Born June 3, 1808 in Kentucky, Christian
[Died] December 6, 1889. New Orleans American politician. The only president of the Confederate States of America (in office 1861-65). After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1828, he served in the military on the frontier until 1835, and served in the Black Hawk War. He then ran a plantation in Mississippi while entering politics as a Democrat. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1845, and resigned the following year to serve in the Mexican-American War. He was a U.S. Senator from 1847 to 1851. He was Secretary of War under President F. Pierce from 1853 to 1857. He urged the president to sign the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was a U.S. Senator again from 1857 to 1861. He was a strong advocate of states' rights, but he considered secession by the southern states to be a last resort, and advocated cooperation amid the intensifying conflict between the North and the South. In the presidential election of 1860, he supported J. Breckinridge, who was supported by the southern Democrats, against S. Douglas, the northern Democrats. Even when South Carolina seceded from the Union in November 1860, he still advocated reconciliation between the North and the South, but when Mississippi also seceded, he resigned from his senate in January 1861. He was soon nominated as President of the Confederate States of America, and took office on February 18 of the same year in Montgomery, Alabama. During the Civil War, he lacked leadership to unite the southern states and fight, which drew much criticism. As the war situation worsened, he escaped from Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, on April 3, 1865, and advocated continuing the resistance, but was arrested in Georgia on May 10 and released after spending two years in prison. He then traveled to Europe and other places before retiring in 1877. His books include The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government (2 volumes, 78-81). Davis
Davies, Marion Born January 3, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York
Died: September 22, 1961. Los Angeles, California. American actress. Real name: Marion Cecilia Douras. Known for her 34-year relationship with newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Her father was a lawyer. She made her Broadway debut at the age of 13 as a chorus girl in The Blue Bird. While performing as a member of the chorus line in The Ziegfeld Follies (1917), she caught the eye of Hearst. Hearst was 54 years old at the time and had a wife and children, but the relationship continued until his death in 1951, and Hearst used his influence and money to try to turn Davis into a major film actress. Although she played dramatic roles in her early works, she was highly praised for her performances in comedies such as Show People (1928). She made her talkie debut in Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), and co-starred with a young Bing Crosby in Going Hollywood (1933). In 1937, the year her final film, Ever Since Eve, was made, she is said to have sold her jewels to raise $1 million for Hearst, who was in financial difficulty at the time. After Hearst's death, she married her old friend, ship captain Horace G. Brown. After leaving Hollywood, she became a successful businessman. Davis
Davies, Sir Peter Maxwell Born: 8 September 1934, Salford
[Died] March 14, 2016. Sunday British composer and conductor. He produced many original works by exploring various musical forms. In his early days, he incorporated elements of monophonic chant and medieval and Renaissance music into his works based on counterpoint and series techniques. After studying at the Royal Manchester College of Music and the University of Manchester, he studied under composer Goffredo Petrassi in Italy and Roger Sessions at Princeton University in the United States. In 1967, he formed the contemporary music ensemble Pierrot Players with composer Harrison Birtwistle. His opera Taverner (1962-70) epitomizes Davis' musical characteristics, such as 16th-century themes, complex rhythms, and expressionistic power (→ Expressionist music). In the early 1970s, he moved to the Orkney Islands in Scotland, where he founded and served as artistic director of the St. Magnus Festival. Many of his works, including the chamber opera The Martyrdom of St. Magnus (1976), the pantomime opera Cinderella (1979), and Symphony No. 7 (2000), were premiered at the festival. He has conducted the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He was knighted in 1987 and served as the Queen's Master of Music from 2004 to 2014. Davis
Davis, Raymond, Jr. Born: October 14, 1914, Washington, DC
[Died] May 31, 2006. Blue Point, New York. American physicist known for his research on neutrinos, small interacting elementary particles. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1937 and earned his PhD in physical chemistry from Yale University in 1942. After serving in the military, he joined the chemistry staff of Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1948 and retired in 1984. He became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. In the 1950s, he discovered that neutrinos produced in a graphite research reactor reacted with chlorine in a tank filled with carbon tetrachloride CCl 4 to produce argon, which prompted him to begin research in this field. In 1967, he realized that it was possible to measure neutrinos produced by nuclear reactions inside the sun, and began measuring them for over 25 years from the late 1960s in a tank filled with 600 tons of ethylene tetrachloride C 2 Cl 4 , which was placed 1,500 meters underground in the Homestake Mine in South Dakota. As a result, it was found that the amount of neutrinos was only about one-third of what was expected, and he proposed the "solar neutrino problem" that we should find out where the rest went (→Neutrino oscillation). In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Masatoshi Koshiba and Riccardo Giacconi for his pioneering contributions to the detection of cosmic neutrinos (→Astrophysics). Davis
