(Encyclopedia) Vanderlyn, JohnVanderlyn, Johnvănˈdərlĭn [key], 1776–1852, American portrait and historical painter, b. Kingston, N.Y. Under the patronage of Aaron Burr he studied with Gilbert Stuart…
Trans-Siberian Express Traveling between Moscow and Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian Express makes the longest regular train trip in the world, covering 5,778 mi and making 91 stops over the course…
Abstract Expressionism A style developed in the mid-20th century. It emphasized form and color rather than an actual subject. Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were abstract expressionists.…
dancer, choreographerBorn: 4/13/1892Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan Ito studied traditional dance in Japan before moving to Paris in 1911. At the beginning of the World War, he moved to Britain and became…
(sometimes published as Stéphane Grappelly)violinist, composer, songwriterBorn: 1/26/1908Birthplace: Paris, France Perhaps the greatest jazz violinist of all time, Stephane Grappelli played in…
(Melvin Peebles)director, actor, writerBorn: 8/21/1932Birthplace: Chicago A pioneer in African American cinema, Van Peebles has directed, edited, and produced films and is also an actor and…
fashion designer and photographerBorn: 1938Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany Known as “King Karl,” Karl Lagerfeld may have stolen as many scenes with his silver ponytail, fluttering fan, and infamous…
playwright, novelistBorn: 4/13/1906Birthplace: Foxrock, County Dublin, Ireland With the production of En attendent Godot (1952, Waiting for Godot) in Paris in 1954, Beckett became one of the most…
French veteranDied: March 12, 2008 (Kremlin-Bicetre, France) Best Known as: last surviving French World War I veteran Lazare Ponticelli was the last surviving…
playwright, actor(Samuel Shepard Rogers)Born: 11/5/1943Birthplace: Fort Sheridan, Illinois Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor known for his dramas that combine myth and reality, past and…