Copy of `The History Channel - Encyclopedia`

The wordlist doesn't exist anymore, or, the website doesn't exist anymore. On this page you can find a copy of the original information. The information may have been taken offline because it is outdated.

The History Channel - Encyclopedia Category: History and Culture > History Date & country: 02/12/2007, UK Words: 25833

alruna
Term used to denote a witch in ancient times. Sometimes the word was applied to images having magical significance. ...

Alsatia
Old name for Alsace, formerly part of Germany. In 17th-century London this name was given to the district of Whitefriars between Fleet Street and the Thames. It afforded sanctuary to debtors and...

Alsop, Joseph (Wright), Jr
(1910-1989) US newspaper columnist. From 1937 to 1940 Alsop wrote the syndicated political columns, `Capital Parade`, with Robert Kinter, and `Matter of Fact`, with his brother, Stewart Alsop. ...

Alsop, Stewart
(1914-1974) US newspaper columnist. A self-described New Deal liberal, he wrote a widely syndicated political column with his brother, Joseph Alsop, from 1946 to 1958. He was later a Newsweek columnist. ...

Altamira
Cave decorated with Palaeolithic wall paintings, the first such to be discovered, in 1879. The paintings are realistic depictions of bison, deer, and horses in polychrome (several colours). The cave...

altar
Table (usually of stone) on which sacrifice is offered; in Christian churches, the table where the Eucharist is performed. Early sacrificial hearths have been excavated in Palestine. Later there...

Alte Pinakothek
Art gallery in Munich, Germany. It is rich in examples of old German painting and early Netherlandish and Flemish painting. Mathias Grünewald's Christ Mocked, Rembrandt's Entombment, and Sandro...

Altenheim, Battle of
Battle fought 1 August 1675, during the Dutch struggles with the French, when the Austrian army under Raimendo Montecuccoli forced the French army across...

alter ego
Phrase used to denote Spanish viceroys when exercising regal power; it was used at Naples when the crown prince was made vicar general during the rebellion of 1820. ...

Alter, Simha
(1897-1992) Polish-born Israeli Hasidic rabbi. As head from 1977 of the Ger (or Gur) Hasidim, the largest Hasidic community in the world, he was also the most powerful man in Agudah, the Orthodox Religious...

alternative theatre
See theatre, alternative. ...

Altgeld, John Peter
(1847-1902) US political and social reformer. Born in Prussia, he was taken in infancy to the USA. During the Civil War he served in the Union army. He was a judge of the Supreme Court in Chicago 1886-91, and...

Altmark incident
Naval skirmish in World War II. The Altmark, a German auxiliary cruiser, was intercepted on 15 February 1940 by the British destroyer Intrepid off the coast of Norway. It was carrying the captured...

altruism
Term coined by the French positivist philosopher Auguste Comte, briefly defined as `living for others`. The altruistic instinct is a social instinct or impulse, and is evidenced in kindness,...

Alva, Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo
(1508-1582) Spanish politician and general. He successfully commanded the Spanish armies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain. In 1567 he was appointed governor of the Netherlands,...

Alvarado, Juan Bautista
(1809-1882) Californian insurgent who defeated the forces of the ruling Mexican government in California in the decisive battle of San Buenaventura 1836. From 1836 to 1838 he used the revolutionary title of...

Alvarado, Pedro de
(c. 1485-1541) Spanish conquistador, ruler of Guatemala 1524-41. Alvarado joined Hernán Cortés's army in 1519 and became his principal captain during the conquest of New Spain. Left in command at...

Alvarez de Cienfuegos, Nicasio
(1764-1809) Spanish playwright and poet. Of his tragedies the best known are La Condesa de Castilla/The Countess of Castile 1815 and Pítaco 1822, both of which were posthumously published. Born in Madrid,...

Alvarez Quintero, Serafin
(1871-1938) and Joaquin (1873-1944) Spanish dramatists. The brothers, born near Seville, always worked together and from 1897 produced about 200 comedies, principally dealing with local life in Andalusia. Among them are Papá Juan:...

Alvarez, Francisco
(died 1540) Portuguese traveller born in Coimbra, Portugal, who was among those sent by King Manuel of Portugal on an expedition to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1515. On his return to Lisbon in 1527 he wrote an...

Alvaro, Corrado
(1895-1956) Italian novelist. His chief novel, Gente in Aspromonte/Revolt in Aspromonte (1930; translated 1962), and his collection of short stories Settantacinque racconti/Seventy-five Tales (1955) focus on...

