Toe Blake was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach who was a strict disciplinarian and brilliant strategist. He helped the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) secure 11 Stanley Cup victories, 3 of them as a player and 8 as a coach. Blake joined the Canadiens in 1936 after two

surfing: History: In the 1930s American surfer Tom Blake attached plywood over crossbeams to produce a “hollow” board. He also added a fin under the tail, which enabled surfers to better steer their craft. Blake’s primary aim was not to produce a more maneuverable wave-riding board; he wanted a faster board to…

William Blake was an English engraver, artist, poet, and visionary, author of exquisite lyrics in Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794) and profound and difficult “prophecies,” such as Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), The First Book of Urizen (1794), Milton

Christina Stead: …and in 1952 she married William Blake, an American writer of historical romances, with whom she settled in London. In 1974, however, she returned to her native Australia.

African American literature: Prose, drama, and poetry: …during the Civil War, wrote Blake; or, The Huts of America (serially published in 1859), a novel whose hero plots a slave revolt in the South.

Ralph Albert Blakelock was an American painter whose luminous impasto paintings of moonlit scenes convey a mysterious romanticism. In 1864 Blakelock entered the Free Academy of the City of New York (now City College) with hopes of becoming a physician. After three terms, he left. Largely

Sara Blakely is an American inventor and entrepreneur who created Spanx, a brand of body-slimming women’s undergarments, and in 2012 became the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire. Blakely graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She subsequently

Arkadelphia, city, seat (1842) of Clark county, south-central Arkansas, U.S., about 29 miles (47 km) south of Hot Springs. It lies along the Ouachita River south of that river’s confluence with the Caddo River, at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. The site was settled in about 1811 by John

Junior Wells was an American blues singer and harmonica player who was one of the musicians who introduced electric Chicago blues to international audiences and, from 1965, was one of the most popular of all blues performers. The son of an Arkansas sharecropper, Wells moved in 1946 with his mother

Spencer carbine: With the addition of the Blakeslee cartridge box as an auxiliary, the Spencer carbine had greatly improved capacity for sustained fire. The box contained from 6 to 13 tin tubes, each of which held seven cartridges. The carbine was almost exclusively a cavalry weapon, and it was normally chambered in…

Albert Francis Blakeslee was a prominent American botanist and geneticist who achieved world renown for his research on plants. The son of a Methodist minister, Blakeslee was awarded a B.A., cum laude, from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. (1896). After three years of teaching mathematics and

Greymouth, town and port, western South Island, New Zealand. Established in 1863 as a government depot at the mouth of the Grey River, on the north Westland Plain, the settlement grew as the result of local gold finds. Originally known as Crescent City and then Blaketown, it was renamed Greytown

Art Blakey was an American drummer and bandleader noted for his extraordinary drum solos, which helped define the offshoot of bebop known as “hard bop” and gave the drums a significant solo status. His style was characterized by thunderous press rolls, cross beats, and drum rolls that began as

Saint Clements Island, islet (40 acres [16 hectares]) in the Potomac River, St. Mary’s county, southern Maryland, U.S., just off Coltons Point. The first Maryland settlers under the Calverts (Barons Baltimore) landed there from the ships Ark and Dove on March 25, 1634. A large cross (erected 1934)

Saint Clements Island, islet (40 acres [16 hectares]) in the Potomac River, St. Mary’s county, southern Maryland, U.S., just off Coltons Point. The first Maryland settlers under the Calverts (Barons Baltimore) landed there from the ships Ark and Dove on March 25, 1634. A large cross (erected 1934)

Alfred Blalock was an American surgeon who, with pediatric cardiologist Helen B. Taussig, devised a surgical treatment for infants born with the condition known as the tetralogy of Fallot, or “blue baby” syndrome. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1918 Blalock entered the Johns

Lotte Lenya was an Austrian actress-singer who popularized much of the music of her first husband, the composer Kurt Weill, and appeared frequently in the musical dramas of Weill and his longtime collaborator Bertolt Brecht. Lenya studied ballet and drama in Zurich from 1914 to 1920, was a member

Bloke Modisane: …and journalist whose moving autobiography, Blame Me on History (1963), is a passionate documentation of the degradation and oppression of blacks living under the laws of apartheid in South Africa.

