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Kaiserslautern

(Encyclopedia)Kaiserslautern kīˌzərslouˈtərn [key], city (1994 pop. 102,370), Rhineland-Palatinate, W Germany, on the Lauter River. It is a commercial, industrial, and cultural center, and a center for banking...

National Ballet of Canada

(Encyclopedia)National Ballet of Canada, the leading Canadian ballet company. Based in Toronto, it was founded (1951) by Celia Franca (1921–2007) and modeled on Sadler's Wells (now the Royal Ballet). Its repertoi...

Mwanawasa, Levy Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Mwanawasa, Levy Patrick lĕvˈē ĕmwäˌnəwäˈsə [key], 1948–2008, Zambian political leader, president of Zambia (2002–8). A lawyer opposed to Kenneth Kaunda's rule, he gained prominence in 19...

Menzel, Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von

(Encyclopedia)Menzel, Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von äˈdôlf frēˈdrĭkh ĕrtˈmän fən mĕnˈtsəl [key], 1815–1905, German painter and illustrator. Self-taught, Menzel made lithographic illustrations for Goet...

Lavisse, Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Lavisse, Ernest ĕrnĕstˈ lävēsˈ [key], 1842–1922, French historian. He was for many years a professor at the Sorbonne. His early works deal chiefly with the history of Prussia, particularly Fre...

La Mettrie, Julien Offray de

(Encyclopedia)La Mettrie, Julien Offray de zhülyăNˈ ôfrāˈ də lä mĕtrēˈ [key], 1709–51, French physician and philosopher. On the basis of personal observation he claimed that psychical activity is purel...

Will, George

(Encyclopedia)Will, George (George Frederick Will), 1941–, American political columnist, b. Champaign, Illinois. He attended Trinity College (B.A., 1962), Oxford (1962–64), and Princeton (PhD., 1964). In 1973, ...

William II, king of Sicily

(Encyclopedia)William II (William the Good), c.1153–1189, king of Sicily (1166–89), son and successor of William I. He married (1177) Joan, daughter of Henry II of England. As an ally of Pope Alexander III and ...

William, count of Holland

(Encyclopedia)William, count of Holland, 1227?–1256, German king (1254–56), previously rival king (1247–54) to Conrad IV. William was chosen by Pope Innocent IV to succeed Henry Raspe (d. 1247) as antiking to...

Wenceslaus I, king of Bohemia

(Encyclopedia)Wenceslaus I, d. 1253, king of Bohemia (1230–53), son and successor of Ottocar I. He invited large numbers of Germans to settle in the villages and towns of Bohemia and Moravia. In some villages pea...