Allah, the one and only God in Islam. Etymologically, the name Allah is probably a contraction of the Arabic al-Ilāh, “the God.” The name’s origin can be traced to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for god was il, el, or eloah, the latter two used in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).

Alla Rakha was an Indian tabla player, widely acknowledged as one of the finest artists in India. Alla Rakha was a leading figure of the Punjab gharana (Hindi: community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style) and was honored with the title ustad, a distinction reserved for master

Marsala, town, western Sicily, Italy. It is situated on the Boeo Cape, also called Lilibeo, south of Trapani. It originated as Lilybaeum, which was founded by the Carthaginians in 397–396 bc after the destruction of the offshore island of Motya (modern San Pantaleo) by Dionysius I, tyrant of

Prayagraj, city, southern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It is situated at the confluence of the Ganges (Ganga) and Yamuna (Jumna) rivers, about 65 miles (100 km) west-northwest of Varanasi (Benares). Prayagraj stands on the site of ancient Prayag, a holy city that was comparable in fame to

Si-o-Se Pol, double-deck, brick-and-stone masonry arch bridge built in the early 17th century during Safavid rule in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The bridge, whose name means “The Bridge of 33 Arches” in Farsi, spans the Zayandeh River, connecting uptown and downtown Chahār Bāgh (“Four Gardens”;

warship: Propulsion: In 1824 James Peter Allaire of the United States invented the compound-expansion steam engine, in which the steam was used in a second cylinder at a lower pressure after it had done its work in the first. Eventually it was made practical by progress in metallurgy and…

Maurice Allais was a French economist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1988 for his development of principles to guide efficient pricing and resource allocation in large monopolistic enterprises. Allais studied economics at the École Polytechnique (Polytechnic School) and then at

Sharon Stone: Early roles: …King Solomon’s Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986); and the action flicks Above the Law and Action Jackson (both 1988).

the Guess Who: The principal members were Chad Allan (original name Allan Kobel; b. c. 1945), Randy Bachman (b. September 27, 1943, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Garry Peterson (b. May 26, 1945), Jim Kale (b. August 11, 1943, Winnipeg), Burton Cummings (b. December 31, 1947, Winnipeg), Kurt Winter (b. April 2, 1946; d.…

Maud Allan was a Canadian-born interpretative dancer and teacher, one of the forerunners of modern dance. The daughter of two physicians, Allan grew up in San Francisco, studied music in Berlin, and taught herself to dance. Her career began in 1903 in Vienna, where she choreographed and performed

Sir Hugh Allan was a Canadian financier and shipbuilder whose contribution of at least $300,000 to the Conservative Party campaign in 1872 precipitated the Pacific Scandal that brought down Sir John Macdonald’s government. Allan immigrated to Canada in 1826 and in 1831 began work for a general

allantois, an extra-embryonic membrane of reptiles, birds, and mammals arising as a pouch, or sac, from the hindgut. In reptiles and birds it expands greatly between two other membranes, the amnion and chorion, to serve as a temporary respiratory organ while its cavity stores fetal excretions. In

Alphonse Daudet: Life: In January 1867 he married Julia Allard, herself a writer of talent, with whom he was deeply in love and who gave him great help in his subsequent work. They had two sons, Léon and Lucien, and a daughter, Edmée.

Vaslav Nijinsky: Early life and study in St. Petersburg: …the North” (in reference to Auguste Vestris, a famous French dancer of the 18th century and a member of the Vestris family of dancers).

Cory Gardner: Wayne Allard. In 2005 Gardner was appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives, and he was elected to a full term the following year. He followed a small-government and low-tax agenda and showed special interest in legislation concerning energy, with a focus on both renewables…

al-Lāt, North Arabian goddess of pre-Islāmic times to whom a stone cube at aṭ-Ṭāʾif (near Mecca) was held sacred as part of her cult. Two other North Arabian goddesses, Manāt (Fate) and al-ʿUzzā (Strong), were associated with al-Lāt in the Qurʾān (Islāmic sacred scriptures). The Prophet Muḥammad

