- Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (memoir by Mandela)
Nelson Mandela: Presidency and retirement: …Langa and released posthumously as Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017).
- Dare, Virginia (English colonist)
Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the Americas. She was given the name Virginia because she was the first Christian born in Virginia. Her father was Ananias Dare. Her mother, Ellinor (Eleanor, or Elyonor) White Dare, was the daughter of the Roanoke colony governor, John White. The
- Daredevil (film by Johnson [2003])
Ben Affleck: Starring roles in Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and The Sum of All Fears: starred opposite Jennifer Garner in Daredevil (2003), the film adaptation of the popular comic book series.
- Daredevil (fictional character)
Daredevil, American comic strip superhero created for Marvel Comics by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. The character first appeared in Daredevil no. 1 (April 1964). Daredevil’s origin is revealed in the comic’s first issue. Bookish Matt Murdock pushes a man clear of an oncoming truck but
- daredevil (breed of dog)
Irish terrier, dog developed in Ireland, one of the oldest breeds of terriers. Nicknamed the “daredevil,” it has earned the reputation of being adaptable, loyal, spirited, and recklessly courageous. It served as a messenger and sentinel dog in World War I, and it has been used to hunt and to
- Daredevil (American television series)
Vincent D’Onofrio: …Marvel Cinematic Universe streaming series Daredevil (2015–18) and had the same part in the limited series Hawkeye (2021). Also in 2021 he portrayed Jerry Falwell in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a film drama based on the 2000 documentary of the same name, and appeared in the Sandra Bullock vehicle…
- darekh (fish)
Lake Van: …no animal life save the darekh (related to the European bleak, a small soft-finned river fish of the carp family), a freshwater fish that has adapted to a saline environment.
- Dares Phrygius (Trojan priest)
Dares Phrygius, Trojan priest of Hephaestus who appears as one of the characters in Homer’s Iliad, Book V, and is the reputed author of a lost pre-Homeric “eyewitness” account of the Trojan War. The Daretis Phrygii de Excidio Trojae historia, a Latin work purporting to be a translation of this,
- Dareste de la Chavanne, Antoine (French historian)
Antoine Dareste de la Chavanne was a French historian whose reputation rests on his authoritative major work, Histoire de France, 9 vol. (1865–79). Dareste de la Chavanne was educated at the École des Chartes (School of Paleography) in Paris, later becoming professor of history at Grenoble in 1847
- Daret, Jacques (French painter)
Jacques Daret was an early French Renaissance painter of Tournai whose work shows the strong influence of the Master of Flémalle. Only one group of his works is known, that from the period 1433–35. The Flemish realism developed by the Master of Flémalle was adapted by Daret, who later headed the
- Daret, James (French painter)
Jacques Daret was an early French Renaissance painter of Tournai whose work shows the strong influence of the Master of Flémalle. Only one group of his works is known, that from the period 1433–35. The Flemish realism developed by the Master of Flémalle was adapted by Daret, who later headed the
- Daretis Phrygii de Excidio Trojae historia (Latin work)
Dares Phrygius: The Daretis Phrygii de Excidio Trojae historia, a Latin work purporting to be a translation of this, dates probably from the 5th century ad. (The Greek original may be dated to the 3rd century ad.) The influence of this pro-Trojan work in the Latin-speaking West from…
- Darfield earthquake (New Zealand)
Christchurch earthquakes of 2010–11, series of tremors that occurred within and near the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and the Canterbury Plains region from early September 2010 to late December 2011. The severest of those events were the earthquake (magnitude from 7.0 to 7.1) that struck on
- Darfunj (people)
Funj Dynasty: …uses the term Darfunj (Funj tribes) to describe a number of ethnically and linguistically different peoples living in the southeastern part of the country. This area had represented an ethnic–linguistic mixture when the Funj arrived, and the kingdom, by its nature, increased the mix. Among those designated as Funj…
- Darfur (historical region and former province, Sudan)
Darfur, historical region of the Billād al-Sūdān (Arabic: “Land of the Blacks”), roughly corresponding to the westernmost portion of present-day Sudan. It lay between Kordofan to the east and Wadai to the west and extended southward to the Al-Ghazāl (Gazelle) River and northward to the Libyan
- Dārfūr (historical region and former province, Sudan)
Darfur, historical region of the Billād al-Sūdān (Arabic: “Land of the Blacks”), roughly corresponding to the westernmost portion of present-day Sudan. It lay between Kordofan to the east and Wadai to the west and extended southward to the Al-Ghazāl (Gazelle) River and northward to the Libyan
- Darfur Plateau (plateau, Sudan)
Sudan: Relief: …Mountains rise out of the Darfur Plateau farther west to elevations between approximately 3,000 and 10,000 feet (900 and 3,000 metres) above sea level. These mountains form the Nile-Congo watershed and the western boundary of the clay plain.
