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Shaw, George Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Shaw, George Bernard, 1856–1950, Irish playwright and critic. He revolutionized the Victorian stage, then dominated by artificial melodramas, by presenting vigorous dramas of ideas. The lengthy pref...

Latrobe, John Hazlehurst Boneval

(Encyclopedia)Latrobe, John Hazlehurst Boneval, 1803–91, American philanthropist, b. Philadelphia; son of Benjamin H. Latrobe. He studied law, and from 1828 until his death he was regularly retained as counsel fo...

Keltie, Sir John Scott

(Encyclopedia)Keltie, Sir John Scott, 1840–1927, Scottish geographer. He was inspector of geographical education for the Royal Geographic Society, librarian, and secretary of the society. In 1880 he became editor...

Tönnies, Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Tönnies, Ferdinand fĕrˈdēnänt tönˈyəs [key], 1855–1936, German sociologist and political scientist. He is noted for his analysis of the distinction between the older form of spontaneous comm...

fraternity and sorority

(Encyclopedia)fraternity and sorority, in American colleges, a student society formed for social purposes, into which members are initiated by invitation and occasionally by a period of trial known as hazing. Frate...

Labour party

(Encyclopedia)Labour party, British political party, one of the two dominant parties in Great Britain since World War I. Harold Wilson, who became leader on Gaitskell's death in 1963, was able to lead the party t...

Jesuit Estates Act

(Encyclopedia)Jesuit Estates Act jĕzhˈəwĭt, jĕzˈ– [key], law adopted in 1888 by the Quebec legislature, partly to indemnify the Society of Jesus for Jesuit property confiscated by the British during the per...

Giddings, Franklin Henry

(Encyclopedia)Giddings, Franklin Henry, 1855–1931, American sociologist, b. Fairfield co., Conn., grad. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. In 1894 he became professor of sociology at Columbia, where he earned a rep...

Ambridge

(Encyclopedia)Ambridge, industrial borough (2020 pop. 6,513), Beaver co., W Pa., on the Ohio River; inc. 1905. Founded by and named for the American Bridge Co. in 1901, it now manufactures plastics, pro...

Barclay, Robert

(Encyclopedia)Barclay, Robert, 1648–90, Scottish apologist for the Society of Friends (Quakers). He wrote many controversial works but is best known for his great treatise An Apology for the True Christian Divini...

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