(Encyclopedia) Abscam, U.S. scandal resulting from an investigation begun in 1978 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI created a front (Abdul Enterprises, Ltd., hence, Abscam) for its…
(Encyclopedia) Swanson, Gloria, 1899–1983, American movie actress, b. Chicago. Swanson began her film career in 1913, displaying an elegant comedic style in a series of films for director Cecil B.…
R&B band Beyoncé Knowles, TaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, and LeToya Luckett first came together as rap singing tots under the management of Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and cousin Kelly'…
(Encyclopedia) Herzen, Aleksandr IvanovichHerzen, Aleksandr Ivanovichəlyĭksänˈdər ēväˈnəvĭch hârˈtsĭn [key], 1812–70, Russian revolutionary leader and writer. A member of the aristocracy, he was…
(Encyclopedia) Albert II, 1958–, prince of Monaco (2005–), grad. Amherst College (B.A., 1981). A member of the long-ruling Grimaldi family, he is the son of Prince Rainier III, upon whose death he…
(Encyclopedia) Jerrold, Douglas WilliamJerrold, Douglas Williamjĕrˈəld [key], 1803–57, English humorist and playwright. His plays Blackeyed Susan (1829) and Time Works Wonders (1845) were highly…
Born: May 12, 1930U.S. diver won women's platform and springboard gold medals in both 1952 and '56 Olympics. Her daughter Kelly followed in her wake, earning a silver in the 1984 and a bronze in…
From Chinese laborers in the 1800s to millions of U.S. citizens today by David Johnson When they first arrived in the United States, Asian (usually Chinese) immigrants were welcomed, or at…
(Encyclopedia) Pavilion Lake, lake, 3.6 mi (5.8 km) long, 2,625 ft (800 m) wide, and 213 ft (65 m) deep at its maximum depth, in Marble Canyon at the S end of the Marble Range near Cache Creek, S…
(Encyclopedia) Church, Frederick Edwin, 1826–1900, American landscape painter of the Hudson River school, b. Hartford, Conn., studied with Thomas Cole at Catskill, N.Y. He traveled and painted in…