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Azeglio, Massimo Taparelli, marchese d'

(Encyclopedia)Azeglio, Massimo Taparelli, marchese d' mäsˈsēmō täpärĕlˈlē märkāˈzā dädzāˈlyō [key], 1798–1866, Italian premier and author, b. Turin. He studied painting, then turned to literature...

Caffieri

(Encyclopedia)Caffieri Fr. käfyārēˈ, Ital. käf-fyāˈrē [key], French family of artists. Philippe Caffieri, 1634–1716, left Italy to enter the service of Louis XIV at the Gobelin factory. He and a son, Jacq...

Piaf, Edith

(Encyclopedia)Piaf, Edith pēäfˈ [key], 1915–63, French cabaret singer, born as Edith Giovanna Gassion. She began to sing at 15 in cafés and on the streets of Paris and was soon engaged to sing in a cabaret. F...

Sarraute, Nathalie

(Encyclopedia)Sarraute, Nathalie nätälēˈ särōtˈ [key], 1900–1999, French novelist, b. Ivanovo, Russia, as Natasha Tcherniak; studied at the Sorbonne and Oxford. A lawyer, she joined (1925) a Paris firm. Sh...

Duvalier, Jean-Claude

(Encyclopedia)Duvalier, Jean-Claude düvälyāˈ [key], 1951–2014, president of Haiti (1971–86). At age 19, he was proclaimed “president for life” upon the death of his father, Francois Duvalier. Under gre...

Dehaene, Jean-Luc

(Encyclopedia)Dehaene, Jean-Luc, 1940–2014, Belgian political leader, b. Montepellier, France. A member of the Flemish Christian People's (after 2001, Christian Democratic) party, he held numerous administrative ...

Deluc, Jean André

(Encyclopedia)Deluc, Jean André zhäN äNdrāˈ dəlükˈ [key], 1727–1817, Swiss geologist. During the first half of his life he was engaged mainly in business in Switzerland. He also made scientific excursions...

Dessalines, Jean Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Dessalines, Jean Jacques zhäN zhäk dĕsälēnˈ [key], c.1758–1806, emperor of Haiti (1804–6), born a slave. A shrewd general, he served under Toussaint Louverture in the wars that liberated Hai...

Du Bellay, Jean

(Encyclopedia)Du Bellay, Jean bĕlāˈ [key], 1492–1560, French humanist and diplomat, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; brother of Guillaume Du Bellay and patron of his cousin, Joachim Du Bellay. He undert...

Dunant, Jean Henri

(Encyclopedia)Dunant, Jean Henri zhäN äNrēˈ dünäNˈ [key], 1828–1910, Swiss philanthropist and founder of the International Red Cross, b. Geneva. In 1862 appeared his Un souvenir de Solférino (tr. The Orig...