- Aar River (river, Switzerland)
Aare River, tributary of the Rhine and the longest stream (183 miles [295 km]) entirely within Switzerland; it drains an area of 6,865 square miles (17,779 square km). The river rises in the Aare Glacier of the Bernese Alps in Bern canton, below the Finsteraarhorn and west of the Grimsel Pass, in
- Aarau (Switzerland)
Aarau, capital of Aargau canton, northern Switzerland, at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, on the right bank of the Aare River, west of Zürich. Founded about 1240 by the counts of Kyburg, it passed to the Habsburgs in 1264 and was taken by the Bernese in 1415. In 1798 it became the capital
- aardvark (mammal)
aardvark, (Orycteropus afer), stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits. The aardvark weighs up to 65 kg (145 pounds) and measures up to 2.2 metres (7.2 feet)
- aardvark cucumber (plant)
fruit: Animal dispersal: …Africa a desert melon (Cucumis humifructus) participates in a symbiotic relationship with aardvarks—the animals eat the fruit for its water content and bury their own dung, which contains the seeds, near their burrows.
- aardwolf (mammal)
aardwolf, (Proteles cristatus), insectivorous carnivore that resembles a small striped hyena. The shy, mainly nocturnal aardwolf lives on the arid plains of Africa. There are two geographically separate populations, one centred in South Africa and the other in East Africa. The aardwolf, whose name
- Aare Massif (mountain, Switzerland)
mountain: The western segment of the system: … massifs in France and the Aare (or Aar) and Gotthard massifs in Switzerland. Moreover, with the elevation of the Alps above the Po plain of northern Italy, a southward overthrusting has carried the southern part of the Alps back onto the basin there as the Italian promontory has continued to…
- Aare River (river, Switzerland)
Aare River, tributary of the Rhine and the longest stream (183 miles [295 km]) entirely within Switzerland; it drains an area of 6,865 square miles (17,779 square km). The river rises in the Aare Glacier of the Bernese Alps in Bern canton, below the Finsteraarhorn and west of the Grimsel Pass, in
- Aargau (Rhaeto-Romanic dialect)
Swiss literature: …in the dialect of the Aargau (Duss und underm Rafe, 1891), and Meinrad Lienert wrote several poems in the dialect of Schwyz. Almost every canton has its Mundartdichter, or local poet. There are vigorous novels in the Bernese dialect by the 20th-century writers Rudolf von Tavel and Simon Gfeller. Schaffhausen…
- Aargau (canton, Switzerland)
Aargau, canton, northern Switzerland. It borders Germany to the north and is bounded by the demicanton of Basel-Landschaft and by the cantons of Solothurn and Bern to the west, Lucerne to the south, and Zug and Zürich to the east. It forms the northeastern section of the great Swiss Plateau between
- Aarhus (Denmark)
Århus, city, eastern Jutland, Denmark. It lies along Århus Bay and has an extensive harbour. Its origin is unknown, although traces of a Viking settlement have been found near the outflow of the now-covered Århus stream. The oldest existing charter for the town (1441) refers to a still-earlier
- Aarhus University (university, Århus, Denmark)
Århus: In addition to Aarhus University (opened 1928), there are several specialized colleges and an academy of music in the city. The city’s main concert hall, Musikhuset Aarhus (1982), hosts opera and symphony concerts. Pop. (2022 est.) city, 285,273; mun., 355,238 .
