Worms, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. Worms is a port on the left (west) bank of the Rhine River, just northwest of Mannheim. Known originally as Celtic Borbetomagus, by the reign of Julius Caesar it was called Civitas Vangionum, the chief town of the Vangiones. In

artillery: Coast guns: In the 1890s the “barbette” mounting for coastal-defense guns became the preferred pattern. Here the mounting was in a shallow pit, protected from enemy fire, but the muzzle and upper shield were permanently in view, firing across a parapet that helped protect the gunners. This type of mounting was…

Jules-Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly was a French novelist and influential critic who in his day was influential in matters of social fashion and literary taste. A member of the minor nobility of Normandy, he remained throughout his life proudly Norman in spirit and style, a royalist opposed to

Barbeya, genus of dicotyledonous flowering tree, the sole species of which is B. oleoides. It grows in Ethiopia and Somalia and on the Arabian Peninsula. Barbeya has the general aspect of the olive tree but many botanical characteristics of the elm. Barbeya is included in the rose order (Rosales)

Barbeya: …sole species of which is B. oleoides. It grows in Ethiopia and Somalia and on the Arabian Peninsula. Barbeya has the general aspect of the olive tree but many botanical characteristics of the elm. Barbeya is included in the rose order (Rosales) as a separate family, Barbeyaceae; the taxonomic placement…

Barbican, area in the City of London containing residential towers and Barbican Centre, a complex of theatres, halls, and cultural facilities. The London Symphony Orchestra is resident in the arts complex, which was also the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company until 2002. Initial, modest

castle: …was often protected by a barbican—a walled outwork in front of the gate—and the passage through the gateway was defended by portcullises, doors, and machicolations. Portcullises were generally made of oak, were plated and shod with iron, and were moved up and down in stone grooves, clearing or blocking the…

Barbie, American comedy and fantasy film, directed by Greta Gerwig and released in 2023, that became that year’s top blockbuster and the highest-grossing film by a female director. Based on the Barbie series of fashion dolls produced by Mattel, Inc., the film follows the adventures of a living

Barbie, an 11-inch- (29-cm-) tall plastic doll with the figure of an adult woman that was introduced on March 9, 1959, by Mattel, Inc., a southern California toy company. Ruth Handler, who cofounded Mattel with her husband, Elliot, spearheaded the introduction of the doll. Barbie’s physical

Klaus Barbie was a Nazi leader, head of the Gestapo in Lyon from 1942 to 1944, who was held responsible for the death of some 4,000 persons and the deportation of some 7,500 others. Barbie was a member of the Hitler Youth and in 1935 joined the Sicherheitsdienst (SD; “Security Service”), a special

The Barber of Seville, four-act farcical drama by Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais, performed and published in 1775 as Le Barbier de Séville; ou, la precaution inutile (“The Barber of Seville; or, The Useless Precaution”). It was the basis of the 1816 opera Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini,

Peter Cornelius: …Der Barbier von Bagdad (The Barber of Bagdad).

Antoine-Alexandre Barbier was a French librarian and bibliographer who compiled a standard reference directory of anonymous writings and who helped in preserving scholarly books and manuscripts during and after the French Revolution. In 1794 Barbier became a member of the temporary commission of

Braille: …invented several years earlier by Charles Barbier. It was called night writing and was long thought to have been intended for nighttime battlefield communications. However, Barbier’s writings suggest that he hoped the system could be used by people with visual and hearing impairments and anyone who was unable to obtain…

John Barbour was the author of a Scottish national epic known as The Bruce, the first major work of Scottish literature. Records show that Barbour became archdeacon of Aberdeen while still a young man and in 1357 was granted a safe conduct by Edward III of England to study at Oxford. That same year

The Barber of Seville, comic opera in two acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (libretto in Italian by Cesare Sterbini) that was first performed under the title Almaviva o sia l’inutile precauzione (Almaviva; or, The Useless Precaution) at the Teatro Argentina in Rome on February 20, 1816.

