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ordeal

(Encyclopedia)ordeal, ancient legal custom whereby an accused person was required to perform a test, the outcome of which decided the person's guilt or innocence. By an ordeal, appeal was made to divine authority t...

Kadesh, ancient city of Syria

(Encyclopedia)Kadesh kāˈdĕsh [key], ancient city of Syria, on the Orontes River. There Ramses II fought (c.1300 b.c.) the Hittites in a great battle that ended in a truce. ...

Nero, Caius Claudius

(Encyclopedia)Nero, Caius Claudius, fl. 216–201 b.c., Roman general in the Second Punic War. He defeated Hasdrubal in the battle on the Metaurus (207 b.c.). ...

Stiklestad

(Encyclopedia)Stiklestad stĭˈkləstäˌ [key], village, Nord-Trøndelag co., central Norway, on the Trondheimsfjord. In a battle there in 1030, Olaf II (St. Olaf) was slain in an attempt to regain the crown of No...

Rothermel, Peter Frederick

(Encyclopedia)Rothermel, Peter Frederick rŏᵺˈərmĕl [key], 1817–95, American painter, b. Nescopeck, Pa., studied in Paris. His noted historical works include a colossal Battle of Gettysburg (Capitol building...

Campbell, Thomas, Scottish poet

(Encyclopedia)Campbell, Thomas, 1777–1844, Scottish poet. He is best known for his war poems “Hohenlinden,” “The Battle of the Baltic,” and “Ye Mariners of England.” Among his other volumes of poetry ...

Togo, Heihachiro

(Encyclopedia)Togo, Heihachiro hāˈhächĭrōˈ tōˈgō [key], 1846–1934, Japanese admiral, Japan's greatest naval hero. He studied naval science in England (1871–78), gained international recognition for his...

Sandwich, Edward Montagu, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Sandwich, Edward Montagu, 1st earl of mŏnˈtəgyo͞o [key], 1625–72, English admiral. He fought in the parliamentary army during the civil war, became (1653) a member of the council of state of the...

Hood, John Bell

(Encyclopedia)Hood, John Bell, 1831–79, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. Owingsville, Ky. He resigned from the army (Apr., 1861) and entered the Confederate service 1862. He fought in the Peninsu...

Burnside, Ambrose Everett

(Encyclopedia)Burnside, Ambrose Everett, 1824–81, Union general in the U.S. Civil War, b. Liberty, Ind. He saw brief service in the Mexican War and remained in the army until 1853, when he entered business in Rho...