the 1100s people in Europe learned
about some of these ancient practices.
Some of them began their own experiments.
They tried to change lead into
gold by heating it and mixing it with
many other substances. They kept most
of their procedures secret.
Alchemists were never able to make gold
or to make people live forever. However,
they made some useful discoveries. They
figured out how to produce chemicals
called mineral acids from other chemicals.
They also learned how some chemicals
react when mixed together.
#More to explore
Chemistry Metals
Alcott,
Louisa May
U.S. author Louisa May Alcott is best
known for her novel LittleWomen. The
book was based on her own experience
growing up in a close-knit New England
A painting shows three alchemists at work.
Louisa May Alcott
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Alcott, Louisa May 71
family. It is one of several of her stories
that are still cherished by young readers.
Alcott was born in Germantown,
Pennsylvania, on November 29, 1832.
She grew up in Boston and Concord,
Massachusetts. Louisa received most of
her schooling from her father, who was
a teacher and philosopher. She began
writing at a young age. By the 1860s
her poems and stories were being
published in The Atlantic Monthly
magazine.
Alcott published LittleWomen in 1868.
The book was instantly popular with
younger readers, and it remains a favorite
today. Alcotts other books for young
readers include Little Men (1871) and
Jos Boys (1886).
Alcott spent most of the last 20 years of
her life in Boston and Concord. She
spent her time writing and caring for her
sick parents. Alcott died in Boston on
March 6, 1888.
Aleut
The Aleut are a native people of the
Aleutian Islands, which are part of
Alaska. They also live on the western
portion of the Alaska Peninsula, a piece
of land in southwestern Alaska that
extends into the Pacific Ocean. The
name Alaska comes from an Aleut word
meaning mainland. The Aleut are
closely related to the Eskimo (Inuit).
The Aleuts early ancestors, the Paleo-
Aleut, arrived in the Aleutian Islands
from the Alaskan mainland about 4,000
years ago. Traditionally, the Aleut lived
off the sea. They fished and hunted animals
such as seals, sea otters, whales, sea
lions, and walruses.
The Aleut kept their traditional way of
life until Russian settlers arrived in the
1700s. Conditions were harsh under
Russian control, and many Aleuts died
from disease or warfare. At the end of
the 20th century fewer than 12,000
Aleuts lived in the United States.
#More to explore
Alaska Eskimo
Alexander the
Great
Alexander III, king of Macedonia, is
known as Alexander the Great. In his
The Aleut call
themselves the
Unanax.
A young girl is one of the Aleut
who still live on the islands off
Alaska.
72 Aleut BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
short life he conquered almost all parts
of the world that were known to his
people.
Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella,
the capital of Macedonia, a kingdom to
the north of Greece. The Greek philosopher
Aristotle gave him lessons. But
Alexanders chief interest was war. In
338 BC Alexanders father, Philip II,
brought all the Greek city-states except
Sparta under his rule. Young Alexander
commanded one part of the Macedonian
army.
In 336 BC Philip II was killed and Alexander
became king. He soon won the
loyalty of nearly all of Greece. In 334 BC
he brought together a large army and
invaded the empire controlled by Persia.
He freed the Greek settlements in Asia
Minor (now Turkey) from Persian rule
and made them his allies.
In 333 BC Alexander defeated King
Darius III of Persia, at Issus. Alexander
then marched southward along the coast
of Phoenicia (present-day Lebanon).
Late in 332 BC Alexander took Egypt
from the Persians and became pharaoh,
or king. He then controlled the whole
A painting shows Alexander the
Great dressed for battle.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Alexander the Great 73
eastern Mediterranean. Near the Nile
River he founded the city of Alexandria.
In 331 BC Alexander went back into
Asia and again defeated Darius. Then he
was called king of Asia. Soon afterward
he captured Babylon, in what is now
Iraq, and Susa, the Persian capital.
Many of Alexanders men wanted to go
home, but instead he had them advance
further into Asia. In 327 BC Alexander
went to India. There he fought his last
great battle. He defeated the Indians and
founded two cities. At this point Alexanders
men refused to go farther. In
324 BC Alexander returned to Susa.
The next year Alexander went to Babylon.
Weakened by his travels and battles,
he died there of a fever. His body was
eventually placed in a golden coffin in
Alexandria, Egypt. His generals divided
up his empire.
..More to explore
Alexandria Egypt, Ancient Greece,
Ancient Persia
Alexander, Lloyd
U.S. childrens author Lloyd Alexander
is probably best known for his Prydain
novels. This five-book series follows a
young hero named Taran from the lowly
status of assistant pig keeper to the
throne of the kingdom of Prydain.
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was born on
January 30, 1924, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. As a child, he enjoyed
fairy tales and mythology.
Alexanders first published works were a
novel for adults and several books about
his own experiences. His first fantasy for
children was Time Cat: The Remarkable
Journeys of Jason and Gareth (1963). He
began the Prydain fantasies the following
year with The Book of Three. The
series also includes The Black Cauldron
(1965), The Castle of Llyr (1966), and
TaranWanderer (1967). The final book
of the series, The High King (1968), won
the Newbery Medal in 1969.
Alexander created the kingdom of Westmark
as the setting for another series of
novels: Westmark (1981), The Kestrel
(1982), and The Beggar Queen (1984).
Alexanders later books include The
Illyrian Adventure (1986), and How the
Cat Swallowed Thunder (2000). He died
on May 17, 2007.
Alexandria
The city of Alexandria was founded by
Alexander the Great when he conquered
ancient Egypt in 332 BC. For hundreds
of years it was Egypts capital. Today it is
the countrys main seaport. It lies on the
Lloyd Alexander
One of the
cities that
Alexander
founded in
India was
Bucephala. It
was named
for Alexanders
horse
Bucephalus.
74 Alexander, Lloyd BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
coast of the Mediterranean Sea northwest
of Cairo.
Alexandria has stone structures that date
back to when the city was part of the
Roman Empire. They include an amphitheater
and Pompeys Pillar, which was
built in AD 297. There are also ancient
tombs called catacombs.
The chief economic activities of Alexandria
include shipping, banking, and the
manufacturing of cloth. The city
accounts for about a third of the industrial
products made in Egypt. Cotton is
the main export.
Alexander the Great, the Greek conqueror,
founded Alexandria as a naval
base and trade center. After his death in