Ayad Allawi is an Iraqi politician who was involved in the Iraqi National Accord, a party opposed to Saddam Hussein, and who later served as prime minister (2004–05) of the interim government in Iraq. He also was a vice president (2014–15; 2016–2018). Allawi was born into a middle-class Shiʿi

crowdfunding: Examples of successful crowdfunding: …the natural fibre shoe company Allbirds, which in 2014 raised nearly $120,000 (U.S.) within five days on Kickstarter. After receiving conventional forms of funding in the following years, the company exploded in popularity, especially among celebrities. By 2022 Allbirds’ lifetime net revenue had topped $1 billion (U.S.), with estimates of…

Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt was an English physician, the inventor of the short clinical thermometer. His investigations also led to the improved treatment of arterial diseases. During a 28-year practice in Leeds, Allbutt made valuable clinical studies, primarily of arterial and nervous disorders.

Lebensraum: Origins: The Pan-German League, a group that sought to unite all people who spoke Germanic languages, seized upon Ratzel’s ideas. In his book Germany and the Next War (1911), Friedrich von Bernhardi proposed that Germany use military force to expand into eastern Europe in pursuit of Lebensraum.…

Pan-Germanism, movement whose goal was the political unification of all people speaking German or a Germanic language. Some of its adherents favoured the unification of only the German-speaking people of central and eastern Europe and the Low Countries (Dutch and Flemish being regarded as Germanic

dovekie, small, black and white seabird of the North Atlantic. The dovekie belongs to the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). It is about 20 centimetres (8 inches) long, with a short bill. Its legs and wings are short, and its feet are webbed. It is a proficient diver, feeding on fish,

Christian Morgenstern: …Noise Mill”), all collected in Alle Galgenlieder (1932).

National Alliance, former nationalist anticommunist political party of Italy. Historically, some of its members held neofascist views. The MSI was formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian leader Benito Mussolini from elements of the defunct Uomo Qualunque (Average Man) Party that had appeared

Furies: Later writers named them Allecto (“Unceasing in Anger”), Tisiphone (“Avenger of Murder”), and Megaera (“Jealous”). They lived in the underworld and ascended to earth to pursue the wicked. Being deities of the underworld, they were often identified with spirits of the fertility of the earth. Because the Greeks feared…

coin: Roman Britain: …same was done briefly by Allectus, his murderer (293–296 ce). Diocletian’s London mint was continued under Constantine until 324 ce; thereafter, except under Magnus Maximus (383–388 ce), whose usurpation was legitimized by the Eastern emperor Theodosius I, Britain lacked an official mint, being supplied with coinage mainly from Gaul.

comb-clawed beetle, (subfamily Alleculinae), any of numerous insects in the order Coleoptera that are known for the comblike appearance of their claws. Their oval bodies are typically a glossy brown or black in colour. The adults are usually found on flowers or leaves and the larvae in rotten wood

allée, feature of the French formal garden that was both a promenade and an extension of the view. It either ended in a terminal feature, such as a garden temple, or extended into apparent infinity at the horizon. The allée normally passed through a planted boscage (a small wood); in the 17th

Warder Clyde Allee was a zoologist and ecologist noted for his research on social behavior, aggregations, and distribution of animals in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. He demonstrated that for many species, the presence of other individuals is necessary for well-being and survival and

Allegany, county, western Maryland, U.S. It consists of an irregular neck of land between Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south (the North Branch Potomac River constituting the border with West Virginia). The county rests on part of the Allegheny Plateau and includes Rocky Gap

Allegany, county, southwestern New York state, U.S., bordered to the south by Pennsylvania and comprising a region of moderate relief. The principal waterways are the Genesee River and Rushford and Cuba lakes. Public lands include the Oil Spring Indian Reservation and state wildlife management

Alleghenian orogeny, mountain-building event, occurring almost entirely within the Permian Period (299 million to 251 million years ago), that created the Appalachian Mountains. The Alleghenian orogeny resulted from the collision of the central and southern Appalachian continental margin of North

Allegheny Plateau, western section of the Appalachian Mountains, U.S., extending southwestward from the Mohawk River valley in central New York to the Cumberland Plateau in southern West Virginia. Generally sloping toward the northwest, the plateau has been dissected by streams to form the

Allegheny Mountains, mountainous eastern part of the Allegheny Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains, U.S. The Allegheny range extends south-southwestward for more than 500 miles (800 km) from north-central Pennsylvania to southwestern Virginia. Rising to Mount Davis (3,213 feet [979 metres];

