Vacaroiu, Nicolae Romanian polit.; prime min. of Romania 1992-- _1943-- Vagnorius, Gediminas Lithuanian polit.; prime min. of Lithuania 1991-1992 _1957-- Vail, Theodore Newton US telephone industrialist; pres. of AT&T 1885-1889, 1907-1919 (orig. American Telephone & Telegraph before 1994) _1845-1920 Valdemar (also Waldemar) Swed. king 1250-1275; deposed; 1st ruler of Volkung dynasty _1243-1302 Valdemar I (Valdemar Knutson den Store; also Waldemar I) king of Denmark 1157-1182; grandson of Erik I Eiegod _1131-1182 Valdemar II Sejr (also Waldemar II) king of Denmark 1202-1241; co-regent with Erik IV Plovplenning 1232-1241; son of Valdemar I _1170-1241 Valdemar III (also Waldemar III) king of Denmark 1326-1330; abdicated _1314-1364 Valdemar IV Atterdag (also Waldemar IV) king of Denmark 1340-1375; son of Christoffer II _1320?-1375 Valdes, Juan de Sp. mystic, religious reformer, & theol.; leader of Allumbrados _1500?-1541 Valdivia, Pedro de Sp. conqueror & explorer of Chile _1500?-1553 Valens Rom. emperor of the E. 364-378 _328?-378 Valens, Ritchie (orig. Richard Valenzuela) US rock singer; died in airplane crash with Buddy Holly & the Big Bopper _1941-1959 Valentine Rom. martyr, physician, priest, & saint; patron saint of lovers; eponym of St. Valentine's Day _2XX-269 Valentine It. pope 827 _7XX-827 Valentinian I (also Valentinius I) Rom. emperor 364-375 _321-375 Valentinian II (also Valentinius II) Rom. emperor 375-392 _371-392 Valentinian III (also Valentinius III) Rom. emperor 425-455 _419-455 Valentino, Rudolph (orig. Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaelo Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella) US (It.-born) silent movie actor; starred in movies "The Sheik" 1921, "Blood and Sand" 1922, "The Eagle" 1925 _1895-1926 Valera y Alcala Galiano, Juan Sp. aut. & polit. _1824-1905 Valerian (Publius Licinius Valerianus) Rom. emperor 253-260 _2XX-260 Valery, Paul Ambroise (orig. Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valery) Fr. critic & poet _1871-1945 Vallee, Rudy (orig. Hubert Prior Vallee) US actor & rock singer _1901-1986 Vallee-Poussin, Charles Jean de la Belgian math.; proved prime number theorem independently of Jacques Hadamard 1896 _1866-1962 Vallejo, Mariano Guadalupe US frontiersman & soldier _1808-1890 Valli, Frankie (orig. Francis Castelluccio) US singer _1937-- Van Allen, James Alfred US phys. & rocketry pioneer; discoverer & eponym of Van Allen belts 1958 _1914-- Van Amringe, John Howard (J. Howard Van Amringe) US educator & math.; 1st pres. of American Mathematical Society 1889-1891 _1836-1915 Van Brocklin, Norman Mack (Norm) US football player & coach _1926-1983 Vanbrugh, John, Sir Eng. architect & comic dram. _1664-1726 Van Buren, Abigail (orig. Pauline Esther Friedman; pseud. Dear Abby) US advice columnist; twin sister of Ann Landers _1918-- Van Buren, Hannah (nee Hoes) US wife of Martin Van Buren 1807 _1783-1819 Van Buren, Martin US polit.; gov. of New York 1829; Secy. of State 1829-1831; vice-pres. of US 1833-1837; 8th pres. of US 1837-1841; Dem. pres. cand. 1840 _1782-1862 Vance, Cyrus Roberts US diplomat; secy. of army 1962-1964; chairman of Rockefeller Foundation 1975-1977; Secy. of State 1977-1980; envoy to Yugoslavia; co-developer & co-eponym of Vance-Owen plan _1917-- Vance, Vivian US television actress; starred in series "I Love Lucy" 1951-1957, "The Lucy Show" 1962-1968 _1912-1979 Van Cortlandt, Stephanus American colonial polit.; mayor of New York