Krzysztof Kieślowski: …Bleu (1993; Blue), Blanc (1994; White), and Rouge (1994; Red); respectively, they explored the themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The films were released several months apart and, although each can stand on its own, they were designed to be seen as a single entity. One theme, the frailty of…

Dehua porcelain, Chinese porcelain made at Dehua in Fujian province. Although the kiln began production some time during the Song period (960–1279), most examples of the porcelain are attributed to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The characteristic product of Dehua was the white porcelain known to

Louis Blanc was a French utopian socialist, noted for his theory of worker-controlled “social workshops.” Louis Blanc was born while his father was serving as inspector general of finances in the Spanish regime of Joseph Bonaparte. When that regime collapsed in 1813, the Blancs returned to France.

Louis Blanc was a French utopian socialist, noted for his theory of worker-controlled “social workshops.” Louis Blanc was born while his father was serving as inspector general of finances in the Spanish regime of Joseph Bonaparte. When that regime collapsed in 1813, the Blancs returned to France.

Mel Blanc was an entertainer renowned as America’s greatest voice-over artist who created more than 400 unique voices for popular radio, television, movie, and cartoon characters. Blanc was interested in music at an early age and became proficient on bass, violin, and sousaphone. He began his

Mel Blanc was an entertainer renowned as America’s greatest voice-over artist who created more than 400 unique voices for popular radio, television, movie, and cartoon characters. Blanc was interested in music at an early age and became proficient on bass, violin, and sousaphone. He began his

Mont Blanc, mountain massif and highest peak (15,771 feet [4,807 metres]) in Europe. Located in the Alps, the massif lies along the French-Italian border and reaches into Switzerland. It extends southwestward from Martigny, Switzerland, for about 25 miles (40 km) and has a maximum width of 10 miles

Blanche Of Castile was the wife of Louis VIII of France, mother of Louis IX (St. Louis), and twice regent of France (1226–34, 1248–52), who by wars and marital alliances did much to secure and unify French territories. Blanche was the daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor, who was the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains: …Carson, Crestone, and Humboldt, with Blanca Peak (14,345 feet [4,372 meters]) being the highest. The southern portion culminates at Wheeler Peak (13,161 feet [4,011 meters]), New Mexico’s highest point.

Cordillera Blanca, eastern section of the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes, in west central Peru, South America. The snowcapped range extends about 110 mi (180 km) and has a southeast to northwest trend. The highest peak (22,334 ft [6,768 m]) is Nevado (mount) Huascarán. The range is separated

Jean-Pierre Blanchard was a French balloonist who, with the American physician John Jeffries, made the first aerial crossing of the English Channel. He was also the first to make balloon flights in England, North America, Germany, Belgium, and Poland. During the 1770s Blanchard worked on the design

Jean-Pierre Blanchard was a French balloonist who, with the American physician John Jeffries, made the first aerial crossing of the English Channel. He was also the first to make balloon flights in England, North America, Germany, Belgium, and Poland. During the 1770s Blanchard worked on the design

Louise Blanchard Bethune was the first professional woman architect in the United States. Louise Blanchard took a position as a draftsman in the Buffalo, New York, architectural firm of Richard A. Waite in 1876. In October 1881 she opened her own architectural office in partnership with Robert A.

Marsalis family: , Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, as well as his own six sons, four of whom became celebrated musicians. The success of his sons resulted in Ellis’s attaining stardom in the 1980s, and he recorded steadily thereafter.

