- Balanus nubilus (crustacean)
cirripede: Importance to humans: …consume the large sessile barnacle Balanus nubilus, and the inhabitants of Chile eat yet another large balanid species. In Japan barnacles are used as fertilizer.
- Balanus psittacus (crustacean)
crustacean: Importance to humans: …the large acorn shell (Balanus psittacus), a barnacle (order Cirripedia) measuring up to 27 centimetres (11 inches) in length, is regarded as a delicacy in South America, and a stalked barnacle (Mitella pollicipes) is eaten in parts of France and Spain. In Japan, barnacles are allowed to settle and…
- Balao (oil port, Ecuador)
Balao, oil port, northwestern Ecuador, on the Pacific Ocean coast adjacent to Esmeraldas city. Its development is entirely due to its choice as the terminus for the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline, built in 1970–72 to exploit the rich petroleum deposits of Ecuador’s Napo province, in the Oriente region,
- Balao (United States submarine class)
submarine: World War II: …mainly with the Gato- and Balao-class submarines. These were approximately 311.5 feet long, displaced 1,525 tons, and had diesel-electric machinery for 20-knot surface and nine-knot underwater speeds. The principal difference between the two designs was the 300-foot operating depth for the Gato class and 400-foot depth for the Balao boats.…
- Balarama (Hindu mythology)
Balarama, in Hindu mythology, the elder half brother of Krishna, with whom he shared many adventures. Sometimes Balarama is considered one of the 10 avatars (incarnations) of the god Vishnu, particularly among those members of Vaishnava sects who elevate Krishna to the rank of a principal god.
- Balard, Antoine-Jérôme (French chemist)
Antoine-Jérôme Balard was a French chemist who in 1826 discovered the element bromine, determined its properties, and studied some of its compounds. Later he proved the presence of bromine in sea plants and animals. In studying salt marsh flora from Mediterranean waters, Balard, after crystallizing
- balas ruby (mineral)
balas ruby, variety of the gemstone ruby spinel
- Balas, Iolanda (Romanian athlete)
Iolanda Balas was a Romanian athlete, the dominant performer in the women’s high jump during the late 1950s and ’60s. She won two Olympic gold medals in the event, set 14 world records, and was the first woman to high-jump 6 feet (1.83 metres). Balas was of Hungarian descent on her father’s side.
- Balāsaghūn (ancient city, Central Asia)
history of Central Asia: The Khitans: …valley, where the city of Balāsaghūn was located. Founded by the Sogdians, Balāsaghūn was by then occupied by the Muslim Karakhanids (Qarakhanids), a Turkish people closely related to the Uyghurs and whose ruling house was probably descended from the Karluks. The Karakhanids, who became Muslims during the mid-10th century, ruled…
- Balasaraswati, T. (Indian dancer and singer)
T. Balasaraswati was an Indian dancer and singer in the Carnatic (South Indian) tradition, who was one of the 20th century’s foremost exponents of the bharata natyam style of classical dance. She was instrumental not only in expanding the performance of this dance form beyond the precincts of the
- Balasaraswati, Thanjavur (Indian dancer and singer)
T. Balasaraswati was an Indian dancer and singer in the Carnatic (South Indian) tradition, who was one of the 20th century’s foremost exponents of the bharata natyam style of classical dance. She was instrumental not only in expanding the performance of this dance form beyond the precincts of the
- Balāsh (Sāsānian king)
Balāsh was a Sāsānian king (reigned 484–488), succeeding his brother Fīrūz I. Soon after he ascended the throne, Balāsh was threatened by the dominance of invading Hephthalites, a nomadic eastern tribe. Supported by Zarmihr, a feudal chief, Balāsh suppressed an uprising by his rebel brother Zareh.
