BeautifulDoor

France, History Of, France since 1815

2005-04-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Volumes 2 and 3 of the already mentioned Alfred Cobban, A History of Modern France, 3 vol. (1957–62, reprinted 1969), present the period from the First Empire to the Republics in a sophisticated synthesis; and Gordon Wright, France in Modern Times: From the Enlightenment to the Present, 4th ed. (1987), is an interpretive general survey. Appropriate parts of the massive collective work Histoire économique et sociale de la France, 4 vol. in 8 (1970–82), Fernand Braudel and Ernest Labrousse (eds.), provide coverage by some of the best French experts of economic and social developments up to the last quarter of the 20th century. Surveys of special topics on all or most of the period since 1815 include René Rémond, The Right Wing in France from 1815 to De Gaulle, 2nd ed. (1969; originally published in French, 3rd ed., 1968; rev. French ed., 1982), tracing change and continuity of the political right; Gérard Cholvy and Yves-Marie Hilaire, Histoire religieuse de la France contemporaine, 3 vol. (1985–88), an analysis of the role of various religions; and Raoul Girardet, La Société militaire dans la France contemporaine, 1815–1939 (1953), on the changing role and composition of the military corps. The role of France in world affairs is emphasized in Pierre Renouvin, Le XIXe, 2 vol. (1954–55), on the developments of the 19th century, part of the series “Histoire des relations internationales.” François Caron, An Economic History of Modern France, trans. from French (1979, reissued 1983), revises older views about France's rate of growth; Theodore Zeldin, France, 1848–1945, 2 vol. (1973–77), explores modern French society, stressing its complexity and continuity; and Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France (1976), argues that a sense of nationhood came to rural France only in the late 19th century. Period studies include Guillaume de Bertier de Sauvigny, The Bourbon Restoration (1966, originally published in French, 1955), the standard work on the period 1815–1830; David H. Pinkney, Decisive Years in France, 1840–1847 (1986), arguing that France changed fundamentally in these years; Roger Price, The French Second Republic: A Social History (1972), a thoughtful reevaluation; Ted W. Margadant, French Peasants in Revolt: The Insurrection of 1851 (1979), suggesting that leftist views remained vigorous after 1848; J.P.T. Bury, Napoléon III and the Second Empire (1964), a well-informed analysis; Michael Howard, The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870–1871 (1961, reissued 1981), a model study; and Stewart Edwards, The Paris Commune, 1871 (1971), a balanced reevaluation. Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant Garde in France, 1885 to World War I, rev. ed. (1968, reissued 1984), is a brilliant survey of Parisian culture of the period; and Charles Rearick, Pleasures of the Belle Epoque: Entertainment and Festivity in Turn-of-the-Century France (1985), describes the high life in Monmartre. D.W. Brogan, France Under the Republic: The Development of Modern France, 1870–1939 (1940, reprinted 1974), is a classic account; Jacques Chastenet, Histoire de la Troisième République, 7 vol. (1952–63, reissued in 4 vol., 1974), remains the most detailed treatment of the period; David Thomson, Democracy in France Since 1870, 5th ed. (1969), offers a penetrating study of political and social aspects; and Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus (1986; originally published in French, 1983), provides a highly readable account of the great crisis. For the 20th century, see Eugen Weber, Action Française: Royalism and Reaction in Twentieth Century France (1962), a full analysis of this right-wing movement; Zeev Sternhell, La Droite Révolutionnaire, 1885–1914: les origines françaises du fascisme (1978, reprinted 1984), a controversial argument that fascism was born in France; Marc Ferro, The Great War, 1914–1918 (1973, reissued 1987; originally published in French, 1969), a good synthesis; Robert O. Paxton, Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order, 1940–1944 (1972, reissued 1982), a critical analysis of the Pétain regime; Jean-Baptiste Duroselle, La Décadence, 1932–1939, 3rd rev. ed. (1985), and L'Abîme: 1939–1945, 2nd rev. ed. (1986), two volumes of devastating analysis of French foreign policy before and during World War II; Charles de Gaulle, War Memoirs, 5 vol. (1955–60; originally published in French, 1954–59), and Memoirs of Hope: Renewal and Endeavor (1971; originally published in French, 2 vol., 1970–71), indispensable for an understanding of the Gaullist era; Jean Lacouture, Charles de Gaulle, 3 vol. (1984–86), a full and perceptive biography; Philip M. Williams, Crisis and Compromise: Politics in the Fourth Republic, 3rd ed. (1964, reissued 1972), an excellent account of that system of government; Pierre Viansson-Ponté, Histoire de la république gaullienne, 2 vol. (1970–71, reissued in 1 vol., 1984), on the Fifth Republic's Gaullist phase; Stanley Hoffmann et al., In Search of France (1963), an analysis of postwar France; George Ross, Stanley Hoffmann, and Sylvia Malzacher (eds.), The Mitterrand Experiment: Continuity and Change in Modern France (1987), a study of the socialist years; and Alfred Grosser, Affaires extérieures: la politique de la France, 1944–1989 (1989), a penetrating analysis of postwar France's role in the world.

