Girolamo Cardano: …scientific and philosophical questions, especially De subtilitate rerum (“The Subtlety of Things”), a collection of physical experiments and inventions, interspersed with anecdotes.

Petrarch: Later years (1353–74) of Petrarch: …the critical attack from Venice, De sui ipsius et multorum ignorantia. He was still in great demand as a diplomat; in 1370 he was called to Rome by Urban V, and he set off eager to see the fulfillment of his great dream of a new Roman papacy, but at…

Jordanes: …extant work is the chronicle De summa temporum vel origine actibusque gentis Romanorum (“The High Point of Time, or the Origin and Deeds of the Roman People”), also completed in 551 and called the Romana. The Getica is by far the more valuable work, because it is the major contemporary…

Ernst Heinrich Weber: …experiments in this area in De Tactu (1834; “Concerning Touch”). Weber determined that there was a threshold of sensation that must be passed before an increase in the intensity of any stimulus could be detected; the amount of increase necessary to create sensation was the just-noticeable difference. He further observed…

José María de Pereda: …patriarchal system of government; and De tal palo tal astilla (1880; “As the Wood, So the Chips”), a protest by a rigid Catholic against the liberal religious tendencies advocated by his friend Benito Pérez Galdós. With the exception of Pedro Sánchez (1883) and La Montálvez (1888), all his novels have…

Cicero: Letters and poetry: …and De temporibus suis (On His Life and Times), which were criticized in antiquity for their self-praise. Cicero’s verse is technically important; he refined the hexameter, using words of two or three syllables at the end of a line, so that the natural word accent would coincide with the…

St. Bede the Venerable: His first treatise on chronology, De temporibus (“On Times”), with a brief chronicle attached, was written in 703. In 725 he completed a greatly amplified version, De temporum ratione (“On the Reckoning of Time”), with a much longer chronicle. Both these books were mainly concerned with the reckoning of Easter.…

De Tham was a Vietnamese resistance fighter and enemy of French colonialism during the first two decades of French rule in Indochina. Hoang Hoa Tham’s family name was originally Truong; his parents were opponents of the Nguyen rulers of Vietnam. His mother was executed, and his father committed

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus: De thematibus, probably his earliest book, is mainly a compilation of older sources on the origins and development of the provinces of the empire. An apologetic biography of his grandfather Basil I, which he appended to an anonymous chronicle known as Theophanes Continuatus, stressed the…

Eustathius of Thessalonica: …recounted these events in his De Thessalonica urbe a Normannis capta (“On the Conquest of Thessalonica by the Normans”). Opposing the formalism petrifying the Eastern Church, he criticized clerical complacency in his treatise “On Hypocrisy” and urged the moral and cultural reawakening of monasticism in his famous tract Inquiry into…

Erté was a fashion illustrator of the 1920s and creator of visual spectacle for French music-hall revues. His designs included dresses and accessories for women; costumes and sets for opera, ballet, and dramatic productions; and posters and prints. (His byname was derived from the French

de Toni–Fanconi syndrome, a metabolic disorder affecting kidney transport, characterized by the failure of the kidney tubules to reabsorb water, phosphate, potassium, glucose, amino acids, and other substances. When the disorder is accompanied by cystinosis (q.v.), a deposition of cystine crystals,

André De Toth was a Hungarian-born film and television director who gained a cult following for a number of raw, violent, and psychologically disturbing B-movies, notably Pitfall (1948), but was best known to the general public for House of Wax (1953), widely considered the best of the early 3-D

Mustafa III: Assisted by Baron François de Tott, a French artillery officer, they were more successful in their military reforms: the artillery corps was reorganized, an engineering school closed by the Janissaries in 1747 was reopened, and a school of mathematics for the navy was founded (1773).

