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March, Fredric

(Encyclopedia)March, Fredric, 1897–1975, American actor, b. Racine, Wis., as Frederick McIntyre Bickel. Equally distinguished on stage and screen, he won Academy Awards for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) and The ...

Lindgren, Astrid

(Encyclopedia)Lindgren, Astrid, 1907–2002, Swedish author of children's fiction, b. Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson. She worked as a secretary before turning to writing as a profession and later was a children's book...

Acmeists

(Encyclopedia)Acmeists ăkˈmēĭsts [key], school of Russian poets started in 1912 by Sergei M. Gorodetsky and Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev as a reaction against the mysticism of the symbolists. The school aspired ...

Drew, Charles Richard

(Encyclopedia)Drew, Charles Richard, 1904–50, African-American physician, b. Washington, D.C. A surgeon and a professor at Howard Univ. (1935–36; 1942–50), he developed a means of preserving blood plasma for ...

Sherman, James Schoolcraft

(Encyclopedia)Sherman, James Schoolcraft, 1855–1912, Vice President of the United States (1909–12), b. near Utica, N.Y. A lawyer, he was (1884–85) mayor of Utica. Sherman served (1887–91, 1893–1909) as a ...

musicals

(Encyclopedia)musicals, earlier known as musical comedies, plays that incorporate music, song, and dance. These elements move with the plot, heightening and commenting on the action. Mixing the sprightly songs and ...

Davis, Benjamin Oliver

(Encyclopedia)Davis, Benjamin Oliver, 1877–1970, American general, b. Washington, D.C. After studying (1897–98) at Howard Univ., Davis served as a lieutenant in the Spanish-American War and in 1899 enlisted in ...

Churchyard, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Churchyard, Thomas, 1520?–1604, English author. In his youth he was page to Henry Howard, earl of Surrey. He spent most of his life as a professional soldier, serving in Scotland, Flanders, and Fran...

Grayson, Cary Travers

(Encyclopedia)Grayson, Cary Travers, 1878–1938, American naval officer and surgeon, b. Culpeper co., Va. As a physician he entered (1903) the U.S. navy, was graduated (1904) from the navy medical school, and afte...

Fleming, Sir Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Fleming, Sir Alexander, 1881–1955, Scottish bacteriologist, discoverer of penicillin (1928) and lysozyme (1922), an antibacterial substance found in saliva and other body secretions. Educated at St....