City 1677, 1686-1687 _1643-1700 Vancouver, Geroge Eng. explorer of Pacific Ocean _1757-1798 Van Damme, Jean Claude (orig. Jean Claude Van Vorenberg) Belgian movie actor & martial arts expert; starred in movies "Bloodsport" 1987, "Lionheart" 1991, "Double Impact" 1991, "Universal Soldier" 1992, "Timecop" 1994 _1961-- Vandegrift, Alexander Archer US Marine Corps gen.; commandant of Marine Corps 1944-1947 _1887-1973 Vandenberg, Arthur Hendrick US polit.; pres. pro tempore of Senate 1947-1949 _1884-1951 Vandenberg, Hoyt Sanford US air force gen.; director of Central Intelligence Group 1946-1947; air force chief of staff 1948-1953 _1899-1954 Van Depoele, Charles Joseph US (Belgian-born) inventor; invented electric train 1883 _1846-1892 Vanderbilt, Amy US authority on etiquette _1908-1974 Vanderbilt, Cornelius US railroad & shipping industrialist & financier _1794-1877 Vanderbilt, Gloria Morgan (orig. Gloria Cooper) US fashion designer _1924-- van der Linden, Pieter Willem Adriaan Cort Dutch polit.; prime min. of Netherlands 1913-1918 _1846-1935 Vanderlyn, John US Neoclassicist painter _1775-1852 van der Meer, Simon Dutch phys.; co-discovered W particle & Z particle; NP Phys. 1984 _1925-- Van Devanter, Willis US jurist; Supr. Ct. justice 1910-1937 _1859-1951 Van de Velde, James Oliver US (Belgian-born) Catholic bishop; Catholic bishop of Chicago 1849-1853 _1795-1855 Van Doren, Carl Clinton US biographer & critic; brother of Mark Van Doren _1885-1950 Van Doren, Charles US television game show contestant; secretly given answers as contestant on game show "Twenty-One"; subject of movie "Quiz Show" 1994; son of Mark Van Doren _1926?-- Van Doren, Mark US critic & poet _1894-1972 Van Druten, John William Eng. dram. _1901-1957 Van Duyn, Mona Jane US poet; wrote poetry collections "A Time of Bees" 1964, "Near Changes" 1990, "Firefall" 1993; US poet laureate 1992-1993 _1921-- Vandyke, Anthony, Sir (also Anthony Van Dyck) Flemish Baroque portrait painter _1599-1641 Van Dyke, Dick US actor & comedian; starred in series "The Dick Van Dyke Show" 1961-1966, movie "Mary Poppins" 1964 _1925-- Van Dyke, Jerry US comic television actor; brother of Dick Van Dyke _1931-- Van Dyke, Woodbridge Strong (W. S. Van Dyke) US movie director; directed movies "Tarzan, the Ape Man" 1932, "The Thin Man" 1934 _1887-1943 Vane, Henry, Sir (the Younger) Brit. polit. _1613-1662 Vane, John Robert Brit. biochem.; NP Med. 1982 _1927-- Vangelis (pseud. of Evangelos Papathanassiou) Gk. movie music composer; composed music for movies "Chariots of Fire" 1981, "Blade Runner" 1982 _1943-- Van Halen, Edward (Eddie) US (Dutch-born) musician & singer _1957?-- Vanhomrigh, Esther (Vanessa) Brit. woman in love with Jonathan Swift _1690-1723 Vanier, George Philias Can. polit.; gov-gen. of Canada 1959-1967 _1888-1967 van Loon, Hendrik Willem US (Dutch-born) historian, journalist, & aut. of nonfiction _1882-1944 Vann, John Paul (orig. John Paul Tripp) US army officer & critic of Vietnam War; died in helicopter crash; subject of book "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam" _1924-1972 Van Nostrand, David US publisher _1811-1886 Van Peebles, Mario US (Mex.-born) movie director; directed movie "New Jack City" 1992 _1957-- Van Rensselaer, Kiliaen Dutch colonizer & merchant in America _1595-1644 Van Rensselaer, Stephen US gen. & polit. _1764-1839 Vansittart, Robert Gilbert Brit. diplomat _1881-1957 van't Hoff, Jacobus Henricus Dutch chem.; NP Chem. 1901 _1852-1911 Van Vleck, John Hasbrouck US phys.; NP Phys. 1977 _1899-1980 van Vogt, Alfred Elton (A. E. van Vogt) US (Can.