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Wheeldon, Christopher

(Encyclopedia)Wheeldon, Christopher, 1973–, British ballet dancer and choreographer, studied Royal Ballet School, London. An outstanding contemporary classicist, Wheeldon creates dances that are lyrical, witty, s...

Keith, Sir Arthur

(Encyclopedia)Keith, Sir Arthur, 1866–1955, British anatomist, b. Aberdeen, Scotland, educated at the Univ. of Aberdeen, University College, London, and the Univ. of Leipzig. He became conservator of the museum a...

Vaughan Williams, Ralph

(Encyclopedia)Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872–1958, English composer, considered the outstanding composer of his generation in England. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1894 and studied composition ...

Hankey, Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Hankey, Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron, 1877–1963, British soldier and civil servant. Educated at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, he served in the Royal Marines artillery (1895–1901) a...

Gyanendra

(Encyclopedia)Gyanendra gyänĕnˈdrə [key], 1947–, last king of Nepal (2001–8). Second son of King Mahendra (r. 1955–72) and brother of King Birendra (r. 1972–2001), Gyanendra was a businessman whose asse...

Naboth

(Encyclopedia)Naboth nāˈbŏth [key], in the Bible, Jezreelite stoned to death because he would not let King Ahab have his vineyard. Elijah's curse on the royal family for their treatment of Naboth forecast the do...

poinciana

(Encyclopedia)poinciana poinsēāˈnə, –ăˈnə [key], any shrub or tree of the tropical and subtropical genus Poinciana of the family Leguminosae (pulse family). Poincianas are popular ornamentals for their sho...

Cottrell, Leonard Eric

(Encyclopedia)Cottrell, Leonard Eric kŏˈtrəl, kətrĕlˈ [key], 1913–74, British author. He was a commentator, writer, and producer for the British Broadcasting Corporation until 1960, when he resigned to devo...

Jones, Brian

(Encyclopedia)Jones, Brian, 1947–, British balloonist, b. Bristol. A former Royal Air Force pilot, he entered the world of ballooning in the 1980s, and in 1997 became an organizer for the attempt of the British-b...

Ashley, Laura

(Encyclopedia)Ashley, Laura, 1925–85, British fashion designer and manufacturer. After serving in the Women's Royal Naval Service, she and her husband founded a company to produce silkscreened placemats, scarves,...