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Literary Allusions

Boswell: James Boswell (1740–95) is best known for his 1791 book The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., considered by many to be the greatest English-language biography ever written. His name is…

Brewer's: Yacu-mama

[mother of waters]. A fabulous sea-snake, fifty paces long and twelve yards in girth, said to lurk in the lagunes of South America, and in the river Amazon. This monster draws into its…

Elliot, Mama Cass

(Ellen Naomi Cohen) singerBirthplace: BaltimoreBorn: 1941Died: 1974

Preserving Civil Liberties

by Eleanor Roosevelt Address To The members of the American Civil Liberties Union Ladies and Gentlemen: I am glad you gave an award to the press tonight, because that gave them the…

Gibson, Althea

(Encyclopedia) Gibson, AltheaGibson, Altheaălthēˈə [key], 1927–2003, African-American tennis player, b. Silver, S.C. In 1948 she won the first of 10 straight national black women's singles…

James, Etta

(Encyclopedia) James, Etta, 1938–2012, American singer, b. Los Angeles as Jamesetta Hawkins. She began singing in church and had her first hit record, “Roll with Me, Henry” (or “The Wallflower”), at…

Van Druten, John William

(Encyclopedia) Van Druten, John WilliamVan Druten, John Williamvăn dr&oomacr;ˈtən [key], 1901–57, English dramatist. His best-known plays, primarily light comedies, include Old Acquaintance (1940…

pronoun

(Encyclopedia) pronoun, in English, the part of speech used as a substitute for an antecedent noun that is clearly understood, and with which it agrees in person, number, and gender. In English the…

Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton

Willie Mae Thornton toured the south as a blues singer in the 1940s, then became a star in the 1960s when blues music experienced a popular revival. She is also remembered for her hit, "Hound Dog"…