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Jones, Casey

(Encyclopedia)Jones, Casey, 1864–1900, American locomotive engineer celebrated in ballad and song, probably b. Jordan, Fulton co., Ky. His real name was John Luther Jones, but at the age of 17 he went to Cayce, K...

South Sea Bubble

(Encyclopedia)South Sea Bubble, popular name in England for the speculation in the South Sea Company, which failed disastrously in 1720. The company was formed in 1711 by Robert Harley, who needed allies to carry t...

Dalén, Nils Gustaf

(Encyclopedia)Dalén, Nils Gustaf, 1869–1937, Swedish engineer. Dalén joined the Gas Accumulator Company (later reorganized as the Swedish Gas Accumulator Company and known as AGA) in 1901 and remained with the ...

Grumman, Leroy Randle

(Encyclopedia)Grumman, Leroy Randle, 1895–1982, American aviation pioneer and aerospace executive, b. Huntington, N.Y. After graduating from Cornell (1916), he joined the U.S. navy, where he served as a flight in...

Royal National Theatre

(Encyclopedia)Royal National Theatre a government-funded repertory company based in London. Although the idea for such a company originated in the 19th cent., the National Theatre was not finally established until ...

Jamison, Judith

(Encyclopedia)Jamison, Judith jāˈməsən [key], 1944–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Philadelphia. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance, and made her debut with the American Ballet Theatre in...

Jobs, Steven Paul

(Encyclopedia)Jobs, Steven Paul jŏbz [key], 1955–2011, American computer-industry executive, b. San Francisco. He dropped out of Reed College (1972), and working with Stephen Wozniak, helped launch the personal-...

Kuchma, Leonid Danylovych

(Encyclopedia)Kuchma, Leonid Danylovych lĭŭnyētˈ dənyēˈləvĭch ko͝ochˈmä [key], 1938–, Ukrainian politician, president of Ukraine (1994–2005). Formerly the manager of the Soviet Union's largest missi...

Third World

(Encyclopedia)Third World, the technologically less advanced, or developing, nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, generally characterized as poor, having economies distorted by their dependence on the export...

Chernomyrdin, Viktor Stepanovich

(Encyclopedia)Chernomyrdin, Viktor Stepanovich vyēkˈtôr styĭpänˈəvyĭch chərˌnōmĭrˈdən [key], 1938–2010, Soviet and Russian government official. Beginning in 1957, he held positions in the Soviet nat...