Giovanni Paisiello: …Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1782; The Barber of Seville), which some consider his masterpiece, on a libretto by Giuseppe Petrosellini, after Beaumarchais’s comedy Le Barbier de Séville.

zarzuela: …Sociedad Artística del Teatro-Circo member Francisco Asenjo Barbieri. It recounts the tale of a young widowed duchess who defies her father and the court in order to marry the man she loves. The new three-act format employed by Barbieri allowed for more complex and thorough musical and dramatic development; it…

Il Guercino was an Italian painter whose frescoes freshly exploited the illusionistic ceiling, making a profound impact on 17th-century Baroque decoration. His nickname Il Guercino (“The Squinting One”) was derived from a physical defect. Guercino received his earliest training locally, but the

pottery: Porcelain: …in Paris, was started by François Barbin in 1735 and removed to Mennecy in 1748. The early productions were in the manner of Saint-Cloud and Rouen. Later, some excellent flower painting was done, and figure modelling was excellent in quality. Small porcelain boxes from Mennecy, often in the form of…

Sir John Barbirolli was an English conductor and cellist. Barbirolli was the son of an émigré Italian violinist and his French wife. He began playing the violin when he was 4 (later switching to the cello) and, at the age of 10, became a scholar at the Trinity College of Music. He attended the

Sir John Barbirolli was an English conductor and cellist. Barbirolli was the son of an émigré Italian violinist and his French wife. He began playing the violin when he was 4 (later switching to the cello) and, at the age of 10, became a scholar at the Trinity College of Music. He attended the

barbiturate: Barbital was first synthesized in 1903, and phenobarbital became available in 1912. Barbiturates act by depressing the central nervous system, particularly on certain portions of the brain, though they tend to depress the functioning of all the body’s tissues. Most of them exert a sedative…

barbiturate, any of a class of organic compounds used in medicine as sedatives (to produce a calming effect), as hypnotics (to produce sleep), or as an adjunct in anesthesia. Barbiturates are derivatives of barbituric acid (malonyl urea), which is formed from malonic acid and urea. Barbital was

barbituric acid, an organic compound of the pyrimidine family, a class of compounds with a characteristic six-membered ring structure composed of four carbon atoms and two nitrogen atoms, that is regarded as the parent compound of the barbiturate drugs. It is used in the production of riboflavin, a

Barbizon school, mid-19th-century French school of painting, part of a larger European movement toward naturalism in art, that made a significant contribution to the establishment of Realism in French landscape painting. Inspired by the Romantic movement’s search for solace in nature, the Barbizon

Paul II was an Italian pope from 1464 to 1471. He was bishop of the Italian cities of Cervia and Vicenza before being made cardinal by Pope Eugenius IV in 1440. After services in the Curia under popes Nicholas V and Calixtus III, he became governor of Campania in 1456. Elected Pope Pius II’s

Nicholas Barbon was an English economist, widely considered the founder of fire insurance. Barbon was probably the son of the sectarian preacher Praise-God Barbon. He studied medicine at the University of Leiden, received his M.D. at Utrecht in 1661, and became an honorary fellow of the College of

Praise-God Barbon was an English sectarian preacher from whom the Cromwellian Barebones Parliament derived its nickname. By 1634 Barbon was becoming a prosperous leather seller and was attracting attention as the minister of a congregation that assembled at his own house, the “Lock and Key,” on

Praise-God Barbon was an English sectarian preacher from whom the Cromwellian Barebones Parliament derived its nickname. By 1634 Barbon was becoming a prosperous leather seller and was attracting attention as the minister of a congregation that assembled at his own house, the “Lock and Key,” on

barbooth, dice game of Middle Eastern origin, used for gambling; in the United States it is played chiefly by persons of Greek or Jewish ancestry. The shooter casts two dice (traditionally miniature dice). If he throws 3–3, 5–5, 6–6, or 6–5, he wins; if he throws 1–1, 2–2, 4–4, or 1–2, he loses.

