'Antonio in Padua, Italy, until 1453. The statue established a prototype

Side-necked Turtle

2005-03-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Pelomedusid turtles are aquatic reptiles found

Maharashtra

2005-03-27T03:21:00.000-08:00

State of India that occupies a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau in the western peninsular part of the subcontinent. Its shape roughly resembles a triangle, with the 450-mile (725-kilometre) western coastline forming the base and the interior narrowing to a blunt apex some 500 miles to the east. It has an area of 118,809 square miles (307,713 square kilometres). It is bounded by the states

Topographical Poetry

2005-03-26T01:12:00.000-08:00

Verse genre characterized by the description of a particular landscape. A subgenre, the prospect poem, details the view from a height. The form was established by John Denham in 1642 with the publication of his poem Cooper's Hill. Topographical poems were at their peak of popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, though there are examples from the early 19th century, including

Lorena

2005-03-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies along the Paraíba do Sul River, at 1,719 feet (524 m) above sea level. Formerly known as Pôrto de Guaipacaré and Freguesia de Nossa Senhora da Aparecida, it was given town status in 1782 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1788. The city is a trade centre for an agricultural hinterland in which rice, corn (maize), feijão (beans), potatoes,

Gum

2005-03-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin (Russian: “State Department Store”), the largest department store in Russia. Situated on a traditional market site on the northeast side of Red Square in Moscow, the building originally known as the Upper Trading Arcade was designed by A.N. Pomerantsev and built in 1889–93 in a pseudo-Russian style over a hidden metal skeleton. In its original form it housed more than 1,000 shops. Reconstructed

Peter

2005-03-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

He succeeded his father, Alfonso XI, at the age of 15, and John II of France saw the chance to force Castile into a military alliance against England. The alliance was concluded

Alypius

2005-03-23T20:12:00.000-08:00

Writer on music whose Eisagoge mousike (Introduction to Music) contains a comprehensive summary of the complex system of Greek scales and their transpositions and includes tables of their method of notation. The treatise was published in 1616 by I. Meursius and in 1652, with the tables of notation, by M. Meibom. The authoritative edition is by K. von Jan

Costigan, Edward Prentiss

2005-03-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

Costigan spent most of his youth in Colorado, where his parents moved in 1877. He graduated from Harvard University in 1899 and began his law practice in Denver the next year. His interest in good government led him to join nonpartisan

Hancock, Winfield Scott

2005-03-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

A West Point graduate (1844), he served with distinction in the Mexican War (1846–48). Hancock was appointed a

Handcuffs

2005-03-21T20:32:00.000-08:00

Device for shackling the hands, used by police on prisoners under arrest. Until modern times, handcuffs were of two kinds: (1) the figure 8, which confined the hands close together either in front of or behind the body, and (2) rings that fitted around the wrists and were connected by a short chain, these being somewhat like those used by modern police forces. The old names were

Cabaret

2005-03-21T04:59:00.000-08:00

Restaurant that serves liquor and offers a variety of musical entertainment. The cabaret probably originated in France in the 1880s as a small club in which the audience was grouped around a platform. The entertainment at first consisted of a series of amateur acts linked together by a master of ceremonies; its coarse humour was usually directed against the conventions

Babia, Mount

2005-03-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Polish Babia Góra , Slovak Babia Hora highest mountain (5,659 feet [1,725 m] at Diablok) peak in the Beskid Mountains, on the Slovakia-Poland border and one of the highest peaks in Poland. It is 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of Námestovo, Slovakia, and 12 miles (19 km) south-southwest of Sucha Beskidzka, Pol. The site of a 7-square-mile (17-square-kilometre) Polish national park, the mountain attracts thousands of visitors to the resort facilities

Burdett, Sir Francis, 5th Baronet

2005-03-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

His marriage to a wealthy woman enabled Burdett to buy a seat in the House of Commons in 1796. Influenced by French Revolutionary