- Balashikha (Russia)
Balashikha, city, east-central Moscow oblast (region), western European Russia. It is situated 15 miles (25 km) east of Moscow on the banks of the Pekhorka River. Balashikha developed in the 19th century, first as the site of a cloth factory and later as a centre for papermaking. In Soviet times it
- Balašicha (Russia)
Balashikha, city, east-central Moscow oblast (region), western European Russia. It is situated 15 miles (25 km) east of Moscow on the banks of the Pekhorka River. Balashikha developed in the 19th century, first as the site of a cloth factory and later as a centre for papermaking. In Soviet times it
- Balasore (India)
Baleshwar, city, northeastern Odisha (Orissa) state, eastern India. It lies in the Utkal Plains on the Burhabalang River, 7 miles (11 km) west of the Bay of Bengal. Baleshwar was the site of a British settlement in 1633. Dutch, Danish, and French merchants followed later in the 17th century. The
- Balassa, Bálint (Hungarian poet)
Bálint Balassi was the outstanding Hungarian lyric poet of his time, remaining unrivaled in his native literature until the end of the 18th century. Balassi was born into one of the richest Protestant families of the country and lived an adventurous life, fighting against the Turks and against his
- Balassi, Bálint (Hungarian poet)
Bálint Balassi was the outstanding Hungarian lyric poet of his time, remaining unrivaled in his native literature until the end of the 18th century. Balassi was born into one of the richest Protestant families of the country and lived an adventurous life, fighting against the Turks and against his
- Balassoni, Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio (American musician)
Louie Bellson was an American musician who was one of the most heralded jazz drummers, known for his taste and restraint in displaying his considerable technical skills. Bellson was something of a child prodigy who, while in high school, invented the double-bass drum kit that became his trademark
- Balat (ancient city, Turkey)
Miletus, ancient Greek city of western Anatolia, some 20 miles (30 km) south of the present city of Söke, Turkey. It lies near the mouth of the Büyükmenderes (Menderes) River. Before 500 bce, Miletus was the greatest Greek city in the east. It was the natural outlet for products from the interior
- balata (gum)
balata, hard rubberlike material made by drying the milky juice produced principally by the bully tree (species Manilkara bidentata) of Guyana and the West Indies. The tree is tapped by cutting zigzag gashes in the bark and collecting the latex in cups, to be coagulated in trays. Like gutta-percha,
- Balāṭah, Tall al- (archaeological site, West Bank)
Nablus: …the Canaanite city lie at Tall al-Balāṭah, to the east of the present city of Nablus; these show evidence of settlement from the Middle Bronze II period (c. 1900–c. 1750 bce).
- Balaton, Lake (lake, Hungary)
Lake Balaton, largest lake of central Europe, located in central Hungary about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Budapest. It has an area of 231 square miles (598 square km) and extends for 48 miles (77 km) along the southern foothills of the Bakony Mountains of Hungary. At it widest point, Lake
- Balatonfelvideki National Park (national park, Hungary)
Veszprém: Balatonfelvideki National Park is located on the Tihany Peninsula. Area 1,781 square miles (4,613 square km). Pop. (2011) 353,068; (2017 est.) 342,501.
- Balatonfüred (Hungary)
Lake Balaton: …on the southern shore, and Balatonfüred, on the northern shore. The town of Balatonfüred was also traditionally known for its medicinal springs. The oldest and best-known settlement is Tihany, noted for its museum and biological station.
- Balawat (archaeological site, Iraq)
history of Mesopotamia: Shalmaneser III and Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria: …doors from the town of Imgur-Enlil (Balawat) in Assyria portray the course of his campaigns and other undertakings in rows of pictures, often very lifelike. Hundreds of delicately carved ivories were carried away from Phoenicia, and many of the artists along with them; these later made Kalakh a centre for…
- Balawī, Zuhayr ibn Qays al- (Arab general)
North Africa: From the Arab conquest to 1830: The first, commanded by Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawī, reoccupied Kairouan, then pursued Kusaylah westward to Mams, where he was defeated and killed. The dates of these operations are uncertain, but they must have occurred before 688 when Zuhayr ibn Qays himself was killed in an attack on Byzantine positions…
- Balázs, Béla (Hungarian writer)
Béla Balázs was a Hungarian writer, Symbolist poet, and influential film theoretician. Balázs’s theoretical work Halálesztétika (“The Aesthetics of Death”) was published in 1906; his first drama, Doktor Szélpál Margit, was performed by the Hungarian National Theatre in 1909. His poems in the
- Balbala (Djibouti)
Djibouti: Urban development and challenges: …expansive squatter community known as Balbala, which originally developed just beyond the barbed-wire boundary erected by the French colonial administration to prevent migration to the capital, tripled in size within a decade after independence. In 1987 it was officially incorporated into the city, with the promise of development of basic…
- Balban, Ghiyāth-al-Dīn (sultan of Delhi)
India: Consolidation of the sultanate: …had changed by 1246, when Ghiyāth al-Dīn Balban, a junior member of the Forty, had gained enough power to attain a controlling position within the administration of the newest sultan, Nāṣir al-Dīn Maḥmūd (reigned 1246–66). Balban, acting first as nāʾib (“deputy”) to the sultan and later as sultan (reigned 1266–87),…
- Balbás, Isidoro Vincente (sculptor and architect)
Jerónimo de Balbás: His adopted son, Isidoro Vincente Balbás (c. 1720–83), also a sculptor and architect, continued his father’s work in the same style.
