Bayle, Pierre. 1647-1706. French religious sceptic: Dictionnaire Historique et Critique 1697.

Baylen, Battle. 1808. Spanish mob defeats French army, humiliating Napoleon.

Bazaine, Achille. 1811-88. French marshal, surrendered Metz, 1870. Condemned as traitor. Escaped 1874.

Bazille, Jean-Frédéric. 1841-70. Early French Impressionist painter.

Beaumarchais, C de. 1732-99. French satirical writer vs nobility. Barber of Seville 1772, Marriage of Figaro 1784.

Behring, Emil. 1854-1917. German bacteriologist: founded Immunology. Diphtheria (1892), Tetanus (1904) serums.

Beirut. 20C BC Phoenicia. 15BC Rome. 635 Moslem. 1110 Crusaders. 1187 Saladin. 1516 Ottoman. 1291 Mameluk. 1920 Capital of Lebanon. 1975-90 Lebanese Civil War.

Bel. Babylonian god. Lord of the Air. = Enlil.

Bellamy, Edward. 1850-98. US Utopian novelist. Looking Backward 2000-1887, 1888.

Belloc, Hilaire. 1870-1953. French/English writer: Bad Child’s Book of Beasts 1896. Cautionary Tales 1907.

Belshazzar. Balthazar.

Bengal. 8C Pala emp. 11C Hindu. 13C Turk. 1576 Mogul. 1757 Britain. 1947 India(W)/Pakistan(E). 1971 E =Bangladesh.

Berbers. Caucasian North African peoples, mostly Moslem. Nomadic since 12C Arab invasions. Almohads. Almoravids. Barbary.

Beresteczko, Battle. 1651. Poland defeats Ukraine Cossacks who then ally with Russia.

Berg, Alban. 1885-1935. Austrian opera composer. Adopted 12-note method. Atonal-tonal fusion. Wozzeck 1925.

Bernardin de St. Pierre, Jacques. 1737-1814. French writer. Propagated JJ Rousseau’s back to nature philosophy. Paul et Virginie 1788.

Bernini, Lorenzo. 1598-1680. Italian Baroque painter, sculptor, architect. Louis XIV bust. Apollo and Daphne 1616. St. Theresa 1646.

Bernoulli, Jacob. 1654-1705. Swiss mathematician. Probability. B Numbers.

Best, Charles. 1899-1978. Canadian. insulin discoverer. Banting.

Big Bang. 15 billion BCE. Scientifically accepted origin of Universe.

Biological Weapons Convention. 1972. Britain, US, USSR agreement to ban germ warfare.

Black Codes. 1865-6. Strict US local laws to control blacks based on slave codes. Freedmen. Jim Crow.

Black Prince. Son of Edward III. Captured King John II of France at Poitiers, 1356.

Black Watch. 1725-. Scottish Highland Regiment.

Blanchard, Jean. 1753-1809. French balloonist. First aerial Channel crossing 1785. Velocipede 1779.

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