O'brien, Parry

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

O'Brien began putting the shot in high school in Santa Monica, where he also threw the discus, was a sprinter, and played football. In his freshman year at the University

Bat Yam

2005-03-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Israel, on the Plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean coast just south of Tel Aviv–Yafo. Founded in 1926 as a suburban development called Bayit ve-Gan (Hebrew: “House and Garden”), it was abandoned during the Arab riots of 1929. Resettled, it developed as a seaside resort and residential suburb of Tel Aviv. In 1936 the name was changed to Bat Yam (meaning “daughter of the

Palate

2005-03-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

The hard palate, which composes two-thirds of the total palate area, is a plate of bone covered by a moist,

Olympio, Sylvanus

2005-03-12T01:19:00.000-08:00

A leader of the Committee of Togolese Unity after World War II, Olympio was elected president of the first territorial assembly in 1946 and by 1947 was in open (though nonviolent) conflict

Ila

2005-03-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Illa , also called Ila Orangun town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. The town lies in the Yoruba Hills and on the road from Oshogbo to Omu-Aran. One of the oldest settlements of the Yoruba people, it was founded according to tradition by the orangun (“ruler”) of Ila, a son of Oduduwa, the deity who is said to have spread earth on the primeval water. Modern Ila is a collecting centre for locally produced cotton

Pigeon

2005-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Pigeons occur worldwide except in the coldest regions and the most remote islands. About 250 species are known;

Binocular

2005-03-07T03:45:00.000-08:00

In most binoculars, each

Yakuza

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

In Japan, gangster, a member of a boryokudan (q.v.), or gang of racketeers. The word yakuza, which has come to mean “good for nothing,” is derived from a worthless hand in a Japanese card game similar to blackjack: the cards ya-ku-za (“eight-nine-three”), when added up, exceed the winning number of 19.

Yuzhno-sakhalinsk

2005-02-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

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

Lancewood

2005-02-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Tough, heavy, elastic, straight-grained wood obtained from several different trees of the custard-apple family (Annonaceae). True lancewood, Oxandra lanceolata, of the West Indies and Guianas, furnishes most of the lancewood of commerce in the form of spars about 13 feet (4 m) in length and 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter at the small end. Lancewood was formerly used by carriage builders

Telecommunications Network, Ethernet

2005-02-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

The Ethernet originated as a laboratory project at Xerox Corporation in 1974. It was developed as an inexpensive way of sending information quickly between office machines connected together in a single room or building, but it rapidly became a standard computer interconnection method. The data rate is 10 megabits per second. The original specification required coaxial

Lahti

2005-02-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

City, Hämeen (Häme) lääni (province), southern Finland. It lies at the southern end of Vesi Lake, northeast of Helsinki. Founded in 1878, it was incorporated in 1905. A developing industrial centre linked to the rest of Finland by major rail, road, and lake routes, it produces most of the nation's furniture, as well as numerous other wood products, and has glassworks, breweries, and clothing

