Norwegian Language

Norwegian �Norsk, � North Germanic language of the West Scandinavian branch, existing in two distinct and rival norms - Dano-Norwegian (Bokm�l, or Riksm�l) and New Norwegian (Nynorsk). Dano-Norwegian stems from the written Danish introduced during the union of Denmark and Norway (1380 - 1814). New Norwegian was created by the language scholar Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, primarily from the

Sundsvall

Town and seaport in V�sternorrland l�n (county), northern Sweden. It lies at the mouth of the Sel�nger River on the Gulf of Bothnia. It was chartered in 1624 by Gustavus II Adolphus. In 1721 it was burned by the Russians and in 1803 and 1888 it suffered further disastrous fires. The town centre, therefore, dates largely from the 1890s, when it was entirely rebuilt in brick and stone. Lying between

Plantagenet, House Of

Although well established, the surname Plantagenet has little historical justification. It seems to have

Osh

City, southwestern Kyrgyzstan. The city lies at an elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) on the Akbura River where it emerges from the Alay foothills. First mentioned in writings of the 9th century, it was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century and subsequently rebuilt. In the 15th century, before the sea routes were discovered, it was an important post on the trade routes to China and India.

Eurydice

In ancient Greek legend, the wife of Orpheus. Her husband's attempt to retrieve Eurydice from Hades forms the basis of one of the most popular Greek legends. See Orpheus.

Sorel, Agn�

Born of a family of the lesser nobility at Fromenteau in Touraine, Sorel was attached at an early age to the service of Isabel of Lorraine, queen of Sicily and wife of Ren� of Anjou, who was the brother-in-law of

Dominica Channel

Marine passage in the Lesser Antilles, West Indies, connecting the Caribbean Sea with the open Atlantic Ocean to the east. It flows between the island of Dominica (north) and the French island and overseas d�partement of Martinique (south) and is about 25 miles (40 km) wide.

Binney, Horace

Binney graduated from Harvard in 1797 and was admitted to the bar in 1800. He became an expert on marine-insurance and land-title law, and from 1809 to 1814 he published six volumes of authoritative court reports of cases heard in the state

Homburg

City, Saarland, southwestern Germany, on the Erbach River, northeast of Saarbr�cken. Chartered in 1330 and 1558, it belonged to the counts of Homburg, most of whose territory was divided in 1499 between the houses of Nassau-Saarbr�cken and Pfalz-Zweibr�cken. It became part of the Bavarian Palatinate in 1815 and was included in the Saar in 1920. The market square is surrounded by fine 17th-century

Madagascar

In spite of Madagascar's proximity to the

New York, Emergence of political divisions

During the 1780s an organization, eventually to be known

Yamashita Tomoyuki

After graduating from the Army Academy (1905) and the Army War College (1916), Yamashita was an officer for the Army General Staff Office. He rose rapidly through the ranks of the Imperial Army, eventually becoming the highest-ranking general of its air

Arnold, Matthew

English Victorian poet and literary and social critic, noted especially for his classical attacks on the contemporary tastes and manners of the �Barbarians� (the aristocracy), the �Philistines� (the commercial middle class), and the �Populace.� He became the apostle of �culture� in such works as Culture and Anarchy (1869).

Bosnia And Herzegovina, Transportation

The major obstacle to communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been the mountainous topography. The railway system, begun under Austro-Hungarian rule (1878 - 1918), connects Sarajevo with major towns to the north and with Zagreb and Belgrade. Another line runs south from Sarajevo to Mostar and on to Ploce on Croatia's Adriatic coast. However, few lines are direct, and

Insurance, Russia

Insurance in Russia was nationalized after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Domestic insurance in the Soviet Union was offered by a single agency, Gosstrakh, and insurance on foreign risks by a companion company, Ingosstrakh. Ingosstrakh continues to insure foreign-owned property in Russia and Russian-owned property abroad. It accepts reinsurance from foreign insurers.

