Ernesto Cardenal: … (1978), Vuelos de victoria (1985; Flights of Victory), Cántico cósmico (1989; Cosmic Canticles), Pluriverse: New and Selected Poems (2009), and El Origen de las Especies, y Otros Poemas (2011; Origin of the Species, and Other Poems). He won numerous awards and honours.

ombre: Vuelta is the same, except that the declarer must accept as trump the suit of the first card turned from stock. Highest is solo, in which the declarer chooses trump but plays with the hand as dealt. Whatever the contract, both opponents may discard and…

Chris Froome: …British rider to win the Vuelta a España. He also was the first rider in nearly four decades to win that race and the Tour de France in the same year. However, he failed a drug test during the Vuelta a España after his urine was found to have had…

José Hernández: …poetic narrative’s second part, La vuelta de Martín Fierro (1879; “The Return of Martín Fierro”), the gaucho hero is reintegrated into the society he had abandoned.

Latin American dance: Folk and popular dances: …of the space) with a vuelta y colocación (a turn and getting into position). The next section consisted of an adorno (an improvisation of the dancers’ favourite steps). The final phase of the dances was the exaltación, which included spins and turns by the dancers, who remained separate. The Spanish…

Ricky Martin: Solo career and breakthrough in the United States: …Grammy Awards Martin’s fourth album, Vuelve (1998; “Come Back”), won the award for best Latin pop performance (later known as best Latin pop album). His jubilant performance of the song “La copa de la vida” (“The Cup of Life”) at the awards ceremony catapulted Martin to fame in the United…

Giaches de Wert was a Flemish composer best known to his contemporaries for his madrigals. He was highly praised by contemporary musicians, particularly Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Thomas Morley, and Claudio Monteverdi. It is likely that de Wert was taken to Italy as a boy to be a singer in

Vught, small German Nazi concentration camp near the town of Vught, 2 miles (3 km) south of the city of Hertogenbosch, North Brabant, Netherlands. Set up in early 1943, it was essentially a transit camp for Dutch Jews, some of whom worked on slave-labor projects. All Jewish prisoners were

monoplane: …constructed by the Romanian inventor Trajan Vuia, who made a flight of 12 m (40 feet) on March 18, 1906. Louis Blériot of France built a monoplane in 1907 and flew it across the English Channel two years later. Monoplane design proved itself conclusively during World War II, and since…

Édouard Vuillard was a French painter, printmaker, and decorator who was a member of the Nabis group of painters in the 1890s. He is particularly known for his depictions of intimate interior scenes. Vuillard studied art from 1886 to 1888 at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in

Édouard Vuillard was a French painter, printmaker, and decorator who was a member of the Nabis group of painters in the 1890s. He is particularly known for his depictions of intimate interior scenes. Vuillard studied art from 1886 to 1888 at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in

dance: The 19th-century French dance historian Gaston Vuillier also emphasized the qualities of grace, harmony, and beauty, distinguishing “true” dance from the supposedly crude and spontaneous movements of early man:

Louis Vuitton was a French box maker and entrepreneur who founded his namesake brand of luxury trunks and luggage in 1854. During his lifetime, Vuitton introduced a number of innovations to luggage, and his brand later grew to become one of the most valuable and recognized fashion houses in the

Serbia: Conquest by the Ottoman Turks: …factions into briefly uniting under Vukašin, the king of the southern Serbian lands, and his brother John Uglješa, the despot of Serres (modern Sérrai, Greece); their forces were eventually defeated in 1371 at the Battle of the Maritsa River (Battle of Chernomen), in which both leaders were killed.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ancient and medieval periods: The nobleman Stefan Vukčić also engaged in tactical alliances against the Bosnian rulers, establishing his own rule over the territory of Hum and giving himself the title herceg (duke), from which the name Herzegovina is derived. Ottoman forces captured an important part of central Bosnia in 1448,…

Western sculpture: Roman and Early Christian: …and was the work of Vulca of Veii. A magnificent terra-cotta statue of Apollo found at Veii may give some notion of its character. In the 5th, 4th, and 3rd centuries bce, when Etruscan influence on Rome was declining and Rome’s dominion was spreading through the Italian peninsula, contacts with…

Vulcan automatic cannon, 20-millimetre (0.8-inch) weapon capable of firing at a rate of up to 7,200 rounds per minute. Such extremely rapid fire is thought necessary in combat between supersonic aircraft, for a target may only be in the gunsight for a second or less at one time. To attain the

Vulcan, in Roman religion, god of fire, particularly in its destructive aspects as volcanoes or conflagrations. Poetically, he is given all the attributes of the Greek Hephaestus. His worship was very ancient, and at Rome he had his own priest (flamen). His chief festival, the Volcanalia, was held

Vulcan automatic cannon, 20-millimetre (0.8-inch) weapon capable of firing at a rate of up to 7,200 rounds per minute. Such extremely rapid fire is thought necessary in combat between supersonic aircraft, for a target may only be in the gunsight for a second or less at one time. To attain the

Diego Velázquez: First Italian journey: …Brought to Jacob (1630) and Vulcan’s Forge (1630). These two monumental figure compositions are far removed from the limited realism in which he had been trained. As a result of his Italian studies, particularly of Venetian painting, his development in the treatment of space, perspective, light, and colour and his…

Vulcano Island, southernmost of the Eolie Islands, in the Tyrrhenian Sea (of the Mediterranean), off northeastern Sicily. It is administered as part of northern Sicily, southern Italy. Vulcano has an area of 8 square miles (21 square km). Although the last major eruptions were in 1888–90, fumaroles

volcano: Six types of eruptions: The Vulcanian type, named for Vulcano Island near Stromboli, generally involves moderate explosions of gas laden with volcanic ash. This mixture forms dark, turbulent eruption clouds that rapidly ascend and expand in convoluted shapes.

volcanism, any of various processes and phenomena associated with the surficial discharge of molten rock, pyroclastic fragments, or hot water and steam, including volcanoes, geysers, and fumaroles. Although volcanism is best known on Earth, there is evidence that it has been important in the

vulcanization, chemical process by which the physical properties of natural or synthetic rubber are improved; finished rubber has higher tensile strength and resistance to swelling and abrasion, and is elastic over a greater range of temperatures. In its simplest form, vulcanization is brought

Vulcano Island, southernmost of the Eolie Islands, in the Tyrrhenian Sea (of the Mediterranean), off northeastern Sicily. It is administered as part of northern Sicily, southern Italy. Vulcano has an area of 8 square miles (21 square km). Although the last major eruptions were in 1888–90, fumaroles

volcanology, discipline of the geologic sciences that is concerned with all aspects of volcanic phenomena. Volcanology deals with the formation, distribution, and classification of volcanoes as well as with their structure and the kinds of materials ejected during an eruption (such as pyroclastic

Vulci, important town of the ancient Etruscans, the ruins of which are about 10 miles (16 km) from the sea between the villages of Canino and Montalto di Castro, in Viterbo province, Italy. The site, excavated in 1956, has extensive cemeteries and a large network of streets and walls. Vulci grew

Vulgar Latin, spoken form of non-Classical Latin from which originated the Romance group of languages. Later Latin (from the 3rd century ce onward) is often called Vulgar Latin—a confusing term in that it can designate the popular Latin of all periods and is sometimes also used for so-called

Vulgate, (from the Latin editio vulgata, “common version”), Latin Bible used by the Roman Catholic Church, primarily translated by St. Jerome. In 382 Pope Damasus commissioned Jerome, the leading biblical scholar of his day, to produce an acceptable Latin version of the Bible from the various

Vulgate cycle, group of Arthurian romances in French prose, dating roughly to 1210–30. Traditionally attributed to Walter Map, a clerk for King Henry II, the cycle is now thought to have been written by a group of Cistercian monks. It comprises L’Estoire del Saint Graal, a Merlin based on Robert de

security and protection system: Physical security.: A typical procedure is the vulnerability test, or “created-error” check, in which an error or breach, such as an erroneous invoice, is deliberately planted in the system to see if it is detected and reported. Undercover investigators, such as hired “shoppers” who check on the honesty of sales personnel, also…

coelacanth: …coelacanth being classified as a vulnerable species.

