Cyrillic Alphabet
Writing system developed in the 9th - 10th century AD for Slavic-speaking peoples of the Eastern Orthodox faith; it is the alphabet currently used for Russian and other languages of the republics that once formed the Soviet Union and for Bulgarian and Serbian. Based on the medieval Greek uncial script, the Cyrillic alphabet was probably invented by later followers of
Anaya, Rudolfo A.
Anaya graduated from the University of New Mexico (B.A., 1963; M.A., 1968; M.A. 1972). He worked as a public school teacher in Albuquerque (1963 - 1970) before becoming director of counseling
San Jacinto, Battle Of
(April 21, 1836), defeat of a Mexican army of about 1,500 troops under General Antonio L�pez de Santa Anna by about 800 men (mostly recent arrivals in Texas) led by General Sam Houston. The outcome assured the success of American settlers in Texas in their war for independence from Mexico. Along the San Jacinto River, near the site of what was to be the city of Houston, Houston's men, after days
Baratieri, Oreste
Baratieri had been a volunteer for Giuseppe Garibaldi, the popular hero of Italian unification, serving
Basasiri, Arslan Al-muzaffar Al-
Al-Basasiri was born a Turkish slave, and his activities were first mentioned about 1025. At the time, the weakened 'Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad, who represented Sunnite Islam, were under continuous pressure from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt, representing the Shi'ite sect, and the insurgent Turks commanded by Toghr�l Beg.
Basasiri, Arslan Al-muzaffar Al-
Al-Basasiri was born a Turkish slave, and his activities were first mentioned about 1025. At the time, the weakened 'Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad, who represented Sunnite Islam, were under continuous pressure from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt, representing the Shi'ite sect, and the insurgent Turks commanded by Toghr�l Beg.
Koror
Formerly �Corrora� one of the Caroline Islands, western Pacific; it lies just southwest of Babelthuap island. Koror city serves as the provisional capital of Palau while a new capital is being constructed at Melekeok in eastern Babelthuap. Partly uplifted coral-limestone and partly volcanic in origin, Koror has a land area of 3 square miles (8 square km) and rises to 459 feet (140 metres). A territorial
Sian Incident
(Dec. 12 - 25, 1936), in Chinese history, seizure of the Nationalist generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek by one of his own generals, Chang Hs�eh-liang (q.v.). Chang, commander of the Northeastern (Manchurian) forces at Sian, in Northwest China, opposed Chiang's policy of continuing to fight the Chinese Communists rather than devoting the Nationalists' full effort to fighting the Japanese, who
Northern Territory, Transportation
The transport system is relatively undeveloped by Western standards, reflecting the small population base and the vast distances to be traversed. The backbone of the road system is provided by the Stuart Highway, which runs south from Darwin to the South Australian border and connects most of the territory's urban centres. Upgraded by the military in World War
Andrade, M�rio De
Educated at the conservatory in S�o Paulo, Andrade helped organize what proved to be a key event in the
Joachim Frederick
Joachim established the rule of primogeniture for the Hohenzollern electorate by a family agreement known as the Gera Bond (1598), which confirmed the practice begun by Albert III Achilles whereby Brandenburg formed the inheritance
Armenia, Flag Of
Long without an independent state of their own, 19th-century Armenians also lacked a national flag around which they could rally to support their language and culture. Armenians in exile in France looked to a scholar at the Armenian Institute in Venice, Ghevont Alshin, for a flag in 1885. He recommended the �rainbow flag given to the Armenians when Noah's Ark came to rest on
Academy Of Venice, Galleries Of The
The galleries occupy the former monastery, church, and school of Santa Maria della Carit�. The core of the collection
Priest River
City, Bonner county, northwestern Idaho, U.S., at the junction of the Priest and Pend Oreille rivers. It is a gateway to a spectacular aquatic and forested mountain domain focusing on Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake (north) and the Kaniksu and Coeur d'Alene national forests in the Idaho panhandle. Originally the territory of Kalispel Indians, the area was explored in
Priest River
City, Bonner county, northwestern Idaho, U.S., at the junction of the Priest and Pend Oreille rivers. It is a gateway to a spectacular aquatic and forested mountain domain focusing on Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake (north) and the Kaniksu and Coeur d'Alene national forests in the Idaho panhandle. Originally the territory of Kalispel Indians, the area was explored in
R�ma
One of three genres of popular early Icelandic poetry (the other two being dances and ballads), r�mur were produced from the 14th to the 19th century. They combine an end-rhymed metrical form derived from Latin hymns with the techniques of syllable counting, alliteration
Hyaluronidase
Any of a group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis (chemical decomposition involving the elements of water) of certain complex carbohydrates such as hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfates. The enzymes have been found in insects, leeches, snake venom, mammalian tissues (testis being the richest mammalian source), and in bacteria.
