Lexington City (pop., 2000: 260,512), north-central Kentucky, U.S. Named in 1775 for Lexington, Mass., after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, it was chartered in 1782 and was the site of the first session of the Kentucky legislature (1792). Incorporated as a city in 1831, it merged with Fayette county in 1974 to create an urban county government. It is the seat of Transylvania University (founded 1780) and the University of Kentucky, and it is also the headquarters of the American Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
Lexington and Concord, Battles of (April 19, 1775) Initial skir¬ mishes between British soldiers and American colonists that marked the beginning of the American Revolution. En route from Boston to seize the colonists’ military stores at Concord, Mass., the British force of 700 was met at Lexington by 77 local minutemen (see minuteman) alerted by Paul Revere and others. Which side fired the first shot is unclear, and resistance soon ended. The British moved on to nearby Concord, where they were met by more than 300 American patriots and were forced to withdraw. On their march back to Boston, they were continually harried by colonists firing from behind bams, trees, and roadside walls. Deaths totaled 273 British and 95 Americans.
Leyden See Leiden
Leyden, Lucas van See Lucas van Leyden
Leyster Vla-storV Judith (b. July 28, 1609, Haarlem, Neth.—d. Feb. 10, 1660, Heemstede) Dutch painter. A brewer’s daughter, she had gained membership in the Haarlem painters’ guild by age 24. Many of her known works, primarily portraits, genre paintings, and still lifes, were formerly attributed to her male contemporaries. Though the influence of Frans Hals is clear, she was also interested in the Baroque style of the Utrecht school. She embraced a greater range of subjects than other Dutch painters of the era and was one of the first to depict domestic scenes.
Leyte \'la-te\ Island (pop., 2000: 1,952,496) of the Visayan group, east¬ ern Philippines. Occupying an area of 2,785 sq mi (7,214 sq km), it lies southwest of Samar Island, with which it is linked by a 7,093-ft (2,162-m)
bridge. Known to 16th-century Spanish explorers as Tandaya, it was under Spanish rule until the late 19th century. Under U.S. control in the early 20th century, its population grew rapidly. During World War II it was occupied by the Japanese, who were ousted by U.S. forces in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. It has two major cities, Ormoc and Tacloban.
Leyte Gulf, Battle of (Oct. 23-26, 1944) Decisive air and sea battle of World War II that gave the Allies control of the Pacific. After the U.S. amphibious landing on the Philippine island of Leyte (Oct. 20), the Japa¬ nese reacted with a plan to decoy the U.S. fleet north while moving three attack forces into Leyte Gulf. The U.S. discovery of one of the forces as it moved into position set off three days of continuous surface and air clashes. In the largest naval battle of the war, U.S. forces crippled the Japanese fleet and forced it to withdraw, allowing the U.S. to complete its invasion of the Philippines.
Lezama Lima \la-'za-ma-Te-ma\, Jose (b. Dec. 19, 1910, Havana, Cuba—d. Aug. 9, 1976, Havana) Cuban poet, novelist, and essayist. After studying law in Havana, Lezama was associated with several literary reviews and later with a literary group that published the work of young poets who revolutionized Cuban letters. Among his works are the poetry volumes Muerte de Narciso (1937) and La fijeza (1949) and the essay collections Analecta del reloj (1953) and La expresion americana (1957). The novel Paradiso (1966), considered his masterpiece, reaffirms his faith in his art and his own aestheticism in the face of the 1959 revolution, of which he largely disapproved.
Lhasa Vla-soV Capital (pop., 2003 est.: 129,490), Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Located at an elevation of 11,975 ft (3,650 m) in the Tibetan Himalayas near the Lhasa River, it has served as the religious cen¬ tre of Tibet since at least the 9th century ad. Lhasa became Tibet’s capi¬ tal in 1642 and remained so after the Chinese communists asserted control of the region in 1951; it was designated capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 1965. The 7th-century temple of Gtsug-lag-khang is consid¬ ered the holiest in Tibet. Other landmarks include the temple of Klu- khang; the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama’s former winter residence; and monasteries. Lhasa is sometimes known as the “Forbidden City” because of its inaccessibility and the traditional hostility of its religious leaders toward outsiders.
Lhasa apso Vla-so-'ap-soV Breed of hardy, intelligent, and watchful.
Longer than it is tall, it stands 10-11 in. (25-28 cm) tall and weighs 13-15 lb (6-7 kg). It has a heavily haired tail that curls over its back and a long, profuse coat that covers its eyes. Its coat may be of various colours, but most breeders prefer golden-brown shades.
L'Hopital's rule \,lo-pe-'talz\
Procedure of differential calculus for evaluating indeterminate forms such as 0/0 and °o/°o when they result from attempting to find a limit. It states that when the limit of f(x)/g(x) is indeterminate, under certain conditions it can be obtained by evaluating the limit of the quotient of the derivatives of /and g (i .e., f'(x)/g'(x)). If this result is indeterminate, the procedure can be repeated. It is named for the French mathematician Guillaume de L’Hopital (1661-1704), who purchased the formula from his teacher the Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748).
Lhotse \'lot-'sa\ Peak in the Himalayas. Located on the Nepal-Tibet boundary and reaching 27,890 ft (8,501 m), it is one of the world’s highest mountains. It is sometimes considered part of Mount Everest’s massif because it is joined to that peak by a 25,000-ft (7,600-m) ridge. The Swiss climbers Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss made the first ascent of the mountain in 1956. Lhotse is Tibetan for “south peak.” E 1 was its original survey symbol, denoting Everest-1, given it by the Survey of India in 1931.
Li Ao \'le-'au\ (b. 772, China—d. 841) Chinese scholar and high official of the Tang dynasty, who helped reinvigorate Confucianism at a time when it was severely challenged by Buddhism and Daoism. Little is known of Li’s life, though he is believed to have known Han Yu. He was much influenced by Buddhism, and he helped integrate many Buddhist ideas into Confucianism. He anticipated the ideas of Neo-Confucianism by
dog from Tibet. The Lhasa apso is
Lhasa apso
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asserting that human nature and human destiny were central to Confu¬ cianism, and he helped establish Mencius as a figure almost equal to Con¬ fucius in the eyes of Neo-Confucians.
Li Bai or Li Bo or Li Pai or Li Po or Taibai (b. 701, Jiangyou, Sichuan province, China—d. 762, Dangtu, Anhui province) Chinese poet. A stu¬ dent of Daoism, he spent long periods wandering and served as an unof¬ ficial court poet. His lyrics are celebrated for their exquisite imagery, rich language, allusions, and cadence. A romantic, he was a famous wine drinker and wrote of the joys of drinking, as well as about friendship, solitude, nature, and the passage of time. Popular legend says that he drowned when, sitting drunk in a boat, he tried to seize the moon’s reflec¬ tion in the water. He rivals Du Fu for the title of China’s greatest poet.
Li Chunfeng (b. 602, Qizhou, Yong county, China—d. 670, Chang’an) Chinese mathematician and astronomer. He was given a position in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in 627 following his critique of the Wuyin calendar. He became the deputy director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau about 641. He participated in the compilation of the official his¬ tories of the Jin (265^120) and Sui (581-618) dynasties, writing the chap¬ ters containing historical outlines of Chinese astronomy, astrology, metrology, and a mathematical theory of music. In 648 he became the director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and he coedited a collec¬ tion of mathematical treatises used as manuals in the Mathematical Col¬ lege of the State University. Later he prepared the Linde calendar, which was promulgated in 665 and used until 728.