Godel's theorem Principle of the foundations of mathematics. One of the most important discoveries of 20th-century mathematics, it states the impossibility of defining a complete system of axioms that is also consis¬ tent (does not give rise to contradictions). Any formal system (e.g., a computer program or a set of mathematical rules and axioms) powerful enough to generate meaningful statements can generate statements that are true but that cannot be proven or derived within the system. As a con¬ sequence, mathematics cannot be placed on an entirely rigorous basis. Named for Kurt Godel, who published his proof in 1931, it immediately had consequences for philosophy (particularly logic) and other areas. Its ramifications continue to be debated.
Godey's Lady's Book \'go-dez\ Monthly magazine for women, one of the most successful and influential periodicals in 19th-century America. Founded in 1830 in Philadelphia by Louis Antoine Godey, it became an important arbiter of fashion and etiquette. It also published works by such writers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry W. Longfellow, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Edited by Godey until 1836, the magazine was then edited by Sara Josepha Hale until 1877. It ceased publication in 1898.
Godfrey, Arthur (Morton) (b. Aug. 31, 1903, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. March 16, 1983, New York) U.S. radio and television entertainer. His relaxed manner and affable banter as a radio host won him such a wide following that he had two daily shows and a weekly show on CBS in the 1940s. His variety show, which transferred to television as Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and later The Arthur Godfrey Show (1948-60), launched the careers of numerous popular entertainers.
Godfrey of Bouillon \bii-'yo n \ (b. c. 1060—d. July 18, 1100, Jerusa¬ lem) Duke of Lower Lorraine (1089—1100) and a leader of the First Crusade who became the first Latin ruler in Palestine (1099). He joined the crusade in 1096 and captured Jerusalem from the Muslims in 1099; refusing the title of king, he was instead called Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. He made truces with nearby Muslim cities and fought off an Egyptian attack, but he alienated other crusaders and left the kingdom weakened.
Godfrey of Saint-Victor (b. c. 1125—d. 1194, Paris) French monk, philosopher, theologian, and poet. About 1160 Godfrey entered the mon¬ astery of Saint-Victor in Paris. He left after 20 years for a rural priory, where he wrote his principal work, Microcosmus, an attempt to system¬ atize history and knowledge into a rational structure. Recalling Classical
philosophy and that of the early Church Fathers, it asserts that mankind is a microcosm containing the material and spiritual elements of reality. In his other notable work, The Fount of Philosophy (c. 1176), he pro¬ posed a classification of learning. His writings are considered prime examples of 12th-century humanism.
godi \'go-de\ In pre-Christian Scandinavia, a priest-chieftain. Worship of the Norse gods was organized around them, and in Iceland, where there was no king, they became the ruling class. They dominated the Icelandic assembly, made laws, and appointed judges. When Iceland was converted to Christianity c. 1000, they controlled the organization of the new reli¬ gion. Many of them built churches, and some were ordained priests.
Godiva \g3-'dl-v9\, Lady (fl. c. 1040-1080) Anglo-Saxon gentle¬ woman famous for her legendary ride nude through Coventry, Eng. She was the wife of Leofric, earl of Mercia (d. 1057), with whom she founded a monastery at Coventry. There is no evidence connecting the rider with the historical Godiva. According to the legend, Leofric, exasperated over Godiva’s ceaseless imploring that he reduce Coventry’s heavy taxes, declared he would do so if she rode naked through the crowded market¬ place. She did so, her long hair covering all of her body except her legs; as a result Leofric removed all tolls except those on horses. A later chronicle asserts that Godiva required the townsmen to remain indoors at the time fixed for her ride. Peeping Tom, a citizen who looked out his window, became part of the legend in the 17th century, and in most accounts he was struck blind or dead.
Godoy \gd-'d6i\, Manuel de (b. May 12, 1767, Castuera, Spain—d. Oct. 4, 1851, Paris, France) Spanish politician. He entered the royal body¬ guard in 1784 and soon became the lover of Maria Luisa, wife of the future Charles IV. On Charles’s accession (1788) Godoy continued as a royal favourite and was made duke de Alcudia and prime minister (1792- 98, 1801-08). In 1795 Godoy negotiated a favourable peace after Spain’s defeat by France and was awarded the title Prince of the Peace. He allied Spain with France against England, which brought a Spanish naval defeat at Cape St. Vincent (1797) and the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tra¬ falgar. In 1808, when it was learned that Napoleon planned to seize parts of Spain in the Peninsular Wars, the Spanish court tried to flee. Charles was forced to abdicate, and Godoy accompanied him into exile.
Godthab See Nuuk
Godunov \'go-d 3 n-,6f\, Boris (Fyodorovich) (b. c. 1551—d. April 23, 1605, Moscow, Russia) Tsar of Russia (1598-1605). After serving in the court of Ivan IV, he was named guardian to Ivan’s dim-witted son Fyo¬ dor I and became the virtual ruler of Russia as Fyodor’s chief adviser from 1584. When Fyodor’s little brother Dmitry died mysteriously in 1591, Godunov was suspected of having had him put to death. When Fyodor died without heirs in 1598, an assembly of clergy and gentry elected Godunov tsar. A capable ruler, he instituted many reforms, but continu¬ ing boyar opposition and a general famine (1601-03) eroded his popular¬ ity. The False Dmitry led an army into Russia, and on Boris’s sudden death, resistance broke down, and the country lapsed into the Time of Troubles.
Godwin, William (b. March 3, 1756, Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cam¬ bridgeshire, Eng.—d. April 7, 1836, London) British writer. He became a Presbyterian minister but soon lost his faith. His Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (1793) captivated Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Robert Southey, and Percy B. Shelley (who was to become his son-in-law), condemning the institution of marriage, among other things. The Adventures of Caleb Wil¬ liams (1794) was his masterpiece. He married Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797, but she died soon after the birth of their daughter, Mary (see Mary Shelley), conceived before their marriage.
Goebbels Vgce-b3ls,\ English Vg3(r)-b3lz\, (Paul) Joseph (b. Oct. 29, 1897, Rheydt, Ger.—d. May
Joseph Goebbels, c. 1935.
INTERFOTO-FRIEDRICH RAUCH, MUNICH
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
774 i Goerdeler ► Goibniu
1, 1945, Berlin) German Nazi leader. After earning a doctorate from Heidelberg University, he joined the Nazi Party and was appointed district leader in Berlin by Adolf Hitler in 1926. A gifted speaker, Goebbels also edited the party’s journal and began to create the Fiihrer myth around Hit¬ ler, instituting the party demonstrations that helped convert the masses to Nazism. After Hitler seized power in 1933, Goebbels took control of the national propaganda machinery. During World War II he carried on a per¬ sonal propaganda blitz to raise hopes on the home front. Named chancellor in Hitler’s will, he remained with Hitler to the end. One day after Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels and his wife killed themselves and their six children.
Goerdeler Vgcer-do-brV, Karl Friedrich (b. July 31, 1884, Schneidemiihl, Ger.—d. Feb. 2, 1945, Berlin) German politician. He served as second mayor of Konigsberg (1920-30) and mayor of Leipzig (1930-37). A member of the rightist German National People's Party, he had to resign as mayor of Leipzig when his relations with the Nazi Party deteriorated. He collaborated with conservative generals led by Ludwig Beck against Hitler, after whose overthrow Goerdeler was to become chan¬ cellor. When the July Plot failed in 1944, he went into hiding, but was soon arrested by the Gestapo in Poland and hanged.