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Richard Yates
Richard Yates 1815-73, American political leader, b. Warsaw, Ky. He studied law and became a lawyer and Whig politician in Jacksonville, Ill. A state legislator (1842-46, 1848-50) and U.S. Congressman (1851-55), he failed to win reelection because of his adherence to the new Republican party. As go...
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Tallapoosa
Tallapoosa river, 268 mi (431 km) long, rising in NW Ga. and flowing SW through E Ala.; joins the Coosa River near Montgomery, Ala., to form the Alabama River. Martin, Thurlow, and Yates dams provide hydroelectric power, flood control, and recreation. Martin Dam impounds Lake Martin, with an area o...
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Armageddon
Armageddon , in the New Testament, great battlefield where, at the end of the world, the powers of evil will fight the powers of good. If the usual etymology is correct, the name alludes to the frequency of battles at Megiddo .
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Robert Fludd
Robert Fludd 1574-1637, English mystic philosopher. Educated at Oxford and on the Continent, he became a London physician. Strongly influenced by the mystical doctrines of Paracelsus , he attempted to reconcile these speculations with the new science of the 17th cent. From his study of Paracelsus ...
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Franz Grillparzer
Franz Grillparzer , 1791-1872, Austrian dramatist. His work combines German classicism and exuberant lyricism. Considered Austria's greatest playwright, he wrote Der Traum: ein Leben (1817-34, tr. A Dream is Life, 1946), which influenced Hauptmann and Maeterlinck; a trilogy, Das goldene Vliess ...
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Bridewell
Bridewell , area in London, England, between Fleet St. and the Thames River. The Bridewell house of correction, demolished in 1863, was on the site of a palace built under Henry VIII and given by Edward VI to the City of London in 1553 for use as a training school for homeless apprentices. The build...
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servomechanism
servomechanism automatic device for the control of a large power output by means of a small power input or for maintaining correct operating conditions in a mechanism. It is a type of feedback control system. The constant speed control system of a DC motor is a servomechanism that monitors any va...
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nearsightedness
nearsightedness or myopia, defect of vision in which far objects appear blurred but near objects are seen clearly. Because the eyeball is too long or the refractive power of the eye's lens is too strong, the image is focused in front of the retina rather than upon it. Corrective eyeglasses wi...
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astigmatism
astigmatism , type of faulty vision caused by a nonuniform curvature in the refractive surfaces—usually the cornea, less frequently the lens—of the eye. As a result, light rays do not all come to a single focal point on the retina. Instead, some focus on the retina while others focus in ...
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harelip
harelip congenital abnormality in which there is a cleft or split in the upper lip. There may be a single opening in the middle portion of the lip or an opening on each side. The condition frequently occurs along with a cleft palate , an opening in the roof of the mouth. Harelip is usually correct...
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