Homburg

2005-03-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

City, Saarland, southwestern Germany, on the Erbach River, northeast of Saarbrücken. Chartered in 1330 and 1558, it belonged to the counts of Homburg, most of whose territory was divided in 1499 between the houses of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Pfalz-Zweibrücken. It became part of the Bavarian Palatinate in 1815 and was included in the Saar in 1920. The market square is surrounded by fine 17th-century

Bobbin Lace

2005-03-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Also called pillow lace , or bone lace with needle lace, one of two main kinds of lace. Bobbin lace is made with a number of threads, each fastened to an elongated spool (bobbin). A pattern is drawn on parchment or paper, and holes are pricked to indicate where pins will be placed to keep the threads in position while the lace is being made. The parchment is placed on a pillow or cushion, and the threads, with the bobbins

Sevagram

2005-03-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern Maharashtra state, western India. Originally called Segaon, the village was given its present name (Hindi: Village of Service) by Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian nationalist leader. In 1936 he left his ashram (hermitage) on the Sabarmati River, near Ahmadabad, and settled at Sevagram. There he founded another ashram and directed the independence movement. Within this he

Aucassin Et Nicolette

2005-03-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Early 13th-century French chantefable (a story told in alternating sections of verse and prose, the former sung, the latter recited). Aucassin, “endowed with all good qualities,” is the son of the Count of Beaucaire and falls in love with Nicolette, a captive Saracen turned Christian. The lovers are imprisoned but manage to escape and, after many vicissitudes (including flight,

Hawke's Bay

2005-03-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Local government region, eastern North Island, New Zealand. It consists mostly of the hill country fronting Hawke Bay to the east, stretches from the Mahia Peninsula in the northeast to the vicinity of Cape Turnagain in the southeast, and is noted for its rolling sheep lands. The region extends westward to the Huiarau, Maungaharuru, Kaweka, and Ruahine mountain ranges;

Ancud

2005-03-17T00:32:00.000-08:00

Town and commune in Los Lagos región, Chiloé provincia, southern Chile. It lies on the northern coast of Chiloé Island, across the Straits of Chacao from the mainland. Founded in 1769 as San Carlos de Ancud, it was one of the last strongholds of royalist forces during Chile's struggle for independence from Spain in the first quarter of the 19th century. It was the provincial capital

Hsin-yang

2005-03-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Xinyang city in southern Honan sheng (province), China. Hsin-yang is in the very south of the Honan plain, in the basin between the Ta-pieh Mountains and the Huai River. It has traditionally been on a cultural divide between the plain and the hilly districts to the south. It was also a natural route centre on the Shih River, a tributary of the Huai. The Shih has become passable for relatively

Mondego River

2005-03-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Mondego, largest of the exclusively Portuguese rivers, rising at 4,675 feet (1,425 m) on the northern slopes of Mount Estrela and flowing southwestward for 137 miles (220 km) to the Atlantic Ocean. It has a drainage basin of 2,615 square miles (6,772 square km). A sandbar prohibits navigation above Figueira da Foz, though small craft can sail 52 miles (84 km) upstream to Foz Dão; the river is tidal to Montemor-o-Velho (12 miles

T'ung-chih

2005-03-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Ascending the throne at the age of six, the young ruler assumed the reign title of T'ung-chih (“Union for Order”). He ruled under the regency of a triumvirate that was headed by his

Nile River

2005-03-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

Almost no area within the Nile basin experiences a true equatorial or a true Mediterranean type of climate. While the Nile basin in The Sudan and Egypt is rainless during the northern winter, its southern parts and the highlands of Ethiopia experience heavy rain—more than 60 inches (1,520 millimetres)—during the northern summer. Most of the region falls under the influence

Tarai

2005-03-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Terai region of northern India and southern Nepal running parallel to the lower Himalayan ranges. A strip of undulating former marshland, it stretches from the Yamuna River (west) to the Brahmaputra River (east). At its northern edge are numerous springs forming several streams, including the important Ghaghara River, that intersect the Tarai (meaning “moist land”) and are

