Sword Beach: Orne and Dives rivers air-assault zones: …battery fell to Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway’s 9th Battalion. The 9th, however, had a bad drop, and the attack began with only 150 men of the 750-man force. The daring attack captured the battery at a cost of half the attacking force. The defending Germans paid a terrible price: only…

Thomas Otway was an English dramatist and poet, one of the forerunners of sentimental drama through his convincing presentation of human emotions in an age of heroic but artificial tragedies. His masterpiece, Venice Preserved, was one of the greatest theatrical successes of his period. Otway

Ötzi, an ancient mummified human body that was found by German tourists, Erika and Helmut Simon, on the Similaun Glacier in the Tirolean Ötztal Alps, on the Italian-Austrian border, on September 19, 1991. Radiocarbon-dated to 3300 bce, the body is that of a human male about 45 years of age who had

Ötztal Alps, eastern segment of the Central Alps lying mainly in the southern Tirol (western Austria) and partly in northern Italy. The mountains are bounded by the Rhaetian Alps and Reschenscheideck Pass (Italian Passo di Resia, west-southwest), the Inn River valley (north), the Zillertal Alps and

Ötztal Alps, eastern segment of the Central Alps lying mainly in the southern Tirol (western Austria) and partly in northern Italy. The mountains are bounded by the Rhaetian Alps and Reschenscheideck Pass (Italian Passo di Resia, west-southwest), the Inn River valley (north), the Zillertal Alps and

Tōhoku, chihō (region), constituting the northern portion of Honshu, Japan. It is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and to the east by the Pacific Ocean and includes the ken (prefectures) of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima. Its name is derived from the

Ōu Mountains, range forming the backbone of northeastern Honshu, Japan, and extending for 310 miles (500 km) south from Aomori ken (prefecture) to Fukushima ken. Geologically, dominant sediments of Neogene and Paleogene age (i.e., those about 2.6 to 65 million years old) are occasionally

Ōu Mountains, range forming the backbone of northeastern Honshu, Japan, and extending for 310 miles (500 km) south from Aomori ken (prefecture) to Fukushima ken. Geologically, dominant sediments of Neogene and Paleogene age (i.e., those about 2.6 to 65 million years old) are occasionally

Wenzhou: …the south bank of the Ou River, some 19 miles (30 km) from its mouth. The estuary of the Ou River is much obstructed by small islands and mudbanks, but the port is accessible by ships of up to about 1,000 tons. The Ou long provided the main transport artery…

Ou River, river in northern Laos, one of the 12 principal tributaries of the Mekong River; it is 236 miles (380 km) long. The Ou River rises on the Chinese frontier north of Muang Ou Nua and flows south and southwest through the gorges and mountain valleys of the northernmost part of Laos before

Ōu Mountains, range forming the backbone of northeastern Honshu, Japan, and extending for 310 miles (500 km) south from Aomori ken (prefecture) to Fukushima ken. Geologically, dominant sediments of Neogene and Paleogene age (i.e., those about 2.6 to 65 million years old) are occasionally

Ouyang Xiu was a Chinese poet, historian, and statesman of the Song dynasty who reintroduced the simple “ancient style” in Chinese literature and sought to reform Chinese political life through principles of classical Confucianism. Ouyang Xiu’s father, a judge in Mianyang, died when Ouyang was

Eddie Van Halen: Career with Van Halen: …three Van Halen studio albums, OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995), also reached number one. The relationship between Eddie Van Halen and Hagar began to fray in 1996, and Hagar left the band in June of that year.

Ouachita Geosyncline, a linear trough in the Earth’s crust in which rocks of the Paleozoic Era (from 542 million to 251 million years ago) were deposited along the southern margin of North America, from Mississippi to eastern Mexico. Most of the belt is overlain by undisturbed, younger rocks of the

Ouachita Mountains, a rugged range of large hills that continues the Ozark Mountains in the United States. The Ouachita Mountains extend approximately 225 miles (360 km) east to west from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Atoka, Oklahoma, and approximately 50–60 miles (80–95 km) north to south from the

Ouachita orogeny, a mountain-building event that resulted in the folding and faulting of exposed strata in the Ouachita Geosyncline in the southern portion of the United States in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Marathon uplift region of West Texas. The deformation is Late Paleozoic in age, probably

University of Louisiana at Monroe, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. It comprises a graduate school and colleges of business administration, education, liberal arts, pharmacy and health sciences, and pure and applied sciences and schools of music and