- Aaron (work by Thériault)
Yves Thériault: His works include Aaron (1954), which explored the problems faced by a Jewish family in a Gentile world; Ashini (1960), a lyrical tale of the last chief of the Innu (Montagnais) to live by ancestral customs; and N’Tsuk (1968), the life story of a 100-year-old Inuit woman. Thériault’s…
- Aaron (biblical figure)
Aaron was the traditional founder and head of the Israelite priesthood, who, with his brother Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt. The figure of Aaron as it is now found in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, is built up from several sources of traditions. In the Talmud and
- Aaron (fictional character)
Titus Andronicus: …lover a black man named Aaron the Moor; between them they produce a mulatto child of whom Aaron is intensely proud. Titus’s garish revenge begins as he puts on the guise of madness. He pretends to accept Demetrius and Chiron as the personifications of Rape and Murder, invites them into…
- Aaron ben Elijah (Jewish theologian)
Aaron ben Elijah was a theologian of Constantinople (now Istanbul), and the only scholar to seek a philosophical basis for Karaite beliefs. Karaism, a Jewish movement originating in 8th-century Iran, rejected the oral tradition and challenged the authority of the Talmud, the rabbinical compendium
- Aaron ben Meir (Jewish scholar)
Saʿadia ben Joseph: Life: …conflict with the Palestinian scholar Aaron ben Meir, who had promulgated a far-reaching change in the Jewish calendrical computation. The conflict ended with no definite victory for either side. Yet, Saʿadia’s participation in it demonstrated his indomitable courage and his importance for the Jewish community in Babylonia. Throughout this period…
- Aaron ben Moses ben Asher (Jewish scholar)
biblical literature: Masoretic texts: …with a Masoretic apparatus by Aaron ben Moses ben Asher about 930. Originally containing the entire Hebrew Bible in about 380 folios, of which 294 are extant, the Aleppo Codex remains the only known true representative of Aaron ben Asher’s text and the most important witness to that particular Masoretic…
- Aaron the Moor (fictional character)
Titus Andronicus: …lover a black man named Aaron the Moor; between them they produce a mulatto child of whom Aaron is intensely proud. Titus’s garish revenge begins as he puts on the guise of madness. He pretends to accept Demetrius and Chiron as the personifications of Rape and Murder, invites them into…
- Aaron’s Rod (novel by Lawrence)
Aaron’s Rod, novel by D.H. Lawrence, published in 1922. Lawrence constructed a parallel between the power that was miraculously manifested in the blossoming rod wielded by the biblical figure Aaron and the effect of the flute played by Aaron Sisson, the novel’s protagonist. Sisson, who works in a
- Aaron’s-beard (plant)
Saint-John’s-wort: Creeping Saint-John’s-wort (H. calycinum), sometimes known as rose of Sharon or Aaron’s-beard, and goldencup Saint-John’s-wort (H. patulum) are both shrubby East Asian species. Creeping Saint-John’s-wort bears pale yellow flowers with orange stamens on 30-cm- (1-foot-) tall plants, while goldencup Saint-John’s-wort has slightly smaller deep yellow…
- Aaron, Hank (American baseball player and executive)
Hank Aaron was an American professional baseball player who surpassed batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial. Aaron played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 to 1976, mostly for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
- Aaron, Henry Louis (American baseball player and executive)
Hank Aaron was an American professional baseball player who surpassed batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial. Aaron played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 to 1976, mostly for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
- Aaronic benediction (religion)
benediction: The Aaronic benediction (Num. 6:24–26) was incorporated by Luther into his German Mass and is preserved by modern Lutherans because of its impressive dignity; it is also used in the Mozarabic liturgy of Spain before the reception of the Host. The Swedish liturgy appends a trinitarian…
- Aaronic priesthood (Mormonism)
Aaronic priesthood, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the lesser of the two categories of priests, concerned principally with church finances and administration. See
- Aaronite (Jewish priest)
Judaism: Mosaic religion: …or clan, whose rivals, the Aaronites, exercised a monopoly on the priesthood. God, sometimes called “the warrior,” marched with the army; in war, part of the booty was delivered to his ministers.