Jorge Barbosa was an African poet who expressed in Portuguese the cultural isolation and the tragic nature of life on the drought-stricken Cape Verdean islands. In delicately phrased verse that became a model for later poets, he often praised the stoic endurance of a people caught in an

Jorge Barbosa was an African poet who expressed in Portuguese the cultural isolation and the tragic nature of life on the drought-stricken Cape Verdean islands. In delicately phrased verse that became a model for later poets, he often praised the stoic endurance of a people caught in an

Ruy Barbosa was a Brazilian orator, statesman, and jurist. Barbosa, an eloquent liberal, wrote the constitution for Brazil’s newly formed republic in 1890 and held various posts, including minister of finance, in the provisional government that launched the republic. He became a senator in 1895,

François Duvalier: …and, with his chief aide, Clément Barbot, organized the Tontons Macoutes (“Bogeymen”), a private force responsible for terrorizing and assassinating alleged foes of the regime.

Barbotine ware: …pottery decorated with a clay slip applied by means of a technique first employed on Rhenish pottery prior to the 3rd century ad. The slip was applied by piping, in the same way icing is applied to cakes. It was used to adorn the edges of flat dishes with such…

Barbotine ware, pottery decorated with a clay slip applied by means of a technique first employed on Rhenish pottery prior to the 3rd century ad. The slip was applied by piping, in the same way icing is applied to cakes. It was used to adorn the edges of flat dishes with such designs as small

barbooth, dice game of Middle Eastern origin, used for gambling; in the United States it is played chiefly by persons of Greek or Jewish ancestry. The shooter casts two dice (traditionally miniature dice). If he throws 3–3, 5–5, 6–6, or 6–5, he wins; if he throws 1–1, 2–2, 4–4, or 1–2, he loses.

graphic design: Rococo graphic design: In this work, Joseph Gerard Barbou, the printer, used types and ornaments by Fournier, full-page engravings by Eisen, and complex spot illustrations and tailpieces by Pierre-Phillippe Choffard. This superb example of Rococo book design combined the ornamented types, decorative initials, elaborate frames and rules, and intricate illustrations typical…

Peggy Lee: Songwriting career: Lee married Goodman’s guitarist, Dave Barbour, in late 1943 and briefly retired. Upon returning to the music scene in 1945, she launched a second career as a songwriter and collaborated with Barbour on several songs that became hits, including “It’s a Good Day,” “I Don’t Know Enough About You,”…

Kelly Ayotte: …such Republicans as Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, and Rick Santorum, and she easily won the election. After taking office in 2011, she took a generally conservative position on most issues, consonant with her party. She opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, same-sex marriage, and efforts to strengthen background…

Ian Barbour was an American theologian and scientist who attempted to reconcile science and religion. Barbour was born in Beijing, where his Scottish father and American mother both taught at Yanjing University. His family moved between the United States and England before settling permanently in

Ian Barbour was an American theologian and scientist who attempted to reconcile science and religion. Barbour was born in Beijing, where his Scottish father and American mother both taught at Yanjing University. His family moved between the United States and England before settling permanently in

John Barbour was the author of a Scottish national epic known as The Bruce, the first major work of Scottish literature. Records show that Barbour became archdeacon of Aberdeen while still a young man and in 1357 was granted a safe conduct by Edward III of England to study at Oxford. That same year

Philip P. Barbour was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1836–41) and political figure known for his advocacy of states’ rights and strict construction of the U.S. Constitution. Barbour practiced law in Virginia from 1802 until he was elected to the state’s House of Delegates

Philip P. Barbour was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1836–41) and political figure known for his advocacy of states’ rights and strict construction of the U.S. Constitution. Barbour practiced law in Virginia from 1802 until he was elected to the state’s House of Delegates

Barbourville, city, seat of Knox county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S. It lies on the Cumberland River, in the Cumberland Mountains, and is a gateway to Daniel Boone National Forest. It was founded in 1800 and named for James Barbour, who donated land for the town site. Union College was established

Barbra Streisand: Recording artist: …her most popular recordings included The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), The Second Barbra Streisand Album (1963), The Third Album (1964), People (1964), Je m’appelle Barbra (1966), Stoney End (1971), Streisand Superman (1977), Guilty (1980), The Broadway Album (1985), Higher Ground (1997), and Love Is the Answer (2009). She avoided performing…

barbooth, dice game of Middle Eastern origin, used for gambling; in the United States it is played chiefly by persons of Greek or Jewish ancestry. The shooter casts two dice (traditionally miniature dice). If he throws 3–3, 5–5, 6–6, or 6–5, he wins; if he throws 1–1, 2–2, 4–4, or 1–2, he loses.