Ouachita River, river rising in the Ouachita Mountains of west-central Arkansas, U.S., and flowing in a generally southeasterly direction to join the Red River in Louisiana after a course of 605 miles (973 km). The lower 57 miles (92 km) of the Ouachita (from its confluence with the Tensas River)

Washita River, river rising in the Texas Panhandle, northwestern Texas, U.S. It flows east across the Oklahoma boundary, then southeast to south-central Oklahoma, and south into Lake Texoma, formed by Denison Dam in the Red River, downstream from the former mouth of the Washita at Woodville,

Ouaddaï, historic and cultural region in eastern Chad, central Africa. The chief town of the region is Abéché. The region’s area of savanna grasslands roughly corresponds to the formerly independent Ouaddaï Muslim sultanate (see Wadai, Kingdom of). Crossed by caravans linking the Sahara with

Ouaddaï, historic and cultural region in eastern Chad, central Africa. The chief town of the region is Abéché. The region’s area of savanna grasslands roughly corresponds to the formerly independent Ouaddaï Muslim sultanate (see Wadai, Kingdom of). Crossed by caravans linking the Sahara with

Wadai, historical African kingdom east of Lake Chad and west of Darfur, in what is now the Ouaddaï (q.v.) region of eastern Chad. It was founded in the 16th century, and a Muslim dynasty was established there about 1630. Long subordinate to Darfur, it became independent by the 1790s and began a

Ouagadougou, capital and largest city of Burkina Faso, western Africa. It was the capital of the historic Mossi kingdom of Wagadugu (founded in the 15th century) and the seat of the morho naba (“great king”) of the Mossi people. Islam became the religion of the kings under Naba Dulugu (ruled

western Africa: The wider influence of the Sudanic kingdoms: …and the Mossi kingdoms—such as Wagadugu (Ouagadougou) and Yatenga (or Wahiguya), north of Dagomba and closer to the Niger Bend—were founded by conquerors coming from the east. The structures of these kingdoms, which were extant into the beginning of the colonial era, seem to have been erected about the 15th…

Oran, city, northwestern Algeria. It lies along an open bay on the Mediterranean Sea coast, about midway between Tangier, Morocco, and Algiers, at the point where Algeria is closest to Spain. With the adjacent city of Mers el-Kebir, a fishing centre at the western end of the bay, Oran is the

Senegal: Drainage: …Dagana it forms the so-called False Delta (or Oualo), which supplies Lake Guier on the south (left) bank. At the head of the delta is the town of Richard-Toll (the “Garden of Richard”), named for a 19th-century French nursery gardener. The slope of the land is so gentle on this…

Atlantic salmon: The ouananiche (Salmo salar ouananiche) of rivers and the sebago, or lake, salmon (S. salar sebago) are smaller, landlocked forms of Atlantic salmon, also prized for sport. The Atlantic salmon has also been successfully introduced into the Great Lakes of the United States. (See also salmon.)

Mali: 2020 and 2021 coups and transitional administration: N’Daw appointed Moctar Ouane, a veteran diplomat, interim prime minister, and Ouane took office on September 28. In April 2021 the transitional administration announced that a constitutional referendum would be held in October followed by elections in February 2022.

Wargla, city, east-central Algeria. It is situated on the western edge of a sabkha (large, enclosed basin) in the Sahara. One of the oldest settlements in the Sahara was made by the Ibāḍiyyah, a Muslim heretical sect, at nearby Sedrata in the 10th century (ruins remain). In the 11th century they

Atlas Mountains: Physiography: …the rugged bastion of the Ouarsenis Massif (which reaches a height of 6,512 feet), the Great Kabylie, which reaches 7,572 feet at the peak of Lalla Khedidja, and the mountains of Kroumirie in Tunisia are all prominent.

Ouarzazat, town, south-central Morocco. It lies on the Saharan side of the High Atlas Mountains and is situated in the valley of the Ouarzazate River near its juncture with the Drâa River. The town originated as a military post during the French occupation (1932–56). Still a military centre with a

Togo: Relief, drainage, and soils: Beyond the coast lies the Ouatchi Plateau, which stretches about 20 miles (32 km) inland at an elevation of some 200 to 300 feet (60 to 90 metres). This is the region of the so-called terre de barre, a lateritic (reddish, leached, iron-bearing) soil.

