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sperm whale

(Encyclopedia)sperm whale, largest of the toothed whales, Physeter catodon, found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is also called cachalot. Male sperm whales may grow to more than 70 ft (21 m) long and female...

Lombardi, Vince

(Encyclopedia)Lombardi, Vince (Vincent Thomas Lombardi), 1913–70, American football coach, b. New York City. As a student at Fordham, he was a member of the famed “Seven Blocks of Granite” line. After great s...

mermaid

(Encyclopedia)mermaid, in folklore, sea-dwelling creature commonly represented as having the head and body of a woman and a fishtail instead of legs. Belief in mermaids, and in their counterpart, mermen, has existe...

Myers, Richard Bowman

(Encyclopedia)Myers, Richard Bowman, 1942–, American Air Force general, b. Kansas City, Mo. He studied at Kansas State Univ., graduating and joining the Air Force in 1965; he later attended Auburn Univ. (M.A., 19...

Maga, Hubert

(Encyclopedia)Maga, Hubert (Hubert Coutoucou Maga) übârˈ mäˈgä [key], 1916–2000, political leader in Dahomey (now Benin). A teacher, he became active in politics and was (1951–58) a representative in the ...

Mas i Gavarró, Artur

(Encyclopedia)Mas i Gavarró, Artur, 1956–, Catalonian nationalist leader, b. Barcelona, grad. Univ. of Barcelona. An economist, he was the head of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), a centrist Catala...

Saint Elmo's fire

(Encyclopedia)Saint Elmo's fire, luminous discharge of electricity extending into the atmosphere from some projecting or elevated object. It is usually observed (often during a snowstorm or a dust storm) as brushli...

Salome

(Encyclopedia)Salome səlōˈmē [key], in the New Testament. 1 Daughter of Herod Philip and Herodias. She is generally supposed to be the daughter who danced to obtain the head of John the Baptist. See Herod 2 One...

Ramgoolam, Navinchandra

(Encyclopedia)Ramgoolam, Navinchandra, 1947–, Mauritian political leader, prime minister of Mauritius, (1995–2000, 2005–14), son of of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. A doctor, he practiced medicine from 1975 to 1...

Balmaceda, José

(Encyclopedia)Balmaceda, José hōsāˈ bälmäsāˈᵺä [key], 1840–91, president of Chile (1886–91). A leader of a liberal, anticlerical group, he was sent as minister (1878) to Argentina, where he successfu...