(Encyclopedia) Ahmed II, 1642–95, Ottoman sultan (1691–95), brother and successor of Sulayman II to the throne of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Soon after his reign began, the Turkish defeat at…
(Encyclopedia) simonysimonysĭmˈənē [key], in canon law, buying or selling of any spiritual benefit or office. The name is derived from Simon Magus, who tried to buy the gifts of the Holy Spirit from…
(Encyclopedia) Leo I, Saint (Saint Leo the Great), c.400–461, pope (440–61), an Italian; successor of St. Sixtus III. A Doctor of the Church, he was one of the greatest pontiffs of the early years of…
(Encyclopedia) Leo III, Saint, pope (795–816), a Roman; successor of Adrian I. He was attacked about the face and eyes by members of Adrian's family, who hoped to render him unfit for the papacy. Leo…
(Encyclopedia) John XXIII, Saint, 1881–1963, pope (1958–63), an Italian (b. Sotto il Monte, near Bergamo) named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; successor of Pius XII. He was of peasant stock. Educated at…
Christianity is based upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life is written about in the New Testament. Jesus, a Jew, was born in about 7 B.C. and assumed his public life, probably…
Pagan festivals, Christian saints, Chaucer's love birds, and the Greeting Card Association of America by Borgna Brunner Roman Roots The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and…
(Encyclopedia) Mayer, Julius Robert von, 1814–78, German physician and physicist, studied medicine at Tübingen, Munich, and Paris. From a consideration of the generation of animal heat, he was led to…
(Encyclopedia) Dedekind, Julius Wilhelm RichardDedekind, Julius Wilhelm Richardy&oomacr;lˈy&oobreve;s vĭlˈhĕlm rĭkhˈärt dāˈdəkĭnt [key], 1831–1916, German mathematician. Dedekind studied at…
(Encyclopedia) Clausius, Rudolf Julius EmanuelClausius, Rudolf Julius Emanuelr&oomacr;ˈdôlf y&oomacr;ˈly&oobreve;s āmäˈn&oomacr;ĕl klouˈzē&oobreve;s [key], 1822–88, German…