Alassane Ouattara is an Ivoirian economist and politician who was elected president of Côte d’Ivoire in 2010. Despite Ouattara’s victory, the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down, and the two established parallel administrations that both claimed legitimacy—until Gbagbo’s arrest in April

Alassane Ouattara is an Ivoirian economist and politician who was elected president of Côte d’Ivoire in 2010. Despite Ouattara’s victory, the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down, and the two established parallel administrations that both claimed legitimacy—until Gbagbo’s arrest in April

Ouazzane, city, north-central Morocco. It lies at the southwestern edge of the Rif Mountains. Ouazzane is situated on the northern slope of Mount Bouhelal, at an elevation of 1,066 feet (325 metres). It was founded in 1727 as a religious community on the site of a village named Dechra Jabal

Great Fish River, river in the Cape Midlands, Eastern Cape province, southern South Africa. The Great Fish River has a length of 430 miles (692 km) and a drainage area of 11,900 square miles (30,800 square km). Its main northern tributary, the Great Brak River, rises in 7,000-foot- (2,100-metre-)

Ubangi River, largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River, marking the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). The Ubangi is formed by the union (near Yakoma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the border of the Central

Mōri Family: …when some vassals of the Ōuchi family, then the dominant power in west Honshu and probably the most powerful warriors in all Japan, revolted against the Ōuchi’s autocratic rule. Under the leadership of Mōri Motonari (1497–1571), his family, though not directly involved in the uprising, was able to profit by…

Italo-Turkish War: By the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne (also called Treaty of Ouchy; Oct. 18, 1912), Turkey conceded its rights over Tripoli and Cyrenaica to Italy. Although Italy agreed to evacuate the Dodecanese, its forces continued to occupy the islands.

oud, stringed musical instrument prominent in medieval and modern Islamic music. It is the parent of the European lute. The oud has a deep pear-shaped body, a fretless fingerboard, and a relatively shorter neck and somewhat less acutely bent-back pegbox than the European lute. The tuning pegs are

oud, stringed musical instrument prominent in medieval and modern Islamic music. It is the parent of the European lute. The oud has a deep pear-shaped body, a fretless fingerboard, and a relatively shorter neck and somewhat less acutely bent-back pegbox than the European lute. The tuning pegs are

opioid: …is referred to medically as opioid use disorder.

Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud was a Dutch architect notable for his pioneering role in the development of modern architecture. Oud was educated in Amsterdam and at the Delft Technical University, after which he worked with a number of architects in Leiden and Munich. In 1916 he met Theo van Doesburg,

Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, small independent Roman Catholic church in the Netherlands that dates from the early 18th century. A schism developed in the Roman Catholic Church in Holland in 1702 when Petrus Codde, archbishop of Utrecht, was accused of heresy for suspected sympathy with

Morocco: Cultural institutions: The Oudaïa Museum (founded 1915; also known as the Museum of Moroccan Art) is located near Rabat’s Oudaïa Casbah. Originally constructed as a private residence in the 17th century, the museum has collections of premodern Moroccan arts and crafts, as does the Dar El-Jamaï Museum (1920),…

Richmond: …1661 at Oude Dorp (Old Town). Three years later the British took control. Richmond County (named for Charles Lennox, 1st duke of Richmond and natural son of Charles II) was organized in 1683.

Jan Lievens was a versatile painter and printmaker whose style derived from both the Dutch and Flemish schools of Baroque art. A contemporary of Rembrandt, he was a pupil of Joris van Schooten (1616–18) and of Rembrandt’s teacher Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam (1618–20). After residing in Leiden for a

Oudenaarde, municipality, Flanders Region, west-central Belgium. It lies along the Scheldt (Schelde) River south of Ghent. A prosperous tapestry-making centre in the Middle Ages, its industry declined in the 15th century with the success of the Gobelin tapestry weavers (trained in Oudenaarde), many

Battle of Oudenaarde, (July 11, 1708), victory over the French won by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy during the War of the Spanish Succession; it eventually led to the Allied (Anglo-Dutch-Austrian) recapture of Ghent and Bruges, which had been captured by the French on July 4–5.