- dargah (Indian religious site)
Hinduism: Hinduism and Islam: …of shared ritual spaces, called dargahs (literally, “doorway” or “threshold”), for Hindus and Muslims. These mark shrines for revered Muslim (frequently Sufi) leaders and are visited by both Muslims and Hindus. Moreover, close proximity and daily interaction throughout the centuries has led to efforts to accommodate the existence of the…
- Darger, Henry (American artist and writer)
Henry Darger was an American outsider artist and writer known for his epic fantasy more than 15,000 pages long and his colourful, often disturbing watercolours and collages. His works were discovered shortly before his death and recognized only posthumously by the wider world. Darger’s
- Dargin language
Lak-Dargin languages: …Dagestan in the Caucasus—Lak and Dargin. Both are written languages. The dialects of Dargin differ considerably from one another and are considered by some scholars to be separate languages. The Lak-Dargin languages are often placed in the Dagestanian group of the Nakho-Dagestanian (Northeast Caucasian) languages, together with the Avar-Andi-Dido and…
- Dargomyzhsky, Aleksandr (Russian composer)
Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky was a Russian composer of songs and operas whose works are now seldom performed. Dargomyzhsky grew up in St. Petersburg as a talented amateur musician, playing the violin and piano and dabbling in composition. His acquaintance with the composer Mikhail Glinka (1833) turned
- Dargomyzhsky, Aleksandr Sergeyevich (Russian composer)
Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky was a Russian composer of songs and operas whose works are now seldom performed. Dargomyzhsky grew up in St. Petersburg as a talented amateur musician, playing the violin and piano and dabbling in composition. His acquaintance with the composer Mikhail Glinka (1833) turned
- Dargwa language
Lak-Dargin languages: …Dagestan in the Caucasus—Lak and Dargin. Both are written languages. The dialects of Dargin differ considerably from one another and are considered by some scholars to be separate languages. The Lak-Dargin languages are often placed in the Dagestanian group of the Nakho-Dagestanian (Northeast Caucasian) languages, together with the Avar-Andi-Dido and…
- Darhan (Mongolia)
Darkhan, town, northern Mongolia, northwest of Ulaanbaatar. A large industrial complex, built in the late 1960s with Soviet and eastern European aid, makes Darkhan one of the largest industrial centres in Mongolia. A building-industry combine produces concrete, lime cement, bricks, and wood and
- Darhat (people)
shamanism: Dress and equipment: Darhat are decorated with representations of human bones—ribs, arm, and finger bones. The shamans of the Goldi-Ude tribe perform the ceremony in a singular shirt and in a front and back apron on which there are representations of snakes, lizards, frogs, and other animals.