Pittsburgh Pirates, American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sometimes referred to as the “Bucs,” the Pirates are among the oldest teams in baseball and have won the World Series five times (1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979). The team that would become the Pirates was

Allegheny, county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., consisting of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau bounded to the southeast by the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and to the northeast by the Allegheny River. The Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers converge in the centre of the county

US Airways, former American airline that was incorporated on March 5, 1937, as All American Aviation, Inc. It underwent numerous name changes before becoming US Airways in 1997. In 2015, two years after announcing plans to merge with American Airlines, the carrier flew its last flight. The company

barberry: The American or Allegheny barberry (B. canadensis) is native to eastern North America. Japanese barberry (B. thunbergii) often is cultivated as a hedge or ornamental shrub for its scarlet fall foliage and bright-red, long-lasting berries. Several varieties with purple or yellow foliage, spinelessness, or dwarf habit…

chinquapin: The American chinquapin, also known as dwarf chestnut (Castanea pumila), is found throughout much of the eastern and southern United States, though populations have declined because of infection by chestnut blight, a fungal disease. It ranges in size from a small shrub to a tree up…

Allegheny College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. The college offers bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and sciences. It also sponsors study-abroad programs in various countries. The college, though affiliated with the United Methodist

Pennsylvania Wants to Show You These 6 Places: Allegheny County Courthouse: H.H. Richardson has been called “the father of U.S. architecture.” Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh was one of the last commissions Richardson accepted before his untimely death at the age of 48. Although he did not live to see its completion in…

West Virginia: Relief: …these are separated by the Allegheny Front, dividing the waters that flow to the Atlantic Ocean from those flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. The Appalachian Plateau Province covers the western two-thirds of the state and coincides with the Ohio River drainage basin. It is a region severely dissected by…

Allegheny Mountains, mountainous eastern part of the Allegheny Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains, U.S. The Allegheny range extends south-southwestward for more than 500 miles (800 km) from north-central Pennsylvania to southwestern Virginia. Rising to Mount Davis (3,213 feet [979 metres];

Allegheny Plateau, western section of the Appalachian Mountains, U.S., extending southwestward from the Mohawk River valley in central New York to the Cumberland Plateau in southern West Virginia. Generally sloping toward the northwest, the plateau has been dissected by streams to form the

tunnels and underground excavations: Canal and railroad tunnels: …a 701-foot construction on the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Built in 1831–33, it was a combination of canal and railroad systems, carrying canal barges over a summit. Though plans for a transport link from Boston to the Hudson River had first called for a canal tunnel to pass under the Berkshire…

Allegheny River, river rising in the hilly plateau region of Potter county, Pennsylvania, U.S., and flowing generally northward for about 80 miles (130 km). The river enters New York state where the Allegheny Reservoir is impounded at Allegany State Park. Turning southwest, it continues for 120

serviceberry: Common species: …metres (26 feet); and the Allegheny serviceberry (A. laevis), which is similar to A. canadensis but is taller and has more nodding flower clusters. The downy serviceberry (A. arborea) is also similar to A. canadensis but is more vigorous and has larger hanging flower clusters. The apple serviceberry (Amelanchier ×grandiflora),…

fumitory: The related climbing fumitory (Adlumia fungosa), also known as Allegheny vine or mountain fringe, is a sprawling herbaceous biennial that coils its long leafstalks around supports. It reaches 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) in height and has clusters of white or pinkish tubular flowers borne among delicately cut…

woodrat: … construction is that of the Allegheny woodrat (N. magister). Although its nest is merely a cup made of plants, the woodrat protects it with a small pile of sticks among boulders on a cliff ledge or inside a cave. The most elaborate configuration is the huge stick nest of the…

Veronica Roth: Background and developing the Divergent series: …base grew quickly, and when Allegiant came out in 2013, it became the most-preordered book ever issued by HarperCollins. The trilogy was a huge commercial success, with more than 30 million copies sold by 2015.

