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Ponce de León, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Ponce de León, Juan pŏns də lēˈŏn, Span. hwän pōnˈthā dā lāōnˈ [key], c.1460–1521, Spanish explorer, first Westerner to reach Florida. He served against the Moors of Granada, and in 14...

Lorenzo de' Medici

(Encyclopedia)Lorenzo de' Medici. For the members of the Medici family thus named, use Medici, Lorenzo de'. ...

Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de də săN-sēmôNˈ [key], 1675–1755, French writer of memoirs and courtier. He resigned (1702) from the army after his arrogance had involved him in a quarrel ...

Nobili, Roberto de

(Encyclopedia)Nobili, Roberto de rōbĕrˈtō dā nōˈbēlē [key], 1577–1656, Italian Jesuit missionary. He was ordained in Rome in 1603 after seven years of training in Naples and sailed the following year for...

Medici, Ferdinand I de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Ferdinand I de', 1549–1609, grand duke of Tuscany (1587–1609); brother and successor of Francesco de' Medici. He was made a cardinal in his youth, and he built the famous Villa Medici at R...

Moivre, Abraham de

(Encyclopedia)Moivre, Abraham de äbrä-ämˈdə mwäˈvrə [key], 1667–1754, French-English mathematician. He fled to England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He was called upon by the Royal Society ...

De Croo, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)De Croo, Alexander, 1975–, Belgian political leader. He worked for the Boston Consulting Group (1999–2006) and his own management consulting firm (2006–9) before entering politics. The son of Be...

Victoria Falls

(Encyclopedia)Victoria Falls, waterfall, c.1 mi (1.6 km) wide with a maximum drop of 420 ft (128 m), in the Zambezi River, S central Africa, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. The falls are formed as the Zambezi plumme...

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