Accesi, Compagnia Degli

2005-03-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

Company that performed commedia dell'arte (improvised popular Italian comedy) in the early 1600s. The name means “the stimulated.” Leadership was provided by Tristano Martinelli (famous for his portrayal of Arlecchino, the mischievous servant) and Pier Maria Cecchini (known as the leading interpreter of the character Fritellino, as well as the author of valuable texts

Hohenwart, Karl Siegmund, Graf Von

2005-03-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

After service in the provincial administrations of Carniola (now in Slovenia) and Trentino, Italy, Hohenwart was appointed Statthalter (governor) of Upper Austria (1868). A Roman Catholic partisan in politics and an opponent of governmental centralization, he was appointed

Bahamas, The

2005-03-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, archipelago and state on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. The group occupies an irregular submarine tableland that rises out of the Atlantic depths and is separated from nearby lands to the south and west by deepwater channels. Lying to the north of Cuba and Hispaniola, the archipelago comprises nearly 700 islands and cays, only about 30 of which are inhabited,

Ecliptic

2005-03-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, the great circle that is the apparent path of the Sun among the constellations in the course of a year; from another viewpoint, the projection on the celestial sphere of the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. The constellations of the zodiac are arranged along the ecliptic. The ecliptic is inclined about 23 1/2° to the plane of the celestial equator; the two points

Akershus

2005-03-10T00:03:00.000-08:00

Fylke (county), southeastern Norway. Covering 1,898 square miles (4,917 square km), it extends north from Oslo Fjord to the southern end of Lake Mjøsa and east to the Swedish frontier. The Vorma River flows through Akershus from Mjøsa into the Glomma (Glåma) River and on to Lake Øyeren. The national capital, Oslo, is the county seat, though it is a separate fylke and bykommune (urban commune)

Adam De La Halle,

2005-03-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Adam's Jeu de la feuillée (“Play of the Greensward”) is a satirical fantasy based on his own life, written to amuse his friends in Arras upon his departure for Paris to pursue his studies. Le Congé (“The Leave Taking”) expresses his sorrow at leaving his wife and his native

Airplane, Devices for aerodynamic control

2005-03-09T05:48:00.000-08:00

In some flight conditions—descent, preparing to land, landing, and after landing—it is desirable to be able to increase drag to decelerate the aircraft. A number of devices have been designed to accomplish this. These include speed brakes, which are large flat-plate areas that can be deployed by the pilot to increase drag dramatically and are most often found on military

Ibn Ezra, Abraham Ben Meir

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

As a young man, he lived in Muslim Spain. Not much is known about his early life. He was on friendly terms with the eminent poet and philosopher Judah

Jhang Maghiana

2005-03-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

City consisting of twin towns, headquarters of Jhang Maghiana District, Sargodha Division, Punjab Province, Pakistan, just east of the Chenab River. Maghiana lies on the edge of the highlands overlooking the alluvial valley, while Jhang occupies the lowlands at its foot. They are connected by two roads and by the Grand Trunk Road with Peshawar and Lahore. Maghiana, founded

T'ien Ming

2005-03-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

The continuation of the mandate was believed to be conditioned by the personal behaviour of the ruler, who was expected to possess i (“righteousness”) and jen (“benevolence

Fruit

2005-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

In its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Thus, apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, however, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy. The

Teratology

2005-03-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

Branch of the biological sciences dealing with the causes, development, description, and classification of congenital malformations in plants and animals and with the experimental production, in some instances, of these malformations. Congenital malformations arise from interruption in the early development of the organism. Malformations in human infants,

Lock

2005-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Mechanical device for securing a door or receptacle so that it cannot be opened except by a key or by a series of manipulations that can be carried out only by a person knowing the secret or code.

