Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

In spite of his success as a pianist and composer, Mozart had serious financial worries, and they worsened as the famously fickle Viennese found other idols. One may calculate his likely income during his last five years, 1786–91, as being far larger than that of most musicians though much below that of the section of society with which he wanted to be associated; Leopold's early

Plotina, Pompeia

Wife of the Roman emperor Trajan. She earned great respect in her lifetime by her virtue and her advocation of the people's interests. During the ceremony of Trajan's accession, she is supposed to have turned around as she climbed the palace steps and addressed the crowd, saying that she desired always to be the same as she was then. One of her accomplishments was to curb

Harrison, Anna

In 1858 Anna's house was destroyed in a fire, and she spent the remaining six years of her life with her son John Scott Harrison, the only one of her children to outlive her. She was buried beside her husband in North Bend, Ohio.

Min

In ancient Egyptian religion, a god of fertility and harvest, embodiment of the masculine principle; he was also worshiped as the Lord of the Eastern Desert. His cult originated in predynastic times (4th millennium BC). Min was represented with phallus erect, a flail in his raised right hand. His cult was strongest in Coptos and Akhmim (Panopolis), where in his honour great festivals

Capital Radio

The launch of London's Capital Radio in October 1973 came some 16 years after the British government had outlawed the previous batch of commercial stations, the so-called pirates, whose staff and style had been recruited and diluted to shape Radio 1, the British Broadcasting Corporation's new outlet. However, if those who had campaigned for a legitimate commercial radio

Qasrayn, Al-

Also spelled  Kasserine,   town, west-central Tunisia. The town is an important market, road, and rail junction and is the centre of an irrigated agricultural area. Its economic activities include the cultivation of olives and esparto grass and the manufacture of paper pulp. Kasserine Pass to the northwest was the scene of a decisive battle of the Tunisian campaign in World War II, which contributed

Soil Organism

Any organism inhabiting the soil during part or all of its life. Soil organisms, which range in size from microscopic cells that digest decaying organic material to small mammals that live primarily on other soil organisms, play an important role in maintaining fertility, structure, drainage, and aeration of soil. They also break down plant and animal tissues, releasing