Alvear, Marcelo Torcuato de
(1868-1942) Argentine statesman, diplomat, and president 1922-28. He was a co-founding member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) party and an activist in the struggle to establish a liberal democracy in the...

Alverstone, Richard Everard Webster
(1842-1915) British politician and lawyer. He became attorney general in the Conservative government 1885 and represented Britain in international arbitration cases. He became Lord Chief Justice in 1900, and...

Alyattes
Fourth Lydian king of the Mermnad dynasty about 617-560 BC, who finally drove out the Cimmerians. He extended the Lydian kingdom in the west by subjecting the Greek city-states on the Asia Minor...

Amadeo, Giovanni Antonio
(1447-1522) Italian sculptor and architect. In collaboration with others, he decorated the Certosa at Pavia from 1466. He also took part in the sculpture of the great octagonal dome of Milan Cathedral....

Amado, Jorge
(1912-2001) Brazilian novelist. His first novel, O país do carnaval/The Country of the Carnival (1932), follows a youthful member of the intelligentsia seeking political answers in the wake...

Amal
Radical Lebanese Shiite military force, established by Musa Sadr in the 1970s; its headquarters are in Borj al-Barajneh. The movement split into extremist and moderate groups in 1982, but both...

Amalaric
(c. 502-531) Visigoth king of Spain. He was only five years old when his father Alaric II was killed in 507, but he was proclaimed king when he came of age. He married Clotilda, daughter of Clovis, King of the...

Amalekite
In the Old Testament, a member of an ancient Semitic people of southwestern Palestine and the Sinai peninsula. According to Exodus 17, they harried the rear of...

Amalia, Anna
(1739-1807) Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. As widow of Duke Ernest, she reigned as regent for her son Karl August 1758-75 with prudence and skill, making the court of Weimar a literary centre of...

Amalthaea
Sibyl who brought Tarquin the nine books containing Rome's destiny; in Greek mythology, Amalthaea was the nurse of the infant Zeus, represented as a goat. ...

Amana Colonies
Seven historic villages in Iowa County, Iowa, located about 20 mi/32 km west of Iowa City. Six villages - Amana, East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, and West Amana - were founded...

Amanullah Khan
(1892-1960) Emir (ruler) of Afghanistan 1919-29, who assumed the title of king in 1926. Third son of Habibullah Khan, he seized the throne on his father's assassination and concluded a treaty with the...

Amar Das
(1479-1574) Indian religious leader, third guru (teacher) of Sikhism 1552-74. He laid emphasis on equality and opposed the caste system. He further institutionalized the custom of the langar (communal meal),...

Amari, Michele
(1806-1889) Italian historian, orientalist, and politician. His best-known work, La Guerra del Vespro Siciliano/The History of the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1841; translated 1850), was prohibited and he...

Amarna tablets
Collection of Egyptian clay tablets with cuneiform inscriptions, found in the 1880s in the ruins of the ancient city of Akhetaton on the east bank of the Nile. The tablets are written in a...

Amasa
Son of the Ishmaelite Ithra and of Abigail, sister of David. He commanded Absalom's army; after defeat by Joab he submitted to David and replaced Joab as chief commander. Joab treacherously murdered...

Amasis II
(lived 6th century BC) Fifth pharaoh 570-526 BC of the 26th dynasty, and Egyptian general who seized the throne from Apries. He founded Naucratis, conquered Cyprus, and maintained close relations with the Greek world. ...

Amaterasu
In Japanese mythology, the sun goddess, grandmother of Jimmu Tenno, first ruler of Japan, from whom the emperors claim to be descended. Her shrine is at Ise. Despite being chief deity she is not...

Amato, Giuliano
(1938) Italian law professor and socialist politician, prime minister 1992-93 and 2000-01. Heading a centre-left government, Amato was sworn in as Italy's prime minister in April 2000, having served...

Amazon
In Greek mythology, a member of a group of female warriors living near the Black Sea, who cut off their right breasts to use the bow more easily. Their queen Pen ...

Amazon Pact
Treaty signed 1978 by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela to protect and control the industrial or commercial development of the Amazon River. ...

Amazonian Indian
Indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon River Basin in South America. The majority of the societies are kin-based; traditional livelihood includes hunting and gathering, fishing, and shifting...

