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Comnenus

(Encyclopedia)Comnenus kŏmnēˈnəs [key], family name of several Byzantine emperors—Isaac I, Alexius I, John II, Manuel I, Alexius II, and Andronicus I—who reigned in the 11th and 12th cent., and of the histo...

Gad

(Encyclopedia)Gad, in the Bible, son of Jacob and Zilpah and eponymous founder of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Its allotment was half of Gilead; this was the land best suited to the pastoral life, which Gad, lik...

Shubert Brothers

(Encyclopedia)Shubert Brothers sho͞oˈbərt [key], theatrical managers and producers. The brothers were Lee (1871–1953), Sam S. (1878–1905), and Jacob J. (1880–1963). Originally from Syracuse, N.Y., they beg...

Abraham

(Encyclopedia)Abraham [according to the Book of Genesis, Heb.,=father of many nations] or Abram āˈbrəm [key] [Heb.,=exalted father], in the Bible, progenitor of the Hebrews; in the Qur'an, ancestor of the Arabs....

Erté

(Encyclopedia)Erté ĕrtāˈ [key], 1892–1990, French designer and illustrator, b. St. Petersburg as Romain de Tirtoff. He moved to France and worked for a time sketching for Paul Poiret and designing opera and t...

Gretna

(Encyclopedia)Gretna. <1> City (2020 pop. 17,515), seat of Jefferson parish, SE La., on the Mississippi River. A suburb of New Orleans, it produces marble, ...

Nahmanides

(Encyclopedia)Nahmanides nähmänˈĭdēz [key], 1194–c.1270, Jewish scholar, exegete, and kabbalist, b. Spain. He wrote commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. A mystic, he rejected part of Maimonides' ...

Benbridge, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Benbridge, Henry, 1744–1812, American portrait painter and miniaturist, b. Philadelphia, studied in Italy and with Benjamin West in London. His portraits are characterized by technical skill and hav...

Rockaway

(Encyclopedia)Rockaway, narrow peninsula, c.10 mi (16 km) long, SW Long Island, SE N.Y., in Queens borough of New York City. Separating Jamaica Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and isolated from the rest of New York Cit...

Peerce, Jan

(Encyclopedia)Peerce, Jan, 1904–85, American tenor, b. New York City as Jacob Pincus Perelmuth. Discovered by Arturo Toscanini, who chose him to be a soloist in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Peerce...