Boxing, Amateur boxing

2005-03-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) of the United States was formed in 1888 and instituted its annual championships

Handel, George Frideric

2005-03-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

German (until 1715) Georg Friedrich Händel or Georg Friedrich Haendel German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, the Messiah (1741), and is also known for such occasional pieces as Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).

Apuleius, Lucius

2005-03-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Apuleius, who was educated at Carthage and Athens,

London, Tower Of

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

Immediately

Korean War

2005-02-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Conflict between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in which at least 2.5 million persons lost their lives. The war reached international proportions in June 1950 when North Korea, supplied and advised by the Soviet Union, invaded the South. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal participant, joined

Miracle, Judaism

2005-02-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

Miracles are taken for granted throughout the Old Testament. God does “wondrous things” according to Psalms, chapter 72, and “great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number” according to the Book of Job, chapter 5; these things are done in his creation in general and in the history of his people in particular (e.g., the 10 plagues of Egypt and the events of the Exodus).

Hines, Gregory

2005-02-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

By the age of four, Hines and his older brother Maurice were taking tap lessons with renowned dancer and choreographer Henry Le Tang. The brothers soon formed the Hines Kids, a song-and-dance

Mugla

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

City, southwestern Turkey, on the edge of a small plain about 12 miles (20 km) north of the Gulf of Gökova. A favourite residence of the emirs of the 14th-century Turkmen Mentese principality, it was annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1425. It is a local market for the agricultural products of the region and is linked by road with Izmir and Denizli. The surrounding region borders on both the

Toradja

2005-02-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Group of peoples of central Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia. They are believed to be descendants of the invading Austronesian-speaking people that overran the island and absorbed or exterminated the aboriginal population. Later they were driven back from the coasts by Muslim Indonesians such as the Buginese. Their warfare and headhunting made it necessary to locate

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-02-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is undoubtedly the canid of the greatest importance economically. Numerous humans are actually employed in raising, selling, doctoring, grooming, training, or providing and manufacturing food for “man's best friend.” Dogs probably were the first wild animals to be domesticated; they have been found associated with Neolithic sites

Coruña, La

2005-02-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

Also called Corunna , French La Corogne , formerly The Groyne city, capital of La Coruña province, in the autonomous community (region) of Galicia. It lies in extreme northwestern Spain, on Ría de la Coruña, an inlet of the Atlantic. Under the Romans, La Coruña was the port of Brigantium, but its present name is probably derived from Coronium, by which it was known in the Middle Ages. It was held by the Moors during the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries,

Bridgend

2005-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Welsh Pen-y-bont Ar Ogwr town, Bridgend county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), Wales, on the River Ogmore. It has grown up on the site of medieval riverside twin villages (Oldcastle and Newcastle) with a 12th-century castle and 15th-century hospice; a stone bridge was built over the river about 1435. Historically, Bridgend has been the market town for the western Glamorgan lowland and

