(Encyclopedia) Constantine XI (Constantine Palaeologus), d. 1453, last Byzantine emperor (1449–53), brother and successor of John VIII. To secure Western aid against the Turkish assault on what…
WHY WAS SULEIMAN I MAGNIFICENT? HOW DID CONSTANTINOPLE BECOME ISTANBUL? WHERE DID JANISSARIES COME FROM? FIND OUT MOREAround AD 1300, a new Muslim empire ruled by Turkish leaders called sultans was…
(Encyclopedia) Liston, Sonny (Charles Liston), 1932–71, American boxer, b. Little Rock, Ark. While serving a sentence for robbery at the Missouri State Penitentiary, Liston became interested in…
(Encyclopedia) GabrielGabrielgāˈbrēəl [key], archangel, the divine herald. In the Bible he appears to Daniel (twice), to Zacharias, and to the Virgin Mary in the Annunciation (Dan. 8.16; 9.21; Luke 1…
(Encyclopedia) Cosell, HowardCosell, Howardkōsĕlˈ [key], 1920–95, American sports broadcaster, b. Winston-Salem, N.C., as Howard William Cohen. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and became a lawyer; in…
(Encyclopedia) Abd ar-Rahman KhanAbd ar-Rahman Khanäbˌdär-rämänˈ [key]Abd ar-Rahman Khankän, khän [key], 1844?–1901, emir of Afghanistan (1880–1901); grandson of Dost Muhammad. He opposed his uncle…
(Encyclopedia) Sulayman II, 1642–91, Ottoman sultan (1687–91), brother and successor of Muhammad IV to the throne of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). His grand vizier (chief executive officer), Mustafa…
(Encyclopedia) Stevenson, Teófilo, 1952–2012, Cuban heavyweight boxer, b. Puerto Padre. One of the greatest amateur boxers ever to enter the ring, he won gold medals at the Munich (1972), Montreal (…
