Encyclopædia Britannica Australia -

Encyclopedias since 1768

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Bairnsfather, Bruce ... Baker, Augusta Braxton

Bairnsfather, Bruce: cartoonist best known for his grimly humorous depictions of British soldiers in the trenches of World War I.
Bairro Alto: (from the article "Lisbon") A number of neighbourhoods extend west of the Baixa toward the suburb of Belem. Each possesses its own distinctive character, reflecting the epoch in which it was built. The Bairro Alto ("Upper District"), for example, dates primarily from the 16th ...
Bais: chartered city and port, southeastern Negros island, Philippines. Fronting the Tanon Strait on the east, the port accommodates oceangoing vessels and is the shipping centre for sugar refined in Bais. The Sacred Heart Academy, a Roman Catholic liberal arts college, ...
Baise: city, western Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi, China. It lies along the You River, which flows southeast to Nanning (the capital of Guangxi), and is situated at its junction with its tributary, the Chengbi River. It is at the limit ...
BaiShangdi Hui: (from the article "Feng Yunshan") ...and in 1844 he accompanied the mystic on a preaching mission into their neighbouring southern province of Guangxi. Hong returned home after a few months, but Feng remained to organize the Baishangdi Hui, or God Worshippers' Society, which combined Hong's ...
Baishui River: (from the article "Han River") ...the range of navigation, and permits irrigation. Several hydroelectric generators are also in operation on the site. Farther downstream at Xiangfan the river receives its largest tributary, the Baishui River. In the 1950s, in order to prevent flooding, a large ...
bait: (from the article "commercial fishing") The tuna is attracted and kept near the vessel by chumming, throwing live bait overboard. The bait is kept alive on board in special tanks in which seawater circulates constantly. Bait can be an expensive problem for tuna fishermen; to ...
bait casting: (from the article "fishing") Bait casting and spin casting differ essentially only in the type of reel used and the rod length. Spinning rods are generally 7-10 feet long, while the usual length of a bait casting rod is 5-6 feet. As with fly ...
bait fishing: (from the article "fishing") Bait fishing, commonly called still fishing in North America and bottom fishing in England, is certainly the oldest and most universally used method. In English freshwater fishing it is used to catch what are called coarse fish: bream, barbel, tench, ...
Baitarani: (from the article "Keonjhar") ...of the surrounding area. Handloom weaving is also important. The town contains an old raja's palace and is the site of colleges affiliated with Utkal University. The chief river of the region, the Baitarani, venerated in popular epics and legends, ...
Baitou, Mount: (from the article "China") ...reach elevations mostly between 1,500 and 3,000 feet (450 and 900 metres). In some parts the scenery is characterized by rugged peaks and precipitous cliffs. The highest peak is the volcanic cone of Mount Baitou (9,003 feet [2,744 metres]), which ...
Baiul, Oksana: Displaying a technical mastery and artistic flair far in advance of her age, Ukrainian figure skater Oksana Baiul won gold medals at both the 1993 world figure skating championships in Prague and the 1994 winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, ...
Baius, Michael: theologian whose work powerfully influenced Cornelius Jansen, one of the fathers of Jansenism. [1 Related Articles]
Baixa: (from the article "Lisbon") The square lies at the south end of Lisbon's central district, the Cidade Baixa ("Lower City"). The Baixa was completely rebuilt after the earthquake in 1755 under the supervision of Joseph I's prime minister, Sebastiao de Carvalho, later the marques ...
Baixo Alentejo: (from the article "Portugal") ...1,300 feet (180 to 400 metres) with poor soils except where outcrops of diorite have weathered into rich black soils, or limestone, with piedmont springs at their foot. North of Beja, in the Baixo Alentejo, ridges of quartz and marble ...
Baiyue: (from the article "Canton") The earliest known inhabitants of the Canton area were the Pai Yueh, a Tai, or Shan, people. At the beginning of the Western Chou dynasty (c. 1111-771 BC), their chief built a walled town, known as Nan-wu Ch'eng, in the ...
