yoni \'yo-ne\ In Hinduism, a representation of the female sexual organ and feminine generative power, the symbol of the goddess Shakti (see shakti). The yoni is often associated with the phallic linga, the symbol of the god Shiva. The linga is depicted in art as resting in the yoni, their union representing the eternal process of creation and regeneration.
Yonkers City (pop., 2000: 196,086), southeastern New York, U.S. It is located on the Hudson River north of New York City. Once the site of an American Indian village, it was part of a purchase made by the Dutch West India Co. from the Indians in 1639. In 1646 it was included in a grant of land made to “Jonkheer” Adriaen van der Donck. The southern portion of old Yonkers was annexed to what later became the Bronx in 1874. Industry is well diversified and includes printing and publishing and the manufacture of elevators, chemicals, electronic components, and clothing.
Yonne \'yon\ River River, north-central France. It flows north out of Nievre departement into the Seine River at Montereau-faut-Yonne. The Yonne is 182 mi (293 km) long and is navigable for 70 mi (113 km) downstream from Auxerre.
Yorck von Wartenburg Vyork-fon-'var-ton-.burkV, Johann (David Ludwig), Count (b. Sept. 26,1759, Potsdam, Prussia—d. Oct. 4, 1830, Klein-Ols, Silesia) Prussian army commander. After serving with the Prussian army (1772-79) and Dutch army (1779-87), he rejoined the Prussian army and fought in Poland (1794) and later in the war against France (1806). Promoted to major general, he helped reorganize the army, developing the tactics of the infantry scout and the line of skirmishes. In 1812 he led the Prussian contingent of Napoleon’s invading army into Russia. During the French retreat, he concluded an accord with Russia that opened the way for Prussia to join the Allied powers against Napo¬ leon. He was made a count in 1814 and a field marshal in 1821.
Yoritomo See Minamoto Yoritomo
York Former city (pop., 2001: 150,255), southeastern Ontario, Canada. In 1998 it joined the cities of Toronto, Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York and the borough of East York to become the City of Toronto. Occu¬ pying an area of 9 sq mi (23 sq km), York was established in 1967 through the amalgamation of the former township of York and the town of Weston. The original York township was formed in 1793.
York ancient Eboracum City and unitary authority (pop., 2001: 181,131), geographic county of North Yorkshire, historic county of York¬ shire, England. Located at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss rivers, it is the cathedral city of the archbishop of York and was historically the ecclesiastical capital of northern England. It was also the seat of the his¬ toric county of Yorkshire. York was a Celtic and then a Roman settle¬ ment. Constantine I was proclaimed Roman emperor in York in ad 306. It was conquered by the Danes in 867. York suffered severely in the Nor¬ man conquest of northern England in the 11th century. During the Middle
Ages it was a prosperous wool-trading town and the performance site of the York plays. It has a manufacturing economy and a tourist industry fos¬ tered by its medieval sites.
York, Alvin C(ullum) (b. Dec. 13, 1887, Pall Mall, Tenn., U.S.—d. Sept. 2, 1964, Nashville, Tenn.) U.S. World War I hero. He worked as a blacksmith and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1917 after being denied conscientious-objector status. In the Meuse-Argonne offensive (October 1918), his patrol of 17 men was ordered to attack a German machine-gun nest. Pinned down behind enemy lines, he advanced alone to attack the enemy gunners, killing 25 and forcing the others to surrender. As he marched them back to U.S. lines, he captured more German soldiers for a total of 132 prisoners. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor, and his autobiography (1928) was the basis of the movie Sergeant York
(1941).
York, Cape Northern point of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Aus¬ tralia. Australia’s northernmost point, it is about 15 mi (25 km) long and 12 mi (19 km) wide; it juts into the Torres Strait. Cape York was named in 1770 by Capt. James Cook for the duke of York, brother of King George III.
York, house of Younger branch of the Plantagenet dynasty, descended from Edward Ill’s fifth son, Edmund of Langley (1341-1402), 1st duke of York. In the 15th century the Yorkists took the throne from the house of Lancaster; the Yorkist kings were Edward IV, Edward V, and Richard III. The Wars of the Roses between the two houses continued until Richard’s death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1453. The marriage of Henry VII, the first Tudor king, to the daughter of Edward IV, merged the house of York with the house of Tudor.
York plays Cycle of 48 plays performed in the Middle Ages by craft guilds in York, Eng. The York cycle, which dates from the 14th century, is of unknown authorship; it covers the story of the Fall of Man and his redemption, from the creation of the angels to the Final Judgment. The plays, performed on the summer feast day of Corpus Christi, were given in chronological order, on pageant wagons proceeding from one selected place to another. See also mystery pay.
York University Privately endowed university in North York, Ont., Can., founded in 1959. It has faculties of administrative studies, arts, edu¬ cation, environmental studies, fine arts, and graduate studies as well as schools of law, business, and of pure and applied science. Among its research units are centres for the study of refugees, atmospheric chemis¬ try, law and public policy, and computers in education.
Yorke Peninsula Promontory, southeastern South Australia. It is located between Spencer Gulf to the west and Gulf Saint Vincent and Investigator Strait to the east and south. It extends southward 160 mi (260 km) and is 20-35 mi (32-56 km) wide. Sighted by the English in 1802, it was named for Charles P. Yorke, first lord of the Admiralty.
Yorkshire Vy6rk-,shir\ Historic county, northern England. Yorkshire was divided into three administrative counties—North Riding, East Riding, and West Riding—and the city of York. For most purposes the ridings were separate administrative units for a thousand years; Yorkshire and the ridings, comprising the country’s largest county, ceased to exist with the administrative reorganization of 1974. Yorkshire was an agricul¬ tural, fishing, and manufacturing centre. Its main cities and towns include Leeds, Sheffield, Kingston upon Hull, Bradford, and Wakefield.
Yorkshire terrier or Yorkie Breed of toy dog developed in the mid- 19th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire, Eng. Its lineage appears to include terriers such as the Skye and Dandie Dinmont. Its outstanding fea¬ ture is its straight, silky coat, parted on the back from nose to tail and long enough to sweep the ground. Its coat colour is dark blue-gray, with tan on the head and chest. It may grow to 9 in. (23 cm) tall and weigh up to 7 lb (3 kg).
Yorktown, Siege of (1781) American-French land and sea campaign against the British that virtually ended the American Revolution. About 7,500 British troops under Charles Cornwallis occupied defensive posi¬ tions at the coastal port of Yorktown, Va., on Aug. 1, 1781. They were opposed by a smaller American force under the marquis de Lafayette, assisted by Anthony Wayne and Frederick Steuben. From New York, George Washington ordered Lafayette to prevent Cornwallis’s escape by land. French troops under the count de Rochambeau joined Washington’s forces and marched south. Linking up with a French fleet at the head of Chesa¬ peake Bay, they joined Lafayette’s forces on September 28, and the
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14,000 troops besieged the British position. Cornwallis waited for Brit¬ ish reinforcements under Henry Clinton to arrive by sea; but now outnum¬ bered, outgunned, and running low on food, he surrendered his 8,000 men and 240 guns on October 19. The siege ended fighting in the war and virtually guaranteed success to the American cause.