Regiomontanus: …plane and spherical trigonometry in De triangulis omnimodis (1464; “On Triangles of All Kinds”) to his discovery of a Greek manuscript (incomplete) of Arithmetica, the great work of Diophantus of Alexandria (fl. c. ad 250). His writings also show his interest in perfect numbers (numbers equal to the sum of…

Novatian: Novatian’s apologetic De Trinitate (“On the Trinity”), considered to be his most important work, summarizes and defends the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity against contemporary heresies. In De cibis Judaicis (“Concerning Jewish Foods”) he points out that dietary laws and other practical prohibitions of the Old Testament…

Christianity: Conflict between order and charismatic freedom: ” In his work De Trinitate (“On the Trinity”), Augustine undertook to render the essence of the Trinity understandable in terms of the Trinitarian structure of the human person: the Holy Spirit appears as the Spirit of love, which joins Father and Son and draws people into this communion…

Michael Servetus: …ideas on the Trinity in De Trinitatis erroribus libri vii (1531), attacking the orthodox teaching and attempting to form a view of his own, asserting that the Word is eternal, a mode of God’s self-expression, whereas the Spirit is God’s motion or power within the hearts of humans. The Son…

John of Garland: …of his best-known poems are De triumphis ecclesiae (“On the Triumphs of the Church”), which gives a detailed account of the crusade against the Cathari, and Epithalamium beatae Mariae Virginis (“Bridal Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary”).

Herman Bang: …and De uden faedreland (1906; Denied a Country). The work he did from 1886 to 1890—including a collection of short stories, Stille existenser (1886; “Quiet Existences”), and the novels Stuk (1887; “Stucco”) and Tine (1889)—is considered to be his best. Bang died while on a lecture tour of the United…

Bartolomé de Las Casas: The Apologética and the Destrucción: …Spanish authorities, Las Casas wrote De único modo (1537; The Only Way), in which he set forth the doctrine of peaceful evangelization of the Indian. Together with the Dominicans, he then employed this new type of evangelization in a “land of war” (a territory of still-unconquered Indians)—Tuzulutlan (modern Alta Verapaz,…

Rabanus Maurus: …most extensive work is the De rerum naturis (842–847; “On the Nature of Things”), also known as De universo (“On the Universe”), an encyclopaedia of knowledge in 22 books synthesizing intellectual history until the 9th century. Drawing from the Platonism of Augustine and from the noted Latin Church Father Pope…

Birgitta Trotzig: One of her finest novels, De utsatta (1957; “The Exposed”), takes place in 17th-century Scania and has a primitive country priest as its main character. Her next novel, En berättelse från kusten (1961; “A Tale from the Coast”), is a legend about human suffering, set in Scania in the 15th…

Eamon de Valera was an Irish politician and patriot, who served as taoiseach (prime minister; 1932–48, 1951–54, 1957–59) and president (1959–73) of Ireland. An active revolutionary from 1913, he became president of Sinn Féin in 1917 and founded the Fianna Fáil party in 1926. In 1937 he made his

Eamon de Valera was an Irish politician and patriot, who served as taoiseach (prime minister; 1932–48, 1951–54, 1957–59) and president (1959–73) of Ireland. An active revolutionary from 1913, he became president of Sinn Féin in 1917 and founded the Fianna Fáil party in 1926. In 1937 he made his

Dame Ninette de Valois was an Irish-born British dancer, choreographer, and founder of the company that in October 1956 became the Royal Ballet. She was influential in establishing ballet in England. After study with Enrico Cecchetti and varied experience as a dancer in pantomime, revues, and

history of medicine: Arabian medicine: …De variolis et morbillis (A Treatise on the Smallpox and Measles), distinguishes between these two diseases and gives a clear description of both.

Donna de Varona is an American athlete and sportscaster who, after a record-breaking amateur career as a swimmer, established herself as an advocate for women’s and girls’ sports opportunities. De Varona became a household word among Olympic Games enthusiasts in 1960 when, at age 13, she became the

galaxy: Other classification schemes and galaxy types: This scheme, which has evolved considerably since its inception in 1959, includes a large number of codes for indicating different kinds of morphological characteristics visible in the images of galaxies (see the table). The major Hubble galaxy classes form the framework of de Vaucouleurs’s scheme, and…

Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente: In De Venarum Ostiolis (1603; “On the Valves of the Veins”), Fabricius gave the first clear description of the semilunar valves of the veins, which later provided Harvey with a crucial point in his famous argument for circulation of the blood.

