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Woolman, John

(Encyclopedia)Woolman, John, 1720–72, American Quaker leader, b. near Mt. Holly, N.J. Originally a tailor and shopkeeper, Woolman was recorded a minister (1743) by the Burlington, N.J., Meeting. Thereafter he mad...

Yersin, Alexandre Émile Jean

(Encyclopedia)Yersin, Alexandre Émile Jean älĕksäNˈdrə āmēlˈ zhän yĕrsăNˈ [key], 1863–1943, French bacteriologist, of Swiss descent. He studied with Pasteur and worked on diphtheria antitoxin with P....

astronaut

(Encyclopedia)astronaut, crew member on a U.S. manned spaceflight mission; the Soviet term is cosmonaut. Candidates for manned spaceflight are carefully screened to meet the highest physical and mental standards, a...

Lowell Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Lowell Observatory, astronomical observatory located in Flagstaff, Ariz.; it was founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell, the American astronomer who popularized the idea that Mars might support intelligen...

dark energy

(Encyclopedia)dark energy, repulsive force that opposes the self-attraction of matter (see gravitation) and causes the expansion of the universe to accelerate. The search for dark energy was triggered by the discov...

Stevens

(Encyclopedia)Stevens, family of U.S. inventors. John Stevens, 1749–1838, b. New York City, was graduated from King's College (now Columbia Univ.) in 1768. He studied law (1768–71) and soon joined his father, a...

Maine de Biran

(Encyclopedia)Maine de Biran mĕn də bēräNˈ [key], 1766–1824, French philosopher, member of the Council of Five Hundred (1797), and councilor of state (1816). His real name was Marie François Pierre Gonthier...

Hamilton, Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Hamilton, Patrick, 1504?–1528, Scottish Protestant martyr. While at St. Andrews, he was suspected of Lutheran sympathies. He fled (1527) to Germany, where, during his short stay, he met Luther and M...

Pavlov, Ivan Petrovich

(Encyclopedia)Pavlov, Ivan Petrovich ēvänˈ pētrôˈvĭch pävˈləf [key], 1849–1936, Russian physiologist and experimental psychologist. He was professor at the military medical academy and director of the p...

Putnam, George Haven

(Encyclopedia)Putnam, George Haven, 1844–1930, American publisher, b. England; son of G. P. Putnam. He served in the Civil War until he was captured by the Confederates in 1864; he retired with the rank of major....