- Bangor (Maine, United States)
Bangor, city, seat (1816) of Penobscot county, east-central Maine, U.S. It is a port of entry at the head of navigation on the Penobscot River opposite Brewer. The site, visited in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain, was settled in 1769 by Jacob Buswell. First called Kenduskeag Plantation (1776) and later
- Bangor (Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)
Bangor, town, Ards and North Down district, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern shore of Belfast Lough (inlet of the sea). About 555 ce, St. Comgall founded a monastery at Bangor, which became a celebrated seat of learning. Incursions by Danes in the 9th century destroyed Bangor. It was
- Bangor (Wales, United Kingdom)
Bangor, cathedral city, Gwynedd county, historic county of Caernarvonshire (Sir Gaernarfon), northwestern Wales. It commands the northern entrance to the Menai Strait, the narrow strip of water separating the Isle of Anglesey from the mainland. Bangor Cathedral is dedicated to the Celtic St.
- Bangor Cathedral (cathedral, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom)
Bangor: Bangor Cathedral is dedicated to the Celtic St. Deiniol, who founded a church there in the 6th century; the community was a leading centre of Celtic Christianity. The cathedral, built during the 12th and 13th centuries, later underwent a series of restorations after damage by…
- Bangor Is-coed (Wales, United Kingdom)
Flintshire: …to legend, the village of Bangor Is-coed, in the present county borough of Wrexham, was the site of the oldest monastery in Britain (c. 180). It was destroyed early in the 7th century by the king of Northumbria in the last great battle between the Britons of Wales and the…
- bangos (fish)
milkfish, (Chanos chanos), silvery marine food fish that is the only living member of the family Chanidae (order Gonorhynchiformes). Fossils of this family date from as far back as the Cretaceous Period (145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago). The milkfish is often collected when young and raised
- Bangs, Lester (American journalist)
Rock criticism: …Creem, whose most famous writer, Lester Bangs, had been fired from Rolling Stone after panning one of Wenner’s favourite bands. In raging, humorous polemics like “James Taylor Marked for Death,” Bangs savaged the artistic pretensions and virtuosic self-indulgence of the hippie aristocracy and formulated a countervision of rock as a…
- Bangsa Moro Army (military force)
Moro National Liberation Front: …military force, known as the Bangsa Moro Army, had 30,000 fighters at the time of its greatest strength in the 1970s. In 1975 Marcos conceded that the Moros’ economic grievances, at least, were justified, particularly against Christian landowners; but government offers of regional autonomy were rejected by the MNLF, which…
- bangsawan (drama)
Southeast Asian arts: Chinese and popular entertainments: Bangsawan was created by professional Malay-speaking actors in the 1920s as light, popular entertainment. Songs and contemporary dances were added to a repertory of dramatic pieces drawn from Islamic romances and adventure stories. Troupes traveled to Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sunda, and Java, where their melodramatic plays…
- Bangtan Boys (South Korean band)
BTS, South Korean K-pop (Korean pop music) band that shot to international stardom in the late 2010s. Its seven members were Jin (byname of Kim Seok-Jin; b. December 4, 1992, Anyang, South Korea), Suga (original name Min Yoon-Gi; b. March 9, 1993, Buk-gu), J-Hope (byname of Jung Ho-Seok; b.
- Bangtan Sonyeondan (South Korean band)
BTS, South Korean K-pop (Korean pop music) band that shot to international stardom in the late 2010s. Its seven members were Jin (byname of Kim Seok-Jin; b. December 4, 1992, Anyang, South Korea), Suga (original name Min Yoon-Gi; b. March 9, 1993, Buk-gu), J-Hope (byname of Jung Ho-Seok; b.