Orthodox Jewish Congregations Of America, Union Of

2005-02-19T02:11:00.000-08:00

The union was established in New York City in 1898 to foster Orthodox beliefs and practices. To pursue its goals, the union sponsors numerous elementary and secondary day schools oriented toward Orthodoxy

Atkinson, Sir Harry

2005-02-16T07:35:00.000-08:00

Atkinson left England for Taranaki province, N.Z., in 1853 and attained distinction as a soldier in the wars of 1860 and 1863 against the native Maoris. As minister of defense (1864–65) in the administration

Arts, Islamic, Roba'iyat: Omar Khayyam

2005-02-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

The work done in mathematics by early Arabic scholars and by al-Biruni was continued by Omar Khayyam (died 1122), to whom the Seljuq empire in fact owes the reform of its calendar. But Omar has become famous in the West through the free adaptations by Edward FitzGerald of his roba'iyat. These quatrains have been translated into almost every known language and are largely responsible

Cataclastite

2005-02-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Any rock produced by dynamic metamorphism during which faulting, granulation, and flowage may occur in previously crystalline parent rocks. When stress exceeds breaking strength, a rock yields by rupture. The rock may break as a unit, or individual minerals may be selectively granulated. The stress is generally not the same in all directions, so that movement in

Russell, Lillian

2005-02-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

Helen Leonard attended convent and private schools in Chicago. About 1877 or 1878 she was taken by her mother to New York City, where her early training in voice

Sports, Book Of

2005-02-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Formally Declaration of Sports order issued by King James I of England for use in Lancashire to resolve a conflict, on the subject of Sunday amusements, between the Puritans and the gentry, many of whom were Roman Catholics. Permission was given for dancing, archery, leaping and vaulting, and for “having of May games, Whitsun ales and morris dances, and the setting up of May-poles and other sports therewith

New Britain

2005-02-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

City, coextensive with the town (township) of New Britain, Hartford county, central Connecticut, U.S. Settled as the Stanley Quarter to the north in 1686 and followed later by the Great Swamp settlement to the south, the area became the New Britain parish of Farmington in 1754. In 1785 Berlin town, including New Britain parish, was separately incorporated from Farmington. Metalworking

Chase, Philander

2005-02-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

Ordained a priest in 1799, Chase served several parishes in New York State, New Orleans, and Hartford, Conn., prior to his consecration as bishop for the new Ohio diocese in 1819. Because he felt the needs of the frontier West could

West Bengal

2005-02-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

State of India. It is located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bounded on the north by Bhutan and the state of Sikkim, on the east by Bangladesh, on the northeast by the state of Assam, on the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the southwest by the state of Orissa, on the northwest by Nepal, and on the west by the state of Bihar. Its area is 34,267 square miles (88,752 square kilometres). Although

Delhi Zoological Park

2005-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

The collection includes good breeding groups of white tigers and brow-antlered deer. Many of the animals are displayed in barless, moated enclosures, while a colony

Biology, The discovery of cells

2005-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

Of the five microscopists, Robert Hooke was perhaps the most intellectually preeminent. As curator of instruments at the Royal Society of London, he was in touch with all new scientific developments and exhibited interest in such disparate subjects as flying and the construction of clocks. In 1665 Hooke published his Micrographia, which was primarily a review of a

Hula Valley

2005-01-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Hebrew 'emeq Hula, valley in upper Galilee, northeastern Israel. The valley occupies most of the course of the Jordan River north of the Sea of Galilee. It is bounded by Dan and the settlement of Ma'yan Barukh (north), the Golan Heights (east), and the Hills of Naphtali (west), and on the south it slopes gradually down to the Sea of Galilee. It is approximately 16 miles (25 km) long, 4 miles (6 km) wide, and covers

Lighthouse

2005-01-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

Structure, usually with a tower, built onshore or on the seabed to serve as an aid to maritime coastal navigation, warning the mariner of hazards, establishing his position, and guiding him to his destination. From the sea a lighthouse may be identified by the distinctive shape or colour of its structure, by the colour or flash pattern of its light, or by the coded pattern

Middle Passage

2005-01-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

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

Daniel, Peter V(ivian)

2005-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

Daniel studied law under Edmund Jennings Randolph and quickly rose in politics after his admission to the bar in 1808. He entered the Virginia legislature in 1809 and was elected to the Privy Council in 1812. In 1834 he was offered the post of U.S. attorney general by Pres. Andrew Jackson but

Arrabal, Fernando

2005-01-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

Arrabal worked as a clerk in a paper company, then studied law at the University of Madrid. He turned to writing in the early 1950s, and in 1955 he went to study drama in Paris, where he remained.

