ENCIENT WORLD
Sargon I (reigned about 2335-2279 BC), Akkadian king who for the first time in Mesopotamian history united the ancient lands of Sumer and Akkad, in present-day Iraq and Syria. Little is known of Sargon's early life. One Sumerian legend says he was placed in a sealed reed basket and floated down the Euphrates River like Moses before being rescued. Earning the approval of the deity Ishtar, Sargon rose to establish his kingdom. Another source describes Sargon as the adopted son of a palm grower. It is not clear how Sargon ascended the throne. His Akkadian name, Sharrum-kin, means “the true or legitimate king,” though one theory holds that he stole the throne.
Better established is that, after founding the city Agade in northern Sumer, Sargon conquered all of Mesopotamia (in parts of present-day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey), including Sumer; parts of northern Syria; and Elam (in present-day Iran). He thus secured command of major trade routes; goods reached Akkad from as far away as Magan, south of the Persian Gulf, by ship. Sargon consolidated his rule by granting royal servants the administration of large estates, something which not only earned their loyalty but fostered a new economic structure. Where earlier rulers had spoken Sumerian, Sargon and his successors spoke a Semitic language known as Akkadian, contributing to the decline of the previous Sumerian speech.
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I was one of England's greatest monarchs, ruling from 1558 until her death in 1603. Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Age, was marked by great prosperity and achievement in many fields. This famous portrait of Queen Elizabeth standing on a map of Enlgand was painted by M. Gheeraerts. It is housed in the National Portrait Gallery, in London.
William Shakespeare
English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s, is regarded as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature. He had a profound understanding of human nature and human behavior, and he was able to communicate this knowledge through the wide variety of characters he created in his plays.
Star-Spangled Banner
Star-Spangled Banner, national anthem of the United States, approved by act of Congress on March 3, 1931. The text was written by the American lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key on board a British frigate during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1814. Key had boarded the ship under a flag of truce to arrange for the release of a prisoner held by the British during the War of 1812 and had been temporarily detained during the attack. The sight of the flag still flying on the following morning inspired Key to write the poem. First printed in a handbill and then in a Baltimore newspaper, it soon became a popular song, sung to the tune of the drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven,” which was attributed to the British composer John Stafford Smith.
Lyra
Lyra (Latin, “lyre”), constellation of the northern sky, situated between Cygnus and Hercules. It contains the first-magnitude white star Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky. With the aid of a telescope, one can see several of the multiple stars of the constellation, such as the double star Beta and the quadruple star Epsilon Lyrae.
Star-of-Bethlehem
Star-of-Bethlehem, common name for a bulbous-rooted herb of the lily family. The erect linear leaves of the plant grow in a clump from an onionlike bulb, reaching a height of about 30 cm (about 12 in). These are followed in spring by an attractive cluster of white, lilylike flowers. Star-of-Bethlehem was introduced from the Mediterranean region as a garden perennial but has become naturalized in grasslands throughout the eastern and central United States. The bulbs, which may be brought to the surface by plowing or by frost heaving, contain poisons that, when eaten, produce symptoms of depression, salivation, and bloat and may eventually cause death.
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