Vasco Pratolini: The final volume, Allegoria e derisione (1966; “Allegory and Derision”), deals with the triumph and fall of Fascism, focusing on the moral and intellectual conflicts of the Florentine intelligentsia.

biblical literature: Allegorical interpretation: Allegorical interpretation places on biblical literature a meaning that, with rare exceptions, it was never intended to convey. Yet at times this interpretation seemed imperative. If the literal sense, on which heretics such as the 2nd-century biblical critic Marcion and anti-Christian polemicists such…

Jean-Marc Nattier: …revived the genre of the allegorical portrait, in which a living person is depicted as a Greco-Roman goddess or other mythological figure. Nattier’s graceful and charming portraits of court ladies in this mode were very fashionable, partly because he could beautify a sitter while also retaining her likeness. He served…

Ambrogio Lorenzetti: …are most evident in the Allegories in the Palazzo Pubblico, the most important Sienese fresco decoration. In it Ambrogio is seen as an acute observer, an empirical explorer of linear and aerial perspective, a student of Classical works of art, and a political and moral philosopher. His desire to depict…

allegory, a symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a meaning not explicitly set forth in the narrative. Allegory, which encompasses such forms as fable, parable, and apologue, may have meaning on two or more levels that the reader can understand only through an interpretive process. (See also

Vasco Pratolini: The final volume, Allegoria e derisione (1966; “Allegory and Derision”), deals with the triumph and fall of Fascism, focusing on the moral and intellectual conflicts of the Florentine intelligentsia.

Western painting: Early and High Baroque in Italy: …a prelude to the gigantic Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power, which Pietro was to paint on the vault of the Great Hall of the Palazzo Barberini, Rome (1633–39). Pietro continued with this style of monumental painting for the remainder of his career, and it became the model for…

Andrea Sacchi: Sacchi’s ceiling fresco, Allegory of Divine Wisdom (1629–33), is a grave static work, markedly Raphaelesque in conception and containing relatively few figures, in contrast to Pietro’s full Baroque Triumph of Divine Providence in an adjoining room. Sacchi’s two altarpieces in Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, Rome (1631–38),…

Jacob Jordaens: …tapestries, and such paintings as Allegory of Fertility (c. 1625) reveal his training as a decorator. He never went to Italy, as did other Flemish artists of his time, and his work is essentially Flemish in its exaggerated treatment of form and its crude humour. Jordaens was greatly influenced by…

Artemisia Gentileschi: Rape, trial, and marriage: …Medici court and painted an Allegory of Inclination (c. 1616) for the series of frescoes honoring the life of Michelangelo in the Casa Buonarotti. In 1616 Gentileschi joined Florence’s prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (Academy of the Arts of Drawing), the first woman to do so. Meanwhile, she gave…

courtly love: Lewis’s The Allegory of Love (1936), became more pronounced in later romances.

Titian: Portraits: …the Triple Portrait Mask, or An Allegory of Prudence, in which Titian, gray-bearded and wearing a rose-colored cap, represents old age, his son Orazio represents maturity, and presumably Marco Vecellio stands for youth.

La Primavera, large tempera painting on a poplar wood panel by Sandro Botticelli. It is believed to have been executed about 1477 to 1482. The mythological figures in the painting are an allegory of spring and of the kindling of love. After training as a goldsmith, Botticelli was apprenticed to Fra

Western philosophy: Philosophy: In the famous myth of the cave in the seventh book of the Republic, Plato likened the ordinary person to a man sitting in a cave looking at a wall on which he sees nothing but the shadows of real things behind his back, and he likened the…

Western painting: Early and High Baroque in Italy: After this, the Allegory of the Missionary Work of the Jesuits, painted by Andrea Pozzo on the nave vault of San Ignazio, Rome (1691–94), seems almost an anticlimax, despite its gigantic size and hypertrophic illusionism. Concurrently, the Baroque-versus-classicism controversy took on a new life, with Gaulli heading the…

Western painting: Bohemia: Spranger’s Allegory of Rudolf II (1592) indicates the quality of Rudolf’s court art and its clear Mannerist sympathies—sensually graceful figures clad in the dress of classical antiquity and a cultivated facility in composition and execution.

