(Encyclopedia) West, Mae, 1893–1980, American stage and movie comedienne, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., as Mary Jane West. The unparalleled mistress of double entendre, West began in burlesque and continued in…
actor, screenwriter Born: 8/4/1955Birthplace: Hot Springs, Arkansas After a long stint as a low-profile actor and screenwriter, Thornton careened to stardom for writing, directing, and acting in…
Seminole Indian tribal leader and publisherBorn: 1923Birthplace: Indiantown, Florida Born in a small village in the Everglades to a full-blooded Seminole mother and a white father, Betty Mae…
physician, astronautBorn: 10/17/1956Birthplace: Decatur, Ala. Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to enter space when she served on the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavor…
author, social activistBorn: 11/28/1944Birthplace: Hanover, Pennsylvania An early member of National Organization for Women, Brown resigned when the oganization tried to surpress her vocal pro-…
(Encyclopedia) Chandler, Raymond Thornton, 1888–1959, American author, b. Chicago, educated in England. After World War I, he entered the oil business in California. Bankrupt during the Depression,…
(Encyclopedia) Wilder, Thornton Niven, 1897–1975, American playwright and novelist, b. Madison, Wis., grad. Yale (B.A., 1920), Princeton (M.A., 1925). He received most of his early education in China…
country singer, songwriterBorn: 4/30/1933Birthplace: Abbott, Texas Grammy Award-winning country singer and songwriter known for his spare style and for inventing with Waylon Jennings progressive…
