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Juan de Fuca Strait

(Encyclopedia)Juan de Fuca Strait wän də fyo͞oˈkə [key], inlet of the Pacific Ocean, 100 mi (161 km) long and 11 to 17 mi (18–27 km) wide, between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Washington state, li...

Beth-shemesh

(Encyclopedia)Beth-shemesh bĕth-shēˈmĕsh [key], in the Bible. 1 The Egyptian Heliopolis. 2 Town of ancient Palestine, the modern Tel Bet Shemesh (Israel), W of Jerusalem. Excavations there have revealed traces ...

Sainte-Beuve, Charles Augustin

(Encyclopedia)Sainte-Beuve, Charles Augustin shärl ōgüstăNˈ săNt-böv [key], 1804–69, French literary historian and critic. The first major professional literary critic, he developed the art of appreciating...

Couve de Murville, Maurice

(Encyclopedia)Couve de Murville, Maurice mōrēsˈ ko͞ov də mürvēlˈ [key], 1907–99, French politician and diplomat. After World War II he served as ambassador to Egypt, the United States, and West Germany. A...

Biel

(Encyclopedia)Biel byĕn [key], city (1990 est. pop. 52,020), Bern canton, NW Switzerland, at the northeast end of the Lake of Biel. A watchmaking center, Biel also manufactures chains and machinery. There is a 16t...

Naples, city, Italy

(Encyclopedia)Naples, Ital. Napoli, city (1991 pop. 1,067,365), capital of Campania and of Naples prov., S central Italy, on the Bay of Naples, an arm of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is a major seaport, with shipyards, a...

Morny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Morny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de shärl ōgüstˈ lwē zhôzĕfˈ dük də môrnēˈ [key], 1811–65, French statesman; illegitimate son of Hortense de Beauharnais and the comte de Flahaut...

Bourdonnais, Louis de la

(Encyclopedia)Bourdonnais, Louis de la (Louis-Charles Mahé de la Bourdonnais), 1795–1840, French chess player, b. La Réunion. A pupil of Alexandre Deschappelles, he defeated his mentor in 1821 and from then unt...

Marie de' Medici

(Encyclopedia)Marie de' Medici mĕdˈĭchē [key], 1573–1642, queen of France, second wife of King Henry IV and daughter of Francesco de' Medici, grand duke of Tuscany. She was married to Henry in 1600. After his...

Velde, van de

(Encyclopedia)Velde, van de vän də vĕlˈdə [key], 17th-century Dutch family of artists. Jan van de Velde, 1593–1641, was a draftsman and engraver as well as a painter. His cousin Esaias van de Velde, c.1591�...