Machado De Assis, Joaquim Maria

The son of a house painter of mixed black and Portuguese ancestry, he was raised, after his mother's death, by a stepmother,

Dhyani-buddha

Scholars in recent years have pointed out that the term Dhyani-Buddha does not appear in the original texts, but the nomenclature continues

Hesychasm

In Eastern Christianity, type of monastic life in which practitioners seek divine quietness (Greek hesychia) through the contemplation of God in uninterrupted prayer. Such prayer, involving the entire human being - soul, mind, and body - is often called �pure,� or �intellectual,� prayer or the Jesus prayer. St. John Climacus, one of the greatest writers of the Hesychast tradition,

Columbus

City, Bartholomew county, south-central Indiana, U.S., on the East Fork of White River, 45 miles (72 km) south of Indianapolis. Founded in 1821 as the county seat, it was named Tiptonia for General John Tipton, who had donated land, but a month later it was renamed Columbus. A diversified industrial community surrounded by productive prairie land, it is known for its modern architecture,

China, The armed forces

The command of the armed forces was also arranged so as to avoid giving excessive powers to a single individual. General officers were usually appointed in pairs, and, in times of emergency or when a campaign was being planned with a defined objective, officers were appointed for a specific task; when their mission was fulfilled, their commands were brought to a close.

'arish, Al-

Known

Carter Family

Singing group consisting of Alvin Pleasant Carter, known as A.P. Carter (b. April 15, 1891, Maces Spring, Va., U.S. - d. November 7, 1960, Kentucky),his wife Sara, n�e Dougherty (b. July 21, 1898, Flatwoods, Virginia - d. Jan. 8, 1979, Lodi, Calif.), and his sister-in-law Maybelle Carter, n�e Addington (b. May 10, 1909, Nickelsville, Va. - d. Oct. 23, 1978, Nashville, Tenn.), a leading force in the spread and popularization of Appalachian Mountain folk

Nervous System Disease, Disorders of fat and fatty acid metabolism

Many of the conditions mentioned in this and the next section are caused by a genetically determined enzyme

Earhart, Amelia

Amelia Earhart, Last Flight, arranged by George Palmer Putnam (1937, reissued 1988), contains journal entries and messages sent home, selected and arranged by her husband. Biographies include George Palmer Putnam, Soaring Wings (1939, reissued 1972); Doris L. Rich, Amelia Earhart (1989); Mary S. Lovell, The Sound of Wings (1989); Susan Butler, East to the Dawn (1997); and Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, Amelia (1997). Randall Brink, Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart (1994), examines her disappearance.

Cullinan Diamond

World's largest gem diamond, which weighed about 3,106 carats in rough form when found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, S.Af. Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, who had discovered the mine three years earlier, the colourless stone was purchased by the Transvaal government and was presented (1907) to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII. It was cut into 9 large stones and about

Biochemistry

The field of science concerned with the chemical substances and processes that occur in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Specifically, it involves the quantitative determination and structural analysis of the organic compounds that comprise the basic constituents of cells (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) and of those that play a key role in chemical

Denner, Johann Christoph

Denner's father, Heinrich, made horns and animal calls; from him Christoph learned instrument building, at the same time becoming an excellent performer. His energy was mainly devoted to improving already existing woodwind instruments, and his well-tuned

Mosander, Carl Gustaf

In 1826 Mosander was placed in charge of the chemical laboratory of the Caroline Medical Institute, Stockholm, and in 1832 became professor of chemistry and mineralogy. While studying a compound of cerium, he discovered

Military Aircraft, Transonic flight

As the first generation of jet fighters entered service, many aerodynamicists and engineers believed supersonic flight a practical impossibility, owing to transonic drag rise or compressibility, which threatened to tear an aircraft apart. Nevertheless, on Oct. 14, 1947, U.S. Air Force Captain Charles Yeager, flying a rocket-powered Bell X-1 launched from the bomb bay of a B-29,