Pieter Bruegel, the Elder was the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, whose landscapes and vigorous, often witty scenes of peasant life are particularly renowned. Since Bruegel signed and dated many of his works, his artistic evolution can be traced from the early landscapes, in which he

Pieter Bruegel, the Elder was the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, whose landscapes and vigorous, often witty scenes of peasant life are particularly renowned. Since Bruegel signed and dated many of his works, his artistic evolution can be traced from the early landscapes, in which he

Pieter Bruegel, the Elder was the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, whose landscapes and vigorous, often witty scenes of peasant life are particularly renowned. Since Bruegel signed and dated many of his works, his artistic evolution can be traced from the early landscapes, in which he

Ayodhya, town in northern India that is known as a sacred city and the birthplace of Rama in Hinduism and as a historical center of Buddhism. On a site significant to both Hindus and Muslims was a Mughal-era mosque, the Babri Masjid, which was destroyed in 1992 amid interreligious tensions. After a

Awadh, historic region of northern India, now constituting the northeastern portion of Uttar Pradesh state. Awadh is situated in the heavily populated heart of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and is known for its rich alluvial soils. It received its name from Ayodhya, the capital of the ancient kingdom of

Nicolas-Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio was a general, administrator, and marshal of France in the Napoleonic Wars. His career illustrates the opportunities to rise in the French army after the Revolution. Oudinot was the son of a businessman. In 1784 he joined France’s royal army but, since

Katagum: …Scottish explorers Hugh Clapperton and Walter Oudney visited Katagum, it had two surrounding walls (20 ft [6 m] in height, a 10-ft base with four gates), a central mosque, and considerable trade, using cowrie shells for currency. Oudney died in Katagum and was buried at Murmur, a settlement just beyond…

Jean-Baptiste Oudry was a French Rococo painter, tapestry designer, and illustrator, considered one of the greatest animal painters of the 18th century. Oudry first studied portrait painting with Nicolas de Largillière, a portraitist of Parisian society, through whom he made many connections. His

Oudtshoorn, town, Western Cape province, South Africa. It is located about midway between Cape Town on the west and Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) on the east along the banks of Grobbelaars River. First settled in 1847, it was named (in 1863) after a baron who died in 1773 en route to his

arroyo, a dry channel lying in a semiarid or desert area and subject to flash flooding during seasonal or irregular rainstorms. Such transitory streams, rivers, or creeks are noted for their gullying effects and especially for their rapid rates of erosion, transportation, and deposition. There have

el-Oued, town, largest of the Souf Oases in northeastern Algeria. It lies in the northern Sahara some 50 miles (80 km) west of the border with Tunisia. Surrounded by the sand dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental, the Souf Oases extend for 25 miles (40 km) northwest to southeast. A river (oued) once

Chad: Civil war: Goukouni Oueddei’s request in December 1980 and were withdrawn, again at his request, in November 1981. In a reverse movement the Armed Forces of the North (FAN) of Hissène Habré, which had retreated into Sudan in December 1980, reoccupied all the important towns in eastern…

Thomas Sankara: …du Peuple; CSP), headed by Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo. This post provided him with an entryway into international politics and a chance to meet with leaders of the nonaligned movement, including Fidel Castro (Cuba), Samora Machel (Mozambique), and Maurice Bishop (Grenada). Sankara’s anti-imperialist stance and grassroots popularity

Canadian literature: The Quiet Revolution of French Canadian minorities: …Chien [1987; “The Dog”]) and Michel Ouellette (French Town [1994]) won Canada’s Governor General’s Award for drama in French. Poet Patrice Desbiens explored the alienation of the Francophone minority in his bilingual poetry collection L’Homme invisible/The Invisible Man (1981). Novelist and short-story writer Daniel Poliquin has taken a more playful,…

Canadian literature: Contemporary trends: …the postmodern novel, such as Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska’s La Maison Trestler; ou, le 8e jour d’Amérique (1984; “The Trestler House; or, The Eighth Day of America”) and Acadian novelist France Daigle’s 1953: Chronique d’une naissance annoncée (1995; 1953: Chronicle of a Birth Foretold), both of which combine fiction, biography, and metahistorical…

Ouémé River, river rising in the Atacora massif in northwestern Benin. It is approximately 310 miles (500 km) in length and flows southward, where it is joined by its main affluent, the Okpara, on the left bank and by the Zou on the right. It then divides into two branches, the western one

Ouenza, town, northeastern Algeria. It lies in the Medjerda Mountains near the eastern border with Tunisia, about 40 miles (65 km) east-northeast of Aïn Beïda. The nearby Mount Ouenza (4,226 feet [1,288 metres]) is the site of extensive iron-ore deposits, making the town one of Algeria’s leading

