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Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, José

(Encyclopedia)Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, José, 1957–, Portuguese political leader, prime minister of Portugal (2005–11). b. Porto. A member of the center-left Socialist party since 1981, he was elected...

blockhouse

(Encyclopedia)blockhouse, small fortification, usually temporary, serving as a post for a small garrison. Blockhouses seem to have come into use in the 15th cent. to prevent access to a strategically important obje...

Nicol prism

(Encyclopedia)Nicol prism nĭkˈəl [key], optical device invented (1828) by William Nicol of Edinburgh. It consists essentially of a crystal of calcite, or Iceland spar, that is cut at an angle into two equal piec...

acetylcholine

(Encyclopedia)acetylcholine əsētˌəlkōˈlēn [key], a small organic molecule liberated at nerve endings as a neurotransmitter. It is particularly important in the stimulation of muscle tissue. The transmission ...

Ashley, William Henry

(Encyclopedia)Ashley, William Henry, c.1778–1838, American fur trader and politician, b. Virginia. In 1820 he was elected lieutenant governor of Missouri. He sent fur-trading expeditions up the Missouri River to ...

Rosh ha-Shanah

(Encyclopedia)Rosh ha-Shanah hə-shäˈnə [key] [Heb.,=head of the year], the Jewish New Year, also known as the Feast of the Trumpets. It is observed on the first day of the seventh month, Tishri, occurring usual...

ronin

(Encyclopedia)ronin rōˈnĭn [key], in Japanese history, masterless samurai. Ronin were retainers who were deprived of their place in the usual loyalty patterns of Japanese feudalism. The daimyo they had served mi...

Appalachian Trail

(Encyclopedia)Appalachian Trail, officially Appalachian National Scenic Trail, hiking path, 2,144 mi (3,450 km) long, passing through 14 states, E United States. Conceived in 1921 by Benton MacKaye, forester and re...

Sugihara, Chiune

(Encyclopedia)Sugihara, Chiune, 1900–1986, Japanese diplomat who saved several thousand European Jews during World War II. He served (1920–22) in the army, then joined the Japanese foreign ministry. In 1939 he ...

Sukhumi

(Encyclopedia)Sukhumi so͝okho͞oˈmē [key], Abkhaz Sukhum, city (2011 pop. 62,914), capital of Abkhazia, a region in W Georgia that has had de facto independence since the 1990. Located on the Black Sea, it is a ...