- Badr al-Jamālī (Egyptian statesman and military commander)
al-Mustanṣir: …Egypt to the Armenian general Badr al-Jamālī. Badr accepted but insisted that he bring his own troops with him. In a swift series of brutal actions, Badr defeated the various military factions, executed a large number of Egyptian politicians, and thus restored relative peace and prosperity. Al-Mustanṣir strengthened his relations…
- Badr ibn Ḥasanwayh (Kurdish ruler)
Ḥasanwayhid dynasty: …backed one of Ḥasanwayh’s sons, Badr ibn Ḥasanwayh as leader. With the support of ʿAḍūḍ al-Dawlah, Badr emerged victorious, and most of his brothers were killed. When his Būyid patron died in 983, Badr retained his position and ruled more or less without challenge until his death in 1014.
- Badr Khānī Jāladat (leader of Kurds)
Badr Khānī Jāladat was a Kurdish nationalist leader and editor who was one of the chief 20th-century spokesmen for Kurdish independence. Jāladat, like his elder brother Surayyā, devoted his life to the cause of establishing a unified Kurdish state in the Middle East. Educated in Istanbul, he
- Badr, Battle of (Islamic history)
Battle of Badr, (624 ce), in Islamic history, major military victory led by the Prophet Muhammad that marked a turning point for the early Muslim community (ummah) from a defensive stance toward one of stability and expansion. The battle damaged Meccan trade and boosted the morale of the ummah as a
- Badran, Rasem (Jordanian architect)
Islamic arts: Islamic art under European influence and contemporary trends: … and Mohamed Makiya, the Jordanian Rasem Badran, and the Bangladeshi Mazharul Islam. A unique message was transmitted by the visionary Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, who, in eloquent and prophetic terms, urged that the traditional forms and techniques of vernacular architecture be studied and adapted to contemporary needs. Directly or indirectly,…
- Badrinath (village and shrine, India)
Badrinath, village (uninhabited in winter) and shrine in northeastern Uttarakhand state, northern India. It is situated in the Kumaun Himalayas along a headstream of the Ganges (Ganga) River, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). It is located along the twin mountain ranges of Nar
- Badrinath Peak (mountain, India)
Badrinath: Badrinath Peak (23,420 feet [7,138 metres]) is 17 miles (27 km) west.
- badrīyūn (Islamic historical figures)
Companions of the Prophet: … (the Medinese believers), and the badriyyūn (those who fought at the Battle of Badr) are all considered Companions of the Prophet. There are differing accounts of who belonged to the various groups.
- Bādshāhī Mosque (mosque, Lahore, Pakistan)
Lahore: Other historic landmarks include the Bādshāhī (Imperial) Mosque, built by Aurangzeb and still one of the largest mosques in the world; the 14-foot- (4.3-metre-) long Zamzama, or Zam-Zammah, a cannon that is immortalized (along with other details of the city) in Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim (1901); Ranjit Singh’s buildings and…
- Badu (people)
Bedouin, Arabic-speaking nomadic peoples of the Middle Eastern deserts, especially of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Most Bedouins are animal herders who migrate into the desert during the rainy winter season and move back toward the cultivated land in
- Badu, Erykah (American singer and songwriter)
Erykah Badu is an American rhythm-and-blues singer whose neo-soul vocals elicited comparisons to jazz legend Billie Holiday. Badu is the eldest of three children. Although she was never formally trained in music, she majored in dance and theatre at Grambling State University in Louisiana after
- Baduila (Ostrogoth king)
Totila was an Ostrogoth king who recovered most of central and southern Italy, which had been conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire in 540. A relative of Theudis, king of the Visigoths, Totila was chosen king by Gothic chiefs in the autumn of 541 after King Witigis had been carried off prisoner to
- Baduizm (album by Badu)
Erykah Badu: …next month, her debut album, Baduizm, for which she wrote all but one of the songs, was released. It rose to number two on the Billboard album chart, thanks to the crossover appeal of Badu’s bluesy vocals backed by down-tempo hip-hop beats. Baduizm won the Grammy Award for best R&B…
- baduk (board game)
go, board game for two players. Of East Asian origin, it is popular in China, Korea, and especially Japan, the country with which it is most closely identified. Go, probably the world’s oldest board game, is thought to have originated in China some 4,000 years ago. According to some sources, this
- Badulla (Sri Lanka)
Badulla, town, southeastern Sri Lanka, southeast of Kandy, on the Badulu Oya (river). It is surrounded by mountains and is the site of two large and wealthy temples. Badulla is also a marketplace for the agricultural products of the villages, terraced rice paddies, and tea estates in the area.
