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Calderón Guardia, Rafael Ángel

(Encyclopedia)Calderón Guardia, Rafael Ángel räfäĕlˈ ängˈhĕl käldārōnˈ gwärˈdēä [key], 1900–1970, president of Costa Rica (1940–44). A practicing physician, he entered politics in 1934, serving...

Calder, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Calder, Alexander kôlˈdər [key], 1898–1976, American sculptor, b. Philadelphia; son of Alexander Stirling Calder and grandson of Alexander Mine Calder, prominent sculptors. Among the most innovat...

Guardia, Tomás

(Encyclopedia)Guardia, Tomás tōmäsˈ gwärˈdēä [key], 1832–82, president of Costa Rica. An army general, he led a revolt that eventually placed him in control and enabled him to rule the country from 1870 t...

Ferrer Guardia, Francisco

(Encyclopedia)Ferrer Guardia, Francisco fränthēsˈkō fārārˈ gwärˈdyä [key], 1859–1909, Spanish political theorist and educator. An ardent liberal, anticlerical, and republican, he took refuge in France (...

Carrera, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Carrera, Rafael räfäĕlˈ [key], 1814–65, president of Guatemala, a caudillo. He led the revolution against the anticlerical liberal government of Guatemala, and his ultimate success in 1840 helpe...

Bombelli, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Bombelli, Rafael, 1526–1572, Italian mathematician and engineer, b. Bologna. When a marsh reclamation project (c.1550–1560) in the Tuscan Appenines on which he was an engineer was suspended, he pe...

Alberti, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Alberti, Rafael älbĕrˈtē [key], 1902–99, Spanish poet. After abandoning an earlier career as a painter, Alberti published his first book, Marinero en tierra [sailor on dry land] (1925), which w...

Núñez, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Núñez, Rafael räfäālˈ no͞oˈnyās [key], 1825–94, president of Colombia (1880–82, 1884–94). After a term as a liberal, he was reelected and became increasingly conservative. A new constit...

Nadal, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Nadal, Rafael (Rafael Nadal Parera), 1986–, Spanish tennis player, b. Majorca. Widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player ever, “Rafa” turned professional at 15. In 2005 he won his first ...

Reyes, Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Reyes, Rafael räfäĕlˈ rāˈyās [key], 1850–1921, president of Colombia (1904–9). As a young man, he explored the upper Amazon wilderness with his brother. Later he distinguished himself in th...