(Encyclopedia) Spontini, GaspareSpontini, Gasparegäsˈpärā spōntēˈnē [key], 1774–1851, Italian opera composer. Spontini studied music in Naples. He went to Paris in 1803, was soon backed by the…
(Encyclopedia) Bialik, Hayyim NahmanBialik, Hayyim Nahmanhīˈyəm näˈmən byäˈlēk [key], 1873–1934, Hebrew poet, publisher in Odessa, Berlin, and Tel-Aviv, b. Volhynia, Russia. As an editor and…
You never know when disaster will strike. If it does, it’s important to be prepared. Your life—or the lives of others—may depend on knowing how get out of a…
(Encyclopedia) Lehn, Jean-MarieLehn, Jean-MariezhäNˈ-märēˈ lĕN [key], 1939–, French chemist, Ph.D. Univ. of Strasbourg, 1963. A professor at Louis Pasteur Univ. (1970–78) and the Collège de France (…
(Encyclopedia) Montalvo, JuanMontalvo, Juanhwän môntälˈvō [key], 1832–89, Ecuadorean essayist and political writer. A champion of liberalism and a master of political invective, he showered fiery…
(Encyclopedia) Martínez Ruiz, JoséMartínez Ruiz, Joséhōsāˈ märtēˈnĕth r&oomacr;ēthˈ [key], 1873?–1967, Spanish writer. He often used the pseudonym Azorín. A political radical in the 1890s, he…
(Encyclopedia) Fonda, Peter, 1939–2019, American actor. The son of Henry Fonda and brother of Jane Fonda, he made his screen debut in a forgettable 1963 feature. Several movies later he co-wrote and…
(Encyclopedia) Peters, Roberta, 1930–2017, American coloratura soprano, b. New York City as Roberta Peterman. Discovered by Jan Peerce, she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in 1950. Scheduled to…
(Encyclopedia) Bedford, Sybille, 1911–2006, English writer, b. Charlottenberg, Germany, as Sybille von Schoenebeck. She worked as a legal reporter for various publications, covering more than 100…
(Encyclopedia) Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien)Tolkien, J. R. R.tälˈkēn, tōlˈ– [key], 1892–1973, British novelist, b. South Africa. A fantasy writer and Oxford don, Tolkien wrote The…
