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Opie, Iona

(Encyclopedia)Opie, Iona, 1923–2017, b. Iona Margaret Balfour Archibald, and Peter Mason Opie, 1918–1982, British folklorists of the rhymes, games, and songs of children's culture and literature. They met durin...

Orlov, Grigori Grigoryevich, Count

(Encyclopedia)Orlov, Grigori Grigoryevich, Count grĭgôrˈyəvĭch, ərlôfˈ [key], 1734–83, Russian nobleman. One of the first lovers of Catherine II, he and his brother led the conspiracy that deposed Peter ...

Masaccio

(Encyclopedia)Masaccio mäzätˈchō [key], 1401–1428?, Italian painter. He is the foremost Italian painter of the Florentine Renaissance in the early 15th cent. Masaccio's original name was Tommaso Guidi. He was...

Wrangell Island

(Encyclopedia)Wrangell Island răngˈgəl [key], 30 mi (48 km) long and 5 to 14 mi (8.1–22.5 km) wide, off SE Alaska in the Alexander Archipelago, south of the mouth of the Stikine River. It was occupied in 1834 ...

Quidde, Ludwig

(Encyclopedia)Quidde, Ludwig lo͞otˈvĭkh kvĭdˈə [key], 1858–1941, German pacifist and historian. He was elected (1907) to the Bavarian diet, was a member (1919–22) of the national assembly at Weimar, and l...

Bellingshausen Sea

(Encyclopedia)Bellingshausen Sea, part of the S Pacific Ocean, W Antarctica, SW of Cape Horn between the Antarctic Peninsula and Amundsen Sea. The sea is named after Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshau...

Bernini, Giovanni Lorenzo

(Encyclopedia)Bernini, Giovanni Lorenzo or Gianlorenzo jōvänˈnē lōrĕnˈtsō, jänlōrĕnˈtsō bĕrnēˈnē [key], 1598–1680, Italian sculptor and architect, b. Naples. He was the dominant figure of the Ita...

Württemberg

(Encyclopedia)Württemberg vürˈtəmbĕrkˌ [key], former state, SW Germany. Württemberg was formerly also spelled Würtemberg and Wirtemberg. The former state bordered on Baden in the northwest, west, and southw...

Alfonso VIII, Spanish king of Castile

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso VIII (Alfonso the Noble), 1155–1214, Spanish king of Castile (1158–1214), son and successor of Sancho III. Chaos prevailed during his minority, but he quickly restored order after assuming...

Henry IV, Spanish king of Castile and León

(Encyclopedia)Henry IV, 1425–74, Spanish king of Castile and León (1454–74), son and successor of John II. His weakness opened the way to civil strife and anarchy. The Castilian nobles refused to recognize Hen...