Wuhan \'wu-'han\ or Wu-han City (pop., 1999 est.: 3,911,824), capi¬ tal of Hubei province, east-central China. It is located at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze (Chang) rivers and is a conurbation of three cities that merged in 1950: Hankou, on the north bank of the Yangtze; Hanyang, across the Han; and Wuchang, on the south bank of the Yangtze. The chief industrial and commercial centre of central China, it is a hub of maritime, river, rail, and road transportation. It serves as the collection and distri¬ bution point for the products of the middle Yangtze valley and for west¬ ern and southwestern China. It has numerous industries, including iron- and steel-producing complexes. It is the seat of Wuhan University and the Central China Technical University.
Wuhou or Wu-hou Vwu-'ho\ or Wu Zetian \'wu-dz3-'tyan\ (b. 624, Wenshui, Shanxi province, China—d. Dec. 16, 705, Louyang) Empress of China during the Tang dynasty. She began her career as the concubine of the emperor Taizong but became the consort of his son. She eliminated her female rivals and became empress in 655. By 660, through dismissal, exile, and execution, she had eliminated those who opposed her. Because the emperor was sickly, Wuhou was able to rule in his name; after his death she ruled in the name of her sons, at last declaring herself ruler in her own name in 690. To support her reign, she claimed to be an incar¬ nation of the bodhisattva Maitreya. Though long vilified for her cruelty and her methods of maintaining power, she supported the development of a scholarly bureaucracy to replace rule by aristocratic families, stabilized the dynasty, and unified the empire.
Wundt Vvunt\, Wilhelm (b.Aug. 16, 1832, Neckarau, near Mannheim, Baden—d. Aug. 31, 1920, Grossbothen, Ger.) German physiologist and psychologist, the founder of experimental psychology. After earning a medi¬ cal degree, he studied briefly with Johannes Peter MOller and later assisted Hermann von Helmholtz. At the University of Heidelberg in 1862, follow¬ ing publication of his Contributions to the Theory of Sense Perception (1858-62), he gave the first course in scientific psychology. In Principles of Physiological Psychology (1873-74) he claimed that psychology must be based directly on experience and that its proper method was that of controlled introspection. At the University of Leipzig (1875-1917), he established the first psychological laboratory (1879) and founded the first journal of psychology (1881). His later works include Outline of Psychol¬ ogy (1896) and Ethnic Psychology (10 vol., 1900-20).
Wupatki \wu-'pat-ke\ National Monument National monument, north-central Arizona, U.S. Situated along the Little Colorado River, the
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Wuppertal ► Wyeth I 2083
monument was established in 1924 and comprises more than 800 red sandstone pueblos built during the 11th—13th centuries. It has an area of 55 sq mi (142 sq km).
Wuppertal Vvu-por-,tal\ City (pop, 2002 est.: 364,784), northwestern Germany. Located on the Wupper River, it was formed as Barmen- Elberfeld in 1929 through the amalgamation of the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, Beyenburg, Cronenberg, Ronsdorf, and Vohwinkel. Its name was changed to Wuppertal in 1930. The region was noted for its textile production as early as the 16th century, and the modem city remains a textile-manufacturing centre. Other industrial products include chemicals, rubber, and machinery. Wuppertal has numerous parks and public gardens and a well-known zoo.
Wurlitzer, (Franz) Rudolph (b. Jan. 30, 1831, Schoneck, Saxony—d. Jan. 14, 1914, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) German-born U.S. musical instrument manufacturer. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1853 and with his brother founded the Wurlitzer Co. in 1872. His son Howard (1871-1928) introduced the innovation of automatic instruments, which led to the firm’s production of self-playing organs, electronically con¬ trolled organs, and finally the organs it is best known for, in which vibrat¬ ing reeds rather than pipes produce the sound.
Wurttemberg Vvuer-tom-.berkA English Vwur-tom-.borgV Former state, Germany. Its territory approximated the central and eastern areas of the present-day German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. The capital was Stuttgart. Originally inhabited by Celts, Wurttemberg was occupied suc¬ cessively by Suevi, Romans, Alemanni, and Franks. In the Middle Ages it was part of Swabia. Wurttemberg became an electorate in 1803 and a kingdom in 1806. A constitutional monarchy (1819-1918), it became an independent republic in 1918 but joined the Weimar Republic in 1919. Wurt¬ temberg came under the control of the Third Reich in 1934. During World War II the Allies overran it (1945). It was made part of Baden- Wtirttemberg in 1952.
Wuwang or Wu-wang Vwu-'waq\ (fl. 11th century bc, China) Founder and first ruler of the Zhou dynasty. After establishing the Zhou dynasty, Wuwang, assisted by his brother, Zhougong, consolidated his rule by establishing a feudalistic form of government in which territory was bestowed on relatives and vassals willing to acknowledge Zhou suzer¬ ainty. He was regarded by later Confucians as a wise king.
Wyandot or Huron North American Indian people living in Lorette, north of Quebec city, Que., and in southwestern Ontario, Can.; and in Kansas and Oklahoma, U.S. Their language is of the Iroquoian family. At first contact, the people who mostly call themselves Wyandot lived in Ouendake (Huronia), between Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe. Their vil¬ lages, sometimes palisaded, consisted of large, bark-covered dwellings that housed several families related through maternal descent. Crops included com, beans, squash, sunflowers, and tobacco. Hunting and fish¬ ing were of lesser importance. Villages were divided into clans, the chiefs of which formed councils. Women were influential in clan affairs, and clan matrons had the responsibility of selecting political leaders. The Wyandot were bitter enemies of tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, with whom they competed in the fur trade. Iroquois invasions in 1648-50 dev¬ astated the tribe, forcing a remnant westward. Today the Wyandot, or Wyandotte, as they are known in the U.S. number about 6,800 in the U.S. and Canada.
Wyat, Thomas or Thomas Wyatt later Sir Thomas (b. 1503, Allington, near Maidstone, Kent, Eng.—d. Oct. 6, 1542, Sherborne, Dor¬ set) English poet. A member of the court circle of Henry VIII, he was apparently admired for his skill in music, languages, and arms. He served a number of diplomatic missions, but his reputation rests on his poetic achievements, especially his introduction into English literature of the Italian sonnet and terza rima verse form and the French rondeau. His works, unusual for their time in carrying a strong sense of individuality, include Certayne Psalmes ...drawen into Englyshe meter (1549), three satires, and songs.
Wyatt, John (b. April 1700, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Eng.—d. Nov. 29, 1766, Birmingham, Warwickshire) British mechanic who contributed to the development of power spinning. He began his career as a carpenter, but by 1730, with financial support from Lewis Paul, he was working on machines for boring metal and making files. The spinning machine (see drawing frame), first patented in 1738, was almost certainly Paul’s idea, with Wyatt providing technical skill; its principle was to draw the fibres
through sets of rollers turning at different speeds. It was superseded by Richard Arkwright’s water frame in the 1770s.
Wycherley Vwi-chor-leV William (b. 1640, Clive, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Eng.—d. Jan. 1, 1716, London) English dramatist. After attending Oxford and studying law, Wycherley became a man-about-town with an interest in theatre. Within the framework of the comedy of man¬ ners, he attempted to reconcile a deep-seated puritanism with his ardent physical nature. Love in a Wood (1671) first won him favour in the Res¬ toration court, and The Plain-Dealer (1676) satirized rapacious greed. In The Country-Wife (1675), perhaps his best work, a satirical comment on excessive jealousy and complacency is blended with a richly comic and bawdy presentation. He eventually lost favour at court and spent seven years in debtor’s prison until he was rescued by James II.