(Encyclopedia) limerick, type of humorous verse. It is always short, often nonsensical, and sometimes ribald. Of unknown origin, the limerick is popular rather than literary and has even been used in…
(Encyclopedia) William II, 1626–50, prince of Orange, stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (1647–50), son and successor of Frederick Henry. He married (1641) Mary, eldest daughter…
(Encyclopedia) Batavian Republic, name for the Netherlands in the years (1795–1806) following conquest by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars. The United Provinces of the Netherlands were…
(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) Muir, Edwin, 1887–1959, British author, b. Orkney Islands, Scotland. He moved with his family to Glasgow in 1901, where he remained for 18 years. In 1919 he went to London and joined…
(Encyclopedia) Kesey, Ken Elton, 1935–2001, American novelist and counterculture figure, b. La Junta, Colo.; grad. Univ. of Oregon (1957), Stanford Univ. (1960). While a student he volunteered for a…
(Encyclopedia) Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), first U.S. public railroad, chartered in 1827 by a group of Baltimore businessmen to regain trans-Allegheny traffic lost to the newly opened…
(José Antonio Dominguez Banderas)actor, musicianBorn: 8/10/1960Birthplace: Málaga, Spain This smoldering Spanish heartthrob first splashed onto the big screen in the states in The Mambo Kings (1992…
(Encyclopedia) complexity, in science, field of study devoted to the process of self-organization. The basic concept of complexity is that all things tend to organize themselves into patterns, e.g.,…
director, screenwriter, producerBorn: 7/26/1928Birthplace: New York City Stanley Kubrick's list of film credits is long and prestigious, including Spartacus (1960), Dr. Strangelove, or How I…