Amba Alagi
Mountain in Ethiopia where during World War II the occupying Italian forces under the Duke of Aosta made a last stand against the British-led invasion in May 1941. It was defended by 7,000 Italian...

ambassador
Officer of the highest rank in the diplomatic service, who represents the head of one sovereign state at the court or capital of another. The ambassador bears credentials in the form of a sealed...

Amberger, Christoph
(c. 1500-c. 1561) German painter. He established a considerable reputation as a portrait painter, his style, as in his Portrait of Christopher Fugger (1541, Alte Pinakothek, Munich),...

Ambler, Eric
(1909-1998) English novelist. He excelled in narrating swift, suspenseful action. He used Balkan/Levant settings in the thrillers The Mask of Dimitrios (1939) and Journey into Fear (1940). His other books...

Amboise, Georges d'
(1460-1510) French Catholic cleric and politician. He gained the favour of the Duke of Orleans and through his influence was made archbishop of Narbonne in 1492 and subsequently of Rouen in 1493. On the...

Ambrose, St
(c. 340-397) One of the early Christian leaders and theologians known as the Fathers of the Church. Ambrose was an early Christian writer whose works are considered by the Church to be authoritative....

Ambrose, Stephen
(1936-2002) US historian. A prolific writer, he published more than 30 books, many of them on World War II. Several of his books, including Band of Brothers (1993), D-day (1994), and Undaunted Courage (1996)...

ambrosia
In Greek mythology, food of the gods which was supposed to confer eternal life upon all who ate it. ...

Ambrosian Republic
Government of Milan, Italy, 1447-50. Consisting of 24 local dignitaries, it was established when Duke Filippo Maria Visconti died without an heir in 1447. It ended when military leader Francesco...

Ambrosiana Bibliotheca
Library in Milan, Italy, opened in 1609. The first public library in Italy, it was founded by the bishop of Milan, Cardinal Federico Borromeo (1564-1631). Housed in the palace built by Borromeo...

Ambrosio, Vittorio
(1897-1958) Italian general, initially loyal to Mussolini but later involved in his overthrow. In World War II, Ambrosio commanded the 2nd Italian...

ambulatory
In architecture, any part of a building intended for walking around a central space or shrine, such as the aisles of a cathedral or church. The term is used for the lateral or fl ...

amen
Hebrew word signifying affirmation (`so be it`), commonly used at the close of a Jewish or Christian prayer or hymn. As used by Jesus in the New Testament, it...

amende honorable
Formal apology for an injury to the reputation and honour of another. In old French law the term was once used to describe a public confession made by persons guilty...

amendment
A change or addition to a legislative bill, law, or constitution. The most well known amendments are to the US Constitution; the first ten of these comprise the Bill of Rights. Amendments are often...

Amendment, Eighteenth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1919, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol. It was enforced by the Volstead Act in 1919 but repealed by the Twenty-First...

Amendment, Eighth
Amendment to the US Constitution stating that people convicted of crimes should not be subject to excessive bail or fines, and that authorities may not inflict `cruel and unusual punishments`....

Amendment, Eleventh
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1795, limiting the jurisdiction of the US Supreme Court in lawsuits against states. It declares that residents of one state cannot sue another state in...

Amendment, Fifteenth
Amendment to the US C ...

Amendment, Fifth
Amendment to the US Constitution protecting the rights of people involved in criminal cases. A well-known stipulation of the Fifth Amendment, used frequently in court cases, guarantees that people...

Amendment, First
Amendment to the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion, of speech, of assembly, and of the press. Part of the ...

Amendment, Fourteenth
Amendment to the US Constitution in 1868, during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. It defines US...

Amendment, Fourth
Amendment to the US Constitution protecting people against unwarranted or unreasonable searches. Part of the Amendment, Nineteenth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on 18 August 1920, which gave women the vote in federal and state elections. An amendment that guaranteed women the right to vote was first introduced in...

Amendment, Ninth
Amendment to the US Constitution stating that the Bill of Rights should not be interpreted as excluding or denying other rights not listed in it. Part of the Bill of Rights, it...

Amendment, Second
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791, guaranteeing the right of the people to `bear arms`. The interpretation of this amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, has been hotly debated,...

Amendment, Seventeenth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1913, specifying that senators are to be chosen by the voters, rather than by state legislatures. Senators were previously chosen by state legislatures,...