- bangu (Chinese musical instrument)
bangu, Chinese frame drum that, when struck by one or two small bamboo sticks, creates a sharp dry sound essential to the aesthetics of Chinese opera. It is also used in many Chinese chamber music ensembles. The drum, which is about 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter and 10 cm (4 inches) deep, consists
- Bangui (national capital, Central African Republic)
Bangui, city, capital of the Central African Republic, located on the west bank of the Ubangi River. It is connected by an extended 1,100-mile (1,800-km) river-and-rail transport system with Pointe-Noire on the west-central African coast and with Brazzaville (both in the Republic of the Congo). The
- Bangui, University of (university, Bangui, Central African Republic)
Bangui: …is the site of the University of Bangui (1969), the National School of Arts (1966), and several scientific and technological research institutes. The Boganda Museum in Bangui exhibits traditional musical instruments, weapons, village architecture, hunting tools, pottery, and religious objects. The city suffered significant looting and damage during the coup…
- Bangura, Mabinty (American dancer)
Michaela DePrince was a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical prowess and tenacious spirit. DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura during Sierra Leone’s prolonged civil war and spent her early years in that country. Rebel forces killed her father, and her mother died soon
- Bangville Police (film by Lehman [1913])
Keystone Kops: …had a central role in Bangville Police (1913), which is often cited as the first Keystone Kops film. All the movies were one- or two-reel short films. The Kops were typically comic bits added to movies rather than being integral to the plots.
- Bangwaketse (people)
South Africa: Growth of the colonial economy: Tlhaping, Hurutshe, and Ngwaketse. For self-defense some of these African communities formed larger groupings who competed against each other in their quest to control trade routes going south to the Cape and east to present-day Mozambique.
- Bangweulu (lake, Zambia)
Bangweulu, shallow lake with extensive swamps in northeastern Zambia. It is part of the Congo River system. Lying at an elevation of 3,740 feet (1,140 m), the waters of Bangweulu, fluctuating with the rainy season, cover a triangular area of about 3,800 square miles (9,800 square km). The lake, at
- Bangweulu Swamps (swamps, Zambia)
Zambia: Drainage: The Bangweulu Swamps and the Kafue Flats are wetlands of international ecological importance.
- bangzi qiang (musical form)
Chinese music: Forms of the 16th–18th centuries: …myriad regional forms is the clapper opera, or bangzi qiang. In addition to the rhythmic importance of the clappers, the instrumental accompaniment of this form is noted for its emphasis on strings, the principal form being the moon guitar (yueqin), a plucked lute with a large, round wooden body and…
- Banhā (Egypt)
Banhā, town, capital of Al-Qalyūbiyyah muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Lower Egypt. The town lies on the right (east) bank of the Damietta Branch of the Nile River and on the Al-Tawfīqī Canal in the delta area. It is about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Cairo on the highway to Alexandria. Its Arabic name
- Banhart, Devendra (American singer and songwriter)
Devendra Banhart is an American singer-songwriter whose experimental genre-transcending recordings, which blended acoustic folk, psychedelia, and stream-of-consciousness lyrics, formed the cornerstone of an early 21st-century musical aesthetic often termed “freak folk.” Banhart spent the majority
- banhu (musical instrument)
banhu, bowed Chinese fiddle, a type of huqin (Chinese: “foreign stringed instrument”). The instrument traditionally has two strings stretched over a small bamboo bridge that rests on a wooden soundboard. (The sound box of most other Chinese stringed instruments is covered by a snakeskin membrane.)
- Bani (Hindu religious work)
Dadu: …collected in a 5,000-verse anthology, Bani (“Poetic Utterances”). They also appear along with selections from other poet-saints (sants) Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Haridas in a somewhat fluid verse anthology called Pancvani (“Five [Groups of] Utterances”), which constitutes scriptures for the Dadu Panth.
- Baní (Dominican Republic)
Baní, city, southern Dominican Republic, situated in coastal lowlands 3 miles (5 km) from the Caribbean Sea. The city is a commercial and manufacturing centre for the fertile agricultural hinterland, whose main products are bananas, rice, and coffee. The city lies on the paved highway linking Santo
- Banī Ḥasan (archaeological site, Egypt)
Beni Hasan, Egyptian archaeological site from the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 bce), lying on the eastern bank of the Nile roughly 155 miles (245 km) south of Cairo. The site is noted for its rock-cut tombs of 11th- and 12th-dynasty officials of the 16th Upper Egyptian (Oryx) nome, or province.
