Curtis, Cyrus (Herman Kotzschmar) (b. June 18, 1850, Portland, Maine, U.S.—d. June 7, 1933, Wyncote, Pa.) U.S. publisher. Curtis began publishing a local weekly in Portland. When fire destroyed his plant, he moved to Boston; there he published The People’s Ledger magazine, which he continued after his move to Philadelphia in 1876. In 1879 he founded The Tribune and Farmer, from the women’s section of which he formed the Ladies' Home Journal. In 1890 he organized the Curtis Pub¬ lishing Co. Later acquisitions included The Saturday Evening Post (1897) and several newspapers. His daughter Mary Louise (1876-1970) founded the Curtis Institute of Music and named it for her father.
Curtis, Tony orig. Bernard Schwartz (b. June 3, 1925, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. film actor. He appeared on Broadway before going to Hollywood in 1949. He acted in adventure films, becoming known for his pretty face and his Bronx accent, then earned acclaim for his roles in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and The Defiant Ones (1958). His success in Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot (1959) was followed by roles in other light comedies in the 1960s. He continued to perform onstage and in films into the 21st century.
Curtis Cup Golf trophy awarded since 1932 to the winner of a biennial amateur women’s match played between teams from Britain and the U.S. Teams consist of six players, two alternates, and a captain. The cup was donated by Harriot and Margaret Curtis, amateur golf champions of the early 20th century. Teams play six 18-hole foursomes and 12 18-hole singles matches.
Curtis Institute of Music Conservatory of music in Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. It was founded in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok (1876-1970),
Currant [Ribes)
WALTER CHANDOHA
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Curtiss ► custard apple I 497
wife of the editor Edward Bok, and named for her father, the inventor Charles Gordon Curtis. Her endowment was adequate to assure scholar¬ ships for gifted students throughout the world. Many eminent musicians have served on its faculty, including Wanda Landowska, Bohusav Mar- tinu, and Rudolf Serkin. Graduates include Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and Gian Carlo Menotti.
Curtiss, Glenn (Hammond) (b. May 21, 1878, Hammondsport, N.Y., U.S.—d. July 23, 1930, Buffalo, N.Y.) U.S. aviation pioneer. He initially built engines for motorcycles. In 1904 he built a motor for a diri¬ gible, and in 1908 he flew an experimental plane to win the first public U.S. flight of 1 km (0.6 mi). In 1911 he built the first practical seapane and was awarded the first contract to build airplanes for the U.S. Navy. His factories later supplied planes to Britain and Russia as well. His best- known plane was the JN-4, or “Jenny,” a trainer widely used in World War I and later by barnstormers. His company later merged with the Wright Company to become the Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
Curtiz \'kur-tis\, Michael orig. Mihaly Kertesz (b. Dec. 24, 1888, Budapest, Hung.—d. April 10, 1962, Hollywood, Calif., U.S.) Hungarian- U.S. film director. He directed films in Hungary and elsewhere in Europe before he was invited to Hollywood by Warner Brothers in 1926. He directed more than 100 Warner Brothers films, including adventure mov¬ ies with Errol Flynn such as Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), and The Sea Hawk (1940). His many other notable films include Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), the hugely successful Cas¬ ablanca (1942, Academy Award), Mildred Pierce (1945), and White Christmas (1954).
curvature Measure of the rate of change of direction of a curved line or surface at any point. In general, it is the reciprocal of the radius of the circle or sphere of best fit to the curve or surface at that point. This notion of best fit derives from the principle that only one circle can be drawn though any three points not on the same line. The radius of curvature at the middle point is approximately equal to the radius of that one circle. This calculation becomes more exact the closer the points are. The pre¬ cise value is found using a limit. Because a straight line can be thought of as an arc of a circle of infinite radius, its curvature is zero.
curve In mathematics, an abstract term used to describe the path of a continuously moving point (see continuity). Such a path is usually gen¬ erated by an equation. The word can also apply to a straight line or to a series of line segments linked end to end. A closed curve is a path that repeats itself, and thus encloses one or more regions. Simple examples include circles, ellipses, and polygons. Open curves such as parabolas, hyper¬ boas, and spirals have infinite length.
Curzon Vkor-zYA (of Kedleston), George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess or Lord Curzon (b. Jan. 11, 1859, Kedleston Hall, Der¬ byshire, Eng.—d. March 20, 1925, London) British viceroy of India (1898-1905) and foreign secretary (1919-24). Eldest son of a baron, he studied at Oxford and entered Parliament in 1886. A world tour left him with an infatuation for Asia, and in 1891 he became undersecretary of state for India; he was named viceroy in 1898. There he reduced taxes and ordered immediate punishment of any Briton who ill-treated Indian nationals. He presided over the unpopular Partition of Bengal and resigned after a clash with Lord Kitchener. He later served in the cabinets of H.H. Asquith and David Lloyd George.
Curzon Line Demarcation line between Poland and Soviet Russia. The British foreign secretary. Lord Curzon, proposed it as a possible armistice line in the Russo-Polish War of 1919-20. His plan was not accepted, and the final peace treaty (1921) provided Poland with almost 52,000 sq mi (135,000 sq km) of land east of the line. With the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Union revived the line, claiming all the territory east of it. In 1945 a Soviet-Polish treaty officially designated a line almost identi¬ cal to the Curzon Line as their mutual border.
Cush or Kush Ancient country, Nubia region of the Nile River valley. In the 2nd millennium bc it was subject to Egypt. In the 8th century bc Cushite King Piye invaded and conquered Egypt. It was ruled from 719 bc by Piye’s brother Shabaka, who also invaded Egypt and set up the 25th dynasty; he subsequently made Memphis his capital. In the mid-7th cen¬ tury bc the Cushite kingdom’s capital was transferred to Meroe, where the Cushites ruled for another 1,000 years.
Cushing syndrome Disorder named for Harvey Williams Cushing, caused by adrenal cortex overactivity. If caused by a pituitary gland
tumour, it is called Cushing disease. Symptoms include obesity of the trunk and face (“moon face”), muscle wasting, high blood pressure, easy bruising, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and fat between the shoulders (“buffalo hump”). Excess glucocorticoid hormones, whether produced by the adrenal gland or given as drugs, cause the symptoms, which are treated by surgery, radiation, cortisol-blocking drugs, or ending of glucocorticoid treatment. Cortisol treatment may be necessary after surgery.
Cushing, Caleb (b. Jan. 17, 1800, Salisbury, Mass., U.S.—d. Jan. 2, 1879, Newburyport, Mass.) U.S. lawyer and diplomat. After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1835-43), he was appointed U.S. commissioner to China (1843—45). In that office he negotiated the Treaty of Wanghia (1844), which opened five Chinese ports to U.S. trade and established the principle of extraterritoriality. He later served as U.S. attorney general (1853-57), U.S. counsel at the Geneva Conference (1871-72) for the settlement of the Aabama caims, and minister to Spain
(1874-77).
Cushing \'kush-iq\, Harvey Williams (b. April 8, 1869, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—d. Oct. 7, 1939, New Haven, Conn.) U.S. surgeon. He taught principally at Harvard University and became known as the leading neu¬ rosurgeon of the early 20th century, developing many procedures and techniques still basic to brain surgery and greatly reducing its mortality rate. The leading expert in the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial tumours, he was also the first to ascribe to pituitary gland malfunction what is now known as Cushing syndrome. He wrote numerous scientific works, including The Life of Sir William Osier (1925, Pulitzer Prize).