- Badw (people)
Bedouin, Arabic-speaking nomadic peoples of the Middle Eastern deserts, especially of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Most Bedouins are animal herders who migrate into the desert during the rainy winter season and move back toward the cultivated land in
- Badwater Basin (basin, California, United States)
Death Valley: A point in Badwater Basin, lying 282 feet (86 metres) below sea level, is the lowest area in North America. Less than 20 miles (30 km) west is the 11,049-foot (3,368-metre) Telescope Peak, the area’s highest point. Death Valley was an obstacle to movements of pioneer settlers (whence…
- Badzhalsky Mountains (mountains, Russia)
Russia: The mountains of the south and east: …most prominent mountains are the Badzhalsky Mountains, which rise to 8,661 feet (2,640 metres), to the west of the lower Amur, and the Sikhote-Alin, which reach 6,814 feet (2,077 metres), between the Amur-Ussuri lowlands and the Pacific.
- Badzhalsky Range (mountains, Russia)
Russia: The mountains of the south and east: …most prominent mountains are the Badzhalsky Mountains, which rise to 8,661 feet (2,640 metres), to the west of the lower Amur, and the Sikhote-Alin, which reach 6,814 feet (2,077 metres), between the Amur-Ussuri lowlands and the Pacific.
- Bae Colwyn (Wales, United Kingdom)
Colwyn Bay, seaside resort town and urban area (from 2011 built-up area), Conwy county borough, historic county of Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych), northern Wales. It lies on the North Wales coast of the Irish Sea. The town, which dates from the 19th century, grew rapidly after World War I to become
- BAE Systems (British company)
BAE Systems, major British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, and other aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of British Aerospace PLC (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems, formerly part of General Electric Company PLC. BAe, in turn, dates to the merger
- Bae Yong-Jun (Korean actor and business executive)
Bae Yong-Jun is a South Korean actor and business executive who achieved fame as the romantic lead in a number of globally syndicated televised drama series. He was also known for his various business ventures, notably the entertainment firm KeyEast. Bae found his calling as an actor as a teenager
- Baebro (Spain)
Cabra, city, Córdoba provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southern Spain. It is picturesquely situated between the Sierras de las Carbas and de Montilla, southeast of Córdoba city. Cabra has a ruined Moorish castle, and its parish church (the former
- Baeck, Leo (German theologian)
Leo Baeck was a Reform rabbi and theologian, the spiritual leader of German Jewry during the Nazi period, and the leading liberal Jewish religious thinker of his time. His magnum opus, The Essence of Judaism, appeared in 1905. His final work, This People Israel: The Meaning of Jewish Existence
- Baeda the Venerable, Saint (Anglo-Saxon historian)
St. Bede the Venerable ; canonized 1899; feast day May 25) was an Anglo-Saxon theologian, historian, and chronologist. St. Bede is best known for his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (“Ecclesiastical History of the English People”), a source vital to the history of the conversion to
- Baedeker, Karl (German publisher)
Karl Baedeker was the founder of a German publishing house known for its guidebooks. Baedeker was the son of a printer and bookseller. In 1827 he started a firm at Koblenz and two years later brought out a guidebook to the town. It was in the second edition of a guide to the Rhine from Mainz to
- Baegun (mountain, South Korea)
Sobaek Mountains: … (5,276 feet [1,608 meters]), and Baegun (4,190 feet [1,277 meters]), are watersheds for southern South Korea. Jirisan (6,283 feet [1,915 meters]), on its southwestern branch, is a national park.
