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pyramid, structure

(Encyclopedia)pyramid. The true pyramid exists only in Egypt and Sudan, though the term has also been applied to similar structures in other countries. Egyptian pyramids are square in plan and their triangular side...

Lewinsky scandal

(Encyclopedia)Lewinsky scandal ləwĭnˈskē [key], sensation that enveloped the presidency of Bill Clinton in 1998–99, leading to his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives and acquittal by the Senate....

Jay, William

(Encyclopedia)Jay, William, 1789–1858, American jurist and reformer, b. New York City; son of John Jay. For most of the period from 1818 to 1843 he served as judge of the county court of Westchester co., N.Y. An ...

Nagin, Ray

(Encyclopedia)Nagin, Ray (Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr.), 1956–, African-American politician, b. New Orleans. A Louisiana cable-television executive before entering politics, Nagin won the 2002 mayoral election handily...

mastaba

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Mastaba mastaba măsˈtəbə [key], in Egyptian architecture, a sepulchral structure built aboveground. The mastabas of the early dynastic period (3200–2680 b.c.), such as those of the I dyn...

Latynina, Larysa Semyonovna

(Encyclopedia)Latynina, Larysa or Larisa Semyonovna, 1934–, Soviet-Ukrainian gymnast, the dominant female gymnast of her era, b. Kherson. She was the first athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals and 18 total med...

Ladd, William

(Encyclopedia)Ladd, William, 1778–1841, American pacifist, b. Exeter, N.H., grad. Harvard, 1797. He commanded sailing vessels until the outbreak of the War of 1812, when he retired to a farm in Maine. In 1820 he ...

Burgis, William

(Encyclopedia)Burgis, William bûrˈjĭs [key], fl. 1717–31, American engraver and publisher of maps and views, b. London. His name appears as publisher on the views South Prospect of ye Flourishing City of New Y...

Borromini, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Borromini, Francesco fränchāˈskō bōr-rōmēˈnē [key], 1599–1677, major Italian baroque architect. His first independent commission (begun 1634) was San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, one o...

Townshend, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Townshend, Charles, 1725–67, English statesman; grandson of the 2d Viscount Townshend. Distrusted for his marked instability, he held relatively minor offices until the 1st earl of Chatham made him ...