- Balbás, Jerónimo de (Spanish architect and sculptor)
Jerónimo de Balbás was a Spanish architect and sculptor who helped create Mexican Baroque architecture with his introduction to Mexico of the style usually called Churrigueresque (sometimes Ultrabaroque). This style is characterized by an element known as the estípite column (a square or
- Balbinus (Roman emperor)
Balbinus was a Roman emperor for three months in 238. A patrician, Balbinus was a Salian priest, twice a consul, and proconsul in Asia. In 238, when the Senate led a rebellion of the Italian cities against Maximinus (emperor 235–238), it placed the government in the hands of a board of 20, one of
- Balbinus, Decimus Caelius Calvinus (Roman emperor)
Balbinus was a Roman emperor for three months in 238. A patrician, Balbinus was a Salian priest, twice a consul, and proconsul in Asia. In 238, when the Senate led a rebellion of the Italian cities against Maximinus (emperor 235–238), it placed the government in the hands of a board of 20, one of
- Balbo, Cesare, Count (prime minister of Sardinia-Piedmont)
Cesare, Count Balbo was a Piedmontese political writer, a liberal but cautious constitutionalist who was influential during the Italian Risorgimento and served as the first prime minister of Sardinia-Piedmont under the constitution of March 5, 1848. Balbo grew up while Piedmont was annexed to
- Balbo, Italo (Italian aviator)
Italo Balbo was an Italian airman and fascist leader who played a decisive role in developing Benito Mussolini’s air force. After studying at Florence University and the Institute of Social Science in Rome, Balbo served as an officer in the Alpine Corps during World War I. An early Fascist, he led
- Balboa (Panama)
Balboa, Pacific Ocean terminal port in central Panama, at the southern end of the Panama Canal. It lies between the canal docks and Ancón Hill, which separates it from Panama City. Founded in 1914 and named for Vasco Núñez de Balboa, European discoverer of the Pacific, it has extensive harbour
- balboa (currency)
Panama: Finance of Panama: The national currency, the balboa, is issued only in coins. The balboa is at par with the U.S. dollar, and U.S. paper currency is freely circulated. The Stock Exchange of Panama (1960) is the main stock exchange.
- Balboa Heights (Panama)
Balboa Heights, residential area, situated on a hill overlooking Balboa, central Panama. It was the administrative headquarters for the U.S.-owned Panama Canal Company during the period (1903–79) when the Canal Zone was in operation. Murals in the administration building (still in use by the Panama
- Balboa Park (park, San Diego, California, United States)
San Diego: The contemporary city: The 1,200-acre (485-hectare) Balboa Park, near downtown, contains the world-renowned San Diego Zoo; a variety of arts and cultural organizations, such as the Globe Theatres and the Japanese Friendship Garden; and more than a dozen museums, including those devoted to natural history, fine art, photography, aerospace, folk art,…
- Balboa, Vasco Núñez de (Spanish explorer)
Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish conquistador and explorer, who was head of the first stable settlement on the South American continent (1511) and who was the first European to sight the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean (on September 25 [or 27], 1513, from “a peak in Darién”). Balboa came from
- Balbuena, Bernardo de (Puerto Rican bishop and poet)
Bernardo de Balbuena was a poet and the first bishop of Puerto Rico, whose poetic descriptions of the New World earned him an important position among the greatest poets of colonial America. Balbuena, taken to Mexico as a child, studied there and in Spain. Returning to the New World, he held minor
- Balbulus, Notker (monk of Saint Gall)
Latin literature: The 9th to the 11th century: Notker Balbulus, monk of St. Gall, was not the first to compose sequences, but his Liber hymnorum (“Book of Hymns”), begun about 860, is an integrated collection of texts that spans the whole of the church year in an ordered cycle. Performed between the biblical…
- Balbus, Lucius Cornelius (Roman consul)
Lucius Cornelius Balbus was a wealthy naturalized Roman, important in Roman politics in the last years of the republic. In 72 bc Pompey the Great conferred Roman citizenship on Balbus and his family for his services against the rebel Quintus Sertorius in Spain. Balbus became friends with several
