MySQL, open-source relational database management software, owned by the computer software company Oracle, that allows users to interact with large amounts of data across multiple databases. MySQL is one of the most popular database management programs used worldwide. 　　Though SQL is sometimes referred to as “S-Q-L,” it is more often called “sequel,” in acknowledgment of its historical roots as “Structured...

　　 　　Franz LisztHungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, the second and most famous of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies composed for piano by Franz Liszt between 1846–53. Originally composed in 1851 for solo piano, the work was soon converted into orchestral form by Liszt’s colleague, Franz Doppler, who also added a piano duet version more than two decades after the...

　　 　　Dmitri ShostakovichDmitri Shostakovich, early 1940s.(more)Leningrad Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich, known as “Leningrad.” The work premiered informally on March 5, 1942, at Kuybyshev (now Samara), a provincial city alongside the Volga, where the composer and many of his colleagues were seeking refuge from World War II. Five months later, it would be...

　　 　　The Maria Skłodowska-Curie MuseumThe Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum in the replicated town house in which Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland.(more)Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum, institution dedicated to the life and work of Marie Curie located in a gracious town house in the New Town district of central Warsaw, Poland. The house is a replica of the 18th-century house in which...

　　While many associate the modern Olympics with tradition, the quadrennial sporting event is continually changing. There’s the size of the Games: at the Athens Olympics in 1896, 241 athletes competed in 43 events, while the 2020 Tokyo Games (delayed until 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic) featured 11,420 competitors and 339 events. And then there’s the pageantry. Notably, the opening...

　　Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), U.S. law that regulates the handling of Indigenous human remains and cultural items. Passed in 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requires federal agencies and institutions that receive money from the federal government to return remains and cultural objects of Indigenous peoples in what is now the United...

　　Makar Sankranti, Hindu festival in January celebrating the entrance of the sun into the astrological sign of makara (corresponding to Capricorn) and the beginning of the sun’s uttarayana (northward journey). 　　Makar Sankranti occurs on January 14 (or 15 during a leap year). Unlike most other holidays in Hinduism that are determined according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, this festival is...

　　 　　Iron DomeA Tamir interceptor missile being launched from an Iron Dome air defense battery in Ashdod, Israel, on November 12, 2019.(more)Iron Dome, short-range mobile air defense system developed for Israel by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with additional support from Raytheon. First deployed in 2011, Iron Dome constitutes the innermost layer of the tiered Israeli air...

　　 　　Naomi Watts (left) and Laura HarringPublicity still from the 2001 film Mulholland Drive, featuring Naomi Watts (Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn) and Laura Harring (Rita/Camilla Rhodes).(more)Mulholland Drive, American surrealist thriller and neo-noir film, released in 2001, that is considered one of director David Lynch’s finest works. The movie is noted for its dreamlike, nonlinear structure and its exploration of the dark...

　　presidencies in British India: Bombay, Madras, and Bengal, in British India, provinces under the direct control and supervision of, early on, the East India Company and, after 1857, the British government. The three key presidencies in India were the Madras Presidency, the Bengal Presidency, and the Bombay Presidency. 　　Those provinces were centered on the cities of Madras (now Chennai), Calcutta...

　　Operation Torch, major Allied amphibious operation in French North Africa during World War II. It began on November 8, 1942, with the landing of 107,000 British and U.S. troops at Casablanca, Morocco, and the Algerian cities of Algiers and Oran. French authorities concluded an armistice with the Allies three days later. The landings, which came days after the victory of...

　　The Home Depot, Inc. is the largest retail home improvement and construction supply company in the world, with more than 2,300 stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company was established in 1978, and today employs nearly 475,000 workers. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. 　　Founding and early growth The Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Arthur...