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Ballia

(Encyclopedia)Ballia bŭlˈyə [key], town, Uttar Pradesh state, N central India. Situated on a rich alluvi...

Aijalon

(Encyclopedia)Aijalon ăˈjəlŏn, īˈ–, āˈ– [key], in the Bible. 1 Town, on the border between Philistia and Israel, the modern Yalo (Israel), NW of Jerusalem. In the Tell el Amarna letters it is called Aia...

Tan, Amy

(Encyclopedia)Tan, Amy, 1952–, American novelist, b. Oakland, Calif. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she has taken for her theme the lives of Asian-Americans and the generational and cultural differences amon...

Hudson, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Hudson, Henry, fl. 1607–11, English navigator and explorer. He was hired (1607) by the English Muscovy Company to find the Northeast Passage to Asia. He failed, and another attempt (1608) to find a ...

Roche limit

(Encyclopedia)Roche limit, the closest distance that a celestial body held together only by its own gravity can come to a planet without being pulled apart by the planet's tidal (gravitational) force. This distance...

Oceanus

(Encyclopedia)Oceanus ōsēˈənəs [key], in Greek mythology. 1 Circular stream that flows around the edge of the earth. The sun and moon rise from and descend into this stream; it is the source of all rivers. 2 P...

Philomena of Dacia, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Philomena of Dacia, Peter, or Peter Nightingale, fl. 1291–1303, Danish astronomer and mathematician. He taught at the Univ. of Bologna (1291–92) and in Paris, and was a canon of Roskilde Cathedral...

Čech, Svatopluk

(Encyclopedia)Čech, Svatopluk sväˈtôplo͝ok chĕkh [key], 1846–1908, Czech poet and novelist. His strong Pan-Slavism and his love for democracy and freedom won him great popularity. His political enthusiasms ...

Thoth

(Encyclopedia)Thoth thŏth, tōt [key], in Egyptian religion, god of wisdom and magic. A patron of learning and of the arts, he was credited with many inventions, including writing, geometry, and astronomy. Perhaps...

Haran, ancient city, Mesopotamia

(Encyclopedia)Haran or Harran both: häränˈ [key], ancient city of Mesopotamia, now in SE Asian Turkey, 24 mi (39 km) SE of Şanlıurfa. It was an important center on the trade route from Nineveh to Carchemish an...