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Tartini, Giuseppe

(Encyclopedia)Tartini, Giuseppe jo͞ozĕpˈpā tärtēˈnē [key], 1692–1770, Italian violinist, the greatest violin master of his day. In 1728 he founded at Padua a school of the violin that became known through...

Vendémiaire

(Encyclopedia)Vendémiaire väNdāmyĕrˈ [key], first month of the French Revolutionary calendar. 13 Vendémiaire of the year iv (Oct. 5, 1795) was the day when Napoleon Bonaparte, until then an obscure general, w...

Welsh terrier

(Encyclopedia)Welsh terrier, breed of medium-sized terrier developed in Wales more than a century ago. It stands about 15 in. (38 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 20 lb (9 kg). Its close-lying, harsh, wiry...

Lumet, Sidney

(Encyclopedia)Lumet, Sidney lo͞o-mĕtˈ [key], 1924–2011, one of the great American film directors of the 20th cent., b. Philadelphia. A child actor in New York's Yiddish radio and theater and (1935–41) on Bro...

playing cards

(Encyclopedia)playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subjec...

Federal Bureau of Investigation

(Encyclopedia)Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. The FBI has j...

Landon, Letitia Elizabeth

(Encyclopedia)Landon, Letitia Elizabeth, pseud. L.E.L., 1802–38, English poet and novelist. Although no longer highly regarded, she was one of the best-known and popular literary figures of her day. Dubbed the �...

Moroni, Giovanni Battista

(Encyclopedia)Moroni, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēˈstä mōrôˈnē [key], c.1524–1578, Italian portrait painter of the Brescian school; pupil of Il Moretto. Surpassing his teacher in the ability to c...

Monti, Vincenzo

(Encyclopedia)Monti, Vincenzo vēnchānˈtsō mōnˈtē [key], 1754–1828, Italian poet and dramatist. Under French rule he became official historiographer of the Italian kingdom and later accommodated himself to ...

Mooney, Thomas J.

(Encyclopedia)Mooney, Thomas J., 1883–1942, American labor agitator, b. Chicago. He was an active leader in several violent labor struggles in California before 1916 and was convicted as a participant in the bomb...