(Encyclopedia) purification, in religion, the ceremonial removal of what the religion deems unclean. The usual agents of purification are water (as in baptism), bodily alteration (as in circumcision…
(Encyclopedia) Balfour, Sir James, d. 1583, Scottish judge and politician. Captured (1547) at St. Andrews after the murder of Cardinal Beaton, he served a sentence in the French galleys and on his…
(Encyclopedia) Orley, Bernard vanOrley, Bernard vanbĕrˈnärt vän ôrˈlī [key], or Barend van OrleyBarend van Orleybäˈrənt [key], c.1491–1542, Flemish painter. In 1515 he was settled in Brussels, where…
(Encyclopedia) Hildebert of LavardinHildebert of Lavardinhĭlˈdəbərt, lăvˈərdĭn; lävärdăNˈ [key], c.1056–1133, French churchman, bishop of Le Mans (1096–1125), and archbishop of Tours (1125–33). He…
(Encyclopedia) Hayes, Helen, 1900–1993, American actress, b. Washington, D.C., as Helen Hayes Brown. She made her New York stage debut at the age of nine. Performances in Caesar and Cleopatra (1925…
(Encyclopedia) Pembroke, William Herbert, 3d earl of, 1580–1630, English courtier and patron of letters. Son of Mary Herbert, countess of Pembroke, and nephew of Sir Philip Sidney, he was tutored by…
(Encyclopedia) William II, 1626–50, prince of Orange, stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (1647–50), son and successor of Frederick Henry. He married (1641) Mary, eldest daughter…
(Encyclopedia) Zimbalist, EfremZimbalist, Efremĕˈfrəm zĭmˈbəlĭst [key], 1889–1985, Russian-American violinist. Zimbalist was a pupil of Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He made his…
(Encyclopedia) Walker, Albertina, 1929–2010, African-American gospel singer and composer, b. Chicago. A protégé of Mahalia Jackson, she sang with two gospel groups before founding (1951) the Caravans…
(Encyclopedia) Wambach, Abby (Mary Abigail Wambach)Wambach, Abbywämˈbäk [key], 1980–, American soccer player, b. Rochester, N.Y. A forward, she was the all-time leading scorer for the Univ. of…