-born) science fiction aut.; wrote novels "Slan" 1946, "The Weapon Shops of Isher" 1951 _1912-- Van Wyck, Robert Anderson US polit.; mayor of New York City 1898-1901; 1st mayor to govern Greater New York City _1849-1918 Vanzetti, Bartolomeo It. anarchist radical in US; executed with Nicola Sacco _1888-1927 Varesanin-Vares, Marian von, Freiherr Aus. admin.; Aus. gov. of Bosnia & Herzegovina 1909-1911 _1847-1917 Varese, Edgard (orig. Edgar Victor Achille Charles Varese) US (Fr.-born) composer; pioneer of electronic & recorded music _1883-1965 Vargas, Getulio Dornelles Brazilian dictator & polit.; pres. of Brazil 1930-1945, 1951-1954; overthrown by army 1945, 1954; suicide _1883-1954 Varmus, Harold Eliot US virologist; NP Med. 1989; director of National Institutes of Health 1993-- (NIH) _1939-- Varnum, Joseph Bradley US polit.; Speaker of the House 1807-1811; pres. pro tempore of Senate 1813 _1750-1821 Varro, Marcus Terentius Rom. scholar _116b-027b Varus, Publius Quintilius Rom. admin. & gen.; lost battle of Teutoburg Forest (Teutoburgerwald) 009 _0XXb-009 Vasari, Giorgio It. art historian & painter _1511-1574 Vasily I (also Basil I) Rus. grand prince 1272-1276; son of Yaroslav II _1241-1276 Vasily II (also Basil II) Rus. grand prince 1389-1425; son of Dmitri IV _1371-1425 Vasily III (also Basil III; Vasily Tyomny; Basil the Blinded) Rus. grand prince 1425-1433, 1434-1462; ruled under regency 1425-1430; son of Vasily II _1415-1462 Vasily IV Rus. grand prince 1505-1533; abdicated; son of Ivan III _1479-1533 Vasily Shuiski Rus. tsar 1606-1610; abdicated _1552-1612 Vasilyevski, Alexander Mikhailovich Rus. Soviet marshal; Soviet defense minister 1949-1953 _1895-1977 Vasquez, Horacio Dominican gen. & polit.; acting pres. of Dominican Rep. 1899, 1902-1903; pres. of Dominican Rep. 1924-1930, 1930 _1860-1936 Vassar, Matthew US (Eng.-born) brewer & merchant; founder & eponym of Vassar College 1861 _1792-1868 Vassiliou, George Vassos Cypriot polit.; pres. of Cyprus 1988-1993 _1931-- Vatutin, Nikolai Fyodorovich Rus. gen. _1900-1944 Vauban, Sebastien Le Prestre de Fr. marshal & military engineer _1633-1707 Vaughan, Henry (the Silurist) Welsh metaphysical poet _1622-1695 Vaughan, Stevie Ray US blues & rock guitarist; died in helicopter crash _1955?-1990 Vaughan Williams, Ralph Eng. composer _1872-1958 Vaugoin, Karl Aus. polit.; chancellor of Austria 1930 _1873-1949 Vauquelin, Louis Nicolas Fr. chem.; discovered elements beryllium 1798 & chromium 1798; discovered asparagine 1806 (1st amino acid to be discovered) _1763-1829 Vavilov, Nikolai Ivanovich Rus. horticulturist & plant evolutionist _1887-1943 Vazgen I (Catholicos Vazgen; orig. Levon Garabed Baljian) Armenian (Romanian-born) prelate; supreme patriarch of Armenian Apostolic Church 1955-1994 _1909?-1994 Veblen, Oswald US math.; proved Jordan curve theorem 1905 _1880-1960 Veblen, Thorstein Bunde US economist & social philos. _1857-1929 Vega, Lope de (Lope Felix de Vega Carpio) Sp. dram. _1562-1635 Velasco [Alvarado], Juan Peruvian polit.; pres. of Peru 1968-1975 _1910-1977 Velasco [Ibarra], Jose Maria Ecuadorian polit.; pres. of Ecuador 1934-1935, 1944-1947, 1952-1956, 1960-1961, 1968-1972 _1893-1979 Velasquez, Ramon Jose Venezuelan polit.; acting pres. of Venezuela 1993-1994 _19XX-- Velazquez, Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Sp. Baroque & Naturalist painter _1599-1660 Velde, Harold Himmel US polit.; chairman of House Un-American Activities Committee 1953-1955 _1910-1985 Velikovsky, Immanuel US (Rus.