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Tittoni, Tommaso

(Encyclopedia)Tittoni, Tommaso tōm-mäˈzō tēt-tôˈnē [key], 1855–1931, Italian statesman. As minister of foreign affairs (1903–5, 1906–9), he sought closer ties with the Western powers, while remaining ...

vigil

(Encyclopedia)vigil vĭjˈəl [key] [Lat.,=watch], in Christian calendars, eve of a feast, a day of penitential preparation. In ancient times worshipers gathered for vespers before a great feast and then waited out...

Sheridan

(Encyclopedia)Sheridan, city (1990 pop. 13,900), seat of Sheridan co., N Wyo., on Goose Creek E of the Bighorn Mts., in a mineral, livestock, and irrigated farm region; inc. 1884. It is a regional trade and market ...

Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer

(Encyclopedia)Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer, b. near Louisville, Ky.; nephew of George Rogers Clark and William Clark. He won public acclaim and a congressional award for his defense of Fo...

Daddah, Moktar Ould

(Encyclopedia)Daddah, Moktar Ould mo͝okhˈtär o͞old dädˈdä [key], 1924–2003, president of Mauritania (1961–78). He became premier when Mauritania joined the French Community (1958). Elected president when...

gong

(Encyclopedia)gong, percussion instrument consisting of a disk, usually with upturned edges, 3 ft (91 cm) or more in diameter in the modern orchestra, often made of bronze, and struck with a felt- or leather-covere...

dog racing

(Encyclopedia)dog racing, trials of speed between dogs. Now contested on oval tracks, the sport developed from the ancient practice of coursing, in which specially trained dogs chase game animals in the open field....

Grant, George Munro

(Encyclopedia)Grant, George Munro, 1835–1902, Canadian educator and author, b. Nova Scotia, educated at the Univ. of Glasgow. From 1877 to 1902 he was principal of Queen's Univ., Kingston, Ont.; under him the uni...

Puerto Vallarta

(Encyclopedia)Puerto Vallarta väyärˈtä [key], city (1990 pop. 93,503), Jalisco state, W Mexico. Located on the expansive Bahía de Banderas [Bay of Flags], Puerto Vallarta has been used since the 16th cent. as ...

Baliqiao

(Encyclopedia)Baliqiao päˈlēˈkouˈ [key], village, Hebei prov., China, near Beijing. There, in 1860, a British and French force that had recently occupied Tianjin defeated a Chinese army and invaded Beijing. Ch...