141 résultats pour "served"
-
William Shakespeare
I
INTRODUCTION
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists.
Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...
-
William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...
-
Museum.
History museums are dedicated to promoting a greater appreciation and knowledge of history and its importance to understanding the present and anticipating thefuture. They range from historic sites and small historic house museums to large, encyclopedic institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of AmericanHistory in Washington, D.C. Many cities and states have historical societies that operate museums or historic sites. History museums usually collect a wide range ofobjects, includi...
-
Scandinavian Mythology
I
INTRODUCTION
Scandinavian Mythology, pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Scandinavian people.
Werner Forman/Corbis Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants of the gods; among them were Sigurdthe Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries. The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava andBrunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting untilR...
-
William Henry Harrison.
in September 1813, Harrison recaptured the city of Detroit, which the British had taken in 1812. The following month he overtook the British and Tecumseh's forces onthe Thames River in Canada. He captured the entire British force. Tecumseh was killed, and his forces were routed. Harrison's triumph on the Thames, although won over inferior forces badly placed, was vitally important because the victory secured the Northwest from the threat of aBritish invasion from Canada. It also added considerab...
-
William Henry Harrison
in September 1813, Harrison recaptured the city of Detroit, which the British had taken in 1812. The following month he overtook the British and Tecumseh's forces onthe Thames River in Canada. He captured the entire British force. Tecumseh was killed, and his forces were routed. Harrison's triumph on the Thames, although won over inferior forces badly placed, was vitally important because the victory secured the Northwest from the threat of aBritish invasion from Canada. It also added considerab...
-
Cairo (Egypt) - geography.
Prize-winning author and Cairo native Naguib Mahfouz, whose fiction has provided a chronicle of the city. VI POINTS OF INTEREST The pyramids of Egypt, which served as tombs for the ancient pharaohs, and the statue of the Sphinx, which dates from about 2500 BC and is probably the country's most famous monument, are located just west of Cairo in the suburb of Giza. Depite the desert background usually depicted in photographs, the pyramids areextremely close to Cairo and are likely to be affecte...
-
Eleanor Roosevelt.
disliked Washington, D.C., which she found only slightly less provincial than Albany. Moreover, she feared that the role of first lady would be a confining one. “I neverwanted to be a president’s wife,” she privately declared just after the election. At the time of Franklin’s election Eleanor was an independent journalist, making money from a monthly column in Woman's Home Companion and from radio broadcasts, where she regularly spoke out on controversial political issues. She sat on the board...
-
-
Eleanor Roosevelt - USA History.
disliked Washington, D.C., which she found only slightly less provincial than Albany. Moreover, she feared that the role of first lady would be a confining one. “I neverwanted to be a president’s wife,” she privately declared just after the election. At the time of Franklin’s election Eleanor was an independent journalist, making money from a monthly column in Woman's Home Companion and from radio broadcasts, where she regularly spoke out on controversial political issues. She sat on the board...
-
Army.
I
INTRODUCTION
Army, military land forces of a nation, assembled, drilled, disciplined,
disappearance for several centuries of large standing armies in Europe. A Middle Ages Feudalism was based on a concept of local defense, each baron or landowner governing land that had been given him by the king, and each lord having his ownpersonal protective forces recruited from among men who worked for him. In return, each lord and his men were pledged to annual service to the monarch and couldbe called on in special instances, as in the defense of Christendom during the Crusades. National...
-
Houston - geography.
Prominent historical and cultural institutions include the Civic Center Complex, located in the central business district. The complex is composed of the George R. BrownConvention Center; the Wortham Center, which is the home of the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet; and the Jesse H. Jones Hall for Performing Arts, whichis the home of the Houston Symphony. The nearby Alley Theatre houses a professional repertory acting company. Among other local professional performance groupsare the Ma...
-
Neandertals.
Neandertals made stone tools by striking flakes from rock “cores.” The cores were carefully selected and prepared so that only a single blow was normally required todetach a flake. A number of relatively standardized flakes were sometimes produced from a single core. These sharp flakes served as “blanks” that were further workedand shaped into the desired tools. Suitable stone was sometimes rare, and often tools were sharpened and resharpened to make new tools, yielding a whole variety ofshapes...
-
Buenos Aires (city) - geography.
