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loon

(Encyclopedia) loon, common name for migratory aquatic birds found in fresh- and saltwater in the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Its strange, laughing call carries for great distances. Like…

Lynch, John Roy

(Encyclopedia) Lynch, John Roy, 1847–1939, African-American politician, b. near Vidala, La. Born a slave, he became active in the Republican party after the Civil War in Natchez, Miss., and served (…

Common Cause

(Encyclopedia) Common Cause, U.S. organization that seeks a “reordering of national priorities and revitalization of the public process to make our political and governmental institutions more…

curlew

(Encyclopedia) curlewcurlewkûrˈl&oomacr; [key], common name for large shore birds of both hemispheres, generally brown and buff in color and with decurved bills. There are eight species,…

Dukakis, Michael Stanley

(Encyclopedia) Dukakis, Michael StanleyDukakis, Michael Stanleyd&oomacr;käkˈĭs [key], 1933–, American political leader, b. Brookline, Mass. He was a Democratic member of the Massachusetts house…

Caroline of Brunswick

(Encyclopedia) Caroline of Brunswick, 1768–1821, consort of George IV of England. The daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, duke of Brunswick, she married George (then prince of Wales) in 1795. She…

Bland-Allison Act

(Encyclopedia) Bland-Allison Act, 1878, passed by the U.S. Congress to provide for freer coinage of silver. The original bill offered by Representative Richard P. Bland incorporated the demands of…

Warren, Mercy Otis

(Encyclopedia) Warren, Mercy Otis, 1728–1814, American writer, b. Barnstable, Mass.; sister of James Otis and wife of James Warren, who was speaker of the Massachusetts house of representatives. An…

counterfeiting

(Encyclopedia) counterfeiting, manufacturing spurious coins, paper money, or evidences of governmental obligation (e.g., bonds) in the semblance of the true. There must be sufficient resemblance to…

social welfare

(Encyclopedia) social welfare or public charity, organized provision of educational, cultural, medical, and financial assistance to the needy. Modern social welfare measures may include any of the…