(Encyclopedia) gay-rights movement, organized efforts to end the criminalization of homosexuality and protect the civil rights of homosexuals. While there was some organized activity on behalf of the…
(Encyclopedia) Ghelderode, Michel deGhelderode, Michel demēshĕlˈ də gĕldərōdˈ [key], 1898–1962, Belgian dramatist. He wrote in French and is noted for his colorful and avant-garde plays. He lived in…
(Encyclopedia) Flavin, DanFlavin, Danflāˈvĭn [key], 1933–96, American sculptor, b. New York City. In the early 1960s, Flavin experimented with fluorescent lights, bending them into complex, angular…
(Encyclopedia) Verga, GiovanniVerga, Giovannijōvänˈnē vĕrˈgä [key], 1840–1922, Italian novelist, b. Sicily. He abandoned the study of law for literature and wrote several novels of passion in the…
(Encyclopedia) Erie Railroad, rail transportation line designed to connect the mouth of the Hudson River with the Great Lakes region. The New York and Erie RR Company was enfranchised and…
(Encyclopedia) PompeiiPompeiipŏmpāˈ, Ital. pōmpĕˈē [key], ancient city of S Italy, a port near Naples and at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. Possibly an old Oscan settlement, it was a Samnite city for…
(Encyclopedia) Yankee, term used by Americans generally in reference to a native of New England and by non-Americans, especially the British, in reference to an American of any section. The word is…
(Encyclopedia) sarcophagussarcophagussärkŏfˈəgəs [key] [Gr.,=flesh-eater], name given by the Greeks to a special marble found in Asia Minor, near the territory of ancient Troy, and used in caskets.…
actressBorn: 8/9/1957Birthplace: New York City Leading actress whose career has survived the Hollywood potholes of addiction, over-publicized marriages, and (sometimes) ill-chosen projects. The…
(John Joseph Gotti Jr., “Teflon Don”)mobsterBorn: 10/27/1940Birthplace: Bronx, New York Current head of the Gambino crime family in New York City, John Gotti is best known as the “Teflon Don” who…