Niceforo, Alfredo

2005-01-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Italian sociologist, criminologist, and statistician who posited the theory that every person has a “deep ego” of antisocial, subconscious impulses that represent a throwback to precivilized existence. Accompanying this ego, and attempting to keep its latent delinquency in check, according to his concept, is

Plovdiv

2005-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Second largest city of Bulgaria, situated in the south-central part of the country. It lies along the Maritsa River and is situated amid six hills that rise from the Thracian Plain to a height of 400 feet (120 m). Called Pulpudeva in Thracian times, it was renamed Philippopolis in 341 BC after its conquest by Philip II of Macedonia. From AD 46 it was called Trimontium and was the capital of

Fruit

2005-01-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

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

Gondomar, Diego Sarmiento De Acuña, Count (conde) De

2005-01-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

Gondomar's diplomatic fame rests largely on two missions to England (1613–18 and 1620–22). The chief objective of his first mission was to persuade James I to abandon his alliance with France and the Protestant countries on the Continent and to form an alliance

Bloemfontein

2005-01-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

Founded by Major H. Douglas Warden in 1846 as a fort and residency, it became the seat of the British-administered Orange River Sovereignty (1848–54) and of the Orange Free State (an independent Boer republic formed in 1854). The failure of the Bloemfontein Conference

Basil

2005-01-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Albanian in origin, Basil acceded to the throne of Moldavia in the spring of 1634. He intrigued throughout his reign to acquire the Walachian throne as well, and in 1637 and 1639 led unsuccessful expeditions against the ruling prince

Indian Literature

2005-01-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

The earliest Indian literature took the form of the canonical Hindu sacred writings, known as the Veda, which were written in Sanskrit. To the Veda

Kirishitan

2005-01-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

Christian missionaries led by Francis Xavier entered Japan in 1549, only six years after the first Portuguese traders,

Don Quixote

2005-01-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

Spanish in full El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote De La Mancha, novel published in two parts (Part I, 1605; Part II, 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes, one of the most widely read classics of Western literature. Originally conceived as a comic satire against the chivalric romances then in literary vogue, it describes realistically what befalls an elderly knight who, his head bemused by reading romances, sets out on his old horse Rosinante, with his

Hour Angle

2004-12-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, the angle between an observer's meridian (a great circle passing over his head and through the celestial poles) and the hour circle (any other great circle passing through the poles) on which some celestial body lies. This angle, when expressed in hours and minutes, is the time elapsed since the celestial body's last transit of the observer's meridian. The

Duars

2004-12-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dwars, or Dooars, region of northeastern India, at the foot of the west Assam Himalayas. Its 3,400-square-mile (8,800-square-kilometre) area is divided by the Sankosh River into the Western and Eastern Duars. Both were ceded by Bhutan to the British at the end of the Bhutan War (1864–65). The Eastern Duars, in western Assam state, comprises a level plain intersected by numerous rivers and only slightly populated.

Frescobaldi, Girolamo

2004-12-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Italian organist and one of the first great masters of organ composition. He strongly influenced the German Baroque school through the work of his pupils, J.J. Froberger and Franz Tunder. Frescobaldi began his public career as organist at the church of Sta. Maria in Trastevere in Rome, in 1607. He travelled to the Netherlands the

Hassan Ii

2004-12-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

Hassan, after taking a law degree at Bordeaux, France, was appointed commander of the Royal Armed Forces (1955) and deputy premier (1960) and succeeded to the throne on the death of his father, Muhammad V (1961). As