- Dari language
Dari language, member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian family of languages and, along with Pashto, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan dialect of Farsi (Persian). It is written in a modified Arabic alphabet, and it has many Arabic and Persian loanwords. The
- Daria Daulat Bagh (palace, Ganjam, India)
Shrirangapattana: Daria Daulat Bagh (1784)—Tipu’s elaborate summer palace, with murals of processions and battle scenes—is just east of the town centre. Nearby Lal Bagh (“Red Garden”) contains the mausoleum where two sultans are interred. Several islands in the Kaveri just west of Shrirangapattana are part of…
- daric (ancient coin)
coin: Achaemenids: …of the dynasty were the daric struck from gold of very pure quality and the siglos in silver; 20 sigloi (shekels) made a daric, which weighed 8.4 grams. The types of both coins were the same: obverse, the Persian king in a kneeling position holding a bow in his left…
- Darién (region, Panama and Colombia)
Darién, geographic region of the easternmost Isthmus of Panama that extends into northwestern Colombia, around the Gulf of Urabá (a section of the Gulf of Darién), and forms the physiographic link between Central and South America. A hot, humid area typified by tropical rainforests, mangrove
- Darien (Georgia, United States)
Darien, city, seat (1818) of McIntosh county, southeastern Georgia, U.S. It is situated near the mouth of the Altamaha River on the Atlantic coast, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Brunswick. The site, near Fort King George, was settled in 1736 by Scottish Highlanders under John McIntosh Mohr, who
- Darien (Connecticut, United States)
Darien, town (township), Fairfield county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound. Originally part of Stamford, the area was settled by colonists from Wethersfield about 1641, and a separate community life began in 1737 when the newly named Middlesex Parish was separated from
- Darién Gap (geographic region)
Darién Gap, an approximately 60-mile (100-km) break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise runs continuously from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. The gap is located in the thickly vegetated marshland and jungle of the Darién region, which spans the easternmost part of Panama and
- Darién National State Park (national park, Panama)
Darién: …large part of the region—Darién National Park in Panama and Los Katíos National Park in Colombia. The Panamanian park was established as the Alto Darién Forest Reserve in 1972 and elevated to national park status in 1980; it covers some 2,305 square miles (5,970 square km). The Colombian park…
- Darién, Gulf of (gulf, Panama)
Gulf of Darién, triangular southernmost extension of the Caribbean Sea, bounded by Panama on the southwest and by Colombia on the southeast and east. The inner section, which is called the Gulf of Urabá, is a shallow, mangrove-lined arm lying between Caribana Point and Cape Tiburón, Colombia. The
- Dariense, Cordillera (mountains, Nicaragua)
Nicaragua: Relief: …border; the Cordilleras Isabelia and Dariense, in the north-central area; and the Huapí, Amerrique, and Yolaina mountains, in the southeast. The mountains are highest in the north, and Mogotón Peak (6,900 feet [2,103 metres]), in the Cordillera Entre Ríos, is the highest point in the country.
- Darii (syllogistic)
history of logic: Syllogisms: figure: Barbara, Celarent, Darii, Ferio,
- Darin, Bobby (American singer and songwriter)
Bobby Darin was an American singer and songwriter whose quest for success in several genres made him a ubiquitous presence in pop entertainment in the late 1950s and ’60s. At age 8 Darin was diagnosed with a heart defect and was not expected to reach age 16, but this death sentence became the anvil
- Darío, Rubén (Nicaraguan writer)
Rubén Darío was an influential Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat. As a leader of the Spanish American literary movement known as Modernismo, which flourished at the end of the 19th century, he revivified and modernized poetry in Spanish on both sides of the Atlantic through his experiments
- Darius (Achaemenian prince)
Artabanus: …had previously killed Xerxes’ son Darius and feared that the father would avenge him; other sources relate that he killed Xerxes first and then, pretending that Darius had done so, induced Darius’ brother Artaxerxes I to avenge the “parricide.” Artabanus was in control of the Achaemenid state for seven months…
- Darius I (king of Persia)
Darius I was the king of Persia in 522–486 bc, one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, who was noted for his administrative genius and for his great building projects. Darius attempted several times to conquer Greece; his fleet was destroyed by a storm in 492, and the Athenians
- Darius II Ochus (king of Persia)
Darius II Ochus was an Achaemenid king who reigned from 423–404 bce in Persia. The son of Artaxerxes I by a Babylonian concubine, he seized the throne from his half brother Secydianus (or Sogdianus), whom he then executed. Ochus, who had previously been satrap of Hyrcania, adopted the name of
- Darius III (king of Persia)
Darius III was the last king (reigned 336–330 bc) of the Achaemenid dynasty. Darius belonged to a collateral branch of the royal family and was placed on the throne by the eunuch Bagoas, who had poisoned the two previous kings, Artaxerxes III and Arses. When Darius asserted his independence, Bagoas
- Darius the Great (king of Persia)
Darius I was the king of Persia in 522–486 bc, one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, who was noted for his administrative genius and for his great building projects. Darius attempted several times to conquer Greece; his fleet was destroyed by a storm in 492, and the Athenians
- Darius, Apadana of (hall, Persepolis, Iran)
Iranian art and architecture: Architecture: …the great Apadana (hall) of Darius. It is 272 feet (83 metres) square and is said to have accommodated 10,000 people. The four corner towers presumably contained guardrooms and stairs. The sculptured stairway by which it was reached bears the famous relief of the tribute bearers. Next comes the Throne…
- Darjeeling (district, India)
West Bengal: Relief and drainage: …area, particularly in Darjiling (Darjeeling). On a clear day, Mount Everest also can be seen in the distance.