feathered dinosaur: Evolution of feathers: …some point the barbs evolved barbules, the tiny hooks that provide mechanical structure to the vanes and give them aerodynamic integrity. The first such feathers were simple and symmetrical in their vanes, but by the time Archaeopteryx evolved, with its power of flight, some vanes had assumed an asymmetrical cast.

barb, (genus Barbus), any of numerous freshwater fishes belonging to a genus in the carp family, Cyprinidae. The barbs are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The members of this genus typically have one or more pairs of barbels (slender, fleshy protuberances) near the mouth and often have large,

barb: The barbel (B. barbus) of central and western European rivers is a slender, rather elongate fish with a thick-lipped, crescent-shaped mouth and four barbels, which it uses to search out fish, mollusks, and other food along the river bottom. The barbel is greenish and usually attains…

barb: Rosy barb (B. conchonius), to 5–6 cm (2–2.5 inches) in aquariums, larger in nature; colour silvery rose with dark spot near tail; breeding male deep rose with black-edged dorsal fin.

barb: Clown barb (B. everetti), large, to 13 cm (5 inches); pinkish with red fins and several large, dark spots on each side.

barb: Sumatra, or tiger, barb (B. tetrazona), about 5 cm long; silvery orange with four vertical black stripes on each side.

barb: Two-spot barb (B. ticto), 5–16 cm (2–6 inches) long; silvery with black spot near head and tail; dorsal fin of male reddish with black spots; no barbels.

barb: Cherry barb (B. titteya), to 3 centimetres long; male silver to cherry-red, female silver to pinkish; both sexes with a broad gold and black band on each side.

Henri Barbusse was a novelist, author of Le Feu (1916; Under Fire, 1917), a firsthand witness of the life of French soldiers in World War I. Barbusse belongs to an important lineage of French war writers who span the period 1910 to 1939, mingling war memories with moral and political meditations.

Cuman: Soon afterward the Cuman prince Barc and 15,000 of his people were baptized (1227). The first bishopric of Cumania was established in 1228, and King Béla IV of Hungary assumed the title “king of Cumania.” In 1239 he granted asylum to the Cumans and their prince Kuthen, who had earlier…

logistics: New technology: landing vehicle hydrofoil and the BARC, both amphibians with pneumatic-tired wheels for overland movement and, in the latter case, capacity for 100 tons of cargo. Hydrofoil craft, which skimmed at high speeds above the water on submerged inclined planes, developed a varied family of types by 1970.

Western painting: Symbolism: …year at a Paris gallery, Le Barc de Boutteville, from 1891 to 1897.

Al-Marj, town, northeastern Libya, on Al-Marj plain at the western edge of the Akhḍar Mountains, near the Mediterranean coast. Site of the 6th-century-bc Greek colony of Barce, it was taken by the Arabs in about ad 642. The present town grew around a Turkish fort built in 1842 and now restored. The

FC Barcelona, Spanish professional football (soccer) club located in Barcelona. FC Barcelona is renowned for its historically skillful and attractive brand of attacking football that places an emphasis on flowing, open play. The team is part of a wider sports and social club with thousands of

Hamilcar Barca was a general who assumed command of the Carthaginian forces in Sicily during the last years of the First Punic War with Rome (264–241 bce). Until the rise to power of his son Hannibal, Hamilcar was the finest commander and statesman that Carthage had produced. Nothing is known of

Pedro Calderón de la Barca was a dramatist and poet who succeeded Lope de Vega as the greatest Spanish playwright of the Golden Age. Among his best-known secular dramas are El médico de su honra (1635; The Surgeon of His Honour), La vida es sueño (1635; Life Is a Dream), El alcalde de Zalamea (c.

