(Encyclopedia) Pontus, ancient country, NE Asia Minor (now Turkey), on the Black Sea coast. On its inland side were Cappadocia and W Armenia. It was not significantly penetrated by Persian or…
Amazons, Vandals, Vikings—what do they have in common? Do you know they were all warriors? Add guerrillas, kamikazes, and conquistadors and you have quite a group. Who were they? When and where did…
(Encyclopedia) Charles of ValoisCharles of Valoisvälwäˈ [key], 1270–1325, French prince and military leader, third son of Philip III and father of Philip VI. He dominated the reign in France of his…
(Encyclopedia) Ezzelino da RomanoEzzelino da Romanoĕtˌsālēˈnō dä rōmäˈnō [key], 1194–1259, Italian Ghibelline leader (see Guelphs and Ghibellines) and soldier. After 1232 a faithful supporter of Holy…
(Encyclopedia) Michael VIII (Michael Palaeologus), c.1225–1282, Byzantine emperor (1261–82), first of the Palaeologus dynasty. Following the murder of the regent for Emperor John IV of Nicaea, he was…
(Encyclopedia) LleidaLleidalyāˈᵺə [key] or LéridaLéridalāˈrēᵺä [key], city (1990 pop. 111,825), capital of Lleida prov., NE Spain, in Catalonia, on the Segre River. Lleida is the center of a fertile…
(Encyclopedia) War Production Board (WPB), former U.S. government agency, established (Jan., 1942) by executive order to direct war production and the procurement of materials in World War II. The…
The Romans were superstitious that even numbers were unlucky, so their months were 29 or 31 days long Related Links History of the Calendar History of the Lunar Calendar History of…
(Encyclopedia) Peter III (Peter the Great), 1239?–1285, king of Aragón and count of Barcelona (1276–85) and king of Sicily (1282–85); son and successor of James I. In 1280 he established Aragonese…
