Peru, Westernized arts

The arts have long occupied positions of esteem among Peru's educated minority. Since the late 19th century, most writers have felt a ceaseless duty to analyze their society. Ricardo Palma was among the first to utilize Peruvian themes. Aves sin nido (1889; Birds Without a Nest), by Clorinda Matto de Turner, was the first of many books whose authors exposed the conditions of Indian

Abel, Carl Friedrich

After playing in the Dresden court orchestra (1743–58), Abel went to London in 1759 and became chamber musician to Queen Charlotte in 1764. When J.C. Bach arrived in London in 1762, they became friends and in 1765 established the “Bach and Abel” concerts

Pierce, Jane

At the end of Franklin's single term, the couple traveled to Europe for a year and a half, but by 1860 they had returned to Concord, New Hampshire. Jane also spent time with relatives in Massachusetts. When she died in 1863, she was buried near her children.

Durisol

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Durisols are soils in semiarid environments that have a substantial layer of silica within 1 metre (39 inches) of the land surface. The silica occurs either as weakly cemented nodules or as hardpan and accumulates as a result of downward translocation (migration) when solubilized

Frederick William Iv

King of Prussia from 1840 until 1861, whose conservative policies helped spark the Revolution of 1848. In the aftermath of the failed revolution, Frederick William followed a reactionary course. In 1857 he was incapacitated by a stroke, and his brother, the future William I, became regent (1858–61).

Shamanism, Drums, sticks, and other objects

An important device of the shaman is the drum, which always has only one membrane. It is usually oval but sometimes round. The outer side of the membrane, and the inside as well among some peoples, is decorated with drawings; e.g., the Turks, or Tatars, of Abakan mark the Upper and Lower World. The handle is usually in the shape of a cross (see photograph), but sometimes there is only

Yanbu'

Also spelled  Yenbo  town, western Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea north of Jidda. It serves as the country's second Red Sea port, after Jidda, and is the main port for Medina, 100 miles (160 km) to the east. The economy of Yanbu' was traditionally based on the pilgrim trade and the export of agricultural products, especially dates. Its harbour is being enlarged and improved to ease the pressure on Jidda, and

Bellay, Guillaume Du, Seigneur (lord) De Langey

The eldest of six brothers of a noble Angevin family, du Bellay was educated at the Sorbonne. He fought in Flanders and in Italy and was eventually, with Francis I, taken prisoner by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V's troops

Chang Chü-cheng

Chang gained power through his position as tutor

Calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy

The earliest known Chinese logographs are engraved on the shoulder bones of large animals and on tortoise shells. For this reason, the script found on these objects is commonly called jiaguwen, or shell-and-bone script. It seems likely that each of the ideographs was carefully composed before it was engraved. Although the figures are not entirely uniform in size,

Rus

Also spelled  Ros  ancient people who gave their name to the land of Russia. Their origin and identity are much in dispute. Traditional Western scholars believe them to be Scandinavian Vikings, an offshoot of the Varangians, who moved southward from the Baltic coast and founded the first consolidated state among the eastern Slavs, centring on Kiev. Russian scholars, along with some

Mckinley, Ida

After William was shot in Buffalo, New York, in 1901, he whispered to an aide as he fell, “My wife, be careful how you tell her—Oh be careful.” Although deeply grieved by her husband's death, she apparently suffered no more seizures for the rest of her life, though some believe a seizure caused her death in 1907. She was entombed in the McKinley Memorial Mausoleum in Canton.