three-fifths of the population are Latvians, or Letts, who speak Latvian, one of two sur¬ viving Baltic languages. Russians make up about one-third of the population. Lan¬ guages: Latvian (official), Russian. Reli¬ gion: Christianity (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox). Currency: lats. The landscape is an undulating plain, with fairly flat low¬ lands alternating with hills. Latvia is a fully industrialized country. Heavy industry (notably the production of metals, ships, and railcars) once was more important than it is today; now leading manufactures include alco¬ holic beverages, wood products, foodstuffs, and textiles. Latvia is a mul¬ tiparty republic with one legislative body; its chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. It was settled by the Balts in ancient times. They came under the overlordship of the Varan¬ gians, or Vikings, in the 9th century and were later dominated by their German-speaking neighbours to the west, who Christianized Latvia in the 12th—13th century. The Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Latvia by 1230 and established German rule. From the mid-16th to the early 18th century the region was split between Poland and Sweden, but by the end of the 18th century all of Latvia had been annexed by Russia. Latvia declared its independence after the Russian Revolution of 1917. In 1939 it was forced to grant military bases to the Soviet Union, and in 1940 the Soviet Red Army invaded. Held by Nazi Germany (1941-44), the country was recaptured by the Soviets and incorporated into the Soviet
Union. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Latvia gained its indepen¬ dence in 1991. Subsequently it sought to privatize the economy and build ties with western Europe (becoming a member of the European Union in 2004), as well as to improve uneasy relations with Russia.
Latvian language or Lettish language East Baltic language spo¬ ken by some two million people in the Republic of Latvia and in diaspora communities, including about 85,000 speakers in North America. Like Lithuanian, it is sparsely attested until the first printed books in Latvian appear in 1585-86. The essentials of the present orthography, which employs the Latin alphabet with a number of diacritics, were adopted in 1908. Literary Latvian is based on the dialect spoken in Riga, Latvia’s capital, though in recent years there has been a resurgence of literature in High Latvian (Latgalian), the dialect of eastern Latvia. Relative to Lithua¬ nian, Latvian has undergone a number of striking sound changes, though the grammatical structures of the two languages are similar.
Laud, William (b. Oct. 7, 1573, Reading, Berkshire, Eng.—d. Jan. 10, 1645, London) Archbishop of Canterbury (1633-45) and religious adviser to Charles I. He became a privy councillor in 1627 and bishop of London in 1628, devoting himself to combating Puritanism and enforcing strict Anglican ritual. By the time he became archbishop of Canterbury, he had extended his authority over the whole country. He attacked the Puritan practice of preaching as dangerous, and he had Puritan writers such as William Prynne mutilated and imprisoned. Aided by his close ally the 1st earl of Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Laud used his influence over the king to influence government social policy. By 1637, opposition to Lau- dian reppression had grown, and Laud’s attempts to impose Anglican forms of worship in Scotland provoked fierce resistance. In 1640 the Long Parliament met, and Laud was accused of high treason. His trial, which began in 1644 and was managed by Prynne, resulted in Laud’s convic¬ tion and beheading.
Lauder Vlo-dorX, Estee orig. Josephine Esther Mentzer (b. July 1, 1908?, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. April 24, 2004, New York) U.S. entrepreneur. She founded Estee Lauder, Inc., with her husband, Joseph, in 1946. Their innovative marketing techniques led to huge success from the 1960s on. Her son Leonard was named chief executive officer in 1982. The company’s fragrance and cosmetics products, including Clinique cos¬ metics, Aramis men’s products, as well as specialty lines such as Bobbi Brown, Origins, and Aveda, are sold in more than 130 countries. By the early 21st century the company was worth about $10 billion.
Laue \'lau-9. Max (Theodor Felix) von (b. Oct. 9, 1879, Pfaffen- dorf, near Koblenz, Ger.—d. April 23, 1960, Berlin, W.Ger.) German physicist. He taught at the University of Berlin (1919-43). He was the first to use a crystal to diffract X-rays, demonstrating that X-rays are elec¬ tromagnetic radiation similar to light and that the molecular structure of crystals is a regularly repeating arrangement. For his work in crystallog¬ raphy he received the 1914 Nobel Prize for Physics. He championed Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and studied the quantum theory, the Comp¬ ton effect, and the disintegration of atoms.
Lauenburg Vlau-on-.burkV Region and former duchy, northern Ger¬ many. It was established as a duchy under the Ascanian dynasty in the 13th century. In 1728 George Louis, elector of Hanover, became its ruler, thereby attaching it to Hanover. It came under Prussia after the Danish- Prussian War of 1864. The duchy was abolished in 1918, and the region has been part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1946.
laughing gas See nitrous oxide
laughing jackass See kookaburra
Laughlin \Tak-lin\, James (b. Oct. 30, 1914, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.—d. Nov. 12, 1997, Norfolk, Conn.) U.S. publisher and poet. Bom to a wealthy family, Laughlin founded New Directions press in 1936 after graduating from Harvard. He established the company initially to publish ignored yet influential writers, including William Carlos Williams and Ezra Pound, a friend and major influence on his life and work. New Directions editions of such authors as Dylan Thomas, Tennessee Williams, and Hermann Hesse (one of the many foreign authors it published in translation) eventually made the house, despite its small size, one of the most distinguished literary pub¬ lishers in the U.S. Its inexpensive pocket-sized volumes had distinctive black-and-white covers that made them recognizable in any bookstore.
Laughton Vlo-tYA, Charles (b. July 1, 1899, Scarborough, Yorkshire, Eng.—d. Dec. 15, 1962, Hollywood, Calif., U.S.) British actor. He made
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his London stage debut in 1926 and acted in plays such as The Govern¬ ment Inspector, Medea, and Payment Deferred, in which he made his New York debut in 1931. He appeared in movies from 1929 and earned inter¬ national acclaim in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933, Academy Award). With his bulky frame and ordinary face Laughton defied Holly¬ wood typecasting and emerged as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. He played a wide range of character roles in films such as Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), The Hunch¬ back of Notre Dame (1939), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Advise and Consent (1962). He directed the memorable The Night of the Hunter (1955).
lauma \'lau-ma\ In Baltic folklore, a fairy who appeared as a beautiful naked maiden with long blond hair. Laumas lived in the forest near water or stones. They yearned for children, and as they were unable to give birth, they often kidnapped babies to rear as their own. Sometimes they mar¬ ried mortal men and became excellent wives, perfectly skilled in domes¬ tic work. Highly temperamental, laumas were seen as benevolent, motherly beings, helpful to orphans and poor girls but extremely vindic¬ tive when angered, particularly by disrespectful men. In Latvia and Lithuania in recent centuries, lauma has come to refer to a witch or hag.
Launcelot See Lancelot
Launceston \T6n-s9-ston\ formerly Patersonia City (pop., 2001: 57,685) and port, northeastern Tasmania, Australia. Launceston developed during the 1830s as a whaling port and market centre. It is now the larg¬ est population and commercial centre in northern Tasmania. An export hub for a fertile agricultural region, it also has industries, including machine-making factories. One of the world’s first hydroelectric stations (built in 1895) lies within the city on the South Esk River.