Bessie Potter Vonnoh: …for sculpture for her work Allegresse (1921). She was the recipient of several other prizes throughout her career, including a bronze medal in 1900 for one of her sculptures at the Paris exposition and a gold medal in 1904 for her sculpture at the St. Louis exposition, and she was…

Marc Allégret was a French motion-picture director known for his exacting film technique. Allégret was educated in law in Paris, but while accompanying his uncle André Gide on a trip to Africa, he recorded the trip on film. He served as an assistant director to Robert Florey and Augusto Genina and

Yves Allégret was a French motion-picture director who gained fame for his work in the “film noir” genre that was popular in the late 1940s. Allégret began his film career working as an assistant to his older brother, the director Marc Allégret, and for Augusto Genina and Jean Renoir. Entering

Yves Allégret was a French motion-picture director who gained fame for his work in the “film noir” genre that was popular in the late 1940s. Allégret began his film career working as an assistant to his older brother, the director Marc Allégret, and for Augusto Genina and Jean Renoir. Entering

Correggio was the most important Renaissance painter of the school of Parma, whose late works influenced the style of many Baroque and Rococo artists. His fresco Assumption of the Virgin (completed c. 1530) for the cathedral of Parma is perhaps one of his most famous pieces, especially known for

Giuseppe Ungaretti: …direction, as is apparent in Allegria di naufragi (1919; “Gay Shipwrecks”), which shows the influence of Giacomo Leopardi and includes revised poems from Ungaretti’s first volume.

La campanella, final movement of the Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 7, by Italian composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini, renowned for its intricate and technically demanding solo passages and for the bell-like effects featured in both the solo and orchestral parts. The movement derives its

allele, any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles may occur in pairs, or there may be multiple alleles affecting the expression (phenotype) of a particular trait. The combination of alleles that an organism carries constitutes its

heredity: Population genetics: In population genetics, allele frequency is the measurement of the commonness of an allele. The convention is to let the frequency of a dominant allele be p and that of a recessive allele q. Both are generally expressed as decimal fractions. In the above example, p changes from…

Byzantine Empire: Social and economic change: …outstanding taxes known as the allelengyon now devolved not on the rest of the village community but on the nearest large landowner, whether lay or ecclesiastical. Basil’s conquest of Bulgaria somewhat altered the social and economic pattern of the empire, for new themes were created there in which there was…

human genetic disease: Autosomal dominant inheritance: …in the affected population (allelic heterogeneity). In some cases even mutations in different genes can lead to the same clinical disorder (genetic heterogeneity). Achondroplasia is characterized by allelic homogeneity, such that essentially all affected individuals carry exactly the same mutation.

human genetic disease: Autosomal dominant inheritance: …the same molecular defect (allelic homogeneity), or they may be heterogeneous, such that tens or even hundreds of different mutations, all affecting the same gene, may be seen in the affected population (allelic heterogeneity). In some cases even mutations in different genes can lead to the same clinical disorder…

community ecology: Specialization in grazing: These compounds, called allelochemicals, are found in almost all plant species, and their great diversity suggests that chemical defense against herbivores and pathogens has always been an important part of plant evolution.

allele, any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles may occur in pairs, or there may be multiple alleles affecting the expression (phenotype) of a particular trait. The combination of alleles that an organism carries constitutes its

Alleluia, a short a cappella choral work by the American composer Randall Thompson that premiered on July 8, 1940, at the Berkshire Music Center (now the Tanglewood Music Center), the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), near Lenox, Massachusetts. It has opened Tanglewood’s summer

hallelujah, Hebrew liturgical expression, usually rendered in English as “praise the Lord.” It appears in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in several psalms, usually at the beginning or end of the psalm or in both places. In ancient Judaism it was probably chanted as an antiphon by the Levite

counterpoint: Counterpoint in the Middle Ages: In his three-part Alleluia Nativitas, the voices are in different rhythmic modes, and they are also distinguished by different phrase lengths, consisting of more or fewer repetitions of the rhythmic pattern.