- AARP (American organization)
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to address the needs and interests of middle-aged and elderly people in the United States. Its membership is open to all persons age 50 or older, whether working or retired. It is headquartered in
- AAS (American organization)
Margaret Burbidge: Cannon Prize from the American Astronomical Society (AAS) because, as it was an award for women only, it represented for her another facet of the same discrimination. Her action led to the formation of a standing AAS committee for the status of women in astronomy. Burbidge later became a…
- Aas, Roald (Norwegian speed skater)
Yevgeny Grishin: …race, this time with Norwegian Roald Aas. Grishin’s victory in the 500-metre race would have been in record time, but he stumbled near the finish line, losing at least one second. At the 1964 Games in Innsbruck, Austria, he was part of a three-way tie for the silver medal in…
- Aasen, Ivar (Norwegian scholar)
Ivar Aasen was a language scholar and dialectologist, who created the written standard of Nynorsk (New Norwegian), one of the two official languages of Norway. After studying Old Norwegian, Aasen undertook a survey of the contemporary Norwegian dialects. These he judged to be the true offshoots of
- AATIP (American UFO study)
unidentified flying object: Other investigations of UFOs: …of UFO sightings was the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secret project that ran from 2007 to 2012. When the existence of the AATIP was made public in December 2017, the most newsworthy aspect of it was a report that the U.S. government possessed alloys and compounds purportedly…
- AATUF (African labor organization)
Organization of African Trade Union Unity: …Unity and replacing the former All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF; founded in 1961) and the African Trade Union Confederation (ATUC; founded in 1962). The ATUC from its founding had encouraged member affiliation with other international union organizations, while the more-militant AATUF had rejected such affiliation as incompatible with the development…
- AAU (American sports organization)
Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU), alliance of national and district associations, amateur athletic groups, and educational institutions formed in the United States in 1888 for the purpose of certifying athletes as amateurs in various sports. The AAU now serves as the governing body
- AAUP (American organization)
American Association of University Professors (AAUP), organization of faculty and researchers employed at American colleges and universities, established in 1915. Among its primary goals are to promote and protect academic freedom and shared governance in institutions of higher learning, to ensure
- AAUW (American organization)
American Association of University Women (AAUW), American organization founded in 1881 and dedicated to promoting “education and equity for all women and girls.” The AAUW was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1881 by 17 college women. At the time, many barriers hindered women from pursuing
- AAUW Educational Foundation (American organization)
American Association of University Women: …1958 the AAUW created the Educational Foundation, which continued the work of a fellowship program that had been in place since 1888. One notable recipient was Marie Curie (1931) who used her $150,000 grant to purchase a gram of radium to further her scientific research. During the 1990s the Foundation…
- AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund
American Association of University Women: The AAUW established its Legal Advocacy Fund in 1981 to promote equity by supplying financial and legal support to women in educational settings who have been harassed or discriminated against in any way on the basis of sex.
- AAV (military vehicle)
amphibious assault vehicle (AAV), an armed and armoured military vehicle designed to deliver assault troops and their equipment from ship to shore under combat conditions. As developed most fully by the United States Marine Corps, AAVs are tracked vehicles that transport troops and materiel over
- AAVE (dialect)
Ebonics, dialect of American English spoken by a large proportion of African Americans. Many scholars hold that Ebonics, like several English creoles, developed from contacts between nonstandard varieties of colonial English and African languages. Its exact origins continue to be debated, however,
- AAW (American organization)
Maria Mitchell: …1869, she helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women (AAW; 1873) and served as its president (1875–76). Her involvement in the AAW reflected Mitchell’s support of women’s rights, including suffrage. She retired from Vassar in failing health in 1888 and died the next year.
- AAWU (American organization)
Pac-12: History: …UCLA, and Washington formed the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). After Washington State joined the new conference in 1962 and Oregon and Oregon State in 1964, the name was changed to the Pacific-8 Conference. The University of Arizona and Arizona State University were admitted in 1978, completing the renamed…
- Ab Fab (British television show)
Absolutely Fabulous, British television situation comedy that was broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in five seasons (1992, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2003), along with several specials, and that built up a loyal following among both its British fans and American cable viewers, who
- ab ovo (literature)
ab ovo, in literature, the practice of beginning a poetic narrative at the earliest possible chronological point. The Latin poet and critic Horace approvingly notes in Ars poetica that Homer does not begin a tale of the Trojan War with the twin egg from which Helen was born but rather in the middle
- Āb-e Panj (river, Asia)
Panj River, headstream of the Amu Darya in Central Asia. It is 700 miles (1,125 km) long and constitutes part of the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The Panj River is formed between the Hindu Kush and the Pamir Mountains by the junction of the Vākhān River and the Pamir River along the
- ABA (legal organization)
American Bar Association (ABA), voluntary association of American lawyers and judges. The ABA was founded in 1878, and by the late 20th century it had about 375,000 members. Its headquarters are in Chicago, Ill. Nongovernmental in nature, the ABA seeks to encourage improvements in the legal
- Aba (Nigeria)
Aba, city, Abia state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the west bank of the Aba River at the intersection of roads from Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot Abasi (Opobo). Aba was a traditional market town for the Igbo (Ibo) people of the tropical rainforest before the
- aba (clothing)
religious dress: Islam: …worn in association with an ʿabāʾ (a long, full garment), traditionally of camel hair and brown or black. This is sometimes secured by a ḥijām, or cummerbund. In this second regional variant, the ʿimāmah becomes a full turban replacing the cap, or fez. A green turban usually denotes a sharīf,…
- ABA (American sports organization)
American Basketball Association (ABA), former professional basketball league formed in the United States in 1967 to rival the older National Basketball Association (NBA). George Mikan, a former star player in the NBA, was the ABA’s first commissioner. The ABA fielded 11 teams in its first season
- ABA (British organization)
boxing: Amateur boxing: In 1880 the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA), the sport’s first amateur governing body, was formed in Britain, and in the following year the ABA staged its first official amateur championships.