Baj: (from the article "prayer") ...with ritual purity. Songs (involving light symbolism) accompany the five fire ceremonies that are celebrated daily. There are also ceremonies in which both priests and laymen participate. The great Baj, a ritual offering of consecrated bread, grain, and butter, begins ...
Baja California: peninsula, northwestern Mexico, bounded to the north by the United States, to the east by the Gulf of California, and to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula is approximately 760 miles (1,220 km) long and 25 ... [3 Related Articles]
Baja California: estado (state), northwestern Mexico, bounded to the north by the United States (California and Arizona), to the east by the state of Sonora and the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), to the west by the Pacific ...
Baja California Sur: estado (state), northwestern Mexico, occupying the southern half of the Baja California peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the state of Baja California, to the east by the Gulf of California (also called Sea of ...
bajada: broad slope of debris spread along the lower slopes of mountains by descending streams, usually found in arid or semiarid climates; the term was adopted because of its use in the U.S. Southwest. A bajada is often formed by the ...
Bajan: (from the article "Barbados") ...from the United States and Great Britain-made up of international civil servants, businesspersons, and retirees. English is the official language, and a nonstandard English called Bajan is also spoken.
Bajau: (from the article "Malaysia") Sabah's Chinese population is predominantly Hakka-speaking, but there are also many speakers of Cantonese, Hokkien, Chaozhou (Chaoshan), and Hainanese. The Bajau are a diverse community split into two main groups: sedentary agriculturists of the north coast and seafaring people of ...
Bajer, Fredrik: Danish reformer and politician, cowinner (with Klas Pontus Arnoldson) of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1908.
Baji Rao I: (from the article "India") ...peshwa (chief minister), the first truly prominent figure of this line is Balaji Vishvanath, who had aided Shahu in his rise to power. Vishvanath and his successor, Baji Rao I (peshwa between 1720 and 1740), managed to ...
Baji Rao II: (from the article "Maratha Wars") The second war (1803-05) was caused by the peshwa Baji Rao II's defeat by the Holkars (one of the leading Maratha clans) and his acceptance of British protection by the Treaty of Bassein in December 1802. The Sindhia and the ...
Bajina Basta: (from the article "Serbia") ...power and coal are the principal sources of energy in Serbia, which has no nuclear power stations. Facilities at the Ðerdap dam on the Danube generate significant electric power. The Bajina Basta development on the Drina River ranks second as ...
Bajio: region on the Mexican Plateau, west-central Mexico. Bajio has been an important agricultural region since the 19th century and is known for its fertile soil, temperate climate, and adequate rainfall. Wheat, corn (maize), chickpeas, beans, and various fruits are the ... [2 Related Articles]
bajo sexto: (from the article "Tejano") ...which was seen as more declasse than mariachi music, featured the accordion as the melodic lead instrument backed rhythmically by the bajo sexto (a 12-string guitar) and an acoustic bass guitar. Its initial repertoire included waltzes, polkas, ...
Bajocian Stage: second of the four divisions of the Middle Jurassic Series, representing all rocks formed worldwide during the Bajocian Age, which occurred between 171.6 million and 167.7 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. (Some researchers have proposed a longer time ...
Bajor, Gizi: Hungarian actress known not only for her magnetic charm and attractiveness but also for her craftsmanship and versatility.
bajraktar: (from the article "Albania") ...system. In the wake of its collapse, economic and social power passed from the feudal lords to private landowning beys and, in the northern highlands, to tribal chieftains called bajraktars, who presided over given territories with rigid patriarchal societies that ...
baka: (from the article "kamikaze") A piloted missile was developed for kamikaze use that was given the nickname "Baka" by the Allies from the Japanese word for fool. The pilot had no means of getting out once the missile was fastened to the aircraft that ...
bakanae: (from the article "malformation") ...normal represents merely a quantitative change, which is evidenced by a harmonious but exaggerated manifestation of the normal developmental processes. This is well illustrated in the so-called bakanae, or foolish seedling disease, of rice. The bakanae disease is caused by ...
