(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20070827085417/http://www.britannica.com:80/

Already a member?
LOGIN
Search:
Browse: Subjects A to Z The Index
What's New
Back-to-School Sale!
Save big on essential homework help for all ages. The Britannica Store offers award-winning products to help students succeed in a variety of subject areas including Math, Science, Geography, English, and more. Shop Today.
Britannica Blog
A place for smart, lively conversations about a broad range of topics such as art, science, history, and current events. Learn More.



News Feeds
Add our content feeds to your web browser, news reader, or personalized home page. Learn More

Search Tools
Convenient tools like RSS and browser plug ins put reliable Britannica search results at your fingertips. Learn More

Britannica Mobile
Search Britannica any time, anywhere on your cell phone, PDA, or iPod. Learn More about our wireless solutions.
Photograph:Diana, princess of Wales, greeting fans, 1997.

Blog Forum

This August 31 is the 10-year anniversary of the tragic death of Diana, princess of Wales. To mark the occasion, we're hosting a special forum at the Britannica Blog. Prominent writers will discuss not only Diana's popularity and impact on the British monarchy but also the nature of celebrityhood itself. The obsession with Britney, Beckham, and even serial killers will be discussed. And you too can join the forum. Submit your comments please. Features Archive

Daily Features

Biography of the Day

Mother Teresa at the Nobel Prize ceremony, 1979.Baptized in Macedonia this day in 1910, Mother Teresa founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor, and later received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace.

This Day in History

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, oil painting by Titian,  1550; in the Prado, Madrid.Titian, the greatest Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school, who was once described as “the sun amidst small stars not only among the Italians but all the painters of the world,” died this day in 1576.
More

Britannica offers several ways for you to receive our daily content. Learn more about our daily content offerings.

E-mail:
SMS:   
RSS:

Test Your Knowledge

Photo Quiz

Who am I?

Answer

Quizmaster: Geography

Where is the Vaal River?

Quote of the Day

The human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly, distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it.
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum
Timelines
Britannica's interactive Timelines trace key dates and developments through history with illustrations and encyclopedia links.

View Timelines

Year in Review
Britannica's popular Year in Review covers the most important people and events of the previous year, from Nobel Prize winners to the films taking top honours around the world.

View Year in Review

Classics
Encyclopædia Britannica has published, for more than 200 years, the foremost writers, thinkers, and scholars in the world. Our Classics feature highlights some of these famous contributors and their writings for Britannica.

View Britannica Classics

Nations of the World
Britannica has extensive coverage of the nations of the world, including articles, maps, flags, images, videos, and more.

View the Nations

World Atlas
Britannica's interactive World Atlas allows you to browse maps and profiles of continents, countries, states, and more. Find national and state flags, profiles, and hundreds of political and physical maps.
For Subscribers

View the World Atlas

World Data Analyst
Using a database of current and historical statistics for 217 countries, create cross-national comparisons with custom tables and charts, or export the information to a spreadsheet for data crunching and deeper analysis.
For Subscribers
View World Data


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Members Get More!
Advocacy for Animals
Dedicated to understanding and protecting the animals with whom we share our planet. Learn More.

Student Center

Get help with citations, bibliographies, and more! Visit the new Student Edition for articles and media developed specifically for students.

Shopping

1503Shopping


New! 2007 Encyclopædia Britannica Print Set
Revised, updated, and still unrivaled.


NEW! 2008 Britannica Ultimate DVD/CD-ROM
Now available for pre-order!
The world's premier software reference source.


Great Books of the Western World
The greatest written works in one magnificent collection.

Visit Britannica Store

Contributor's News

Fashion is almost as important as the Oscar-winning films when it comes to a history of the Academy Awards. Bronwyn Cosgrave, fashion correspondent for Britannica Book of the Year, makes this very point in her latest book, Made For Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards. The book contains unseen sketches of designer dresses, rare vintage photographs, and detailed fashion illustrations. Read Bronwyn’s recent post on fashion for the Britannica Blog, and learn more about her book in the Britannica Store.

Buy This Book
Britannica Blog

Amateur BookToday anyone with an opinion and access to the Internet can quickly and often post information, ideas, and media anonymously and even alter the information posted by others. Andrew Keen, in his controversial new book The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture, explores what he sees as the “dark side” of advancing technology and questions a blind acceptance of technology's “benefits.”

Buy This Book
Andrew Keen