| | - Alfani, Gianni
- (from the article "Italian literature") ...poets were Guido Guinizelli of Bologna, Guido Cavalcanti, Dante (particularly in the poems included in Vita nuova), and Cino da Pistoia, together with the lesser poets Lapo Gianni, Gianni Alfani, and Dino Frescobaldi.
- Alfaro, Eloy
- (from the article "Ecuador") A new liberal hero emerged from the lower classes as the leader of the coastal reaction to Sierra conservatism and clericalism. A man of great personal magnetism, Gen. Eloy Alfaro led a march against the Sierra in 1895 and after a year became constitutional president, serving two terms (1897-1901 and ...
- Alfaro, Emilio
- Argentine actor and director whose highly regarded career lasted nearly 50 years; from 1989 he served as director of the Teatro General San Martin in Buenos Aires (b. Jan. 20, 1933, Buenos Aires, Arg.--d. July 18, 1998, Buenos Aires).
- Alfasi, Isaac ben Jacob
- Talmudic scholar who wrote a codification of the Talmud known as Sefer ha-Halakhot ("Book of Laws"), which ranks with the great codes of Maimonides and Karo. [2 Related Articles]
- alferez
- (from the article "Spain") ...of royal letters and the preservation of records; the mayordomo, a magnate, who supervised the household and the royal domain; and the alferez (Catalan: senyaler), also a magnate, who organized and directed the army under the king's command. The ...
- Alferov, Zhores
- Soviet physicist who, with Herbert Kroemer and Jack S. Kilby, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000 for their work that laid the foundation for the modern era of computers and information technology.
- Alfieri, Vittorio, Conte
- Italian tragic poet whose predominant theme was the overthrow of tyranny. In his tragedies, he hoped to provide Italy with dramas comparable to those of other European nations. Through his lyrics and dramas he helped to revive the national spirit of Italy and so earned the title of precursor of ... [3 Related Articles]
- Alfisol
- one of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Alfisols are arable soils with water content adequate for at least three consecutive months of the growing season. Prior to cultivation they are covered with natural broad-leaved deciduous forest vegetation, sometimes interspersed with needle-leaved evergreen forest or with grass. ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonsin, Raul
- civilian president of Argentina (1983-89), elected after eight years of military rule, and leader of the moderate Radical Civic Union (Spanish: Union Civica Radical, or UCR). [4 Related Articles]
- Alfonsine Tables
- the first set of astronomical tables prepared in Christian Europe. They enabled calculation of eclipses and the positions of the planets for any given time based on the Ptolemaic theory, which assumed that the Earth was at the centre of the universe. The introduction states that the work was prepared ... [2 Related Articles]
- alfonsino
- any of the eight species of exclusively marine fishes constituting the family Berycidae (order Beryciformes). The family contains two genera, Beryx and Centroberyx. Representatives occur in deep-sea habitats of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
- Alfonso I
- king of Aragon and of Navarre from 1104 to 1134. [4 Related Articles]
- Alfonso I
- king of Asturias from 739 to 757, probably the son-in-law of the first Asturian king, Pelayo. The rebellion of the Berber garrisons in Islamic Spain (741) and the civil strife there that followed gave him the opportunity to incorporate Galicia into his kingdom. He also campaigned far to the south ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso I
- duke of Ferrara from 1505, a noted Renaissance prince of the House of Este, an engineer and patron of the arts. [3 Related Articles]
- Alfonso II
- count of Barcelona from 1162 and king of Aragon from 1164. [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso II
- (from the article "Tasso, Torquato") In 1565 Tasso entered the service of Luigi, cardinal d'Este, and frequented the court of Duke Alfonso II d'Este at Ferrara, where he enjoyed the patronage of the duke's sisters, Lucrezia and Leonora, for whom he wrote some of his finest lyrical poems. In 1569 his father died; the following ...
