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Mishna

(Encyclopedia)Mishna mĭshˈnə [key], in Judaism, codified collection of Oral Law—legal interpretations of portions of the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and other legal material. ...

Raamses

(Encyclopedia)Raamses rāămˈsēz [key], in the Bible, city of the eastern delta of Egypt, built by Hebrew slave labor. It was rebuilt by Ramses II. The Ramses in the books of Genesis and Numbers is the region of ...

Guadalupe Victoria

(Encyclopedia)Guadalupe Victoria gwäᵺälo͞oˈpā vēktōrˈyä [key], 1786?–1843, Mexican general, first president of Mexico (1824–29), whose original name was Manuel Félix Fernández. He joined (1811) the...

Versace, Gianni

(Encyclopedia)Versace, Gianni (Giovanni Maria Versace), 1946–97, Italian fashion designer, b. Reggio Calabria. A dressmaker's son, Versace worked for several Italian designers before opening (1978) his own Milan ...

Hayes, Roland

(Encyclopedia)Hayes, Roland, 1887–1976, American tenor, b. Curryville, Ga. The son of a former slave, Hayes studied at Fisk Univ. and with private teachers in Boston and in Europe. As one of the foremost interpre...

Benin, Bight of

(Encyclopedia)Benin, Bight of, northern arm of the Gulf of Guinea, c.550 mi (885 km) wide, W Africa, between Cape Three Points, S Ghana, and the Niger River delta, SW Nigeria. The bight was an important area for sl...

Benguela

(Encyclopedia)Benguela bĕngĕlˈə, bĕng– [key], city (1983 est. pop. 155,000), W Angola, on the Atlantic. It is a rail terminus, export point, and commercial, fishing, and adminstrative center. A fort was buil...

Bontemps, Arna

(Encyclopedia)Bontemps, Arna, 1902–73, African-American writer, b. Alexandria, La. He is best remembered as the author of the novel God Sends Sunday (1931), the basis of the play St. Louis Woman (1946); and of Bl...

Missouri Compromise

(Encyclopedia)Missouri Compromise, 1820–21, measures passed by the U.S. Congress to end the first of a series of crises concerning the extension of slavery. By 1818, Missouri Territory had gained sufficient popul...

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