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Psalmanazar, George

(Encyclopedia)Psalmanazar, George sălˌmənāˈzər [key], 1679?–1763, English literary imposter. His real name is not known. Born and educated in France, he developed a marked ability in learning languages. He ...

Zoffany, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Zoffany, Johann yōˈhän zŏfˈənē [key], 1735–1810, English painter. After 12 years of study in Italy, Zoffany settled in England. He frequently painted conversation pieces, domestic tableaux fi...

Douglas, William, 1st earl of Douglas and Mar

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, William, 1st earl of Douglas and Mar, 1327?–1384, Scottish nobleman; nephew of Sir James de Douglas, lord of Douglas. About 1348 he returned to Scotland from France and recaptured the Dougl...

Rule, Britannia

(Encyclopedia)Rule, Britannia, English patriotic song. The music was composed by Thomas Augustine Arne for his masque Alfred, first performed August 1, 1740, in commemoration of the accession of George I. The words...

Lichtenberg, Georg Christoph

(Encyclopedia)Lichtenberg, Georg Christoph gāˈôrkh krĭsˈtôf lĭkhˈtənbĕrk [key], 1742–99, German physicist and satirist. He taught at the Univ. of Göttingen, where his special field was electricity. Lic...

George IV, king of Great Britain and Ireland

(Encyclopedia)George IV, 1762–1830, king of Great Britain and Ireland (1820–30), eldest son and successor of George III. In 1785 he married Maria Anne Fitzherbert, a Roman Catholic. The marriage was illegal, ho...

Margaret

(Encyclopedia)Margaret, 1930–2002, British princess, second daughter of King George VI and sister of Queen Elizabeth II, b. Glamis, Scotland. In 1960 she married a commoner, the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jone...

McKenna, Reginald

(Encyclopedia)McKenna, Reginald, 1863–1943, British politician and banker. Elected to Parliament as a Liberal in 1895, he entered the cabinet as president of the board of education in 1907. As first lord of the a...

Lee of Fareham, Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Viscount

(Encyclopedia)Lee of Fareham, Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Viscount fârˈəm [key], 1868–1947, British politician. He was (1900–1918) a Conservative member of the House of Commons. During World War I, Lee was mili...

Dingell, John David, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Dingell, John David, Jr., 1928–2019, American congressman, b. Colorado Springs, Colo.; grad. Georgetown Univ. (B.S., 1949; J.D., 1952). He served in the Army (1944–46) and after a brief career in ...