- Balcarce, Juan Ramón (president of Argentina)
Argentina: Domestic politics: …to his legal successor, General Juan Ramón Balcarce. However, Balcarce’s assumption of the office fanned sparks of dissidence among those who had pledged to uphold the principles of federalism. Balcarce was overthrown, and his successor took office with a cabinet composed of Rosas’s friends. They adopted policies that were designed…
- Balcerowicz Plan (Polish history)
Poland: Transitioning from communism: …of economic reform, named the Balcerowicz Plan after its author, Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz. It was meant to arrest Poland’s financial and structural crisis and rapidly convert the communist economic model into a free-market system, thereby reintegrating Poland into the global economy. Although it proved a success, the social cost…
- Balch, Emily Greene (American political scientist)
Emily Greene Balch was an American sociologist, political scientist, economist, and pacifist, a leader of the women’s movement for peace during and after World War I. She received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1946 jointly with John Raleigh Mott. She was also noted for her sympathetic and thorough
- Balchin, Nigel (British author)
Nigel Balchin was an English novelist who achieved great popularity with novels of men at work. After studying natural science at the University of Cambridge, Balchin divided his time between research work in science and industry (as an industrial psychologist) and writing. During World War II he
- Balchin, Nigel Marlin (British author)
Nigel Balchin was an English novelist who achieved great popularity with novels of men at work. After studying natural science at the University of Cambridge, Balchin divided his time between research work in science and industry (as an industrial psychologist) and writing. During World War II he
- BALCO (American company)
baseball: Records and statistics: …Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). Bonds testified before a grand jury that he had never knowingly taken steroids, but accusations of steroid use dogged his pursuit of Aaron’s career home run record, and in 2007 he was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice regarding his testimony. Bonds, however,…
- Balcon du Sud (Algeria)
Ksar el-Boukhari: …the village and fort of Boghar (Balcon du Sud), a strategic command post. Pop. (1998) 61,687; (2008) 59,634.
- Balcon, Le (play by Genet)
The Balcony, play by Jean Genet, produced and published in 1956 as Le Balcon. Influenced by the Theatre of Cruelty, The Balcony contains nine scenes, eight of which are set inside the Grand Balcony bordello. The brothel is a repository of illusion in a contemporary European city aflame with
- Balcon, Sir Michael (British film producer)
Sir Michael Balcon was a motion-picture producer and a leader in the British cinema industry. He began his career as a producer in 1922, founded and directed Gainsborough Pictures, Ltd., in 1928, and became the director of production for Gaumont-British Pictures, Ltd., in 1931. From 1936 to 1938 he
- balcony (architecture)
balcony, external extension of an upper floor of a building, enclosed up to a height of about three feet (one metre) by a solid or pierced screen, by balusters (see also balustrade), or by railings. In the medieval and Renaissance periods, balconies were supported by corbels made out of successive
- Balcony Falls (waterfall, United States)
James River: …Mountains, it drops in the Balcony Falls and again in a 3-mile (5-km) series of rapids (a total drop of 84 feet [26 metres]) above Richmond, where the river has been impounded by the Boshers Dam. The Appomattox and Chickahominy rivers are the chief tributaries.
- Balcony, The (play by Genet)
The Balcony, play by Jean Genet, produced and published in 1956 as Le Balcon. Influenced by the Theatre of Cruelty, The Balcony contains nine scenes, eight of which are set inside the Grand Balcony bordello. The brothel is a repository of illusion in a contemporary European city aflame with
- Balcor Co. (American company)
Jerry Reinsdorf: In 1973 he cofounded Balcor Co., one of the country’s first firms to specialize in real-estate partnerships. After it became a huge success, he sold it to American Express for $53 million in 1982; he eventually left the company in 1987.