Lermontov, Mikhail

2004-12-22T15:09:00.000-08:00

Only 26 years old when he died, Lermontov had proved his worth as a brilliant and gifted poet-thinker, prose writer, and playwright, the successor of Pushkin, and an exponent of the best traditions of Russian literature. His youthful lyric poetry is filled with a passionate craving for freedom and contains calls to battle, agonizing reflections on how to apply his strengths

Cleveland

2004-12-21T00:43:00.000-08:00

Region and former administrative county, northeastern England, along the River Tees and the North Sea. The region comprises parts of the historic counties of Durham and Yorkshire to the north and south of the Tees, respectively. It is divided administratively into the following unitary authorities: Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and

Mandel, Georges

2004-12-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

A member of a prosperous Jewish family, though not related to the Rothschild banking dynasty, Mandel served on the personal staff of Premier Georges Clemenceau from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 to 1920. He also served as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1919 to 1924 and from 1928 to

Eastern Africa, History Of, The colonial era

2004-12-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Suggestions that he might at this time establish his dominion over the East African interior prompted Sultan Barghash to send a Baluchi force to Tabora, but the idea was never pursued. A comparable notion, however, led Khedive Isma'il Pasha of Egypt to appoint in 1869 the Englishman Samuel White Baker as governor of the Equatorial Province of the Sudan, so that Baker might

Pace University

2004-12-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning with campuses in New York City, Pleasantville, and White Plains, New York, U.S. The university includes Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, Lienhard School of Nursing, and schools of Education, Law, and Computer Science and Information Systems. In addition to undergraduate studies, the

Paper

2004-12-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

Paper has been traced to China in about AD 105. It reached Central Asia by 751 and Baghdad by 793, and by the 14th century there were paper mills in several parts of Europe. The invention of the printing press in about 1450 greatly increased the demand for paper, and at the beginning of the

Bradford, William

2004-12-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

As a boy in England, he was caught up in the fervour of the Protestant

Biblical Literature, The role of Samson

2004-12-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

The exploits of the great Israelite strongman judge, Samson (a member of the tribe of Dan), are related in chapters 13–16. Dedicated from birth by his mother to Yahweh, Samson became a member of the Nazirites, an anti-Canaanite reform movement. As a Nazirite, he was required never to cut his hair, drink wine, or eat ritually unclean food. He married a Philistine woman whom he then

Rosidae, The order Proteales

2004-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

The Proteales consists of two families, Elaeagnaceae and Proteaceae, although this might not be a natural affiliation. The Proteaceae is composed of about 75 genera and more than 1,000 species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, especially in South Africa and Australia. They are evergreen woody plants that thrive in nutrient-poor soils

Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank

2004-12-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Among the businesses the bank developed were commercial banking

Land Bridge

2004-12-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Any of several isthmuses that have connected the Earth's major landmasses at various times, with the result that many species of plants and animals have extended their ranges to new areas. A land bridge that had a profound effect on the fauna of the New World extended from Siberia to Alaska during most of the Tertiary and Quaternary periods (beginning 66.4 million years

Guadalquivir River

2004-11-29T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Guadalquivir is the second longest river of Spain (after the Ebro), and it has several distinctive characteristics.

French Literature, Religious authors

2004-11-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

A new intellectual climate can be recognized from 1680 onward. An increased spiritual awareness resulting from Jansenist teaching, the preaching of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet and others, and the influence of Mme de Maintenon at court, marked French cultural life with a new moral earnestness and devotion. The position of Bossuet is an ambivalent one. In spite of his outspoken

Gravimeter

2004-11-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Also called gravity meter sensitive device for measuring variations in the Earth's gravitational field, useful in prospecting for oil and minerals. In one form, it consists of a weight suspended from a spring; variations in gravity cause variations in the extension of the spring. A number of different mechanical and optical schemes have been developed to measure this deflection, which in

Japan, Aesthetics

2004-11-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

The dual influences of East and West have helped construct a modern Japanese culture that offers familiar elements to the Westerner but that also contains a powerful and distinctive traditional cultural aesthetic. This can be seen, for example, in the intricate detail, miniaturization, and concepts of subtlety that have transformed imported visual art forms.

