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Salinas de Gortari, Carlos

(Encyclopedia)Salinas de Gortari, Carlos, 1948–, president of Mexico (1988–94). A Harvard-educated political economist, he became minister of planning and the budget (1982–87) and succeeded Miguel de la Madri...

Lope de Vega Carpio, Félix

(Encyclopedia)Lope de Vega Carpio, Félix fāˈlēks lōˈpā dā vāˈgä kärˈpyō [key], 1562–1635, Spanish dramatic poet, founder of the Spanish drama, b. Madrid. Lope, born a peasant, was orphaned at an ear...

Gates, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Gates, Sir Thomas, fl. 1585–1621, English colonial governor of Virginia. He was knighted for his services under the 2d earl of Essex in the successful expedition against Cádiz in 1596. Gates, who h...

Las Casas, Bartolomé de

(Encyclopedia)Las Casas, Bartolomé de bärtōlōmāˈ dā läs käˈsäs [key], 1474–1566, Spanish missionary and historian, called the apostle of the Indies. He went to Hispaniola with his father in 1502, and e...

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de

(Encyclopedia)Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de sərvănˈtēz, Span. mēgĕlˈ dā thĕrvänˈtās säˌävāᵺrä [key], 1547–1616, Spanish novelist, dramatist, and poet, author of Don Quixote de la Mancha, b. Alc...

Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de zhôrzh lwē ləklĕrkˈ kôNt də büfôNˈ [key], 1707–88, French naturalist and author. From 1739 he was keeper of the Jardin du Roi (later the Jardin des ...

Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of ĕks-lä-shäpĕlˈ [key]. 1 Compact of May 2, 1668, that ended the French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands (see Devolution, War of). France kept most of its conquests in...

Monge, Gaspard, comte de Péluse

(Encyclopedia)Monge, Gaspard, comte de Péluse gäspärˈ môNzh kôNt də pālüzˈ [key], 1746–1818, French mathematician, physicist, and public official. He was distinguished for his geometrical research, whic...

Epée, Charles Michel, Abbé de l'

(Encyclopedia)Epée, Charles Michel, Abbé de l' shärl mēshĕlˈ äbāˈ də lāpāˈ [key], 1712–89, French pioneer teacher of deaf-mutes. A Jansenist priest, he developed a manual system of communication for ...

Champlain, Samuel de

(Encyclopedia)Champlain, Samuel de shămplānˈ, Fr. sämüĕlˈ də shäNplăNˈ [key], 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France. After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV)...

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