(Encyclopedia) Passover, in Judaism, one of the most important and elaborate of religious festivals. Its celebration begins on the evening of the 14th of Nisan (first month of the religious calendar…
(Encyclopedia) robot or automatonrobotôtämˈətänˌ [key] mechanical device designed to perform the work generally done by a human being. The Czech dramatist Karel Čapek popularized the expression […
(Encyclopedia) West, Dame Rebecca, 1892–1983, English novelist and critic, b. Ireland as Cicily Isabel Fairfield. West began her career as a journalist for feminist and suffragist publications. At…
(Encyclopedia) Skvorecky, Josef, Czech Josef Václav ŠkvoreckýSkvorecky, Josef,yōˈzĕf vätsˈläv shkvôrˈĕtskē [key], 1924–2012, Czech-born novelist, grad. Charles Univ., Prague (1951). Written in 1949,…
(Encyclopedia) Péguy, CharlesPéguy, Charlesshärl pāgēˈ [key], 1873–1914, French poet and writer. Of a poor, working family, he won scholarships and made a brilliant record as a student. He left the…
(James Newell Osterberg)rock musicianBorn: 4/21/1947Birthplace: Ypsilanti, Michigan James Newell Osterberg aka Iggy Pop started out as a member of the proto-punk Stooges before embracing a solo…
Mollyearly settler, philanthropist Born: 9/12/1839Birthplace: Madison County, Tenn. Daughter of a prominent lawyer, Mary Dyer was 14 when the family moved to Texas. After her parents died, she…
The American Film Institute asked more than 1,500 members of the film community to pick the 100 best films of all time from a list of 400 movies nominated by the…
(Encyclopedia) PseudepigraphaPseudepigraphas&oomacr;ˌdĭpĭˈgrəfə [key] [Gr.,=things falsely ascribed], a collection of early Jewish and some Jewish-Christian writings composed between c.200 b.c.…
