(Encyclopedia) Ford, Whitey (Edward Charles Ford), 1928–2020, American baseball player, b. New York City. A New York Yankee pitcher for his entire career, he signed with them in 1946. The southpaw…
(Encyclopedia) coronercoronerkôrˈənər [key], judicial officer responsible for investigating deaths occurring through violence or under suspicious circumstances. The office has been traced to the late…
(Encyclopedia) Common Cause, U.S. organization that seeks a “reordering of national priorities and revitalization of the public process to make our political and governmental institutions more…
(Encyclopedia) Ellis Island, island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but…
(Encyclopedia) Parker, Charlie “Bird” (Charles Christopher Parker, Jr.), 1920–55, American musician and composer, b. Kansas City, Kans. He began playing alto saxophone in 1933 and, shifting from one…
(Encyclopedia) Unitas, JohnnyUnitas, Johnnyy&oomacr;nītˈəs [key], 1933–2002, American football player, widely regarded as the greatest professional quarterback of all time; b. Pittsburgh. After…
(Encyclopedia) oracle bones, bones used for divination by the Chinese during the Shang dynasty (traditionally c.1766 b.c.–c.1122 b.c.). Along with contemporary inscriptions on bronze vessels, these…
(Encyclopedia) Young, Lester Willis, 1909–59, American jazz musician, b. Woodville, Miss. He played the tenor saxophone with various bands (1929–40), including those of Fletcher Henderson and Count…
(Encyclopedia) Bonneville Salt FlatsBonneville Salt Flatsbŏnˈəvĭl, bŏˈnēvĭl, bŏnˈvĭl [key], desert area in Tooele co., NW Utah, c.14 mi (22.5 km) long and 7 mi (11.2 km) wide. The smooth salt surface…
(Encyclopedia) Hartmann, NicolaiHartmann, Nicolainēˈkōlī [key], 1882–1950, German philosopher, b. Latvia. He taught at Marburg (1922–25), Cologne (1925–31), Berlin (1931–45), and Göttingen (1945–50…