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mine, in warfare

(Encyclopedia)mine, in warfare, term formerly applied to a system of tunnels dug under an army fortification and ending in a chamber where either explosives were placed to be detonated at a chosen moment or the sup...

Callias, fl. 449 b.c., Athenian statesman

(Encyclopedia)Callias kălˈēəs [key], fl. 449 b.c., Athenian statesman; he was related to Cimon and also to Aristides. He distinguished himself at the battle of Marathon (490 b.c.) and was a three-time winner of...

Laurens, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Laurens, Henry lôrˈənz, lärˈ– [key], 1724–92, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Charleston, S.C. A wealthy merchant and planter, he was, in the years preceding the Revolution, a...

Fath Ali Shah

(Encyclopedia)Fath Ali Shah fäth älēˈ shäˈ, fät [key], also spelled Feth Ali Shah, 1762–1834, shah of Persia (1797–1834), nephew and successor of Aga Muhammad Khan, founder of the Qajar dynasty. Most of ...

Louis XIV, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Louis XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son and successor of King Louis XIII. Although he had a series of mistresses, Louis XIV finally came under the influence of Mme de Maintenon, wh...

Dalmatia

(Encyclopedia)Dalmatia dălmāˈshə [key], Croatian Dalmacija, historic region of Croatia, extending along the Adriatic Sea, approximately from Rijeka (Fiume) to the Gulf of Kotor. Split is the provincial capital;...

Chinese exclusion

(Encyclopedia)Chinese exclusion, policy of prohibiting immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States; initiated in 1882. From the time of the U.S. acquisition of California (1848) there had been a large infl...

Lunéville

(Encyclopedia)Lunéville lünāvēlˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 22,393), Meurthe-et-Moselle dept., NE France, on the Meurthe River in Lorraine. It is known for its crockery. Railroad equipment, textiles, and wooden to...

Robbe-Grillet, Alain

(Encyclopedia)Robbe-Grillet, Alain älăNˈ rôb-grēyāˈ [key], 1922–2008, French novelist and filmmaker, b. Brest. Robbe-Grillet is considered the originator of the French nouveau roman [new novel], in which c...

Istria

(Encyclopedia)Istria ĭsˈtrēə [key], Croatian Istra, mountainous peninsula c.1,500 sq mi (3,900 sq km), in Slovenia and Croatia, projecting into the N Adriatic between the gulfs of Trieste and Fiume. A section o...