- Darjeeling (India)
Darjeeling, city, extreme northern West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies about 305 miles (490 km) north of Kolkata, at an elevation of about 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) above sea level. Darjeeling is situated on a long, narrow mountain ridge of the Sikkim Himalayas that descends abruptly to
- Darjeeling Limited, The (film by Anderson [2007])
Adrien Brody: The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Brutalist: of Wes Anderson’s films, including The Darjeeling Limited (2007), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023). In addition, he voiced the Field Mouse in Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).
- Darjes, Joachim Georg (logician)
history of logic: The 18th and 19th centuries: … in 1740 and that of Joachim Georg Darjes (1714–91) in 1747. Segner used the notation “B < A” to signify, intensionally in the manner of Leibniz, that the concept of B is included in the concept of A (i.e., “All A’s are B’s”).
- Darjiling (India)
Darjeeling, city, extreme northern West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies about 305 miles (490 km) north of Kolkata, at an elevation of about 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) above sea level. Darjeeling is situated on a long, narrow mountain ridge of the Sikkim Himalayas that descends abruptly to
- Dārjiling (district, India)
West Bengal: Relief and drainage: …area, particularly in Darjiling (Darjeeling). On a clear day, Mount Everest also can be seen in the distance.
- dark adaptation (optics)
vitamin: Functions: …visual purple) are involved in dark vision. The vitamin D group is required for growth (especially bone growth or calcification). The vitamin E group also is necessary for normal animal growth; without vitamin E, animals are not fertile and develop abnormalities of the central nervous system, muscles, and organs (especially…
- Dark Age (Greek history)
Western painting: Dark Ages (1200–900 bc): During the 13th century bc the great palatial centres of the Aegean world came to a violent end. Both internal dissension and foreign invasion seem to have played a part in this development, and, if the exact course of events is…
- Dark Ages (European history)
Migration period, the early medieval period of western European history—specifically, the time (476–800 ce) when there was no Roman (or Holy Roman) emperor in the West or, more generally, the period between about 500 and 1000, which was marked by frequent warfare and a virtual disappearance of
- Dark Arena, The (novel by Puzo)
Mario Puzo: His first two novels, The Dark Arena (1955) and The Fortunate Pilgrim (1964), attracted good reviews but few buyers.
- Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend is Laid (work by Lowry)
Malcolm Lowry: An unfinished novel, Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid (1968), throws some light on his writing.
- Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The (film by Mann [1960])
Delbert Mann: Feature films: …adapting stage vehicles continued with The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960), a tepid version of the William Inge play about the trials and tribulations of an Oklahoma family; Robert Preston starred as the philandering husband, Dorothy McGuire as his wife, and Angela Lansbury as his mistress. With…
- Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The (play by Inge)
William Inge: …was revised for Broadway as The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (filmed 1960).
