(Encyclopedia) willow-pattern ware, sometimes porcelain but frequently opaque pottery, originated in Staffordshire, England, c.1780. Thomas Minton (see Minton, family), then an apprentice potter,…
(Encyclopedia) White, William Allen, 1868–1944, American author, b. Emporia, Kans., studied (1886–90) at Kansas State Univ. As owner and editor of the Emporia Gazette from 1895 until his death, he…
(Encyclopedia) Walker, Albertina, 1929–2010, African-American gospel singer and composer, b. Chicago. A protégé of Mahalia Jackson, she sang with two gospel groups before founding (1951) the Caravans…
(Encyclopedia) Booth, Junius Brutus, 1796–1852, Anglo-American actor. After experience in the provinces, he appeared at Covent Garden. In 1817, with his portrayal of Richard III, he established…
(Encyclopedia) Brazil nut, common name for the Lecythidaceae, a family of tropical trees. It includes the anchovy pear (Grias cauliflora), a West Indian species with edible fruit used for pickles,…
(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) TrevisoTrevisotrāvēˈzō [key], city (1991 pop. 83,598), capital of Treviso prov., Venetia, NE Italy. Situated in the center of the fertile Venetian plain, it is an agricultural market…
(Encyclopedia) SonghuaSonghuas&oomacr;ngˈhwäˈ [key] or SungariSonghuas&oobreve;nˈgäˈrēˈ [key], river of NE China, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) long, rising in the Changbai Mts., Jilin prov., and…
(Encyclopedia) Scarborough Shoal, lagoon and reefs, South China Sea, c.135 mi (220 km) W of Luzon, the Philippines. Claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan, it is called Huangyan Island by…
(Encyclopedia) Baruch, Bernard MannesBaruch, Bernard Mannesbər&oomacr;kˈ [key], 1870–1965, U.S. financier and government adviser, b. Camden, S.C. He grew rich through stockmarket speculation…