Sigrid Nunez: What Are You Going Through and The Vulnerables: She followed this work with The Vulnerables (2023), which examines the cross-generational relationship between two strangers brought together by a gig pet-sitting a macaw during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. All three of these novels are narrated by writer characters who closely resemble Nunez, though she has stressed…

Vulpecula, constellation in the northern sky at about 20 hours right ascension and 25° north in declination. It is a faint constellation; its brightest star is Alpha Vulpeculae, with a magnitude of 4.5. Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius invented this constellation in 1687. It originally

fox: Classification: bengalensis (Bengal, or Indian, fox) Small (1.5–3 kg) and gray; found in sparsely wooded regions of the Indian subcontinent. V. cana (Blanford’s, or hoary, fox) Small (1–2 kg) and catlike, with soft fur and a long bushy tail; found in the mountain steppes and deserts of…

fox: Classification: cana (Blanford’s, or hoary, fox) Small (1–2 kg) and catlike, with soft fur and a long bushy tail; found in the mountain steppes and deserts of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Israel; coat gray above, white below. V. chama (Cape fox, South African silver fox, or chama)…

fox: Classification: chama (Cape fox, South African silver fox, or chama) Long-eared fox inhabiting dry areas of Southern Africa, particularly in the Kalahari desert region; weight 4 kg, body length usually less than 60 cm; coat gray. V. corsac (corsac, or steppe, fox) Small and social steppe-dwelling fox

fox: Classification: corsac (corsac, or steppe, fox) Small and social steppe-dwelling fox that inhabits steppes and semideserts of eastern Eurasia; coat yellowish gray or brown to reddish gray; body similar in form to the red fox but with larger legs and ears. V. ferrilata (Tibetan fox) Short-eared short-tailed…

fox: Classification: ferrilata (Tibetan fox) Short-eared short-tailed fox of the barren slopes and streambeds of Nepal; length to 70 cm, weight up to 4 kg or more; colour variable. V. pallida (pale fox) 1.5–3.5-kg fox inhabiting the Sahel savannas and southern desert margin of northern Africa; coat yellow…

fox: …the Old World and the New World. Several other foxes belong to genera other than Vulpes, including the North American gray fox, five species of South American fox, the Arctic fox (including the blue fox), the bat-eared fox, and the crab-eating fox.

Arctic fox, (Vulpes lagopus), northern fox of the family Canidae, found throughout the Arctic region, usually on tundra or mountains near the sea. Fully grown adults reach about 50–60 cm (20–24 inches) in length, exclusive of the 30-cm (12-inch) tail, and a weight of about 3–8 kg (6.6–17 pounds).

fox: Classification: macrotis (kit fox); large-eared pale foxes of the western North American plains (swift fox) and deserts (kit fox); shy and uncommon; adult length about 40–50 cm without the 20–30-cm tail, weight about 1.5–3 kg; burrow dweller that feeds on small animals (rodents, rabbits, insects); coat gray…

fox: Classification: pallida (pale fox) 1.5–3.5-kg fox inhabiting the Sahel savannas and southern desert margin of northern Africa; coat yellow to brown; similar in form to the red fox but with longer legs and ears. V. rueppelli (sand fox) Big-eared fox of the deserts of northern Africa southward…

fox: Classification: rueppelli (sand fox) Big-eared fox of the deserts of northern Africa southward to Sudan; also found in Saudi Arabia and southwestern Asia; weight usually 2 or 3 kg, length to 80 cm, including tail; coat sandy or silvery gray with black patches on the face. V.…

fox: Classification: velox (swift fox) Sometimes considered as two species, V. velox (swift fox) and V. macrotis (kit fox); large-eared pale foxes of the western North American plains (swift fox) and deserts (kit fox); shy and uncommon; adult length about 40–50 cm without the 20–30-cm tail, weight about…

red fox, (Vulpes vulpes), species of fox (family Canidae) found throughout Europe, temperate Asia, northern Africa, and North America. It has the largest natural distribution of any land mammal except human beings. First introduced to Australia in the 19th century, it has since established itself

fennec, (Fennecus zerda), desert-dwelling fox, family Canidae, found in north Africa and the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas. The fennec is characterized by its small size (head and body length 36–41 cm [14–16 inches], weight about 1.5 kg [3.3 pounds]) and large ears (15 cm or more in length). It has

Christian August Vulpius was a German writer of popular historical novels and brother of Christiane Vulpius, Goethe’s wife. Educated at Jena and Erlangen, Vulpius became secretary to the baron of Soden at Nürnburg (1788). He returned to Weimar (1790) and began his writing career by translating

