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African Union

(Encyclopedia)African Union (AU), international organization established in 2002 by the nations of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU). The AU is the successor organization to the OAU, with greater power...

Dickinson, John

(Encyclopedia)Dickinson, John, 1732–1808, American patriot and statesman, b. Talbot co., Md. After studying law in Philadelphia and in London at the Middle Temple, he developed a highly successful practice in Phi...

mining

(Encyclopedia)mining, extraction of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminum; precious stones, such as d...

housing

(Encyclopedia)housing, in general, living accommodations available for the inhabitants of a community. Throughout the 19th cent., with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, housing as a problem worsened as urban...

Midlothian

(Encyclopedia)Midlothian mĭdlōˈthēən [key], council area (1993 est. pop. 79,910), 137 sq mi (356 sq km), and former county, SE Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, Midlothian was divided between t...

Moray, council area and former county, Scotland

(Encyclopedia)Moray mûrˈē [key], council area (1993 est. pop. 86,250), 864 sq mi (2,237 sq km), and former county, NE Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, the county of Moray (or Morayshire) was div...

margin requirement

(Encyclopedia)margin requirement, that part of a security's price that a buyer must pay for in cash. The balance of the price is met by the broker, who, in effect, is supplying a client with a loan. The smaller the...

AARP

(Encyclopedia)AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to “enriching the experience of aging”; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as Americ...

Bankhead, William Brockman

(Encyclopedia)Bankhead, William Brockman, 1874–1940, U.S. Representative from Alabama (1917–40), b. Lamar co., Ala. Chairman of the House rules committee (1934–35), Democratic floor leader (1935–36), and Sp...

Concert of Europe

(Encyclopedia)Concert of Europe, term used in the 19th cent. to designate a loose agreement by the major European powers to act together on European questions of common interest. The concert emerged after the Congr...