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Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of, 1694–1773, English statesman and author. A noted wit and orator, his long public career, begun in 1715, included an ambassadorship to The Hague (17...

Evans, John

(Encyclopedia)Evans, John, 1814–97, American founder of educational institutions, b. Waynesville, Ohio, grad. Lynn Medical College, Cincinnati, 1838. He practiced medicine in Indiana and was the first superintend...

Ames, Nathaniel

(Encyclopedia)Ames, Nathaniel, 1708–64, American almanac maker, b. Bridgewater, Mass. His Astronomical Diary and Almanack, begun in 1725 and issued annually after c.1732 from Dedham, Mass., was highly popular and...

Quercia, Jacopo della

(Encyclopedia)Quercia, Jacopo della yäˈkōpō dĕlˈlä kwĕrˈchä [key], c.1374–1438, Italian sculptor. His work shows the transition from medieval to Renaissance art. He is especially noted for his imposing ...

Wilson, August

(Encyclopedia)Wilson, August, 1945–2005, American playwright and poet, b. Pittsburgh as Frederick August Kittel, Jr. Largely self-educated, Wilson first attracted wide critical attention with his Broadway debut, ...

Wenders, Wim

(Encyclopedia)Wenders, Wim, 1945–, German filmmaker, b. Düsseldorf. During the late 1960s he attended film school and worked as a film critic in Munich. Wenders first attracted attention with The Goalie's Anxiet...

Eccles, Sir John Carew

(Encyclopedia)Eccles, Sir John Carew kârˈē, ĕkˈəlz [key], 1903–97, Australian neurophysiologist. He was educated at the Univ. of Melbourne and at Magdalene College, Oxford. He was director (1937–44) of th...

Milne, A. A.

(Encyclopedia)Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander Milne) mĭln, mĭl [key], 1882–1956, English author. Milne began his literary career as a journalist and later became a regular contributor to Punch. He is best known fo...

Kantrowitz, Adrian

(Encyclopedia)Kantrowitz, Adrian kănˈtrəwĭtsˌ [key], 1918–2008, American surgeon, b. New York City, grad. New York Univ. (1940). The son of a physician, Kantrowitz received his M.D. from the Long Island Coll...

Turing machine

(Encyclopedia)Turing machine, a mathematical model of a device that computes via a series of discrete steps and is not limited in use by a fixed maximum amount of data storage. Introduced by the British mathematici...