- Alfonso II
- king of Asturias from 791 to 842, the son of Fruela I. He had to face frequent and determined attacks by the armies of the emirate of Cordoba and was often defeated, but his doggedness saved Asturias from extinction. He built a new capital, Oviedo, on a strategic site in ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso III
- king of Aragon from 1285 to 1291, son of Peter III. A weak king, he was involved in an unsuccessful constitutional struggle with the Aragonese nobles. In 1287 he was compelled to grant the so-called "Privilegio de la Union," which handed over a number of important royal prerogatives to baronial ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso III
- king of Asturias from 866 to 910, son of Ordono I. [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso IV
- king of Aragon from 1327 to 1336, son of James II. He was well-intentioned but weak. His reign was marked by a serious revolt in Sardinia, which led to war with Genoa, and by the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Moorish kingdoms of North Africa. The failure of the ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso IV
- king of Leon and Asturias from c. 926 to c. 932, the son of Ordono II and the successor of his uncle Fruela II. He became a monk, abdicated, and then thought better of it and tried to recover his throne. His short reign was, in consequence, one of political ...
- Alfonso IX
- king of Leon from 1188 to 1230, son of Ferdinand II of Leon, and cousin of Alfonso VIII of Castile (next to whom he is numbered as a junior member of the family). A forceful personality, Alfonso IX was determined to recover Leonese territory lost to Castile; and, despite the ... [5 Related Articles]
- Alfonso V
- king of Aragon (1416-58) and king of Naples (as Alfonso I, 1442-58), whose military campaigns in Italy and elsewhere in the central Mediterranean made him one of the most famous men of his day. After conquering Naples, he transferred his court there. [11 Related Articles]
- Alfonso V
- king of Leon from 999 to 1028, son of Bermudo II. He came to the throne because the devastating campaigns of Almanzor (see Mansur, Abu 'Amir al-) had forced his father to accept Almanzor's de facto suzerainty over Leon. The Leonese were forced to take part in the Moorish campaign ... [1 Related Articles]
- Alfonso VI
- king of Leon (1065-70) and king of reunited Castile and Leon (1072-1109), who by 1077 had proclaimed himself "emperor of all Spain" (imperator totius Hispaniae). His oppression of his Muslim vassals led to the invasion of Spain by an Almoravid army from North Africa (1086). His name ... [17 Related Articles]
- Alfonso VII
- king of Leon and Castile from 1126 to 1157, son of Raymond of Burgundy and the grandson of Alfonso VI, whose imperial title he assumed. Though his reign saw the apogee of the imperial idea in medieval Spain and though he won notable victories against the Moors, he remains a ... [7 Related Articles]
- Alfonso VIII
- king of Castile from 1158, son of Sancho III, whom he succeeded when three years old. [9 Related Articles]
- Alfonso X
- king of Castile and Leon from 1252 to 1284. [8 Related Articles]
- Alfonso XI
- king of Castile and Leon from 1312, who succeeded his father, Ferdinand IV, when he was only a year old. [6 Related Articles]
- Alfonso XII
- Spanish king whose short reign (1874-85) gave rise to hopes for a stable constitutional monarchy in Spain. [5 Related Articles]
- Alfonso XIII
- Spanish king (1902-31) who by authorizing a military dictatorship hastened his own deposition by advocates of the Second Republic. [4 Related Articles]
- Alfred
- king of Wessex (871-899), a Saxon kingdom in southwestern England. He prevented England from falling to the Danes and promoted learning and literacy. Compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle began during his reign, c. 890. [15 Related Articles]
- Alfred Brehm Animal House
- (from the article "Berlin Zoo") The Berlin Zoo has rapidly developed one of the world's largest animal collections, maintaining more than 5,350 specimens of about 885 species. A notable feature is the Alfred Brehm Animal House, one of the largest zoo buildings in the world. This structure houses a huge aviary containing hundreds of species ...
- Alfred Jarry, Theatre
- (from the article "Cruelty, Theatre of") Artaud, influenced by Symbolism and Surrealism, along with Roger Vitrac and Robert Aron founded the Theatre Alfred Jarry in 1926; they presented four programs, including August Strindberg's A Dream Play and Vitrac's Victor, before disbanding in 1929. Between 1931 and 1936 Artaud formulated a ...
- Alfred Jewel
- elaborate gold ornament consisting of an enameled plaque with a figure held in place on one side by an engraved design and on the other by a gold fret of Old English words. The inscription reads, "Aelfred mec heht gewyrcan" ("Alfred ordered me to be made"). The Alfred Jewel (now ...
- Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
- (from the article "Oklahoma City") On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City became the site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil when a truck bomb destroyed part of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in the downtown area, killing 168 people and injuring more than 500. Timothy J. McVeigh was found guilty ...
- Alfred University
- private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Alfred, New York, U.S. The university comprises the privately endowed Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business, and Engineering and Professional Studies and the publicly funded New York State College of Ceramics, which includes the Schools of Art and Design and of Ceramic ...
- Alfven wave
- (from the article "plasma") At the lowest frequency are Alfven waves, which require the presence of a magnetic field to exist. In fact, except for ion acoustic waves, the existence of a background magnetic field is required for any wave with a frequency less than the plasma frequency to occur in a plasma. Most ...
- Alfven, Hannes
- astrophysicist and winner, with Louis Neel of France, of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1970 for his essential contributions in founding plasma physics-the study of plasmas (ionized gases). [2 Related Articles]
- algae
- members of a group of predominantly aquatic, photosynthetic organisms of the kingdom Protista. They range in size from the tiny flagellate Micromonas that is 1 micrometre (0.00004 inch) in diameter to giant kelps that reach 60 metres (200 feet) in length. Algae provide much of the Earth's ... [32 Related Articles]
- algal poison
- (from the article "algae") Some algae can be harmful to humans. A few species produce toxins that may be concentrated in shellfish and finfish, which are thereby rendered unsafe or poisonous for human consumption. The dinoflagellates (class Dinophyceae) are the most notorious producers of toxins. Paralytic shellfish poisoning is caused by saxitoxin or any ...
- Algardi, Alessandro
- one of the most important Roman sculptors of the 17th century working in the Baroque style. [1 Related Articles]
- Algarotti, Francesco
- connoisseur of the arts and sciences, esteemed by the philosophers of the Enlightenment for his wide knowledge and elegant presentation of advanced ideas. [1 Related Articles]
- Algarve
- historical province of southern Portugal, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean (south and west) and the lower Guadiana River (east). Much of the interior upland region is of low productivity and is sparsely populated; the fertile coastal lowland is more densely inhabited. [3 Related Articles]
- algebra
- branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations and formal manipulations are applied to abstract symbols rather than specific numbers. The notion that there exists such a distinct subdiscipline of mathematics, as well as the term algebra to denote it, resulted from a slow historical development. This article presents that history, ... [20 Related Articles]
- algebra, elementary
- branch of mathematics that deals with the general properties of numbers and the relations between them. Algebra is fundamental not only to all further mathematics and statistics but to the natural sciences, computer science, economics, and business. Along with writing, it is a cornerstone of modern scientific and technological civilization. ...
- algebra, linear
- mathematical discipline that deals with vectors and matrices and, more generally, with vector spaces and linear transformations. Unlike other parts of mathematics that are frequently invigorated by new ideas and unsolved problems, linear algebra is very well understood. Its value lies in its many applications, from mathematical physics to modern ... [1 Related Articles]
- algebra, modern
- branch of mathematics concerned with the general algebraic structure of various sets (such as real numbers, complex numbers, matrices, and vector spaces), rather than rules and procedures for manipulating their individual elements.
- algebraic curve
- (from the article "Algebraic Versus Transcendental Objects") One important difference between the differential calculus of Pierre de Fermat and Rene Descartes and the full calculus of Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is the difference between algebraic and transcendental objects. The rules of differential calculus are complete in the world of algebraic curves-those defined by equations of ...
- algebraic equation
- statement of the equality of two expressions formulated by applying to a set of variables the algebraic operations, namely, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to a power, and extraction of a root. Examples are x3 + 1 and (y4x2 + 2xy - [5 Related Articles]
- algebraic form
- (from the article "Cayley, Arthur") ...elliptic functions. He formalized the theory of matrices. Among Cayley's most important papers were his series of 10 "Memoirs on Quantics" (1854-78). A quantic, known today as an algebraic form, is a polynomial with the same total degree for each term; for example, every term in the following polynomial has ...
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