- Baekeland, Leo (American chemist)
Leo Baekeland was a U.S. industrial chemist who helped found the modern plastics industry through his invention of Bakelite, the first thermosetting plastic (a plastic that does not soften when heated). Baekeland received his doctorate maxima cum laude from the University of Ghent at the age of 21
- Baekeland, Leo Hendrik (American chemist)
Leo Baekeland was a U.S. industrial chemist who helped found the modern plastics industry through his invention of Bakelite, the first thermosetting plastic (a plastic that does not soften when heated). Baekeland received his doctorate maxima cum laude from the University of Ghent at the age of 21
- Baekje (ancient kingdom, Korea)
Baekje, one of three kingdoms into which ancient Korea was divided before 660. Occupying the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula, Baekje is traditionally said to have been founded in 18 bce in the Gwangju area by a legendary leader named Onjo. By the 3rd century ce, during the reign of King
- bael fruit (fruit and tree)
bel fruit, (Aegle marmelos), tree of the family Rutaceae, cultivated for its fruit. The plant is native to India and Bangladesh and has naturalized throughout much of Southeast Asia. The unripe fruit, sliced and sun-dried, is traditionally used as a remedy for dysentery and other digestive
- Baena, Juan Alfonso de (Spanish poet)
Spanish literature: The 15th century: …the king by the poet Juan Alfonso de Baena, anthologized 583 poems (mostly courtly lyrics) by 55 poets from the highest nobles to the humblest versifiers. The collection showed not merely the decadence of Galician-Portuguese troubadours but also the stirrings of more-intellectual poetry incorporating symbol, allegory, and Classical allusions in…
- BAEO (American organization)
Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), organization launched in 2000 to advocate for initiatives including private school vouchers, charter schools, tuition tax credits, and public school choice and to build support for those initiatives among African Americans. The groundwork for the Black
- Baeolophus bicolor (bird)
titmouse: …10 North American species, the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor, formerly Parus bicolor) is the best known, ranging widely over the eastern United States, where its cheery whistled “peter-peter-peter” rings through deciduous woodlands, orchards, and suburbs. Often attracted to bird feeders, this handsome crested little bird relishes sunflowers, although insects make…
- Baeomycetales (order of fungi)
fungus: Annotated classification: Order Baeomycetales Forms lichens; stalked or sessile ascomata; includes cap lichen; included in subclass Ostropomycetidae; example genus includes Baeomyces. Order Ostropales Forms lichens; apothecia may be capitate-stipitate or sessile turbinate; includes dimple lichen, gomphillus lichen, and common script lichen; included in subclass
- Baer, Clara (American athlete)
basketball: U.S. women’s basketball: Clara Baer, who introduced basketball at the H. Sophie Newcomb College for Women in New Orleans, influenced the women’s style of play with her set of women’s rules, published in 1895. On receiving a diagram of the court from Naismith, Baer mistook dotted lines, indicating…
- Baer, Karl Ernst von (Prussian-Estonian embryologist)
Karl Ernst von Baer was a Prussian-Estonian embryologist who discovered the mammalian ovum and the notochord and established the new science of comparative embryology alongside comparative anatomy. He was also a pioneer in geography, ethnology, and physical anthropology. Baer, one of 10 children,
- Baer, Karl Ernst, Ritter von, Edler von Huthorn (Prussian-Estonian embryologist)
Karl Ernst von Baer was a Prussian-Estonian embryologist who discovered the mammalian ovum and the notochord and established the new science of comparative embryology alongside comparative anatomy. He was also a pioneer in geography, ethnology, and physical anthropology. Baer, one of 10 children,
- Baer, Max (American boxer)
Max Baer was an American boxer who won the world heavyweight championship by knocking out Primo Carnera in 11 rounds in New York City on June 14, 1934. He lost the title to James J. Braddock on a 15-round decision at Long Island City, New York, on June 13, 1935. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica
- Baer, Max, Jr. (American actor)
The Beverly Hillbillies: …Hollywood; and Jethro Bodine (Max Baer, Jr.), Jed’s wayward, self-centred cousin who believes his sixth-grade education entitles him to a fascinating career (as, for example, a spy, a Hollywood producer, or a brain surgeon) and whose never-ending job search provided the backdrop for many of the show’s stories. Also…
- Baer, Maximilian Adelbert (American boxer)
Max Baer was an American boxer who won the world heavyweight championship by knocking out Primo Carnera in 11 rounds in New York City on June 14, 1934. He lost the title to James J. Braddock on a 15-round decision at Long Island City, New York, on June 13, 1935. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica
- Baer, Ralph (American engineer and inventor)
electronic game: Early home video consoles: Ralph Baer, a television engineer and manager at the military electronics firm of Sanders Associates (later integrated into BAE Systems), began in the late 1960s to develop technology and design games that could be played on television sets. In 1966 Baer designed circuitry to display…
- Baer, Ralph Henry (American engineer and inventor)
electronic game: Early home video consoles: Ralph Baer, a television engineer and manager at the military electronics firm of Sanders Associates (later integrated into BAE Systems), began in the late 1960s to develop technology and design games that could be played on television sets. In 1966 Baer designed circuitry to display…
- Baerbock, Annalena (German politician)
Green Party of Germany: …missteps by Green Party co-leader Annalena Baerbock. Nevertheless, the Greens performed very strongly, capturing 14.8 percent of the vote and 118 seats in the Bundestag. With the two major parties each winning about a quarter of the vote, the third-place Greens were seen as potential kingmakers ahead of postelection coalition…
- Bærum (Norway)
Bærum, municipality, southeastern Norway. It is situated at the head of Oslo Fjord and adjoins the national capital of Oslo on the west. It has a broad frontage on Oslo Fjord and extends inland for several miles. Important settlements within Bærum are Lysaker, a small coastal port with paper- and
- Baerze, Jacques de (sculptor)
Western sculpture: Late Gothic: …contemporary carved Dijon altarpieces of Jacques de Baerze. The combination remained more or less constant for the rest of the Gothic period.