Middlesex, Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl Of
Cranfield spent his early career as a London merchant and financier. In 1612 he became acquainted with the lord privy seal, Henry Howard, earl of Northampton,
Blondel, Jacques-fran�ois
Of a famous architectural family, Blondel was reared by an uncle. Though the nephew early went along with the Rococo ornamentation of the
Pagliero, Marcello
Although born in England, Pagliero grew up in Italy, where he completed his formal education with a degree in jurisprudence. With a knowledge of English, Pagliero first worked as a translator of screenplays. During World War
Beawar
Town, Rajasthan state, northwestern India. A major rail and road junction, Beawar is an agricultural and woollen market centre. Industries include cotton ginning, handloom weaving, hosiery manufacture, and wood carving. Formerly also called Nayanagar, the town was founded in 1835 and grew rapidly in prosperity because of its advantageous position between Udaipur and Jodhpur.
Step Cut
Also called �Trap Cut, or Cushion Cut, � method of faceting coloured gemstones in which the stone produced is rather flat with steps, or rows, of four-sided facets parallel to the girdle (the stone's widest part). Because the facets are parallel to the girdle, they are usually long and narrow, except at the corners of the stone. The angles that the main facets make with the plane of the girdle greatly affect the
Wieland, Heinrich Otto
Wieland obtained his doctorate at the University of Munich in 1901 and remained in that city to teach and conduct research. He became professor of chemistry at the University of Munich in 1925 and held that post until his
New Albany
City, seat (1819) of Floyd county, southeastern Indiana, U.S. It lies along the Ohio River (bridged) opposite Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1813 by Joel, Abner, and Nathaniel Scribner, who named the settlement for their hometown, Albany, New York. By the 1840s and early '50s, New Albany had become the largest city in Indiana and an important steamboat-building centre (the famous riverboats
Anders, William A(lison)
U.S. astronaut who participated in the Apollo 8 flight (Dec. 21 - 27, 1968), in which the first manned voyage around the Moon was made. The astronauts, including Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell, remained in an orbit about 70 miles (112 km) above the surface of the Moon for about 20 hours, transmitting television pictures back to Earth and verifying that lunar landmarks could be
Arndt, Johann
Arndt studied at Helmstadt, Wittenberg, Strasbourg, and Basel. In 1583 he became a pastor at Badeborn, but in 1590 he was deposed for refusing to remove pictures from his church and to discontinue the use of exorcism in Baptism. Both were
Ram Das
Ram Das continued as Guru (1574 - 81) the missionary endeavour begun by his predecessor, Amar Das. On land given to him by the Mughal emperor Akbar, he built a holy tank, or pool; then, wishing to build a community around it, he invited businessmen and
Ram Das
Major European aerospace company that builds commercial and military aircraft, space systems, propulsion systems, missiles, and other defense products. It was formed in 2000 from the merger of three leading European aerospace firms: Aerospatiale Matra of France, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) of Germany, and Construcciones Aeron�uticas S.A. (CASA) of Spain. Headquarters
Jakarta, The city layout
Although the Dutch were the first to attempt to plan the city, the city layout is probably more British than Dutch in character, as can be seen from such large squares as the Medan Merdeka (�Freedom Field�) and Lapangan Banteng (meaning �place of the gaur [large wild ox]�). The Oriental style, or �indische� style, as the Dutch call it, is apparent not only in the city's way of life but
Bloembergen, Nicolaas
Dutch-born American physicist, corecipient with Arthur Leonard Schawlow of the United States and Kai Manne B�rje Siegbahn of Sweden (qq.v.) of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Physics for their revolutionary spectroscopic studies of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter. Bloembergen made a pioneering use of lasers in these
