Search

Search results

Displaying 221 - 230

Porteous, John

(Encyclopedia) Porteous, JohnPorteous, Johnpôrˈtēəs [key], d. 1736, British soldier. He was captain of the Edinburgh town guard at the execution (1736) of Andrew Wilson, a smuggler. When the crowd,…

Houston, David Franklin

(Encyclopedia) Houston, David FranklinHouston, David Franklinhy&oomacr;ˈstən [key], 1866–1940, American cabinet officer and educator, b. Monroe, N.C., grad. South Carolina College, 1887, M.A.…

Uncle Sam

(Encyclopedia) Uncle Sam, name used to designate the U.S. government. The origins of the term are unclear. The term was believed to have arisen in the War of 1812, when it seems to have been used at…

Davis, Viola

(Encyclopedia) Davis, Viola, 1965-, African-American actress and producer, b. St. Matthews, S.C., Rhode Island College (B.A., 1988), Juilliard (1993,…

Slideshow: Women Nobel Peace Prize Winners

by Liz Olson and Jennie Wood The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to persons who have made the most outstanding contributions toward world peace. From novelists to social workers, the award has gone to…

Eve, in genetics

(Encyclopedia) Eve, in genetics, popular term for a theoretical female ancestor of all living people, also known as Mitochondrial Eve. In 1987 biochemist Allan C. Wilson proposed that all living…

Weah, George

(Encyclopedia) Weah, George (George Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah), 1966–, Liberian soccer player and political leader. An outstanding striker, Weah was soccer's African, European, and World player of…

Wes Anderson

directorBirthplace: Houston, Texas Anderson achieved by age 30 what few directors have been able to do: create intelligent, quirky, independent-minded Hollywood films. Born and raised in Houston,…

Gorman, Arthur Pue

(Encyclopedia) Gorman, Arthur Pue, 1839–1906, American legislator, b. Woodstock, Md. After serving from 1869 to 1879 in the Maryland legislature, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880. Gorman had…