(Encyclopedia) Merian, MatthäusMerian, Matthäusmätĕˈ&oobreve;s [key]Merian, Matthäus māˈrēän [key], the elder, 1593–1650, Swiss engraver and draftsman. In Frankfurt am Main from c.1623, he…
(Encyclopedia) Modersohn-Becker, PaulaModersohn-Becker, Paulamōˈdərzōnˌ-bĕkˈər [key], 1876–1907, German painter. After studying in London and Berlin, she was greatly influenced by her experience at…
(Encyclopedia) Sandino, Augusto CésarSandino, Augusto Césaroug&oomacr;sˈtō sāˈsär sändēˈnō [key], 1895–1934, Nicaraguan revolutionary general. A farmer and a mining engineer, he joined the…
(Encyclopedia) toy, article designed to be played with, chiefly for children. Archaeological research has revealed numerous playthings from prehistoric civilizations. Early Egyptian, Greek, and Roman…
(Encyclopedia) Cosa, Juan de laCosa, Juan de lahwän dā lä kōˈsä [key], c.1460–1510, Spanish navigator. He sailed with Columbus in 1492 (as pilot of the flagship Santa María) and again in 1498. After…
(Encyclopedia) Tsvetayeva or Tsvetaeva, Marina IvanovnaTsvetayeva or Tsvetaeva, Marina Ivanovnatsvyĭtäˈyəvə [key], 1892–1941, Russian poet. She was a major Russian poet, who survived the civil war,…
(Encyclopedia) Azuela, MarianoAzuela, Marianomäryäˈnō äswāˈlä [key], 1873–1952, Mexican novelist. Azuela began his medical practice in 1899, writing short stories and novels in his spare time. In…
(Encyclopedia) pantheonpantheonpănˈthēŏnˌ, –thēən [key], term applied originally to a temple to all the gods. The Pantheon at Rome was built by Agrippa in 27 b.c., destroyed, and rebuilt in the 2d…
(Encyclopedia) Francis II, 1836–94, last king of the Two Sicilies (1859–61), son and successor of Ferdinand II. A weak ruler, he let his ministers follow his father's reactionary policy. Faced with…
(Encyclopedia) Henrietta of England (Henrietta Anne), 1644–70, duchesse d'Orléans, called Madame; sister-in-law of King Louis XIV of France. The daughter of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria…