(Encyclopedia) Spinks, Leon, Jr. 1953-2021, American boxer, b. St. Louis, Mo. Spinks began boxing at age 13, dropping out of high school in his junior…
(Encyclopedia) ShiitesShiitesshēˈītz [key] [Arab., shiat Ali,=the party of Ali], the second largest branch of Islam, Shiites currently account for 10%–15% of all Muslims. Shiite Islam originated as a…
(Encyclopedia) Mazar-i-SharifMazar-i-Sharifmäzärˈ-ē-shärēfˈ [key], city (1988 est. pop. 131,000), capital of Balkh prov., N Afghanistan, near the Uzbekistan border. It is held sacred as the alleged…
(Encyclopedia) FatimaFatimafătˈĭmə, fäˈtĭmə, fətēˈmə [key], 616?–633?, daughter of Muhammad by his first wife, Khadija. Fatima was the wife of Ali, the mother of Hasan and Husein, and reputedly the…
(Encyclopedia) Suli or SouliSuliboth: s&oomacr;ˈlyē [key], small mountainous district, N Greece, in Epirus. Its inhabitants, the Suliotes, who lived in fortlike villages in the mountains,…
(Encyclopedia) Dundee, Angelo, 1921–2012, American boxing trainer, most famous for his work with Muhammad Ali, b. Philadelphia as Angelo Mirena, Jr. After serving in World War II he moved to New York…
(Encyclopedia) Bongo, Omar (El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba)Bongo, Omarbôngˈgō [key], 1935–2009, Gabonese political leader, president of Gabon (1967–2009), b. Albert-Bernard Bongo. He entered the civil…
(Encyclopedia) Cosell, HowardCosell, Howardkōsĕlˈ [key], 1920–95, American sports broadcaster, b. Winston-Salem, N.C., as Howard William Cohen. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and became a lawyer; in…
(Encyclopedia) Stevenson, Teófilo, 1952–2012, Cuban heavyweight boxer, b. Puerto Padre. One of the greatest amateur boxers ever to enter the ring, he won gold medals at the Munich (1972), Montreal (…
(Encyclopedia) Masudi, Abd al-Hasan Ali ibn al-HusaynMasudi, Abd al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husaynmäs&oomacr;ˈdē [key], d. 956, Arab historian, geographer, and philosopher, b. Baghdad. He traveled in…
