(Encyclopedia) Cooke, Terence James, 1921–83, American Roman Catholic clergyman, b. New York City. He was ordained in 1945 after earning a B.A. from St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. In 1957,…
(Encyclopedia) Clare or Clara, Saint, 1193?–1253, Italian nun of Assisi, devoted from her youth to St. Francis, to whom she took a vow of poverty. She led a life of great austerity. She organized her…
(aka Francis Kane, Harold Rubin)novelistBorn: 5/21/1916Birthplace: New York City An orphan who never discovered the identity of his parents, Robbins was a prolific though critically under-…
actorBorn: April 7, 1934Birthplace: EdinburghDied: Feb. 9, 2007 (London) A versatile actor and a founding member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960,…
The Question:
Who said "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"?
The Answer:
In 1897, Francis P. Church, an editor at The New York Sun, answered eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon's questions…
(Encyclopedia) Colomb or Colombe, MichelColomb or Colombe, Michelboth: mēshĕlˈ kôlôNˈ [key], c.1430–1512, French sculptor, one of the masters of the French Renaissance. Few of his works survive. His…
(Encyclopedia) Giunta PisanoGiunta Pisanoj&oomacr;nˈtä pēzäˈnō [key], fl. 1236–1255, Italian painter of Pisa. Among his signed works are three very large depictions of the Crucifixion executed…
(Encyclopedia) nocturnenocturnenŏkˈtûrn [key] [Fr.,=night piece], in music, romantic instrumental piece, free in form and usually reflective or languid in character. John Field wrote the first…
(Encyclopedia) Lowell, John, 1743–1802, American jurist, b. Newburyport, Mass. He became (1762) a lawyer and later served in the provincial assembly (1776, 1778), in the state constitutional…
(Encyclopedia) Bradley, Andrew Cecil, 1851–1935, English scholar and critic, b. Cheltenham; brother of Francis Herbert Bradley. He taught at Oxford for many years and was professor of poetry there (…