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Lytton, Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, earl of

(Encyclopedia)Lytton, Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, earl of, pseud. Owen Meredith: see Bulwer-Lytton. ...

Fiske, Bradley Allen

(Encyclopedia)Fiske, Bradley Allen fĭsk [key], 1854–1942, American naval officer and inventor, b. Lyons, N.Y., grad. Annapolis, 1874. In the U.S. navy he devoted himself to the invention of instruments for shipb...

Sadducees

(Encyclopedia)Sadducees săjˈo͝osēz, sădˈyo͝o– [key], sect of Jews formed around the time of the Hasmonean revolt (c.200 b.c.). Little is known concerning their beliefs, but according to Josephus Flavius, t...

Exeter Book

(Encyclopedia)Exeter Book, manuscript volume of Old English religious and secular poetry, of various dates of composition, compiled c.975 and given to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric (d. 1072). See edition by G...

Gerizim

(Encyclopedia)Gerizim gĕrˈəzĭm, gērīˈ– [key], Arabic Jabal at Tur, mountain, 2,890 ft (881 m) high, in the Samaritan Hills, in the West Bank. Nablus, near the ancient Shechem, lies in the valley between Ge...

Sanhedrin

(Encyclopedia)Sanhedrin sănhĕdˈrĭn [key], ancient Jewish legal and religious institution in Jerusalem that appears to have exercised the functions of a court between c.63 b.c. and c.a.d. 68. The accounts of it ...

Pontius Pilate

(Encyclopedia)Pontius Pilate pŏnˈshəs pīˈlət [key], Roman prefect of Judaea (a.d. 26–36?). He was supposedly a ruthless governor, and he was removed at the complaint of Samaritans, among whom he engineered ...

Carlson, Chester Floyd

(Encyclopedia)Carlson, Chester Floyd, 1906–68, American inventor; b. Seattle, Wash. A patent lawyer, he invented (1938) xerography, a method of electrostatic printing. For the next two decades he struggled to fin...

Oliphant, Laurence

(Encyclopedia)Oliphant, Laurence ŏlˈĭfənt [key], 1829–88, British author, b. Capetown, South Africa. Although he wrote some valuable travel books, he is probably best remembered for his fascinating life. The ...

Cabet, Etienne

(Encyclopedia)Cabet, Etienne ātyĕnˈ käbāˈ [key], 1788–1856, French utopian socialist. He was elected to the chamber of deputies in 1831, but his bitter attacks on the government resulted in his conviction f...