- Baetic Cordillera (mountains, Spain)
Baetic Cordillera, mountain system comprising the Andalusian mountains of southeastern Spain. The northern range (called pre-Baetic in Andalusia and sub-Baetic in Valencia) runs about 360 miles (580 km) from Cape Trafalgar in Andalusia to Cape Nao in Valencia, and it continues in a submerged form
- Baetic Mountains (mountains, Spain)
Baetic Cordillera, mountain system comprising the Andalusian mountains of southeastern Spain. The northern range (called pre-Baetic in Andalusia and sub-Baetic in Valencia) runs about 360 miles (580 km) from Cape Trafalgar in Andalusia to Cape Nao in Valencia, and it continues in a submerged form
- Baetica (ancient province, Spain)
bullfighting: Origins and early forms: …tales of games held in Baetica (the Spanish region of Andalusia) in which men exhibited dexterity and valour before dealing the death blow with ax or lance to a wild horned beast. The Iberians were reported to have used skins or cloaks (precursors to the cape) to avoid the repeated…
- Baetulo (Spain)
Badalona, city, Barcelona provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It is a northeastern industrial suburb of Barcelona, lying on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the Besós River. The city’s outstanding landmark is the
- baetulus (Greek religion)
baetylus, in Greek religion, a sacred stone or pillar. The word baetylus is of Semitic origin (-bethel). Numerous holy, or fetish, stones existed in antiquity, generally attached to the cult of some particular god and looked upon as his abiding place or symbol. The most famous example is the holy
- baetyl (Greek religion)
baetylus, in Greek religion, a sacred stone or pillar. The word baetylus is of Semitic origin (-bethel). Numerous holy, or fetish, stones existed in antiquity, generally attached to the cult of some particular god and looked upon as his abiding place or symbol. The most famous example is the holy
- baetylus (Greek religion)
baetylus, in Greek religion, a sacred stone or pillar. The word baetylus is of Semitic origin (-bethel). Numerous holy, or fetish, stones existed in antiquity, generally attached to the cult of some particular god and looked upon as his abiding place or symbol. The most famous example is the holy
- Baeyer, Adolf von (German chemist)
Adolf von Baeyer was a German research chemist who synthesized indigo (1880) and formulated its structure (1883). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1905. Baeyer studied with Robert Bunsen, but August Kekule exercised a greater influence on his development. He took his doctorate at the
- Baeyer, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von (German chemist)
Adolf von Baeyer was a German research chemist who synthesized indigo (1880) and formulated its structure (1883). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1905. Baeyer studied with Robert Bunsen, but August Kekule exercised a greater influence on his development. He took his doctorate at the
- Báez, Buenaventura (president of Dominican Republic)
Buenaventura Báez was a politician who served five terms as president of the Dominican Republic and is noted principally for his attempts to have the United States annex his country. Báez was a member of a wealthy and prominent family in the Dominican Republic. He was educated in Europe and began
- Baez, Joan (American singer and political activist)
Joan Baez is an American folksinger and political activist who interested young audiences in folk music during the 1960s. Despite the inevitable fading of the folk music revival, Baez continued to be a popular performer into the 21st century. By touring with younger performers throughout the world
- Baez, Joan Chandos (American singer and political activist)
Joan Baez is an American folksinger and political activist who interested young audiences in folk music during the 1960s. Despite the inevitable fading of the folk music revival, Baez continued to be a popular performer into the 21st century. By touring with younger performers throughout the world
- Baez, Margarita Mimi (American folk singer and social activist)