- Dark Command (film by Walsh [1940])
Raoul Walsh: At Warner Brothers: The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra, and White Heat: …over to Republic to make Dark Command (1940), a lively telling of the Quantrill’s Raiders tale starring Wayne and Claire Trevor (who had recently teamed in Ford’s Stagecoach [1939]) as Kansans battling renegade William Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon) during the Civil War. With High Sierra (1941) Walsh enjoyed a breakthrough, as…
- dark corn syrup (food)
corn syrup: Dark corn syrup is made by combining corn syrup with molasses and caramel colouring and is sweeter than light corn syrup. Dark corn syrup is used in the same ways as light but when a darker colour and more distinctive flavour are desired; it is…
- Dark Corner, The (film by Hathaway [1946])
Henry Hathaway: Film noirs: The film noir The Dark Corner (1946) also earned critical praise, in part for a solid cast that included Mark Stevens, William Bendix, Clifton Webb, and Lucille Ball. With 13 Rue Madeleine (1947), Hathaway grafted noir visuals onto an espionage thriller with fine results; James Cagney was especially…
- Dark Crimes (film by Avranas [2016])
Jim Carrey: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and later films: …took a new direction with Dark Crimes (2016), a gloomy thriller based on a 2008 New Yorker article about a police officer investigating a murder that resembles one described in a crime novel. He then starred as a popular children’s television show host coping with a recent tragedy in the…
- Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The (television series)
Helena Bonham Carter: …voice to the TV series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a 10-episode prequel to the 1982 puppet fantasy The Dark Crystal. She then appeared as Princess Margaret in seasons three and four (2019–20) of the series The Crown.
- dark elm bark beetle
Dutch elm disease: …multistriatus), less commonly by the American elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes). Female beetles seek out dead or weakened elm wood to excavate an egg-laying gallery between the bark and the wood. If the fungus is present, tremendous numbers of fungal spores (conidia) are produced in the galleries. When young adult…
- dark energy (astronomy)
dark energy, repulsive force that is the dominant component (69.4 percent) of the universe. The remaining portion of the universe consists of ordinary matter and dark matter. Dark energy, in contrast to both forms of matter, is relatively uniform in time and space and is gravitationally repulsive,
- Dark Entries (graphic novel by Rankin)
Ian Rankin: Dark Entries (2009) is a graphic novel centring on an occult detective’s investigation of a haunted reality television show set.
- dark field microscopy (technique)
syphilis test: …supported by the use of dark-field microscopy to identify T. pallidum. In TPHA a patient’s serum is applied to sheep red blood cells that express T. pallidum antigens. The agglutination, or clumping together of the antibody and blood cells, indicates infection. In FTA-ABS a patient’s serum sample is treated to…
- Dark Flood Rises, The (novel by Drabble)
Margaret Drabble: …mortality are the themes of The Dark Flood Rises (2016), which focuses on a 70-something woman and her friends.
- Dark Forest, The (novel by Liu Cixin)
Liu Cixin: The Three-Body Problem and other works: …followed by a second book, The Dark Forest, in 2008, and a third book, Death’s End, in 2010. The first book in the series was published in the United States by Tor Books in 2014, having been translated from Chinese into English by Ken Liu. The translation met with immediate…
- Dark Frontier, The (work by Ambler)
Eric Ambler: …he completed his first novel, The Dark Frontier (1936), which exhibits the gritty realism that came to characterize his work. This and his other early novels, set in continental Europe, were permeated with the emotional atmosphere of the impending world war. His careful writing, intricate plots, and growing skill at…
- Dark Half, The (film by Romero [1993])
George A. Romero: …film adaptation of King’s novel The Dark Half (1993).
- Dark Half, The (novel by King)
Stephen King: Other novels: … (1987; TV miniseries 1993); and The Dark Half (1989; film 1993).