- Aba Novák, Vilmos (Hungarian artist)
Vilmos Aba Novák was a painter and printmaker who was one of the most original and controversial talents in modern Hungarian painting. From 1912 to 1914, Aba Novák studied at the College of Fine Arts in Budapest. He then worked at the artists’ colonies in Szolnok and in Nagybánya (now Baia Mare,
- Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (autonomous area, China)
Sichuan: Constitutional framework: The autonomous prefectures are the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, with its headquarters at Ma’erkang (Barkam); the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, with its capital at Kangding; and the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, with its capital at Xichang. As a rule, the autonomous prefectures represent little more than a symbolic cultural indulgence…
- Abaaoud, Abdelhamid (ISIS terrorist)
Paris attacks of 2015: The response to the Paris attacks: …where the plot’s suspected mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, had extensive ties. Belgian-born and of Moroccan descent, Abaaoud had grown up in the Brussels commune of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, an area that drew the attention of counterterrorism experts as a potential hotbed of militant Islamist extremism. In Molenbeek Abaaoud had connected with several of…
- ʿAbābdah (Beja tribe)
Egypt: Ethnic groups: …are divided into two tribes—the ʿAbābdah and the Bishārīn. The ʿAbābdah occupy the Eastern Desert south of a line between Qinā and Al-Ghardaqah; there are also several groups settled along the Nile between Aswān and Qinā. The Bishārīn live mainly in Sudan, although some dwell in the ʿIlbah Mountain region,…
- abaca (plant)
abaca, (Musa textilis), plant of the family Musaceae, and its fibre, which is second in importance among the leaf fibre group. Abaca fibre, unlike most other leaf fibres, is obtained from the plant leaf stalks (petioles). Although sometimes known as Manila hemp, Cebu hemp, or Davao hemp, the abaca
- Abacab (album by Genesis)
Genesis: …the successful albums Duke (1980), Abacab (1981), and Invisible Touch (1986) and scored a host of hit singles. Despite many successful side projects—most notably Rutherford’s pop combo Mike + the Mechanics—and the departure of Collins in 1995, the band continued to record with the 1997 release Calling All Stations. This…
- Abacha, Sani (Nigerian military leader)
Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader, who served as head of state (1993–98). Abacha received his formal military training at Nigerian and British military training colleges. He rose through the ranks in the Nigerian military and by 1983 had achieved the rank of brigadier when he assisted
- abaci (calculating device)
abacus, calculating device, probably of Babylonian origin, that was long important in commerce. It is the ancestor of the modern calculating machine and computer. The earliest “abacus” likely was a board or slab on which a Babylonian spread sand in order to trace letters for general writing
- abacist (mathematics)
algebra: Commerce and abacists in the European Renaissance: …“new” numerals became known as abacists, regardless of whether they used the numerals for calculating and recording transactions or employed an abacus for doing the actual calculations. Soon numerous abacist schools sprang up to teach the sons of Italian merchants the “new math.”
