Assassins. 1124-1270. Secret Moslem order who murdered all enemies.

Atlantis. Legendary island which disappeared after earthquake.

Aurelian. 214-75. Roman Emperor 270-. Restored rule of Europe. Began wall around Rome.

Autobahn. German road system begun by Hitler to reduce unemployment, 1934.

Averroës, Ibn Rushd. 1126-98. Arab philosopher: eternity of creation, universal shared consciousness.

Ayer, Alfred. 1910-89. British Logical Positivist. Foundation of Empirical Knowledge. Language, Truth and Logic 1936.

Aztec Empire. 14C-1521. Mexico. Conquered by Spanish.

Baader-Meinhof Gang. (Red Army Faction). 1968-92. West German terrorists supported by Stasi.

Bach, Johann Sebastian. 1685-1750. German composer of fugues and chorales. Peak of polyphonic music. Brandenburg Concerto 1721. Well Tempered Clavier. Art of Fugue 1749.

Bacon, Francis. 1561-1626. English chancellor and philosopher. First king’s counsel. Favoured inductive over deductive reasoning. Separated Science from religion. New Atlantis 1625. B. Scientific method: Novum Organum 1620. Essays 1625.

Badoglio, Pietro. 1871-1956. Italian. Conquered Ethiopia 1936. Arranged 1943 armistice. Prime Minister 1943-44.

Baer, Karl. 1792-1876. Estonian/German naturalist: founded science of embryology. Discovered ovum 1827.

Balzac, Honoré de. 1799-1850. French novelist of social injustice: Comedie Humaine 1829-48.

Banting, Frederick. 1891-1941. Canadian physician: discovered insulin with Best, MacLeod, 1921.

Barbarossa II. 1466-1546. Turkish pirate. Conquered Algiers 1518, Tunis 1534.

Barrackpore Mutiny. 1824. Indian troops vs British commanders. Troops massacred.

Barton, Clara. 1821-1912. US Civil War nurse. Founded US Red Cross 1881.

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

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

Beach, Alfred. 1826-96. US inventor. Published Scientific American 1848-.

Beadle, George. 1903-89. US geneticist. Role of genes in heredity.

Beaufort, François. 1616-69. Adored Fronde general. King of Halles.

Beauregard, Pierre. 1818-93. Confederate general. Ordered attack on Ft. Sumter.

Bellaud. 1532-88. Provencale truculent poet who inspired Marat, Rabelais and Petrarch.

Bentley, Richard. 1662-1742. English classical scholar. Restored texts. Editions of Horace, Terence, Aesop.

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