- Dark Harbor (poetry by Strand)
American literature: Autobiographical approaches: He enhanced his reputation with Dark Harbor (1993) and Blizzard of One (1998). Other strongly autobiographical poets working with subtle technique and intelligence in a variety of forms included Philip Levine, Charles Simic, Robert Pinsky, Gerald Stern, Louise Glück
- Dark Horse Comics (American comic book publisher)
Dark Horse Comics, American comic book publisher founded in 1986 by comics retailer Mike Richardson. In an industry dominated by the so-called “Big Two” (Marvel Comics and DC Comics), Dark Horse ranks as one of the largest independent comic companies. Its headquarters are in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Dark Horse Entertainment (American film and television studio)
Dark Horse Comics: Dark Horse Entertainment, the company’s film and television production division, was established in 1992. Primarily focused on adapting comics properties, the studio shepherded numerous creator-owned projects to the big screen. The Mask (1994), starring Jim Carrey, was a massive box-office hit, and it inspired an…
- Dark Houses, The (work by Hall)
Donald Hall: In The Dark Houses (1958) he shows a richer emotional range, presaging the intuitive, anecdotal works for which he has become best known—e.g., A Roof of Tiger Lilies (1964) and The Alligator Bride (1968). The book-length The One Day: A Poem in Three Parts (1988), considered…
- dark kangaroo mouse (rodent)
kangaroo mouse: The dark kangaroo mouse (Microdipodops megacephalus) has buff or brownish upperparts tinted with black and has gray or whitish underparts with a black-tipped tail, whereas the upperparts and entire tail of the pale kangaroo mouse (M. pallidus) are creamy buff and the underparts are white. Kangaroo…
- Dark Knight Returns, The (work by Miller)
graphic novel: The first graphic novels: …around three works: Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Alan Moore’s Watchmen (1986–87), and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus (1980–86) by Art Spiegelman. The defining attribute of each was a formal control of the medium—which is to say, a highly sophisticated degree of control over the use of panel transitions,…
- Dark Knight Rises, The (film by Nolan [2012])
Christian Bale: …Batman’s cape once again in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and played a beleaguered welder whose brother becomes entangled in a bare-knuckle fighting operation in Out of the Furnace (2013). Bale then morphed into a bloated, swaggering con artist in Russell’s American Hustle (2013), for which he received an Oscar…
- Dark Knight Strikes Again, The (comic-book series)
Frank Miller: …alternative take on Batman with The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001–02), which sold well but failed to garner the critical and commercial acclaim enjoyed by its predecessor. Miller’s All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder (2005–08; with artist Jim Lee) was perhaps his most divisive work yet, with readers left…
- Dark Knight, The (film by Nolan [2008])
The Dark Knight, American superhero film, released in 2008, that is considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is the second installment in The Dark Knight trilogy, which was launched with Batman Begins in 2005 and concluded with The Dark
- Dark Lady (song by Durrill)
Cher: Sonny and Cher: …& Thieves,” “Half-Breed,” and “Dark Lady.” Cher and Sonny divorced in 1974, though they appeared as cohosts of another television show in 1976–77.
- Dark Learning (Chinese philosophy)
China: Confucianism and philosophical Daoism: …was known as Xuanxue (“Dark Learning”); it came to reign supreme in cultural circles, especially at Jiankang during the period of division, and represented the more abstract, unworldly, and idealistic tendency in early medieval Chinese thought.
- dark matter (astronomy)
dark matter, a component of the universe whose presence is discerned from its gravitational attraction rather than its luminosity. Dark matter makes up 30.1 percent of the matter-energy composition of the universe; the rest is dark energy (69.4 percent) and “ordinary” visible matter (0.5 percent).
- Dark Matter (album by Pearl Jam)
Pearl Jam: Later releases: …the first single from its album of the same name, went to number one on Billboard’s rock and alternative airplay and mainstream rock airplay charts. (The band had last topped the latter chart in 1998 with “Given to Fly.”) The album was released in April 2024, and a world tour…
- Dark Matter (album by Newman)
Randy Newman: Dark Matter (2017) earned him, in addition to his usual stellar reviews, a Grammy Award for instrumental and vocal arrangment on the song “Putin.”