Pietro Bernini: …in San Martino, and the Barcaccia (1627–29), a fountain in the form of a leaking boat in the Piazza di Spagna, Rome, is believed to be his work, though some have attributed it to Gian Lorenzo. Gian Lorenzo was taught marble cutting by Pietro, and the father’s patrons, the powerful…

barcarolle, (from Italian barcarola, “boatman” or “gondolier”), originally a Venetian gondolier’s song typified by gently rocking rhythms in 68 or 128 time. In the 18th and 19th centuries the barcarolle inspired a considerable number of vocal and instrumental compositions, ranging from opera arias

barcarolle, (from Italian barcarola, “boatman” or “gondolier”), originally a Venetian gondolier’s song typified by gently rocking rhythms in 68 or 128 time. In the 18th and 19th centuries the barcarolle inspired a considerable number of vocal and instrumental compositions, ranging from opera arias

Portuguese literature: Gil Vicente and the drama: The Boat Plays)—a group of autos, or religious plays (see auto sacramental)—revealed his dramatic power, his fondness for comic relief, and his deft use of popular figures and language. The phenomenon of a potential national theatre, however, died with its founder and did not find…

Hamilcar Barca was a general who assumed command of the Carthaginian forces in Sicily during the last years of the First Punic War with Rome (264–241 bce). Until the rise to power of his son Hannibal, Hamilcar was the finest commander and statesman that Carthage had produced. Nothing is known of

Al-Marj, town, northeastern Libya, on Al-Marj plain at the western edge of the Akhḍar Mountains, near the Mediterranean coast. Site of the 6th-century-bc Greek colony of Barce, it was taken by the Arabs in about ad 642. The present town grew around a Turkish fort built in 1842 and now restored. The

Gertrudis Barcelo was a Mexican-born businesswoman who built her fortune through casinos and trade ventures in the early American Southwest. Barcelo’s wealthy parents saw that she received an education, and in the early 1820s the family moved to a small village just south of Albuquerque, which at

Gertrudis Barcelo was a Mexican-born businesswoman who built her fortune through casinos and trade ventures in the early American Southwest. Barcelo’s wealthy parents saw that she received an education, and in the early 1820s the family moved to a small village just south of Albuquerque, which at

Barcelona, provincia (province) in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It was formed in 1833. The province follows the axis of the Llobregat River basin, from which its regions are symmetrically arranged. No province has a more diverse landscape; it is a

Mira Sorvino: …in the comedy of manners Barcelona (1994).

Barcelona, city, capital of Anzoátegui estado (state), northeastern Venezuela. Established in 1671 from a merger of the Cristobal de Cumanagoto and the Cerro Nuevo settlements, the town was named for the capital of the Spanish home province of its Catalan founders. On the west bank of the Neverí

Barcelona, city, seaport, and capital of Barcelona provincia (province) and of Catalonia comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain, located 90 miles (150 km) south of the French border. It is Spain’s major Mediterranean port and commercial centre and is famed for its

France: The principalities of the south: …century, when the houses of Barcelona and Toulouse secured portions by marriage; a cadet dynasty of Barcelona continued to rule the county until 1245.

Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Barcelona that took place July 25–August 9, 1992. The Barcelona Games were the 22nd occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The 1992 Games were perhaps the most-successful modern Olympics. More than 9,300 athletes representing 169 countries

Bartolomé Ordóñez: He was commissioned by the Barcelona Cathedral in 1517 to make wooden reliefs for the choir stalls and marble reliefs for the trascoro (a screen wall at the rear of the choir).

Barcelona chair, one of the most-recognized chairs of the 20th century. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the German Pavilion, which he also designed, at the International Exposition in Barcelona in 1929. The framework consists of two connected pairs of crossed steel bars: the single

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: Work after World War I: …period in Europe was the German Pavilion (also known as the Barcelona Pavilion), which was commissioned by the German government for the 1929 International Exposition at Barcelona (demolished 1930; reconstructed 1986). It exhibited a sequence of marvelous spaces on a 175- by 56-foot (53.6- by 17-metre) travertine platform, partly under…

Archaeological Museum of Barcelona, institution in Barcelona, Spain, notable for its collection of prehistoric objects and for its collection of ancient Greek and Roman art and examples illustrating Iberian archaeology. Exhibits include a scale model of a part of the excavation at Ampurias

Charles VIII: …1493, by the Treaty of Barcelona, he ceded Roussillon and Cerdagne back to Aragon.

