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Hepplewhite, George

(Encyclopedia)Hepplewhite, George hĕpˈəlhwīt [key], d. 1786, English cabinetmaker and furniture designer. His style is characterized by light, curvilinear forms, painted or inlaid decoration, and distinctive de...

Anderson, Margaret C.

(Encyclopedia)Anderson, Margaret C., 1886–1973, American author, editor, and publisher, b. Indianapolis, Ind. As editor and publisher of The Little Review (1914–29), one of the most famous of the American littl...

Portsmouth, Louise Renée de Kéroualle, duchess of

(Encyclopedia)Portsmouth, Louise Renée de Kéroualle, duchess of lwēz rənāˈ də kāro͞oälˈ [key], 1649–1734, French mistress of Charles II of England. She exerted a powerful influence over the king in fav...

Kauffmann, Angelica

(Encyclopedia)Kauffmann, Angelica äng-gāˈlēkä koufˈmän [key], 1741–1807, Swiss neoclassical painter and graphic artist. From her youth she was known for her artistic, musical, and linguistic abilities. She...

Cain

(Encyclopedia)Cain kān [key], in the Bible, eldest son of Adam and Eve, a tiller of the soil. In jealousy he killed his brother Abel and became a fugitive. ...

Huggins, Sir William

(Encyclopedia)Huggins, Sir William, 1824–1910, English astronomer. Using a spectroscope, he began to study the chemical constitution of stars from the observatory attached to his home in Tulse Hill, London. He pr...

Mahfouz, Naguib

(Encyclopedia)Mahfouz, Naguib nəgēbˈ mäkhfo͞osˈ [key], 1911–2006, Egyptian novelist and short-story writer, b. Cairo. After his graduation (1934) from Cairo Univ., he worked in various government ministries...

Byron, John

(Encyclopedia)Byron, John, 1723–86, British vice admiral and explorer. Sailing in 1740 with Admiral George Anson on a voyage around the world, he was shipwrecked off Chile. His Narrative of Great Distresses on th...

Arecibo Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Arecibo Observatory, radio-astronomy facility located near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center. Conceived by, designed by, and built under the supervision of Wil...

Swinnerton, Frank

(Encyclopedia)Swinnerton, Frank, 1884–1982, English novelist and critic, b. Wood Green, Middlesex. In addition to serving variously as an editor and a drama critic he wrote over 30 novels. For half a century, Swi...