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Kincaid, Jamaica

(Encyclopedia)Kincaid, Jamaica, 1949–, West Indian–American writer, b. Antigua as Elaine Potter Richardson. She immigrated to the United States at 16 and later became a U.S. citizen. Changing her name (1973), s...

Powys, John Cowper

(Encyclopedia)Powys, John Cowper pōˈĭs [key], 1872–1963, British author and lecturer. In addition to his widely admired novels Wolf Solent (1929), and A Glastonbury Romance (1932), Powys also wrote poetry and ...

Borgia, Lucrezia

(Encyclopedia)Borgia, Lucrezia bōrˈjä [key], 1480–1519, Italian noblewoman, famous figure of the Italian Renaissance; daughter of Pope Alexander VI. Her first marriage (1492) to Giovanni Sforza of Pesaro was ...

Sophia Alekseyevna

(Encyclopedia)Sophia Alekseyevna sôˈfyə əlyĭksyāˈyəvnə [key], 1657–1704, regent of Russia (1682–89); daughter of Czar Alexis by his first wife and sister of Czar Feodor III. Supported by the streltsi (...

Shaw, Run Run

(Encyclopedia)Shaw, Run Run, 1907–2014, Chinese film mogul, best known of the six Shaw brothers who founded an Asian movie empire. In Shanghai, he and his elder brother Runme Shaw made their first film (1924) and...

Banda, Joyce Hilda

(Encyclopedia)Banda, Joyce Hilda, 1950–, Malawian political leader, b. Nyasaland (now Malawi). First elected to parliament in 1999 as a member of the United Democratic Front, she was named minister for gender and...

Danilo II

(Encyclopedia)Danilo II (Danilo Petrović-Njegoš), 1826–60, prince of Montenegro (1851–60). He secularized (1852) his principality (chiefly in order to be able to marry) and transferred his ecclesiastic functi...

Dathan

(Encyclopedia)Dathan dāˈthən [key], in the Bible, Reubenite who, with his brother Abiram and with Korah, was consumed by fire from heaven. ...

Groseilliers, Médard Chouart, sieur des

(Encyclopedia)Groseilliers, Médard Chouart, sieur des mādärˈ shwär syör dā grôsāyāˈ [key], 1618?–c.1690, French trader and explorer in North America. He was the brother-in-law of Pierre Esprit Radisson...

Jether

(Encyclopedia)Jether jēˈthər [key], in the Bible. 1 Eldest of Gideon's sons. He was killed by his brother Abimelech. 2 Husband of David's sister Abigail. An alternate form is Ithra. 3 Descendant of Asher. See It...