Mimi Fariña was an American folk singer and social activist who, with her first husband, Richard Fariña, helped revitalize folk music in the 1960s. She was the younger sister of folk singer Joan Baez. Mimi and Richard Fariña were married in 1963, and the two began performing together. The duo
- Bafana Bafana (South African football team)
South Africa: Sports and recreation: …national football team, affectionately nicknamed Bafana Bafana (Zulu for "The Boys"), returned to international competition, it won the 1996 African Cup of Nations at home, was runner-up to Egypt at the same competition in 1998, and qualified for its first World Cup finals in 1998. South Africa hosted the 2010…
- Bafatá (Guinea-Bissau)
Bafatá, town located in east-central Guinea-Bissau. It lies along the Gêba River, which is navigable to that point. Bafatá is an important trading centre for the interior regions of Guinea-Bissau. There also is intensive agriculture around the town. The town produces peanuts (groundnuts) for export
- Bafatá (region, Guinea-Bissau)
Bafatá, region located in north-central Guinea-Bissau. Bafatá is crosscut by the Gêba River, which flows east-west through the northern half of the region and is navigable to Bafatá town, the regional capital. The Corubal River flows east-west to form Bafatá’s southern border with the Quinará and
- Bafatá Plateau (plateau, Guinea-Bissau)
Bafatá: The Bafatá Plateau, rising to about 500 feet (150 metres) above sea level, is located in central Bafatá between the Gêba and Corubal rivers.
- Baffert, Bob (American horse trainer)
Bob Baffert is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who is one of the most successful trainers in American horse-racing history. He notably trained American Pharoah and Justify, both of which won the Triple Crown (victories in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes),
- Baffert, Robert A. (American horse trainer)
Bob Baffert is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who is one of the most successful trainers in American horse-racing history. He notably trained American Pharoah and Justify, both of which won the Triple Crown (victories in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes),
- Baffin (region, Nunavut, Canada)
Baffin, northernmost and easternmost region of Nunavut territory, Canada. In 1967 it was created as Baffin region, Northwest Territories, from most of what was formerly Franklin district, and it took on its present borders with the creation of Nunavut in April 1999. The largest of Nunavut’s three
- Baffin Bay (bay, Atlantic Ocean)
Baffin Bay, arm of the North Atlantic Ocean with an area of 266,000 square miles (689,000 square km), extending southward from the Arctic for 900 miles (1,450 km) between the Greenland coast (east) and Baffin Island (west). The bay has a width varying between 70 and 400 miles (110 and 650 km).
- Baffin Current
Baffin Island Current, surface oceanic current, a southward-moving water outflow along the west side of Baffin Bay, Canada. The Baffin Island Current, flowing at a rate of about 11 miles (17 km) per day, is a combination of West Greenland Current inflow and the outflow of cold Arctic Ocean water
- Baffin Island (island, Nunavut, Canada)
Baffin Island, island lying between Greenland and the Canadian mainland. With an area of 195,928 square miles (507,451 square km), it is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest in the world. Baffin Island is separated from Greenland on the north and east by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait
- Baffin Island Current
Baffin Island Current, surface oceanic current, a southward-moving water outflow along the west side of Baffin Bay, Canada. The Baffin Island Current, flowing at a rate of about 11 miles (17 km) per day, is a combination of West Greenland Current inflow and the outflow of cold Arctic Ocean water
- Baffin, William (English navigator)
William Baffin was a navigator who searched for the Northwest Passage and gave his name to Baffin Island, now part of Nunavut, Canada, and to the bay separating it from Greenland. His determination of longitude at sea by observing the occultation of a star by the Moon in 1615 is said to have been
- Baffinland Eskimo (people)
