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Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis (Frederick Carlton Lewis), 1961-, American sprinter and jumper, b. Birmingham, Ala. A star in high school and at the Univ. of Houston, he became possibly the greatest track athlete of all time. After winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Helsinki in 1983, he went on at ...
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American
American river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus ) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of 1849. The American is a magnet ...
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Venus Williams
Venus Williams (Venus Ebone Starr Williams), 1980-, b. Lynwood, Calif., and Serena Williams, 1981-, b. Saginaw, Mich., African-American tennis players. Coached by their father, Richard, both sisters turned professional early, but neither played regularly until the late 1990s, when they began to...
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Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson
Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson 1853-1937, English actor-manager. He was trained by Samuel Phelps, made his first appearance in 1874, and thereafter performed with the Bancrofts (1878), John Hare, and Henry Irving (1882). His portrayal of Hamlet was said to be the greatest of his time. In 1900 he mar...
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Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton 1850-1931, Scottish merchant and yachting enthusiast. After spending several years in the United States he returned (1869) to his native Glasgow and opened a small grocery store. A pioneer in the art of publicity, he rapidly expanded his business and was a millionaire at...
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Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz
American swimmer Mark Spitz (born 1950) is considered to have been the fastest swimmer in history. For six years, beginning in 1966, he dominated the sport, winning a world record seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, West Germany. This was the most gold medals won by ...
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John Hardin
John Hardin 1753-92, Native American fighter, b. Fauquier co., Va. He served in Lord Dunmore's War (1774) and was a noted member of Daniel Morgan 's riflemen during the Revolution. His services at Saratoga were particularly noteworthy. He moved to Washington co., Ky., in 1786 and afterward took pa...
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Walter Perry Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson 1887-1946, American baseball player, b. Humboldt, Kans. He began playing with the Washington Senators of the American League in 1907. A right-handed pitcher, he won 417 games while losing 279 before he retired from active play in 1927. He is still second in career wins and hold...
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American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters honorary academy of notable American artists, writers, and composers. The National Institute of Arts and Letters, founded in 1898, served as the parent body for the American Academy of Arts and Letters, founded in 1904, until the two were amalgamat...
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Andre Kirk Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi , 1970-, American tennis player, b. Las Vegas, Nev. Trained by his Armenian immigrant father, he turned professional in 1986. By 1988 he had won a half dozen major tournaments, but until 1992 at Wimbledon had not won a "grand slam" event, and had acquired a reputation for faili...
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