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John of Austria, 1629–79, Spanish general and statesman

(Encyclopedia)John of Austria, 1629–79, Spanish general and statesman; illegitimate son of Philip IV. He helped put down Masaniello's revolt (1647) in Naples, was viceroy of Sicily (1648–51), and fought (1651�...

Dreyer, Johan Ludwig Emil

(Encyclopedia)Dreyer, Johan Ludwig Emil yōˈhän lo͝otˈvĭkh āˈmēl [key], 1852–1926, Danish astronomer, b. Copenhagen, who worked in Great Britain. He was assistant astronomer at the earl of Rosse's observa...

Hengist and Horsa

(Encyclopedia)Hengist and Horsa hĕngˈgĭst, hôrˈsə [key], names of two brothers who, according to tradition, led the Jutish invasion of Britain and founded the kingdom of Kent. Hengist would more properly be w...

Tennent, Gilbert

(Encyclopedia)Tennent, Gilbert, 1703–64, American Presbyterian clergyman, leading preacher of the Great Awakening, b. Ireland; son of William Tennent. He moved with his parents to Pennsylvania c.1718. Installed a...

Clare Island

(Encyclopedia)Clare Island, c.6 sq mi (15 sq km), Co. Mayo, W Republic of Ireland, at the entrance to Clew Bay. There are ruins of a 13th-century Carmelite abbey and of the 16th-century castle of Grania or Grace O'...

Wettin

(Encyclopedia)Wettin vĕtˈĭn [key], German dynasty, which ruled in Saxony, Thuringia, Poland, Great Britain, Belgium, and Bulgaria. It takes its name from a castle on the Saale near Halle. The family gained promi...

Tom Thumb

(Encyclopedia)Tom Thumb, 1838–83, American entertainer, whose original name was Charles Sherwood Stratton, b. Bridgeport, Conn. His career as General Tom Thumb began in 1842, when the showman P. T. Barnum gave hi...

Ramsgate

(Encyclopedia)Ramsgate rămzˈgĭt [key], town (1991 pop. 36,678), in the Isle of Thanet, Kent, SE England. Ramsgate is a resort and yachting harbor. The town began as a fishing settlement, and extensive trade with...

Ghent, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Ghent, Treaty of, 1814, agreement ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. It was signed at Ghent, Belgium, on Dec. 24, 1814, and ratified by the U.S. Senate in Feb., 1815. ...

Diamond Necklace, Affair of the

(Encyclopedia)Diamond Necklace, Affair of the, scandal that took place at the court of King Louis XVI of France just before the French Revolution. An adventuress who called herself the comtesse de La Motte duped Ca...