- Bani River (river, West Africa)
Bani River, principal affluent of the Niger River on its right bank in Mali, West Africa, formed by the confluence of the Baoulé and Bagoé headstreams 100 mi (160 km) east of Bamako. The Bani proper flows 230 mi northeast to the Niger at Mopti in the swampy Macina depression. It is navigable only
- Banī Suwayf (governorate, Egypt)
Banī Suwayf, muḥāfaẓah (governorate), lying along the Nile River in northern Upper Egypt, with an extension into the Libyan (Western) Desert at its southern end. Al-Fayyūm governorate lies to the west and north and Al-Minyā to the south. Its cultivated, settled area consists mainly of a strip of
- Banī Suwayf (Egypt)
Banī Suwayf, city, capital of Banī Suwayf muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northern Upper Egypt. It is an important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, 70 miles (110 km) south of Cairo. In the 9th and 10th dynasties (c. 2130–c. 1970 bce), Heracleopolis (modern Ihnāsiyat
- Bani Thani (Indian singer)
Kishangarh painting: …employ of his stepmother called Bani Thani (“Lady of Fashion”), and it is speculated that her features may have been the model for the Kishangarh facial type. The master artist largely responsible for transmitting the romantic and religious passions of his patron into new and fresh visual images was Nihal…
- Bani-Sadr, Abolhasan (president of Iran)
Abolhasan Bani-Sadr was an Iranian economist and politician who in 1980 was elected the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was dismissed from office in 1981 after being impeached for incompetence. Bani-Sadr studied religion and economics at the University of Tehrān and spent four
- Banī-Ṣadr, Abū al-Ḥasan (president of Iran)
Abolhasan Bani-Sadr was an Iranian economist and politician who in 1980 was elected the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was dismissed from office in 1981 after being impeached for incompetence. Bani-Sadr studied religion and economics at the University of Tehrān and spent four
- Bania (Indian caste)
Bania, (from Sanskrit vāṇijya, “trade”), Indian caste consisting generally of moneylenders or merchants, found chiefly in northern and western India; strictly speaking, however, many mercantile communities are not Banias, and, conversely, some Banias are not merchants. In the fourfold division of
- Banier, François-Marie (French photographer)
Liliane Bettencourt: …Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, sued celebrity photographer François-Marie Banier, accusing him of exploiting her mother’s frailty, after it was revealed that he had received an estimated €1 billion in cash and gifts from Bettencourt. The dispute escalated until mother and daughter reconciled in 2010; Bettencourt was ultimately placed under the legal guardianship…
- Banihal Pass (pass, India)
Banihal Pass, pass in the Pir Panjal Range in the Indian-held sector of Jammu and Kashmir union territory in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Banihal—a name that in Kashmiri means “blizzard”—lies at an elevation of 9,290 feet (2,832 metres) in the Doda district. It forms the main
- Banim, John (Irish author)
John and Michael Banim: John studied drawing in Dublin and subsequently taught it in Kilkenny. Shortly afterward he went to Dublin, where he earned a living by journalism. In 1821 his blank verse tragedy, Damon and Pythias, was produced at Covent Garden; John married, moved to London, and continued…
- Banim, John and Michael (Irish authors)
John and Michael Banim were brothers who collaborated in novels and stories of Irish peasant life. John studied drawing in Dublin and subsequently taught it in Kilkenny. Shortly afterward he went to Dublin, where he earned a living by journalism. In 1821 his blank verse tragedy, Damon and Pythias,
- Banim, Michael (Irish author)
John and Michael Banim: …Family, written in collaboration with Michael, who had studied for the bar but had had to take over his father’s business. All three Tales—two by John, The Fetches and John Doe, and one by Michael, Crohoore of the Bill Hook—are remarkable for their melodramatic invention and were immediately successful, John…
- Banished Immortal, The (biography by Ha Jin)
Ha Jin: Literary works: His other nonfiction work includes The Banished Immortal (2019), a biography of the Chinese poet Li Bai. In addition, with Chinese composer Tan Dun, he cowrote the libretto for Tan’s opera The First Emperor (2006), about Qin dynasty ruler Shihuangdi.
