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Pacific, War of the

(Encyclopedia)Pacific, War of the, 1879–84, war between Chile and the allied nations, Peru and Bolivia; also called the Chile–Peruvian War. The trouble began when President Hilarión Daza of Bolivia rescinded (...

Grand Alliance, War of the

(Encyclopedia)Grand Alliance, War of the, 1688–97, war between France and a coalition of European powers, known as the League of Augsburg (and, after 1689, as the Grand Alliance). Louis XIV of France took advanta...

Lauderdale, John Maitland, duke of

(Encyclopedia)Lauderdale, John Maitland, duke of lôˈdərdāl [key], 1616–82, Scottish statesman. He entered public life as a staunch Presbyterian and was one of the commissioners who signed the Solemn League an...

International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes

(Encyclopedia)International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), specialized agency of the United Nations. A member of the World Bank Group (see International Bank for Reconstruction and Developmen...

Johnson, Hiram Warren

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, Hiram Warren, 1866–1945, American political leader, U.S. Senator from California (1917–45), b. Sacramento, Calif. His role as attorney in the successful prosecution of Abe Ruef, political...

Krishna Menon, Vengalil Krishnan

(Encyclopedia)Krishna Menon, Vengalil Krishnan vĕngäˈlēl krĭshˈnən krĭshˈnə mĕnˈĭn [key], 1897–1974, Indian diplomat. He was educated at the Presidency College and the Law College of Madras (now Chen...

Lansbury, George

(Encyclopedia)Lansbury, George lănzˈbərē [key], 1859–1940, British Labour party leader. During the 1880s he was influenced by Christian socialism, and he later joined (1892) the Social Democratic Federation. ...

Latakia

(Encyclopedia)Latakia or Lattakia both: lătəkēˈə, lätə– [key], city (1995 est. pop. 320,100), capital of Latakia governorate, W Syria, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is Syria's leading port, exporting bitume...

Saipan

(Encyclopedia)Saipan sīˈpăn, sīpänˈ [key], volcanic island (2010 pop. 48,220), 47 sq mi (122 sq km), W Pacific, capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is mountainous; the highest peak is Mt. Tagpochau (1...

English units of measurement

(Encyclopedia)English units of measurement, principal system of weights and measures used in a few nations, the only major industrial one being the United States. It actually consists of two related systems—the U...