close
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20061209222519/http://www.britannica.com:80/
Already a member?
LOGIN
Search:
Browse: Subjects A to Z The Index
What's New
ImageBritannica Holiday Gift Guide
Find smart, meaningful gifts for everyone on your list including classic encyclopedias, award-winning children's gifts, cutting-edge software, compelling DVD documentaries, and more home library essentials. Shop the Gift Guide today!
ImageBritannica Blog
A place for smart, lively conversations about a broad range of topics such as art, science, history, and current events. Learn More.

Britannica Highlights

Brazil electionsThe reelection of Brazil's Pres. Luiz In�cio Lula da Silva in October capped a year that gave more momentum to South America's slide to the left--including the elections of moderate Michelle Bachelet in Chile and populist Evo Morales in Bolivia--while the influence of Venezuela's Hugo Ch�vez continued to grow.

News

Image

Image

Featured Spotlight

Image

New And Revised Articles

Image

Search Tools
Convenient tools like RSS and browser plug ins put reliable Britannica search results at your fingertips. Learn More

Britannica Mobile
Search Britannica any time, anywhere on your cell phone, PDA, or iPod. Learn More about our wireless solutions.

Photograph:U.S. battleship sinking during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941.

A “Back Door” to World War II?

Did President Franklin Roosevelt manufacture a “back door” to war in 1941, as some historians have long asserted? According to this theory, Roosevelt provoked Japan into attacking the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, thereby ensuring America's entrance into World War II on behalf of the Allies. As Pearl Harbor Day is remembered this week, Britannica reviews the arguments behind this old debate. Features Archive

Daily Features

Biography of the Day

Robert Hawke, 1987.Born this day in 1929, labour leader Robert Hawke was president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and president of the Australian Labor Party before serving as prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991.

This Day in History

Lech Wasa.On this day in 1990, Lech Walesa—who had led Solidarity, Poland's first independent trade union, and had received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1983—won Poland's first direct presidential election by a landslide.
More

Image

Enter your e-mail below or register for our RSS feed. And sign up for Inside Britannica, our monthly newsletter showcasing new and updated, reflective and relevant content. Visit our newsletter archive.

Daily Monthly

Test Your Knowledge

Photo Quiz

Image

Identify this person.

Answer

Quizmaster: Arts and Literature

Whose series of books about her Midwestern childhood, notably Little House on the Prairie, became a successful television series?

Quote of the Day

A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.
Herman Melville, Pierre
Timelines
Britannica's interactive Timelines trace key dates and developments through history with illustrations and encyclopedia links.

View Timelines

Year in Review
Britannica's popular Year in Review covers the most important people and events of the previous year, from Nobel Prize winners to the films taking top honours around the world.

View Year in Review

Classics
Encyclopædia Britannica has published, for more than 200 years, the foremost writers, thinkers, and scholars in the world. Our Classics feature highlights some of these famous contributors and their writings for Britannica.

View Britannica Classics

Nations of the World
Britannica has extensive coverage of the nations of the world, including articles, maps, flags, images, videos, and more.

View the Nations

World Atlas
Britannica's interactive World Atlas allows you to browse maps and profiles of continents, countries, states, and more. Find national and state flags, profiles, and hundreds of political and physical maps.

View the World Atlas

World Data Analyst
Using a database of current and historical statistics for 217 countries, create cross-national comparisons with custom tables and charts, or export the information to a spreadsheet for data crunching and deeper analysis.
For Subscribers
View World Data

Members Get More!
ImageAdvocacy for Animals
Dedicated to understanding and protecting the animals with whom we share our planet. Learn More.

Student Center

Get help with citations, bibliographies, and more! Visit the Student Center for articles and media developed for students.

Shopping

article 176Shopping

Image
New! 2007 Encyclopædia Britannica Print Set
Revised, updated, and still unrivaled.

Image
New! Britannica 2007 Ultimate DVD/CD-ROM
The world's premier software reference source.

Image
Great Books of the Western World
The greatest written works in one magnificent collection.

Visit Britannica Store

Contributor's News

The Moral Consequences of Economic GrowthThe Moral Consequences of Economic Growth is the latest book from Benjamin M. Friedman, professor of economics at Harvard University and a member of Britannica's Board of Directors and Editorial Board of Advisors. His subject this time is how "economic growth—or stagnation—affects the moral character of a society." His new book is available from the Britannica Store.

Buy This Book
Editorial Board

The Argumentative Indian Amartya Sen, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998, teaches at Harvard University and is a member of Britannica's Editorial Board of Advisors. In his latest book, The Argumentative Indian, he discusses the roots of Indian culture and identity and the effects of such forces as nationalism, pluralism, and globalization. His book is now available from the Britannica Store.

Buy This Book
Editorial Board

c
Image