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capital levy

(Encyclopedia)capital levy, form of taxation by which the government takes part of the capital of any person or business, as distinguished from a tax on personal or business income. It is usually applied to all cap...

Castle, Vernon, and Irene Foote

(Encyclopedia)Castle, Vernon (Vernon Castle Blythe) 1887–1918, and Irene Foote, 1893–1969, husband-and-wife dance team. Vernon Castle was an English dancer, who studied civil engineering before turning to the s...

Cerro de Pasco

(Encyclopedia)Cerro de Pasco sĕrˈrō ᵺā päsˈkō [key], city, capital of Pasco dept., central...

B'nai B'rith

(Encyclopedia)B'nai B'rith bənāˈ brĭth [key] [Heb.,= Sons of the Covenant], oldest and largest Jewish service organization in the world, founded (1843) in New York by American Jews “to provide service to thei...

redstart

(Encyclopedia)redstart, common name for an Old World thrush of the genus Phoenicurus, family Turdidae. A small, slender-legged songbird, it is found in woodlands, parks, and heaths. The European redstart, P. phoeni...

Rockefeller Foundation

(Encyclopedia)Rockefeller Foundation, philanthropic institution established (1913) by John D. Rockefeller, Sr., to promote “the well-being of mankind throughout the world.” During its first 14 years the foundat...

Jordan, Michael Jeffrey

(Encyclopedia)Jordan, Michael Jeffrey, 1963–, American basketball player, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. As a freshman at the Univ. of North Carolina, he made the shot that won the 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Associatio...

Noel-Baker, Philip John Noel-Baker, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Noel-Baker, Philip John Noel-Baker, Baron, 1889–1982, British statesman, b. Philip John Baker. After helping to draft (1919) the Covenant of the League of Nations, he served (1929–31, 1936–70) a...

Merthyr Tydfil

(Encyclopedia)Merthyr Tydfil mûrˈthər tĭdˈvĭl [key], town (1981 pop. 38,893) and county borough, 43 sq mi (111 sq km), S Wales. Located on the Taff River, the town is connected to Cardiff by canal. It has iro...

Mata Hari

(Encyclopedia)Mata Hari mäˈtə häˈrē [key], 1876–1917, Dutch dancer and spy during World War I. Her real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. She married (1895–1906) the Dutch captain Rudolph MacLeod, liv...