The city has produced or nurtured many of the most prominent Spanish-language writers of the 20th century, including Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, and ManuelPuig. Buenos Aires has long been one of the primary centers of Spanish-language publishing and printing, and it is home to major publishing companies. It supports theoldest English-language daily newspaper in Latin America, the Buenos Aires Herald, published since 1876. The arts have a long, rich history in Buenos Aires. This is mani...
-
Peter the Great
I
INTRODUCTION
Peter the Great or Peter I (1672-1725), tsar and, later, emperor of Russia (1682-1725), who is linked with the Westernization of Russia and its rise as a great power.
V LATER REIGN Before long, however, these and other reform measures had to cede center stage to the prosecution of the Great Northern War (1700-1721) against Sweden. Peter’sjourney west did not result in a great alliance against the Ottomans, but it led to one against Sweden. Russia fought together with Denmark and the union of Polandand Saxony against Sweden to win the Baltic coastline, the 'window into Europe,' and to break Swedish dominance over the northern part of the continent. At the tim...
-
Peter the Great.
V LATER REIGN Before long, however, these and other reform measures had to cede center stage to the prosecution of the Great Northern War (1700-1721) against Sweden. Peter’sjourney west did not result in a great alliance against the Ottomans, but it led to one against Sweden. Russia fought together with Denmark and the union of Polandand Saxony against Sweden to win the Baltic coastline, the 'window into Europe,' and to break Swedish dominance over the northern part of the continent. At the tim...
-
Slavery in Africa.
The spread of Islam from Arabia into Africa after the religion’s founding in the 7th century AD affected the practice of slavery and slave trading in West, Central, and East Africa. Arabs had practiced slave raiding and trading in Arabia for centuries prior to the founding of Islam, and slavery became a component of Islamic traditions.Both the Qur'an (Koran) (the sacred scripture of Islam) and Islamic religious law served to codify and justify the existence of slavery. As Muslim Arabs conquered...
-
-
White House - geography.
Each Thanksgiving, the pardoning of the turkey takes place in the Rose Garden. This ceremony of rescuing a turkey and sending it to a petting zoo began during HarryTruman’s term, although Abraham Lincoln is said to have set a precedent by sparing his son’s pet turkey from the oven. III INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE A large complex is needed for the many activities that take place at the White House. The White House has 132 rooms, 4 dining rooms, 35 bathrooms, 8 staircases, 3elevators, a clinic, a den...
-
Hong Kong - geography.
higher than China’s average standard of living. In 2006 Hong Kong’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was $27,679.20, although much of the wealth isconcentrated into relatively few hands. IV ECONOMY Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s most important economic centers is based on several factors. It is located midway between Japan and Singapore, and it liesastride the main shipping and air routes of the western Pacific. It also has long served as a major port of entry and trade for...
-
Panama Canal - Geography.
The size of ships using the Panama Canal has steadily increased. About 27 percent of the vessels that use the canal are built to the maximum dimensions that can passthrough it (a category called “Panamax”). This has prompted further widening of Gaillard Cut, so that the larger Panamax vessels may transit safely. However, some ofthe world’s commercial and military ships are too large for the canal. Since the 1940s, new U.S. battleships and aircraft carriers have been built exceeding the canal’sdi...
-
John Quincy Adams.
man of my whole country.” When President Thomas Jefferson requested Senate approval of his treaty for the purchase of the French colony of Louisiana, Adams was the only New EnglandFederalist to vote in favor of it. He realized that the power and influence of his own New England would be reduced if the vast territory were added to the nation, but hewas convinced that the national interest would best be served by the purchase of Louisiana ( see Louisiana Purchase). Adams again broke with his New...
-
John Quincy Adams
man of my whole country.” When President Thomas Jefferson requested Senate approval of his treaty for the purchase of the French colony of Louisiana, Adams was the only New EnglandFederalist to vote in favor of it. He realized that the power and influence of his own New England would be reduced if the vast territory were added to the nation, but hewas convinced that the national interest would best be served by the purchase of Louisiana ( see Louisiana Purchase). Adams again broke with his New...
-
Athens (Greece) - geography.
At the heart of the modern city is Syntagma (Constitution) Square, located east of the Acropolis. The square is bordered by the national Parliament Building, originally aroyal palace completed in 1842 for King Otto I. Nearby is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which features a daily changing of the guard. Several of the city’s principalhotels as well the offices of major banks and airline companies also face the square. Behind the Parliament Building is the National Gardens, a public park that i...
-
New Orleans - geography.
