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directing

(Encyclopedia)directing, the art of leading dramatic performances on the stage or in films. The modern theatrical director is in complete charge of all the artistic aspects of a dramatic presentation. It is the dir...

force

(Encyclopedia)force, commonly, a “push” or “pull,” more properly defined in physics as a quantity that changes the motion, size, or shape of a body. Force is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and dir...

Eden, Emily

(Encyclopedia)Eden, Emily, 1797–1869, English novelist. She went with her brother George, Lord Auckland, to India when he was governor-general (1836–42). Her two novels, The Semi-detached House (1859) and The S...

Opie, John

(Encyclopedia)Opie, John, 1761–1807, English portrait and historical painter. Opie showed a remarkable talent as a young man. He became the protégé of the poet John Wolcot, and enjoyed a brief popularity as a f...

celestial mechanics

(Encyclopedia)celestial mechanics, the study of the motions of astronomical bodies as they move under the influence of their mutual gravitation. Celestial mechanics analyzes the orbital motions of planets, dwarf pl...

Defregger, Franz von

(Encyclopedia)Defregger, Franz von fränts fən dāˈfrĕgər [key], 1835–1921, Austrian genre and historical painter. He studied in Munich with Piloty. He is known for his popular pictures of Tyrolean life, whic...

Winterhalter, Franz Xaver

(Encyclopedia)Winterhalter, Franz Xaver fränts ksävârˈ vĭnˈtərhälˌtər [key], 1806–73, German portrait painter. Most of European royalty sat for him, and his decorative pictures of court figures are in l...

Empedocles

(Encyclopedia)Empedocles ĕmpĕdˈəklēz [key], c.495–c.435 b.c., Greek philosopher, b. Acragas (present Agrigento), Sicily. Leader of the democratic faction in his native city, he was offered the crown, which h...

Burbank

(Encyclopedia)Burbank, city (2020 pop.107,337), Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1911. Tourism and the entertainment industry are central to its economy; several motio...

De Forest, Lee

(Encyclopedia)De Forest, Lee, 1873–1961, American inventor, b. Council Bluffs, Iowa, grad. Yale, 1896. He was a pioneer in the development of wireless telegraphy, sound pictures, and television. His triode (1906)...