Arabia, Ethnic groups

2004-11-18T02:31:00.000-08:00

In ethnographic terms, Arabs belong to the Mediterranean local race, a subgroup of the Caucasoid geographic race. According to tradition, Arabs are descended from a southern Arabian ancestor, Qahtan, forebear of the “pure” or “genuine” Arabs (known as al-'Arab al-'Aribah), and a northern Arabian ancestor, 'Adnan, forebear of the “Arabicized” Arabs (al-'Arab al-Musta'ribah). A tradition,

Decapolis

2004-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

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

Jackson, William

2004-11-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

Jackson was organist and choirmaster at Exeter cathedral from 1777. His best-known other compositions are Twelve Songs (1755) and Twelve Canzonets for Two Voices (c. 1770). His name is also associated with an Anglican service of dubious authenticity,

Handel, George Frideric

2004-11-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

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).

Symbolist Movement

2004-11-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

Dramatists also took their lead from the French Symbolist poets, especially from Mallarmé. As drama critic for La Dernière Mode during the 1870s, Mallarmé opposed the dominant Realist theatre and called for a poetic theatre that would evoke the hidden mystery of man and the universe. Drama, for Mallarmé, should be a sacred rite in which the poet-dramatist revealed the

Deneuve, Catherine

2004-11-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Deneuve was the third of four daughters born to the French actors Maurice Dorléac and Renée Deneuve. She landed a small role in the 1957 film Les Collégiennes (The Twilight Girls) and began her film career

Sankt Veit

2004-11-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Sankt Veit An Der Glan, town, Kärnten Bundesland (federal state), southern Austria. It lies along the Glan River north of Klagenfurt. Sankt Veit was the capital of the duchy of Kärnten (Carinthia) until 1518. Its town hall dates from 1468 and its old ducal castle from the 15th to 16th century. The Romanesque parish church was altered in the Gothic style in the 14th century. There are several castles in the vicinity,

United Nations

2004-11-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

On several occasions during 1999 United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan acknowledged failures in UN actions and risked member states' ire by bringing forward important issues that they had acted badly upon or failed to act upon at all. In September he rebuked the U.S. Senate for rejecting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and suggested that Israel had been singled

Durand, Guillaume

2004-11-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

After receiving a doctorate in canon law at Bologna, Italy, Durand taught briefly there and later at Modena, Italy. Some time after 1260 he was appointed auditor (a judge commissioned to hear cases of appeal brought to the Holy See). At the second Council of Lyon (1274), he helped draft the statutes

Selangor Civil War

2004-11-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Following the disputed recognition of Abdul Samad as sultan in 1860, Malay chiefs gradually became polarized into two camps—generally the lower-river versus the upper-river chiefs. The main issue concerned the lucrative

Nicholas Brothers

2004-10-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

Tap-dancing duo whose suppleness, strength, and fearlessness made them one of the greatest tap dance acts of all time. Fayard Antonio Nicholas (b. October 20, 1914, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.) and his brother Harold Lloyd Nicholas (b. March 17, 1921, Winston-Salem, North Carolina—d. July 3, 2000, New York, New York) developed a type of dance that has been dubbed “classical tap,” combining jazz dance, ballet, and dazzling

Barreto, Francisco

2004-10-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Barreto served in the East Indies, was governor of Portuguese India, and was probably instrumental in exiling Luís de Camões to Macau after the poet had published criticisms of Portuguese administration in India. In 1569 Barreto was entrusted by King Sebastian of Portugal with an expedition to

Barreto, Francisco

2004-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Thomas E. Watson,

Likasi

2004-10-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Formerly (until 1966) Jadotville, city, southeastern Congo (Kinshasa). It lies along the Likasi River, 86 miles (138 km) northwest of Lubumbashi, to which it is connected by road and rail. In 1892 Belgians discovered copper deposits at Likasi and at Kambove, 15 miles (24 km) northwest. Likasi was founded in 1917 and was designated an urban district in 1943. It is now one of the nation's most important mineral-processing centres, with plants

