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Rockingham, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2d marquess of

(Encyclopedia)Rockingham, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2d marquess of rŏkˈĭng-əm [key], 1730–82, British statesman. In the early years of the reign of George III he became a leading opponent of the “king's fri...

Compaoré, Blaise

(Encyclopedia)Compaoré, Blaise blāz cŏmpôrˈrā [key], 1951–, Burkinabe military and political leader, president of Burkina Faso (1987–2014), b. Ouagadougou. An army captain and minister of justice under Pr...

Ewell, Benjamin Stoddert

(Encyclopedia)Ewell, Benjamin Stoddert yo͞oˈəl [key], 1810–94, American educator, b. Georgetown, D.C., grad. West Point, 1832; brother of Gen. R. S. Ewell. He taught mathematics at West Point, Hampden-Sidney C...

Falkland, Lucius Cary, 2d Viscount

(Encyclopedia)Falkland, Lucius Cary, 2d Viscount fôkˈlənd [key], 1610?–1643, English statesman and literary figure. He entered Parliament in 1640, where he opposed the exaction of ship money and spoke in favor...

Fisher, Sir Ronald Aylmer

(Encyclopedia)Fisher, Sir Ronald Aylmer, 1890–1962, English statistician and geneticist, b. East Finchley, Middlesex, England; educated at Cambridge (1909–1915; Sc.D., 1926). From 1919 to 1933 he worked at the ...

Vaux, Calvert

(Encyclopedia)Vaux, Calvert vôks [key], 1824–95, American landscape architect, b. London. He emigrated (1850) to the United States, and assisted A. J. Downing with the U.S. Capitol grounds and a number of Hudson...

Prendergast, Maurice Brazil

(Encyclopedia)Prendergast, Maurice Brazil, 1859–1924, American painter, b. St. John's, N.L., Canada, educated in Boston. In 1886 he worked his way to Europe on a cattle boat and studied in Paris at Julian's and a...

Office of Strategic Services

(Encyclopedia)Office of Strategic Services (OSS), U.S. agency created (1942) during World War II under the jurisdiction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the purpose of obtaining information about enemy nations and ...

American Federation of Teachers

(Encyclopedia)American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. It was formed (1916) out of the belief that the organizing of teachers should follow the model of a labor union, rather than that of...

Ammianus Marcellinus

(Encyclopedia)Ammianus Marcellinus ămēāˈnəs märsĭlīˈnəs [key], c.330–c.400, Roman historian, b. Antioch. After retiring from a successful military career, he wrote a history of the Roman Empire as a seq...