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Cunningham, Merce

(Encyclopedia)Cunningham, Merce (Mercier Philip Cunningham), 1919–2009, American modern dancer and choreographer, b. Centralia, Wash. Cunningham studied modern dance with Martha Graham and ballet at Balanchine's ...

Gorges, Sir Ferdinando

(Encyclopedia)Gorges, Sir Ferdinando gôrˈjĭz [key], c.1566–1647, English colonizer, proprietor of Maine. He was knighted (1591) for his services to Henry IV of France in the French Wars of Religion and was sub...

Dyer, Eliphalet

(Encyclopedia)Dyer, Eliphalet əlĭfˈəlĭtˌ [key], 1721–1807, American jurist, b. Windham, Conn. After serving in the state legislature for several years, Dyer took part in the French and Indian Wars and later...

Gray, Elisha

(Encyclopedia)Gray, Elisha, 1835–1901, American inventor, b. Barnesville, Ohio. He patented many electrical devices, most of them having to do with the telegraph. His telautograph (1888) for transmitting handwrit...

Andreas, Dwayne Orville

(Encyclopedia)Andreas, Dwayne Orville, 1918–2016, American business executive, b. Worthington, Minn. He worked in the family soybean-processing business, becoming a Cargill vice president when it bought (1945) co...

Julian, Percy Lavon

(Encyclopedia)Julian, Percy Lavon, 1899–1975, African-American chemist, inventor, and businessman, b. Montgomery, Ala., grad. DePauw Univ. (A.B., 1920), Harvard (M.A., 1923), and the Univ. of Vienna (Ph.D., 1931)...

New York, New Haven, and Hartford RR

(Encyclopedia)New York, New Haven, and Hartford RR, commonly called the New Haven RR; inc. 1872. Between 1872 and 1920, when dozens of small railroads were completed under the direction of financier John P. Morgan ...

Nikolais, Alwin

(Encyclopedia)Nikolais, Alwin nĭkˌəlīˈ [key], 1910–93, American dancer and choreographer, b. Southington, Conn. Nikolais became director of his own dance company in New York City in 1949. He made ingenious u...

Kellogg, John Harvey

(Encyclopedia)Kellogg, John Harvey, 1852–1943, American physician, health-food advocate, and breakfast cereal developer, b. Tyrone, N.Y., grad. New York Univ. (M.D., 1875) and continued his medical studies in Eur...

Lamont, Thomas William

(Encyclopedia)Lamont, Thomas William ləmŏntˈ [key], 1870–1948, American banker, b. Claverack, N.Y., grad. Harvard, 1892. Lamont entered (1903) the banking business in New York City and by 1911 was a partner of...