- dark nebula (astronomy)
molecular cloud, interstellar clump or cloud that is opaque because of its internal dust grains. The form of such dark clouds is very irregular: they have no clearly defined outer boundaries and sometimes take on convoluted serpentine shapes because of turbulence. The largest molecular clouds are
- dark net (Internet network)
darknet, encrypted network within the Internet that can be accessed only by specialty software or certain software configurations. Darknets may be small and intended just for groups of friends or much larger, like the popular Tor network. Darknet services allow users to remain anonymous online and
- dark night of the soul (religion)
religious experience: Preparations for experience: …16th-century Spanish mystic, as “the dark night of the soul” points precisely to the experience of failure. The soul in this situation is convinced that God has abandoned it, cast it into darkness, perhaps forever. Mystics in the Daoist and Buddhist traditions have often emphasized the spontaneity of insight…
- Dark Night of the Soul, The (work by Saint John of the Cross)
St. John of the Cross: …“Noche oscura del alma” (“The Dark Night of the Soul”), and “Llama de amor viva” (“The Living Flame of Love”)—he achieves preeminence in Spanish mystical literature, expressing the experience of the mystical union between the soul and Christ.
- Dark Passage (film by Daves [1947])
Delmer Daves: Early work: …hiding a dark secret, and Dark Passage (1947), with Humphrey Bogart as an escaped convict and Lauren Bacall as an artist who helps him. The latter film earned particular praise, especially for Agnes Moorehead’s performance. To the Victor (1948) had a powerful premise—Nazi collaborators on trial in France—but suffered from…
- Dark Past, The (film by Maté [1948])
Rudolph Maté: …made his solo debut with The Dark Past, a remake of the 1939 Blind Alley. The film noir featured William Holden as a disturbed killer who holds hostage a group, one of whom is a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) intent on uncovering the roots of the killer’s violent behaviour. Far…
- Dark Philosophers, The (novel by Thomas)
Gwyn Thomas: His first novel, The Dark Philosophers (1946), built on the conversations of four unemployed Welsh miners, reminded critics of such disparate authors as Geoffrey Chaucer, the 16th-century French humorist François Rabelais, and the 20th-century American writer Damon Runyon. Thomas’s next important novel, All Things Betray Thee (1949), set…
- Dark Phoenix (film by Kinberg [2019])
Jessica Chastain: …appeared in the franchise film X-Men: Dark Phoenix and the horror movie It Chapter Two (both 2019). In 2020 she starred in the crime drama Ava. The following year she and Oscar Isaac portrayed a couple whose relationship is falling apart in the TV miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, a…
- Dark Places (novel by Flynn)
Gillian Flynn: … (2006; TV series 2018) and Dark Places (2009; film 2015), both mysteries set in the Midwest. Sharp Objects concerns a newspaper reporter who returns to her Missouri hometown to investigate a series of murders of young girls. The narrative, threaded with themes of child abuse and self-harm, was noted for…
- Dark Places (film by Paquet-Brenner [2015])
Charlize Theron: …murder of her family in Dark Places (2015), an adaptation of the thriller novel by Gillian Flynn. In the animated Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), Theron provided the voice of a surly monkey. In 2017 she starred in the action thrillers The Fate of the Furious—the eighth film in…
- Dark Princess (novel by Du Bois)
Harlem Renaissance: Fiction: …global framework: Du Bois in Dark 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…
- Dark Reflections (novel by Delany)
Samuel R. Delany: His subsequent novels include Dark Reflections (2007), which portrays an aging gay Black poet as he lives through successes and disappointments, and Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders (2012). He also wrote the novella “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-precious Stones” (1969) and the autobiographical Atlantis:…
- dark rice rat (rodent)
rice rat: …including arboreal rice rats (Oecomys), dark rice rats (Melanomys), small rice rats (Microryzomys), and pygmy rice rats (Oligoryzomys), among others. All belong to the subfamily Sigmodontinae of the “true” mouse and rat family Muridae within the order Rodentia.
- dark ruby silver (mineral)
pyrargyrite, a sulfosalt mineral, a silver antimony sulfide (Ag3SbS3), that is an important source of silver, sometimes called ruby silver because of its deep red colour (see also proustite). The best crystallized specimens, of hexagonal symmetry, are from St. Andreasberg in the Harz Mountains and
- Dark Shadows (American television program)
Joan Bennett: …the daily supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows (1966–70). Her autobiography The Bennett Playbill was published in 1970.