D Metropolitan Region The New Orleans metropolitan region covers 8,800 sq km (3,400 sq mi) and includes the counties—known in Louisiana as parishes— of Orleans, Jefferson, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Tammany, Saint James, and Plaquemines. At the center is the city of New Orleans, which is coextensive withOrleans Parish. It has a land area of 468 sq km (181 sq mi). Extending from this base are numerous suburban towns in the surrounding parishes. Metairie, Harahan...
-
Inca Empire.
The Incas’ public works were built through a labor tax known as mit’a. This tax required most people incorporated into the Inca Empire to provide labor for public worksduring certain portions of each year. This labor tax supported large-scale public works that required the marshalling of large labor forces, such as for the building offorts, roads, and bridges, or the mining of metals and gems. It also allowed the emperor to raise large armies to undertake wars of conquest. Road building was impo...
-
-
Inca Empire - History.
The Incas’ public works were built through a labor tax known as mit’a. This tax required most people incorporated into the Inca Empire to provide labor for public worksduring certain portions of each year. This labor tax supported large-scale public works that required the marshalling of large labor forces, such as for the building offorts, roads, and bridges, or the mining of metals and gems. It also allowed the emperor to raise large armies to undertake wars of conquest. Road building was impo...
-
Finland - country.
Productive forestland is the most valuable natural resource of Finland. Spruce, pine, and silver birch are the principal trees used to manufacture wood and pulp andpaper products. Finland lacks coal and petroleum resources and is a net importer of energy resources. However, Finland does have significant deposits of peat, which is cut from thenumerous peat bogs that cover much of the north. Peat is an important heat source for homes, and it provides about 7 percent of Finland’s electricity needs....
-
Czech Republic - country.
enforcement of environmental regulations. Environmental considerations have also led some government officials to promote nuclear energy as a key source of powerfor the country’s future. The Czech Republic produces most of its energy by burning domestic coal. Much of the coal burned is low quality with a high ash and sulfur content—a key componentof acid rain—producing high levels of air pollution. Forests in the Czech Republic are among the most seriously affected by acid rain in all of Europe....
-
Mexico City - geography.
The park houses some of Mexico's most important public buildings, including Chapultepec Castle. Construction of the castle began in 1783. Positioned on the park’shighest elevation, the castle functioned as a fortress during colonial times. It once served as the presidential residence and now houses the National Museum of History,which includes murals by 20th-century Mexican painter Juan O'Gorman. Los Pinos, the official residence and working offices of the president, is also on the grounds, buti...
-
Colleges and Universities.
and (3) large universities that include undergraduate programs in addition to graduate and professional schools. D Graduate and Professional Schools Professional schools are typically divisions of large universities. They offer specialized education in a variety of professional fields, such as education, business, medicine,law, social work, agriculture, journalism, architecture, fine arts, nursing, engineering, and music. Some professional schools offer four- or five-year programs leading toa b...
-
Native American Architecture.
B Relationship to the Universe and Nature A more profound difference between European American and Native American perceptions lay in how human beings saw themselves in relationship to the universe andin what they believed their responsibilities were to the natural world and to each other. Most European Americans saw themselves as separate from creation andadversaries of nature, ever struggling to conquer and subdue nature and force it to yield to their will. Native Americans saw themselves as...
-
Fascism.
values as coming before a radical political transformation. Others argue that a radical political transformation will then be followed by a change in values. Fascists claimthat the nation has entered a dangerous age of mediocrity, weakness, and decline. They are convinced that through their timely action they can save the nation fromitself. Fascists may assert the need to take drastic action against a nation's 'inner' enemies. Fascists promise that with their help the national crisis will end an...
-
Congress of the United States.
senator, a person must be at least 30 years old, a citizen for nine years, and a resident of the state from which he or she is elected. Most members of Congress haveserved in state legislatures, city councils, or other elected bodies. See United States Senate: Campaigning for the Senate ; United States House of Representatives: Campaigning for the House. The 435 House seats are divided among the states in proportion to each state’s population. Every state is guaranteed at least one seat. State...
-
- Sir Charles Tupper - biography.
- Lester Bowles Pearson - Biography.
- John Napier Turner - Biography.
- John Quincy Adams - Biography.
- Sir Mackenzie Bowell - biography.
- Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott - biography.
- James Monroe - Biography.
- African-American soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen
-
- Arthur Meighen - Biography.
