Czestochowa \ 1 chen(t)-sto- , ko-v9\ City (pop., 2000 est.: 255,500), south-central Poland, situated on the Warta River. The two original settle¬ ments, Old Czestochowa (founded in the 13th century) and Jasna Gora (14th century), merged in 1826. Noted for its wealth by the 15th century, the city resisted sieges by the Swedes in 1655 and 1705 but was occu¬ pied by the Germans in World Wars I and II. Industries include textiles, paper, steel, iron, chemicals, and food products. The famous painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa (The Black Madonna) is kept in an ancient monastery.
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504 I D-Day ► Daddi
D-Day In U.S. military history, any designated day for the commence¬ ment of a major operation. The designation apparently originated in World War I; its meaning is uncertain, though it is probable that the “D” stands for nothing more than “Day.” (The designated time for commencement of action on any D-Day was referred to as H-Hour.) The most celebrated D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944, the first day of the Anglo-American invasion of Europe in World War II. See Normandy Campaign.
da Gama, Vasco See Vasco da Gama
Da Nang formerly Tourane Seaport city (pop., 2003 est.: 590,800), central Vietnam. It was first ceded to France in 1787, and after 1858 it became a French concession beyond the jurisdiction of the protectorate. Da Nang increased in importance after the partition of Vietnam in 1954, and during the Vietnam War it was the site of a U.S. military base. Its port has an excellent deepwater harbour; its manufactures include textiles and machinery.
Da Ponte \da-'pon-ta\, Lorenzo orig. Emanuele Conegliano (b. March 10, 1749, Ceneda, near Treviso,
Veneto—d. Aug. 17, 1838, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Italian poet and librettist. When his Jewish father converted to marry a Roman Catholic, he adopted the name of the local bishop. He took priestly orders in 1768, while teach¬ ing literature and publishing poetry. At odds with the authorities for his progressive views, he was expelled from the Venetian republic in 1779 for adultery. In 1783 he was appointed court poet for Vienna’s Italian theatre.
There he wrote a remarkable series of more than 40 opera librettos, including the masterpieces The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Cost fan tutte (1790) for Wolfgang A. Mozart. Court intrigue forced him to leave Vienna in 1791. He settled in New York in 1805, taught at Columbia College, wrote his colourful memoirs, and helped establish Italian opera in the city.
da Sangallo \da-saq-'gal-ld\ the Younger, Antonio (Giam- berti) (b. April 12, 1484, Florence—d. Aug. 3, 1546, Terni) Italian archi¬ tect. He was the nephew of the architects Giuliano da Sangallo (1445- 1516) and Antonio da Sangallo the Elder (1460-1534). Throughout his career, Antonio worked on St. Peter's Basilica, first as Donato Bramante’s assistant and after 1520 as chief architect. His imposing Palazzo Famese in Rome (1534-46), a fortresslike Florentine-style palace, exercised immense influence well into the 19th century. His wooden model of St. Peter’s (1539-46) still stands in the Vatican Museum.
Da Yu Vda-'yu\ or Ta Yu One of China’s three legendary emperors, supposed founder of the Xia dynasty. His years of strenuous labour pro¬ vided outlets to the sea through dredging and made the world suitable for human habitation. See also Shun; Yao.
dabbling duck Any of about 43 species (tribe Anatini; including 38 species in genus Anas) of ducks found worldwide, chiefly on inland waters and most commonly in tem¬ perate regions of the Northern Hemi¬ sphere. Strongly migratory, dabbling ducks include some of the world’s finest game birds: the black duck, the gadwall, the garganey, the mallard, the pintail (perhaps the world’s most abundant waterfowl), the shoveler, the teals, and the wigeons. They feed mainly on water plants, which they obtain by tipping-up in shallows and infrequently by diving. They often forage near the shore for seeds and insects. They have a flat, broad bill,
float high in the water, and are swift fliers. Males are slightly larger and more boldly coloured than females.
Dqbrowska \d6 n m-'br6f-ska\, Maria or Maria Dombrowska orig. Marja Szumska (b. Oct. 6, 1889, Russow, Pol.—d. May 19, 1965, Warsaw) Polish writer and literary critic. Dqbrowska lived and studied in various European countries in her early years. She is best known for her epic narrative Nights and Days, 4 vol. (1932-34), a family saga
European dace (Leuciscus leuciscus).
JANE BURTON-BRUCE COLEMAN LTD.
Common, or northern, pintail (Anas acuta )
© LAWRENCE E. NAYLOR, THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY COLLECTION/PHOTO RESEARCHERS
on the theme of the human potential for development within uncertain circumstances. She also published four volumes of short stories, as well as plays, essays (including a series on Joseph Conrad), and translations (including the diary of Samuel Pepys). Long active in political and social causes, she was given a state funeral despite having protested communist censorship.
Dacca See Dhaka
dace Any of various small, slim, active freshwater fishes of the carp family (Cyprinidae). In England and Europe, the dace ( Leuciscus leu¬ ciscus), a relative of the European chub, inhabits streams and rivers. It is a small-headed, silvery fish that grows to 10-12 in. (25-30 cm) long and weighs 1-1.5 lbs (0.5-0.7 kg). It lives in schools and eats plant and ani¬ mal material.
It is a good bait and sport fish but is not highly valued as food. In
North America, the name is applied to various small cyprinids found in creeks and bogs, mostly in the central and southern U.S.
Dachau \'da-,kau\ First Nazi concentration camp in Ger¬ many, established in 1933. It became the model and training center for all other SS-organized camps. In World War II the main camp was supplemented by about 150 branches in southern Germany and Austria, which were collectively called Dachau. It was the first and most important camp at which laboratories were set up to perform medical experiments on inmates. Such experiments and the harsh living condi¬ tions made Dachau one of the most notorious camps, though it was not designed as an extermination camp.
dachshund \'daks-,hund, 'dak-sont\ Dog breed of hound and terrier ancestry developed in Germany to pursue badgers (German, Dachs) into their burrows. It is a long-bodied, lively dog with a deep chest, short legs, tapering muzzle, and long ears. Usually reddish brown, or black and tan, it is bred in two sizes (standard and miniature) and in three coat types (smooth, long, and wiry). The standard dachshund stands about 7-10 in. (18-25 cm) high and weighs 16-32 lbs (7-14.5 kg); the miniature is shorter and weighs less than 9 lbs (4 kg).
Dacia Vda-shoV Ancient country, central Europe. Roughly equivalent to modern Romania, the area’s earliest known inhabitants were Getae and Dacian people of Thracian stock. Known for its rich silver, iron, and gold mines, the region was made a Roman province in ad 107 after two cen¬ turies of hostilities. It was abandoned to the Goths in 270 and ultimately divided into the principalities of Walachia and Moldavia.
Dada \'da-,da\ Nihilistic movement in the arts. It originated in Zurich, Switz., in 1916 and flourished in New York City, Paris, and the German cities of Berlin, Cologne, and Hannover in the early 20th century. The name, French for “hobbyhorse,” was selected by a chance procedure and adopted by a group of artists, including Jean Arp, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Francis Picabia, to symbolize their emphasis on the illogical and absurd. The movement grew out of disgust with bourgeois values and despair over World War I. The archetypal Dada forms of expression were the nonsense poem and the ready-made. Dada had far-reaching effects on the art of the 20th century; the creative techniques of accident and chance were sustained in Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, conceptual art, and Pop art.