Leif Eriksson or Leif Eriksson the Lucky Norwegian Leiv Eriks¬ son den Hepne (fl. 11th century) Icelandic explorer, possibly the first European to reach North America. The second son of Erik the Red, he was on his way back from Norway to Greenland, where he had been sent by Olaf I Tryggvason to Christianize the natives (c. 1000), when he sailed off course and landed probably at Nova Scotia, which he called Vinland. This standard account comes from the Icelandic Eiriks saga. Another account, the Groenlendinga saga, says he learned of Vinland from a man who had been there 14 years earlier and that Leif reached North America after
Leigh Vle\, Mike in full Michael Leigh (b. Feb. 20, 1943, Salford, Lancashire, Eng.) British film director and playwright. His first play. The Box Play (1965), began the process of improvisation and collaboration with his actors that became the basis of his works for stage, television, and film, which usually depict lower- and working-class life with sharp humour and pathos. He made his film debut with Bleak Moments (1971) and later directed offbeat movies such as High Hopes (1988), Life Is Sweet (1991), and Naked (1993), for which he won best director at the Cannes Film Festival. The internationally acclaimed Secrets and Lies (1996) was followed by Career Girls (1997), Topsy-Turvy (1999), and All or Noth¬ ing (2002).
Leigh, Vivien orig. Vivian Mary Hartley (b. Nov. 5, 1913, Dar¬ jeeling, India—d. July 8, 1967, London, Eng.) British actress. She made her film debut in 1934 and her London stage debut in The Mask of Virtue (1935). After a well-publicized search she was chosen for the role of Scarlett in Gone with the Wind (1939, Academy Award), which brought her great fame. Noted for her delicate beauty, she later starred in Water¬ loo Bridge (1940), That Hamilton Woman (1941), Anna Karenina (1948), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), for which she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the tragically delusional Blanche DuBois. From 1940 to 1960 she was married to Laurence Olivier, with whom she appeared in a number of successful London stage productions. She starred in a 1963 Broadway musical adaptation of Tovarich, a disastrous production for which Leigh nonetheless won a Tony Award.
Leighton \'la-t 3 n\, Margaret (b. Feb. 26, 1922, Bamt Green, near Birmingham, Worcestershire, Eng.—d. Jan. 13, 1976, Chichester, West Sussex) British actress. A member of the Old Vic company, she made her London debut in 1944 and her Broadway debut in 1946. She was acclaimed for her wide range of roles in plays such as The Cocktail Party (1950) and The Applecart (1953). She received Tony Awards for her Broadway appearances in Separate Tables (1956) and The Night of the Iguana (1962). Her most notable film roles were in The Winslow Boy (1948), The Sound and the Fury (1959), and The Go-Between (1971).
Leinster \Ten-stor\ Province (pop., 2002 prelim.: 2,105,449), eastern Ireland. It covers an area of 7,645 sq mi (19,801 sq km). Its counties include Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laoighis, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow. Its northern part, Meath, was once a separate kingdom. In the early Middle Ages, kings of Leinster fought constantly against the Uf Neill, the line of high kings whose capital was at Tara in Meath. In the late 15th and early 16th cen¬ turies, Leinster was virtually independent, under the earls of Kildare.
Leipzig Vllp-sik, 'llp-sig\ City (pop., 2002 est.: 493,052), east-central Germany. Situated in western Saxony state, it was in the 11th century a fortified town known as Urbs Libzi. It was granted municipal status by 1170, and its location on the principal trade routes of central Europe made it an important commercial centre. Several battles of the Thirty Years' War were fought near the city, which was also the site of the Battle of Leipzig (1813). Massive demonstrations in Leipzig in 1989 helped topple East Germany’s communist regime. Historic features include the University of Leipzig (1409), the 13th-century church of St. Thomas, and the annual Leipzig Fair.
Leipzig, Battle of or Battle of the Nations (Oct. 16-19, 1813) Decisive defeat for Napoleon at Leipzig, resulting in the destruction of what was left of French power in Germany and Poland. Surrounded in the city, Napoleon’s army was able only to thwart the allied attacks. As it began to retreat over the single bridge westward from the city, a fright¬ ened corporal blew up the bridge, leaving 30,000 French troops trapped in Leipzig to be taken prisoner. The battle was one of the most severe of the Napoleonic Wars; the French lost 38,000 men killed and wounded, and the allies lost 55,000.
Leipzig, University of State-supported university in Leipzig, Ger¬ many, founded in 1409. In the 1500s it was a centre of Reformation thought, and in the 18th and 19th centuries it became one of Europe’s leading literary and cultural centres, attracting such students as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Richard Wagner. Between 1953 and 1990 it was named Karl Marx Uni¬ versity of Leipzig.
leishmaniasis \ l lesh-m3- , nI-9-s9s\ Human protozoal infection spread by the bite of a bloodsucking sand fly. It occurs worldwide but is espe¬ cially prevalent in tropical areas. It is caused by various species of the flagellate protozoan Leishmania, which infect rodents and canines. Vis¬ ceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, occurs throughout the world but is espe¬ cially prevalent in the Mediterranean area, Africa, Asia, and Latin America; it affects the liver, spleen, and bone marrow and is usually fatal if not treated. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in areas around the Mediterranean, in central and northern Africa, and in southern and west¬ ern Asia; it is also found in Central and South America and parts of the southern U.S. It is characterized by lesions on the skin of the legs, feet, hands, and face, most of which heal spontaneously after many months.
Leisler \Tls-br\, Jacob (b. 1640, Frankfurt am Main—d. May 16, 1691, New York, N.Y.) German-born colonial insurrectionist. He immigrated to New Netherland (New York) in 1660 and became a wealthy merchant. Objecting to the British unification of New York and New England (1685- 89), he led the revolt called Leisler’s Rebellion, established himself as lieutenant governor of the province (1689-91), and called the first inter¬ colonial congress (1690) to plan action against the French and Indians. When he reluctantly surrendered to a new British governor, he was charged with treason and hanged, along with his son-in-law.
leitmotiv VlIt-mo-.teA In music, a melodic idea associated with a char¬ acter or an important dramatic element. It is associated particularly with the operas of Richard Wagner, most of which rely on a dense web of asso¬ ciative leitmotifs. Most composers after Wagner (and some of his imme¬ diate predecessors) continued to use this musico-dramatic principle, but few as rigorously as he did.
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Leizhou ► L'Engle I 1095
Leizhou Vla-'jo\ Peninsula or Lei-chou Peninsula conventional Luichow \'lwe-'chau\ Peninsula Peninsula off the southwestern coast of Guangdong province, southeastern China. Separated from Hainan Island by the Hainan Strait, it includes Kwangchowan, a territory leased by France from 1898 to 1945. Occupied by Japan in World War II, it was returned to Chinese control in 1946.
Leland Vle-londX, Henry Martyn (b. Feb. 16, 1843, Danville, Vt., U.S.—d. March 26, 1932, Detroit, Mich.) U.S. engineer and manufac¬ turer. Trained as a machinist, he founded Leland & Faulconer Manufac¬ turing Co. in Detroit in 1890 to build engines for automobile makers. In 1904 he merged the company into his newly founded Cadillac Motor Car Co., where he created the successful Model A Cadillac. In 1917 he founded the Lincoln Motor Co., which was purchased by Henry Ford in 1922. He was known for his rigorous standards; his innovations included the V-8 engine and adoption of the electric starter.