Amendment, Seventh
Amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing the right to a jury trial in most federal civil cases. Part of the Bill of Rights, it was ratified in 1791. The Seventh Amendment stipulates that people...

Amendment, Sixteenth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1913, that guarantees...

Amendment, Sixth
Amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing the right to a fair trial in criminal court cases. Part of the Bill of Rights, it was ratified in 1791. The Sixth Amendment guarantees people who are...

Amendment, Tenth
Amendment to the US Constitution regarding...

Amendment, Third
Amendment to the US Constitution that sets conditions for the quartering of soldiers. Part of the Bill of Rights, it was ratified in 1791. The amendment was created as a reaction against the British...

Amendment, Thirteenth
Amendment to the US Constitution in 1865 that abolished slavery. It states that `neither slavery nor involuntary servitude` shall exist in the USA and gives Congress the power to enforce this...

Amendment, Twelfth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1804, that directs electors to vote separately for the president and the vice-president. The Twelfth Amendment was drafted as a result of the 1799...

Amendment, Twentieth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1933. Sometimes called the `Lame Duck Amendment`, it shortens the time an outgoing president could be a `lame duck`, an official who has not...

Amendment, Twenty-Fifth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1967, that specifies procedures for the succession of the president and vice-president if one of them should leave office before the end of their...

Amendment, Twenty-First
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1933, that repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, Twenty-Fourth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1964, forbidding the requirement of voters to pay a poll tax or any other tax to vote in a presidential or congressional election. Some southern states...

Amendment, Twenty-Second
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1951, that limits the US presidency to two full terms. Under the terms of this amendment, no person can be elected president more than twice, and no one...

Amendment, Twenty-Seventh
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1992, that requires a congressional election to be held before any law changing congressional salaries can go into effect, thereby preventing Congress...

Amendment, Twenty-Sixth
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1971, that extends the voting age in national and state elections to US citizens 18-years-old and older. Passed during the Vietnam War, this...

Amendment, Twenty-Third
Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1961, that allows Washington, DC, residents to vote in presidential elections. This amendment allows the District of Columbia to have proportional...

Amenhotep III
(1391-1353 BC) King (pharaoh) of ancient Egypt. He built great monuments at Thebes, including the temples at Luxor. Two portrait statues at his mortuary temple were known to the Greeks as the colossi of Memnon;...

Amentet
Ancient Egyptian goddess who was the personification of the west. She was often represented welcoming the dead to her realm, where she also received the setting Sun. ...

Amerbach, Johannes
(1443-1513) Swiss printer and publisher. After studying in Paris he set up a printing press in Basel in 1478 and specialized in producing high quality texts of the works of the Church F ...

American Academy of Art and Letters
Group of US citizens qualified by notable achievements in art, literature, or music, selected from the membership of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. These two institutions merged in 1976...

American Anti-Slavery Society
US association for the promotion of the abolition of slavery, active 1833-70. It was established by the brothers Arthur Tappan and Lewis Tappan, and William Lloyd Garrison, an uncompromising...

American Arbitration Service
The independent, nonprofit organization that provides panels for industrial and commercial disputes. The decisions are binding. The AAS has also developed administrative services that are available...

American Civil War
1861-65; see Civil War, American. ...

American Expeditionary Force
US forces sent to fight in Europe after the USA entered World War I in April 1917. Although initially only a token force of one division went to France under General Pershing, by November 1918 the...

American Federation of Labor
Federation of North American trade unions, representing through 68 affiliated unions, 13 million workers, or about 14% of the workforce in North America (2000). The AFL was founded 1886 by Samuel...

American Independence, War of
Alternative name of the American Revolution, the revolt 1775-83 of the British North American colonies that resulted in the establishment of the United States of America. ...

American Indian
Member of one of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas; the Arctic peoples (Inuit and Aleut) are often included, especially by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the US Department of the...

American Indian art
Art and craft of the North American indigenous peoples from prehistory through to the modern era. Some groups maintain their ancient traditions, but much was lost during the period of European...

American Indian migration theory
Theory concerning the migration path of the first peoples of the Americas who are known to have migrated in waves from Asia and dispersed throughout North and South America,...

American Indian religions
The religious beliefs of American Indians from Alaska to the tip of South America. They are numerous and often vastly different, and include Shamanism, new forms...

American Legion
Community organization in the USA, originally for ex-servicemen of World War I, founded 1919. It has approximately 2.9 million members, and has admitted veterans of World War II, the Korean War,...