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Morricone, Ennio

(Encyclopedia)Morricone, Ennio, 1928–2020, Italian composer. Most famous for his film scores for 1960s spaghetti westerns, he also composed for comedies, historical dramas, and thrillers. Combining music with hau...

Hendrix, Jimi

(Encyclopedia)Hendrix, Jimi (James Marshall Hendrix), 1942–70, African-American rock guitarist, b. Seattle, Wash. Hendrix, in his short musical career, was known for an innovative and extremely influential guitar...

Harnett, William Michael

(Encyclopedia)Harnett, William Michael härˈnət [key], 1848–92, American painter, b. Ireland. He emigrated to Philadelphia as a child; he first learned engraving and then studied painting at the Pennsylvania Ac...

Houdin, Jean Eugène Robert

(Encyclopedia)Houdin, Jean Eugène Robert or Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin zhäN özhĕnˈ rōbĕrˈ o͞odăNˈ [key], 1805–71, French conjurer and magician. Originally a clockmaker, he was celebrated for his optica...

Alexis, Russian czarevich

(Encyclopedia)Alexis (Aleksey Petrovich) əlyĭksyāˈ pētrôˈvĭch [key], 1690–1718, Russian czarevich; son of Peter I (Peter the Great) by his first wife, and father of Peter II. Opposing his father's anticle...

cymbals

(Encyclopedia)cymbals sĭmˈbəlz [key], percussion instruments of ancient Asian origin. They consist of a pair of slightly concave metal plates which produce a vibrant sound of indeterminate pitch. Known in Europe...

pilocarpine

(Encyclopedia)pilocarpine pīlōkärˈpēn [key], naturally occurring alkaloid obtained from plants of the genus Pilocarpus (family Rutaceae). By mimicking the effects of acetylcholine, pilocarpine acts as a stimul...

Sims, Christopher Albert

(Encyclopedia)Sims, Christopher Albert, 1942–, American economist, b. Washington, D.C., Ph.D. Harvard (1968). Sims has taught at Harvard (1967–70), the Univ. of Minnesota (1970–90), Yale (1990–99), and Prin...

Lipetsk

(Encyclopedia)Lipetsk lyēˈpyĭtsk [key], city (1989 pop. 450,000), capital of Lipetsk region, E central European Russia, on the Voronezh River. It is the center of an iron-ore-mining area. Industrial products inc...

Legault, François

(Encyclopedia)Legault, François, 1957–, Canadian business executive and politician. An accountant by training, he cofounded and led the budget airline Air Transat (1986–97). As a member of the separatist Parti...