Medenine: …was the capital of the Ouerghemma League of three Amazigh (Berber) groups and was the chief town of the Southern Military Territories during the French protectorate (1881–1955). The honeycomb-like aboveground granaries (ghorfas) that belonged to the Ouerghemma are features of the locality. The town is now a trade centre for…

Ouessant Island, a rocky island, Finistère département, off the western tip of Bretagne, western France. The island, about 5 miles (8 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide, has an area of 6 square miles (15 square km). Its lighthouse, the Phare de Créac’h, marks the southern entrance to the English

Mehdi Ben Barka: …was headed by General Muhammad Oufkir, Hassan’s minister of the interior. A formal inquiry and trial in France showed that Morocco had violated French national sovereignty and, worse yet, that French police officers and members of French intelligence had been involved in the affair. France issued an international warrant for…

ought implies can, in ethics, the principle according to which an agent has a moral obligation to perform a certain action only if it is possible for him or her to perform it. In other words, if a certain action is impossible for an agent to perform, the agent cannot, according to the principle,

William Oughtred was an English mathematician and Anglican minister who invented the earliest form of the slide rule, two identical linear or circular logarithmic scales held together and adjusted by hand. Improvements involving the familiar inner sliding rule came later. Oughtred was educated at

Ouham River, river, one of the main headwaters of the Chari River, central Africa. It rises in two main branches in the elevated plateau country of the western Central African Republic; it then flows north, crossing the international frontier into Chad, where it is known as Baḥr Sara, and joins the

Ouida was an English novelist, known for her extravagant melodramatic romances of fashionable life. Ouida’s father was a teacher of French, and the pseudonym “Ouida” derived from a childhood version of “Louisa.” Her first novel, Granville de Vigne (renamed Held in Bondage, 1863), was first

Ouidah, town in southern Benin, western Africa. It lies along the Gulf of Guinea. The town was the main port of the Kingdom of Abomey in the 18th and 19th centuries. Portuguese, French, Dutch, Danish, British, and Americans all vied for a share of the slave and palm-oil trade made available through

Ouija board, in occultism, a device ostensibly used for obtaining messages from the spirit world, usually employed by a medium during a séance. The name derives from the French and German words for “yes” (oui and ja). The Ouija board consists of an oblong piece of wood with letters of the alphabet

Roussillon: Ollada, or ouillade, is a beef stew cooked in a heavy pot. Cargolada is a dish of escargots. Notable wines come from Banyuls-sur-Mer, Rivesaltes, and Maury.

Francis Ouimet was an American amateur golfer whose success did much to remove the British upper-class stigma from the game and to popularize it in the United States. After starting as a caddie and working in a dry-goods store to earn his expenses, he gained a limited recognition until the 1913

Ouistreham, resort town and port, Normandy région, northwestern France. It is situated at the mouth of the Orne River and is 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Caen, to which it is linked by road, by the Orne River, and by a ship canal. Adjoining Ouistreham on the English Channel coast is the smaller

Oujda, city, extreme northeastern Morocco. It lies near the Moroccan-Algerian border. Founded in 944 by Zanātah Imazighen (Berbers), the city was fought over by Imazighen, Arabs, and Turks and destroyed and rebuilt so often that it was called Madīnat al-Ḥairah, “City of Fear.” The Moroccan and

Morocco earthquake of 2023, severe earthquake that struck near the town of Oukaïmedene in western Morocco on September 8, 2023. More than 2,900 people were killed and 5,500 people injured in the shallow magnitude-6.8 temblor and its aftershocks. The earthquake heavily damaged parts of the ancient

Moktar Ould Daddah: …d’état led by Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Ould Salek.

Djelfa: …centre for the seminomadic Arab Ouled Naïl confederation.

