faro One of the oldest gambling games played with cards. Its name probably derives from the picture of a pharaoh on an early set. It was popular in Europe in the 18th— 19th century and in the U.S. in the 19th century. The game involves betting on the rank, or number, of a card drawn from a dealing box. It is still played in a few casinos.
Faroe Vfar-o\ Islands or Faeroe Islands Group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean that form a self-governing region of Denmark. Area: 540 sq mi (1,399 sq km). Population: (2002 est.) 47,400. Lying north of the British Isles, the islands are politically situated within the kingdom of Denmark. There are 17 inhabited islands and many islets and reefs. The largest, Strpmp, holds the capital of Torshavn. The islands are high and rugged, with coasts that are deeply indented with fjords. The economy is based on fishing and sheep raising. First settled by Irish monks (c. 700), the islands were colonized by the Vikings (c. 800) and were ruled by Nor¬ way from the 11th century until 1380, when they passed to Denmark. They unsuccessfully sought independence in 1946 but received self- government in 1948. In the early 21st century they continued discussions with Denmark on full independence.
Farouk \f3-'riik\ I Arabic FarGq al-Awwal (b. Feb. 11, 1920, Cairo, Egypt—d. March 18, 1965, Rome, Italy) King of Egypt (1936-52). Son of King Fu’ad I (1868-1936), he was educated in Egypt and England and ascended the throne in 1936. Farouk’s administration was hampered by internal rivalries. His alienation of the military, especially after its loss to Israel (1948), led to his own downfall. In 1952 a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser forced him to abdicate. He was succeeded by his infant son, Fu’ad II, but in 1953 Egypt became a republic.
Farquhar Vfar-kor, 'far-kworV George (b. 1678, Londonderry, County Derry, Ire.—d. April 29, 1707, London, Eng.) Irish playwright. His early experience as an actor in Dublin was the source of the origi¬ nality of dialogue and stage sense that gave his work its great comic power. His plays, written for the London stage and enthusiastically received, included Love and a Bottle (1699), The Constant Couple (1699), and Sir Harry Wildair{ 1701). His real contribution to English drama came with The Recruiting Officer (1706) and particularly The Beaux’ Strata¬ gem (1707), in which he introduced a verbal vigour and love of charac¬ ter reminiscent of Elizabethan dramatists.
Farragut Vfar-o-g9t\, David G(lasgow) (b. July 5, 1801, near Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.—d. Aug. 14,
1870, Portsmouth, N.H.) U.S. naval officer. He served in the War of 1812 and received his first com¬ mand in 1824. During the American Civil War he commanded the Union blockade of the western Gulf of Mexico; in the Battle of New Orleans he captured the port through which the Confederacy received much of its war supplies. In 1863 he helped secure victory at the Battle of Vicks¬ burg, bringing the Mississippi River under Union control. In 1864 he led a successful attack in the Battle of Mobile Bay, sending his ships across a blockade of mines (“torpedoes”) with the order, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” He became a full admiral in 1866.
Farrakhan Vfar-3-.kan, 'far-3-,kan\, Louis orig. Louis Eugene
Walcott (b. May 11, 1933, Bronx, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. religious leader. He
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Farrar ► fat I 659
joined the Nation of Islam in 1955, and for a time he assisted Malcolm X in Boston. After Malcolm converted to Sunni Islam, Farrakhan denounced him and replaced him as minister of Mosque No. 7 in Harlem. Farrakhan later expressed regret at having contributed to the climate of antagonism that preceded Malcolm’s assassination in 1965. When Warith Deen Mohammed, Elijah Muhammad’s successor as leader of the Nation of Islam, gradually began integrating the organization into the orthodox Muslim community, Farrakhan broke away and formed his own organization, also called the Nation of Islam (1978). A compelling orator whose rhetoric often descended into overt anti-Semitism, Farrakhan was nonetheless effec¬ tive in encouraging African American self-reliance and unity. He was the main organizer of the Million Man March on Washington, D.C., in 1995. In 2000 Farrakhan and Mohammed recognized each other as fellow Mus¬ lims, and Farrakhan subsequently moved his group closer to orthodox Islam and moderated his racial remarks.
Farrar \f3-'rar\, Geraldine (b. Feb. 28, 1882, Melrose, Mass., U.S.—d. March 11, 1967, Ridgefield, Conn.) U.S. soprano. She received vocal training in New York and Paris and made her debut in Charles Gou¬ nod’s Faust in 1901. Coached by Lilli Lehmann (1848-1929), she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1906, performed in the American pre¬ miere of Madama Butterfly opposite Enrico Caruso (1907), and was later a celebrated Carmen. She retired in 1922. She also acted in silent films.
Farrar, Straus & Giroux Vfar-3r- , straus...zhir- , u\ Publishing com¬ pany in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. After various changes in personnel and name, it took its present name in 1964, with the addition of Robert Giroux as editor in chief. The company became estab¬ lished as a leading independent trade publisher of writers of the first rank, including many Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. In 1994 a controlling interest was sold to the German publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck.
Farrell Vfar-oL, James T(homas) (b. Feb. 27, 1904, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—d. Aug. 22, 1979, New York, N.Y.) U.S. novelist and short-story writer. A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Chicago, he is known for his realistic portraits of the city’s lower-middle-class Irish population, drawn from his own experiences. His well-known Studs Loni- gan trilogy— Young Lonigan (1932), The Young Manhood of Studs Loni- gan (1934), and Judgment Day (1935)—traces the self-destruction of a spiritually crippled young man. He later planned a cycle of 25 novels, of which he completed 10. Of the 25 novels he published, The Face of Time (1953) is among the best. He also produced 17 short-story collections.
Farrell, Suzanne orig. Roberta Sue Ficker (b. Aug. 16, 1945, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) U.S. ballet dancer. She trained at the School of American Ballet and joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB) at age 16, becoming a soloist at age 18. George Balanchine created roles for her in ballets such as Meditation, Don Quixote, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. After several years as principal dancer with Maurice Bejart’s Ballet of the 20th Century (1970-75), she returned to the NYCB in 1975 as principal dancer. There she continued to create leading roles until she retired in 1989 and joined the faculty of the School of American Ballet, on which she served until 1993. She later formed her own company, which carried on the Balanchine tradition.
Farsi language See Persian language
fascism Vfa-.shi-zomV Philosophy of government that stresses the pri¬ macy and glory of the state, unquestioning obedience to its leader, sub¬ ordination of the individual will to the state’s authority, and harsh suppression of dissent. Martial virtues are celebrated, while liberal and democratic values are disparaged. Fascism arose during the 1920s and ’30s partly out of fear of the rising power of the working classes; it dif¬ fered from contemporary communism (as practiced under Joseph Staun) by its protection of business and landowning elites and its preservation of class systems. The leaders of the fascist governments of Italy (1922- 43), Germany (1933^-5), and Spain (1939-75)— Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Francisco Franco —were portrayed to their publics as embodi¬ ments of the strength and resolve necessary to rescue their nations from political and economic chaos. Japanese fascists (1936-45) fostered belief in the uniqueness of the Japanese spirit and taught subordination to the state and personal sacrifice. See also totalitarianism; neofascism.