- Balczó, András (Hungarian athlete)
András Balczó is a Hungarian modern pentathlete who dominated the sport in the 1960s and is considered to be among the greatest of the storied line of Hungarian competitors in the modern pentathlon. Did You Know? The modern pentathlon combines five sports—riding, fencing, swimming, running, and
- bald crow (bird)
rockfowl, either of the two species of western African birds, genus Picathartes, constituting the subfamily Picathartinae, of uncertain family relationships in the order Passeriformes. Both species, with virtually no feathering on the head, have drab, grayish plumage and are thin-necked,
- bald cypress (tree)
bald cypress, (Taxodium distichum), ornamental and timber conifer (family Cupressaceae) native to swampy areas of southern North America. The wood of the bald cypress is valued for its water-resistance and is known as pecky, or peggy, cypress in the lumber trade when it contains small, attactive
- bald eagle (bird)
bald eagle, (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the only eagle solely native to North America, and the national bird of the United States. The bald eagle is actually a sea eagle (Haliaeetus species) that commonly occurs inland along rivers and large lakes. The adult male is about 90 cm (36 inches) long and
- Bald Eagle Protection Act (United States [1940])
bald eagle: government’s Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 made it illegal to kill bald eagles (Alaska was exempt), but the birds’ numbers continued to decline, primarily because of the effects of the pesticide DDT, which came into widespread agricultural use after World War II. This pesticide accumulated…
- Bald Hill (Queensland, Australia)
Yeppoon, coastal town, east-central Queensland, eastern Australia. It lies 26 miles (42 km) northeast of Rockhampton and 435 miles (700 km) north of the state capital, Brisbane. Surveyed in 1872, the town was at first known as Bald Hill. European settlement of the area began in 1865, and the town’s
- Bald Prima Donna, The (play by Ionesco)
The Bald Soprano, drama in 11 scenes by Eugène Ionesco, who called it an “antiplay.” It was first produced in 1950 and was published in 1954 as La Cantatrice chauve; the title is also translated as The Bald Prima Donna. The play, an important example of the Theatre of the Absurd, consists mainly of
- Bald Soprano, The (play by Ionesco)
The Bald Soprano, drama in 11 scenes by Eugène Ionesco, who called it an “antiplay.” It was first produced in 1950 and was published in 1954 as La Cantatrice chauve; the title is also translated as The Bald Prima Donna. The play, an important example of the Theatre of the Absurd, consists mainly of
- bald uakari (monkey)
uakari: The white, or bald, uakari (C. calvus calvus) is a different colour form of the same species. It has whitish fur and lives only in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve along the upper Amazon in Brazil. Because of its vermilion face, local people call it the…
- bald-faced hornet (insect)
Schmidt sting pain index: 0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door. 2.0 Yellow jacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W.C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue. 3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting.
- Baldaccini, César (French sculptor)
César was a French sculptor who was at the forefront of the New Realism movement with his radical compressions (compacted automobiles, discarded metal, or rubbish), expansions (polyurethane foam sculptures), and fantastic representations of animals and insects. The son of Italian immigrants, César
- baldachin (cloth)
baldachin: …term originates from the Spanish baldaquin, an elaborately brocaded material imported from Baghdad that was hung as a canopy over an altar or doorway. Later it came to stand for a freestanding canopy over an altar.
- baldachin (architecture)
baldachin, in architecture, the canopy over an altar or tomb, supported on columns, especially when freestanding and disconnected from any enclosing wall. The term originates from the Spanish baldaquin, an elaborately brocaded material imported from Baghdad that was hung as a canopy over an altar
- baldachino (architecture)
baldachin, in architecture, the canopy over an altar or tomb, supported on columns, especially when freestanding and disconnected from any enclosing wall. The term originates from the Spanish baldaquin, an elaborately brocaded material imported from Baghdad that was hung as a canopy over an altar
- Baldad (biblical figure)
Bildad, in the Old Testament, one of the three principal comforters of Job. Bildad is introduced (Job 2:11) as a Shuhite, probably a member of a nomadic tribe dwelling in southeastern Palestine. Bildad’s arguments with Job reveal him to be a sage who looks to the authority of tradition. His wounded
- Baldamus, Eduard (German ornithologist)
cuculiform: Brood parasitism: …host, and a German ornithologist, Eduard Baldamus, in 1892 showed that the frequency and degree of similarity were too great to be coincidental. Subsequent studies by a number of workers, especially by the English naturalist, Edgar P. Chance, have revealed much of the basis for the resemblance, which is now…
- baldaquin (architecture)
baldachin, in architecture, the canopy over an altar or tomb, supported on columns, especially when freestanding and disconnected from any enclosing wall. The term originates from the Spanish baldaquin, an elaborately brocaded material imported from Baghdad that was hung as a canopy over an altar
- baldaquin (cloth)
baldachin: …term originates from the Spanish baldaquin, an elaborately brocaded material imported from Baghdad that was hung as a canopy over an altar or doorway. Later it came to stand for a freestanding canopy over an altar.
