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Thirlwall, Connop

(Encyclopedia)Thirlwall, Connop kŏnˈəp thûrlˈwôl [key], 1797–1875, English historian. He was bishop of St. David's, Wales, from 1840. His chief work is his History of Greece (8 vol., 1835–44); it was the ...

Bostanai ben Chaninai

(Encyclopedia)Bostanai ben Chaninai bôsˈtänī bĕn khänēnīˈ [key], c.618–670, first Jewish exilarch (i.e., ruler of the Jewish exiles in Babylonia) under Arab rule. He is the subject of many legends. His n...

Carmarthen

(Encyclopedia)Carmarthen kərmärˈᵺən [key], Welsh Caerfyrddin, town, Carmarthenshire, S Wales, on the ...

Johnson, Samuel, English author

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, Samuel, 1709–84, English author, b. Lichfield. The leading literary scholar and critic of his time, Johnson helped to shape and define the Augustan Age. He was equally celebrated for his br...

insanity

(Encyclopedia)insanity, mental disorder of such severity as to render its victim incapable of managing his affairs or of conforming to social standards. Today, the term insanity is used chiefly in criminal law, to ...

Maachah, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Maachah or Maacah both: māˈəkə [key], in the Bible. 1 Absalom's mother. 2 See Maoch. 3 Idolatrous wife of Rehoboam. She was Absalom's daughter and mother of Abijah. 4 Caleb's concubine. 5 Wife of ...

Kapteyn, Jacobus Cornelius

(Encyclopedia)Kapteyn, Jacobus Cornelius yäkōˈbəs kôrnāˈlēəs käptīnˈ [key], 1851–1922, Dutch astronomer. He was an authority on the Milky Way, of which he made notable statistical studies; he construc...

Mulready, William

(Encyclopedia)Mulready, William məlrĕdˈē [key], 1786–1863, Irish genre painter. He began as a drawing master and an illustrator of children's books. After 1809 he devoted himself to genre subjects and gained ...

American Philosophical Society

(Encyclopedia)American Philosophical Society, first scientific society in America, founded (1743) in Philadelphia. It was an outgrowth of the Junto formed (1727) by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was the first secreta...

Huntley, Chet

(Encyclopedia)Huntley, Chet (Chester Robert Huntley), 1911–74, American news broadcaster, b. Cardwell, Mont. He joined the National Broadcasting Company in 1955. Huntley and David Brinkley developed documentary t...