Senate Years of Service: 1913-1940Party: DemocratPITTMAN, Key, a Senator from Nevada; born in Vicksburg, Warren County, Miss., September 12, 1872; educated by private tutors and at the…
(Encyclopedia) Collins, Wilkie (William Wilkie Collins), 1824–89, English novelist. Although trained as a lawyer, he spent most of his life writing. He produced some 30 novels, the best known of…
(Encyclopedia) HansardHansardhănˈsərd [key], name given to the official record of the proceedings of the British Parliament, named after the Hansard family of printers. Luke Hansard (1752–1828) was…
(Encyclopedia) Mazarin BibleMazarin Biblemăzˈərĭn [key], considered to be the first important work printed by Gutenberg and the earliest book printed from movable types. The Bible, printed at Mainz,…
(Encyclopedia) Book of the Dead, term used to describe Egyptian funerary literature. The texts consist of charms, spells, and formulas for use by the deceased in the afterworld and contain many of…
(Encyclopedia) tarotstarotstârˈōz [key], playing cards that are used mainly for fortunetelling, sometimes called “the book of divination of the Gypsies.” It is generally believed that the cards were…
This table provides the name and state of the women currently serving in the 111th Congress (which began in 2009). There are 77 women in the House of Representatives and 17 women in the Senate…
(Encyclopedia) Hughes, Howard Robard, 1905–76, U.S. business executive, b. Houston. As a young man he inherited (1925) the patent rights to an oil tool drill, which, manufactured by the Hughes Tool…
(Encyclopedia) Somerset, Robert Carr, earl of, 1587?–1645, Scottish favorite of James I of England. His family name also appears as Ker. He may have accompanied James to England as a page in 1603,…
(Encyclopedia) Ronsard, Pierre deRonsard, Pierre depyĕr də rôNsärˈ [key], 1524–1585, French poet. As page, then squire, Ronsard seemed destined for a career at court both in France and abroad.…