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John of Procida

(Encyclopedia)John of Procida prōˈchēdä [key], c.1225–c.1302, Italian conspirator, lord of the island of Procida. He was an ardent supporter of the Hohenstaufen cause in Sicily and attempted to secure the isl...

Romanov

(Encyclopedia)Romanov rōˈmənŏf, Rus. rəmäˈnəf [key], ruling dynasty of Russia from 1613 to 1917. The name Romanov was adopted in the 16th cent. by a family of boyars (great nobles) that traced its beginning...

Keats, Ezra Jack

(Encyclopedia)Keats, Ezra Jack, 1916–83, American author and illustrator of children's books, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., as Jacob Ezra Katz. During the Great Depression, he painted murals for the Works Progress Administr...

Lewes

(Encyclopedia)Lewes lo͞oˈĭs, –ĭz [key], town (1991 pop. 14,499) and district, East Sussex, SE England. The county seat of East Sussex, Lewes is a farm market with light manufactures. St. Pancras priory was fo...

Muret

(Encyclopedia)Muret mürāˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 18,604), Haute-Garonne dept., S France. It is an agricultural market and produces foundry products, surgical instruments, and bricks. In 1213, Simon de Montfort, ...

Alexander, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Alexander, in the Bible. 1 Kinsman of Annas. 2 Son of Simon of Cyrene, probably a Christian. 3 Heretic condemned by Paul. 4 Coppersmith who did Paul harm. 5 Jew who tried to speak during a riot at Eph...

Bourdon, Sébastien

(Encyclopedia)Bourdon, Sébastien sābästyăNˈ bo͞ordôNˈ [key], 1616–71, French painter. Bourdon was active in Rome (1634–37), in Sweden (1652–54) as Queen Christina's court portrait painter, and in Pari...

Boyacá

(Encyclopedia)Boyacá bōyäkäˈ [key], town, Boyacá dept., N central Colombia, near Tunja. At Boyacá on Aug. 7, 1819, revolutionary forces under Simón Bolívar won the decisive engagement that assured the inde...

Caesar, Sid

(Encyclopedia)Caesar, Sid (Isaac Sidney Caesar), 1922–2014, American comedian, one of the stars of the “golden age of live television,” b. Yonkers, N.Y. While performing in a World War II military show he met...

Reiner, Carl

(Encyclopedia) Reiner, Carl, 1922-2020, American comedian, television producer, actor, and film director, b. Bronx, N.Y. The son of a watchmaker, Reiner initially wo...