Francisco Suárez: …his works, Suárez, in his De Vera Intelligentia Auxilii Efficacis (1605, pub. 1655), supported the view of the Congruist movement, which held that God gave man sufficient grace to achieve the virtuous conduct congruent to, or in harmony with, his own will.

Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert: De Veritate (“On Truth”) was published in Paris in 1624. Thereafter he devoted himself to philosophy, history, and literature. When the Civil War broke out he lacked enthusiasm for either cause; however, he opened Montgomery Castle to the Parliamentary forces in 1644 and met with…

Hugo Grotius: Early life: …theological and politico-theological works, including De Veritate Religionis Christianae (1627; The Truth of the Christian Religion), the book that in his lifetime probably enjoyed the highest popularity among his works.

Dominique de Villepin is a French diplomat, politician, and writer who served as interior minister (2004–05) and prime minister (2005–07) in the neo-Gaullist administration of Pres. Jacques Chirac. De Villepin was born into an influential family; his father represented French industry abroad before

Dawie de Villiers was a South African rugby union player who was one of the sport’s greatest scrum halves and captain of the South African national team, the Springboks, from 1965 to 1970. After his playing days ended, he went on to a highly successful political career. De Villiers made his debut

Theodore L. De Vinne was an American author of many scholarly books on the history of typography. De Vinne entered the employ of Francis Hart, one of the leading printers in New York City, in 1849 and became a member of the firm in 1859. About 1864 he began to write on printing, at first on the

Theodore L. De Vinne was an American author of many scholarly books on the history of typography. De Vinne entered the employ of Francis Hart, one of the leading printers in New York City, in 1849 and became a member of the firm in 1859. About 1864 he began to write on printing, at first on the

Luigi Galvani: Electrical nature of nerve impulse: …in Motu Musculari Commentarius (Commentary on the Effect of Electricity on Muscular Motion). He concluded that animal tissue contained a heretofore neglected innate, vital force, which he termed “animal electricity,” which activated nerve and muscle when spanned by metal probes. He believed that this new force was a form…

Petrarch: Classical studies and career (1330–40): He also began work on De viris illustribus, intended as a series of biographies of heroes from Roman history (later modified to include famous men of all time, beginning with Adam, as Petrarch’s desire to emphasize the continuity among ideals of the Old Testament, of the Classical world, and of…

Suetonius: …and antiquarian whose writings include De viris illustribus (“Concerning Illustrious Men”), a collection of short biographies of celebrated Roman literary figures, and De vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars). The latter book, seasoned with bits of gossip and scandal relating to the lives of Julius Caesar and the first 11…

St. Jerome: Major literary works of St. Jerome: His catalog of Christian authors, De viris illustribus (“Concerning Illustrious Men”), was written in 392/393 to counter pagan pride in pagan culture.

Gennadius Of Marseilles: …was a theologian-priest whose work De viris illustribus (“On Famous Men”) constitutes the sole source for biographical and bibliographical information on numerous early Eastern and Western Christian authors.

Cornelius Nepos: His principal writings were De viris illustribus (“On Famous Men”; in at least 16 books), comprising brief biographies of distinguished Romans and foreigners; Chronica (in 3 books), which introduced to the Roman reader a Greek invention, the universal comparative chronology; Exempla (in at least 5 books), which consisted of…

Francisco Suárez: Among them were De Virtute et Statu Religionis (1608–09) and Defensio Fidei Catholicae (1613), opposing Anglican theologians who defended the claim of kings to rule as God’s earthly representatives. This theory, the divine right of kings, was advanced in England at the time by James I, who subsequently…

Catullus: Life: …in the Roman biographer Suetonius’ Life of Julius Caesar, Catullus’ father was Caesar’s friend and host, but the son nevertheless lampooned not only the future dictator but also his son-in-law Pompey and his agent and military engineer Mamurra with a scurrility that Caesar admitted was personally damaging and would leave…

Therapeutae: …in De vita contemplativa (On the Contemplative Life), attributed to Philo of Alexandria. Their origin and fate are both unknown. The sect was unusually severe in discipline and mode of life. According to Philo, the members, both men and women, devoted their time to prayer and study. They prayed…