- Abaco (island, The Bahamas)
Abaco, island, The Bahamas, West Indies. It is located about 55 miles (90 km) north of Nassau, the capital, on New Providence Island. Abaco is the largest island of the Abaco and Cays, or Abacos, group; the other main island is Little Abaco, just to the northwest, from which Abaco is separated by a
- abacus (calculating device)
abacus, calculating device, probably of Babylonian origin, that was long important in commerce. It is the ancestor of the modern calculating machine and computer. The earliest “abacus” likely was a board or slab on which a Babylonian spread sand in order to trace letters for general writing
- abacus (architecture)
capital: …square wooden block called an abacus, placed on the top of a post, and an oblong block called a billet, set with its greatest dimensions parallel to the beam above. Shaping the ends of such blocks produces a laterally spreading form of capital, which can be elaborated upon by multiplication…
- abacuses (calculating device)
abacus, calculating device, probably of Babylonian origin, that was long important in commerce. It is the ancestor of the modern calculating machine and computer. The earliest “abacus” likely was a board or slab on which a Babylonian spread sand in order to trace letters for general writing
- Ābādān (Iran)
Ābādān, city, extreme southwestern Iran. The city is situated in Khūzestān, part of the oil-producing region of Iran. Ābādān lies on an island of the same name along the eastern bank of the Shaṭṭ Al-ʿArab (river), 33 miles (53 km) from the Persian Gulf. The city thus lies along Iran’s border with
- Ābādān Island (island, Iran)
Ābādān: Ābādān lies on an island of the same name along the eastern bank of the Shaṭṭ Al-ʿArab (river), 33 miles (53 km) from the Persian Gulf. The city thus lies along Iran’s border with Iraq. Ābādān Island is bounded on the west by the Shaṭṭ…
- Abaddon (angel)
Abaddon, the angel of the bottomless pit, referred to in the Revelation to John. John Milton extended the meaning of the term to include the pit (i.e., the abyss of hell) itself in his poem Paradise Regained (1671)
- Abaddón el exterminador (novel by Sábato)
Ernesto Sábato: The Angel of Darkness) contains the ironic statements on literature, art, philosophy, and the excesses of rationalism that characterize his work.
- Abadgaran-e Iran-e Islami (Iranian organization)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Political beginnings: Ahmadinejad helped establish Ābādgarān-e Īrān-e Eslāmī (Developers of an Islamic Iran), which promoted a populist agenda and sought to unite the country’s conservative factions. The party won the city council elections in Tehrān in February 2003, and in May the council chose Ahmadinejad to serve as mayor. As…
- Abadi, Haider al- (prime minister of Iraq)
Nouri al-Maliki: Prime minister: In early August Haider al-Abadi, another member of the State of Law coalition, was nominated instead of Maliki to form a new cabinet. Maliki initially denounced Abadi’s nomination as unconstitutional but relented when it became clear that he had lost the support of Iran, the United States, and…
- Abadie, Paul (French architect)
Paris: The Buttes: …the death of the architect, Paul Abadie, who took inspiration from the 12th-century five-domed Romanesque church of Saint-Front in Périgueux, itself inspired by either Venetian or Byzantine churches. Alongside the monumental terraced stairway of the garden-planted Square Willette below the church entrance runs the only funicular railway in Paris.
- Abae (ancient town, Greece)
Abae, ancient town in the northeast corner of Phocis, Greece. The town was famous for its oracle of Apollo, which was one of those consulted by the Lydian king Croesus. Although the Persians sacked and burned the temple in 480 bc, the oracle continued to be consulted—e.g., by the Thebans before the
- Abaelardus, Petrus (French theologian and poet)
Peter Abelard was a French theologian and philosopher best known for his solution of the problem of universals and for his original use of dialectics. He is also known for his poetry and for his celebrated love affair with Héloïse. The outline of Abelard’s career is well known, largely because he
