actressBorn: 5/31/1961Birthplace: Rochester, Minnesota A professional dancer who trained with the American Ballet Theatre and other prestigious companies, Thompson became a familiar face through…
actressBorn: 3/20/1958Birthplace: Conyers, Georgia Academy- and Emmy Award-winning film and television actress. Often thought of as a Southern bundle of energy who can talk, talk, talk, she proved…
(Encyclopedia) Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811–96, American novelist and humanitarian, b. Litchfield, Conn. With her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, she stirred the conscience of Americans concerning slavery…
actressBorn: 6/20/1967Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii Australian actress once known mostly for her marriage to actor Tom Cruise (1990–2001), but now known independently for her outstanding acting as…
musicianBorn: 2/25/1943Birthplace: Liverpool, England Guitarist and songwriter sometimes referred to as “the quiet Beatle,” but nonetheless a key element in the group's success and a major rock and…
(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…