- Balder (Norse mythology)
Balder, in Norse mythology, the son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg. Beautiful and just, he was the favourite of the gods. Most legends about him concern his death. Icelandic stories tell how the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he was immune from harm. The
- Balder (poetry by Dobell)
Sydney Thompson Dobell: Another long poem, Balder (1853), is concerned with the inner life of a poet who kills his wife after she has gone mad. It was devastatingly burlesqued in Firmilian: . . . a Spasmodic Tragedy (1854) by William Edmondstoune Aytoun, who, with Charles Kingsley, deemed Dobell one of…
- Balders død (work by Ewald)
Johannes Ewald: …the ode; Balders død (1775; The Death of Balder), a lyric drama on a subject from Saxo and Old Norse mythology; and the first chapters of his memoirs, Levnet og meninger (written c. 1774–78: “Life and Opinions”), explaining his enthusiasm for the adventurous and fantastic. In 1775 he was transferred…
- Baldessari, John (American artist)
John Baldessari was an American artist whose work in altered and adjusted photographic imagery and video were central to the development of conceptual art in the United States. Baldessari received a B.A. at San Diego State College (SDSC; now San Diego State University) in 1953 and attended the
- Baldetti Elías, Ingrid Roxana (Guatemalan politician)
Guatemala: Guatemala in the 21st century: Roxana Baldetti resigned after it was alleged that her private secretary was the mastermind of the fraud ring, known as “the Line,” but hers was only one of many high-level resignations over the coming months, as tens of thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets…
- Baldini, Stefano (Italian athlete)
Athens 2004 Olympic Games: …men’s marathon, was won by Stefano Baldini of Italy after the leader, Brazil’s Vanderlei Lima, was assaulted by a spectator about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the finish line. Lima, who recovered to take the bronze, was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for “his exceptional demonstration of fair play…
- Baldinucci, Filippo (Italian art historian)
Filippo Baldinucci was a Florentine art historian, the first to make full use of documents and to realize the importance of drawings in the study of painting. Working for Cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici, Baldinucci advised on the acquisition of the great collection of drawings now in the Uffizi
- Baldío, El (work by Roa Bastos)
Augusto Roa Bastos: Stories collected in El baldío (1966; “The Untilled”) treat tenderly and understandingly the problems of Paraguayan exiles. In some of the stories there is a clear indictment of civil war atrocities. The story collections Los pies sobre el agua (1967; “The Feet on the Water”) and Madera quemada…
- Baldishol Tapestry (tapestry)
tapestry: Early Middle Ages in western Europe: …for the Norwegian church of Baldishol in the district of Hedmark. Originally a set of wool hangings on the 12 months of the year, only the panels of April and May have survived. The pronounced stylization of the images relates these tapestries to those executed for Halberstadt Cathedral.