Davies, (Sarah) Emily Born: April 22, 1830, Southampton
[Died] July 13, 1921. Hampstead. British women's educator. A pioneer in the movement for women to obtain university education, and a central figure in the founding of Girton College, Cambridge. Educated at home, she participated in the women's liberation movement led by Mrs. Baudicon and Mrs. Garrett, and together with D. Beale and F. Mary, she provided reference materials to the School Inquiry Committee to allow women to take university entrance exams. Her advocacy that women should be allowed to take university entrance exams and be admitted under exactly the same conditions as men led to University College in London admitting women to classes in 1870. In 1869, she and a friend opened a women's college in Hitchin, which she moved to Cambridge in 1873 and called Girton College. She served as a member of the London Board of Education from 1870 to 1873, a teacher at Girton College from 1873 to 1875, and secretary of the college from 1867 to 1904. His major works include The Higher Education of Women (1860) and Thought on Some Questions Relating to Women (1910). Davis
Davis, Sir Colin Born: 25 September 1927, Weybridge
[Died] April 14, 2013. London British conductor. Full name Sir Colin Rex Davis. One of the most dynamic and revered British conductors of the 20th century. He studied clarinet at the Royal College of Music in London before switching to conducting. In 1957, he became assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In 1959, he replaced Otto Klemperer and conducted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni to great acclaim. He then served as music director of Sadler's Wells Opera (→ Sadler's Wells Theatre) and principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, before becoming music director of the Covent Garden Theatre in 1971. In 1995, he was appointed principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. His classic recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra have won many awards, including multiple Grammy Awards. He also performed with many major orchestras abroad. He was appointed CBE in 1965, knighted in 1980 and made a Companion of Honour in 2001. Davis
Davies, John Llewelyn Born: 26 February 1826, Chichester
[died] May 17, 1916. Hampstead. British clergyman and educator. He especially worked to promote women's education. He studied at Repton and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge, and became a fellow in 1851. He was ordained in the same year, and served as a minister at Christ Church, a royal parish church, and several other churches in London. In 1889, he became the parish rector of Westmorland and Kirkby Lonsdale, where he remained until 1908. He established Working Men's College in close cooperation with J. Morris, and taught there for several years. He was elected Chief Education Commissioner for London, succeeding T. Huxley. He also served as principal of Queen's College, which Morris had founded in 1848, in Harley Street, from 1873 to 1874 and from 1878 to 1886, in order to promote women's education. He was a supporter of higher education for women, along with his sister E. Davis, and was in favor of women obtaining degrees and voting rights. In 1852, together with D. Bogan, he translated and published Plato's Republic, which became widely popular. Davis
Davis, William Morris Born: February 12, 1850 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
[Died] February 5, 1934. Pasadena, California. American geographer, geologist, and meteorologist. After graduating from Harvard University, he worked at the weather observatory in Cordoba in 1870. He took a position at Harvard University, where he became a professor of geography and geology in 1890. He founded the American Geographers Association in 1904 and served as its president. He became president of the Geological Society of America in 1911. He proposed the theory of geomorphic cycles (→ erosion cycles), which interprets the development of landforms in evolutionary terms, and established the systematic foundations of geomorphology. He is also famous for his research on coral reefs. He left behind many works, including on meteorology. His main works include Physical Geography (1898), Die erklärende Beschreibung der Landformen (1912), and The Coral Reef Problem (1928). Davis
Davis, Miles Born May 25, 1926 in Alton, Illinois
[Died] September 28, 1991, Santa Monica American jazz trumpeter. He started performing at the age of 13, and after 1945 he joined the be-bop movement led by D. Gillespie and C. Parker. In 1948 he recorded his first record as a leader, creating jazz with a cool feel. After that he was addicted to drugs and was in a bad mood for a while, but in 1958 he wrote the music for the French film Elevator to the Gallows, which gained him worldwide fame and led him to dominate the jazz world in the 1960s. His quintet at the time was made up of W. Shorter (saxophone), H. Hancock (piano), R. Carter (bass), and T. Williams (drums), and is said to be one of the most memorable groups in jazz history. He continued to make ambitious attempts throughout his life, such as incorporating rock rhythms in the 1970s. Davis