- Abaha (people)
Ha, a Bantu-speaking people belonging to the Interlacustrine Bantu ethnolinguistic family who live in western Tanzania bordering on Lake Tanganyika. Their country, which they call Buha, comprises grasslands and open woodlands. Agriculture is their primary economic activity. Sorghum, millet, corn
- Abahai (Manchurian leader)
Abahai was a Manchurian tribal leader who in 1636 became emperor of the Manchu, Mongols, and Chinese in Manchuria (Northeast China). In addition, for his family he adopted the name of Qing (“Pure”), which also became the name of the Chinese dynasty (1644–1911/12) ruled by the Manchu. Abahai was the
- Abai (work by Auez-ulï)
Kazakh literature: Abai). Epic in scope, it depicts the social environment from which Abay emerged. It is both a moving narrative and a unique document of Kazakh life during the period of the Russian conquest and thereafter, when the Kazakh people were faced with fundamental economic and…
- Abaĭ (work by Auez-ulï)
Kazakh literature: Abai). Epic in scope, it depicts the social environment from which Abay emerged. It is both a moving narrative and a unique document of Kazakh life during the period of the Russian conquest and thereafter, when the Kazakh people were faced with fundamental economic and…
- Abaiang Atoll (atoll, Kiribati)
Abaiang Atoll, coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Comprising six islets in the northern Gilberts, the atoll has a lagoon (16 miles by 5 miles [26 km by 8 km]) that provides sheltered anchorage. The islets of Abaiang are Teirio, Nuotaea,
- Abailard, Pierre (French theologian and poet)
Peter Abelard was a French theologian and philosopher best known for his solution of the problem of universals and for his original use of dialectics. He is also known for his poetry and for his celebrated love affair with Héloïse. The outline of Abelard’s career is well known, largely because he
- Abaj Takalik (archaeological site, Guatemala)
pre-Columbian civilizations: Izapan civilization: …to this Izapan culture is Abaj Takalik, on the Pacific slopes of Guatemala, to the east of Izapa. Three sculptural styles are represented there: Olmec or Olmecoid, Izapan, and Classic Maya. Among the latter is one stela with a date read as 126 ce, earlier than any monuments discovered in…
- Abajo Mountains (mountains, Utah, United States)
Abajo Mountains, volcanic segment of the Colorado Plateau, in San Juan county, southeastern Utah, U.S. Abajo Peak (11,362 feet [3,463 metres]) is the highest point in the mountains, which comprise eight summits and are embraced by the Manti-LaSal National Forest. The heavily forested range is
- Abakaliki (Nigeria)
Abakaliki, town, capital of Ebonyi state, southeastern Nigeria. It lies at the intersection of roads from Enugu, Afikpo, and Ogoja. An agricultural trade centre (yams, cassava, rice, and palm oil and kernels) for the Igbo (Ibo) people, the town is located in an area known for its lead, zinc, and
- Abakan (Russia)
Abakan, city and administrative centre of the republic of Khakassia, south-central Russia. The city lies on the left bank of the Abakan River near its confluence with the Yenisey River. The starting point of a southern Siberian railway line (opened in 1960), Abakan is connected with Novokuznetsk
- Abakan (sculpture)
Magdalena Abakanowicz: …three-dimensional woven sculptures known as Abakans, a derivation of her family name. These monumental, often garmentlike, pieces are ambiguous and compelling. Although initially Abakanowicz was best known for her work with textiles, she also exhibited paintings and drawings. Her later work, generally made of hard surfaces—though several contained fibres, rope,…
- Abakan River (river, Russia)
Abakan River, river, rising in the Altai Mountains in the republic of Khakassia, Russia, that flows northeastward for 319 miles (514 km) to join the Yenisey
- Abakanowicz, Bruno Abdank (Lithuanian mathematician)
integraph: …Boys and the Lithuanian mathematician Bruno Abdank Abakanowicz and were later modified and improved by others. The integraph draws the graph of the integral as the user traces the graph of the given function.