- banishment (law)
exile and banishment, prolonged absence from one’s country imposed by vested authority as a punitive measure. It most likely originated among early civilizations from the practice of designating an offender an outcast and depriving him of the comfort and protection of his group. Exile was practiced
- Banister, John (English musician)
John Banister was a violinist and composer, a prominent musician of his day and organizer of the first public concerts in England. Banister learned the violin from his father and in 1660 joined the king’s band of 24 violinists. After further training in France he became leader of a group of 12
- Banisteriopsis (vine genus)
South American forest Indian: Belief and aesthetic systems: …area; they include species of Banisteriopsis (a tropical liana), from which is made a potion that produces visions. In certain tribes the use of this drug is restricted to shamanistic practices; in others, as in the Uaupés River area, it is an essential element in religious festivals in which the…
- Banisteriopsis caapi (plant)
ayahuasca: …bark of the tropical liana Banisteriopsis caapi and other botanical ingredients. First formulated by indigenous South Americans of the Amazon basin, ayahuasca is now used in many parts of the world. Some users experience visions and sensations, while others claim that the potion has healing powers.
- Baniva (people)
Native American dance: Northern South America: …example, among the Maipure and Baniva tribes, Mauari, the spirit of evil, is impersonated by a dancer who is fully covered with red and black body paint, a face-covering of puma or jaguar pelt, and a crown of deer antlers. At the initiation of a youth or girl, he emerges…
- Baniwa (people)
Native American religions: Initiation: The Baniwa of the northwest Amazon region of Brazil, for example, seclude girls during their initiation. The girls’ bodies are covered with heron down and red paint, and each girl is hidden inside two baskets. The elders deliver dramatic speeches and whip the initiate in order…
- Baniya (Indian caste)
Bania, (from Sanskrit vāṇijya, “trade”), Indian caste consisting generally of moneylenders or merchants, found chiefly in northern and western India; strictly speaking, however, many mercantile communities are not Banias, and, conversely, some Banias are not merchants. In the fourfold division of
- Bāniyās River (river, Syria)
Jordan River: Physical environment: …east, in Syria, flows the Bāniyās River. Between the two is the Dan River, the waters of which are particularly fresh.
- Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Banja Luka, city, northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies along the Vrbas River at its confluence with the Vrbanja. It serves as the capital of the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Republic), one of the two largely autonomous entities that make up the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under the
- Banjak Islands (islands, Indonesia)
Banyak Islands, group of more than 60 small islands, in Aceh semiautonomous province, Indonesia. The largest of the islands are Great Banyak, or Tuangku, Island and Bangkaru Island. With an area of 123 square miles (319 square km), the group lies north of Nias Island and 18 miles (29 km) west of
- Banjak, Kepulauan (islands, Indonesia)
Banyak Islands, group of more than 60 small islands, in Aceh semiautonomous province, Indonesia. The largest of the islands are Great Banyak, or Tuangku, Island and Bangkaru Island. With an area of 123 square miles (319 square km), the group lies north of Nias Island and 18 miles (29 km) west of
- Banjaluka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Banja Luka, city, northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies along the Vrbas River at its confluence with the Vrbanja. It serves as the capital of the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Republic), one of the two largely autonomous entities that make up the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under the
- Banjari (people)
India: Rural settlement: …Banjari or Vanjari (also called Labhani), originally from Rajasthan and related to the Roma (Gypsies) of Europe, roams over large areas of central India and the Deccan, largely as agricultural labourers and construction workers. Many tribal peoples practice similar occupations seasonally. Shepherds, largely of the Gujar caste, practice transhumance in…
- Banjarmasin (Indonesia)
Banjarmasin, kota (city), capital of South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) propinsi (or provinsi; province), Indonesia. It is situated on the eastern side of the Barito River, about 13 miles (22 km) from the southern coast of the island of Borneo. The city is bisected by the smaller Martapura
- Banjermasin (Indonesia)
Banjarmasin, kota (city), capital of South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) propinsi (or provinsi; province), Indonesia. It is situated on the eastern side of the Barito River, about 13 miles (22 km) from the southern coast of the island of Borneo. The city is bisected by the smaller Martapura
