Source: U.S. Naval Observatory and NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Anaxagoras, in the 5th century B.C., is credited as the first to figure out the true cause of a lunar eclipse, but his…
Hartford, John Cowan
(Encyclopedia) Hartford, John Cowan, 1937- 20, American singer, songwriter, and banjo player, b. St. Louis, Mo., as John Cowan Harford, Washington…
(Encyclopedia) Kemper, Reuben, d. 1827, American adventurer, b. Virginia. With his brothers Nathan and Samuel he settled c.1800 in Feliciana, just above Baton Rouge, in West Florida, then Spanish…
(Encyclopedia) Pepin the Short (Pepin III), c.714–768, first Carolingian king of the Franks (751–68), son of Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne. Succeeding his father as mayor of the palace (…
(Encyclopedia) Armstrong, Louis (Daniel Louis Armstrong), known as “Satchmo” and “Pops,” 1901–1971, American jazz trumpet virtuoso, singer, and bandleader, b. New Orleans. He learned to play the…
(Encyclopedia) Carloman, d. 754, mayor of the palace in the kingdom of Austrasia after the death (741) of his father, Charles Martel. Ruling with his brother, Pepin the Short, he carried on…
(Encyclopedia) Imitation of Christ, The, Christian devotional book, of great popularity. It originated among the Brothers of the Common Life in the Netherlands and was written probably c.1425.…
(Encyclopedia) Fast, Howard, 1914–2003, American author, b. New York City. A prolific writer, he is best known for historical novels that mainly concern rebellion against various forms of tyranny.…
(Encyclopedia) RurikRurikr&oomacr;ˈrĭk [key], d. 879, semilegendary Varangian warrior, regarded as the founder of the princely dynasty of Kievan Rus. Rurik and his two brothers, at the head of an…
(Encyclopedia) James, Saint, d. c.a.d. 43, in the Bible, one of the Twelve Apostles, called St. James the Greater. He was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John; these brothers were the…