Alan Bennett: …of an embattled Yorkshire hospital, Allelujah! (2018) was viewed as a critique on Britain’s National Health Service.

allemande, processional couple dance with stately, flowing steps, fashionable in 16th-century aristocratic circles; also an 18th-century figure dance. The earlier dance apparently originated in Germany but became fashionable both at the French court (whence its name, which in French means “German”)

allemontite, the mineral arsenic antimonide (AsSb). It commonly occurs in veins, as at Allemont, Isère, Fr.; Valtellina, Italy; and the Comstock Lode, Nevada. It also is present in a lithium pegmatite at Varuträsk, Swed. Polished sections of most specimens of allemontite show an intergrowth of

Byron Allen: …founding CEO and chair of Allen Media Group, a Los Angeles-based media empire encompassing television and film production, TV channels, and digital media properties. By the early 2020s the privately held company had an estimated value of $4.5 billion. Allen is also known for cohosting NBC’s Real People (1979–84) and…

extraterrestrial intelligence: Radio searches: The Allen Telescope Array (ATA, named after its principal funder, American technologist Paul Allen) has 42 small (6 metres [20 feet] in diameter) antennas. When complete, the ATA will have 350 antennas and be hundreds of times faster than previous experiments in the search for transmissions…

During the 1960s Allen Toussaint took over the mantle of the Crescent City’s musical master chef from Dave Bartholomew. Acting as songwriter, pianist, and producer, Toussaint was responsible for national hits by Ernie K-Doe, Chris Kenner, Jessie Hill, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and the Showmen,

Columbia: …(1830), Benedict College (1870; Baptist), Allen University (1870; African Methodist Episcopal), and Midlands Technical College (1963). The Town Theatre, Columbia’s little-theatre organization, has operated continuously since 1919. The Columbia Museum of Art houses a collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. Points of historic interest include Pres. Woodrow Wilson’s boyhood home (a…

Woody Allen: The 2010s, 2020s, and renewed controversy: …following year the TV documentary Allen v. Farrow examined the molestation charges against Allen. The four-part series portrayed him as having “intense affection” for Dylan, and it raised questions about the investigation undertaken at the Yale-New Haven Hospital, while also presenting testimony and documents that lent support to Farrow’s claims.…

wrench: …usually referred to as an Allen wrench; it consists of a hexagonal bar of tool steel shaped into the form of an L, either end of which fits into the recess.

bush baby: The larger Allen’s bush baby (Sciurocheirus alleni) and its relatives live in the rainforests of west-central Africa, where they feed on fallen fruits and the insects that they find in them; they may be generically distinct.

hummingbird: Distribution: …and Central America and the Allen’s hummingbird breeds in the coastal regions of California.

Zodiac killer: Suspects: …suspect most often cited was Arthur Leigh Allen (1933–92), a Vallejo, California, schoolteacher who had been institutionalized in 1975 for child molestation, though his identification with the Zodiac killer has never been substantiated. In 2021 a group of investigators claimed that Gary Francis Poste, a house painter who died in…

Ralph Greenleaf: …Greenleaf attained prominence by defeating Bennie Allen, at that time (1913–15) the world pocket billiards champion, in an exhibition match at Monmouth. In Detroit, Mich., in 1929 he made a run of 126 (a record for championship play on a table measuring 5 by 10 ft [152 by 305 cm]),…

rock and roll: …Phillips of Memphis, Tennessee, and William (“Hoss”) Allen of WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee—who created rock-and-roll radio by playing hard-driving rhythm-and-blues and raunchy blues records that introduced white suburban teenagers to a culture that sounded more exotic, thrilling, and illicit than anything they had ever known. In 1954 that sound coalesced…

Ted Stevens: …investigating the senator’s ties to Bill J. Allen, a former oil-service company executive who had been accused of bribing members of the state legislature. After Allen claimed that he had paid for renovations to Stevens’s home in Girdwood, Alaska, and even had provided workers for the job, Stevens was indicted…

Bog of Allen, group of peat bogs between the Liffey and the Shannon rivers in east-central Ireland in Counties Kildare, Offaly, Laoighis, and Westmeath. Some 370 square miles (958 square km) in area, it is developed extensively for fuel for power stations; the cutover land is used for grazing. The

Paul Beattie MacCready: …and piloted by 137-pound (62-kilogram) Bryan Allen, a bicyclist and hang-glider enthusiast, completed the course required to win the Kremer Prize of £50,000 ($95,000), clearing a 10-foot- (3-metre-) high start-and-finish line while making a figure-eight flight around two pylons set half a mile apart. The total distance flown was 1.15…