China, Twentieth-century China

2005-02-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

The bibliography on contemporary Chinese history is vast and growing rapidly. Although publications on modern China are uneven in coverage and quality, most subjects of interest have been discussed in the writings of scholars and visitors to China and Taiwan. A comprehensive bibliography of these writings is compiled annually by the Journal of Asian Studies. See also George Ginsburgs and Michael Mathos, Communist China and Tibet: The First Dozen Years (1964); Edgar Snow, Red China Today (1971); John Wilson Lewis, Leadership in Communist China (1963, reprinted 1978), and (ed.), The City in Communist China (1971); Benjamin I. Schwartz, Communism and China: Ideology in Flux (1968); C.K. Yang, The Chinese Communist Society: The Family and the Village (1965); Byung-joon Ahn, Chinese Politics and the Cultural Revolution: Dynamics of Policy Processes (1976); Lowell Dittmer, Liu Shao-Ch'i and the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The Politics of Mass Criticism (1974); Kenneth Lieberthal, Revolution and Tradition in Tientsin, 1949–1952 (1980); Maurice Miesner, Mao's China: History of the People's Republic (1977); William E. Griffith, The Sino-Soviet Rift, Analysed and Documented (1964), and Sino-Soviet Relations, 1964–1965 (1967); Richard Baum, Prelude to Revolution: Mao, the Party, and the Peasant Question, 1962–66 (1975); Roderick MacFarquhar, The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, 2 vol. (1974–83); Frederick C. Teiwes, Politics and Purges in China: Rectifications and the Decline of Party Norms, 1950–1965 (1979); Tang Tsou, The Cultural Revolution and Post-Mao Reforms (1986); Edward E. Rice, Mao's Way (1972); Robert A. Scalapino (ed.), Elites in the People's Republic of China (1972); Stuart Schram (ed.), Mao Tse-tung Unrehearsed: Talks and Letters: 1956–71 (1974, U.S. title, Chairman Mao Talks to the People: Talks and Letters, 1956–1971); Frederic Wakeman, Jr., History and Will: Philosophical Perspectives of Mao Tse-tung's Thought (1973); William W. Whitson and Chen-hsia Huang, The Chinese High Command: A History of Communist Military Politics, 1927–71 (1973); Martin King Whyte, Small Groups and Political Rituals in China (1974); Margery Wolf and Roxane Witke (eds.), Women in Chinese Society (1975); and Margery Wolf, Revolution Postponed: Women in Contemporary China (1985).

Junee

2005-02-21T04:12:00.000-08:00

Town, south central New South Wales, Australia, just north of Wagga Wagga in the fertile Riverina district. Founded in 1863 as Jewnee, it was known as Jewnee Junction or Loftus when proclaimed a town in 1883 and was gazetted a municipality in 1886. It became a shire in 1981. Its name is Aboriginal for “speak to me.” On the main southern rail line from Sydney (216 mi [348 km] northeast), Junee has large locomotive

Fish, Hamilton

2005-02-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

A lawyer involved in New York Whig politics, Fish served in the U.S. Senate from 1851 to 1857, when he transferred his allegiance to the newly formed Republican Party. During the American Civil War (1861–65) he became chairman

January

2005-02-19T03:18:00.000-08:00

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

Hop

2005-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Either of two species of the genus Humulus, nonwoody annual or perennial vines in the hemp family (Cannabeceae) native to temperate North America, Eurasia, and South America. The hops used in the brewery industry are the dried female flower clusters (cones) of the common hop (H. lupulus). The Japanese hop (H. japonicus) is a quick-growing annual species used

Taravana Syndrome

2005-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Form of decompression sickness that is most frequently seen in pearl divers in Japan and the Polynesian islands. These skin divers acquire their pearls by making breath-holding dives down to depths as great as 165 feet (about 50 m). During a day's work, they may make 60 to 100 dives in succession, with intervals of only a few seconds to two minutes between dives. The major symptoms of

Duralumin

2005-02-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

Strong, hard, lightweight alloy of aluminum, widely used in aircraft construction, discovered and patented in 1910 by Alfred Wilm, a German metallurgist; it was originally made only at Düren in Germany. The original composition has been varied for particular applications; it may contain about 3 or 4 percent copper, 1/2 to 1 percent manganese, 1/2 to 1 1/2 percent magnesium, and, in some formulations,

Harding, Warren G.

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

Harding was never personally implicated in the scandals, but he was aware of the actions of Forbes, Smith, and the Ohio Gang and failed to bring their corruption to light. By the mid-1920s, the public began to regard Harding as a man who simply did not measure up to the responsibilities of his high office. Rumours of his heavy drinking in the White House (at a time when Prohibition was the law of the land) and of his involvement in extramarital affairs further degraded his reputation. In 1927 Nan Britton published The President's Daughter, in which she claimed that in 1919 she had given birth to a child fathered by the future president. While historians have challenged the veracity of this and other allegations made against Harding, most of them agree that he was the least capable of the nation's chief executives.