Davies, Sir John Born 16 April 1569, Tisbury, Wiltshire
[Died] December 8, 1626, London English poet and lawyer. After graduating from Oxford University, he studied at the Middle Temple Law School, and after working as a lawyer, he was appointed Attorney General of Ireland in 1606, and wrote a treatise on the Irish Question. He wrote epigram-like poems, including Orchestra (1596), which explains the significance of dance against the backdrop of Elizabethan cosmology. Nosce teipsum (99) sings of the nature of the soul and its immortality, and was later praised by Coleridge. Hymnes of Astraea (99) is a unique acrostic work in which the first letter of each line reads Elizabeth Regina. Davis
Davis, Angela (Yvonne) Born January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. American black female political activist. Graduated from Brandeis University and later majored in philosophy at the University of California. Joined the Communist Party and was involved in radical black movement organizations. Became an assistant professor in the philosophy department at the University of California in 1969, but was fired twice. Active in politics, including helping to rescue the Soledad Brothers, she was indicted in 1970 for the San Rafael Courthouse Raid without sufficient evidence, but was acquitted in 1972. Her books include If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance (1971) and Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974). Davis
Davis, Henry Winter Born: August 16, 1817, Maryland
Died December 30, 1865. Baltimore, Maryland. American politician and lawyer. Practiced law in Virginia and Baltimore. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1855-61 and 1863-65. Although he was from a slave state, he emphasized the abolition of slavery and was active in the cause of universal suffrage. During the Civil War, he supported A. Lincoln until 1864, but opposed the president's lukewarm Southern Reconstruction policy and proposed that the implementation of Reconstruction policy be under the control of Congress rather than the president. When Lincoln vetoed this, he published the "Wade-Davis Manifesto" in the New York Tribune, accusing the president of dictatorship and opportunism and criticizing Lincoln's Reconstruction policy. He later returned to supporting Lincoln. Davis
Davis, Richard Harding Born April 18, 1864 in Philadelphia
[Died] April 11, 1916, near Mount Kisco, New York. American journalist, novelist, and playwright. As a newspaper reporter, he traveled around the world and compiled his experiences in several travelogues, including The Rulers of the Mediterranean (1894). He also served in the Boer War and the Russo-Japanese War. As a writer, he was well-received for short story collections such as the suspenseful The Lion and the Unicorn (99) and full-length novels such as Soldiers of Fortune (97). His 25 plays, including The Dictator (1904), also won overwhelming support from the public. Davis
Davis, Alexander Jackson Born: July 24, 1803, New York
Died: January 14, 1892, New Jersey
An architect who created the revivalist trend in 19th-century American architecture. In the late 1820s, he founded an architectural firm with I. Town, and built many buildings that skillfully utilized Greek temple designs. After the firm was dissolved in 1835, he was influenced by A. Downing, and became known as a leading figure in "picturesque" housing and the Gothic style. His representative works include the Connecticut State Capitol (1827-31, New Haven), Colonnade Row (32, 36, New York), and Bellmead Manor (45, Virginia). Davis
Davis, John [Born] 1550? Sundridge, Devonshire
[Died] December 29/30, 1605. Bintan Island, Indonesia. British navigator. First person to attempt to discover the Northwest Passage from the Canadian Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. He explored the coast of Davis Strait three times between 1585 and 1587, passing through Davis Strait and off the west coast of Greenland to reach 72° north latitude. In 1591, he discovered the Falkland Islands. In 1596, he participated in W. Raleigh's expedition to Cadiz and the Azores, and in 1698 and 1601, he sailed as a guide for the British East India Company. He was attacked by Japanese pirates and died during the voyage in 1605. Davis
Davis, Stuart Born: December 7, 1894, Philadelphia
Died June 24, 1964. New York. One of America's leading abstract painters. Son of E. Davis, art editor of The Philadelphia Newspaper. Studied at R. Henry School of Art from 1910 to 1913. Started out as a cartoonist and illustrator, and exhibited five watercolors at the Armory Show. Heavily influenced by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and later Cubism. Traveled to Paris from 1928 to 1929, and turned to abstract painting around this time. Painted a mural for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1933. Major works include Lucky Strike (1921, Museum of Modern Art, New York). Davis
Davies, Arthur Bowen Born: September 26, 1862, Utica
[Died] October 24, 1928. Florence American painter. He traveled to Europe and was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. After returning to Japan, he became a member of "The Eight" (later known as the Ash Can School), a group of eight painters who rebelled against the National Academy of the time and tried to create a style unique to America. He played a central role in organizing the Armory Show in 1913. He is known for his Romantic style, but his later works show the influence of Cubism. He also produced excellent etchings and lithographs. Davis