- Banjiang Riot (Chinese history)
Guizhou: History: The Banjiang Riot of 1797 was said to have been started by the Buyi people, and thousands of them were either burned to death or beheaded. The most important popular revolt against the central government was one led by Zhang Xiumei, a Miao, in 1855. He…
- Banjo (novel by McKay)
Harlem Renaissance: Fiction: …Princess (1928) and McKay in Banjo (1929). Both novels show the strong influence of Marxism and the anti-imperialist movements of the early 20th century, and both place their hopes in the revolutionary potential of transnational solidarity to end what they consider to be the corrupt and decadent rule of Western…
- banjo (musical instrument)
banjo, stringed musical instrument of African origin, popularized in the United States by slaves in the 19th century, then exported to Europe. Several African stringed instruments have similar names—e.g., bania, banju. The banjo has a tambourine-like body with a hoop and a screw that secure the
- banjo catfish (fish)
ostariophysan: Annotated classification: Family Aspredinidae (banjo catfishes) Adipose lacking; broad, flat head; large tubercles on naked body. Aquarium fishes. Size to 30 cm (12 inches). A few enter brackish waters and salt waters. South America. 12 genera, 36 species. Family Pimelodidae (long-whiskered catfishes) Similar to Bagridae but lack nasal barbels.…
- banjo clock
banjo clock, type of clock, so named because its upper portion is shaped like an inverted banjo. The clock was patented by Simon Willard of Massachusetts in 1802. It has a circular dial with a narrow metal frame and a bezel for the glass, which is usually dome-shaped. The top bears a finial. Below,
- banjo shark (fish)
guitarfish, an order (Rhinobatiformes) of fish closely related to the rays. The order contains some 47 to 50 species arranged in three families (Platyrhinidae, Rhinobatidae, and Rhynchobatidae). Guitarfish have a flattened forebody with pectoral fins fused to the sides of the head. The hindbody
- Banjoewangi (Indonesia)
Banyuwangi, city, East Java (Jawa Timur) propinsi (or provinsi; province), Java, Indonesia. A major port on the Bali Strait, opposite Bali just to the east, it is located about 120 miles (195 km) southeast of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. It is linked by railway and road with Jember to the
- Banjška Planota (plateau, Europe)
World War I: Caporetto: …Army captured much of the Bainsizza Plateau (Banjška Planota), north of Gorizia, strained Austrian resistance very severely. To avert an Austrian collapse, Ludendorff decided that the Austrians must take the offensive against Italy and that he could, with difficulty, lend them six German divisions for that purpose.
- Banjul (national capital, The Gambia)
Banjul, city, capital, and Atlantic port of The Gambia, on St. Mary’s Island, near the mouth of the Gambia River. It is the country’s largest city. It was founded in 1816, when the British Colonial Office ordered Captain Alexander Grant to establish a military post on the river to suppress the
- Banjul Island (island, The Gambia)
The Gambia: European colonization: He purchased Banjul Island (St. Mary’s) from the king of Kombo, built barracks, laid out a town, and set up an artillery battery to control access to the river. The town, Bathurst (now Banjul), grew rapidly with the arrival of traders and workers from Gorée and upriver.…
- Banjuwangi (Indonesia)
Banyuwangi, city, East Java (Jawa Timur) propinsi (or provinsi; province), Java, Indonesia. A major port on the Bali Strait, opposite Bali just to the east, it is located about 120 miles (195 km) southeast of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. It is linked by railway and road with Jember to the
- bank (gambling)
gambling: Chances, probabilities, and odds: Depending on the bet, the house advantage (“vigorish”) for roulette in American casinos varies from about 5.26 to 7.89 percent, and in European casinos it varies from 1.35 to 2.7 percent. The house must always win in the long run. Some casinos also add rules that enhance their profits, especially…
- bank (landform)
canals and inland waterways: Bank protection: On natural or canalized rivers of relatively large cross section, bank erosion can be checked by rubble roughly tipped or by natural growth such as reeds or willows.
- bank (seafloor feature)
bank, rocky or sandy submerged elevation of the seafloor with a summit less than 200 m (650 feet) below the surface but not so high as to endanger navigation. Many banks are local prominences on continental or island shelves. Similar elevations with tops more than 200 m below the surface are called
- bank (finance)
bank, an institution that deals in money and its substitutes and provides other money-related services. In its role as a financial intermediary, a bank accepts deposits and makes loans. It derives a profit from the difference between the costs (including interest payments) of attracting and
- Bánk bán (motion picture [1914])
Mari Jászai: …appeared in the silent films Bánk bán (1914) and A tolonc (1914; “The Vagrant”). Her autobiography, Emlékiratai (“Memoirs”), was published in 1927.