Tacitus: First literary works: …98 Tacitus wrote two works: De vita Julii Agricolae and De origine et situ Germanorum (the Germania), both reflecting his personal interests. The Agricola is a biographical account of his father-in-law’s career, with special reference to the governorship of Britain (78–84) and the later years under Domitian. It is laudatory…

Saint Odo of Cluny: Abbot of Cluny: …De vita sancti Gerardi (Life of St. Gerald of Aurillac). The Collationes is both a commentary on the virtues and vices of men in society and a spiritual meditation modeled on a work of the same name by the monk and theologian John Cassian (360–435). De vita sancti Gerardi…

Petrarch: Moral and literary evolution (1340–46) of Petrarch: …secular history, while in the De vita solitaria (1346) he developed the theoretical basis and description of the “solitary life” whereby man enjoys the consolations of nature and study together with those of prayer.

Pillow Talk: Production notes and credits:

Saint Nilus of Ancyra: …exercitatione (“On Monastic Practice”) and De voluntaria paupertate (“On Voluntary Poverty”), which stress the essence of monastic obedience as the renunciation of the will and all resistance to the religious superior, whose duty is to guide the prayer life of the monk and put him on guard against the wiles…

Lorenzo Valla: …public his De voluptate (On Pleasure), a dialogue about the nature of the true good. That work surprised many of its readers by its then-unfashionable defense of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who maintained that, with the attainment of virtue, a wise man may live a life of prudent pleasure,…

intelligence: France: In 1968, for example, Philippe Thyraud de Vosjoli, who had been an important officer in the French intelligence system for 20 years, asserted in published memoirs that the SDECE had been deeply penetrated by the Soviet KGB in the 1950s. He also indicated that there had been periods of…

Bernard De Voto was an American novelist, journalist, historian, and critic, best known for his works on American literature and the history of the Western frontier. After attending the University of Utah and Harvard University (B.A., 1920), De Voto taught at Northwestern University (1922–27) and

Bernard De Voto was an American novelist, journalist, historian, and critic, best known for his works on American literature and the history of the Western frontier. After attending the University of Utah and Harvard University (B.A., 1920), De Voto taught at Northwestern University (1922–27) and

Cornelis II Floris was a Flemish sculptor, engraver, and medalist whose Antwerp workshop contributed significantly to the Northern Renaissance by disseminating 16th-century Italian art styles. In the 1540s Floris, along with his brother Frans I Floris, studied in Rome, and he returned to Flanders

Adriaen de Vries was a Dutch Mannerist sculptor known for his bronze sculpture groups, many of which were made for the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. De Vries left his homeland, where there was little interest in sculpture at the time, and he never returned. In Florence he studied under

Peter De Vries was an American editor and novelist widely known as a satirist, linguist, and comic visionary. De Vries was the son of Dutch immigrants to the United States and was reared in a Calvinist environment on Chicago’s South Side. He graduated (1931) from Calvin College in Grand Rapids,

artificial heart: Mechanical hearts: …a patient by American surgeon William C. DeVries in 1982. The aluminum and plastic device, called the Jarvik-7 for its inventor, replaced the patient’s two ventricles. Two rubber diaphragms, designed to mimic the pumping action of the natural heart, were kept beating by an external compressor that was connected to…

Dante: Exile, Il convivio, and De monarchia: 1304–07; Concerning Vernacular Eloquence], a companion piece, presumably written in coordination with Book I, is primarily a practical treatise in the art of poetry based upon an elevated poetic language.) Dante became the great advocate of its use, and in the final sentence of Book I…

Sri Lanka: Kandy and its struggle with European powers: …months later another Dutch official, Sebald de Weert, arrived with a concrete offer of help and, in view of favourable terms offered by the king, decided to launch a joint attack on the Portuguese. However, a misunderstanding between the king and de Weert caused an altercation between the Kandyans and…

Belgium: Federalized Belgium: …October 2012, with party leader Bart De Wever becoming mayor of Antwerp. In July 2013 Albert II, who had represented a significant unifying force throughout his reign, abdicated in favour of his son Philippe.

