Aaron Burr
(1756–1836)US Democratic Republican statesman. After losing the presidential election to Jefferson in 1800, Burr was elected Vice-President. He was defeated in the contest for the governorship of New ...
abacus
An ancient device for performing arithmetic calculations by sliding beads along rods or in grooves. Despite the spread of electronic calculators and computers, the abacus is still widely used in the ...
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
Abbotsbury, Dorset, England, owe their special atmosphere to a remarkable microclimate. The garden is very close to the sea, which in this part of the coast is very deep and ...
abduction
An inference process widely used in artificial intelligence, particularly in expert systems and rule-based systems. In diagnosis, for example, there may be a rule like “if measles then red spots” so ...
Aberglasney
Llangathen, Carmarthenshire, Wales, has an ancient and mysterious history. In the 15th century it was probably the home of Rhydderch ap Rhys whose fame was sung by the 15th-century bard ...
Abkhazi Garden
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a rare Canadian private garden open to the public. Prince Nicholas (1899–1987) and Princess Peggy Abkhazi (1902–94) lost each other in prison camps during the ...
Abondance
Abondance (also called tomme d'Abondance) is a firm cheese produced in Savoie, in southeastern France. It is made from milk of the Abondance breed of cattle—whence its name.
abortion
There is no actual prohibition in the Bible against aborting a foetus. Nevertheless, in the unanimously accepted Jewish consensus, abortion is a very serious offence, though foeticide is not treated ...
Abraham Lincoln
(1809–65)US Republican statesman, 16th President of the USA (1861–65). His election as President on an anti‐slavery platform antipathetic to the interests of the southern states helped precipitate ...
absinthe
A green aniseed-flavoured liqueur, originally flavoured with wormwood, although this is now banned owing to its toxicity; in the 19th and early 20th centuries drinking absinthe was regarded as a sign ...
