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Anson, Sir William Reynell

(Encyclopedia)Anson, Sir William Reynell rānĕlˈ [key], 1843–1914, English jurist. He was a founder of the school of law at the Univ. of Oxford. From 1899 to his death he sat in Parliament as a member for Oxfor...

Gage, Lyman Judson

(Encyclopedia)Gage, Lyman Judson, 1836–1927, American banker and cabinet member, b. Madison co., N.Y. He moved to Chicago in 1855 and from 1868 was associated with the First National Bank of Chicago, of which he ...

Roget, Peter Mark

(Encyclopedia)Roget, Peter Mark rōzhāˈ [key], 1779–1869, English physician and lexicographer. For 50 years while he practiced medicine and was secretary of the Royal Society (1827–49), Roget prepared his The...

prime meridian

(Encyclopedia)prime meridian, meridian that is designated zero degree (0°) longitude, from which all other longitudes are measured. By international convention, it passes through the site of the Royal Observatory ...

Priscian

(Encyclopedia)Priscian (Priscianus Caesariensis) prĭshˈən [key], fl. 500, Latin grammarian, b. Caesarea in Mauretania. Priscian taught grammar at Constantinople. His Commentarii grammatici, in 18 books, was long...

Roscoe, Sir Henry Enfield

(Encyclopedia)Roscoe, Sir Henry Enfield rŏsˈkō [key], 1833–1915, English chemist. He was professor (1857–87) at Owens College, Manchester. He is known for his work, with R. W. Bunsen, in photochemistry and f...

recoilless rifle

(Encyclopedia)recoilless rifle, light artillery piece, without recoil, usually operated by two men. An American invention, it was used as an infantry weapon for attacking fortifications such as pillboxes and bunker...

Villani, Giovanni

(Encyclopedia)Villani, Giovanni jōvänˈnē vēl-läˈnē [key], c.1275–1348, Italian historian of Florence. As a Florentine government functionary, he participated in some of the events he narrates. His 12-volu...

Bortniansky, Dmitri Stepanovich

(Encyclopedia)Bortniansky, Dmitri Stepanovich dəmēˈtrē styĭpäˈnəvĭch bûrtnyänˈskē [key], 1751–1825, Russian composer, studied with Galuppi in St. Petersburg and Venice. After producing two operas in ...

Tagalog

(Encyclopedia)Tagalog tägälˈ [key], dominant people of Luzon, the Philippines, and the second largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines. They number about 16 million. Most of the population is Christian. ...