New & Revised Articles

January 19, 2021

Mohamed Bouazizi

(born March 29, 1984, Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia—died January 4, 2011, Ben Arous, Tunisia), Tunisian street vendor whose self-immolation after being harassed...

January 17, 2021

Phil Spector

(born December 26, 1940, New York City, New York, U.S.—died January 16, 2021, California), American record producer of the 1960s, described by the writer...

January 15, 2021

Peter I

(born June 9 [May 30, Old Style], 1672, Moscow, Russia—died February 8 [January 28], 1725, St. Petersburg), tsar of Russia who reigned jointly with his...

Paul Simon

(born October 13, 1941, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.), American singer-songwriter who brought a highbrow sensibility to rock music. One of the most paradoxical...

Holly Hunter

(born March 20, 1958, Conyers, Georgia, U.S.), American actress with a talent for portraying intense, driven, and often offbeat characters in both comedies...

original sin

in Christian doctrine, the condition or state of sin into which each human being is born; also, the origin (i.e., the cause, or source) of this state....

Antonio Vivaldi

(born March 4, 1678, Venice, Republic of Venice [Italy]—died July 28, 1741, Vienna, Austria), Italian composer and violinist who left a decisive mark on...

the Shadows

London-based instrumental rock group whose distinctive sound exerted a strong influence on other young British musicians in the 1960s and beyond. The original...

Tiger Woods

(born December 30, 1975, Cypress, California, U.S.), American golfer who enjoyed one of the greatest amateur careers in the history of the game and became...

Ṭu bi-Shevaṭ

(Hebrew: “Fifteenth of Shevaṭ”), Jewish festival of the new year of trees, or arbor day. It occurs on Shevaṭ 15 (January or early February), after most...