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Augustus III

(Encyclopedia)Augustus III, 1696–1763, king of Poland (1735–63) and, as Frederick Augustus II, elector of Saxony (1733–63); son of Augustus II, whom he succeeded in Saxony. Elected king of Poland by a minorit...

Western Sahara

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Western Sahara, territory (2015 est. pop. 526,000), 102,703 sq mi (266,000 sq km), NW Africa, occupied by Morocco. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Morocco in the north, on Alge...

mah jongg

(Encyclopedia)mah jongg mä jông [key], four-handed game, probably of Chinese origin, popular in the United States. It is played in many variations throughout China. In 1920, Joseph P. Babcock, an American travele...

Rush, William

(Encyclopedia)Rush, William, 1756–1833, American sculptor, one of the earliest in the country, b. Philadelphia. His wood carvings, clay models, and figureheads were famous in their day. Of his other works, carved...

Thomas, Edward Donnall

(Encyclopedia)Thomas, Edward Donnall, 1920–2012, American surgeon, b. Mart, Tex., M.D. Harvard, 1946. At the Univ. of Washington from 1963 (emeritus from 1990), Thomas performed (1969) the first successful bone m...

Thomson, Sir George Paget

(Encyclopedia)Thomson, Sir George Paget, 1892–1975, English physicist; son of Sir Joseph John Thomson. He was professor of natural philosophy at the Univ. of Aberdeen (1922–30) and from 1930 to 1952 was profess...

Scheele, Karl Wilhelm

(Encyclopedia)Scheele, Karl Wilhelm kärl vĭlˈhĕlm shāˈlə [key], 1742–86, Swedish chemist, b. Stralsund. He is known as the discoverer of many chemical substances. He was a pharmacist in Stockholm, in Uppsa...

Alanbrooke, Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount

(Encyclopedia)Alanbrooke, Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount ălˈənbro͝okˌ [key], 1883–1963, British general. He entered the field artillery in 1902 and served with distinction during World War I. In the 1930s...

Devonshire, Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th duke of

(Encyclopedia)Devonshire, Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th duke of kăvˈəndĭsh, dĕvˈənshĭr [key], 1833–1908, British statesman. He became marquess of Hartington in 1858. He frequently held office in Liberal ...

Gregory, Wilton Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Gregory, Wilton Daniel, 1947–, American Roman Catholic cardinal, b. Chicago. Ordained in 1973, he was educated at Niles College (now St. Joseph's College Seminary) of Loyola Univ., Chicago, St. Mary...