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Ryazanov, Eldar Aleksandrovich

(Encyclopedia)Ryazanov, Eldar Aleksandrovich, 1927–2015, Russian film director and screenwriter, b. Samara, grad. State Institute of Cinematography (1950). Probably Russia's most popular filmmaker, he renowned fo...

Rabaul

(Encyclopedia)Rabaul räˈboul [key], town (1990 pop. 17,044), on New Britain island, Bismarck Archipelago, a part of Papua New Guinea. Situated within an active caldera surrounded by volcanoes, the city has long b...

Steinberg, Saul

(Encyclopedia)Steinberg, Saul, 1914–99, American artist-cartoonist, b. Samnicul-Sarat, Romania. He attended the Univ. of Bucharest (1932) and the Reggio Politecnico, Milan (doctorate in architecture, 1940). Stein...

oriole

(Encyclopedia)oriole, common name applied to various perching birds of the Old (family Oriolidae) and New (family Icteridae) Worlds. The European orioles are allied to the crows, while the American orioles, of the ...

Leisler, Jacob

(Encyclopedia)Leisler, Jacob līsˈlər [key], 1640–91, leader of an insurrection (1689–91) in colonial New York, b. Frankfurt, Germany. He immigrated to America in 1660 as a penniless soldier, married a wealth...

Tilden, Samuel Jones

(Encyclopedia)Tilden, Samuel Jones, 1814–86, American political figure, Democratic presidential candidate in 1876, b. New Lebanon, N.Y. Admitted to the bar in 1841, Tilden was an eminently successful lawyer, with...

Alfred University

(Encyclopedia)Alfred University, at Alfred, N.Y.; state and private support; coeducational; opened as a school 1836, chartered 1857 as Alfred Univ. It is especially known for the New York State College of Ceramics,...

Glass, Montague Marsden

(Encyclopedia)Glass, Montague Marsden, 1877–1934, American humorist and playwright, b. England, educated at the College of the City of New York and at New York Univ. He won fame for his humorous delineations of A...

Astor, William Backhouse, 1792–1875, American financier

(Encyclopedia)Astor, William Backhouse, 1792–1875, American financier, b. New York City; son of John Jacob Astor (1763–1848). Educated in Germany, he was associated with his father in business after 1818. Later...

Marsden, Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Marsden, Samuel märzˈdən [key], 1764–1838, Anglican clergyman and chaplain of a convict colony in New Zealand. He introduced domestic animals (especially sheep) into New Zealand. As director of t...