Thomas Blanchard was an American inventor who made major contributions to the development of machine tools. Blanchard began as a self-taught tinkerer. As a boy he invented an apple parer and a tack-making machine for his brother’s factory. Later he designed a lathe capable of turning both the

Blanche Of Castile was the wife of Louis VIII of France, mother of Louis IX (St. Louis), and twice regent of France (1226–34, 1248–52), who by wars and marital alliances did much to secure and unify French territories. Blanche was the daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor, who was the

Franz Grillparzer: …verse, Blanka von Castilien (Blanche of Castile), that already embodied the principal idea of several later works—the contrast between a quiet, idyllic existence and a life of action. Die Ahnfrau, written in the trochaic Spanish verse form, has many of the outward features of the then-popular “fate tragedy” (Schicksalsdrama),…

Blanche Of Castile was the wife of Louis VIII of France, mother of Louis IX (St. Louis), and twice regent of France (1226–34, 1248–52), who by wars and marital alliances did much to secure and unify French territories. Blanche was the daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor, who was the

Martin: …kingdom, with his second wife, Blanche of Navarre, as regent, to his father, who thus became Martin II.

Anthony Blanche, fictional character in the novel Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh. Blanche, a homosexual friend of Sebastian Marchmain, is an intellectual and an aesthete whose astute critical faculties fascinate and impress his Oxford

Alps: Physiography: …the crystalline rocks of the Mount Blanche nappe—which includes the Weisshorn (14,780 feet)—and the nappe of Monte Rosa Massif, sections of which mark the frontier between Switzerland and Italy. Farther to the east, Bernina Peak is the last of the giants over 13,120 feet (4,000 metres). In Austria the highest…

Blanchet Family, family of French instrument makers, settled in Paris. François-Étienne Blanchet (François the Elder; b. c. 1700, Paris, France—d. 1761, Paris) was one of the finest harpsichord builders of the Baroque era (c. 1600–1750). Nicolas Blanchet (b. c. 1660, Rheims, France—d. 1731, Paris)

Blanchet Family: François’s son, François the Younger (b. c. 1730, Paris, France—d. 1766, Paris), succeeded his father. He died at an early age, leaving a widow who later married Pascal Taskin the Elder (b. 1723, Theux, France—d. 1793, Paris), another excellent builder, who continued the family business.

keyboard instrument: France: Those examples by the Blanchet family and their heir Pascal Taskin (1723–93) are noted for their extraordinarily high level of craftsmanship and the lightness and evenness of their touch. Eighteenth-century French harpsichords were almost always painted and rest on elaborate carved and gilded cabriole (curved-leg) stands. As with Flemish…

Blanchet Family: …great-grandson of François the Elder, Nicolas Blanchet, engaged in making pianos to accommodate the demand of the 19th century; he was succeeded in 1855 by his son P.-A.-C. Blanchet. The harpsichord revival of the mid-20th century saw Blanchet and Taskin instruments used as models for new instruments made by leading…

Blanchet Family: Nicolas Blanchet (b. c. 1660, Rheims, France—d. 1731, Paris) was the first of the line of instrument makers of the Blanchet family; after 1722 Nicolas and his son François the Elder worked as partners, producing instruments based largely on models of the Ruckers family, the…

Bloc Québécois: …Bloc, under the leadership of Yves-François Blanchet, returned as a force to be reckoned with by capturing more than 30 seats and supplanting the NDP as the second opposition party nationally. The Bloc maintained that status in the 2021 snap federal election by winning 30 seats.

Cate Blanchett is an Australian actress known for her multidimensional characters and wide range of roles. Blanchett grew up in suburban Melbourne with an Australian mother and an American father, who died when Blanchett was 10 years old. She studied art history at the University of Melbourne

Cate Blanchett is an Australian actress known for her multidimensional characters and wide range of roles. Blanchett grew up in suburban Melbourne with an Australian mother and an American father, who died when Blanchett was 10 years old. She studied art history at the University of Melbourne

Florence A. Blanchfield was an American nurse and army officer who succeeded in winning the status of full rank for U.S. Army nurses and became the first woman to hold a regular commission in that military branch. Blanchfield was educated at business college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the

boiling: In blanching, boiling water is poured over vegetables, fruits, or nutmeats in order to loosen the outer skin. Parblanching or parboiling consists in immersing the food in cold water and then bringing it slowly to a simmer or boil.

coin: Medieval minting: Blanching (cleaning) of the blanks by an acid dip was necessary before striking to produce an acceptable surface if oxidation had occurred during annealing.