- baldness (dermatology)
baldness, the lack or loss of hair. Two primary types of baldness can be distinguished: permanent hair loss, arising from abnormalities in or destruction of hair follicles, and temporary hair loss, arising from transitory damage to the follicles. The first category is dominated by male pattern
- Baldomir, Alfredo (president of Uruguay)
Uruguay: Economic and political uncertainties: …presidency of his brother-in-law General Alfredo Baldomir during the period 1938–42, formulated a conservative response to the Great Depression. The state interfered with labour unions, postponed social legislation, preserved as much as it could of the British market for Uruguayan meat, and halted government attempts to nationalize foreign, mainly British,…
- Baldomir, Carlos (Argentine boxer)
Arturo Gatti: …July 22, 2006, fight against Carlos Baldomir of Argentina for the WBC welterweight title and retired in 2007 with a career record of 40 wins (31 by knockout) and 9 losses. Although police initially suspected that Gatti had been murdered by his Brazilian wife, authorities later ruled his death a…
- Baldorioty de Castro, Román (Puerto Rican leader)
Puerto Rico: Movements toward self-government: During the 1880s Román Baldorioty de Castro led a movement for political autonomy under Spanish rule, which gained momentum at the expense of calls for directly integrating Puerto Rico into the Spanish government. In 1887 the liberal movement was denounced as disloyal and was violently suppressed; however, such…
- Baldovinetti, Alessio (Italian painter)
Alessio Baldovinetti was a painter whose work exemplified the careful modeling of form and the accurate depiction of light characteristic of the most progressive style of Florentine painting during the last half of the 15th century. At the same time, he contributed importantly to the fledgling art
- Baldovinetti, Alesso (Italian painter)
Alessio Baldovinetti was a painter whose work exemplified the careful modeling of form and the accurate depiction of light characteristic of the most progressive style of Florentine painting during the last half of the 15th century. At the same time, he contributed importantly to the fledgling art
- baldpate (bird)
baldpate, popular North American game duck, also known as the American wigeon. See
- Baldr (Norse mythology)
Balder, in Norse mythology, the son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg. Beautiful and just, he was the favourite of the gods. Most legends about him concern his death. Icelandic stories tell how the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he was immune from harm. The
- Baldrs draumar (Norse poem)
Germanic religion and mythology: Balder (Baldr): …a west Norse poem (Baldrs draumar). According to this Loki does not seem to be directly responsible for Balder’s death but Höd alone. Balder’s name occurs rarely in place-names, and it does not appear that his worship was widespread.
- Baldung, Hans (German artist)
Hans Baldung was a painter and graphic artist, one of the most outstanding figures in northern Renaissance art. He served as an assistant to Albrecht Dürer, whose influence is apparent in his early works, although the demonic energy of his later style is closer to that of Matthias Grünewald.
- Baldung-Grien, Hans (German artist)
Hans Baldung was a painter and graphic artist, one of the most outstanding figures in northern Renaissance art. He served as an assistant to Albrecht Dürer, whose influence is apparent in his early works, although the demonic energy of his later style is closer to that of Matthias Grünewald.
- Baldur’s Gate (electronic game)
Baldur’s Gate, computer and console role-playing fantasy electronic game, developed by the Canadian game developer BioWare Corp. and released in 1998 by the American game publisher Interplay Entertainment Corporation. Baldur’s Gate is set in the Forgotten Realms fantasy universe of the popular
- Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (electronic game)
Baldur’s Gate: The sequel Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) expanded on the success of the original with additional character classes, a branching story line that provided hundreds of hours of gameplay, and subplots based on characters’ moral choices and romantic interests that greatly added to the game’s…
- Baldus (poem by Folengo)
Teofilo Folengo: …various forms, Folengo’s masterpiece is Baldus, a poem in macaronic hexameters, published under the pseudonym Merlin Cocai. Four versions of Baldus are known, published in 1517, 1521, 1539–40, and 1552 (modern edition, Le maccheronee, 1927–28). Written with a rich vein of satire, humour, and fantasy, Folengo’s poem narrates the adventures…
- Baldwin I (count of Flanders)
Baldwin I was the first ruler of Flanders. A daring warrior under Charles II the Bald of France, he fell in love with the king’s daughter Judith, the youthful widow of two English kings, married her (862), and fled with his bride to Lorraine. Charles, though at first angry, was at last conciliated,
- Baldwin I (count of Flanders)
Robert I: …disputed by his elder brother, Baldwin VI, who had succeeded to the countship of Flanders. War broke out between the two brothers, and Baldwin was killed in battle in 1070. Robert then claimed the tutelage of Baldwin’s children and obtained the support of the German emperor Henry IV, while Richilde,…
- Baldwin I (king of Jerusalem)
Baldwin I was the king of the Crusader state of Jerusalem (1100–18) who expanded the kingdom and secured its territory, formulating an administrative apparatus that was to serve for 200 years as the basis for Frankish rule in Syria and Palestine. Son of Eustace II, count of Boulogne, and Ida