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Orrery, Charles Boyle, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Orrery, Charles Boyle, 4th earl of ŏrˈərē [key], 1676–1731, English nobleman; grandson of the 1st earl of Orrery. He succeeded his brother as earl in 1703. A supporter of Sir William Temple in h...

Woodville, Elizabeth

(Encyclopedia)Woodville, Elizabeth, 1437–92, queen consort of Edward IV of England. She was the daughter of Richard Woodville (later the 1st Earl Rivers). Her first husband, Sir John Grey, was killed fighting on ...

Shamir, Yitzhak

(Encyclopedia)Shamir, Yitzhak yētzˈäk shämērˈ [key], 1915–2012, Zionist activist and Israeli politician, b. Poland. Emigrating (1935) to Palestine, he was twice arrested by the British for participating in ...

Stanhope, Charles Stanhope, 3d Earl

(Encyclopedia)Stanhope, Charles Stanhope, 3d Earl stănˈəp [key], 1753–1816, British politician and inventor; grandson of the 1st earl. He was a friend of the younger William Pitt and married (1774) Pitt's sist...

Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st marquess of

(Encyclopedia)Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st marquess of hāˈstĭngz [key], 1754–1826, British soldier and administrator. He fought with distinction against the colonists in the American Revolution. Crea...

Mintoff, Dominic

(Encyclopedia)Mintoff, Dominic, 1916–2012, Maltese political leader, prime minister of Malta (1955–58, 1971–84). An architect and engineer, he was educated at the Univ. of Malta and Oxford. He joined the Labo...

Cioloş, Dacian Julien

(Encyclopedia)Cioloş, Dacian Julien, 1969–, Romanian agricultural engineer and political leader, Ph.D. Univ. of Montpellier, 2006. He served as Romania's minister of agriculture and rural development (2007–8) ...

Solomon Islands

(Encyclopedia)Solomon Islands, independent Commonwealth nation (2015 est. pop. 587,000), c.15,500 sq mi (40,150 sq km), SW Pacific, E of New Guinea. The islands that constitute the nation of the Solomon Islands—G...

Rõivas, Taavi

(Encyclopedia)Rõivas, Taavi täˈvē roiˈväs [key], 1979–, Estonian political leader, b. Tallinn, grad. Univ. of Tartu. A member of the Reform party, Rõivas was an adviser to prime minister Andrus Ansip (2005...

Brundtland, Gro Harlem

(Encyclopedia)Brundtland, Gro Harlem bro͝ontˈländ [key], 1939–, Norwegian political leader. She worked as a physician in the national health service until appointed (1974) minister of the environment. She beca...