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Merchants of the Staple

(Encyclopedia)Merchants of the Staple or Merchant Staplers, English trading company that controlled the export of English raw wool. The first wool staple (i.e., a place designated by royal ordinance as a special ce...

Ozarks, Lake of the

(Encyclopedia)Ozarks, Lake of the, artificial lake, 93 sq mi (241 sq km), c.130 mi (210 km) long, central Mo., largest reservoir in the state; created by the impounding of the Osage River by Bagnell Dam. Its irregu...

Oratory, Congregation of the

(Encyclopedia)Oratory, Congregation of the [Lat. abbr., Cong. Orat.], in the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1575, an association of secular priests organized into independent communities according to the rule wr...

Master of the Housebook

(Encyclopedia)Master of the Housebook (Meister des Hausbuchs), fl. 1475–1500, German graphic artist. The master is named for a series of vigorous and sophisticated drawings of everyday life found in the Hausbuch ...

Marne, battle of the

(Encyclopedia)Marne, battle of the, two important battles of World War I that are named for the Marne River. In the first battle (Sept. 6–9, 1914) the German advance on Paris was halted at the Marne by the Allies...

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