Livingston, Henry Brockholst

Livingston joined the Continental Army at the age of 19 and saw action with Benedict Arnold and as an aide to General Philip John Schuyler and General Arthur St. Clair before accompanying his brother-in-law, John Jay, on his mission to solicit aid from Spain in 1779. On his return

Earth, Shock-heating of the Earth during accretion

During accretion the planet is thought to have been shock-heated by the impacts of meteoritic and planetesimal bodies. For meteorites this heating is concentrated near the surface (where the impacts occur), which is cooled by radiation back into space. The Russian planetary physicist V.S. Safronov has pointed out, however, that the larger planetesimals can penetrate

World War Ii, Montgomery's Battle of el-Alamein and Rommel's retreat, 1942–43

By mid-October the British 8th Army had 230,000 men

Habad

Jewish movement and its doctrine, an offshoot of the religious and social movement known as Hasidism; its name derives from the initial letters of three Hebrew words that distinguish and characterize the movement: hokhma (“wisdom”), bina (“intelligence”), and da'at (“knowledge”). Habad follows the common Hasidic themes of devequt (“attachment”), hitlahavut (“enthusiasm”), and kawwana

Biblical Literature, Arabic versions

There is no reliable evidence of any pre-Islamic Arabic translation. Only when large Jewish and Christian communities found themselves under Muslim rule after the Arab conquests of the 7th century did the need for an Arabic vernacular Scripture arise. The first and most important was that of Sa'adia ben Joseph (892–942), made directly from Hebrew and written in Hebrew script,

Caucasian Languages, Svan

The Svan language (self-designation: lušnu nin), also unwritten, is located south of Mount Elbrus, in the high valleys of the upper Tskhenis-Tskali and its tributary Kheledula and in the valleys of the upper Inguri River. There are four fairly distinct dialects: Upper and Lower Bal in the Inguri region, and Lashkh and Lentekh in the Tskhenis-Tskali region. Georgian and Russian

Carson, Rachel

Carson early developed a deep interest in the natural world. She entered Pennsylvania College for Women with the intention of becoming a writer but soon changed her major field of study from English to biology.

Benivieni, Girolamo

As a member of the Florentine Medici circle, Benivieni was well acquainted with the Renaissance

Abseron Peninsula

Also spelled  Apsheron , Azerbaijani  Abseron Yasaqligi  peninsula in Azerbaijan that extends 37 miles (60 km) eastward into the Caspian Sea and reaches a maximum width of 19 miles (30 km). An eastern extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the Abseron Peninsula consists of a gently undulating plain, in part dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes and lands flooded by tides. Vineyards and tea plantations are features

Salford

Flemish weavers first settled in Salford about 1360, and the town became an important centre of domestic textile production. Beginning in the late 18th century, the town's cottage

Malakal

Town, east-central Sudan. It lies along the right bank of the White Nile just below the latter's confluence with the Sobat River, 430 miles (690 km) south of Khartoum. The Junqali project, a joint Sudanese-Egyptian plan aimed at increasing agricultural production, diverts the waters of the White Nile from the As-Sudd swamps by means of a 224-mile (360-kilometre) canal that starts from the

Avocet

Any of several large shorebirds belonging to the genus Recurvirostra, family Recurvirostridae. Avocets have boldly contrasting plumage, long bluish legs, and a long black bill upturned at the tip. They inhabit fresh and salt marshes that have areas of open shallow water and mud flats, and they feed by sweeping the bill, held partly open, back

Iran, Ancient, Xerxes I

Xerxes (reigned 486–465 BC), Darius's eldest son by Queen Atossa, was born after his father had come to the throne; he had been designated official heir perhaps as early as 498, and while crown prince he had ruled as the king's governor in Babylon. The new king quickly suppressed the revolt in Egypt in a single campaign in 484. Xerxes then broke with the policy followed by Cyrus and Darius of

Earth Exploration, Radioactive methods

Radioactive disintegration, or decay, gives rise

Burgesses, House Of

Representative assembly in colonial Virginia; the first elective governing body in a British overseas possession. The assembly was one division of the legislature established by Gov. George Yeardley at Jamestown, July 30, 1619; the other included the governor himself and a council, all appointed by the colonial proprietor (the Virginia Company). Because each Virginia