Dagobert I
The son of Chlotar II, Dagobert became king of Austrasia in 623 and of the entire Frankish realm in 629. Dagobert secured his realm by making a friendship treaty with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, defeating the Gascons and Bretons, and campaigning against
Mid-indian Ridge
Submarine ridge of the Indian Ocean that is connected to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; both are segments of the worldwide mid-oceanic ridge system. Entering the Indian Ocean from the South Atlantic, the Mid-Indian Ridge extends north to a point near Rodrigues Island, where it divides into two parts: one segment continues northward toward the Gulf of Aden, where it connects
Asunci�n, La
City, capital of Nueva Esparta state, northeastern Venezuela, on Isla de Margarita, in the Caribbean Sea, 12 mi (19 km) off the mainland. Lying in a fertile inland valley in the eastern portion of the island, La Asunci�n was first settled by Spaniards in 1524. Testimony to its prosperity during the colonial era is borne by the many remaining colonial buildings, most notably the Castle
France, History Of, Alienation and coups
After the Fructidor coup of 1797 the Directory imprudently resumed the republic's assault on the Roman Catholic religion. Besides prohibiting the outward signs of Catholicism such as the ringing of church bells or the display of crosses, the government revived the Revolutionary calendar. Instituted in 1793, the new calendar featured a 10-day week called the d�cade, designed
Interior Design, Historical developments
On Islamic art, an excellent work is David Talbot Rice, Islamic Art (1965); a more detailed survey is Maurice S. Dimand, A Handbook of Muhammadan Art, 3rd ed. rev. (1958). A.U. Pope and Phyllis Ackerman, A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present, 14 vol. (1938 - 67), should be consulted for this aspect. Franz Boas, Primitive Art, new ed. (1955), discusses the principles behind the decoration of a wide variety of art of this kind, with special attention to the North Pacific Coast of North America. Eric Larrabee and Massimo Vignelli, Knoll Design (1981), is a history of modern commercial interior design.
Holding Company
A corporation that owns enough voting stock in one or more other companies to exercise control over them. A corporation that exists solely for this purpose is called a pure holding company, while one that also engages in a business of its own is called a holding-operating company. A holding company typically owns a majority of stock in a subsidiary, but if ownership
Baratynsky, Yevgeny Abramovich
Of noble parentage, Baratynsky was expelled from the imperial corps of pages, entered the army, was commissioned,
Hayek, Friedrich Von
Hayek studied law, psychology, and economics at the University of Vienna, receiving a doctorate in 1923. He spent the following
Hayek, Friedrich Von
International organization established by one of the Treaties of Rome in 1958 to form a common market for the development of the peaceful uses of atomic energy. The original members were Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. It subsequently has come to include all members of the European Union. Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined
Quadrature
In mathematics, process of determining the area of a plane geometric figure by dividing it into a collection of shapes of known area (usually rectangles) and then finding the sum of these areas. When this process is performed with solid figures to find volume, the process is called cubature. A similar process called rectification is used in determining the length
Quadrature
Pinyin �Xinhua�, Wade-Giles romanization �Hsinhua� news agency of the People's Republic of China, founded in 1929 as the press outlet of the Chinese Communist Party. The agency is headquartered in Peking and has offices around the world. NCNA has domestic and international services for Chinese and non-Chinese media. Like other news media in China, it operates under governmental control, and its releases reflect official
Fernandes, �lvaro
In 1445 Fernandes' uncle, Jo�o Gon�alves Zarco, also an explorer, furnished him with a caravel on condition that he devote himself to exploration. Fernandes joined the prince's fleet bound for Arguin Island (now in Mauritania) but sailed farther to the mouth of the S�n�gal River.
Mercenary
Employment of mercenaries could be politically dangerous
Tar Sand
Deposits of bitumen, like those of other heavy hydrocarbons, are thought to be degraded remnants of accumulations of conventional
Ting, Samuel C.c.