Christian V

2004-10-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

Christian was the son of Frederick III, whom he succeeded in 1670. Popular with the common people, he fortified the absolutist system against the aristocracy by accelerating his father's practice of allowing Holstein nobles and Danish commoners into state service. To accommodate

Triggerfish

2004-10-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Any of about 30 species of shallow-water marine fishes of the family Balistidae, found worldwide in tropical seas. Triggerfishes are rather deep-bodied, usually colourful fishes with large scales, small mouths, and high-set eyes. Their common name refers to the triggering mechanism in the first two of their three dorsal fin spines. The first spine can

Freiburg, Albert Ludwig University Of

2004-10-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

German in full Albert-ludwigs-universität Freiburg Im Breisgau, academically autonomous coeducational institution of higher learning at Freiburg im Breisgau, Ger., financially supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1457 by Archduke Albrecht of Austria and confirmed by the Holy Roman emperor and the pope, the university was at first named after its founder, but at the beginning of the 19th century added “Ludwig” to the

Technocracy

2004-10-15T02:59:00.000-07:00

Government by technicians who are guided solely by the imperatives of their technology. The concept developed in the United States early in the 20th century as an expression of the Progressive movement and became a subject of considerable public interest in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The origins of the technocracy movement may be traced to Frederick W. Taylor's

Extermination Camp

2004-10-13T03:09:00.000-07:00

The major camps were in German-occupied

Amphibole, Regional metamorphic rocks

2004-10-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

Many different amphiboles may be contained in regional metamorphic rocks. Commonly several amphiboles may coexist with one another in the same sample, depending on the bulk chemistry of the rock and on the pressure and temperature of metamorphism. The amphiboles typically occur with plagioclase feldspar, quartz, and biotite, as well as with chlorite and oxide

Anticoagulant

2004-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Any drug that, when added to blood, prevents it from clotting. Anticoagulants achieve their effect by suppressing the synthesis or function of various clotting factors that are normally present in the blood. Such drugs are often used to prevent blood clots (thrombi) from forming in the veins or arteries. Anticoagulants are generally of two types. One type is heparin

Uzbekistan

2004-10-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

Officially Republic of Uzbekistan , Uzbek Uzbekiston , or Uzbekistan Respublikasi country in Central Asia. It lies mainly between two major rivers, the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River) on the northeast and the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) on the southwest, though they only partly form its boundaries. Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakstan on the northwest and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the east and southeast, Afghanistan on the south, and

Polarography

2004-10-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

In general, polarography is a technique in which the electric potential (or voltage) is varied in a regular manner between two sets of electrodes (indicator and reference) while the current is monitored.

Gambia, Flag Of The

2004-10-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

The British Parliament's Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 provided that the British Blue Ensign would be “defaced” by a badge for each government department or colony making use of it. These distinctive ensigns became de facto national flags even before the colonies achieved independence. In the case of The Gambia, the badge in question was a yellow disk bearing an elephant

Saratov

2004-10-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

City and administrative centre of Saratov oblast (province), western Russia. The city lies along the middle course of the Volga River and was founded in 1590 as a fortress to protect the trade route along the Volga River from nomadic raiders. Its site was twice moved: in 1616 and again to the present location in 1674 after the fortress had been destroyed in a revolt. In the 19th century

Balczó, András

2004-10-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

A strong swimmer and runner and a consistent fencer, Balczó won individual championships in 1963, 1965–67, and 1969. He also won five team championships with the Hungarian team. He was less fortunate in Olympic

Amaravati Sculpture

2004-10-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

In addition to the ruins of the great stupa, or relic mound, at Amaravati, the style is also seen

Epilobium

2004-10-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

The hairy willow herb, or codling-and-cream

Sétif

2004-09-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Also called Stif, town, northeastern Algeria, near the Wadi Bou Sellam. As ancient Sitifis, it became important when the Roman emperor Nerva established a veterans' colony there in AD 97. Sitifis became the chief town of the province of Mauretania Sitifensis (created AD 297) and remained so under Byzantine rule. The town declined until garrisoned by the French in 1838. In 1945 the Sétif town area was the site