- Bánk bán (opera by Erkel)
Ferenc Erkel: …staged his most famous work, Bánk bán (based on a drama by József Katona, with a libretto by Egressy), which at that point probably had been ready for production for more than 10 years. However, Sarolta, his first comic opera, performed in 1862, proved to be another failure. Erkel’s 1867…
- Bánk bán (work by Katona)
József Katona: …and playwright whose historical tragedy Bánk bán achieved its great reputation only after his death.
- Bánk bán (Hungarian noble)
Bánk bán was one of the most powerful Hungarian nobles during the reign of Andrew (Endre) II (1205–35) and for a time his bán (viceroy). Bánk bán joined the conspiracy that led to the murder of Queen Gertrude of Meran (Gertrudis of Andechs-Meran) in 1213, though his precise role in the deed is
- Bank Charter Act (United Kingdom [1844])
Bank of England: A royal charter allowed the bank to operate as a joint-stock bank with limited liability. No other joint-stock banks were permitted in England and Wales until 1826. This special status and its position as the government’s banker gave the bank considerable competitive advantages.
- bank check (finance)
check, bill of exchange drawn on a bank and payable on demand; it has become the chief form of money in the domestic commerce of developed countries. As a written order to pay money, it may be transferred from one person to another by endorsement and delivery or, in certain cases, by delivery
- Bank Craps (dice game)
Bank Craps, dice game, the variant of Craps most played in Nevada gambling houses. A special table and layout are used, and all bets are made against the house. A player signifies his bet by placing chips or cash on the appropriate part of the layout before any roll. It is invariably required that
- bank deposit
bank: Rationale for deposit insurance: …program intended to protect bank deposit holders from losses that could occur in the event of a bank failure. Although bank deposit insurance is primarily viewed as a means of protecting individual (and especially small) bank depositors, its more subtle purpose is one of protecting entire national banking and payments…
- Bank Dick, The (film by Cline [1940])
The Bank Dick, American screwball comedy film, released in 1940, that is widely regarded as one of W.C. Fields’s best movies. The comedian also wrote the film’s script. Fields played Egbert Sousè, a henpecked drunkard who lands a job as a bank guard after unwittingly capturing a robber. After
- bank holiday
bank holiday, in the United Kingdom, any of several days designated as holidays by the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 and a supplementary act of 1875 for all the banks in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Although these days are not statutory public holidays, their observance is no longer
- Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysian bank)
ringgit: …Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia) has the exclusive authority to issue banknotes and coins in Malaysia. Coins are issued in denominations ranging from 5 to 50 sen. Banknote values are denominated from 1 to 100 ringgit. The obverse of each of the colourful bills contains a picture…
- bank note (economics)
Specie Circular: …quash the enormous growth of paper money in circulation, Jackson directed the Treasury Department, “pet” banks, and other receivers of public money to accept only specie as payment for government-owned land after Aug. 15, 1836. But actual settlers and bona fide residents of the state in which they purchased land…
- Bank of America (American corporation)
Bank of America, one of the largest banking and financial services brands and corporations in the United States. It was formed through NationsBank’s acquisition of BankAmerica in 1998. Bank of America is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank’s history dates to 1904 when Amadeo Peter
- Bank of America Center (building, San Francisco, California, United States)
San Francisco: City layout: …Street (formerly known as the Bank of America building), the Transamerica Pyramid (which rises to an elongated point), and the Le Méridien San Francisco hotel (formerly the Park Hyatt). The Hyatt Regency is part of the massive Embarcadero Center complex—designed by John Portman in the 1970s—which encompasses six city blocks…
- Bank of America Corporation (American corporation)
Bank of America, one of the largest banking and financial services brands and corporations in the United States. It was formed through NationsBank’s acquisition of BankAmerica in 1998. Bank of America is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank’s history dates to 1904 when Amadeo Peter
- Bank of Boston Corporation (American company)
Bank of Boston Corporation, former American bank holding company that was acquired by Fleet Financial Group in 1999. The bank, one of the oldest in the United States, was originally chartered in 1784 as the Massachusetts Bank. In 1903 it merged with the First National Bank of Boston (established in
- Bank of Boston, N.A. (American company)
