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Oakley, Annie

(Encyclopedia)Oakley, Annie, 1860–1926, American theatrical performer, b. Darke co., Ohio. Her original name was Phoebe Anne Oakley Mozee. From childhood on she was a “dead shot” with a rifle. She defeated in...

Kennedy, Nigel

(Encyclopedia)Kennedy, Nigel, 1956–, British violinist. He studied with Dorothy DeLay at Juilliard and debuted as a soloist with the London Philharmonic in 1977. Adept at the classical repertoire, he developed an...

McCracken, James Eugene

(Encyclopedia)McCracken, James Eugene, 1926–88, American dramatic tenor, b. Gary, Ind. He was noted for his robust voice, his intense singing style, and his prominent vibrato. McCracken made his debut (1952) at t...

Mayer, Louis Burt

(Encyclopedia)Mayer, Louis Burt, 1885–1957, American movie producer, b. Russia. Mayer began (1907) as the operator of a theater in Haverhill, Mass., gradually gaining control of all the theaters in the city. In 1...

Killebrew, Harmon Clayton

(Encyclopedia)Killebrew, Harmon Clayton, 1936–2011, American baseball player, b. Payette, Idaho. A soft-spoken slugger nicknamed “Killer,” he played in the American League, beginning (1954) with the Washingto...

Anderson, Dame Judith

(Encyclopedia)Anderson, Dame Judith, 1898–1992, British actress, b. Adelaide, S. Australia, originally named Frances Margaret Anderson. She made her debut in Sydney in 1915 and by 1924 had become celebrated for h...

Eridanus

(Encyclopedia)Eridanus ĭrĭdˈənəs [key], large southern constellation stretching SW from Orion for about 60°. Because of its long, winding shape it was identified with a river by many ancient civilizations; e....

hour circle

(Encyclopedia)hour circle, in astronomy, a secondary axis in the equatorial coordinate system. The hour circle of a celestial body is the great circle on the celestial sphere that passes through both the body and t...

diurnal circle

(Encyclopedia)diurnal circle dīûrˈnəl [key], apparent path followed by a star due to the earth's rotation on its axis. The stars appear to move on the celestial sphere in concentric circular paths centered at t...

Nurmi, Paavo

(Encyclopedia)Nurmi, Paavo päˈvō no͝orˈmē [key], 1897–1973, Finnish track star. Between 1920 and 1932 he set 20 world running records and won nine Olympic gold medals. His Olympic victories included the 10,...