(Encyclopedia) conscription, compulsory enrollment of personnel for service in the armed forces. Obligatory service in the armed forces has existed since ancient times in many cultures, including the…
(Encyclopedia) feast, commemorative banquet symbolizing communal unity. Generally associated with primitive rituals and later with religious practices, feasts may also commemorate such events as…
(Encyclopedia) Iran hostage crisis, in U.S. history, events following the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on Nov. 4, 1979. The overthrow of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi of…
(Encyclopedia) LouisvilleLouisvillel&oomacr;ˈēvĭl [key], city (1990 pop. 269,063), seat of Jefferson co., NW Ky., at the Falls of the Ohio; inc. 1780. It is the largest city in Kentucky, a port…
World Russia Cuts Off Gas to Ukraine (Jan. 1): In a dispute over pricing, state-owned company Gazprom reduces the flow of natural gas to Ukraine. The move affects exports to countries in Western…
(Encyclopedia) Abraham [according to the Book of Genesis, Heb.,=father of many nations] or AbramAbramāˈbrəm [key] [Heb.,=exalted father], in the Bible, progenitor of the Hebrews; in the Qur'an,…
(Encyclopedia) Kandahar or QandaharQandaharboth: kănˌdəhärˈ [key], city (1989 est. pop. 203,000), capital of Kandahar prov., S Afghanistan. The country's second largest city and chief trade center,…
(Encyclopedia) Afghanistan War, 1978–92, conflict between anti-Communist Muslim Afghan guerrillas (mujahidin) and Afghan government and Soviet forces. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup…
