Fadiman, Clifton

Fadiman was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, and he early became an avid and voracious reader. After graduating from Columbia University, New York City, in 1925, he taught school and then became an editor in the publishing

New Zealand, Annexation and further settlement

In 1838 the British government decided upon at least partial annexation. In 1839 it commissioned William Hobson, a naval officer, as lieutenant governor and consul to the Maori chiefs, and he annexed the whole country, the North Island by the right of cession from the Maori chiefs and the South Island by the right of discovery. At first New Zealand was legally part of New South

Tephroite

Olivine mineral found only in iron-manganese ore deposits and skarns and in metamorphosed manganese-rich sediments, such as those of Cornwall, Eng., and Franklin, N.J., in the United States. Tephroite (manganese silicate; Mn2SiO4) forms a solid solution series with the olivine fayalite in which iron completely replaces manganese in the molecular structure. Minerals intermediate

Alcor

Also called �80 Ursae Majoris� star with apparent magnitude of 4.03. The ability to see the dim star Alcor with the unaided eye may have been regarded by the Arabs (and others) as a test of good vision. Alcor makes a visual double with the brighter star Mizar in the middle of the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major); the pair have also been called the Horse and Rider.

Alabama, The people

Three-fourths of the state's population is white. The white population is significant for its deep roots in the state: the number of foreign-born residents is very small, and most whites are descendants of 19th-century settlers who came from adjoining regions to the east and north. Black Alabamians have equally deep roots in the state, dating to the days of chattel slavery

Van Praagh, Dame Peggy

Throughout the 1930s van Praagh worked as a dancer and teacher. She joined Ballet Rambert in London in 1933 and maintained a long, fruitful association with choreographer Antony Tudor, in whose Jardin aux Lilas (1936) and Dark

Reformation Day

Anniversary of the day Martin Luther is said to have posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Ger. (Oct. 31, 1517), later identified by Protestants as the beginning of the Reformation. (See Researcher's Note.) The European Lutheran territorial churches at first commemorated the Reformation on various days, among them the anniversary of Luther's

China, The empire

Shih huang-ti made a number of important reforms. He abolished the feudal system completely and extended

Amblyopia

Dimness of vision that may be gradual or sudden in onset and may affect both eyes or one. It may be transient or permanent and can develop into blindness. The disorder may be caused by hysteria or by poisoning with ethyl or methyl (wood) alcohol, lead, arsenic, thallium, quinine, ergot, male fern, carbon disulfide, stramonium, or Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp, the plant from which

Isidore Of Kiev

Abbot of St. Demetrius

Baccio D'agnolo

Byname of �Bartolomeo D'agnolo Baglioni � wood-carver, sculptor, and architect who exerted an important influence on the Renaissance architecture of Florence. Between 1491 and 1502 he did much of the decorative carving in the church of Santa Maria Novella and in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He helped restore the Palazzo Vecchio and in 1506 was commissioned to complete the drum of the cupola

Blonde Lace

Originally, bobbin lace made in France in the 18th century from unbleached pale beige Chinese silk. Subsequently, the term blonde was extended to cover lace made of bleached silk (white blonde) and black-dyed silk (black blonde). Blonde lace was made in France at Bayeux, Caen, and Chantilly in the mid-18th century and also in England (Dorset) c. 1754 - 80. Just before the Revolution of 1789, blonde

Performing Arts

Originally, bobbin lace made in France in the 18th century from unbleached pale beige Chinese silk. Subsequently, the term blonde was extended to cover lace made of bleached silk (white blonde) and black-dyed silk (black blonde). Blonde lace was made in France at Bayeux, Caen, and Chantilly in the mid-18th century and also in England (Dorset) c. 1754 - 80. Just before the Revolution of 1789, blonde

Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius

Powerful deputy of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. He was chiefly responsible for the victory over Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and during Augustus' reign he suppressed rebellions, founded colonies, and administered various parts of the Roman Empire. Of modest birth but not a modest man, Agrippa was disliked by the Roman aristocracy.

