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Palgrave, Sir Francis

(Encyclopedia)Palgrave, Sir Francis pălˈgrāv, pôlˈ– [key], 1788–1861, English historian. His antiquarian interests led him to edit with scrupulous accuracy and to publish a number of historical records, su...

Butler, Benjamin Franklin, 1818–93, American politician and Union general in the Civil War

(Encyclopedia)Butler, Benjamin Franklin, 1818–93, American politician and Union general in the Civil War, b. Deerfield, N.H. He moved to Lowell, Mass., as a youth and later practiced law there and in Boston. He w...

Foucault, Michel

(Encyclopedia)Foucault, Michel, 1926–84, French philosopher and historian. He was professor at the Collège de France (1970–84). He is renowned for historical studies that reveal the sometimes morally disturbin...

Houdini, Harry

(Encyclopedia)Houdini, Harry ho͞odēˈnē [key], 1874–1926, American magician and writer, b. Budapest, Hungary, as Erik Weisz, later modified to Ehrich Weiss; his stage name honors the French magician Houdin. By...

Lindemann, Frederick Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Lindemann, Frederick Alexander (Viscount Cherwell) lĭnˈdəmən, chärˈwĕl [key], 1886–1957, British physicist and government official. He studied with W. H. Nernst and developed with him the Ner...

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...

Lévis, François Gaston, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Lévis, François Gaston, duc de fräNswäˈ gästôNˈ dük də lāvēsˈ [key], 1720–87, French soldier. Entering the army in 1735, he distinguished himself in the War of the Austrian Succession. ...

Mather, Stephen Tyng

(Encyclopedia)Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867–1930, American industrialist and environmentalist, b. San Francisco, grad. Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1887. He began working for the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the...

Kline, Franz

(Encyclopedia)Kline, Franz, 1910–62, American painter, b. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He studied (1937–38) in England, then settled in New York City. His first works were representational, often portraying the industrial...

Fitzhugh, George

(Encyclopedia)Fitzhugh, George, 1806–81, American author and editor, b. Prince William co., Va. Although he had little formal education he was admitted to the bar, but he devoted little time to the practice of la...