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William II, king of the Netherlands

(Encyclopedia)William II, 1792–1849, king of the Netherlands and grand duke of Luxembourg (1840–49), son and successor of William I. He served with Wellington in the Peninsular War, was wounded at Waterloo, and...

Tebaldi, Renata

(Encyclopedia)Tebaldi, Renata rānäˈtä tābälˈdē [key], 1922–2004, Italian lyric soprano. She received early musical training at home and at the Boito Conservatory, Parma. In 1944 she made her professional ...

Sunday, Billy

(Encyclopedia)Sunday, Billy (William Ashley Sunday), 1863–1935, American evangelist, b. Ames, Iowa, in the era around World War I. A professional baseball player (1883–90), he later worked for the Young Men's C...

Bichon Frise

(Encyclopedia)Bichon Frise bēshôNˈ frēs [key], breed of small dog developed in France after World War I. It stands from 8 to 12 in. (20–30 cm) high at the shoulder and has a profuse, silky coat that is loosel...

Carew, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Carew, Thomas, 1595?–1639?, English author, one of the Cavalier poets. Educated at Merton College, Oxford, he had a short diplomatic career on the Continent, then returned to England and became a fa...

Jarrett, Keith

(Encyclopedia) Jarrett, Keith , 1945- , American jazz pianist and composer, b. Allentown, Pa. A child prodigy on the piano, Jarrett was exposed to contemporary jazz d...

Shostakovich, Dmitri

(Encyclopedia)Shostakovich, Dmitri dyĭmēˈtrē shŏstŏkôˈvĭch [key], 1906–75, Russian composer, b. St. Petersburg. Shostakovich studied at the Leningrad Conservatory (1919–25). The early success of his Fi...

Malmédy

(Encyclopedia)Malmédy mälmādēˈ [key], commune (1991 pop. 10,291), Liège prov., E Belgium, near the German border. Economic mainstays are tourism and the manufacture of beer, paper, and tanning fluid. The town...

Lucius III

(Encyclopedia)Lucius III, d. 1185, pope (1181–85), a native of Lucca named Ubaldo Allucingoli; successor of Alexander III. He was a Cistercian with St. Bernard and was created a cardinal in 1141 by Innocent II. H...

Mansur, al-, d. 775, 2d Abbasid caliph

(Encyclopedia)Mansur, al- äl-mänso͝orˈ [key] [Arab.,=the victorious], d. 775, 2d Abbasid caliph (754–75) and founder of the city of Baghdad. His name was in full Abu Jafar abd-Allah al-Mansur. He was brother ...