SuddenFinger: February 2004

Libraries And Museums

Earlier in the year the International Council

China, The civil service

One of the main contributions of the Han dynasty to the future of Imperial China lay in the development of the civil service and the structure of central and provincial government. The evolutionary changes that subsequently transformed Han polity beyond recognition were not directed at altering the underlying principles of government but at applying them

Povazsk� Bystrica

Economic activities include the manufacture of heavy munitions. One of the town's notable structures is a Gothic church with tombstones dating

Kuan Han-ch'ing

Kuan Han-ch'ing, probably a scholar, belonged to a writers' guild that specialized in writing plays for performing groups. Fourteen of his plays (from more than 60 with known titles) have been preserved. Several of them are unquestionably

B-29

The Superfortress was designed to meet Army Air Corps specifications written in January 1940 and was then modified to provide heavier armament and bomb load. First

Ani

Situated along a major east-west caravan route, Ani first rose to prominence in the 5th century AD and had become a flourishing town by the time Ashot III the Merciful (reigned 952 - 977), the Bagratid king of Armenia, transferred his

K�rouan�

Town and administrative capital of K�rouan� region, southeastern Guinea, West Africa, on the road from Beyla to Kankan. It is the chief trading town (rice, millet, cattle) for savanna lands inhabited mainly by the Muslim Malinke people. Local rivers have been an important source of alluvial diamonds since the 1950s, and the Simandou Mountains in the eastern part of the region

K�rouan�

Town and administrative capital of K�rouan� region, southeastern Guinea, West Africa, on the road from Beyla to Kankan. It is the chief trading town (rice, millet, cattle) for savanna lands inhabited mainly by the Muslim Malinke people. Local rivers have been an important source of alluvial diamonds since the 1950s, and the Simandou Mountains in the eastern part of the region

China, The Shih-liu kuo (Sixteen Kingdoms) in the north (303 - 439)

The term Sixteen Kingdoms traditionally denotes the plethora of short-lived non-Chinese dynasties that from 303 came to rule the whole or parts of northern China. Many ethnic groups were involved, including ancestors of the Turks (such as the Hsiung-nu, possibly related to the Huns of late Roman history, and the Chieh), the Mongolians (Hsien-pei), and the Tibetans (Ti and Ch'iang).

Talat Pasa

The son of a minor Ottoman official, Talat joined the staff of the telegraph company in Edirne, but he was soon arrested (1893) for subversive political activity. Released two years later, he was appointed chief

Corelli, Franco

Italian tenor (b. April 8, 1921, Ancona, Italy - d. Oct. 29, 2003, Milan, Italy), thrilled opera audiences throughout the world with his passion, power, and charisma, particularly in heroic roles. Corelli made his opera debut in 1951 at Spoleto as Don Jos� in Carmen, first sang at Milan's La Scala in 1954 with Maria Callas in Gaspare Spontini's La vestale, and went on to become an international star. He retired

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

Gall, Saint

Educated at the monastery of Bangor (in present-day North Down district, N.Ire.), Gall became a disciple of St. Columban and joined him on a mission to France. When Columban proceeded to Italy, Gall remained with the semipagan Alemanni,

Wanamaker, John

Wanamaker began work at age 14 as an errand boy for a bookstore and served as secretary of the Philadelphia YMCA from 1857 to 1861. In 1861 he established with Nathan Brown the clothing firm of Brown and Wanamaker, a partnership that ended with Brown's death in 1868. In 1869 he founded

Catalysis

The term catalysis was first used in 1835 by the Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius to characterize phenomena observed by chemists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Examples of catalysis, however, were known much

Nicaea, Council Of

(325), the first ecumenical council of the Christian church, meeting in ancient Nicaea (now Iznik, Tur.). It was called by the emperor Constantine I, an unbaptized catechumen, or neophyte, who presided over the opening session and took part in the discussions. He hoped a general council of the church would solve the problem created in the Eastern church by Arianism, a heresy first

Great Mother Of The Gods

Legends agree in locating the rise of the worship of the Great Mother in the general area of Phrygia in