Swiss literature: …entire Bible was translated by J.A. Vulpius and J. Dorta. There is also a rich variety of popular songs, especially of the religious and political kind. Owing to its geographical distribution Romansh literature is essentially regional in character. Nevertheless, the anthologist Caspar Decurtins; the poets Peider Lansel, Jon Guidon, and…

ancient Rome: Roman expansion in the eastern Mediterranean: ” The consul of 189, Gnaeus Manlius Vulso, came east with reinforcements, took command of the legions, and proceeded to plunder the Galatians of Anatolia on the pretext of restoring order.

condor: Andean condor: The male Andean condor is a black bird with grayish white wing feathers, a white fringe of feathers around the neck, and a bare red or pinkish head, neck, and crop. Males have a large caruncle, or fleshy protuberance, on the forehead and top of the beak,…

vulture, any of 22 species of large carrion-eating birds that live predominantly in the tropics and subtropics, classified in the families Accipitridae (Old World vultures) and Cathartidae (New World vultures) in the order Accipitriformes. The 7 species of New World vultures include condors, and

stingless bee: Natural history and life cycle: …of the genus Trigona, called vulture bees, obtain nutrition from decomposing carcasses; they are the only bees known to scavenge for carrion. Colony size depends on the species; it typically amounts to tens of thousands of individuals, though colonies with as few as 100 individuals have been observed. (A western…

Lagash: …of that period is the Stele of the Vultures, erected to celebrate the victory of King Eannatum over the neighbouring state of Umma. Another is the engraved silver vase of King Entemena, a successor of Eannatum. Control of Lagash finally fell to Sargon of Akkad (reigned c. 2334–2279 bce), but…

Henry-François Becque: Les Corbeaux (1882; The Vultures, 1913), his masterpiece, describes a bitter struggle for an inheritance. The unvaried egotism of the characters and the realistic dialogue were unfavourably received, except by the Naturalist critics, and the play had only three performances. La Parisienne (1885; Parisienne, 1943) scandalized the public…

guinea fowl: …and most-colourful species is the vulturine guinea fowl (Acryllium vulturinum), of eastern Africa, a long-necked bird with a hackle of long lance-shaped feathers striped black, white, and blue; red eyes; and a vulturelike bare blue head.

bristlehead, (species Psittrichas fulgidus), parrot of the forested slopes of northern New Guinea, the sole species constituting the subfamily Psittrichasinae (order Psittaciformes). A short-tailed, crow-sized parrot, nearly 50 cm (20 inches) in length, it is black with red underparts and gray

vulva, the external female genitalia that surround the opening to the vagina; collectively these consist of the labia majora, the labia minora, clitoris, vestibule of the vagina, bulb of the vestibule, and the glands of Bartholin. All of these organs are located in front of the anus and below the

vulva, the external female genitalia that surround the opening to the vagina; collectively these consist of the labia majora, the labia minora, clitoris, vestibule of the vagina, bulb of the vestibule, and the glands of Bartholin. All of these organs are located in front of the anus and below the

human reproductive system: External genitalia: …boundaries of the vulval or pudendal cleft, which receives the openings of the vagina and the urethra. The outer surface of each labium is pigmented and hairy; the inner surface is smooth but possesses sebaceous glands. The labia majora contain fat and loose connective tissue and sweat glands. They correspond…

vulvitis, inflammation and infection of the vulva—the external genitalia of the female. The external organs of the vulva include the labia majora and minora (folds of skin), the clitoris, and the vestibular glands. The basic symptoms of vulvitis are superficial red, swollen, and moisture-laden

animal reproductive system: Accessory glands: …males, the most prominent being Bartholin’s glands and prostates. Bartholin’s (bulbovestibular) glands are homologues of the bulbourethral glands of males. One pair usually opens into the urinogenital sinus or, in primates, into a shallow vestibule at the opening of the vagina. Prostates develop as buds from the urethra in many…

Vung Tau, port city, southern Vietnam. It is situated near the tip of an 11-mile- (18-km-) long projection into the South China Sea, which trends southwest and partially encloses Ganh Rai Bay. The bay receives the Saigon River on the northeastern Mekong River delta. The port of Vung Tau has a pilot

Kadavu Island: …and capital on Kadavu is Vunisea, on the western coast. The population is almost entirely Melanesian.

