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Cousteau, Jacques Yves

(Encyclopedia)Cousteau, Jacques Yves zhäk ēv ko͞ostōˈ [key], 1910–97, French oceanographer and naval officer. In 1943, with Émil Gagnan, he invented the self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba)...

equal-time rule

(Encyclopedia)equal-time rule, a Federal Communications Commission rule that requires equal air time for all major candidates competing for political office. It was preceded by the fairness doctrine, abolished in 1...

Earth Day

(Encyclopedia)Earth Day, Apr. 22, a day to celebrate the environment. The first Earth Day was organized in 1970 to promote the ideas of ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight growing concern ov...

Morita, Akio

(Encyclopedia)Morita, Akio äkˈēō môrˈētä [key], 1921–99, Japanese business executive, b. Nagoya, Japan. The eldest son of a successful sake brewer, Morita joined Masaru Ibuka to found Tokyo Telecommunicat...

Attenborough, Sir David Frederick

(Encyclopedia)Attenborough, Sir David Frederick, 1926–, British naturalist and television personality. After serving in the Royal Navy (1947–49), he worked as an editor, then joined the BBC (1952) as a producer...

videodisc

(Encyclopedia)videodisc or videodisk, disk used with a special player and television to reproduce both pictures and sound. A videodisc player cannot record television programs off the air for later playback, unlike...

Motala

(Encyclopedia)Motala mo͞oˈtäˌlä [key], city (1990 pop. 29,630), Östergötland co., S Sweden, on Lake Vättern and on the Göta Canal. It is an important lake port and an industrial center. Manufactures includ...

Hammersmith and Fulham

(Encyclopedia)Hammersmith and Fulham, inner borough of Greater London, SE England, on the Thames River. It has various industries (such as wharves and pottery kilns) ...

Waltrip, Darrell

(Encyclopedia)Waltrip, Darrell, 1947–, American auto racing driver, b. Owensboro, Ky. Waltrip drove on the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing circuit from 1972 to 2000, winning 84 Cup Series races. Ni...

Lynch, David (Keith)

(Encyclopedia)Lynch, David (Keith), 1946–, American film and television writer, producer, and director, b. Missoula, Mont. Trained as a painter, he studied at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C. (1963–...

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