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nail, in carpentry

(Encyclopedia)nail, metal pin driven by force applied at one end into pieces of material, usually wood, to join them together. The strength of a nailed joint depends on the properties of the wood, the type and numb...

Khama III

(Encyclopedia)Khama III käˈmä [key], d. 1923?, chief of the Ngwato people of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) from 1875 until his death; grandfather of Sir Seretse Khama. To counter threats from neighboring Africans ...

bunion

(Encyclopedia)bunion, swelling or thickening around the first joint of the big toe. The toe is forced inward and compresses the other toes. The fluid-filled sac, or bursa, in the toe joint becomes inflamed (a condi...

Ptolemy XI

(Encyclopedia)Ptolemy XI (Ptolemy Alexander), d. 80 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (80 b.c.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy X. His stepmother, Cleopatra Berenice, was joint ruler with her father, Ptolemy I...

Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act

(Encyclopedia)Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act, 1930, passed by the U.S. Congress; it brought the U.S. tariff to the highest protective level yet in the history of the United States. President Hoover desired a limited upwar...

Berthier, Louis Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Berthier, Louis Alexandre lwē älĕksäNˈdrə bĕrtyāˈ [key], 1753–1815, marshal of France. He served in the American Revolution and in the French Revolutionary Wars, distinguishing himself unde...

Annan, Kofi Atta

(Encyclopedia)Annan, Kofi Atta kōˈfē äˈtä ănˈən [key] 1938–2018, Ghanaian diplomat, the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations (1997–2006) and the first person to hold that office who came fro...

Haig, Alexander Meigs, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Haig, Alexander Meigs, Jr., 1924–2010, American general and public official, U.S. secretary of state (1981–82), b. Philadelphia, grad. West Point, 1947. He served in Korea (1950–51) and held sev...

Rawlins, John Aaron

(Encyclopedia)Rawlins, John Aaron, 1831–69, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Galena, Ill. Admitted to the bar in 1854, he practiced law in Galena. In 1861 he joined the Union army at the request of his...

Abrams, Creighton Williams

(Encyclopedia)Abrams, Creighton Williams āˈbrəmz [key], 1914–74, U.S. military officer, b. Springfield, Mass. After graduating (1936) from West Point, he served with distinction during World War II, most notab...