Octavio Paz: Blanco), influenced by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poetry and John Cage’s theories on music; Ladera este (1971; “East Slope”), which is suffused with Paz’s understanding of East Indian myths; Hijos del aire (1979; Airborn), sonnet sequences created by Paz and the poet Charles Tomlinson building on each…

sugar: Plantation white sugar: …improved and replaced by “Blanco Directo” processes, in which colour-precipitating reagents remove colorants instead of temporarily bleaching them.

José Batlle y Ordóñez: …produced tension with the opposition Blanco Party and led to a civil war in 1904. Batlle y Ordóñez and his followers emerged victorious in 1905, with the Colorado Party in undisputed control of the country. He held honest presidential and legislative elections in 1905, which he and his party won.…

Joseph Blanco White was a Spanish-born English poet, journalist, and writer of miscellaneous prose. He was a friend of the poets Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge and of the young clerical intellectuals at Oriel College, Oxford, in the 1820s: John Henry Newman, E.B. Pusey, Richard Hurrell

Carmen Herrera: …’70s in works such as Blanco y verde (1966), a triangular sliver of green against an austere white field, and Saturday (1978), a jet-black canvas interrupted by a thick gold zigzag. She also demonstrated an interest in pushing beyond painting’s traditional structural limitations. Since her days in Paris, she had…

Antonio Guzmán Blanco was a Venezuelan president and typical Latin American caudillo (military leader or dictator) of his era. Guzmán Blanco was the son of a famous journalist and politician, Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, who had married into the Blanco family of Caracas’ upper class. He began his

Griselda Blanco was a Colombian cocaine trafficker who amassed a vast empire and was a central figure in the violent drug wars in Miami in the 1970s and ’80s. Although there is some confusion about her birth location, a number of sources give it as Santa Marta, Colombia, where Blanco was baptized.

Latin American music: The late 20th century and beyond: …succeeding Cuban composers, most significantly Juan Blanco and Leo Brouwer. Blanco was particularly significant in the development of electronic music in his country; Brouwer was one of the most original figures of the Cuban avant-garde and an innovative writer for the guitar. Aurelio de la Vega, a longtime resident of…

Spain: Franco’s Spain, 1939–75: …abandoned the premiership to Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco. However, in December Carrero Blanco was assassinated by ETA.

Dominican Republic: Bosch, Balaguer, and their successors: …succeeded by another PRD candidate, Salvador Jorge Blanco, who served as president in 1982–86. Thus, the country completed eight years of truly democratic government, the longest in its history to that point. But Jorge Blanco was faced with falling sugar prices on world markets, widespread corruption in the government bureaucracy,…

Serge Blanco is a French rugby player regarded as perhaps the best attacking fullback in the history of rugby union. Between 1980 and 1991, he played 93 games for the French national team, an international rugby record at the time. Arguably his country’s greatest rugby footballer, Blanco was noted

Rufino Blanco-Fombona was a Venezuelan literary historian and man of letters who played a major role in bringing the works of Latin American writers to world attention. Jailed during the early years of the dictatorship (1908–35) of Juan Vicente Gómez, Blanco-Fombona fled to Europe, where he

Real Madrid, Spanish professional football (soccer) club based in Madrid. Known for their all-white uniforms, which led to its nickname “Los Blancos,” Real Madrid is one of the world’s best-known teams. Real Madrid grew out of Football Club Sky, a team formed in Madrid in 1897. The club was

house of Bourbon: Solidarity and discord: …known in France as “Blancs d’Espagne” (“Spanish Whites”). Most Legitimists, however, followed the final advice of the comte de Chambord by recognizing the rights of the house of Orléans to France.

