| A | B |
|---|
| al-Khwarizimi | Islamic mathematician who pioneered the study of algebra. His
textbook on the subject became a standard in European
universities for centuries. |
| alliance | formal agreement between two or more nations or powers to
cooperate and come to one another’s defense |
| Allied Powers | Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and
France during World War II. |
| Al-Qaeda | Islamic terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden. They are
responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, including the destruction
of the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. |
| Anwar al-Sadat | (1918-1981) President of Egypt between 1970 and 1981. He
was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists for making
peace with Israel. |
| American Revolution | Political revolution in the British North American
Colonies starting in 1776 that removed the colonies
from Great Britain’s control, and established an
independent nation know as the United States of
America. |
| Idi Amin | (1925?- 2003) President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. His brutal
regime resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people, as
well as the near total ruin of Uganda. He was overthrown and exiled
to Saudi Arabia in 1979. |
| Amritsar Massacre | April 3rd of 1919. British soldiers killed close to 400
unarmed Indian men, women, and children, and wounded
1,100 more. People had gathered in the center of town to
protest British occupation of their country, and to demand
equality. This was a turning point in British domination of
India. Independence movements became very popular and
eventually forced India’s independence. |
| The Analects | Collection of moral and social teachings of Confucius, including
the concept of the Five Relationships. |
| anatomy | The branch of science that studies the physical structure of living
organisms. |
| ancestor worship | Worship given to deceased relatives who are believed to be
closer to the Gods, and therefore able to grant favors. |
| Animism | The oldest known type of belief system in the world. It is still
practiced in a variety of forms in many traditional societies. Animists
practice nature worship. They believe that everything in the universe
has a spirit. This is exemplified by the practices of the Plains Indians
in North America who would praise the spirit of the buffalo that they
killed for giving its life to them so that they might survive. Animists
also believed that ancestors watch over the living from the spirit
world. This belief resulted in ancestor worship as a means of
communicating with and showing respect to ancestors. |
| annexation | to add to existing possessions/territory |
| anthropologist | a scientist who studies the origins and development of people
and their societies |
| antibiotics | A substance that kills bacteria in the human body. It is used to
prevent or treat various illnesses. |
| anti-Semitism | The hatred of people of Jewish descent. |
| antiseptic | An agent that helps prevent or reduce infection in wounds. |
| apartheid | A political policy in South Africa where black South Africans could
only live in certain areas, were required to use separate trains,
beaches, restaurants, and schools, and could not enter into an
interracial marriage. |
| appeasement | The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes of
avoiding further conflict. |
| apprentice | young person learning a trade from a master |
| aqueducts | Above ground structures used to carry water long distances. Built
by the ancient Romans. |
| Arabic | A language that is the official language of several countries of North
Africa and the Middle East, as well as the religion of Islam. |
| Arabic Numerals | A written number system created during the Gupta golden
age in India, then adopted by the Islamic Empire before
spreading further. Used throughout western civilization
today. |
| arable | Land that is able to support the growing of crops. |
| Yasir Arafat | "(1929 - 2004) President of the Palestine National Authority and
Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Considered by many to be a terrorist, he has in recent years been
accepted as the legitimate authority to speak for the Palestinians.
His goals is to create a homeland for the displaced Palestinians. |