Tribe

2004-09-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

In cultural anthropology, theoretical type of human social organization based on small groups defined by traditions of common descent and having temporary or permanent political integration above the family level and a shared language, culture, and ideology. In the ideal model of a tribe, members typically share a tribal name and a contiguous territory; they

Roman De Fauvel

2004-09-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

A manuscript of the poem dated

The Rockettes

2004-09-26T06:07:00.000-07:00

The origins of the Rockettes, the world's most famous precision dance team, can be traced to 1925, when impresario Russell Markert of St. Louis, Missouri, billed a group of women dancers as the Missouri Rockets. Following a positive reception locally, the dance team began a nationwide tour. Among their admiring audiences in New

Arecidae

2004-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Subclass of flowering plants belonging to the class Liliopsida.

Cartwright, Alexander Joy

2004-09-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

A surveyor by profession, Cartwright was one of the founders of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, an organization of amateur players in New York City. He was chairman of a club committee that prepared a set of baseball rules, which were adopted in September

Saint Bartholomew's Day, Massacre Of

2004-09-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day had for its background the political and religious

Smith Act

2004-09-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

Formally Alien Registration Act of 1940 U.S. federal law passed in 1940 that made it a criminal offense to advocate violent overthrow of the government or to organize or be a member of any group or society devoted to such advocacy. After World War II this statute was made the basis of a series of prosecutions against leaders of the Communist Party and the Socialist Workers Party. The conviction of the principal

Walsingham, Sir Francis

2004-09-20T02:24:00.000-07:00

English statesman and the principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I from 1573 to 1590. He was a skilled diplomat whose knowledge of languages and capacity to organize espionage activities made him invaluable in the execution of Elizabeth's foreign policy. In addition, he was a staunch Puritan who uncovered a number of dangerous

Cottonwood

2004-09-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Several fast-growing trees of North America, members of the genus Populus, in the family Salicaceae, with triangular, toothed leaves and cottony seeds. The dangling leaves clatter in the wind. Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides), nearly 30 metres (100 feet) tall, has thick glossy leaves. Perhaps natural hybrids between this and Eurasian black poplar (P.

Hypertrichosis

2004-09-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Also called Hirsutism, excessive, abnormal hairiness that may be localized or cover the entire body. It is thought that hypertrichosis results either from persistence of the lanugo-vellus hairs covering the body of the fetus or from augmented development of hair follicles. Generalized hirsutism is a common side effect of hyperadrenal corticoidism (Cushing's disease) and has also been

Banha

2004-09-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Benha, town, capital of Al-Qalyubiyah muhafazah (governorate), Lower Egypt. The town lies on the right (east) bank of the Damietta Branch of the Nile and on the At-Tawfiqi Canal in the delta area. It is about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Cairo on the highway to Alexandria. Its Arabic name is derived from the Coptic name Panaho. Since the early European Middle Ages, Banha has been known for the production

Mughal Painting

2004-09-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Mogul, style of painting, confined mainly to book illustration and the production of individual miniatures, that evolved in India during the reigns of the Mughal emperors (16th–18th century). In its initial phases it showed some indebtedness to the Safavid school of Persian painting but rapidly moved away from Persian ideals. Probably the earliest example of Mughal painting

Kwajalein Atoll

2004-09-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Also called Kwajalong, coral formation in the Ralik (western) chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in the western Pacific Ocean. The string of some 90 islets has a total land area of 6 square miles (16 square km) and surrounds the world's largest lagoon (655 square miles [1,722 square km]). The islets of Kwajalein, Roi, and Namur were the first of the Marshall Islands captured by U.S. troops in World War II. The

Wailuku

2004-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

City, seat of Maui county, northern Maui Island, Hawaii, U.S. It is situated on an isthmus at the mouth of the valley of Iao and the base of the western mountains. With Kahului (east) it forms a contiguous area that is the most densely populated and busiest on the island. Iao Stream flows through the western part of the city. Wailuku (Hawaiian: “Water of Destruction”) recalls the