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Irving, Sir Henry

(Encyclopedia)Irving, Sir Henry, 1838–1905, English actor and theatrical manager, originally named John Henry Brodribb. He made his debut in 1856 and achieved fame in 1871 with his portrayal of Mathias in Leopold...

Higgins, William

(Encyclopedia)Higgins, William, b. 1762 or 1763, d. 1825, Irish chemist. After study at Oxford he became supervisor of the Royal Dublin Society's mineralogical collection and in 1800 the Society's professor of chem...

Gibson, William

(Encyclopedia)Gibson, William, 1948–, Canadian science fiction writer, b. Conway, S.C., moved to Canada in the 1960s. He first published short stories in sci-fi magazines; many are collected in Burning Chrome (19...

Kames, Henry Home, Lord

(Encyclopedia)Kames, Henry Home, Lord hyo͞om [key], 1696–1782, Scottish judge and philosopher. A man of broad interests and a wide-ranging intellect, his works included dissertations on Scottish law, agriculture...

Thackeray, William Makepeace

(Encyclopedia)Thackeray, William Makepeace thăkˈərē [key], 1811–63, English novelist, b. Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. He is important not only as a great novelist but also as a brilliant satirist. In 1830, ...

Roscoe, William

(Encyclopedia)Roscoe, William, 1753–1831, English historian and author. He was called to the bar in 1774, and later, as a member of Parliament, fought against the slave trade (1806). The Life of Lorenzo de' Medic...

Boyce, William

(Encyclopedia)Boyce, William, c.1710–1779, English composer. After studying in London, he became a composer (1736) and later an organist (1758) of the Chapel Royal and Master of the King's Music in 1755. Although...

Love, Alfred Henry

(Encyclopedia)Love, Alfred Henry, 1830–1913, American pacifist, b. Philadelphia. Love, a Quaker, remained firm in his principles at the outbreak of the Civil War, refusing even to hire a substitute when he was dr...

Mayo, Henry Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Mayo, Henry Thomas, 1856–1937, American naval officer, b. Burlington, Vt. In 1913 he became commander of the Atlantic Fleet. At Tampico in 1914 he precipitated an international incident by demanding...

Milman, Henry Hart

(Encyclopedia)Milman, Henry Hart, 1791–1868, English clergyman, poet, and historian, dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, from 1849. He was the author of several dramatic poems as well as some important historic...