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Howe, Elias

(Encyclopedia)Howe, Elias, 1819–67, American inventor, b. Spencer, Mass. He was apprenticed in 1838 to an instrument maker and watchmaker in Boston at whose suggestion he turned his attention to devising a sewing...

Jodrell Bank Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Jodrell Bank Observatory jôdˈrəl [key], observatory for radio astronomy located at Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield, England. Founded in 1945 on the site of a botanical experiment station, it is administ...

stock, in finance

(Encyclopedia)stock, in finance, instrument certifying to shares in the ownership of a corporation. Bonds are similar evidences of shares in a loan to a corporation. Stock yields no dividends until claims of bondho...

Bürgi, Joost

(Encyclopedia)Bürgi, Joost or Jost, 1552–1632, Swiss mathematician and instrument maker. As the official clockmaker (1579–92) to Duke Wilhelm IV of Hesse-Kassell, he developed the first clock with a minute han...

Bagley, William Chandler

(Encyclopedia)Bagley, William Chandler, 1874–1946, American educator and editor, b. Detroit, grad. Michigan State College (now Michigan State Univ.), 1895, M.S. Univ. of Wisconsin, 1898, Ph.D. Cornell, 1900. He t...

Yerkes Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Yerkes Observatory, astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wis., on the shore of Lake Geneva. It was founded in 1892 with funds provided by Charles T. Yerkes and its first director was Geor...

Binnig, Gerd

(Encyclopedia)Binnig, Gerd gĕrt bĭnˈĭkh [key], 1947–, German physicist, Ph.D. Univ. of Frankfurt, 1978. At the IBM Research Laboratory in Zürich, Binnig and fellow researcher Heinrich Rohrer built the first ...

Abbey Theatre

(Encyclopedia)Abbey Theatre, Irish theatrical company devoted primarily to indigenous drama. W. B. Yeats was a leader in founding (1902) the Irish National Theatre Society with Lady Gregory, J. M. Synge, and A. E. ...

microscope

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Compound microscope microscope, optical instrument used to increase the apparent size of an object. The electron microscope, which is not limited by the powers of optical lenses and light,...

Mehta, Zubin

(Encyclopedia)Mehta, Zubin zo͞oˈbĭn māˈtə [key], 1936–, Indian conductor. Son of the violinist Mehli Mehta, founder and conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, Mehta studied medicine for two years befor...