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Cretan bull

(Encyclopedia)Cretan bull, in Greek mythology, giant bull that Hercules captured as his seventh labor. Some versions of the legend state that this bull was the same one that carried Europa to Crete; others claim th...

Mill, John Stuart

(Encyclopedia)Mill, John Stuart, 1806–73, British philosopher and economist. A precocious child, he was educated privately by his father, James Mill. In 1823, abandoning the study of law, he became a clerk in the...

Engels, Friedrich

(Encyclopedia)Engels, Friedrich frēˈdrĭkh ĕngˈəls [key], 1820–95, German socialist; with Karl Marx, one of the founders of modern Communism (see communism). The son of a wealthy Rhenish textile manufacturer...

Maachah, persons in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Maachah or Maacah both: māˈəkə [key], in the Bible. 1 Absalom's mother. 2 See Maoch. 3 Idolatrous wife of Rehoboam. She was Absalom's daughter and mother of Abijah. 4 Caleb's concubine. 5 Wife of ...

Mosconi, Willie

(Encyclopedia)Mosconi, Willie (William Joseph Mosconi) mŏskōˈnē [key], 1913–93, U.S. professional billiard player, b. Philadelphia. After a brief period as a child prodigy he did not take up the game again un...

Head, Bessie

(Encyclopedia)Head, Bessie, 1937–86, South African writer. Born in South Africa to a white mother and black father, she was placed in foster homes and orphanages as a child. After 1964, she lived in exile in Bots...

Hadassah, organization

(Encyclopedia)Hadassah, women's Zionist organization of the United States founded (1912) by Henrietta Szold. It has done important work in Israel in medical service, child welfare, and aid to refugees. Hadassah pro...

Philip VI, king of Spain

(Encyclopedia)Philip VI, 1968–, king of Spain (2014–). The only son and youngest child of Juan Carlos I, he was created prince of Asturias in 1977. As heir apparent, he traveled widely as a representative of Sp...

sampler

(Encyclopedia)sampler, sample piece of needlework or embroidery, of silk, cotton, or worsted, for the preservation of some pattern or as an example of the ability of a child or a beginner. In museums and private co...

Aëdon

(Encyclopedia)Aëdon āēˈdən [key], in Greek legend, the wife of Zethus, king of Thebes. She had only one son, while her sister-in-law, Niobe, had many. Her jealousy increased until, in trying to murder Niobe's ...