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André, John

(Encyclopedia)André, John ändrāˈ, ănˈdrē [key], 1751–80, British spy in the American Revolution. He was captured (1775) by Gen. Richard Montgomery in the Quebec campaign but was exchanged and became adjuta...

Behrens, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Behrens, Peter pāˈtər bāˈrəns [key], 1868–1940, German architect, influential in Europe in the evolution of the modern architectural style. He established before World War I a predominantly ut...

Vandervelde, Émile

(Encyclopedia)Vandervelde, Émile āmēlˈ vändĕrvĕlˈdə [key], 1866–1938, Belgian statesman and Socialist leader. He entered parliament in 1894, and served in many cabinets, notably as minister of justice (1...

Appel, Karel

(Encyclopedia)Appel, Karel käˈrəl äpˈəl [key], 1921–2006, Dutch painter. A member of CoBrA, the European group of the late 1940s to early 1950s allied with abstract expressionism, Appel reacted against the ...

Stoneman, George

(Encyclopedia)Stoneman, George, 1822–94, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Busti, N.Y. As commander of Fort Brown, Tex., in Feb., 1861, he refused to obey the order of General Twiggs to surrender to Tex...

Simon's Town

(Encyclopedia)Simon's Town or Simonstown sīˈmənztoun [key], town, now part of City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, Western Cape prov., SW South Africa, on False Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a...

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill

(Encyclopedia)Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, American architectural firm founded in 1936 in New York City by Louis Skidmore (1897–1962), Nathaniel A. Owings (1903–84), and John O. Merrill (1896–1975). The firm...

Bogarde, Sir Dirk

(Encyclopedia)Bogarde, Sir Dirk dûrk bōˈgärd [key], 1921–99, English film actor, b. Hampstead as Derek Niven Van den Bogaerde. In his early career Bogarde played romantic leads in such films as So Long at the...

Pelagianism

(Encyclopedia)Pelagianism pəlāˈjənĭzəm [key], Christian heretical sect that rose in the 5th cent. challenging St. Augustine's conceptions of grace and predestination. The doctrine was advanced by the celebrat...

Reiner, Carl

(Encyclopedia) Reiner, Carl, 1922-2020, American comedian, television producer, actor, and film director, b. Bronx, N.Y. The son of a watchmaker, Reiner initially wo...