Hamming, Richard Wesley (b. Feb. 11, 1915, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—d. Jan. 7, 1998, Monterey, Calif.) U.S. mathematician. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. In 1945 he was the chief math¬ ematician for the Manhattan Project. After the war, he joined Claude E. Shannon at Bell Laboratories, where in 1950 he invented Hamming codes. He realized that, by the appending of a parity check (an extra bit or block of bits) to each transmitted “word,” transmission errors could be corrected automatically, without having to resend the message. He is famous for saying, “The purpose of computation is insight, not numbers.” He received the Turing Award in 1968.
Hammurabi V.ha-mo-'ra-beN (fl. 18th century bc) Sixth and best-known ruler of the 1st (Amorite) dynasty of Babylon. His kingdom was one of several prominent realms in Babylonia. His desire to control the Euphrates River led him to conquer the cities of Uruk (Erech) and Isin in 1787 bc, but he gave up on further military campaigns in that area, turning instead to the northwest and the east in 1784. Twenty years of peace followed, and then 14 years of almost continuous warfare that resulted in a unified Mesopotamia. He used control of waterways (damming them to deny his enemies water or to create a flood by releasing them) to defeat his enemies. He also engaged in building and restoring temples, city walls,
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public buildings, and canals. His laws, collected in the Code of Ham¬ murabi, demonstrated his desire to be a just ruler.
Hammurabi, Code of Most complete and perfect extant collec¬ tion of Babylonian laws, developed during the reign (c. 1792-50 bc) of Hammurabi. It consists of 282 of his legal decisions, collected toward the end of his reign and inscribed on a diorite stela set up in the temple of Marduk. The text is in the Akkadian language. Despite a few references to family solidarity, trial by ordeal, and the lex talionis (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth), it represents an advance over tribal custom in that it recognizes no blood feud, private retribution, or marriage by capture. The principal portion of the code is preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Hampden, John (b. 1594, London, Eng.—d. June 24, 1643, Thame, Oxfordshire, Eng.) English Parliamentary leader. In 1635 he refused to pay 20 shillings in ship money, a levy by Charles I for outfitting his navy, on the ground that only Parliament was empowered to levy taxes. Though the court ruled in favour of Charles, resistance to the tax became wide¬ spread. In the Long Parliament (1640), Hampden attacked royal policies and was one of the five members who evaded arrest by the king in 1642. The ship-money episode was one of the controversies that led to the English Civil Wars, in which Hampden was mortally wounded.
Hampshire Vhamp-.shhA Administrative (pop., 2001: 1,240,032), geo¬ graphic, and historic county, south-central England. It lies on the English Channel; Winchester is the county’s administrative centre. The Test and Avon are major rivers. Evidence of prehistoric settlement ranging from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age exists in the area. Towns developed at Silchester and Winchester during the Roman occupation. The region suf¬ fered from attacks by the Norse, but during the Middle Ages it was com¬ paratively peaceful and came to be known for its woolens. Portsmouth and Gosport form one of Britain’s principal naval centres, and Southamp¬ ton is a major passenger port.
Hampton City (pop., 2000: 146,437), southeastern Virginia, U.S. Located on Chesapeake Bay and the northern shore of Hampton Roads, it forms part of a metropolitan complex that includes Newport News, Nor¬ folk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth. It originated around a fort built by the British in 1609 on the site of an Indian village. Permanent settlement dates from 1610-11, making it the country’s oldest continu¬ ously settled community of English origin. In 1861, during the American Civil War, it was burned by its Confederate residents to prevent it from being occupied by Union troops; it was rebuilt after the war. Military installations and tourism are important to the economy. Hampton Uni¬ versity (1868) was established there by the Freedmen's Bureau to educate former slaves.
Hammurabi, limestone relief; in the British Museum
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Hampton, Lionel (b. April 20, 1908, Louisville, Ky., U.S.—d. Aug. 31, 2002, New York, N.Y.) U.S. jazz vibraphonist, drummer, and big- band leader. Hampton’s first vibra¬ phone recording, accompanying Louis Armstrong, was made in 1930. He became well known as a member of Benny Goodman’s small groups (1936-40) before forming his own big band. The rhythmic drive and excitement of Hampton’s band high¬ lighted his virtuosic playing and extraverted showmanship, and he became one of the direct progenitors of RHYTHM and blues.
Hampton, Wade (b. March 28, 1818, Charleston, S.C., U.S.—d. April 11, 1902, Columbia, S.C.) U.S. political leader and Confederate
Wade Hampton
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army officer. He studied law but never practiced, prefering instead to manage his family’s plantations in Mississippi and South Carolina. From 1852 to 1861 he served in the South Carolina legislature. In the American Civil War he organized and led “Hampton’s Legion” of South Carolina troops for the Confederate States of America and saw combat in many key battles. He eventually served as second in command under Jeb Stuart. After Stuart’s death, Hampton was promoted to major general and led the cavalry (1864). After the war he sought reconciliation but opposed the policies of Reconstruction. As governor of South Carolina (1876-79), he led the fight to restore white supremacy. He later served in the U.S. Sen¬ ate (1879-91).
Hampton Roads Channel in the U.S. through which the James, Eliza¬ beth, and Nansemond rivers flow into Chesapeake Bay. About 4 mi (6 km) wide and 40 ft (12 m) deep, it has been an important military base since colonial days. In 1862 it was the scene of the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack. The port cities of Newport News, Norfolk, and Portsmouth comprise the Port of Hampton Roads, one of the busiest U.S. seaports.
Hampton Roads Conference (Feb. 3, 1865) Informal and unsuc¬ cessful peace talks at Hampton Roads, Va., during the American Civil War. Pres. Abraham Lincoln agreed to meet with the Confederate vice president, Alexander H. Stephens, to reach a peace settlement. Lincoln’s terms called for a reunion of the nation, emancipation of the slaves, and disbanding of Confederate troops. Since Stephens had been authorized to accept inde¬ pendence only, no settlement was reached.
hamster Any of various stout Old World rodents (in the family Muridae) with a short tail, soft fur, and long cheek pouches for carrying food. Hamsters are nocturnal and generally live in burrows; they feed on fruits, grain, and vegetables, though some species also eat insects and other small animals. The com¬ mon hamster of Europe and western Asia is 8-12 in. (20-30 cm) long, without the 1-2.5-in. (3-6-cm) tail; its coat is brown above and black below, with white patches along each side. The golden hamster of Syria is a popular pet and is widely used as a laboratory animal; it is golden brown with white underparts and 6-8 in. (15-20 cm) long, including the tail.