Bank of Boston Corporation, former American bank holding company that was acquired by Fleet Financial Group in 1999. The bank, one of the oldest in the United States, was originally chartered in 1784 as the Massachusetts Bank. In 1903 it merged with the First National Bank of Boston (established in
- Bank of China Tower (building, Hong Kong, China)
Bank of China Tower, triangular glass skyscraper in Hong Kong, completed in 1989. It houses the Hong Kong headquarters of the Beijing-based central Bank of China, together with other tenants. Rising 1,205 feet (367 metres), the skyscraper was for a few years the tallest building in the world
- Bank of France (French national bank)
Banque de France, national bank of France, created in 1800 to restore confidence in the French banking system after the financial upheavals of the revolutionary period. Headquarters are in Paris. The bank listed among its founding shareholders Napoleon Bonaparte, members of his family, and several
- Bank of New York Company, Inc., The (American company)
The Bank of New York Company, Inc., major American bank holding company, headquartered in New York City. The original Bank of New York was founded in 1784 by Alexander Hamilton and chartered in 1791. It was instrumental in securing the first loan obtained by the United States. Other loans by the
- Bank of Ōsaka, Ltd. (Japanese bank)
Sumitomo Group: Sumitomo Bank, Ltd. (Sumitomo Ginkō), was established in 1895 and functioned as the main financial instrument of the Sumitomo zaibatsu. After World War II the bank became the central coordinating body of the companies in the Sumitomo group. By the late 20th century the Sumitomo…
- Bank of the United States (historical central bank, United States)
Bank of the United States, central bank chartered in 1791 by the U.S. Congress at the urging of Alexander Hamilton and over the objections of Thomas Jefferson. The extended debate over its constitutionality contributed significantly to the evolution of pro- and antibank factions into the first
- Bank One (American company)
Bank One, Former U.S. bank holding company that merged with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2004. Bank One had been created through the 1998 merger of First Chicago NBD Corp. and Banc One. Although the 1998 merger created one of the country’s largest banks, it performed poorly until Jamie Dimon, a
- bank rate (finance)
discount rate, interest rate charged by a central bank for loans of reserve funds to commercial banks and other financial intermediaries. This charge originally was an actual discount (an interest charge held out from the amount loaned), but the rate is now a true interest charge, even though the
- Bank Restriction Act (United Kingdom)
David Ricardo: …recommended the repeal of the Bank Restriction Act.
- Bank runs: What they are and why they happen
Your money is safe … except when it isn’t. That’s why, despite a myriad of protections built into the U.S. and other banking systems throughout the world, bank runs—when hordes of depositors sense danger and clamor to remove their money from banks—still happen. They’re rare, but they still occur
- Bank Secrecy Act (United States [1970])
Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. legislation, signed into law in 1970 by Pres. Richard Nixon, that requires banks and other financial entities in the United States to maintain records and file reports on currency transactions and suspicious activity with the government. The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), sometimes
- Bank Street College of Education (college, New York City, New York, United States)
Bank Street College of Education, privately supported coeducational teachers college in New York, New York, U.S. It offers graduate courses only, operating a laboratory (elementary) school and conducting basic research in education. Established in 1916 by Lucy Sprague Mitchell, first dean of women
- bank swallow (bird)
martin: The sand martin, or bank swallow (Riparia riparia), a 12-centimetre (5-inch) brown and white bird, breeds throughout the Northern Hemisphere; it makes nest burrows in sandbanks. The house martin (Delichon urbica), blue-black above and white-rumped, is common in Europe. The African river martin (Pseudochelidon eurystomina) of…
- bank vole (rodent)
hantavirus: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: …which is carried by the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). Nephropathia epidemica has occurred in Scandinavia, western Russia, and other parts of Europe. Mild hemorrhagic illness can also result from infection with the Seoul virus, which is carried by the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). Seoul virus infections typically occur in Asia,…
- Bank War (United States history)
Bank War, in U.S. history, the struggle between President Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle, president of the Bank of the United States, over the continued existence of the only national banking institution in the nation during the second quarter of the 19th century. The first Bank of the United