Astor Family

John Jacob Astor (1763 - 1848), the founder of the family fortune, is covered in a separate article: see Astor, John Jacob. His son, William Backhouse Astor (1792 - 1875), who inherited the major portion of the estate, continued his father's program of investing in Manhattan

Amphipolis

Ancient Greek city on the Strymon (Strim�n) River about three miles from the Aegean Sea, in Macedonia. A strategic transportation centre, it controlled the bridge over the Strymon and the route from northern Greece to the Hellespont, including the western approach to the timber, gold, and silver of Mount Pangaeum in Thrace. Originally a Thracian town (Ennea Hodoi, �Nine

Faber, Peter

French �Pierre Lefevre, or Pierre Favre, �Latin �Petrus Faber� French Jesuit theologian and a cofounder of the Society of Jesus, who was tutor and friend of Ignatius Loyola at Paris. He was appointed professor of theology at Rome by Pope Paul III (1537), founded Jesuit colleges at Cologne and in Spain, and was a delegate to the Council of Trent.

Mueller, Sir Ferdinand Von

After an apprenticeship as pharmacist, Mueller began the study of botany at the University of Kiel. Soon after receiving his Ph.D., he left Germany for Adelaide, South Australia (1847), where

Booth, Catherine

Her father was a carriage builder and sometime Methodist lay preacher, her mother a deeply religious woman of Puritan type. Catherine, in adolescence an invalid, was educated principally at home,

India

Officially �Republic of India�, Hindi �Bharat� or �Bharatavarsha� country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 6 less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India's capital. With more than one-sixth of the world's total population, India is the

India

Officially �Republic of India�, Hindi �Bharat� or �Bharatavarsha� country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 6 less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India's capital. With more than one-sixth of the world's total population, India is the

Spoleto

The site of an Umbrian township from at least the 7th to the 6th century BC, Spoleto became a Roman colony in 241 BC. It successfully

Arias De Saavedra, Hernando

Hernandarias was known for his protection of the Indian population, for establishment of closer ties between the church and the civil authorities, and for encouraging the establishment

Nicephorus Iii Botaneiates

Nicephorus, who belonged to the military aristocracy of Asia Minor and who was related to the powerful Phocas family, became commander of the Anatolian theme (administrative district). When discontent against the government of

New Castile

Spanish �Castilla La Nueva, � historic provincial region, central upland Spain. It generally includes the area of the Moorish kingdom of Toledo annexed to the former kingdom of Castile in the 11th century AD. In modern Spanish geographic usage, New Castile as an administrative region included the provinces of Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Madrid, and Toledo. Its area was 27,940 square miles (72,363 square km).

Shelepin, Aleksandr Nikolayevich

Shelepin joined the Communist Party in 1940 and rose rapidly in both the party and the Soviet government.

SuddenFinger

Sunday, February 29, 2004

Libraries And Museums

Saturday, February 28, 2004

China, The civil service

Friday, February 27, 2004

Povazsk� Bystrica

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Kuan Han-ch'ing

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

B-29

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Ani

Monday, February 23, 2004

K�rouan�

Sunday, February 22, 2004

K�rouan�

Saturday, February 21, 2004

China, The Shih-liu kuo (Sixteen Kingdoms) in the north (303 - 439)

Friday, February 20, 2004

Talat Pasa

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Corelli, Franco

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Carter Family

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Gall, Saint

Monday, February 16, 2004

Wanamaker, John

Sunday, February 15, 2004

Catalysis

Saturday, February 14, 2004

Nicaea, Council Of

Friday, February 13, 2004

Great Mother Of The Gods

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Astor Family

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Amphipolis

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Faber, Peter

Monday, February 09, 2004

Mueller, Sir Ferdinand Von

Sunday, February 08, 2004

Booth, Catherine

Saturday, February 07, 2004

India

Friday, February 06, 2004

India

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Spoleto

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Arias De Saavedra, Hernando

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Nicephorus Iii Botaneiates

Monday, February 02, 2004

New Castile

Sunday, February 01, 2004

Shelepin, Aleksandr Nikolayevich

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