actorBorn: 11/28/1950Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey Highly respected, Oscar-nominated character actor who has played both the hero—John Glenn in The Right Stuff (1983)—and the antihero—E.…
(Encyclopedia) Le Verrier, Urbain Jean JosephLe Verrier, Urbain Jean JosephürbăNˈ zhäN zhôzĕfˈ ləvĕryāˈ [key], 1811–77, French astronomer who made calculations that led to the discovery of the planet…
(Encyclopedia) dime novels, swift-moving, thrilling novels, mainly about the American Revolution, the frontier period, and the Civil War. The books were first sold in 1860 for 10 cents by the firm of…
(Steven Allan Spielberg)director, producerBorn: 12/18/1946Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio Academy Award-winning director whose films, which range from action-adventure to science fiction to…
(Encyclopedia) Thomson, Charles, 1729–1824, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Co. Londonderry (now Derry), Ireland. Emigrating to America in 1739, he later taught school and became a…
(Encyclopedia) Browere, John Henri IsaacBrowere, John Henri Isaacbrouˈər [key], 1792–1834, American sculptor, b. New York City, studied painting in New York under Archibald Robertson and sculpture in…
(Encyclopedia) Hume, John, 1937–2020, Northern Irish political leader. A moderate Catholic, he devoted his career to the peaceful settlement of sectarian conflicts in his homeland. Hume began by…
(Encyclopedia) Rush, Richard, 1780–1859, Amercian statesman and diplomat, b. Philadelphia; son of Benjamin Rush. He studied law and became (1811) attorney general of Pennsylvania, resigning the same…
(Encyclopedia) McHenry, James, 1753–1816, American political leader, b. Ireland. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1771 and, after studying medicine under Benjamin Rush, served as a surgeon in the…
musical group Amy Ray and Emily Saliers began singing together during high school and have remained partners ever since, adopting the moniker Indigo Girls in 1985. That partnership has proven…