Borden, Sir Robert (Laird) (b. June 26, 1854, Grand Pre, Nova Scotia—d. June 10, 1937, Ottawa, Ont., Can.) Prime minister of Canada (1911-20). He practiced law in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 1874 and later founded one of the largest law firms in the Maritime Provinces. In 1896 he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons; he became leader of the Conservative Party in 1901. As prime minister, he implemented con¬ scription in World War I and represented Canada in Britain’s imperial war
Borage (Borago officinalis).
A TO Z BOTANNICAL COLLECTION/EB INC.
cabinet. He insisted on separate Canadian membership in the League of Nations, which helped transform Canada from a colony to an independent country.
border collie Breed of long-haired sheepdog that has been used along the English-Scottish border for about 300 years. Usually black and white, it stands about 20 in. (50 cm) and weighs 30-50 lbs (14-23 kg). It is the most popular working sheepdog in the British Isles.
Bordet \b6r-'da\, Jules (-Jean-Baptiste-Vincent) (b. June 13, 1870, Soignies, Belg.—d. April 6, 1961, Brussels) Belgian bacteriologist and immunologist. In 1895 he found that two blood serum components cause bacteriolysis (bacterial cell-wall rupture), one a heat-stable antibody in animals immune to the bacterium and the other a heat-sensitive comple¬ ment in all animals. In 1898 he discovered hemolysis (rupture of foreign erythrocytes), a similar process that also requires complement. This research was vital to the foundation of serology, the study of immune reactions in body fluids. His work with Octave Gengou led to serological tests for many diseases, including typhoid, tuberculosis, and syphilis (the Wassermann test). In 1906 they discovered Bordetella pertussis, which causes whooping cough. In 1919 Bordet received a Nobel Prize.
Borduas Vbor-dui-'asV Paul-Emile (b. Nov. 1, 1905, Saint-Hilaire, Que., Can.—d. Feb. 22, 1960, Paris, France) Canadian painter. He was trained in Montreal as a church decorator and later studied in Paris. In the early 1940s, influenced by Surrealism, he began to produce “automatic” paintings and with Jean-Paul Riopelle founded the radical abstract group known as Les Automatistes (c. 1946-51). His later works are reminiscent of those of Jackson Pollock, but the only U.S. influence he acknowledged was that of Franz Kune. See also automatism.
boreal forest See taiga
Borg, Bjorn (Rune) (b. June 6, 1956, Sodertalje, Swed.) Swedish ten¬ nis player. Turning professional at age 14, Borg was noted for his pow¬ erful serve and two-handed backhand. He became the first man to win the Wimbledon singles championship five successive times (1976-80) since Laurie Doherty (1902-6) and the first to win the French Open four times in a row and six times in all (1974-75, 1978-81). By the time he finally lost at Wimbledon to John McEnroe (1981), he had won a record 41 straight Wimbledon singles matches. He won a lifetime total of 11 grand- slam titles. He retired in 1983.
Borge \'b6r-go\, Victor orig. Borge Rosenbaum (b. Jan. 3, 1909, Copenhagen, Den.—d. Dec. 23, 2000, Greenwich, Conn., U.S.) Danish- born U.S. comedian and pianist. He studied at the Copenhagen Music Conservatory and later in Vienna and Berlin. Initially performing as a concert musician, he soon developed a style that combined comedy with classical music, and he toured throughout Europe. In 1940 he immigrated to the U.S., where he achieved fame appearing in various venues, includ¬ ing radio, films, concert halls, Broadway, and television. Though he per¬ formed as soloist and guest conductor with many of the world’s leading orchestras, his significant pianistic talent was often overshadowed by his highly popular humour.
Borges Vbor-has\, Jorge Luis (b. Aug. Arg.—d. June 14, 1986, Geneva,
Switz.) Argentine poet, essayist, and short-story writer. Educated in Swit¬ zerland, Borges recognized early that he would have a literary career. From the 1920s on he was afflicted by a growing hereditary blindness. In 1938 a severe head wound seemed to free his deepest creative forces. His blindness was total by the mid 1950s and forced him to abandon the writ¬ ing of long texts and begin dictating his works. From 1955 he held the honorary post of director of Argenti¬ na’s national library. Much of his work is rich in fantasy and meta¬ phorical allegory, including the story collections Ficciones (1944), which won him an international following, and The Aleph (1949). Dreamtigers (1960) and The Book of Imaginary
24, 1899, Buenos Aires,
Jorge Luis Borges.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
252 I Borghese family ► Borneo
Beings (1967) almost erase the distinctions between prose and poetry. Though he later repudiated it, he is credited with establishing in South America the modernist Ultraist movement, a rebellion against the deca¬ dence of the established writers of the Generation of ’98.
Borghese family \bor-'ga-sa\ Noble Italian family, originally from Siena, who first gained fame in the 13th century as magistrates, ambas¬ sadors, and other public officials. They moved to Rome in the 16th cen¬ tury and there, after Camillo Borghese was elected (1605) as Pope Paul V, the family rose in wealth and fame. Prominent family members included the adopted Scipione Caffarelli (later Borghese) (1576-1633), a cardinal and patron of the arts, and Camillo F. L. Borghese (1775-1832), who married Pauline Bonaparte and played an important role in Franco- Italian relations.
Borgia Vb6r-ja\, Cesare later due de Valentinois \va-la n -ten-'wa\ (b. c. 1475/76, probably Rome—d. 1507, near Viana, Spain) Italian mili¬ tary leader, illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, and brother of Lucre- zia Borgia. He was made archbishop of Valencia (1492) and cardinal (1493). After his brother’s murder (1497), he took command of the papal armies. In 1498 he resigned his ecclesiastical offices and married the sis¬ ter of the king of Navarre, a move calculated to win French support for a campaign to regain control of the Papal States. Acting in concert with his father, Cesare won a series of military successes in the Papal States (1499-1503), gaining a reputation for ruthlessness and assassination; his political astuteness led Niccolo Machiavelli to cite him as an example of the new “Prince.” Cesare’s gains proved fruitless, however, when his father died (1503) and the new pope, Julius II, demanded that he give up his lands. He escaped from prison in Spain and died fighting for Navarre.
Borgia, Lucrezia (b. April 18,
1480, Rome—d. June 24, 1519, Fer¬ rara, Papal States) Italian noble¬ woman. The daughter of the future pope Alexander VI and sister of Cesare Borgia, she was probably more an instrument for their ambi¬ tious projects than, as has been sug¬ gested, an active participant in their many crimes. Her three marriages into prominent families helped aug¬ ment the political and territorial power of the Borgias. Her child may have been the issue of an incestuous relationship with her father. After her father’s death (1503), she ceased to play a political role and increasingly turned to religion. She died at age 39.
Borglum Vb6r-gbm\, (John)
Gutzon (de la Mothe) (b. March 25, 1867, St. Charles, Idaho,
U.S.—d. March 6, 1941, Chicago,
Ill.) U.S. sculptor. Born to Danish immigrant parents, he studied art in Paris. In 1901 he opened a studio in New York City. His bronze group The Mares of Diomedes was the first U.S. sculpture purchased by the Met¬ ropolitan Museum of Art. He carved the head of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. In 1916 he was commissioned to sculpt a memorial to the Confederacy on Stone Moun¬ tain, Ga., but disputes with his patrons caused him to abandon the project in 1924; it was completed by others. His most notable project was the Mount Rushmore National Memorial (completed 1941).