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Missouri Compromise

(Encyclopedia)Missouri Compromise, 1820–21, measures passed by the U.S. Congress to end the first of a series of crises concerning the extension of slavery. By 1818, Missouri Territory had gained sufficient popul...

Gephardt, Dick

(Encyclopedia)Gephardt, Dick (Richard Andrew Gephardt) gĕpˈhärt [key], 1941–, U.S. congressman (1977–2005), b. St. Louis. A lawyer, he was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat from Mis...

Horta, Victor, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Horta, Victor, Baron, 1861–1947, Belgian architect. The Tassel House in Brussels (1892–93), his first mature work, was the earliest monument of art nouveau. It was excelled only by his later works...

Hammerstein, Oscar

(Encyclopedia)Hammerstein, Oscar hămˈərstīn [key], 1846–1919, German-American operatic impresario. In 1888 he built the Harlem Opera House, and in 1906 the Manhattan Opera House, where he gave noteworthy prod...

Panetta, Leon Edward

(Encyclopedia)Panetta, Leon Edward, 1938–, U.S. politician and government official, b. Monterey, Calif., grad. Univ. of Santa Clara, Calif. (B.A., 1960), Santa Clara Law School (1963). After serving in the army (...

inn, lodging

(Encyclopedia)inn, in Great Britain, any hotel, public house, tavern, or coffeehouse where lodging is provided. In American usage, the inn is generally a small rural lodging house for transients. Among the earliest...

Hailsham of Saint Marylebone, Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Hailsham of Saint Marylebone, Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron məgârˈəl, hālˈshəm əv sənt mârˈĭbōnˌ [key], 1907–2001, British politician, b. London. A lawyer, he served (1938–50) as a Con...

Nippur

(Encyclopedia)Nippur nĭpo͝orˈ [key], ancient city of Babylonia, a N Sumerian settlement on the Euphrates. It was the seat of the important cult of the god Enlil, or Bel. Excavations at Nippur have yielded the re...

Nootka Sound

(Encyclopedia)Nootka Sound, inlet of the Pacific Ocean and natural harbor on the west coast of Vancouver Island, SW British Columbia, Canada, lying between the mainland and Nootka Island (206 sq mi/534 sq km). The ...

Mayflower Compact

(Encyclopedia)Mayflower Compact, in U.S. colonial history, an agreement providing for the temporary government of Plymouth Colony. The compact was signed (1620) on board the Mayflower by the adult male passengers; ...