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Gheorghiu-Dej, Gheorghe

(Encyclopedia)Gheorghiu-Dej, Gheorghe gāôrˈgā gāôrˈgyo͞o-dāzh [key], 1901–65, Romanian Communist leader, b. Moldavia. He joined the Communist party in 1930 and while in prison (1933–44) was elected (19...

Frisch, Ragnar

(Encyclopedia)Frisch, Ragnar rängˈnär frĭsh [key], 1895–1973, Norwegian economist, corecipient with Jan Tinbergen of the first Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1969). Educated at the Univ. of Oslo (...

Gardiner, Sir Christopher

(Encyclopedia)Gardiner, Sir Christopher, fl. 1630–32, figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay colony. When the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts Bay in 1630, they found that Gardiner had preceded the...

atlas, in geography

(Encyclopedia)atlas, in geography, collection of maps or charts. It usually includes data on various features of a country, e.g., its topography, natural resources, climate, and population, as well as its agricultu...

metaphysical poets

(Encyclopedia)metaphysical poets, name given to a group of English lyric poets of the 17th cent. The term was first used by Samuel Johnson (1744). The hallmark of their poetry is the metaphysical conceit (a figure ...

Murasaki Shikibu

(Encyclopedia)Murasaki Shikibu mo͞oˌräsäˈkē shēˌkēbo͞oˈ [key], c.978–1031?, Japanese novelist, court figure at the height of the Heian period (794–1185). Known also as Lady Murasaki, she is celebrate...

Odysseus

(Encyclopedia)Odysseus yo͞olĭsˈēz [key], in Greek mythology, son and successor of King Laertes of Ithaca. A leader of Greek forces during the Trojan War, Odysseus was noted (as in the Iliad) for his cunning str...

Leonhardt, Gustav

(Encyclopedia)Leonhardt, Gustav, 1928–2012, Dutch harpsicordist, organist, and conductor, studied Schola Cantorum, Basel, Switzerland (1947–50). Leonhardt researched Baroque performing styles and was a key figu...

Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich

(Encyclopedia)Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich mēkhəyēlˈ vəsēˈlyəvĭch ləmənôˈsəf [key], 1711–65, Russian scientist, scholar, and writer, an outstanding figure in 18th-century Russia. Lomonosov was the...

Leconte de Lisle, Charles Marie

(Encyclopedia)Leconte de Lisle, Charles Marie shärl märēˈ ləkôNtˈ də lēl [key], 1818–94, French poet. His first two books of poetry, Poèmes antiques (1852) and Poèmes et poésies (1855), were immediate...