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Vanloo

(Encyclopedia)Vanloo väNlōˈ, vänlōˈ [key], family of French painters of Dutch origin. Jacob or Jacques Vanloo, 1614–70, b. Holland, went to Paris in 1662, where he had great success as a portrait painter. H...

Hofmann, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Hofmann, Joseph, 1876–1957, Polish-American pianist, b. near Cracow; pupil of Anton Rubinstein. He toured Europe as a child prodigy, making his American debut in 1887 at the Metropolitan Opera House...

Mikkeli

(Encyclopedia)Mikkeli mĭkˈkĕlē [key], Swed. Sankt Michel, city (1996 pop. 32,797), capital of Eastern Finland prov., S central Finland. It is in the Saimaa lake region and is an important lake port, commercial ...

Alembert, Jean le Rond d'

(Encyclopedia)Alembert, Jean le Rond d' zhäN lərôNˈ däläNbĕrˈ [key], 1717–83, French mathematician and philosopher. The illegitimate son of the chevalier Destouches, he was named for the St. Jean le Rond ...

Adnan, Etel

(Encyclopedia) Adnan, Etel, 1925-2021, Lebanese-American author and artist, b. Beirut, Lebanon. Adnan studied at the Sorbonne and did postgraduate work at the Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, and Harvard, an...

Clodion

(Encyclopedia)Clodion klōd mēshĕlˈ [key], 1738–1814, French rococo sculptor. He executed several important commissions under Louis XVI but is best remembered for his bas-reliefs and small figure groups in bro...

Moïse, Jovenel

(Encyclopedia)Moïse, Jovenel, 1968–, Haitian business executive, president of Haiti (2017–). A successful banana exporter and a member of the Haitian Tèt Kale party, but a political novice, he was President M...

Poissy, Colloquy of

(Encyclopedia)Poissy, Colloquy of pwäsēˈ [key], 1561, conference of Roman Catholic prelates and Protestant ministers, initiated by Catherine de' Medici and Michel de L'Hôpital in the hope of bringing about a pe...

Avranches

(Encyclopedia)Avranches ävräNshˈ [key], town, Manche dept., NW France, in Normandy, on the English Channel. Because of its proximity to the rocky island of Mont-Saint-Michel, Avranch...

Nostradamus

(Encyclopedia)Nostradamus nŏsˌtrədāˈməs [key], 1503–66, French astrologer and physician, whose real name was Michel de Nostredame. He is reputed to have effected remarkable cures during outbreaks of the pla...