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ransom

(Encyclopedia)ransom, price of redemption demanded by the captor of a person, vessel, or city. In ancient times cities frequently paid ransom to prevent their plundering by captors. The custom of ransoming was form...

community college

(Encyclopedia)community college, public institution of higher education. Community colleges are characterized by a two-year curriculum that leads to either the associate degree or transfer to a four-year college. T...

Crvenkovski, Branko

(Encyclopedia)Crvenkovski, Branko, 1962–, North Macedonian political leader, b. Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina). An electrical engineer, he worked in industry before being elected to the Nati...

Francis, David Rowland

(Encyclopedia)Francis, David Rowland, 1850–1927, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1896–97), b. Richmond, Ky. He established a large grain business in St. Louis, entered politics, and served (1885–89) as mayor ...

Hill, Sir Rowland

(Encyclopedia)Hill, Sir Rowland, 1795–1879, English educator, inventor, and postal reformer. He introduced the system of self-government in his school at Hazelwood in Birmingham. In his Plans for the Government a...

Fort Abercrombie

(Encyclopedia)Fort Abercrombie ăbˈərkrŏmˌbē, –krŭmˌbē [key], U.S. army post on the west bank of the Red River, at Abercrombie, N.Dak.; est. 1858. Built to protect settlers in the Red River valley from at...

Fort McMurray

(Encyclopedia)Fort McMurray, former city, now part of the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo, NE Alta., Canada. Originally a fur-trading post on the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers, Fort McMurray was a town of 1...

Fort Nassau

(Encyclopedia)Fort Nassau. 1 Built (1614) on Castle Island, in the Hudson River, S of Albany, N.Y. The fort served as a trading post for the Dutch until 1617, when it was destroyed by flood and replaced (1624) by F...

Fond du Lac

(Encyclopedia)Fond du Lac fŏnˈ də lăkˌ, –jə– [key], city (2021 pop. 104,154), seat of Fon...

Maumee

(Encyclopedia)Maumee mômēˈ [key], residential city (1990 pop. 15,561), Lucas co., NW Ohio, on the Maumee River; inc. 1838. Maumee was the site of Fort Miami, a British post surrendered to the Americans during th...