Peter De Wint was an English landscape and architectural painter who was one of the chief English watercolourists of the early 19th century. After taking drawing lessons from a local Staffordshire painter, De Wint in 1802 began to study under the engraver John Raphael Smith. In 1806 he purchased

Jacob de Wit was a Dutch painter and draftsman who worked primarily in Amsterdam and was known for his Rococo-style ceiling paintings and masterful grisaille works, some of which could still be viewed in the 21st century in their original locations. De Wit began his art studies at age 9 as an

Johan De Witt: …he and his elder brother Cornelius visited France, Italy, Switzerland, and England, and on his return he lived at The Hague as an advocate.

Johan De Witt: His father, Jacob, was six times burgomaster and for many years sat for the town in the States of Holland. He was a strenuous adherent of the republican or oligarchical States party in opposition to the princes of the House of Orange, who represented the federal principle…

Johan De Witt was one of the foremost European statesmen of the 17th century who as councillor pensionary (the political leader) of Holland (1653–72) guided the United Provinces in the First and Second Anglo-Dutch wars (1652–54, 1665–67) and consolidated the nation’s naval and commercial power. De

Executive Order 9066: John DeWitt, the army’s administrator for the western United States, issued Proclamation No. 1, which established Military Area No. 1 (the western halves of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as southern Arizona) and Military Area No. 2 (the remaining areas of those four states).…

Elsie de Wolfe was an American interior decorator, hostess, and actress, best known for her innovative and anti-Victorian interiors. De Wolfe was educated privately in New York and in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she lived with maternal relatives. Through that connection she was presented at Queen

Elsie de Wolfe was an American interior decorator, hostess, and actress, best known for her innovative and anti-Victorian interiors. De Wolfe was educated privately in New York and in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she lived with maternal relatives. Through that connection she was presented at Queen

Judy Chicago: In 2021 the de Young Museum, San Francisco, put on an exhibition of Chicago’s work, billed as her first major retrospective.

de-extinction, the process of resurrecting species that have died out, or gone extinct. Although once considered a fanciful notion, the possibility of bringing extinct species back to life has been raised by advances in selective breeding, genetics, and reproductive cloning technologies. Key among

papermaking: Wastepaper and paperboard: …systems: (1) recovery based upon de-inking and intended for printing-grade or other white papers, accounting for about 5 to 6 percent of the total, and (2) recovery without de-inking, intended for boxboards and coarse papers, accounting for the remainder.

de-Stalinization, political reform launched at the 20th Party Congress (February 1956) by Soviet Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev that condemned the cult of personality and the crimes committed by his predecessor, Joseph Stalin, destroyed Stalin’s image as an infallible leader, and

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice charged with enforcing laws that cover trafficking in controlled substances. Established in 1973, the DEA works with other agencies to control the cultivation, production, smuggling, and distribution of illicit drugs.

museum: Protection of cultural property: The case for deaccessioning, as it is known, can only otherwise have any validity where it is done to correct the imbalances of earlier indiscriminate collecting, and in that case the material concerned should first be made available to other suitable museums before disposal. The Baltimore Museum of…

library: Deacidification: In certain cases, reformatting is not the best solution to the problem of disintegration. The original material may have intrinsic value as an artifact, or it may lose some of its information in the reformatting process. In such cases, paper materials are deacidified by…

deacon, (from Greek diakonos, “helper”), a member of the lowest rank of the threefold Christian ministry (below the presbyter-priest and bishop) or, in various Protestant churches, a lay official, usually ordained, who shares in the ministry and sometimes in the governance of a congregation. In

James McBride: Literary career: …and Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong (2020), which is set in New York City in 1969.

Saint Ephraem Syrus ; Western feast day June 9, Eastern feast day January 28) was a Christian theologian, poet, hymnist, and doctor of the church who, as doctrinal consultant to Eastern churchmen, composed numerous theological-biblical commentaries and polemical works that, in witnessing to the

chemical industry: Commercial preparation: …1868 by the English chemist Henry Deacon was based on the reaction of atmospheric oxygen with hydrochloric acid, which was available as a by-product of the Leblanc process for making soda ash; when the Leblanc process became obsolete, the Deacon process fell into disuse.

Queen: …19, 1947, Twickenham, Middlesex, England), John Deacon (b. August 19, 1951, Leicester, Leicestershire, England), and Roger Taylor (original name Roger Meddows-Taylor; b. July 26, 1949, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England).

