(Encyclopedia) Boris I, d. 907, khan [ruler] of Bulgaria (852–89). Baptized in 864, he introduced Christianity of the Byzantine rite among the Bulgarians. There followed a rivalry between Rome and…
(Encyclopedia) Polo, MarcoPolo, Marcomärˈkō pōˈlō [key], 1254?–1324?, Venetian traveler in China. His father, Niccolò Polo, and his uncle, Maffeo Polo, had made (1253–60) a trading expedition to…
(Encyclopedia) Carpini, Giovanni de PianoCarpini, Giovanni de Pianojōvänˈnē dā pyäˈnō kärpēˈnē [key], c.1180–1252, Italian traveler and Franciscan monk, b. Pian del Carpini (now Piano della Magione…
(Encyclopedia) ShirazShirazshēräzˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 965,117), capital of Fars prov., SW Iran, at an altitude of c.5,200 ft (1,580 m). It is a commercial and industrial center and has long been…
Michael JacksonArchive PhotosRecord of the Year“Beat It,” Michael JacksonAlbum of the YearThriller, Michael Jackson (Epic/CBS)Song of the Year“Every Breath You Take,” Sting, songwriterBest New…
The 100 Most Significant Events of the Last Thousand Years Reducing the millennium to a laundry list of highlights cannot pretend to be a definitive or…
(Encyclopedia) kamikazekamikazekäˌməkäˈzē [key] [Jap.,=divine wind], the typhoon that destroyed Kublai Khan's fleet, foiling his invasion of Japan in 1281. In World War II the term was used for a…
(Encyclopedia) Muslim League, political organization of India and Pakistan, founded 1906 as the All-India Muslim League by Aga Khan III. Its original purpose was to safeguard the political rights of…
(Encyclopedia) SaraiSaraisərīˈ [key], former city, S European Russia, near present-day Volgograd. Founded in 1241 by Batu Khan, it was (13th–15th cent.) the capital of the Tatar Golden Horde, to…
(Encyclopedia) KarakorumKarakorumkäˌrəkōˈrəm [key], ruined city, central Republic of Mongolia, near the Orkhon River, SW of Ulaanbaatar. The area around Karakorum had been inhabited by nomadic Turkic…