-born) astronomy theorist; attempted to corroborate & explain mythology by astronomical phenomena _1895-1979 Vendome, Louis Joseph, Duc de Fr. marshal _1654-1712 Venetiaan, Roland Suriname polit.; pres. of Suriname 1991-- _19XX-- Venizelos, Eleutherios Gk. polit.; prime min. of Greece 1910-1915, 1915, 1917-1920, 1924, 1928-1932, 1933 _1864-1936 Venkataraman, Ramaswamy Indian polit.; pres. of India 1987-1992 _1910-- Venn, John Eng. logician & math.; creator & eponym of Venn set diagrams _1834-1923 Venter, Jacobus Johannes S. African Boer polit.; provisional head of state of Orange Free State 1855; acting pres. of Orange Free State 1863-1864 _1814-1889 Ventris, Michael George Francis Eng. archaeologist & linguist; proved Linear B an early form of Greek _1922-1956 Venturi, Giovanni Battista It. phys.; discoverer & eponym of Venturi's principle; eponym of Venturi pump & Venturi tube _1746-1822 Venuti, Giuseppe (Joe) US (It.-born) jazz musician & violinist _1904-1978 Verbytsky, Michael Ukrainian songwriter; composed Ukrainian national anthem _1815-1870 Vercingetorix Gallic military leader; chief of Arverni tribe; led rebellion against Rom. occupation of Gaul 052b-046b; defeated, captured, & executed by Julius Caesar _0XXb-046b Verdi, Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco It. operatic composer; composed operas "Nabucco" 1842, "Macbeth" 1847, "Rigoletto" 1851, "Il Trovatore" 1852, "La Traviata" 1853, "Aida" 1871, "Otello" 1887, "Falstaff" 1893 _1813-1901 Vere, Edward de (17th Earl of Oxford, Lord Bulbeck) Eng. courtier & lyric poet; suggested by Oxfordians as actual author of works of William Shakespeare _1550-1604 Vereker, John Standish Surtees Prendergast Brit. soldier _1886-1946 Vereshchagin, Vasili Vasilyevich Rus. battle painter _1842-1904 Verga, Giovanni It. realist aut. _1840-1922 Vergil (also Virgil; Publius Vergilius Maro) Rom. epic poet; wrote epic poem "Aeneid" _070b-019b Verhaeren, Emile Belgian Symbolist poet _1855-1916 Verhoeven, Paul Dutch movie director; directed movies "RoboCop" 1987, "Total Recall" 1990, "Basic Instinct" 1992 _1938-- Verity, [Calvin] William Jr. (C. William Verity) US admin. & steel industrialist; Secy. of Commerce 1987-1989 _1917-- Verlaine, Paul Marie Fr. poet of Parnassian, Symbolist, & Decadent movements _1844-1896 Vermeer, Jan (also Jan van der Meer van Delft) Dutch painter _1632-1675 Verne, Jules Gabriel Fr. science fiction aut.; wrote novels "Journey to the Center of the Earth" 1863, "From the Earth to the Moon" 1865, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" 1872, "Around the World in Eighty Days" 1874 _1828-1905 Verner, Karl Adolph Danish philologist _1846-1896 Vernier, Pierre Fr. math. & instrument inventor; inventor & eponym of vernier scale for measuring devices _1580-1637 Vernon, Edward (Old Grog) Eng. adm.; source of word "grog" _1684-1757 Veronese, Paolo (orig. Paolo Cagliari, Paolo Caliari; the Painter of Pageants) It. painter _1528-1588 Veronese, Vittorino It. banker; director-general of UNESCO 1958-1961 _1910-- Verrazano, Giovanni da It. explorer of N. America for France _1480?