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Prabhakaran, Velupillai

(Encyclopedia)Prabhakaran, Velupillai vĕˈlo͞opĭl-lī präbhäˈkärän [key], 1954–2009, Tamil nationalist guerrilla leader in Sri Lanka. Involved as a youth in protests against discrimination against Sri Lan...

Porter, Fitz-John

(Encyclopedia)Porter, Fitz-John, 1822–1901, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Portsmouth, N.H.; nephew of David Porter. He saw service in the Mexican War and was an instructor at West Point (1849–55)....

Brasidas

(Encyclopedia)Brasidas brăˈsĭdəs [key], d. 422 b.c., Spartan general in the Peloponnesian War. In 424 b.c. he saved Mégara from Athenian attack, and then conducted an able campaign in Thrace, capturing Amphipo...

Vivekananda

(Encyclopedia)Vivekananda vēˌvəkənŭnˈdə [key], 1863–1902, Hindu mystic, major exponent of Vedanta philosophy. He was born of a well-to-do family in Calcutta (now Kolkata), and his given name was Narendra N...

Caulaincourt, Armand Augustin Louis, marquis de

(Encyclopedia)Caulaincourt, Armand Augustin Louis, marquis de ärmäNˈ ōgüstăNˈ lwē märkēˈ də kōlăNko͞orˈ [key], b. 1772 or 1773, d. 1827, French diplomat and general, created duke of Vicenza by Napol...

Suffren de Saint-Tropez, Pierre André de

(Encyclopedia)Suffren de Saint-Tropez, Pierre André de pyĕr äNdrāˈ də süfrĕnˈ də săN-trôpāˈ [key], 1726–88, French admiral. He participated in naval warfare in the War of the Austrian Succession and...

Szydło, Beata Maria

(Encyclopedia)Szydło, Beata Maria, 1963–, Polish political leader, grad. Jagiellonian Univ., 1989. A member of the conservative Law and Justice party, she was first elected to the Sejm, Poland's lower house of p...

Wilders, Geert

(Encyclopedia)Wilders, Geert, 1963–, Dutch politician. known for his far-right and anti-immigration views. A member of People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 1989, he was elected to the municipal cou...

Wethersfield

(Encyclopedia)Wethersfield wĕᵺˈərzfēld [key], town (1990 pop. 25,651), Hartford co., central Conn., on the Connecticut River, adjoining Hartford on the north; settled 1634 by colonists from Watertown, Mass.; ...

Safire, William L.

(Encyclopedia)Safire, William L. săfˈīrˌ [key], 1929–2009, American journalist and speechwriter, b. New York City as William Safir. A former reporter and public-relations executive, he became a speechwriter (...