Darjiling or Darjeeling City (pop., 2001: 107,197), West Bengal state, northeastern India. It was pur¬ chased in 1835 from the raja of Sik¬ kim and was developed as a sanatorium for British troops.
Located at an average elevation of 7,000 ft (2,100 m), it commands views of Mounts Kanchenjunga and Everest. Its economy is based prima¬ rily on tea, which is plantation- grown, and tourism.
dark matter Nonluminous matter not directly detectable by astrono¬ mers, hypothesized to exist because the mass of the visible matter in the universe cannot account for observed gravitational effects. Long believed to exist in large quantities, it enters into many theories of the origin of the universe and its present large-scale structure and into mod¬ els of gravitation and other fundamental forces (see fundamental interac¬ tion) between particles. Numerous candidates for dark matter have been proposed over the years, but none has yet been confirmed.
Darlan \dar-'la n \, (Jean-Louis-Xavier-) Francois (b. Aug. 7, 1881, Nerac, France—d. Dec. 24, 1942, Algiers) French admiral. After graduating from the French naval school (1902), he rose through the ranks to become navy commander in chief (1939). After France’s defeat by Germany in World War II, he entered Philippe Petain’s government as vice premier and foreign minister (1941-42), then became commander in chief of all Vichy France military forces. In 1942 he concluded an armistice with the Allies in Algiers, then was killed by an anti-Vichy assassin.
Darling River River, southeastern Australia. It is the longest member of the Murray-Darling river system. It rises in several headstreams in the Great Dividing Range and flows generally southwest across New South Wales for 1,702 mi (2,739 km) to join the Murray River at the Victoria border.
Darlington, Cyril Dean (b. Dec. 19, 1903, Chorley, Lancashire, Eng.—d. March 26, 1981) British biologist. A professor at the University of Oxford from 1953, he believed that chromosomes were the cellular components that passed hereditary information from generation to gen¬ eration. He explained the behaviour of chromosomes during meiosis, for¬ mulating a theory of evolution in which the exchange of parts of chromosomes (crossing-over) was the central variable in determining the inherited characteristics of the next generation. His Evolution of Man and Society (1969) raised controversy by insisting that the intelligence of races was determined by inheritance.
Darnley, Henry Stewart, Lord (b. Dec. 7, 1545, Temple Newsom, Yorkshire, Eng.—d. Feb. 9/10, 1567, Edinburgh, Scot.) English noble¬ man, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and father of James I. Son of Matthew Stewart, earl of Lennox (1516-71), a pretender to the Scot¬ tish throne, Henry wed his cousin Mary in 1565 despite the opposition of Elizabeth I and Scottish Protestants. It became evident, even to Mary, that superficial charm was his only positive attribute. After he played a role in the murder of Mary’s secretary, David Riccio, he was himself mur¬ dered at age 21 at the instigation of James Hepburn, earl of Bothwell (1535-78), whom Mary soon married.
Darrow Vdar-6\, Clarence (Seward) (b. April 18, 1857, near Kins¬ man, Ohio, U.S.—d. March 13, 1938, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. lawyer and ora¬ tor. He attended law school for only one year before being admitted to the Ohio bar in 1878. Darrow moved to Chicago in 1887 and immedi¬ ately joined the effort to free anarchists charged with murder in the Hay- market Riot. He was appointed Chicago city corporation counsel (1890) and then became general attorney for the Chicago and North Western Railway. His defense of Eugene V. Debs on charges stemming from the Pullman Strike (1894) established Darrow’s reputation as a union and
Darius I seated before two incense burners, detail of a bas-relief of the north courtyard in the Treasury at Per- sepolis, late 6th-early 5th century bc; in the Archaeological Museum, Tehran
COURTESY OF THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
darshan ► Dassault I 513
criminal lawyer. He represented striking Pennsylvania coal miners, draw¬ ing attention to working conditions and the use of child labour (1902-03); secured the acquittal of William Haywood in the assassination of Gov. Frank R. Steunenberg of Idaho (1907); and sought to defend the McNamara brothers, accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times building (1911). He saved Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold from a death sen¬ tence for the murder of 14-year-old Robert Franks and won acquittal for members of an African American family who had fought a mob trying to expel them from their home in a white Detroit neighbourhood (1925-26). Perhaps his most famous case was the Scopes trial (1925), in which he defended a high school teacher who was charged with violating a Ten¬ nessee state law against teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.
darshan or darsan Vdor-shon, 'dar-shon\ In Hindu worship, the beholding of an auspicious deity, person, or object. The experience is often conceived to be reciprocal and results in a blessing of the viewer. In rathayatras (car festivals), images are carried through the streets to allow viewing by those who formerly would not have been allowed in the temple. Darshan may also be imparted by a guru to his disciples, a ruler to his subjects, or a pilgrimage shrine to its visitors. In Indian philosophy, darshan also refers to a philosophical system (e.g., Vedanta).
Dart, Raymond Arthur (b. Feb. 4, 1893, Toowong, Brisbane, Queen., Austl.—d. Nov. 22, 1988, Johannesburg, S.Af.) Australian-born South African physical anthropologist and paleontologist. In 1925, when Asia was still believed to be the cradle of humankind, Dart’s announce¬ ment of the discovery of the Taung skull near the Kalahari substantiated Charles Darwin’s prediction that such ancestral hominin forms would be found in Africa. Dart named the skull, establishing it as the type speci¬ men of a new genus and species, Australopithecus africanus. He lived to see his findings corroborated by additional discoveries that firmly estab¬ lished Africa as the site of human origins. Dart taught at the University of the Witwatersrand from 1923 to 1958.
darter Any of about 100 species of small, slender freshwater fishes (family Percidae), native to eastern North America. Darters live near the bottom of clear streams, darting quickly about when disturbed or when feeding on small aquatic animals such as insects and worms. They have two dorsal fins and often are brightly coloured. Most species are 2-3 in. (5-7 cm) long, but some grow to 9 in. (23 cm). Some species lay their eggs and abandon them; the males of other species establish a nest and guard the eggs until hatched. See also snail darter.
Dartmouth Vdart-mothX College Private institution of higher learning in Hanover, N.H., a traditional member of the Ivy League. It is consistently ranked as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. It was founded in 1769 by Rev. Eleazar Wheelock (1711-79) for the education of “youth of the Indian Tribes . . . English Youth and others.” The original charter was approved by King George III. Women were first admitted in 1972. Besides offering a broad range of undergraduate programs, Dartmouth grants graduate and professional degrees in the arts and sciences, busi¬ ness, engineering, and medicine. See also Dartmouth College case.
Dartmouth College case formally Trustees of Dartmouth Col¬ lege v. Woodward Case in which the U.S. Supreme Court held (1819) that the charter of Dartmouth College, granted in 1769 by King George III, was a contract and as such could not be impaired by the New Hampshire legislature. State legislators had tried to alter the contract’s terms regarding the continuance of the board of trustees, an effort rejected by the court. The decision was far-reaching in its application to business charters, protecting businesses and corporations from much government regulation. Dartmouth’s case was argued by Daniel Webster.
darts Indoor target game. It is played by throwing feathered darts at a circular board with numbered spaces. The board, usually made of cork, bristle, or elmwood, is divided into 20 sectors valued at points from 1 to 20. Six concentric rings, ranging from an inner bull’s-eye to a narrow outermost ring, determine scoring. The official throwing distance in most countries is 7 ft 9.25 in. (2.37 m), though variations extend up to 9 ft (2.75 m). In Britain, darts is normally played in pubs.