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Bontemps, Arna

(Encyclopedia)Bontemps, Arna, 1902–73, African-American writer, b. Alexandria, La. He is best remembered as the author of the novel God Sends Sunday (1931), the basis of the play St. Louis Woman (1946); and of Bl...

Olmedo, José Joaquin

(Encyclopedia)Olmedo, José Joaquin hōsāˈ wäkēnˈ ōlmāˈᵺō [key], 1780–1847, Ecuadorian statesman and poet. An ambassador to Paris and London after Ecuador's independence, Olmedo gained renown for his o...

Starved Rock

(Encyclopedia)Starved Rock, cliff, 140 ft (43 m) high, overlooking the Illinois River between La Salle and Ottawa, N Ill. Legend says that in the 18th cent. the Ottawas drove a band of Illinois onto the cliff, wher...

Streator

(Encyclopedia)Streator strēˈtər [key], city (1990 pop. 14,121), La Salle and Livingston counties, N central Ill., on the Vermillion River; inc. 1882. It is an industrial center with diverse manufactures. Coal, d...

Sulphur, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Sulphur, city (1990 pop. 20,125), Calcasieu parish, SW La.; inc. 1914. It is a trade center for an area producing natural gas, oil, and timber as well as sorghum, soybeans, cattle, and crawfish. Indus...

Soufrière, volcano, Guadeloupe

(Encyclopedia)Soufrière so͞ofrēĕrˈ [key], active volcano, 4,813 ft (1,467 m) high, on Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean Sea. Called also La Grande Soufrière, it is the highest mountain in the Lesser A...

Wall, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Wall, Richard, 1694–1778, Spanish statesman. Born in France of Irish parents, Wall entered the Spanish military service as a young man and later held important diplomatic posts. He helped negotiate ...

Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio

(Encyclopedia)Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio jōäk-kēˈnō äntôˈnyō rōs-sēˈnē [key], 1792–1868, Italian operatic composer, one of the great masters of the Italian opera buffa. His parents were both musicia...

Ramus, Petrus

(Encyclopedia)Ramus, Petrus pyĕr də lä rämāˈ [key], 1515–72, French humanist and philosopher. Attempting to break through Aristotelian and scholastic traditions, Ramus wrote a number of works that became in...

Aco, Michel

(Encyclopedia)Aco or Accault, Michel both: mēshĕlˈ äkōˈ [key], fl. 1680–1702, French explorer. He became La Salle's lieutenant, being favored by that explorer because of his courage, prudence, and wide acqu...