Arctic: Ethnic groups: The Baffin Island, orBaffinland, Inuit (Nunatsiarmiut) were often included in the Central Eskimo, a grouping that otherwise included the Caribou Inuit (Kivallirmiut) of the barrens west of Hudson Bay and the Iglulik (Iglulingmuit), Netsilik (Netsilingmiut), Copper (Inuinnait), and Mackenzie Inuit (Inuvialuit), all of whom live on or near…
- baffle (engine part)
gasoline engine: Exhaust system: …early design contained sets of baffles that reversed the flow of the gases or otherwise caused them to follow devious paths so that interference between the pressure waves reduced the pulsations. The mufflers most commonly used in modern motor vehicles employ resonating chambers connected to the passages through which the…
- baffle (acoustics)
electromechanical transducer: Electromagnetic speakers: …a box, horn, or other enclosure in order to separate the waves from the front and the rear of the loudspeaker and thereby prevent them from canceling each other. The most common type of enclosure is the acoustic suspension system, in which the loudspeaker is mounted in an airtight box.…
- Bafing River (river, Africa)
Bafing River, river in western Africa, rising in the Fouta Djallon massif of Guinea and flowing generally northeast for about 200 miles (320 km). After passing the town of Bafing Makana in Mali, its only important riparian settlement, it curves around to flow approximately north-northwest, to form
- Bafoussam (Cameroon)
Bafoussam, town located in western Cameroon, north-northeast of Douala. A trading centre of the Bamileke peoples, it lies in a densely populated region where coffee, kola nuts, tobacco, tea, and cinchona (from which quinine is made) are grown and pigs and poultry are raised. The town has a trade
- BAFTA (film and television award)
BAFTA, colloquial name for the prestigious award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (also called BAFTA), an independent, membership-driven charitable arts organization based in London. BAFTA Awards honor the best in British and international film, television, and
- BAFTA Award (film and television award)
BAFTA, colloquial name for the prestigious award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (also called BAFTA), an independent, membership-driven charitable arts organization based in London. BAFTA Awards honor the best in British and international film, television, and
- Bag Man (podcast by Maddow)
Rachel Maddow: …was based on her popular podcast about Vice Pres. Spiro Agnew, who was forced to resign in 1973 as he faced various federal indictments.
- Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House (work by Maddow)
Rachel Maddow: Maddow’s next book, Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House (2020; written with Michael Yarvitz), was based on her popular podcast about Vice Pres. Spiro Agnew, who was forced to resign in 1973 as he faced various…
- bag net (fishing)
commercial fishing: Bag nets: Bag nets are kept vertically open by a frame and held horizontally stretched by the water current. There are small scoop nets that can be pushed and dragged and big stownets, with and without wings, held on stakes or on anchors with or…
- Baga (people)
Baga, people who inhabit the swampy coastal region between Cape Verga and the city of Conakry in Guinea. They speak a language of the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo family. The women cultivate rice; the men fish and tend palm and kola trees. Some Baga are employed as wage labourers in the
- Bagabandi, Natsagiyn (president of Mongolia)
Mongolia: Growing pains: …February 1997 the MPRP elected Natsagiin Bagabandi to the post of party chairman (i.e., leader of the party) over the head of Nambaryn Enkhbayar, who had been named to the then top post of secretary-general the previous July. In May, however, Bagabandi won the presidential election by defeating the incumbent…
- Bagaceira, A (novel by Almeida)
José Américo de Almeida: A Bagaceira (1928; Trash), his best-known work, deals with a group of sertanejos (independent smallholders) forced by drought to leave their own ranches for a life of near-slavery on tropical sugar plantations. Other works in the same vein are O Boqueirão (1935; “The Canyon”) and Coiteiros (1935; “Bandit-hiders”).