The Dick Van Dyke Show: …pompous producer, Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon). Both Rob’s work family and his nuclear family—wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and son Ritchie (Larry Matthews)—provided reliable vehicles for comedy. The Petries resided in New Rochelle, New York, and their neighbours, the Helpers, regularly figured into the show.

John Mayer: …member of the touring band Dead & Company, which included some of the surviving members of the Grateful Dead.

Kenneth Branagh: …acted in the motion pictures Dead Again (1991) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994).

Dambisa Moyo: While working full-time, she wrote Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa (2009). The book, whose main title is an ironic reference to the Live Aid benefit concerts of 1985, argues that the large amounts of money donated by Western states…

Richard Taylor: …animations for Jackson’s zombie comedy Braindead (1992; released in North America under the title Dead Alive). In 1994 the trio, along with film editor and producer Jamie Selkirk, expanded RT Effects and renamed it Weta Ltd. It later split into two separate businesses, and Taylor and Rodger led the special-effects…

Adolf Rudnicki: …Żywe i martwe morze (1952; The Dead and the Living Sea), these works offered a moving testament to the “nation of Polish Jews” and how they died during the Holocaust. In 1953 Rudnicki began publishing weekly essays in literary periodicals, later collected in several volumes of Niebieskie kartki (1956–58; “Blue…

Sharon Olds: In The Dead and the Living (1984), which received several major poetry awards, she refined her poetic voice. Her poems honouring the dead encompass both family members and victims of political violence; those addressed to the living continue to examine the life of the body. She…

Martin Amis: …of his literary career included Dead Babies (1974), Success (1978), Other People (1981), The Information (1995), and Night Train (1997).

John Frankenheimer: The 1970s and ’80s: …dramas 52 Pick-Up (1986) and Dead Bang (1989) were also critical and commercial failures.

Nicole Kidman: Early life and career: …lead actress in the thriller Dead Calm (1989). The offer of a role in Days of Thunder (1990) drew her to the United States, and while working on that film she began a relationship with costar Tom Cruise; the two were married in 1990 (divorced 2001). Over the next decade…

Dick Francis: …with a successful first novel, Dead Cert (filmed 1974). Thereafter he averaged a book a year, all set in the world of horse racing. His books usually feature an amateur sleuth who uses classic deductive reasoning to solve the central mystery and who becomes emotionally involved with the case. The…

Giovanni Bellini: …Crucifixion, a Transfiguration, and a Dead Christ Supported by Angels. Several pictures of the same or earlier date are in the United States, and others are at the Correr Civic Museum in Venice. Four triptychs, sets of three panels used as altarpieces, are still in the Venice Accademia, and two…

Rosso Fiorentino: His Dead Christ with Angels (c. 1526) exemplifies this new style with its feeling for rarefied beauty and subdued emotion. Fleeing from the sack of the city in 1527, he worked briefly in several central Italian towns. By 1530 Rosso was in Venice but desired to…

Jim Jarmusch: …the zombie movie genre with The Dead Don’t Die (2019).

William Wyler: Films of the 1930s: …Kingsley’s socially conscious Broadway drama Dead End (1937). Adapted by Hellman, it featured Humphrey Bogart as a gangster and introduced filmgoers to the Dead End Kids, a group of young actors who reprised their stage roles as the members of a neighbourhood gang and would do so again in a…

No Exit, one-act philosophical drama by Jean-Paul Sartre, performed in 1944 and published in 1945. Its original, French title, Huis clos, is sometimes also translated as In Camera or Dead End. The play proposes that “hell is other people” rather than a state created by God. The play begins with a

William Wyler: Films of the 1930s: …and introduced filmgoers to the Dead End Kids, a group of young actors who reprised their stage roles as the members of a neighbourhood gang and would do so again in a number of subsequent films. The film, cinematographer Toland, and Claire Trevor (best supporting actress) were nominated for Academy…

Aaron Siskind: …series of the period, Siskind’s Dead End: The Bowery and Harlem Document show as much concern for pure design as for the plight of his subjects. After the late 1930s, Siskind no longer photographed people, concentrating instead on architectural photography, as in his series Old Houses of Bucks County, and…