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Fort McHenry

(Encyclopedia)Fort McHenry, former U.S. military post in Baltimore harbor; built 1794–1805. In the War of 1812 it was bombarded (Sept. 13–14, 1814) by a British fleet under Sir Alexander Cochrane, but the fort,...

absinthe

(Encyclopedia)absinthe ăbˈsĭnth [key], an emerald-green liqueur distilled from wormwood and other aromatics, including angelica root, sweet-flag root, star anise, and dittany, which have been macerated and steep...

Crawford, Joan

(Encyclopedia)Crawford, Joan, 1908–77, American movie star, b. San Antonio, Tex., as Lucille Le Sueur. After working as a Broadway chorus dancer, Crawford began making films in 1926, eventually moving from musica...

Conte, Giuseppe

(Encyclopedia)Conte, Giuseppe, 1964–, Italian political leader, grad. Sapienza Univ. of Rome law school, 1988. A law professor at the Univ. ...

Robinson, Bill

(Encyclopedia)Robinson, Bill, 1878–1949, African-American tap dancer popularly known as “Bojangles,” b. Richmond, Va., as Luther Robinson. An influential virtuoso tap dancer, he was a tap innovator and repute...

Rodino, Peter Wallace, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Rodino, Peter Wallace, Jr. rōdēˈnō [key], 1909–2005, U.S. congressman, b. Newark, N.J., as Pellegrino Rodino, Jr.; grad. New Jersey Law School, 1937. Awarded the Bronze Star while serving (1941�...

Yastrzemski, Carl Michael

(Encyclopedia)Yastrzemski, Carl Michael, 1939–, American baseball player, b. Southampton, N.Y. A career-long member of the Boston Red Sox, “Yaz” was signed in 1959, brought up to the majors in 1961 (replacing...

Steinbrenner, George Michael, 3d

(Encyclopedia)Steinbrenner, George Michael, 3d, 1930–2010, American businessman, principal owner of the New York Yankees (1973–2010), b. Rocky River, Ohio, grad. Williams College (B.A., 1952). A wealthy shippin...

Brown, Harold

(Encyclopedia)Brown, Harold, 1927–2019, American nuclear physicist and government official, b. New York City, Ph.D. Columbia, 1949. He joined (1952) the staff of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Li...

brodiea

(Encyclopedia)brodiea or brodiaea both: brədēˈə [key], any plant of the genus Brodiaea, herbs of the family Liliaceae (lily family), with narrow leaves and blue or purple star-shaped flowers. The many North Ame...