Ocean Vuong is an American writer whose work often explores war, trauma, queerness, and immigrant experience. When Vuong was two years old, he and his family emigrated from Vietnam to Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., after spending more than a year in a refugee camp in the Philippines. Upon arriving in

Ocean Vuong is an American writer whose work often explores war, trauma, queerness, and immigrant experience. When Vuong was two years old, he and his family emigrated from Vietnam to Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., after spending more than a year in a refugee camp in the Philippines. Upon arriving in

David Trimble: …Ireland Constitutional Convention for the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP) in 1975. The VUPP opposed direct rule of Northern Ireland by the British government and pushed for stringent measures against the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Trimble became deputy leader of the VUPP, supporting a coalition with the SDLP. In 1977…

Wouri River, stream in southwestern Cameroon whose estuary on the Atlantic Ocean is the site of Douala, the country’s major industrial center and port. Two headstreams—the Nkam and the Makombé—join to form the Wouri, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Yabassi. The river then flows in a southwesterly

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), secret revolutionary society that was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its many incarnations struggled with two contradictory goals: establishing Macedonia as an autonomous state on the one hand and promoting Bulgarian

star: Eclipsing binaries: , VV Cephei), which would engulf Jupiter and all the inner planets of the solar system if placed at the position of the Sun.

Geert Wilders: …a member of the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie; VVD). The following year Wilders was elected to the parliament.

Renovated Church: …a group of priests, notably Aleksandr Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which rapidly evolved into a general movement aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. The Temporary Administration found support among some bishops, but it was particularly popular with the “white,” or…

automotive industry: Europe after World War II: …most emphasis centring on the Volkswagen. At the end of the war the Volkswagen factory and the city of Wolfsburg were in ruins. Restored to production, in a little more than a decade the plant was producing one-half of West Germany’s motor vehicles and had established a strong position in…

von Willebrand factor (vWF, or VWF), glycoprotein that plays an important role in stopping the escape of blood from vessels (hemostasis) following vascular injury. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) works by mediating the adherence of platelets to one another and to sites of vascular damage. VWF binds to

VX, synthetic chemical weapon, classified as a nerve agent, that is the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known warfare agents. Nerve agents are similar in action to pesticides called organophosphates, though much more potent. VX was developed at a British government facility in 1952. The United

Vyādhapura, (Sanskrit: “City of the Hunters”), capital city of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Funan, which flourished from the 1st to the 6th century ad in an area that comprises modern Cambodia and Vietnam. Vyādhapura, and Funan as a whole, was a major centre for the diffusion of Indian civilization

Hinduism: The Vedangas: …only one late representative, (3) vyakarana (analysis and derivation), in which the language is grammatically described—Panni’s grammar (c. 400 bce) and the pratishakhyas are the oldest examples of this discipline—(4) nirukta (lexicon), which discusses and defines difficult words, represented by the Nirukta of Yaska (c. 600 bce), (5) jyotisa (luminaries),…

aṅgā: Veyyākaraṇa (“explanation,” or “prophecy”), a category into which the whole Pāli Abhidhamma Piṭaka (“Basket of Special Doctrine”) has been placed, together with miscellaneous works. For the Sarvāstivāda (“Doctrine That All Is Real”) school, the Sanskrit category vyākaraṇa meant the Buddha’s prophecies concerning his disciples. Gāthā…

vyala, popular motif in Indian art, consisting of a composite leonine creature with the head of a tiger, elephant, bird, or other animal, frequently shown in combat with humans or pouncing upon an elephant. Essentially a solar symbol, it represents—like the eagle seizing the serpent—the triumph of

Yelena Vyalbe is a Russian cross-country skier who excelled at every distance in international competition in the 1990s but failed to capture an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Vyalbe was born in far northeastern Siberia, and she demonstrated an aptitude for skiing at an early age.

Vyasa was a legendary Indian sage who is traditionally credited with composing or compiling the Mahabharata, a collection of legendary and didactic poetry worked around a central heroic narrative. In India his birthday is celebrated as Guru Purnima, on Shukla Purnima day in the month of Ashadha

Kirov, city and administrative centre of Kirov oblast (region), western Russia, on the Vyatka River. The city was founded as Khlynov in 1181 by traders from Novgorod and became the centre of the “Vyatka Lands,” settled by Russians in the 14th to the 15th century. In 1489 it was captured by Moscow.