Bakary, Djibo: (from the article "Niger") ...(headed for 12 years by Governor Jean Toby) remained firmly in control of the political situation. The first local executive was established in 1957. Its head, the left-wing trade unionist Djibo Bakary, advocated a no vote in the referendum of ...
Bakassi Peninsula: (from the article "Dates of 2004") Canada defeats Finland 3-2 to win the ice hockey World Cup in Toronto.CameroonCameroonTwo BBC journalists were briefly imprisoned in July while visiting Cameroonian villages on the Bakassi peninsula. Both Nigeria ...
baked Alaska: (from the article "meringue") ...of a hot syrup, is used to cover puddings and ice creams. In the United States, a soft, moist meringue is used to top pies, especially lemon cream. Another famous American meringue dessert is the baked Alaska. A hard-frozen block ...
baked custard: (from the article "custard") mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, and flavourings which attains its consistency by the coagulation of the egg protein by heat. Baked custard contains whole eggs, which cause the dish to solidify to a gel. Flan, or creme caramel, is a ...
Bakel: (from the article "Senegal River") From Bakel to Dagana, a distance of 385 miles, the river flows through an alluvial valley as much as 12 miles wide. Floods come in early September at Bakel, reaching Dagana by mid-October. During the flood season the water level ...
Bakelite: synthetic resin formed from the chemical combination of phenols and formaldehydes. Bakelite is a hard, infusible, and chemically resistant plastic whose properties as a nonconductor of electricity have made it exceptionally useful in all sorts of electrical appliances. It is ... [6 Related Articles]
Bakema, Jacob B.: Dutch architect who, in association with J.H. van den Broek, was particularly active in the reconstruction of Rotterdam after World War II.
Baker City: city, seat (1868) of Baker county, northeastern Oregon, U.S. It is situated along the Powder River, in Baker Valley, between the Blue Mountains (west) and the Wallowa Mountains (east). Lying on the old Oregon Trail and settled during the Oregon ...
Baker Island: unincorporated territory of the United States in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,650 miles (2,650 km) southwest of Honolulu. A coral atoll rising to 25 feet (8 metres), it measures 1 mile (1.6 km) long by 0.7 mile (1.1 km) ...
Baker tent: (from the article "tent") ...The tepee (q.v.) is a variant of this design. Other kinds of tent include the wall tent, an A-shaped tent raised to accommodate straight, vertical walls beneath the slope of the pyramid; the Baker tent, which is a rectangular fabric ...
Baker v. Carr: (1962), U.S. Supreme Court case that forced the Tennessee legislature to reapportion itself on the basis of population. Traditionally, particularly in the South, the populations of rural areas had been overrepresented in legislatures in proportion to those of urban and ... [2 Related Articles]
baker's cap: (from the article "toque") ...brimless, black velvet toques were popular with men and women. Throughout the 19th century, women wore toques, often small, trimmed with fur, lace, bows, flowers, or leaves. The typical white baker's cap, traditionally worn by chefs, is a form of ...
baker's yeast: (from the article "baking") All commercial breads, except salt-rising types and some rye bread, are leavened with bakers' yeast, composed of living cells of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A typical yeast addition level might be 2 percent of the dough weight. Bakeries receive ...
Baker, A. W.: (from the article "Jamaica") The economy no longer depended on sugar exports by the latter part of the 19th century, when Captain A.W. Baker, founder of the organization that later became the United Fruit Company, started a lucrative banana trade in Jamaica. Bananas soon ...
Baker, Alan: British mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 1970 for his work in number theory.
Baker, Anita: American singer whose three-octave range and powerful, emotional delivery brought her international acclaim in the 1980s and '90s. She was one of the most popular artists in urban contemporary music, a genre that her sophisticated, tradition-oriented soul and rhythm-and-blues singing ...
Baker, Augusta Braxton: American librarian and storyteller who worked long and prolifically in the field of children's literature. Her many accomplishments included the first extensive bibliography of children's books portraying positive African-American role models.