- Bagamoyo (Tanzania)
Bagamoyo, town, historic seaport of eastern Tanzania. It lies on the Zanzibar Channel, 45 miles (75 km) northwest of Dar es Salaam. The town was formerly a slave-trading depot at the terminus of Arab caravan routes from Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika. The town also served as the first capital of the
- Baganda (people)
Ganda, people inhabiting the area north and northwest of Lake Victoria in south-central Uganda. They speak a Bantu language—called Ganda, or Luganda—of the Benue-Congo group. The Ganda are the most numerous people in Uganda and their territory the most productive and fertile. Once the core of the
- Bagaria (Italy)
Bagheria, town, northwestern Sicily, Italy, 8 miles (13 km) east-southeast of the city of Palermo. A resort of wealthy Palermitans, Bagheria is noted for several historic villas. The best-known are Villa Palagonia (1715), containing more than 60 Baroque grotesque statues of beggars, dwarfs,
- Bagarre, La (work by Martinů)
Bohuslav Martinů: …orchestral works Half-Time (1924) and La Bagarre (1927) were inspired by contemporary events, respectively a Czech-French football (soccer) game and the crowds that met Charles Lindbergh’s plane as it ended its transatlantic flight. Of his later works, the Concerto grosso for chamber orchestra (1941) uses the alternation between soloists and…
- bagasse (plant fiber)
bagasse, fibre remaining after the extraction of the sugar-bearing juice from sugarcane. The word bagasse, from the French bagage via the Spanish bagazo, originally meant “rubbish,” “refuse,” or “trash.” Applied first to the debris from the pressing of olives, palm nuts, and grapes, the word was
- bagatelle (game)
bagatelle, game, probably of English origin, that is similar to billiards and was probably a modification of it. Bagatelle is played with billiard cues and nine balls on an oblong board or table varying in size from 6 by 1.5 ft (1.8 by 0.5 m) to 10 by 3 ft (3 by 0.9 m), with nine numbered cups at
- Bagatelle Without Tonality (work by Liszt)
Franz Liszt: Last years: …and one late work called Bagatelle Without Tonality anticipates Béla Bartók and even Arnold Schoenberg.
- Bagatelles pour un massacre (work by Céline)
French literature: Céline and Drieu: …Céline himself published anti-Semitic pamphlets, Bagatelles pour un massacre (1937; “Trifles for a Massacre”) and L’École des cadavres (1938; “School for Corpses”). During World War II he was an active collaborator with the Nazis.
- Bagaudae (history of Gaul)
ancient Rome: Diocletian of ancient Rome: …Maximian first hunted down the Bagaudae (gangs of fugitive peasant brigands) in Gaul, then fought the Moorish tribes in Africa, in 296–298, triumphing at Carthage; and on the Danube, Diocletian, and later Galerius, conquered the Bastarnae, the Iazyges, and the Carpi, deporting them in large numbers to the provinces. In…
- Bagayoko, Amadou (Malian musician)
Amadou and Mariam: Amadou Bagayoko (b. October 24, 1954, Bamako, French West Africa [now Mali]) and Mariam Doumbia (b. April 15, 1958, Bamako) met at the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind. Bagayoko, who had been blinded by cataracts as a teenager, enrolled at the school in 1975.…
- Bagbartu (Anatolian goddess)
Haldi: …Haldi and to the goddess Bagbartu, or Bagmashtu, was captured and plundered by Sargon II of Assyria in 714 bc; it is shown on a relief from his palace as a gabled building with a colonnade—one of the oldest known buildings to make use of that architectural form.
- Bagdad (national capital, Iraq)
Baghdad, city, capital of Iraq and capital of Baghdad governorate, central Iraq. Its location, on the Tigris River about 330 miles (530 km) from the headwaters of the Persian Gulf, is in the heart of ancient Mesopotamia. Baghdad is Iraq’s largest city and one of the most populous urban
- Bagé (Brazil)
Bagé, city, south-central Rio Grande do Sul estado (state), Brazil, lying at 732 feet (223 metres) above sea level amid gently rolling hills covered with tall prairie grass. It was founded in 1811 and given city status in 1859. Located southwest of Porto Alegre, the state capital, and 25 miles (40
- Bage, Robert (British author)
novel: Proletarian: Godwin’s Caleb Williams (1794) and Robert Bage’s Hermsprong (1796), although, like Hard Times, sympathetic to the lot of the oppressed worker, are more concerned with the imposition of reform from above than with revolution from within, and the proletarian novel is essentially an intended device of revolution. The Russian Maxim…
- Bagehot, Walter (British economist and journalist)
Walter Bagehot was an economist, political analyst, and editor of The Economist who was one of the most influential journalists of the mid-Victorian period. His father’s family had been general merchants for several generations, while his maternal uncle Vincent Stuckey was the head of the largest
- bagel (food)
bagel, doughnut-shaped yeast-leavened roll that is characterized by a crisp, shiny crust and a dense interior. Long regarded as a Jewish specialty item, the bagel is commonly eaten as a breakfast food or snack, often with toppings such as cream cheese and lox (smoked salmon). Bagels are made from