Bobby (“Blue”) Bland was an American rhythm-and-blues singer noted for his rich baritone voice, sophisticated style, and sensual delivery; from 1957 to 1985 he scored 63 single hits on the R&B charts. Bland began his career in Memphis, Tennessee, with bluesman B.B. King and ballad singer Johnny Ace

E. Nesbit was a British children’s author, novelist, and poet. Nesbit spent her childhood in France and Germany and later led an ordinary country life in Kent, which provided scenes for her books. She was interested in socialism and was one of the founders of the association known as the Fellowship

minstrel show: …by Black composers such as James Bland, a popular singer-banjoist who wrote some 700 songs, including “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny.” In general, these minstrel shows were the only theatrical medium in which gifted Black performers of the period could support themselves.

United States: Constitutional differences with Britain: Rights, as Richard Bland of Virginia insisted in The Colonel Dismounted (as early as 1764), implied equality. And here he touched on the underlying source of colonial grievance. Americans were being treated as unequals, which they not only resented but also feared would lead to a loss…

Bobby (“Blue”) Bland was an American rhythm-and-blues singer noted for his rich baritone voice, sophisticated style, and sensual delivery; from 1957 to 1985 he scored 63 single hits on the R&B charts. Bland began his career in Memphis, Tennessee, with bluesman B.B. King and ballad singer Johnny Ace

United States: The Rutherford B. Hayes administration: …over the president’s veto, the Bland–Allison Act, which renewed the coinage of silver dollars and, more significantly, included a mandate to the secretary of the treasury to purchase silver bullion at the market price in amounts of not less than $2,000,000 and not more than $4,000,000 each month.

Ken Freeman: …in 1988 with Australian astronomer Joss Bland-Hawthorn. In their paper “The New Galaxy: Signatures of Its Formation” (2002), they described the field of “galactic archaeology,” in which obtaining accurate velocities, positions, and chemical compositions of many individual stars in the Milky Way would lead to a better understanding of how…

George Blanda was an American professional gridiron football player who first as a quarterback and later as a kicker established records for most seasons played (26), most games played (340; broken in 2004), most points scored (2,002; broken in 2000), most points after touchdowns (943 of 959

George Blanda was an American professional gridiron football player who first as a quarterback and later as a kicker established records for most seasons played (26), most games played (340; broken in 2004), most points scored (2,002; broken in 2000), most points after touchdowns (943 of 959

North Dorset: Blandford Forest is the administrative centre.

North Dorset: Blandford Forest is the administrative centre.

John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough was one of England’s greatest generals, who led British and allied armies to important victories over Louis XIV of France, notably at Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), and Oudenaarde (1708). John Churchill was the son of Sir Winston Churchill, member of

Ana Blandiana is a Romanian lyric poet, essayist, and translator, considered one of her generation’s most significant literary voices. An apolitical writer, she was precipitated by events into taking a political role. Blandiana graduated in philology from the University of Cluj (1967). She edited

Blanding’s turtle, (Emydoidea blandingii), freshwater turtle, family Emydidae, found in southern Canada and the north-central to northeastern United States. The upper shell (carapace) of Blanding’s turtle averages about 20 cm (8 inches) in length; it is smooth, rounded, and elongate with yellow

Jennifer Saunders: Wodehouse-inspired Blandings (2013–14) and played a rare dramatic role in the eight-part thriller The Stranger (2020).

