(George Campbell Scott)actorBorn: 10/18/1927Birthplace: Wise, Virginia Academy Award-winning film and stage actor known for his powerful presence. His films include Dr. Strangelove (1964) and…
philosopher and art criticBorn: 1/01/1924Birthplace: Ann Arbor, Michigan Philosophy professor at Columbia University (1966–87) whose major works include Nietzsche as Philosopher (1965) and…
manufacturerBorn: 12/8/1861Birthplace: Boston, Mass. He quit high school to begin work in his grandfather's Flint, Michigan, lumberyard. By 1885 he had organized the Flint Road Cart Company, which…
scientist, activistBorn: 2/28/1901Birthplace: Portland, Oregon Although he earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry (1925), Linus Pauling's willingness and ability to cross disciplinary boundaries…
physician, astronautBorn: 10/17/1956Birthplace: Decatur, Ala. Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to enter space when she served on the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavor…
politicianBorn: 11/18/1957Birthplace: Eufaula, Oklahoma A former University of Oklahoma quarterback, Watts worked as a Baptist minister before being elected to Congress in 1994. In 1999 he was…
(Encyclopedia) Barrow, Sir John, 1764–1848, British geographer, promoter of arctic exploration. His early travels as secretary to Earl Macartney (who was ambassador to China and governor of the Cape…
(Encyclopedia) Barth, JohnBarth, Johnbärth [key], 1930–, American writer, b. Cambridge, Md. He attended Johns Hopkins (B.A. 1951, M.A. 1952), and, beginning in 1973, taught writing at its graduate…
(Encyclopedia) Gower, JohnGower, Johngouˈər, gôr [key], 1330?–1408, English poet. He was the best-known contemporary and friend of Chaucer, who addressed him as “Moral Gower,” at the end of Troilus…
(Encyclopedia) Stevens, John Paul, 1920–2019, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1975–2010). After receiving his law degree from Northwestern Univ. (1947), he clerked with U.S. Supreme…