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Crittenden Compromise
(Encyclopedia)Crittenden Compromise, in U.S. history, unsuccessful last-minute effort to avert the Civil War. It was proposed in Congress as a constitutional amendment in Dec., 1860, by Sen. John J. Crittenden of K...Hirohito
(Encyclopedia)Hirohito hērōˈhētō [key], 1901–89, emperor of Japan. He was made regent in 1921 and succeeded his father, Yoshihito (the Taishō emperor), in 1926. He married (1924) Princess Nagako Kuni (1903...Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(Encyclopedia)Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Calif. The original museum, the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, and Art, opened in 1913. Among its important patrons was William Randolph Hearst,...miracle
(Encyclopedia)miracle, preternatural occurrence that is viewed as the expression of a divine will. Its awe and wonder lie in the fact that the cause is hidden. The idea of the miracle occurs especially with the evo...ethnology
(Encyclopedia)ethnology ĕthnŏlˈəjē [key], scientific study of the origin and functioning of human cultures. It is usually considered one of the major branches of cultural anthropology, the other two being anth...women's clubs
(Encyclopedia)women's clubs, groups that offer social, recreational, and cultural activities for adult females. Particularly strong in the United States, they became an important part of American town and village l...suttee
(Encyclopedia)suttee sŭˌtēˈ, sŭˈtēˌ [key] [Skt. sati=faithful wife], former Indian funeral practice in which the widow immolated herself on her husband's funeral pyre. The practice of killing a favorite wif...sertão
(Encyclopedia)sertão sərˈtouN [key] [Port.,=backlands], semiarid hinterland of NE Brazil; c.250,000 sq mi (647,500 sq km). Its characteristic landscape is the caatinga, or thorny scrub forest. The chief occupati...Pérez Galdós, Benito
(Encyclopedia)Pérez Galdós, Benito bānēˈtō pāˈrĕth gäldōsˈ [key], 1843–1920, Spanish novelist and dramatist, b. Canary Islands. At 20 he went to Madrid, where he spent most of his adult life. For his ...Soissons
(Encyclopedia)Soissons swäsôNˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 32,144), Aisne dept., N France, on the Aisne River. It is an agricultural and industrial center. Soissons was an old Roman town and early episcopal see. Its ...Browse by Subject
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