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Fitch, Clyde

(Encyclopedia)Fitch, Clyde (William Clyde Fitch), 1865–1909, American dramatist, b. Elmira, N.Y. An extremely prolific and versatile playwright, he wrote over 36 original plays, including melodramas, farces, soci...

handball, team

(Encyclopedia)handball, team, or field handball, team court game. Despite its status as an Olympic sport, the game is virtually unknown in the United States. Originated in central Europe in the early 1900s as an ou...

Güiraldes, Ricardo

(Encyclopedia)Güiraldes, Ricardo rēkärˈdō gwērälˈdās [key], 1886–1927, Argentine writer. He spent his boyhood on a ranch where he learned the ways of the gauchos, later traveling to Europe. In his novels...

Flotow, Friedrich von

(Encyclopedia)Flotow, Friedrich von frēˈdrĭkh fən flōˈtō [key], 1812–83, German operatic composer. Flotow's operas show the influence of French opéra comique, which set the tone for light opera in the 19t...

Milstein, Nathan

(Encyclopedia)Milstein, Nathan, 1904–92, Russian violinist, b. Odessa. Milstein attended the music school in Odessa before entering the St. Petersburg conservatory, where he studied under Leopold Auer. He toured ...

Mittal, Lakshmi Narayan

(Encyclopedia)Mittal, Lakshmi Narayan, 1950–, Indian steel tycoon. He worked at his father's small Kolkata (Calcutta) steel mill before he bought (1976) a mill in Indonesia and began to build his steel empire. He...

naval stores

(Encyclopedia)naval stores, term initially applied to the cordage, mask, resin, tar, and timber used in building wooden sailing ships; it now designates the products obtained from the pine tree, e.g., pine oil, pit...

nuncio, apostolic

(Encyclopedia)nuncio, apostolic nŭnˈshēō [key], resident legate of the Holy See at the capital of a temporal government. Nuncios are in most of the countries with which the Holy See has diplomatic relations. In...

Kraszewski, Józef Ignacy

(Encyclopedia)Kraszewski, Józef Ignacy yo͞oˈzĕf ēgnäˈtsē kräshĕfˈskē [key], 1812–87, Polish writer. He was imprisoned for political activities in Lithuania and in Germany. Wandering in exile through E...

Kristiansand

(Encyclopedia)Kristiansand krĭstyänsänˈ [key], city (1995 pop. 68,618), capital of Vest-Agder co., S Norway, a commercial and passenger port on the Skagerrak. Manufactures include ships, textiles, metal and woo...