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Antoninus, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Antoninus, Saint ăntōnīˈnəs [key], 1389–1459, Italian churchman, b. Antoninus Pierozzi. He was a Dominican and became archbishop of Florence. He ruled well and was renowned for his charitable w...

concert

(Encyclopedia)concert, in music, public performance of a group of musical compositions. Originally the word referred simply to a group of musicians playing together; concerts by a solo performer are properly called...

Al Aziziyah

(Encyclopedia)Al Aziziyah ăzĭzēˈä [key], town, NW Libya, near Tripoli. It is a major trade center of the Jifarah plain. Al Aziziyah was long considered to have recorded the highest shade temperature on earth, ...

Van Der Zee, James

(Encyclopedia)Van Der Zee, James, 1886–1983, American photographer, b. Lenox, Mass. The son of Ulysses S. Grant's maid and butler, Van Der Zee opened his first studio in Harlem, New York City, in 1915. For 60 yea...

Paterno, Joe

(Encyclopedia)Paterno, Joe (Joseph Vincent Paterno) pətûrˈnō [key], 1926–2012, American football coach, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. A former quarterback at Brown Univ., he joined (1950) the coaching staff at Pennsylvan...

Molitor, Paul Leo

(Encyclopedia)Molitor, Paul Leo, 1956–, American baseball player, b. St. Paul, Minn. Drafted (1977) by the Milwaukee Brewers, he was called up to the majors in 1978 and became the American League's Rookie of the ...

Mikan, George Lawrence

(Encyclopedia)Mikan, George Lawrence mĭkˈən [key], 1924–2005, American basketball player, b. Joliet, Ill. After leading De Paul Univ. to the 1945 National Invitational Tournament title and being named All-Amer...

Meissonier, Jean Louis Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Meissonier, Jean Louis Ernest zhäN lwē ĕrnĕstˈ māsônyāˈ [key], 1815–91, French genre and military painter. His study of the Dutch masters was evident in his first Salon-exhibited painting, ...

Killebrew, Harmon Clayton

(Encyclopedia)Killebrew, Harmon Clayton, 1936–2011, American baseball player, b. Payette, Idaho. A soft-spoken slugger nicknamed “Killer,” he played in the American League, beginning (1954) with the Washingto...

Clemente, Roberto Walker

(Encyclopedia)Clemente, Roberto Walker rəbĕrˈtō, kləmĕnˈtē Span. rōbĕrˈtō klāmĕnˈtā [key], 1934–72, Puerto Rican baseball player, b. Carolina, Puerto Rico. He played his entire major league career...

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