-
Wayne Gretzky.
and 1991. He was captain of the national team for the 1996 World Cup and made his first Olympic Games appearance as a member of Canada’s ice hockey team duringthe 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. In 1999, just a few months after his retirement from the NHL, Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The board of directors of the Hall of Fame waived thenormal three-year waiting period as a way of honoring Gretzky for all his contributions to the sport of hockey. Gretzky remained active...
-
Wayne Gretzky
I
INTRODUCTION
Wayne Gretzky, born in 1961, Canadian professional ice hockey player, nicknamed The Great One, who is the National Hockey League (NHL) career leader in goals,
assists, and points (goals and assists combined).
and 1991. He was captain of the national team for the 1996 World Cup and made his first Olympic Games appearance as a member of Canada’s ice hockey team duringthe 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. In 1999, just a few months after his retirement from the NHL, Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The board of directors of the Hall of Fame waived thenormal three-year waiting period as a way of honoring Gretzky for all his contributions to the sport of hockey. Gretzky remained active...
-
Honolulu - geography.
Much of Honolulu’s growth and development has concentrated along the southern coast of Oahu. This area is framed to the east by the remnants of a large extinct volcanoknown as Diamond Head and includes Waikiki, located west of Diamond Head; the downtown area, situated near Honolulu Harbor; Honolulu International Airport; andnewer communities in the western part of the island. Two parallel mountain ranges of volcanic origin, the Koolau and Waianae mountains, run north to south across much ofthe i...
-
Peter Paul Rubens
I
INTRODUCTION
Thetis Dipping Achilles in the Styx
The sea nymph Thetis is seen dipping her son Achilles in the River Styx to make him immortal.
Rubens, Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of LermaIn 1603 Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens traveled to Spain as part of a diplomatic mission. While there, he received acommission for this portrait of the Duke of Lerma, the powerful prime minister of Spanish king Philip III. The painting nowhangs in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.The Prado Museum, Madrid/Archivo Fotografico Oronoz Shortly thereafter, following the example of many northern European artists of the period, Rubens traveled to Italy...
-
Las Vegas (Nevada) - geography.
way for the Paiute people. In the late 1820s early Spanish explorers searching for water discovered an oasis in the region that now contains the city. They named theoasis “Las Vegas,” Spanish for “the meadows.” These expanses of wetlands, once irrigated by artesian waters carried under pressure from the nearby mountain ranges,were a main draw to southern Nevada until the 1940s. Las Vegas was an important stop along the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and southern California for m...
-
Madrid - geography.
Madrid’s Plaza MayorBuilt in the early 17th century, the Plaza Mayor was used for a variety of activities, including bullfights, executions during theInquisition, and festivals. Today it is one of Madrid’s main tourist attractions.Cesar Lucas/The Image Bank The traditional heart of Madrid is an area 3.9 sq km (1.5 sq mi). In 1656 King Philip IV had a city wall built around the area. Over the next 200 years the city grew throughconstruction of taller buildings and the use of open land within the...
-
Bangkok - geography.
the decline of the canal system that once so distinguished the city, Bangkok's famous floating market has had to move from the city to the western suburbs. Themarket features vendors selling their wares from boats in the early-morning hours. Since the 1960s, high-rise buildings have been erected all over the city. Typical housing in the core of the city now consists of apartments on the second through fourthfloors of a shophouse; the building’s only recreational space is the rooftop. In the subu...
-
-
Qin Dynasty - History.
measurements. All of these contributed greatly to the Qin's new centralized economy. C Government The Qin government was totalitarian, based on the philosophy of Fajia (Legalism), which placed absolute power in the hands of the ruler, who governed by means of strict laws and harsh punishments. Practical reformers and scholars such as Shang Yang (d. 338 BC) and Han Fei (280?-233 BC) saw Legalism as a way to create a highly efficient, albeit ruthless, administrative apparatus. Qin Shihuangdi...
-
Mfecane.
The Kololo, a Sotho people, entered the same region in the early 1820s after being driven from their homeland south of the Vaal River by the Ngwane-Hlubi wars. In1823 the Kololo clashed with the Griqua and turned north into the Kalahari Desert. They eventually crossed the Zambezi and finally settled in what is now westernZambia after overthrowing the powerful Lozi Kingdom in 1840. D Founding of the Sotho Nation The Ngwane-Hlubi wars also drove loosely organized Sotho communities north into the...