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Wrangel, Baron Ferdinand Petrovich von

(Encyclopedia)Wrangel, Wrangell, or Vrangel, Baron Ferdinand Petrovich von all: răngˈgəl, Rus. fyĕrdyēnäntˈ pētrôˈvĭch vôn vränˈgĭl [key], 1796–1870, Russian naval officer, arctic explorer, and gov...

Weizsäcker, Richard Karl Freiherr von

(Encyclopedia)Weizsäcker, Richard Karl Freiherr von, 1920–2015, German political leader. After serving in World War II, Weizsäcker earned a law degree from the Univ. of Göttingen (1953), then worked in the pri...

Welsbach, Carl Auer, Baron von

(Encyclopedia)Welsbach, Carl Auer, Baron von kärl ouˈər bärōnˈ fən vĕlsˈbäkh [key], 1858–1929, Austrian chemist. He discovered the rare earth elements neodymium and praseodymium (1885) and lutetium (c.1...

Wallenstein, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von

(Encyclopedia)Wallenstein or Waldstein, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von wälˈənstīn, Ger. älˈbrĕkht vĕnˈtsəl oizāˈbēo͝os fən välˈənshtīn, vältˈshtīn [key], 1583–1634, imperial general in the Thi...

Aehrenthal, Alois Lexa, Graf von

(Encyclopedia)Aehrenthal, Alois Lexa, Graf von äˈlōēs lākˈsä gräf fən ârˈəntäl [key], 1854–1912, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (1906–12). The chief event of his ministry was the Austrian annexa...

Buch, Christian Leopold, Freiherr von

(Encyclopedia)Buch, Christian Leopold, Freiherr von krĭsˈtyän lāˈōpôlt frīˈhĕr fən bo͞okh [key], 1774–1853, German geologist and paleontologist, graduate of the mining academy, Freiberg, Germany, and ...

Bülow, Hans Guido, Freiherr von

(Encyclopedia)Bülow, Hans Guido, Freiherr von frīˈhĕr fən büˈlō [key], 1830–94, German pianist and conductor. After hearing Wagner's Lohengrin in 1850 at Weimar under Liszt's direction, he studied piano ...

Biber, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von

(Encyclopedia)Biber, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von hīnˈrĭkh ĭgˈnäts fränts fən bēˈbər [key], 1644–1704, Austrian musician. Biber was one of the first notable Central European violinists and may have been th...

Zinzendorf, Nikolaus Ludwig, Graf von

(Encyclopedia)Zinzendorf, Nikolaus Ludwig, Graf von nēˈkōlous lo͝otˈvĭkh gräf fən tsĭnˈtsəndôrf [key], 1700–1760, German churchman, patron and bishop of the refounded Moravian Church, b. Dresden. Rear...

Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von

(Encyclopedia)Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von päˈshä [key], 1857–1932, Austrian adventurer in British and Egyptian service. Called to Egypt by C. G. Gordon, Slatin became governor of Dara (1879) and governor...

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