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Posse Comitatus Act

(Encyclopedia)Posse Comitatus Act, 1878, U.S. federal law that makes it a crime to use the military as a domestic police force in the United States under most circumstances. The law was designed to end the use of f...

Kankan

(Encyclopedia)Kankan känkänˈ, käNkäNˈ [key], city (1996 pop. 261,341), E Guinea, a port on the Milo River, a tributary of the Niger. It is the commercial center for a farm area where rice, sesame, corn, tomat...

airedale terrier

(Encyclopedia)airedale terrier ârˈdāl [key], breed of dog developed in England in the 19th cent. It is the largest of the terrier group, standing about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighing from 40 ...

Bouvier des Flandres

(Encyclopedia)Bouvier des Flandres bo͞ovyāˈ dā fläNˈdrə [key], breed of powerful working dog perfected in Belgium around the beginning of the 20th cent. It stands from 23 to 28 in. (58–71 cm) high at the s...

boxer

(Encyclopedia)boxer, breed of medium-sized, muscular working dog perfected in Germany in the 19th cent. but whose origins may be traced back in Europe to the 16th cent. It stands from 21 to 25 in. (53.3–63.5 cm) ...

Mitchell, John Newton

(Encyclopedia)Mitchell, John Newton, 1913–88, U.S. Attorney General (1969–72), b. Detroit. A law partner of Richard M. Nixon, he managed Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign and was made (1969) Attorney General. ...

Landon, Letitia Elizabeth

(Encyclopedia)Landon, Letitia Elizabeth, pseud. L.E.L., 1802–38, English poet and novelist. Although no longer highly regarded, she was one of the best-known and popular literary figures of her day. Dubbed the �...

Gillette, William

(Encyclopedia)Gillette, William jəlĕtˈ [key], 1853–1937, American actor and dramatist, b. Hartford, Conn. His New York debut in Mark Twain's Gilded Age (1877) was shortly followed by his own first play, The Pr...

Algren, Nelson

(Encyclopedia)Algren, Nelson ôlˈgrən [key], 1909–81, American novelist, b. Detroit. He grew up in Chicago, and much of his fiction is set in the city's slums. His novels, such as Never Come Morning (1942), The...

acta

(Encyclopedia)acta ăkˈtə [key], official texts of ancient Rome, written or carved on stone or metal. Usually acta were texts made public, although publication was sometimes restricted. Acta were first posted or ...