(Encyclopedia) Wilberforce, William, 1759–1833, British politician and humanitarian. He was elected to Parliament in 1780 and during the campaign formed a lifelong friendship with William Pitt, whose…
(Encyclopedia) Waters, Muddy, 1915–83, African-American blues singer and guitarist, b. Rolling Fork, Miss., as McKinley Morganfield. As a teenager he began singing and playing traditional country…
(Encyclopedia) Weaver, Sigourney , 1949- , American actress, b. New York, N.Y., as Susan Alexandra Weaver, Stanford Univ. (B.A., 1972), Yale Univ. (M.…
(Encyclopedia) Somers, John Somers or Sommers, BaronSomers, John Somers or Sommers, Baronsŭmˈərz [key], 1651–1716, English jurist and statesman. In the Glorious Revolution he secured Parliament's…
(Encyclopedia) Bridges, Harry (Alfred Renton Bridges), 1901–90, American labor leader, b. Melbourne, Australia. Arriving (1920) as an immigrant seaman in San Francisco, he became a longshoreman and…
United States Supreme Court Associate JusticeBorn: 8/15/1938Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1964, Stephen Breyer held a clerkship for Supreme Court…
actor, comedian, writer, producerBorn: 9/4/1960Birthplace: New York City As was the case with others before him, like John Belushi, Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray, Damon Wayans graduated from the…
actorBorn: 7/31/1966Birthplace: Mt. Clemens, Michigan Actor who played Superman/Clark Kent in the popular TV series Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman (1993–97). Though his adoptive…
actressBorn: 4/29/1970Birthplace: Boston Noted nearly as much for her counterculture upbringing (Timothy Leary was her godfather) as for her acting ability, Thurman moved to New York City at 15 to…
Animals live only where they can survive. Koalas, for example, eat only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees, so they must live in Australia, where these trees grow. All of the animals listed…