typewriter Machine for writing characters similar to those made by printers’ types, especially a machine in which the characters are produced by steel types striking the paper through an inked ribbon, the types being activated by corresponding keys on a keyboard and the paper being held by a roller (the platen) that is automatically moved along with a carriage when a key is struck. The first practical typewriter was patented in 1868 by Christopher L. Sholes; commercial production began at the Remington firearms company in 1874. By the end of the century the typewriter had come to dominate the American office. The first electric typewriter for office use was introduced in 1920. From the 1970s typewriters began to be replaced by personal computers and their associated printers.
typhoid or typhoid fever Acute infectious disease resembling typhus (and distinguished from it only in the 19th century). Salmonella typhi, usually ingested in food or water, multiplies in the intestinal wall and then enters the bloodstream, causing septicemia. Symptoms begin with head¬ ache, aching, and restlessness. High fever gradually develops, with delirium. A rash appears on the trunk. The sites where the bacilli multi¬ plied become inflamed and may ulcerate, leading to intestinal bleeding or peritonitis. Patients become exhausted and emaciated; up to 25% die if not treated. Antibiotic treatment is effective. Patients can carry typhoid for weeks to months or years. Carriers can contaminate the food they handle. Prevention depends mainly on water and sewage treatment and exclud¬ ing carriers from food-handling jobs.
Typhoid Mary byname o/ Mary Mallon (b. 1870?—d. Nov. 11, 1938, North Brother Island, N.Y., N.Y., U.S.) U.S. carrier of typhoid. A 1904 typhoid epidemic on Long Island was traced to households where she had been a cook. She fled, but authorities finally caught up with her and isolated her on an island off the Bronx. In 1910 she was released after agreeing not to take a food-handling job, but she did, causing more typhoid outbreaks. She was returned to the island for the rest of her life. Three deaths and 51 original cases were directly attributed to her.
Typhon In Greek mythology, the youngest son of Gaea and Tartarus. A grisly monster with a hundred dragons’ heads, he was conquered and cast into the underworld by Zeus but continued to be the source of destructive winds. In other accounts, he was confined in the land of the Arimi in Cil¬ icia or under Mount Etna, where he caused eruptions and was thus the personification of volcanic forces. Among his children were Cerberus, Chi¬ mera, and the multiheaded Hydra. Later writers identified him with the Egyptian god Seth.
typhoon See tropical cyclone
typhus Any of a group of related diseases caused by various species of Rickettsia that release toxins into the blood. Headache, chills, fever, and general pains begin suddenly and a rash soon after. The bacteria are trans¬ mitted by lice, fleas, mites, and ticks. Epidemic typhus, spread by the body louse, is the most severe. It is one of the great scourges of history, asso¬ ciated with crowded, filthy conditions. Improved hygiene has nearly
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typographic printing ► Tzotzil I 1957
eliminated it from the Western world, but it persists in many countries, despite modem vaccines and pesticides. Endemic typhus, spread by fleas on rats and other rodents, is milder (mortality under 5%). Scrub typhus, carried by mites, is usually classed as a separate disease. See also Rocky Mountain spotted fever; Hans Zinsser.
typographic printing See letterpress printing
typography Design or selection of letter forms to be organized into words and sentences and printed or displayed electronically. Typography originated after the invention of printing from movable type in the mid 15th century. The three major type families in the history of Western printing are roman, italic, and black letter (Gothic). All had their origin in the scripts of the calligraphers whose work was ultimately replaced by printing. In the succeeding centuries typographers have created some 10,000 typefaces (a complete set of letter forms of a particular design). Depending on the style of their letters, typefaces are categorized as old style, transitional, and modem. Commonly used typefaces include Caslon, Baskerville, Bodoni, Garamond, and Times New Roman. See also John Baskerville; Giambattista Bodoni; Stanley Morison. The selection of a type¬ face is an important part of the aesthetic process in graphic design.
tyrannosaur Any of a group of related carnivorous dinosaurs similar to the allosaurs. Tyrannosaurus rex is the largest and best known, found as fossils in Late Cretaceous (99-65 million years ago) deposits of North America and eastern Asia. Some adults were more than 40 ft (12 m) long and 16-18 ft (over 5 m) tall and weighed 6 tons (5.4 metric tons) or more. Tyrannosaurs walked with a stooped posture, carrying the body forward and the long tail off the ground. They had a short, thick neck, a very large skull, and pointed teeth, up to 6 in. (15 cm) long, with serrated edges. Each small forelimb had two claws, perhaps for holding struggling prey. A nearly complete skeleton of T. rex called “Sue” is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. Other tyrannosaurs include Albertosaurus, Alectrosaurus, and Nanotyrannus.
tyrant In ancient Greece, a cruel and oppressive absolute ruler. The Greek tyrannos was a ruler who seized power unconstitutionally or inherited such power. Though tyrants often replaced aristocratic regimes that were them¬ selves unpopular, the Greeks resented their illegal autocracy, and those who killed tyrants received high honours. Cypselus and Periander of Corinth and Dionysius I of Syracuse were among the most famous tyrants.
Tyre \'tlr\ Arabic SOr \'sur\ City (pop., 2003 est.: 117,100), southern Lebanon. It was a major Phoenician port from c. 2000 bc through Roman times and later was noted for its silken garments and Tyrian purple dye. Probably founded as a colony of Sidon, it was first mentioned in the 14th century bc; it is frequently mentioned in the Bible. Tyre successfully resisted a 6th-century-Bc siege of 13 years by the Babylonian king Neb¬ uchadrezzar II, but it fell to Alexander the Great in 332 bc. Ruled later by the Seleucid dynasty and then by the Romans, it passed to the Muslims in the 7th century ad. After its capture by the Crusaders in 1124, it became a chief city of the kingdom of Jerusalem (see Crusades). It fell again to the Muslims in 1291 and was destroyed. The modern city was included in Lebanon in 1920 and was occupied by Israeli forces (1982-85). Its main economic activity is fishing. Tyre’s ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.
Tyrol See Tirol
Tyrone \t!-'ron\ Former county, western central Northern Ireland. In the 1973 administrative reorganization of Northern Ireland, the county was divided into several smaller districts. The O’Nialls (or O’Neills) ruled the territory from the 5th to the 16th century ad. Subsequently the vast estates passed to the English crown and were divided and granted by the king under the scheme for the Plantation of Ulster. Royalist forces established fortifications, and the area was colonized.