-1528 Verrocchio, Andrea del (orig. Andrea di Michele Cione) It. Florentine sculptor; teacher of Leonardo da Vinci _1435-1488 Verus, Lucius Aurelius (orig. Lucius Ceionius Commodus) Rom. emperor 161-169 with Marcus Aurelius _130-169 Verwoerd, Hendrik Frensch S. African polit.; last prime min. of Union of S. Africa 1958-1961; 1st prime min. of S. Africa 1961-1966 ; assassinated _1901-1966 Very, Frank Washington US astronomer _1852-1927 Very, Jones US transcendentalist essayist & poet _1813-1880 Vesalius, Andreas Belgian anatomist in Italy; father of modern anatomy _1514-1564 Vespasian (Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasius) Rom. gen.; Rom. emperor 069-079 _009-079 Vespucci, Amerigo It. explorer in Americas; eponym of America _1451-1512 Vessey, John William Jr. US gen.; chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1982-1985 _1922-- Vest, Charles Marstiller (Chuck) US educator & engineer; pres. of MIT 1990-- _1941-- Vestal, Albert Henry US polit.; House majority whip 1923-1931 _1875-1932 Vicente, Gil Port. dram. _1470?-1536? Vicini [Burgos], Juan Bautista Dominican polit.; pres. of Dominican Rep. 1922-1924; governed under US military occupation 1922-1924 _18XX-1924 Vickers, Harry Franklin US computer businessman; last pres. of Sperry Corp. 1952-1955; 1st pres. of Sperry Rand Corp. 1955-1965; 1st CEO of Sperry Rand Corp. 1955-1967; chairman of Sperry Rand Corp. 1965-1967 _1898-1977 Vico, Giovanni Battista It. historian & pioneer philos. of history _1668-1744 Victor I African saint & pope 189?-199?; possibly 1st pope to use Latin for liturgy _1XX-199? Victor II (orig. Gebhard, Count of Dollnstein-Hirschberg) It. pope 1055-1057 _1018?-1057 Victor III (orig. Daufar, Dauferius) It. pope 1086-1087 _1027?-1087 Victor IV (orig. Gregory Conti, Gregorio Conti) It. antipope 1138 _11XX Victor IV (also Victor V; orig. Octavius, Octavian of Monticelli) It. antipope 1159-1164 _11XX-1164 Victor, Orville James US publisher; originated dime novel _1827-1910 Victor Emmanuel I king of Sardinia-Piedmont 1814-1821; abdicated _1759-1824 Victor Emmanuel II king of Sardinia-Piedmont 1849-1861; It. king 1861-1878; 1st modern king of unified Italy _1820-1878 Victor Emmanuel III It. king 1900-1946; appointed Benito Mussolini prime min.; abdicated; son of Umberto I _1869-1947 Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) Brit. queen 1837-1901; empress of India 1876-1901; last ruler of House of Hanover; granddaughter of George III _1819-1901 Victoria, Tomas Luis de Sp. composer _1548?-1611 Vicuna [y Larrain], Francisco Ramon Chilean polit.; acting dictator of Chile 1828-1829 _1775-1849 Vida, Marco Girolamo It. poet _1490?-1566 Vidal, [Eugene Luther] Gore (pseud. Edgar Box) US aut. & dram.; wrote novels "The Judgment of Paris" 1952, "Live from Golgotha" 1992, play "Gore Vidal's Lincoln" 1988 _1925-- Videla, Jorge Rafael Argentine gen. & polit.; pres. of Argentina 1976-1981 _1925-- Vidocq, Francois Eugene Fr. police admin. _1775-1857 Vidor, King Wallis US movie director; directed movies "The Crowd" 1928, "War and Peace" 1956 _1894-1982 Vidyasagar, Iswar Chandra Indian Bengali aut. & reformer _1820-1891 Vieira, Joao Bernardo Guinea-Bissau gen. & polit.; pres. of Guinea-Bissau 1980-- _1939-- Vieira, Vasco Rocha Port. admin. & army officer; gov. of Macao 1991-- _1940-- Vieta, Franciscus (also Francois Viete) Fr. cryptographer & math.; father of algebra _1540-1603 Vigee-Lebrun, Marie Louise Elisabeth Fr. painter _1755-1842 Vigeland, Adolf Gustav Norw. sculptor _1869-1943 Vigilius It. pope 537-555 _4XX-555 Vignola, Giacomo da (orig. Giacomo da Barozzi, Barozio) It. architect _1507-1573 Vigny, Alfred Victor, Comte de Fr. aut. & translator _1797-1863 Vikrama Rajasimha, Sri last king of Ceylon 1798-1815; deposed _1780-1832 Vilas, William Freeman US polit.; Postmaster Gen. 1885-1888; Secy. of Interior 1888-1889 _1840-1908 Viljoen, Marais S. African polit.; acting pres. of S. Africa 1978; pres. of S. Africa 1979-1984 _1915-- Villa, Francisco (Pancho Villa; orig. Doroteo Arango) Mex. bandit & revolutionary; assassinated _1877-1923 Villa-Lobos, Heitor Brazilian composer _1887-1959 Villard, Henry (orig. Ferdinand Hilgard) US (Ger.