The son of a Chinese college professor who was studying in the United States when Ting was born, he was raised in mainland China and Taiwan and at the age of 20 immigrated to the United States. He was educated at the University
Quinn, Anthony Rudolph Oaxaca
Mexican-born American actor (b. April 21, 1915, Chihuahua, Mex. - d. June 3, 2001, Boston, Mass.), appeared in more than 150 films but was universally identified with one role especially - the earthy full-of-life title character in Zorba the Greek (1964), whom he inhabited so completely and comfortably that many of his later parts seemed also to be infused with that character's spirit. He embraced his offscreen
Sogdiana
Ancient country of Central Asia centring on the fertile valley of the Zeravshan River, in modern Uzbekistan. Excavations have shown that Sogdiana was probably settled between 1000 and 500 BC and that it then passed under Achaemenian rule. It was later attacked by Alexander the Great and may have been included in the Bactrian Greek kingdom until the invasions of Saka and Y�
France, History Of, Commerce
Commerce, especially with the colonies, was an important area of change as well. France's first colonial empire, essentially located in America, was a source of great wealth. Even though France lost both Canada and India during the Seven Years' War (1756 - 63), the Caribbean sugar islands continued to be the most lucrative source of French colonial activity in the last 100 years of
Shiga
Landlocked ken (prefecture), southern Honshu, Japan, containing Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. The lake and surrounding mountainous district form Lake Biwa Quasi-national Park. The prefecture's percentage of rice paddies is among the highest in Japan, and its Omi beef is well known throughout Japan. The textile industries at Otsu, the prefectural capital, Hikone,
Y� Ta-fu
Y� Ta-fu received his higher education in Japan, where he met other young Chinese writers, with whom he founded the Creation Society (Ch'ang-tsao
Muhammad
In full �Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim � founder of the religion of Islam and of the Muslim community.
Zen
Chinese �Ch'an� (from Sanskrit dhyana, �meditation�), important school of Buddhism in Japan that claims to transmit the spirit or essence of Buddhism, which consists in experiencing the enlightenment (bodhi) achieved by Gautama the Buddha. The school arose in the 6th century in China as Ch'an, a form of Mahayana Buddhism; though introduced centuries earlier, Zen did not fully develop in Japan
Macas
Town, southeastern Ecuador. It lies on the Upano River along the eastern slopes of the Andes, at an elevation of 3,445 feet (1,050 m). Founded by the Spanish captain Jos� Villanueva Maldonado in the mid-16th century as the city of Sevilla del Oro (�Golden Seville�), it was a large settlement for several decades and prospered by the exploitation of nearby alluvial gold deposits. After its
Tef�
City, central Amazonas estado (�state�), northwestern Brazil. Founded by missionaries as Nogueira in the 17th century and also called Ega at one time, Tef� lies on the left (north) bank of the portion of the Amazon River known as the Solim�es, on the lake formed by the mouth of the Tef� River. River steamers and hydroplanes use facilities at Tef�, which ships Brazil nuts, tobacco,
Bohr Atomic Model
Description of the structure of atoms, especially that of hydrogen, proposed (1913) by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr. The Bohr model of the atom, a radical departure from earlier, classical descriptions, was the first that incorporated quantum theory and was the predecessor of wholly quantum-mechanical models. The Bohr model and all of its successors describe the properties
Cancer, Syndromes resulting from inherited defects in DNA repair mechanisms
Another group of hereditary cancers comprises those that stem from inherited defects in DNA repair mechanisms. Examples include Bloom syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, Fanconi anemia, and xeroderma pigmentosum. These syndromes are characterized by hypersensitivity to agents that damage DNA (e.g., chemicals and radiation). The failure of a cell to repair the defects
Raymond, Alex(ander Gillespie)
At 18 Raymond went to work in a brokerage office on New York City's Wall Street, but the stock market crash of 1929 ended his career in finance. He then worked briefly as an assistant to Russ Westover on his strip �Tillie