Raccoon Dog

(Nyctereutes procyonoides), member of the dog family (Canidae) native to eastern Asia and introduced into Europe. Some authorities place it in the raccoon family, Procyonidae. It resembles the raccoon in having dark facial markings that contrast with its yellowish brown coat, but it does not have a ringed tail. It has short, brown or blackish limbs, a heavy body, and rounded

Framingham

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Sudbury River, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston. Settled in 1650, it was incorporated in 1700 and derived its name from Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Framingham Center, just north of the downtown area, was the original village. Framingham's industrial development dates from 1835, with the utilization of local

Switzerland, Police and armed forces

Police authority is generally exercised by the cantons, but larger cities also maintain municipal police forces. A small federal police corps enforces special federal laws concerning such crimes as treason and forgery (mainly in collaboration with cantonal police). However, there is growing support for enlarging the role of the federal police, particularly

Rouergue

Ancient province of south central France, corresponding to much of the modern d�partements of Aveyron and Tarn-et-Garonne. It was bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by G�vaudan and the C�vennes mountains, and on the west by Quercy. It derived its name from the Gallic tribe of Rutheni. Administratively it formed first

Aguadilla

Town, northwestern Puerto Rico. The town is a port on a wide bay formed on the south by the hills of Punta Hig�ero (Jiguera) and on the north by Punta Borinquen, the northwestern corner of the island. It was established as a town in 1775 and elevated to the royal rank of villa in 1861. The town is a processing and trading centre for a prosperous agricultural hinterland; products include

Neuserre

Also spelled �Nyuserre, � sixth king of the 5th dynasty (c. 2465 - c. 2325 BC) of Egypt; he is primarily known for his temple to the sun-god Re at Abu Jirab (Abu Gurab) in Lower Egypt. The temple plan, like that built by Userkaf (the first king of the 5th dynasty), consisted of a valley temple, causeway, gate, and temple court, which contained an obelisk (the symbol of Re) and an alabaster altar. The sun-temple reliefs revealed an exceptionally

Asceticism

The origins of asceticism lie in man's attempts to achieve various ultimate goals or ideals: development of the �whole� person, human creativity, ideas, the �self,� or skills demanding technical proficiency. Athletic askesis (�training�), involving the ideal of bodily fitness and excellence, was developed to ensure the highest possible degree of physical fitness in an athlete.

Mcphatter, Clyde

One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, McPhatter grew up in a devout Christian family that moved from North Carolina to New Jersey in the mid-1940s. There, together with some high school friends (including two of author James

Arecidae, The leaf

Leaf structure is different and distinctive in each of the six families of the subclass. In Acoraceae both the leaves and the scapes are ensiform (sword-shaped). Leaves in Araceae usually have a basal sheath, a petiole, and a flat blade. The blade is lanceolate to broadly ovate or rarely linear or strap-shaped. The base of the blade may be heart-shaped (cordate), arrowhead-shaped

Poe, Edgar Allan, Short stories. Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque

(1840); The Prose Romances of Edgar A. Poe (1843), includes �The Murders in the Rue Morgue� and �The Man That Was Used Up�; Tales (1845), includes �The Fall of the House of Usher,� �The Mystery of Marie Roget,� �The Gold Bug,� �The Black Cat,� and �The Purloined Letter�; �The Masque of the Red Death� (1842); �The Pit and the Pendulum� (1843); �The Tell-Tale Heart� (1843); �The Premature Burial� (1844); �The Cask of Amontillado� (1846).

Feed

Animal feeds are classified as follows: (1) concentrates, high in energy value, including (a) cereal grains and their by-products (barley, corn [maize], oats, rye, wheat), (b) high-protein oil meals or cakes (soybean, cottonseed, peanut [groundnut]), (c) by-products from processing of sugar beets, sugarcane, and (d) animal and fish by-products; (2) roughages, including (a) pasture grasses, (b) hays, (c

Tait, Archibald Campbell

The son of Presbyterian parents, Tait became an Anglican while a student at the University of Oxford, where in 1835 he became a tutor at Balliol College. A year later he was made a deacon,

Basanavicius, Jonas

In 1873 Basanavicius went to Moscow to study history and archaeology but after a year changed to medicine. He was graduated in 1879 and spent most of the next 25 years practicing medicine in Bulgaria. He edited the first number of the important

Lenbach, Franz Von

In 1857 Lenbach became a pupil of Karl von Piloty, with whom he traveled in Italy. The works of this first journey were painted from nature and were frequently attacked for their �trivial realism.� From 1863 to