Monday, April 04, 2005

Buzuluk

City, Orenburg oblast (province), in the southern Ural Mountains of west-central Russia. The oblast is situated along the Samara River (a tributary of the Volga), near its confluence with the Buzuluk. Founded in 1736 as a Russian fortress, it was chartered in 1781. Industries include the manufacture of heavy metallurgical and agricultural machinery. The city has four technical

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Ardagh Chalice

Large, two-handled silver cup, decorated with gold, gilt bronze, and enamel, one of the best-known examples of Irish ecclesiastical metalwork. It was discovered in 1868, together with a small bronze cup and four brooches, in a potato field in Ardagh, County Limerick, Ire. The decoration consists mainly of panels of fine gold and silver filigree applied to the otherwise plain

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Killanin (of Galway), Michael Morris, 3rd Baron

British-born Irish journalist, film producer, author, and sports administrator (b. July 30, 1914, London, Eng.—d. April 25, 1999, Dublin, Ire.), served as president (1972–80) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during a turbulent period marked by boycotts and international disputes. He inherited the title of Baron Killanin when his uncle died in 1927, and he attended the Sorbonne (1932) in Paris and Magdalene

Friday, April 01, 2005

Argentina, Press and broadcasting

The mass media in Argentina are well advanced among Latin American nations. In Buenos Aires the largest newspapers are published, and many have electronic editions on the Internet. The largest daily circulation is claimed by Clarín; two other large-circulation dailies, La nación and La prensa, founded in 1870 and 1869, respectively, have high reputations in the Spanish-speaking

Thursday, March 31, 2005

United Nations

On April 9 an Iraqi plane flew more than 100 religious pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, violating the air embargo imposed after the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Despite U.S. pressure, the Security Council failed to condemn the flight. On June 4 the Security Council agreed to permit Iraq to sell $2 billion in oil to pay for food, medicine, and other essential civilian items for a second six-month

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Francescatti, Zino

A child prodigy, he studied violin from age three. He made his debut at five, soloed successfully in Beethoven's Violin Concerto at 10, and was an

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Flamsteed, John

Poor health forced Flamsteed to leave school in 1662. He studied astronomy on his own and later (1670–74) continued his education at the University of Cambridge. In 1677 he became a member of the Royal Society. Ordained a clergyman in 1675, Flamsteed in

Critius And Nesiotes

Greek sculptors known for their bronze figures of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogiton, copies of the original bronzes executed by Antenor about 510 BC, which were taken by Xerxes I to Susa and subsequently lost. The copies were placed in the agora in Athens; the figure of the tyrannicides has been identified on Roman coins, vases, reliefs, and