Davies, William Henry Born: July 3, 1871, Newport
[Died] September 26, 1940. Knellsworth British poet. He lived a wandering life, even going as far as the United States, where he lost a leg while trying to board a train to the Klondike in Canada. After returning to the United States, he worked as a peddler and entertainer, before beginning to write poetry. His first collection of poems, "The Soul's Destroyer, and Other Poems" (1905), was recognized for its simple style of poetry that sings of nature. His other works include The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (1907). Davis
Davis, Norman de G. [Born] 1865
[Died] 1941
British archaeologist. In 1898, he participated in F. Petrie's survey of Dendera, and since then, he assisted the Egyptian Survey Association in surveys at Deir el-Gerawi and Tell el-Amarna. He also participated in surveys of the tombs of nobles on the west bank of Thebes (present-day Luxor), J. Brested's survey of Nubia, and G. Reisner's survey of the pyramids. He was mainly involved in copying paintings, reliefs, and inscriptions, and made great contributions to the study of wall paintings. His reports on the rock-cut tombs of Amarna and the Theban tombs, including Nakht, are particularly valuable. Davis
Davies, John Born: circa 1565. Hereford
[Died] July 1618, London. English poet. Also known as John Davies of Hereford. Famous as a master calligrapher, his handwriting is recorded in The Anatomy of Fair Writing (c. 1631). His representative works include Microcosmos (1603), modelled on Guillaume du Bartas's Holy Week, and the collection of epigrams Scourge of Folly (c. 1610). Davis
Davis, Jerome Dean Born: January 17, 1838.
[Died] November 4, 1910.
An American missionary with the Overseas Missionary Society. He came to Japan in 1871 and spread Christianity in Kobe. He moved to Kyoto in 1875, and together with Niijima Jo and Yamamoto Kakuma, he founded the Doshisha University, where he served as a professor of systematic theology for the rest of his life. He also published one of Japan's first evangelistic pamphlets, "A Shortcut to Knowing the True Way" (74, later renamed "A Shortcut to Knowing God's Way"), which sold 100,000 copies in ten years. He also published "The Life of Niijima Jo Sensei" (90). Davis
Davis, Thomas Osborne Born: October 14, 1814, Marlow
Died September 16, 1845. Irish poet and politician. While studying at Trinity College, Dublin, he advocated for an Irish national movement, and in 1842 founded the weekly magazine "Nation" with Duffy and Dillon. He wrote many patriotic poems and launched the "Young Irishman" movement by calling on prominent writers, but collapsed from overwork. His works were read like gospels during the later Sinn Féin movement. Davis
Davis, Charles Henry Born January 16, 1807 in Boston
Died: February 18, 1877, Washington, DC
American naval officer and oceanographer. He studied mathematics at Harvard University while serving as a naval midshipman. He conducted the first detailed surveys of the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine, and helped publish the American Nautical Almanac (1849). During the American Civil War, he commanded a Union gunboat on the upper Mississippi River, and became a rear admiral in 1863. He was one of the founders of the National Academy of Sciences. Davis
Davis, Bette Born: April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts
[Died] October 7, 1989. American film actress from Paris. Real name Ruth Elizabeth Davis. She made her name on the stage and entered the film industry in 1931. She appeared in many films as a character actress, and won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for "Youthful Protest" (1935) and "The Woman in the Black Orchid" (38). She also appeared in "All About Eve" (50), "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" (62), and "The Whales of August" (87). Davis
Davies, David Davies, 1st Baron Born: May 11, 1880, Landinham
[Died] June 16, 1944. Llandinham British politician. Graduated from Cambridge University. Member of Parliament (Liberal Party) from 1906 to 1929. Served in the army during World War I. Member of the House of Lords in 1932. Collaborated with the League of Nations and provided university education in Wales. After the failure of the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1932-33, he worked to strengthen the League of Nations, especially in establishing an international police force and an impartial International Court of Justice. Davis
Davis A city in central California, USA, 25 km west of Sacramento. It is an educational city. Food processing and iron manufacturing are also conducted here. In 1906, the University of California established a branch campus and an experimental farm (now the College of Agriculture) on 315 hectares of land. Later, the College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Engineering, and College of Law were added. In 1962, the National Primate Research Center was established. Population 46,209 (1990). Davis
Davies, Sir Louis Henry [Born] 1845
[Died] 1924
Canadian politician and jurist, Premier of Prince Edward Island (1876-1879), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1918. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information |
