Rio Branco Law
Also called �Law of Free Birth�, Portuguese �Lei do Ventre Livre� measure enacted by the Brazilian parliament in 1871 that freed children born of slave parents. The law was passed under the leadership of Jos� Maria da Silva Paranhos, Viscount do Rio Branco, premier during 1871 - 73, and Joaquim Nabuco de Araujo, a leading abolitionist. Although the children were set free, the measure allowed the parents' owners to require such children to work
Graves, Robert James
Graves received his degree from the University of Dublin in 1818. After studying in London and on the European continent, he returned
Graves, Robert James
Founded in 1868, the TUC held annual conferences of independent unions for the exposition of trade
Habeneck, Fran�ois-antoine
Habeneck studied violin first with his father, a military bandsman of German descent, and then with Pierre Baillot at the Paris Conservatory. In 1804 he won the institution's first prize for violin and took a position with the Op�ra. Through a series of promotions, he attained the title of premier chef, his
Gulf War Syndrome
Cluster of illnesses in veterans of the Persian Gulf War (1990 - 91) characterized not by any definable medical condition or diagnostic test but by variable and nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, muscle and joint pains, headaches, memory loss, and posttraumatic stress reactions. The cause of Gulf War syndrome is unknown. The disorder does not appear to be fatal
Simeon I
His dominant ambition, which was to himself ascend the imperial throne of Byzantium - an aspiration
Howard
Howard county was created in 1851, having earlier been (from 1838) a district of Anne Arundel county.
Eyeglasses
Also called �Glasses, or Spectacles, � lenses set in frames for wearing in front of the eyes to aid vision or to correct such defects of vision as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. In 1268 Roger Bacon made the earliest recorded comment on the use of lenses for optical purposes, but magnifying lenses inserted in frames were used for reading both in Europe and China at this time, and it is a matter of controversy
Dahriyah
The Dahriyah are portrayed in Islamic theological literature
Quadrilateral
Famous combination of four fortresses mutually supporting one another, during the Austrian rule of northern Italy. The four fortified towns were Mantua, Peschiera, Verona, and Legnago, lying between Lombardy and Venetia; the former two were on the Mincio and the latter two on the Adige. The real value of the Quadrilateral, which gave Austria such a firm hold on Lombardy,
Augusta
Capital (1831) of Maine, U.S., seat (1799) of Kennebec county, at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River, 57 miles (92 km) northeast of Portland. The city's establishment and early prosperity, which began with the arrival of traders from the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts in 1628, can be attributed to its location on navigable tidewater 39 miles (63 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. A trading post was
Wyndham, George
Wyndham was an enthusiast of the British Empire,
Adding Machine
A type of calculator (q.v.) used for performing simple arithmetical operations.
Seurat, Georges
Painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism whose technique for portraying the play of light using tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colours became known as Pointillism. Using this techique, he created huge compositions with tiny, detached strokes of pure colour too small to be distinguished when looking at the
Gainesville
City, seat (1853) of Alachua county, north-central Florida, U.S., about 70 miles (115 km) southwest of Jacksonville. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto marched through the area in 1539, and settlement eventually developed around a trading post known as Hog Town (established 1830). In 1853 the city was laid out as the county seat and named for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, a commander during the
Dong Hai
Wade-Giles �Tung Hai�, English �East China Sea� arm of the Pacific Ocean and part of the China Sea (q.v.).
Freiburg, Albert Ludwig University Of
German �in full Albert-ludwigs-universit�t Freiburg Im Breisgau, � academically autonomous coeducational institution of higher learning at Freiburg im Breisgau, Ger., financially supported by the state of Baden-W�rttemberg. 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
Suggs, Louise
One of the hotels in Suggs's hometown of Lithia Springs had a nine-hole golf course, and it was there that she displayed an early aptitude for the game. She began playing as an amateur in 1939 and was noted for her excellent
Cram, Donald J.
Cram was educated at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and at the University of Nebraska,
Omdurman, Battle Of
Preparations for an advance against 'Abd Allah's forces at Omdurman began at the end of July 1898, with the dispatch
Houseleek
Also called �Live-forever, � any of numerous low-growing succulent plants constituting the genus Sempervivum, about 40 species, in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), native to Europe, Morocco, and western Asia. The name houseleek refers to the growth of some species on thatched roofs in Europe; �live-forever� indicates their hardiness and durability. Houseleeks usually have thick fleshy leaves
Tracy, Spencer
As a youth Tracy was bored by schoolwork and joined the navy at age 17. Despite his distaste for academics, he eventually became a premed
Khons
Also spelled �Khonsu, Khensu, or Chons,� in ancient Egyptian religion, moon god who was generally depicted as a youth. A deity with astronomical associations named Khenzu is known from the Pyramid Texts (c. 2350 BC) and is possibly the same as Khons. In Egyptian mythology, Khons was regarded as the son of the god Amon and the goddess Mut. In the period of the late New Kingdom (c. 1100 BC) a major temple was built for Khons in the Karnak
Furniture, France
The transitional phase in French furniture from Baroque to Rococo is called R�gence. The heavy, monumental style of the earlier part of Louis's reign was gradually replaced by a lighter and more fluent curvilinear style. The leading exponent of the R�gence style was Charles Cressent, �b�niste (�cabinetmaker�) to the regent Philippe II, duc d'Orl�ans. In his work the ormolu
Liliales
Lily order of the monocotyledonous flowering plants, a division of the subclass Liliidae. The order is a vast assemblage of plants whose flowers usually have three petals and three sepals - the sepals usually resembling the petals in shape and colour - and whose leaves are generally linear or strap-shaped with parallel veins. Within this large order, exemplified
Peru, Discovery and exploration by Europeans
Spanish interest in the west coast of South America grew after Vasco N��ez de Balboa discovered the Pacific in 1513, but it was not until 1524 that Francisco Pizarro, aided by another soldier, Diego de Almagro, and a priest, Hernando de Luque, undertook explorations that led to the conquest of Peru. By 1527 they were convinced of the wealth of the Inca empire. Failing to win further cooperation
Arupa-loka
In arupa-loka, existence depends on the stage
Chettle, Henry
Chettle began his career as a printer and associated with such literary men as Robert Greene and Thomas Nashe. He prepared for posthumous publication Greenes Groats-Worth of Witte (1592), with its reference to Shakespeare as an �upstart Crow,� but offered Shakespeare compliments
Auster, Paul
After graduating from Columbia University (M.A., 1970), Auster moved to France, where he began translating the works of French writers and publishing his own work in American journals. He gained renown for
