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Jeffries, James J.

(Encyclopedia)Jeffries, James J., 1875–1953, American boxer, b. Carroll, Fairfield co., Ohio. He began boxing in 1896, and in 1899 he won the heavyweight championship from Robert Fitzsimmons at Coney Island in Ne...

Delaware Prophet

(Encyclopedia)Delaware Prophet dĕlˈəwâr, –wər [key], fl. 18th cent., Native American leader. His real name is not known. He began preaching (c.1762) among the Delaware of the Muskingum valley in Ohio. He spo...

Erving, Julius

(Encyclopedia)Erving, Julius ûrˈvĭng [key], 1950–, American basketball player, b. Roosevelt, N.J., known as “Dr. J.” An excellent shooter, rebounder, and ball-handler, he played for the American Basketball...

Magi

(Encyclopedia)Magi māˈjī [key], priestly caste of ancient Persia. Probably Median in origin, they were, according to Herodotus, a tribe rather than a priestly family. Zoroaster is thought to have been a Magus. S...

lycanthropy

(Encyclopedia)lycanthropy līkănˈthrəpē [key], in folklore, assumption by a human of the appearance and characteristics of an animal. Ancient belief in lycanthropy was widespread, and it still exists in parts o...

Tungus

(Encyclopedia)Tungus to͝onko͝ozˈ [key], Siberian ethnic group, numbering perhaps 30,000. They are subdivided into the Evenki, who live in the area from the Yenisei and Ob river basins to the Pacific Ocean and fr...

Randi, James

(Encyclopedia)Randi, James (Randall James Hamilton Zwinge), 1928–2020, Canadian-American illusionist and psychic investigator, b. Toronto. Performing as “The Amazing Randi,” he was a conjurer and escape artis...

Priscillian

(Encyclopedia)Priscillian prĭsĭlˈyən [key], d. 385?, Spanish churchman, bishop of Ávila. His appointment to the bishopric was protested by orthodox leaders, who had condemned his former activities as a lay pre...

Rivers, William Halse Rivers

(Encyclopedia)Rivers, William Halse Rivers, 1864–1922, British anthropologist. He taught at Cambridge from 1893 until shortly before his death. Trained in medicine and psychology, he pioneered in the experimental...

Peters, Roberta

(Encyclopedia)Peters, Roberta, 1930–2017, American coloratura soprano, b. New York City as Roberta Peterman. Discovered by Jan Peerce, she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in 1950. Scheduled to debut as the ...