Vincent of Beauvais. c1190-1264. French Dominican priest. Wrote encyclopedic Speculum majus 1259.

Vinland. ~1000. Region of northeast North America discovered by Leif Eriksson. L’Anse aux Meadows.

Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène. 1814-79. French Gothic Revival architect. Restored Notre-Dame 1841-54, Vincennes. Ste-Chapelle.

Virchow, Rudolf. 1821-1902. German pathologist, anthropologist. Applied microscope to medical research. Cellular pathology 1858.

Virginia. Algonkian, Sioux, Iroquoia. 1587 British settle Roanoke Colony. 1607 First successful colony. 1619 Slaves brought. 1776 Independent. USA.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. 1798,9. States protest Alien +Sedition Acts limiting freedoms. Nullification.

Virginia Company. London. 1606-24. To colonize North America. Founded Jamestown 1607.

Visigoths. 376-711. Western Goths. Alaric sacked Rome 410. Defeated at Vouillé by Clovis 510. Settled Spain, southern France 415-711. Destroyed by Moors 711.

Vitalism. Bergson’s theory of evolution. Life force differentiates living things from others. Aristotle.

Vivaldi, Antonio. 1678-1741. Venetian violinist, Baroque composer. Standard concerto pattern; more than 500 concertos. Four Seasons 1725.

Vizier. 14-20C. Ottoman top minister of state.

Vladimir I, St. 956-1015. First Christian Russian ruler. Ordered people to convert.

Vo Nguyen Giap. 1912-. Viet Minh commander 1946-54, 1966-75. Minister of Defence 1954-. Tet Offensive. Defeated Japanese 1942-5, French 1946-54, US 66-76.

Volkssturm. 1944. German home defence force.

Volstead Act. 1919-33. Enforced US Prohibition.

Volta, Alessandro. 1745-1827. Italian physicist: electric battery 1800.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. 1922-. US satirical novelist, social critic. Player Piano 1952. Slaughterhouse Five 1969.

Voroshilov, Kliment. 1881-1969. Soviet Head of State 1953-60.

Vosges, Place de. 1605-12. Paris’ oldest square.

Voting Rights Act. 1965. US eliminates tests that disqualified black voters.

Vries, Hugo de. 1848-1935. Dutch botanist. Heredity and mutation. Mutation Theory 1910.

Vuillard, Édouard. 1868-1940. French Nabis Intimist artist. Interiors. Woman Sweeping 1892.

Vulcan. Roman god of destruction, fire, weapons. = Hephaestos.

Vulgate. 405. Official Latin translation of Bible by St Jerome. First printed 1455.

Vyshinsky, Andrei. 1883-1954. Russian statesman, prosecutor for Purge trials.

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