Giant (1956). His death at age 24 in an automobile crash caused anguish among his fans and contributed to his idolization as a cult figure.
Dean, John Wesley, III (b. Oct.
14, 1938, Akron, Ohio, U.S.) U.S. lawyer and White House counsel. He received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1965. In 1970 he was appointed White House counsel by Pres. Richard Nixon. In 1972 Nixon asked Dean to investigate whether White House personnel were involved in the Watergate Hotel break-in (see Watergate scandal). Dean refused to issue a proposed fictitious report denying a cover-up. When indications of White House involvement grew stronger, he began telling federal investi¬ gators what he knew. Nixon fired him in April 1973; two months later Dean testified before a Senate committee about obstruction of justice by White House officials, including the president. He spent four months in prison for his role in the Watergate cover-up. His revelations contributed to Nixon’s decision to resign in 1974.
Deane, Silas (b. Dec. 24, 1737, Groton, Conn.—d. Sept. 23, 1789, at sea near Deal, Kent, Eng.) U.S. diplomat. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, which in 1776 secretly sent him to France to obtain financial and military assistance. The shiploads of arms he secured con¬ tributed to the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga. In 1777 he, Benjamin Franklin, and Arthur Lee negotiated treaties of commerce and
alliance with France. Lee later insinuated that Deane had embezzled money; though the allegations were never proved, they ruined Deane’s reputation.
Dearborn City (pop., 2000: 97,775), southeastern Michigan, U.S. Settled in 1795, it originated as a stagecoach stop between Detroit and Chicago. It was the birthplace of Henry Ford and the headquarters of the Ford Motor Co. Industrial development began with the building of the Ford assembly plant in 1917 and continued with related automotive indus¬ tries. It was incorporated as a city in 1927.
Dearborn, Henry (b. Feb. 23,1751, Hampton, N.H.—d. June 6, 1829, Roxbury, Mass., U.S.) U.S. army officer and secretary of war (1801-09). He fought in the American Revolution and later was appointed marshal for the District of Maine (1789-93). He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1793-97), was secretary of war under Pres. Thomas Jefferson, and ordered the establishment of Fort Dearborn at “Chikago” in 1803. In the War of 1812, he commanded several failed attempts to invade Canada and was later recalled by Pres. James Madison.
death penalty See capital punishment
Death Valley Valley, southeastern California, U.S. The lowest, hottest, driest portion of North America, it is about 140 mi (225 km) long and 5-15 mi (8-24 km) wide. The Amargosa River flows into it from the south and contains a small pool, Badwater, near which is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Death Valley was for¬ merly an obstacle to pioneer settlers (hence its name); it later was a cen¬ tre of borax mining. Declared a national monument in 1933, it was made a national park in 1994; the park covers 5,269 sq mi (13,648 sq km) and extends into Nevada.
deathwatch beetle Borer insect (beetle species Xestobium refuvillo- sum ) that tends to be small (less than 0.5 in., or 1-9 mm) and cylindrical.
When disturbed, it usually pulls in its legs and plays dead. It makes a tick¬ ing or clicking sound by bumping its head or jaws against the sides of the tunnels it creates as it bores into old furniture and wood, a sound that, according to superstition, forecasts a death.
DeBakey \da-'ba-ke\, Michael (Ellis) (b. Sept. 7, 1908, Lake Charles, La., U.S.) U.S. surgeon. He received his M.D. from Tulane Uni¬ versity. In 1932 he devised the “roller pump,” to be used in heart- lung machines. His work with the U.S. Surgeon General’s office led to the development of mobile army sur¬ gical hospitals (MASH units). He also developed an efficient method of grafting frozen blood vessels to correct aortic aneurysms and pioneered the use of plastic tubing instead of grafts (1956). He was the first to per¬ form a successful coronary artery bypass, and in 1963 he was the first to insert a mechanical device into the chest to assist the heart. He edited the Yearbook of Surgery (1958-70). His many awards include the Medal of Freedom.
deble Vdyeb-la, 'deb-la\ Wooden female figure carved by the Senufo people of West Africa. It was used as a “rhythm pounder” in dance ritu¬ als to promote the fertility of the soil. The Poro (or Lo) male secret soci¬ ety held the figures by the upper arms and pounded them on the ground to keep the rhythm as they performed the fertility dance. The figures were also placed in the fields during digging contests.
Deborah (fl. 12th century bc) Prophet and heroine of the Hebrew scrip¬ tures. Her story is told in the book of Judges. With her general, Barak, she is credited with defeating the Canaanite armies led by Sisera. The Israelite victory over the Canaanites, which was aided by a thunderstorm that Israel saw as the coming of God from Mount Sinai, was celebrated in the “Song of Deborah” (Judges 5), possibly the earliest portion of the Bible.
Debre \d3-'bra\, Michel (-Jean-Pierre) (b. Jan. 15, 1912, Paris, France—d. Aug. 2, 1996, Montlouis-sur-Loire) French politician. He began his career in civil service and advanced steadily. In World War II he escaped from German imprisonment to join the Resistance, working in the
James Dean in G/anf(1956).
© 1956 GIANT PRODUCTIONS, COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.; PHOTOGRAPH, CULVER PICTURES
Deathwatch beetle (Xestobium refuvillo- sum)
G. E. HYDE FROM THE NATURAL HISTORY PHOTOGRAPHIC AGENCY-EB INC.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Debrecen ► Decatur I 523
underground in German-occupied France. In 1945 he joined Charles de Gaulle’s provisional government and later served in the senate (1948-58). He was the principal author of the constitution of the Fifth Republic and its first premier (1959-62). He served in the National Assembly (1963-68), then in various cabinet posts, including minister of defense (1969-73).
Debrecen \'de-bret-,sen\ City (pop., 2001: 211,034), eastern Hungary. An important city in eastern Hungary, it has long been a market centre and a religious, political, and cultural arena. Chartered in the 14th cen¬ tury, it became prominent during and after the Turkish occupation. Hun¬ gary’s short-lived independence from the Habsburgs was proclaimed there in 1849; the city later reverted to Austrian control. During World War II it was briefly the seat of the interim Hungarian government. The Great Reformed Church and Lajos Kossuth University (1912) are located there.
Debs, Eugene V(ictor) (b. Nov. 5, 1855, Terre Haute, Ind., U.S.—d. Oct. 20, 1926, Elmhurst, Ill.) U.S. labour organizer. Debs left home at age 14 to work in the railroad shops.
As a locomotive fireman, he became an early advocate of industrial union¬ ism, and he became president of the American Railway Union in 1893.
His involvement in the Pullman Strike led to a six-month prison term in 1895. In 1898 he helped found the U.S. Socialist Party; he would run as its presidential candidate five times (1900-20). In 1905 he helped found the Industrial Workers of the World.
Debs was charged with sedition in 1918 after denouncing the 1917 Espionage Act; he conducted his last presidential campaign from prison, winning 915,000 votes before being released by presidential order in
debt Something owed. Anyone having borrowed money or goods from another owes a debt and is under obligation to return the goods or repay the money, usually with interest. For governments, the need to borrow in order to finance a deficit budget has led to the development of various forms of national debt. See also bankruptcy; debtor and creditor; usury.