-born) electronics & railroad industrialist; founded General Electric 1889; son-in-law of William Lloyd Garrison _1835-1900 Villard, Oswald Garrison US journalist _1872-1949 Villars, Claude Louis Hector Fr. marshal _1653-1734 Villechaize, Herve Jean Pierre US (Fr.-born) midget & television actor; starred in series "Fantasy Island" 1978-1983; suicide _1943-1993 Villeneuve, Gilles Can. automobile racer _1952?-1982 Villeneuve, Pierre Charles Jean Baptiste Silvestre de Fr. adm. _1763-1806 Villiers, George (Duke of Buckingham) Eng. courtier _1592-1628 Villon, Francois (orig. Francois de Montcorbier) Fr. poet; disappeared _1431-1463? Vincent, Francis Thomas Jr. (Fay) US businessman & baseball admin.; national baseball commissioner 1989-1992; resigned _1938-- Vincent, Stenio Joseph Haitian polit.; pres. of Haiti 1930-1941 _1874-1959 Vincent de Paul Fr. Catholic priest & saint; founded Vincentian order (Lazarists) 1625; founded Sisters of Charity 1634; canonized 1737 _1581?-1660 Vinogradov, Ivan Matveyevich Rus. math. _1891-1983 Vinogradov, Paul Gavrilovich, Sir Brit. (Rus.-born) jurist _1854-1925 Vinson, Carl US polit.; chairman of House Armed Services Committee 1949-1953, 1955-1965; granduncle of Sam Nunn _1883-1981 Vinson, Frederick Moore US jurist & polit.; Secy. of Treasury 1945-1946; Supr. Ct. chief justice 1946-1953 _1890-1953 Viola, Roberto Eduardo Argentine gen. & polit.; pres. of Argentina 1981 _1924-1994 Viollet-le-Duc, Eugene Emmanuel Fr. architect _1814-1879 Vionnet, Madeleine Fr. fashion designer _1876-1975 Virchow, Rudolf Ger. pathologist & polit. _1821-1902 Virtanen, Artturi Ilmari Finnish agricultural chem.; NP Chem. 1945 _1895-1973 Vischer, Peter (the Elder) Ger. sculptor; father of Peter Vischer the Younger _1455-1529 Vischer, Peter (the Younger) Ger. sculptor; son of Peter Vischer the Elder _1487-1528 Visconti, Luchino (orig. Luchino Visconti De Modrone) It. movie director _1906-1976 Vitalian (also Vitalianus) It. saint & pope 657-672 _6XX-672 Vitellius, Aulus Rom. gen. & emperor 069 _015-069 Vitruvius (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio) Rom. architect _0XXb Vitus Christian martyr & saint; patron saint of comedians & dancers _2XX-300? Vivaldi, Antonio Lucio (the Red Priest) It. composer & violinist _1675?-1741 Vivekananda (orig. Narendranath Dutt) Indian Hindu religious leader & swami; introduced Hinduism to western world 1893; disciple of Ramakrishna _1863-1902 Vives, Juan Luis Sp. logician, philos., & scholar _1492-1540 Vlad the Impaler (Count Dracula) Hung. prince; source of Dracula vampire legend _1431-1476 Vladimir I (Vladimir the Great) Rus. grand prince of Kiev 978?-1015 & saint; 1st Christian ruler in Russia; adopted Christianity 988; son of Svyatoslav I _965?