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Heflin, James Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Heflin, James Thomas, 1869–1951, U.S. politician, b. Randolph co., Ala. He was admitted (1893) to the bar and in 1920 entered the U.S. Senate where he was known at first as “Cotton Tom” because ...

Tomsk

(Encyclopedia)Tomsk tŏmsk, Rus. tômsk [key], city (1989 pop. 502,000), capital of Tomsk region, W central Siberian Russia, on the Tom River. It is a major river port and freight transit point, and is a regional h...

McCloy, John Jay

(Encyclopedia)McCloy, John Jay, 1895–1989, U.S. government official, b. Philadelphia. A lawyer, he gained an international reputation when after a long investigation he fixed responsibility on the German governme...

Abramoff scandal

(Encyclopedia)Abramoff scandal, in U.S. history, political corruption scandal resulting from criminal conduct on the part of lobbyist Jack Abramoff (1959–) and his associates. Abramoff was a Republican activist w...

percussion instrument

(Encyclopedia)percussion instrument, any instrument that produces musical sound when its surface is struck with an implement (such as a mallet, stick, or disk) or with the hand. Perhaps the most universally familia...

Crumb, George Henry

(Encyclopedia)Crumb, George Henry, 1929–, American composer, b. Charleston, W.Va., grad. Mason College of Music, Charleston (B.A. 1950); Univ. of Illinois (M.A. 1953); Univ. of Michigan (D.M.A. 1959). In his comp...

Atkins, Chet

(Encyclopedia)Atkins, Chet (Chester Burton Atkins), 1924–2001, American country guitarist, singer, and record company executive, b. Luttrell, Tenn. Part of a musical family, he played fiddle and guitar as a young...

aye-aye

(Encyclopedia)aye-aye īˈīˈ [key], name for an aberrant primate, Daubentonia madagascariensis, related to the lemurs but distinguished by its specialized teeth and fingers. A large nocturnal and arboreal primate...

Blunt, Roy Dean

(Encyclopedia)Blunt, Roy Dean, 1950–, U.S. politician, b. Niangua, Mo., grad. Southwest Baptist Univ. (B.A. 1970), Southwest Missouri State Univ. (M.A. 1972). A Missouri county clerk and elections offficer from 1...

San Angelo

(Encyclopedia)San Angelo săn ănˈjəlō [key], city (1990 pop. 84,474), seat of Tom Green co., W Tex., where two forks join to form the Concho River; laid out 1869, inc. 1903. It is an important wool and mohair m...