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Davis, George Breckenridge

(Encyclopedia) Davis, George Breckenridge, 1847–1914, American army officer and jurist, b. Ware, Mass., grad. West Point, 1871. His early military service was divided between duty on the Western…

quipus

(Encyclopedia) quipus or khipuskhipuskēˈp&oomacr;z [key], groups of strings, knotted for tally, which were used by the Inca for keeping records and sending messages. The quipu, which is believed…

Rickenbacker, Edward Vernon

(Encyclopedia) Rickenbacker, Edward Vernon, 1890–1973, American war hero and airline executive, b. Columbus, Ohio. He became a car racing driver at 16 and set numerous speed records. In World War I…

Septuagint

(Encyclopedia) SeptuagintSeptuagintsĕpˈty&oomacr;əjĭnt [key] [Lat.,=70], oldest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible made by Hellenistic Jews, possibly from Alexandria, c.250 b.c. Legend…

Baez, Joan

(Encyclopedia) Baez, JoanBaez, Joanbīpstr;ĕz, bäˈ– [key], 1941–, American folk singer and political activist, b. New York City. Baez began singing traditional folk ballads, blues, and spirituals in…

Encke, Johann Franz

(Encyclopedia) Encke, Johann FranzEncke, Johann Franzyōˈhän fränts ĕngˈkə [key], 1791–1865, German astronomer. He was assistant (1816–22) and director (1822–25) of the observatory at Seeberg (near…

Crespi, Juan

(Encyclopedia) Crespi, JuanCrespi, Juanhwän [key]Crespi, Juan krāsˈpē [key], 1721–82, Spanish explorer in the Southwest, a Franciscan. He came to America in 1749, and in 1767 he went to the peninsula…

Chadwick, Florence May

(Encyclopedia) Chadwick, Florence May, 1918–95, American distance swimmer, b. San Diego, Calif. She began swimming at the age of six, and four years later she swam the San Diego Bay Channel, the…

Black Monday

(Encyclopedia) Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987, in U.S. history, day of financial panic. The Dow Jones Average fell 508.32 points, a drop of 22.6%, the largest since 1914. The point decline as well as…

Still, William

(Encyclopedia) Still, William, 1821–1902, American abolitionist, b. Burlington co., N.J. After he moved to Philadelphia (1844), he began working for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society (1847) and…