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Montalembert, Charles Forbes, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Montalembert, Charles Forbes, comte de shärl fôrbz kôNt də môNtäläNbĕrˈ [key], 1810–70, French political leader and writer, b. London. He went to Paris (1830), where he became associated wi...

abolitionists

(Encyclopedia)abolitionists, in U.S. history, particularly in the three decades before the Civil War, members of the movement that agitated for the compulsory emancipation of the slaves. Abolitionists are distingui...

John, Elton Hercules

(Encyclopedia)John, Elton Hercules, 1947–, English popular singer, pianist, and composer, b. Reginald Kenneth Dwight. By the mid-1970s he had become famous presenting his own and other composers' songs in spectac...

domino theory

(Encyclopedia)domino theory, the notion that if one country becomes Communist, other nations in the region will probably follow, like dominoes falling in a line. The analogy, first applied (1954) to Southeast Asia ...

thermite

(Encyclopedia)thermite [from Thermit, a trade name], mixture of powdered or granular aluminum metal and powdered iron oxide. When ignited it gives off large amounts of heat. In wartime it has been used in incendiar...

Oyster Bay

(Encyclopedia)Oyster Bay, uninc. area (1990 pop. 6,687) of the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau co., SE N.Y., on N Long Island, on Long Island Sound; settled 1653. It is chiefly residential. Nearby is Theodore Roosevelt'...

Lascaris

(Encyclopedia)Lascaris lăsˈkərĭs [key], family name of the Greek emperors of Nicaea (see Nicaea, empire of). The empire was founded in 1204 by Theodore I, a son-in-law of Alexius III (Alexius Angelus). Theodore...

Bliss, Philip Paul

(Encyclopedia)Bliss, Philip Paul, 1838–76, American evangelist and writer of gospel songs, b. Clearfield co., Pa. A fine baritone voice and a handsome presence aided him in his work, and his songs became tremendo...

Bavarian Succession, War of the

(Encyclopedia)Bavarian Succession, War of the, between Austria and Prussia, 1778–79. With the extinction of the Bavarian line of the house of Wittelsbach on the death of Elector Maximilian Joseph in 1777, the duc...

revival, religious

(Encyclopedia)revival, religious, renewal of attention to religious faith and service in a church or community, usually following a period of comparative inactivity and frequently marked by intense fervor. As appli...