Cabarrus, François, Conde De

2005-02-16T02:25:00.000-08:00

Cabarrus originally settled in Madrid as a soap manufacturer but soon became conspicuous within a circle of enlightened reformers who advised the king. His ideas were crucial in the creation of the first Spanish central bank in 1783. He also was involved

American Literature, Poetry

2005-02-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

The post-World War II years produced an abundance of strong poetry but no individual poet as dominant and accomplished as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, or William Carlos Williams, whose long careers were coming to an end. The major poetry from 1945 to 1960 was modernist in its ironic texture yet formal in its insistence on regular rhyme and metre. Beginning

Pacific Ocean, Submarine hydrocarbons

2005-02-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Deposits of oil and gas under the seafloor are the most valuable and sought-after fuels of the modern world economy. Shallow seas and small ocean basins, such as the South and East China seas, are thought to have a high potential for large reserves. Among the countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas, the proportion of production from submarine reserves

Carter, Benny

2005-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Carter grew up in New York City and attended Wilberforce College briefly before joining, as alto saxophonist and arranger, a series of

Afonso Iv

2005-02-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

Afonso IV was the son of King Dinis and of Isabella, daughter of Peter II of Aragon. Afonso resented his father's generosity toward two illegitimate sons and in 1320 demanded to be given power, remaining in open revolt until May 1322. His mother reconciled them, but the conflict broke out again. When Dinis died, Afonso succeeded to

Euric

2005-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Euric ascended the throne after assassinating his brother, King Theodoric II,

Pacific Ocean, Eastern region

2005-02-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

The eastern region, which extends southward from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, is relatively narrow and is associated with the American cordilleran system of almost unbroken mountain chains, the coastal ranges of which rise steeply from the western shores of North and South America. The continental shelf, which runs parallel to it, is steep and comparatively narrow.

Jacob, Max

2005-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Jacob departed his native Brittany in 1894 to go to Paris, where he lived in extreme poverty but eventually became an important

Celestial Globe

2005-02-10T23:54:00.000-08:00

Some globes were made in ancient Greece; Thales of Miletus (fl. 6th century BC) is generally credited with having constructed the first. Probably the oldest in existence is the

Rydberg Constant

2005-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

(symbol R¥), fundamental constant of atomic physics that appears in the formulas developed (1890) by the Swedish physicist J. R. Rydberg, describing the wavelengths or frequencies of light in various series of related spectral lines, such as those emitted by hydrogen atoms. The value of this constant is based on the premise that the nucleus of the atom emitting light is exceedingly

Accra

2005-02-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

When the Portuguese first settled on the coast of what is now Ghana in 1482, the present site of Accra was occupied

Technology

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

The subject of technology is treated in a number of articles. For general treatment, see technology, history of; hand tool. For description of the materials that are both the object and means of manipulating

Meher Baba

2005-02-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

Also called The Awakener, original name Merwan Sheriar Irani spiritual master in western India with a sizable following both in that country and abroad. Beginning on July 10, 1925, he observed silence for the last 44 years of his life, communicating with his disciples at first through an alphabet board but increasingly with gestures. He observed that he had come “not to teach but to awaken,” adding that “things

Reformed Church In America

2005-02-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Church that developed from the Dutch settlements in New Netherlands (New York) in the 17th century. The Dutch Reformed Church was the first Reformed church of continental European background in North America. During the period of Dutch sovereignty over New Netherlands, it was the established church of the colony. When the English seized the colony in 1664, they gave assurances

Jane Seymour

2005-02-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

Jane's father was Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall, Savernake, Wiltshire. She became a lady in waiting to Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and then to Anne Boleyn,

Bashkirtseff, Marie

2005-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Bashkirtseff was the daughter of Russian nobility, and she spent a peripatetic childhood with her mother