Sextus Propertius: The first they called blanditia, a vague but expressive word by which they meant softness of outline, warmth of colouring, a fine and almost voluptuous feeling for beauty of every kind, and a pleading and melancholy tenderness; this is most obvious in his descriptive passages and in his portrayal…

George Blandrata was a physician who became the leading organizer and supporter of Unitarianism in Transylvania. After serving as physician to Queen Bona Sforza of Poland from 1540 to 1552, Blandrata returned to Italy to practice medicine at Pavia, where he aroused the hostility of the authorities

Sir Gilbert Blane, 1st Baronet was a physician known for his reforms in naval hygiene and medicine, which included the use of citrus fruits to prevent scurvy. Blane studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and took his M.D. degree at Glasgow in 1778. He then became private physician to

Juan Manuel Blanes was an Uruguayan painter known for his paintings of historical events in South America and his depictions of gaucho life. Blanes was born into a turbulent period in Uruguayan history. Although the country had been independent since 1828, it was politically unstable and fell into

fox: Classification: cana (Blanford’s, or hoary, fox) Small (1–2 kg) and catlike, with soft fur and a long bushy tail; found in the mountain steppes and deserts of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Israel; coat gray above, white below. V. chama (Cape fox, South African silver fox, or chama)…

coin: Ancient minting: Blanks or planchets (i.e., the small metal disks from which coins are made) seem first to have been cast by pouring the molten alloy from a crucible onto a flat surface, where they cooled into the characteristic lens shape. Later the metal was poured into…

Steven Pinker: …evolutionary approach to cognition in The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002), also a Pulitzer Prize finalist. The book dismisses tabula rasa notions of human mental development, citing a large body of research indicative of the determinist role played by genes. While acknowledging the ethical quandaries raised…

blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter, the preeminent dramatic and narrative verse form in English and also the standard form for dramatic verse in Italian and German. Its richness and versatility depend on the skill of the poet in varying the stresses and the position of the caesura (pause) in

Franz Grillparzer: …verse, Blanka von Castilien (Blanche of Castile), that already embodied the principal idea of several later works—the contrast between a quiet, idyllic existence and a life of action. Die Ahnfrau, written in the trochaic Spanish verse form, has many of the outward features of the then-popular “fate tragedy” (Schicksalsdrama),…

Fanny Blankers-Koen: …coach, former Olympic triple jumper Jan Blankers, in 1940. In 1942 and 1943 she set world records in the 80-metre hurdles (11.0 sec), high jump (1.71 metres [5.61 feet]), and long jump (6.25 metres [20.51 feet]).

Fanny Blankers-Koen was a versatile Dutch track-and-field athlete who, at the 1948 Olympics in London, became the first woman to win four gold medals at a single Games. During her career, she set world records in eight different events. She first achieved success as a teenager, winning a Dutch

floral decoration: Forms of floral decoration: A blanket of flowers is often laid over a casket at a funeral or over a racehorse in the winner’s circle. Blankets are made by stretching burlap over a frame, covering it with a layer of flat fern, and then adding delicate asparagus fern (Sprengeri). The…

cephalopod: Reproduction and life cycles: In the argonaut and the blanket octopus (Tremoctopus) the males differ in appearance and size from the females.

primary election: …state of Washington employed a blanket primary, which enabled voters to select one candidate per office irrespective of party affiliation, with the top vote getter from each party advancing to the general election. In 2003 the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that Washington’s primary was unconstitutional, on the…

Bobby Sands: …in, were known as the “blanket” and “dirty” protests, wherein protesting prisoners would only wear a blanket instead of prison uniforms and refused to wash.

nuclear reactor: Reflectors: …as a blanket or a breeding blanket.

Gaillardia: …cultivated as garden ornamentals, especially blanketflower (G. aristata) and annual blanketflower (G. pulchella).

Lloyd Blankfein is an American business executive who served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the investment banking and securities company Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., in the early 21st century. His tenure was marked by criticism owing to his controversial comments and high executive

Lloyd Blankfein is an American business executive who served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the investment banking and securities company Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., in the early 21st century. His tenure was marked by criticism owing to his controversial comments and high executive

dye: Fluorescent brighteners: …water-solubilizing groups, as, for example, Blankophor B, shown here:

history of photography: Development of the wet collodion process: Introduced in 1850 by Louis-Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, albumen paper is a slow printing-out paper (i.e., paper that produces a visible image on direct exposure, without chemical development) that had been coated with egg white before being sensitized. The egg white gave the paper a glossy surface that improved the definition…