(Encyclopedia) Pluto, in Greek religion and mythology, god of the underworld, son of Kronos and Rhea; also called Hades. After the fall of the Titans, Pluto and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon divided…
(Encyclopedia) Banu MusaBanu Musabän&oomacr;ˈ m&oomacr;säˈ [key], family of Arab mathematicians and astronomers of the 9th cent. a.d. The name means “sons of Musa” and refers to the three…
(Encyclopedia) Bent, William, 1809–69, American frontiersman, b. St. Louis. One of the younger brothers of Charles Bent, he was for many years the manager of Bent's Fort, while Charles Bent lived…
(Encyclopedia) Alfonso II (Alfonso the Fat), 1185–1223, king of Portugal (1211–23), son and successor of Sancho I. His reign was spent in struggles with the church and his brothers and sisters, to…
(Encyclopedia) Cinderella, heroine of one of the most famous folktales in the world. She is rescued from a life of drudgery by her fairy godmother and eventually marries a handsome prince. The story…
(Encyclopedia) AegisthusAegisthusējĭsˈthəs [key], in Greek mythology, according to most legends the incestuous offspring of Thyestes and his daughter Pelopia. At Thyestes' behest Aegisthus revenged…
(Encyclopedia) Hopkins, Johns, 1795–1873, American financier and philanthropist, founder of Johns Hopkins Univ., b. Anne Arundel co., Md. In 1819 he founded his own commission firm, later known as…
(Encyclopedia) Bauhin, GaspardBauhin, Gaspardgäspärˈ bōăNˈ [key], 1560–1624, Swiss botanist and doctor of medicine, of French descent. His early classification of plants by genus and species in his…
(Encyclopedia) LorenzettiLorenzettilōrān-tsĕtˈtē [key], two brothers who were major Sienese painters. Pietro Lorenzetti, c.1280–c.1348, was first influenced by Duccio di Buoninsegna and Giovanni…
(Encyclopedia) Lander, Richard Lemon, 1804–34, English explorer. He accompanied Clapperton to the Niger River in 1827 and brought back Clapperton's journal, which was published (1829) with an account…