Aimable-Jean-Jacques Pélissier, duc de Malakoff: In June 1845 the Ouled Riah tribe, driven from their settlements by Pélissier’s forces, found refuge in the caves of the Dahra mountains. Thomas-Robert Bugeaud, another French military leader, had previously advised Pélissier that if the populace hid themselves in caves, they ought to be “smoked,” as their colleague…

Volubilis, North African archaeological site, located near Fès in the Jebel Zerhoun Plain of Morocco. Under the Mauretanian king Juba II in the 1st century bc and the 1st century ad, Volubilis became a flourishing centre of late Hellenistic culture. Annexed to Rome about ad 44, it was made a

French literature: Postwar poetry: …was associated with OuLiPo (Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle; “Workshop of Potential Literature”), an experimental group of writers of poetry and prose formed by Raymond Queneau and inspired by Alfred Jarry, who saw the acceptance of rigorous formal constraints—often mathematical—as the best way of liberating artistic potential. Queneau, most widely…

Oullins, town, a residential and industrial suburb of Lyon, Rhône département, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, southeast-central France. It has two 16th-century châteaus (Grand-Perron and Petit-Perron) and an 18th-century palace that was built by Pierre Cardinal de Tencin. Pop. (1999) 25,183; (2014

Bertha, baroness von Suttner was an Austrian novelist who was one of the first notable woman pacifists. She is credited with influencing Alfred Nobel in the establishment of the Nobel Prize for Peace, of which she was the recipient in 1905. Her major novel, Die Waffen nieder! (1889; Lay Down Your

Jordan: The Latin kingdom and Muslim domination: …Jordan, a principality known as Oultre Jourdain was established, and a capital was set up at Al-Karak. After the Crusaders retreated, the history of Jordan remained mostly uneventful. Not until the 16th century did it submit to Ottoman rule and become part of the vilāyet (province) of Damascus.

Oulu, city, west-central Finland, at the mouth of the Oulu River on the Gulf of Bothnia. During the European Middle Ages a trading post was located on the site. In 1590 the prospering settlement was fortified, and town rights were granted in 1610. The fortress was destroyed by an explosion in 1793,

Oum al-Bouaghi, town, northeastern Algeria. The town is situated in the high plains of the Tell Atlas Mountains, about 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Constantine city. This extensive high-plains region receives about 20 inches (500 mm) of rain annually, and the town is a principal trading centre for

Oum al-Bouaghi, town, northeastern Algeria. The town is situated in the high plains of the Tell Atlas Mountains, about 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Constantine city. This extensive high-plains region receives about 20 inches (500 mm) of rain annually, and the town is a principal trading centre for

Oum al-Bouaghi, town, northeastern Algeria. The town is situated in the high plains of the Tell Atlas Mountains, about 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Constantine city. This extensive high-plains region receives about 20 inches (500 mm) of rain annually, and the town is a principal trading centre for

Oum el-Rbia River, chief river of central Morocco, rising in the Middle Atlas (Moyen Atlas) mountains and flowing generally westward for 345 miles (555 km) to the Atlantic Ocean near Azemmour. Although not navigable, it is a perennially torrential river and a major source of hydroelectric power and

Umm Kulthūm was an Egyptian singer who mesmerized Arab audiences from the Persian Gulf to Morocco for half a century. She was one of the most famous Arab singers and public personalities of the 20th century. Umm Kulthūm’s father was a village imam who sang traditional religious songs at weddings

Niger: Military coup and return to civilian rule: …percent of the vote, and Seyni Oumarou, a MNSD leader and former prime minister, who received 23 percent of the vote. Issoufou was victorious in the runoff election, capturing about 58 percent of the vote. His inauguration on April 7, 2011, returned the country to civilian rule. The peaceful transition…

Missouri River, longest tributary of the Mississippi River and second longest river in North America. It is formed by the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers in the Rocky Mountains area of southwestern Montana (Gallatin county), U.S., about 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) above sea

interstellar object: ‘Oumuamua: ‘Oumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017, by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. The object was confirmed to be on a hyperbolic orbit—that is, an orbit in which it would not return to pass by the Sun again. The object was given the…

Ukraine: Western Ukraine under Polish rule: …a broader underground movement, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). Authoritarian in structure, conspiratorial in its methods, and influenced by political theories that stressed the primacy of the nation over the individual and will over reason, the OUN carried out acts of sabotage and assassinations of Polish officials. Although these…

Sam Saen Thai was a great sovereign of the Lan Xang kingdom of Laos, whose reign brought peace, prosperity, and stability to the kingdom. The eldest son of Fa Ngum, founder of Lan Xang, Un Heuan was installed as king in 1373. While his father had been a conqueror, Un Heuan excelled in

Oun Kham was the ruler of the Lao principality of Luang Prabang (1872–94), whose troubled reign ended with the establishment of a French protectorate over Laos. From the 1870s northern Laos increasingly was beset by invading bands of Chinese (Ho, or Haw) freebooters and bandits, against whom Oun