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Houston, University of

(Encyclopedia)Houston, University of, at Houston, Tex.; coeducational; est. 1927 as a junior college, became a four-year institution in 1934, became a state-supported university in 1963. Campuses at Clear Lake, Vic...

Pandharpur

(Encyclopedia)Pandharpur pŭnˈdərpo͝or [key], town (1991 pop. 79,902), Maharashtra state, W India, on the Bhima River. Many Hindu pilgrims attend the festivals held four times a year at the temple of Vishnu. ...

Barton, Sir Edmund

(Encyclopedia)Barton, Sir Edmund, 1849–1920, Australian jurist and statesman. He was a leader in the movement for Australian federation, and became the first prime minister of the Commonwealth of Australia in 190...

Fossett, Steve

(Encyclopedia)Fossett, Steve (James Stephen Fossett), 1944–2007, American investment banker and adventurer, b. California. After becoming a multimillionaire as a stockbroker and investment consultant, he began a ...

herbaceous plant

(Encyclopedia)herbaceous plant hûrbāˈshəs [key], plant whose stem is soft and green and shows little growth of wood. The term is used to distinguish such plants from woody plants. Herbaceous plants, or herbs, a...

Johnson, Uwe

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, Uwe üˈvā yônˈzôn [key], 1934–84, German novelist. Johnson's works explore the complex effects on the average German of the postwar division of their nation, both halves of which he se...

Mira

(Encyclopedia)Mira mīˈrə [key], [Lat.,=marvelous], variable star in the constellation Cetus; Bayer designation Omicron Ceti; 1992 position R.A. 2h19.0m, Dec. −3°05′. The most famous long-period variable, Mi...

Kramnik, Vladimir

(Encyclopedia)Kramnik, Vladimir, 1975–, Russian chess player, b. Tuapse. Kramnik started to play chess at the age of four, and at eleven began studying with both Mikhail Botvinnik and Garry Kasparov. Deeply verse...

Peace Corps

(Encyclopedia)Peace Corps, agency of the U.S. government, whose purpose is to assist underdeveloped countries in meeting their needs for trained manpower. The Peace Corps was established in 1961 by executive order ...

Robinson, Frank

(Encyclopedia)Robinson, Frank, 1935–2019, American baseball player and manager, b. Beaumont, Tex. Entering major-league baseball as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds, Robinson was named the National League's ...