- Abakanowicz, Magdalena (Polish artist)
Magdalena Abakanowicz was a Polish artist whose massive series of sculptures earned her international acclaim. A descendant of Polish nobility, Abakanowicz studied at the School of Fine Arts in Sopot, Poland (1949), and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1954). She began working as
- Abako Party (political party, Zaire)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Belgian paternalism and the politics of decolonization: …Bakongo évolués affiliated with the Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO), an association based in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), the manifesto was the response of ABAKO to the ideas set forth by a young Belgian professor of colonial legislation, A.A.J. van Bilsen, in his “Thirty-Year Plan for the Political Emancipation of Belgian Africa.”…
- abakos (calculating device)
abacus, calculating device, probably of Babylonian origin, that was long important in commerce. It is the ancestor of the modern calculating machine and computer. The earliest “abacus” likely was a board or slab on which a Babylonian spread sand in order to trace letters for general writing
- Abakumov, V. S. (Soviet official)
Leningrad Affair: Abakumov, minister of state security (1947–51), had been responsible for making up the cases against Zhdanov and his followers and for convincing Stalin of the authenticity of the accusations. In July 1957, Khrushchev further identified Malenkov as “one of the chief organizers” of the purge.…
- Abal, Sam (Papuan politician)
Papua New Guinea: Recovery in the 21st century: …during which his new deputy, Sam Abal, took over as acting prime minister. Somare went to Singapore, and it was later revealed that he had received treatment for a serious health problem. He remained in intensive care there for months. In his absence political feuding began between some Highlands ministers…
- abalone (marine snail)
abalone, any of several marine snails, constituting the genus Haliotis and family Haliotidae in the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda), in which the shell has a row of holes on its outer surface. Abalones are found in warm seas worldwide. The dishlike shell is perforated near one edge by a
- Abaluhya (people)
Luhya, ethnolinguistic cluster of several acephalous, closely related Bantu-speaking peoples including the Bukusu, Tadjoni, Wanga, Marama, Tsotso, Tiriki, Nyala, Kabras, Hayo, Marachi, Holo, Maragoli, Dakho, Isukha, Kisa, Nyole, and Samia of Western Province, western Kenya. The term Luhya, which is
- Abancay (Peru)
Abancay, city, southern Peru. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Marino River at 7,798 feet (2,377 metres) above sea level, in a cool, dry intermontane basin. The exact date of the founding of Abancay (from the Quechua amankay, the name of a wildflower resembling a white lily) is unknown,
- Abandoned Museums (short stories by Peri Rossi)
Cristina Peri Rossi: Her award-winning Los museos abandonados (1969; “Abandoned Museums”) is a series of short stories, but some consider it to be a brief novel. (One of the features of her work is disregard for genre boundaries and conventions.) Peri Rossi’s Diáspora (1976; “Diaspora”) is a book of poetry.
- Abandonment (play by Atkinson)
Kate Atkinson: …publication, Atkinson’s first full-length play, Abandonment, premiered at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. She subsequently began writing a series of crime thrillers that featured private investigator Jackson Brodie. Case Histories (2004), the first book in the series, made the short list for a Whitbread Book Award and later lent its…
- abandonment (property law)
abandonment, in Anglo-American property law, the relinquishment of possession of property with an intent to terminate all ownership interests in that property. Abandonment may occur by throwing away the property, by losing it and making no attempt to retrieve it, by vacating the property with no
- abandonment clause (law)
insurance: Abandonment clause: If salvaging or rehabilitating a ship or cargo following a marine loss costs more than the goods are worth, the loss is said to be constructively total. Under such conditions, the ocean marine policy permits the insured to abandon the damaged ship or…
- abangan (Javanese Islamic group)
Ki Hadjar Dewantoro: …segments of Indonesian society termed abangan, in which the Islamic faith is less deeply entrenched. Dewantoro continued his leadership of Taman Siswa after the war and upon his death was acclaimed a national hero.
- Abangoni (people)
Ngoni, approximately 12 groups of people of the Nguni (q.v.) branch of Bantu-speaking peoples that are scattered throughout eastern Africa. Their dispersal was due to the rise of the Zulu empire early in the 19th century, during which many refugee bands moved away from Zululand. One Ngoni chief,
- ABANTU for Development (international organization)
ABANTU for Development, a pan-African international nongovernmental organization that trains women for leadership in sustainable development. Abantu means “people” in several African languages. ABANTU was established in 1991 in London by African women. Its vision statement focuses on recognizing
- Abaoji (emperor of Liao dynasty)
Abaoji was a leader of the nomadic Mongol-speaking Khitan tribes who occupied the northern border of China. Elected to a three-year term as great khan of the Khitans, Abaoji refused to resign at the end of his term but made himself king of the Khitan nation. After the collapse in 907 of Tang rule
- Abaporú (painting by Tarsila)
Tarsila do Amaral: …is perhaps her best-known work, Abaporú (“Man Who Eats” in the Tupí-Guraraní language), a cartoonlike human figure seated next to a cactus under a burning sun. The painting inspired Andrade’s “Anthropophagite Manifesto,” which described Brazil’s digestion and transformation of European culture in terms of cannibalism. In the late 1920s and…