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Orrery, Charles Boyle, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Orrery, Charles Boyle, 4th earl of ŏrˈərē [key], 1676–1731, English nobleman; grandson of the 1st earl of Orrery. He succeeded his brother as earl in 1703. A supporter of Sir William Temple in h...

Malenkov, Georgi Maksimilianovich

(Encyclopedia)Malenkov, Georgi Maksimilianovich gāôrˈgē mäksĭmĭlyäˈnəvĭch məlyĭnkôfˈ [key], 1902–88, Soviet Communist leader. He rose to prominence through the party secretariat and was a trusted a...

Magadha

(Encyclopedia)Magadha mŭˈgädə [key], ancient Indian kingdom, situated within the area of the modern states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Its capital was Pataliputra (now Patna). The kingdom rose to prominence in the ...

Lichtenstein, Roy

(Encyclopedia)Lichtenstein, Roy lĭkˈtənstīnˌ [key], 1923–97, American painter, b. New York City. A master of pop art, Lichtenstein derived his subject matter from popular sources such as comic strips, the im...

L'Aquila

(Encyclopedia)L'Aquila or L'Aquila degli Abruzzi läˈkwēlä dāˈlyē äbro͞otˈtsē [key], city (1991 pop. 66,813), capital of L'Aquila prov. and of Abruzzi, central Italy, on the Pescara River. It is an agricu...

Linh, Nguyen Van

(Encyclopedia)Linh, Nguyen Van nəwēˈĕn vän lĭn [key], 1915–98, Vietnamese political leader, b. near Hanoi as Nguyen Van Cuc. As a young man he was active in organizing Vietnam's Communist party and was twic...

Lancaster, Burt

(Encyclopedia)Lancaster, Burt (Burton Stephen Lancaster), 1913–94, American film actor, b. New York City. A superb athlete, he began his career as an acrobat. Best known for his roles as a cerebral tough guy, he ...

Lafontaine, Oskar

(Encyclopedia)Lafontaine, Oskar, 1943–, German politician. He rose through the Social Democrat Party (SPD) and electoral ranks in the Saar, becoming SPD regional chairman in 1977 and premier of the Saar in 1985. ...

Buchanan, Franklin

(Encyclopedia)Buchanan, Franklin byo͞okăˈnən [key], 1800–1874, American naval officer, b. Baltimore. Appointed a midshipman in 1815, Buchanan rose to be a commander in 1841. He was chief adviser to Secretary ...

Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth

(Encyclopedia)Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth ālēzäbĕtˈ vēzhāˈ-ləbröNˈ [key], 1755–1842, French portrait painter; pupil of her father, the painter Louis Vigée. She was influenced by Greuze. Summoned to Vers...