Chi-ning

2005-02-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Jining , conventional Tsining city in southwestern Shantung sheng (province), China. In early times the seat of the state of Jen, it later became a part of the state of Ch'i, which flourished in the Chou period (c. 1122–221 BC). It underwent many changes of name and administrative status. The present name, Chi-ning, first appeared under Mongol rule in AD 1271. In early times the city was usually subordinated to Yen-chou, about 20 miles

France, History Of, Rural life

2005-02-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Rural life changed more gradually. The expanding markets favoured well-endowed or efficient lords or peasants who could produce a surplus of goods for sale. Such conditions were less common in the south than in the north, although they could be found in most wine-producing areas. But, while rising prices benefited producers, they contributed to certain difficulties

Beira

2005-02-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

Port city, central Mozambique. Beira is situated on the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) at the mouths of the Púngoè and Búzi rivers. It was founded in 1891 as the headquarters of the Companhia de Moçambique (“Mozambique Company”) on the site of an old Muslim settlement. The city's administration passed from the trading company to the Portuguese government in 1942 and then to independent

Absentee Ownership

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

Absentee

Irigoyen, Hipólito

2005-01-31T18:10:00.000-08:00

Irigoyen became a lawyer, teacher, rancher, and politician and in 1896 took control of the Radical Party. His relentless effort to obtain free elections succeeded

Adab

2005-01-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

Modern Bismayah ancient Sumerian city located south of Nippur (modern Niffer or Nuffar), Iraq. Excavations (1903–04) carried out by the American archaeologist Edgar James Banks revealed buildings dating from as early as the prehistoric period and as late as the reign of Ur-Nammu (reigned 2112–2095 BC). Adab was an important Sumerian centre only up to about 2000. The Sumerian king list ascribed to the city one

Chelif River

2005-01-31T04:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chéliff, or Sheliff, the longest and most important river of Algeria. Its farthest tributary, the Sebgag River, rises in the Amour ranges of the Saharan Atlas Mountains near Aflou. Crossing the Hauts Plateaux for most of the year as a chain of marshes and muddy pools, the river loses most of its water but is replenished by a stream near Chabounia, the Nahr Ouassel River. The Chelif then turns

Middle American Indian

2005-01-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

The physical spine of Middle America is the broad mountain chain extending from the southern end of the Rockies to the northern tip of the Andes, with Middle America in the area from northern Mexico to Nicaragua. The mountain chain marks off the area into four major regions.

Vennberg, Karl

2005-01-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

Vennberg was a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm folk high school. His influential reviews and critical essays broke the ground for the radical cause of the 40-talslyrik (1947; “Poetry of the 1940s”), an anthology that he edited together with Erik Lindegren. His two volumes

Iron Processing

2005-01-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Iron (Fe) is a relatively dense metal with a silvery white appearance and distinctive magnetic properties. It constitutes 5 percent by weight of the Earth's crust, and it is the

Annelid, Ecology

2005-01-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

There are no marine habitats containing specific polychaetes as there are for mollusks and echinoderms. Many species, such as Neanthes arenaceodentata and Capitella capitata, cosmopolitan in distribution, are found throughout the world. Aquatic oligochaete species are widespread in suitable environments; terrestrial forms are less widely distributed,

Karaganda

2005-01-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

The first settlement appeared in 1856, and small-scale coal mining began in 1857 to supply a nearby copper smelter. Mining ceased in the 1920s

Edgar The Aetheling

2005-01-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

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

Mosque

2005-01-26T03:57:00.000-08:00

Arabic masjid, or jami', any house or open area of prayer in Islam. The Arabic word masjid means “a place of prostration” to God, and the same word is used in Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. Two main types of mosques can be distinguished: the masjid jami', or “collective mosque,” a large state-controlled mosque that is the centre of community worship and the site of Friday prayer services; and smaller mosques

Vacuum Flask

2005-01-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

The vacuum flask was devised to preserve liquefied gases by preventing the transfer of heat from the surroundings to the liquid. The evacuated space