Barcelona: Services and education: The University of Barcelona was founded in 1450. It is one of seven public and private universities in the city. Others include the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1968) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1971). Most courses in the municipality’s schools are taught in Spanish and…

Barcelona: Services and education: The University of Barcelona was founded in 1450. It is one of seven public and private universities in the city. Others include the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1968) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1971). Most courses in the municipality’s schools are taught in Spanish and…

barchan, crescent-shaped sand dune produced by the action of wind predominately from one direction. One of the commonest types of dunes, it occurs in sandy deserts all over the world. Barchans are convex facing the wind, with the horns of the crescent pointing downwind and marking the lateral

Barchester Towers, novel by Anthony Trollope, published in three volumes in 1857. A satirical comedy, it is the second of the author’s series of six Barsetshire novels and is considered to be his funniest. Set in Barchester, a cathedral town in the west of England, the novel opens with the

history of Central Asia: The Uyghur kingdom: …the destruction of his country, Barchuk, the ruler of the Uyghurs of Kucha, of his own free will submitted to the Mongols. Uyghur officials and scribes were the first “civil servants” of the Mongol empire and exerted a beneficial civilizing influence on the conquerors. The Sogdian script used by the…

Barcelona, city, seaport, and capital of Barcelona provincia (province) and of Catalonia comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain, located 90 miles (150 km) south of the French border. It is Spain’s major Mediterranean port and commercial centre and is famed for its

Mikhail Bogdanovich, Prince Barclay de Tolly was a Russian field marshal who was prominent in the Napoleonic Wars. Barclay was a member of a Scottish family that had settled in Livonia in the 17th century. Enlisting in the ranks of the Russian army in 1776, he served against Turkey (1788–89) as a

Alexander Barclay was a poet who won contemporary fame chiefly for his adaptation of a popular German satire, Das Narrenschiff, by Sebastian Brant, which he called The Shyp of Folys of the Worlde (first printed 1509). Barclay, possibly of Scottish birth, was by 1509 a chaplain at the College of St.

Liberia: The early republic: Arthur Barclay, who was born in Barbados, initiated a policy of direct cooperation with the tribes. Having obtained a loan from London in 1907, he made real efforts at reform. The foreign debt, however, was a burden, and the government was unable to exert effective…

John Barclay was a Scottish satirist and Latin poet whose Argenis (1621), a long poem of romantic adventure, had great influence on the development of the romance in the 17th century. Barclay was a cosmopolitan man of letters who traveled freely between Paris and London. He remained in London from

Robert Barclay was a Quaker leader whose Apology for the True Christian Divinity (1678) became a standard statement of Quaker doctrines. His friendship with James II, then duke of York, helped obtain the patent to settle the province of East Jersey, in the New World. After returning to Scotland

Nymphaeales: Nymphaeaceae: The genus Barclaya, with about two species, was formerly considered a separate family, Barclayaceae. It is distinguished from other members of Nymphaeaceae by an extended perianth tube (combined sepals and petals) arising from the top of the ovary and by stamens that are joined basally. Barclaya is…

Barclays PLC is a multinational financial institution formed in England in 1896, with roots that date back to goldsmith banking in the late 1600s. A household name in many countries, London-based Barclays operates across retail banking, investment banking, wealth management, brokerage services, and

Gustavo Petro: Early life and M-19 membership: Virgilio Barco led to amnesty for members of the group, which then transformed into a legitimate political party, Alianza Democrática M-19.

barcode, a printed series of parallel bars or lines of varying width that is used for entering data into a computer system. The bars are typically black on a white background, and their width and quantity vary according to application. The bars are used to represent the binary digits 0 and 1,

laser: Laser scanners: …detect light reflected from striped bar codes on packages, decode the symbol, and relay the information to a computer so that it can add the price to the bill.