Kirov: …the entire basin of the Vyatka River. It is a rolling morainic plain rising from the broad, central valley of the Vyatka to the dissected limestone uplands of the Severnye Hills in the north and the Vyatsky Hills and Verkhne (Upper) Kama upland in the east. Nearly all the oblast…

Russia: Government administration under Catherine: …because its procurator general, Prince Aleksandr A. Vyazemsky, held the office for a quarter of a century with the full trust of the empress. At the same time, the judicial functions of the Senate as a high court of appeal and administrative review were widened.

Russia: Ivan III: …1494 with a treaty ceding Vyazma to Moscow and with the marriage of Ivan’s daughter Yelena to Alexander, grand duke of Lithuania. In 1500, on the initiative of Lithuanian defectors, Ivan’s armies seized a number of important border towns, thus beginning a war that ended somewhat inconclusively in 1503 with…

Vyborg, city, Leningrad oblast (region), northwestern Russia. The city stands at the head of Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). First settled in the 12th century, Vyborg was built as a fortress in 1293 by the Swedes after they had

St. Petersburg: Vyborg Side: The northeastern part of the central city had by the late 19th century developed into an industrial appendage, but by the end of the 20th century most of its industry had been replaced by office and apartment buildings and retail establishments. One of…

Vychegda River, tributary of the Northern Dvina River, Komi republic and Arkhangelsk oblast (province), northwestern Russia. The river’s length is 702 miles (1,130 km), and the area of its basin is 47,400 square miles (122,800 square km). The Vychegda rises on the slopes of the Timan Ridge and

Vychegda River, tributary of the Northern Dvina River, Komi republic and Arkhangelsk oblast (province), northwestern Russia. The river’s length is 702 miles (1,130 km), and the area of its basin is 47,400 square miles (122,800 square km). The Vychegda rises on the slopes of the Timan Ridge and

industrial glass: The Vycor process: The spinodal mechanism described in Glass formation: Phase separation is at the heart of the trademarked Vycor process for obtaining a glass of 96 percent silica and 4 percent sodium borate. A sodium borosilicate melt is allowed to separate into two continuous, intertwined…

Eustacia Vye, fictional character, a beautiful, sensual young woman who marries Clym Yeobright in the novel The Return of the Native (1878) by Thomas

Russia: Lakes: … (White) Lake and Lakes Top, Vyg, and Ilmen, each occupying more than 400 square miles (1,000 square km) in the European northwest, and Lake Chany (770 square miles [1,990 square km]) in southwestern Siberia.

L. S. Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist. He studied linguistics and philosophy at the University of Moscow before becoming involved in psychological research. While working at Moscow’s Institute of Psychology (1924–34), he became a major figure in post-revolutionary Soviet psychology. He studied

L. S. Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist. He studied linguistics and philosophy at the University of Moscow before becoming involved in psychological research. While working at Moscow’s Institute of Psychology (1924–34), he became a major figure in post-revolutionary Soviet psychology. He studied

White Sea–Baltic Canal: …the canal runs northward to Lake Vygozero (using seven locks), from which the canalized Vyg River (with 12 additional locks) leads to the White Sea.

Ukraine: The Ruin: Khmelnytsky’s successor, Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky, broke with Moscow and in 1658 concluded the new Treaty of Hadyach with Poland. By its terms, central Ukraine (attempts to include Volhynia and Galicia were unsuccessful) was to constitute—under the hetman and a ruling elite of nobles and officers—the self-governing grand duchy…

card game: Classification: Vying games. Skilled gambling games where players vie with one another as to who holds the best card combination or is likely to finish with the best when their hands are complete (poker, brag). Banking games. Less-skilled gambling games where players bet on having or…

Ukraine: World War I and the struggle for independence: …in December 1918—initially headed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko and from February 1919 by Symon Petlyura, who was also the commander in chief—officially restored the Ukrainian National Republic and revived the legislation of the Central Rada. Its attempts to establish an effective administration and to cope with the mounting economic and social…

Gaganyaan: …December 2024 and will carry Vyommitra (vyom meaning “space” and mitra meaning “friend” in Sanskrit), a humanoid robot with female features who can speak with ground controllers and read instrument panels in the spacecraft. Two more uncrewed test flights, G2 and G3, will follow in 2025. The first crewed flight,…

polyurethane: …synthetic fibre known generically as spandex is composed of at least 85 percent polyurethane by weight. Such fibres are generally used for their highly elastic properties. Trademarked fibres in this group are Lycra, Numa, Spandelle, and Vyrene. Such fibres have, for many textile purposes, largely replaced natural and synthetic rubber…