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Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien

(Encyclopedia)Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien pyĕr vēktürnyăNˈ vĕrnyōˈ [key], 1753–93, French revolutionary. A brilliant lawyer, he gained attention (1790) when defending peasants who had burned a castle. El...

Alekhine, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Alekhine, Alexander əlyĕkhˈēn [key], 1892–1946, Russian-French chess player, b. Moscow. He became a naturalized French citizen after the Russian Revolution. At the age of 16 he gained the rank o...

Chalgrin, Jean François

(Encyclopedia)Chalgrin, Jean François zhäN fräNswäˈ shälgrăNˈ [key], 1739–1811, French architect. He studied under Servandoni and in Italy as a winner of the Grand Prix de Rome (1758). He rebuilt (1777) p...

Fitzgerald, Lord Edward

(Encyclopedia)Fitzgerald, Lord Edward, 1763–98, Irish revolutionary; son of James Fitzgerald, 20th earl of Kildare and 1st duke of Leinster (see Kildare, James Fitzgerald, 20th earl of). After an early career in ...

Ohio Company

(Encyclopedia)Ohio Company, organization formed (1747) to extend settlements of Virginia westward. The members were mostly Virginia planters interested in land speculation and the fur trade. A royal charter (1749) ...

Duchesne, Saint Rose Philippine

(Encyclopedia)Duchesne, Saint Rose Philippine düshĕnˈ [key], 1769–1852, French educator in the United States, a Roman Catholic nun, b. Grenoble, France. She entered the order of the Visitation, but was forced...

Jovellanos, Gaspar Melchor de

(Encyclopedia)Jovellanos, Gaspar Melchor de gäspärˈ mĕlchôrˈ dā hōvĕlyäˈnōs [key], 1744–1811, Spanish statesman and writer. Very influential as an advocate of economic and social reform during the enl...

Broglie, Louis Victor, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Broglie, Louis Victor, duc de, 1892–1987, French physicist. In 1928 he became professor in the faculty of sciences, Univ. of Paris. It was known from the earlier quantum theory that light waves some...

Canning, George

(Encyclopedia)Canning, George, 1770–1827, British statesman. Canning was converted to Toryism by the French Revolution, became a disciple of William Pitt, and was his undersecretary for foreign affairs (1796–99...

Walloons

(Encyclopedia)Walloons wŏlo͞onzˈ [key], group of people living in S Belgium who traditionally spoke a dialect of French called Walloon, but who today for the most part speak standard French. The Walloons, number...