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Mount Wilson Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Mount Wilson Observatory, astronomical observatory located in California on Mt. Wilson, near Pasadena. Mt. Wilson Observatory was founded in 1904 by George E. Hale. Its equipment includes 100-in. (2.5...

synagogue

(Encyclopedia)synagogue sĭnˈəgŏg [key] [Gr.,=assembly], in Judaism, a place of assembly for worship, education, and communal affairs. The origins of the institution are unclear. One tradition dates it to the Ba...

Maynooth

(Encyclopedia)Maynooth māˈno͞oth, māno͞othˈ [key], town (1991 pop. 6,027), Co. Kildare, E Republic of Ireland. It is the seat of St. Patrick's College (1795), the principal institution in Ireland for training...

Milnes, Sherrill Eustace

(Encyclopedia)Milnes, Sherrill Eustace, 1935–, American operatic baritone, b. Downers Grove, Ill., stud. with Boris Goldovsky and Rosa Ponselle. Famous for his powerful yet lyrical voice and his large, seemingly ...

National Defense Education Act

(Encyclopedia)National Defense Education Act (NDEA), federal legislation passed in 1958 providing aid to education in the United States at all levels, public and private. NDEA was instituted primarily to stimulate ...

Latin American Integration Association

(Encyclopedia)Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), organization formed in 1980 by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, taking over the duti...

Santa Clara, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Santa Clara sănˈtə klârˈə [key], city (1990 pop. 93,613), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1852. Part of the Silicon Valley high-technology manufacturing complex, the city produces a variety of e...

Rayleigh, John William Strutt, 3d Baron

(Encyclopedia)Rayleigh, John William Strutt, 3d Baron rāˈlē [key], 1842–1919, English physicist. He was professor at Cambridge (1879–84) and at the Royal Institution (1887–1905), and chancellor of Cambridg...

National Museum of African American History and Culture

(Encyclopedia)National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., a division of the Smithsonian Institution. Devoted to the collection, presentation, and preservation of the culture of Africa...

David and Lucile Packard Foundation

(Encyclopedia)David and Lucile Packard Foundation, private philanthropic institution that funds nonprofit organizations. It was founded in 1964 by David Packard (1912–96), co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Co., and h...