-1015 Vladimir II (Vladimir Monomachus, Vladimir Monomakh) Rus. grand prince of Kiev 1113-1125; great-grandson of Vladimir I _1053-1125 Vladislav IV (also Wladyslaw IV) Pol. king 1632-1648; invaded Russia; Rus. tsar 1610-1612; driven out of Russia _1595-1648 Vlaminck, Maurice de Fr. Fauvist landscape painter _1876-1958 Vo Chi Cong Vietnamese Communist polit.; pres. of Vietnam 1987-1992 _1914-- Vo Van Kiet Vietnamese Communist polit.; prime min. of Vietnam 1992-- _1922-- Vogler, George Joseph (Abbe Vogler) Ger. composer _1749-1814 Voinovich, George Victor US polit.; mayor of Cleveland 1979-1990; gov. of Ohio 1991-- _1936-- Volcker, Paul Adolph US banker; chairman of Federal Reserve Board 1979-1987 _1927-- Volpe, John Anthony US polit.; gov. of Massachusetts 1961-1963, 1965-1969; Secy. of Transportation 1969-1973 _1908-- Volstead, Andrew John US polit.; wrote Volstead Act enforcing Prohibition 1919 _1860-1947 Volta, Alessandro, Count It. electrical inventor & phys.; invented battery (voltaic pile) 1800; source of word "volt" _1745-1827 Voltaire (pseud. of Francois Marie Arouet) Fr. aut., humanist, rationalist, & satirist; leading philos. of the Enlightenment; wrote "Candide", "Zadig", "La Henriade", "Discourse on Man" _1694-1778 Volterra, Vico It. math.; studied integral equations _1860-1940 Von Bulow, Claus (orig. Claus Borberg) Brit. (Danish-born) financier & attempted murderer; attempted to murder wife Martha von Bulow by insulin injection _1926-- Von Bulow, Martha Sharp Crawford (Sunny) US socialiate & attempted murder victim; wife of Claus von Bulow; comatose as result of murder attempt _1932?-- Von Daniken, Erich Anton Swi. archaeology theorist; proposed alien visitation of Earth in ancient times _1935-- Vondel, Joost van den (the Dutch Shakespeare) Dutch dram., poet, & translator _1587-1679 von Euler, Ulf Svante Swed. physiologist; NP Med. 1970 _1905-1983 von Klitzing, Klaus Ger. phys.; discovered quantized Hall effect; NP Phys. 1985 _1943-- Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. US nov.; wrote novels "The Sirens of Titan" 1959, "Mother Night" 1961, "Cat's Cradle" 1963, "Slaughterhouse Five" 1969, "Breakfast of Champions" 1973, "Hocus Pocus" 1990, "Timequake" 1994 _1922-- Von Stroheim, Erich (orig. Erich Oswald Hans Carl Stroheim Von Nordenwald) Ger. (Aus.-born) actor & movie director; directed movies "Blind Husbands" 1919, "Foolish Wives" 1922, "Greed" 1925, "The Wedding March" 1928 _1885-1957 Vorontsov, Yuli Mikhailovich (also Yuliy Vorontsov) Rus. diplomat; last Soviet ambassador to UN 1990-1991; 1st Rus. ambassador to UN 1991-1994; Rus. ambassador to US 1994-- _1929-- Voroshilov, Kliment Efremovich Ukrainian Soviet marshal & Communist polit.; Soviet defense minister 1925-1940; chairman of Presidium of Supreme Soviet 1953-1960 _1881-1968 Vorster, Balthazar Johannes (John) S. African polit.; prime min. of S. Africa 1966-1978; pres. of S. Africa 1978-1979; resigned _1915-1983 Vortigern Brit. prince; invited Saxons to England to repel Picts & Scots; son-in-law of Hengist _4XX Voynich, Wilfrid Michael Pol. bibliophile; eponym of Voynich manuscript _1865-1930 Voznesensky, Andrei Andreyevich Rus. poet _1933-- Vraznitsky, Franz Aus. banker & polit.; chancellor of Austria 1986-- _1937-- Vsevolod III (Vsevolod of the Large Nest; Vsevolod Bolshoe Gnezdo) Rus. grand prince 1176-1212; son of Yuri Dolgoruki _1154-1212 Vuillard, [Jean] Edouard Fr. painter _1868-1940 Vyshinsky, Andrei Yanvaryevich Ukrainian Soviet diplomat, jurist, & Communist revolutionary; chief prosecutor at Great Purge trials 1928-1934; Soviet foreign minister 1949-1953 _1883-1954 Vysotsky, Vladimir Semyonovich Rus. actor, singer, & songwriter _1938-1980