Gresham's law Observation that “bad money drives out good.” It is named for Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579), financial agent of Queen Elizabeth I, who was one of the first to elucidate it (he had been preceded by Copernicus). The meaning expressed is that, if two coins have the same face value but are made from metals of unequal value, the cheaper will tend to drive the other out of circulation; the more valuable coin will be hoarded or used for foreign exchange instead of for domestic transactions.
Grettis saga Latest of the Icelanders' sagas, written c. 1320. It tells of the brave and wellborn Grettir, who at 14 kills a man and is outlawed. He spends his years of exile performing brave deeds. Returning to Iceland, he saves the people from a ghost that is ravaging the countryside, which in dying curses him with a growing fear of the dark. Outlawed again, his increasing fear keeps him from hiding himself, and he is finally over¬ whelmed with the aid of witchcraft. The saga’s distinction rests on its hero’s complex character and its skillful incorporation of folklore motifs.
Gretzky, Wayne (Douglas) (b. Jan. 26, 1961, Brantford, Ont., Can.) Canadian ice-hockey player, considered the greatest in the history of the game. As centre and captain for the Edmonton Oilers (1979-88), he led his team to four Stanley Cup victories, becoming the first player to aver¬ age more than two points a game. He was traded successively to the Los Angeles Kings (1988), the St. Louis Blues (1996), and the New York Rangers (1996). When he ended his career in 1999, he held 61 National Hockey League (NHL) records. He holds the all-time NHL records for goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857), as well as corresponding seasonal records (92 goals, 163 assists, 215 points). He is the only player to have led the league in scoring for seven consecutive years (1980-87) and the only one named most valuable player for eight consecutive sea¬ sons (1979-87).
Greuze Vgrcez,\ English Vgr3(r)z\, Jean-Baptiste (b. Aug. 21, 1725, Tournus, Fr.—d. March 21, 1805, Paris) French painter. He studied at the Royal Academy in Paris. His first exhibited painting, The Father Reading the Bible to His Children, won him immediate success at the Salon of 1755. Throughout the 1760s he won acclaim with such sentimental works as The Village Betrothal (1761) and Prodigal Son (c. 1765). Hoping to gain admis¬ sion to the academy as a history painter, he submitted a large historical work; when it was rejected, he refused to exhibit anywhere but his own studio for 30 years. He earned a living with morality pictures and images of young women in innocent disarray, but in time his popularity waned. The reaction against his sentimental genre paintings resulted in critical neglect of his drawings and portraits, which display great technical gifts.
Grevy \gra-'ve\, (Francois-Paul-) Jules (b. Aug. 15, 1807, Mont- sous-Vaudrey, France—d. Sept. 19, 1891, Mont-sous-Vaudrey) French politician who served as president (1879-87) in the Third Republic. A law¬ yer, he was a leader of the liberal opposition in the legislature, then became president of the National Assembly (1871-73) and of the Cham¬ ber of Deputies (1876). In 1879 he was elected to the presidency and sought to minimize presidential powers, preferring a strong legislature. He resisted nationalist demands for revenge against Germany after the Franco-Prussian War and opposed colonial expansion. He was forced to resign in 1887 by scandals affecting his son-in-law, though he himself was not implicated.
Grew, Nehemiah (baptized Sept. 26, 1641, Mancetter Parish, War¬ wickshire, Eng.—d. March 25, 1712, London) British botanist. A physi¬ cian and professor, Grew’s training in animal anatomy led to his interest in that of plants. His writings noted the existence of cells and coined such terms as radicle (for the embryonic root), plume (for the primary bud of a plant embryo; now called plumule), and parenchyma (for unspecialized cells). His Anatomy of Plants (1682) contained the first thorough account of plant anatomy; its many excellent wood engravings represented the three-dimensional, microscopic structure of plant tissue. He presented, among other fundamental discoveries, the suggestion that the stamen (with its pollen) is the male sex organ and the pistil corresponds to the female sex organ. With Marcello Malpighi, Grew is considered a founder of the science of plant anatomy.
Grey, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl (b. March 13, 1764, Falloden, Northumberland, Eng.—d. July 17, 1845, Howick, Northumberland) Brit¬ ish politician, leader of the Whig Party, and prime minister (1830-34). Grey entered Parliament in 1786 and soon became prominent among the aristocratic Whigs, led by Charles James Fox, in opposition to William Pin’s conservative government. In 1806 Grey became first lord of the Admi¬ ralty in Lord Grenville’s government, and, when Fox died the same year. Grey became foreign secretary and leader of the Foxite Whigs. In 1807 the dismissal of the ministry and the loss of his seat for Northumberland because of his Catholic sympathies left Grey with a distaste for office. From 1815 to 1830 he was more patron than leader of the divided Whig opposition. In 1830 he became prime minister with popular backing for parliamentary reform. After considerable debate and conflict, he won adoption of the Reform Bill of 1832.
Grey, Sir Edward, 3rd Baronet (b. April 25, 1862, London, Eng.—d. Sept. 7, 1933, Fallodon, near Embleton, Northumberland) Brit¬ ish statesman. A relative of Earl Grey, he entered Parliament as a Liberal (1885) and became foreign secretary in 1905. During the Moroccan cri¬ ses (1905, 1911), he supported France against Germany, but with equivo¬ cations that caused diplomatic confusion. After the assassination of Francis Ferdinand (1914), Grey pro¬ posed that Austria-Hungary obtain satisfaction from Serbia by occupy¬ ing Belgrade. When all peace moves failed, he maneuvered a divided Brit¬ ish cabinet into World War I, about which he commented, “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” He was responsible for the secret Treaty of London (1915).
Grey, Lady Jane (b. October 1537, Bradgate, Leicestershire,
Eng.—d. Feb. 12, 1554, London)
Titular queen of England for nine days in 1553. The great- granddaughter of Henry VII, she was married in May 1553 to the son of the duke of Northumberland.
Northumberland persuaded the dying Edward VI to set aside his half sisters as successors in favour of the Protestant Lady Jane. She was pro¬ claimed queen on July 10, despite popular support for Edward’s half sister Mary Tudor (see Mary I). Mary was proclaimed queen on July 19
Lady Jane Grey, detail of a panel attributed to Master John, c. 1545; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Grey ► Grijalva I 805
after Lady Jane gladly relinquished the crown. Committed to the Tower of London, Lady Jane and her husband were sentenced to death in 1554. The sentence was initially suspended, but her father’s participation in Wyat’s rebellion sealed her fate, and she was beheaded.
Grey, Zone orig. Pearl Grey (b. Jan. 31, 1872, Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.—~d. Oct. 23,1939, Altadena, Calif.) U.S. novelist. He began his career as a dentist. He first visited the American West in 1906, setting his first novel, The Heritage of the Desert (1910), there. His second novel. Riders of the Purple Sage (1912), was also set in the West and became the most popular of all his books; it helped launch a new literary genre, the western. Grey subsequently wrote more than 80 westerns, including Code of the West (1934). He remains one of the best-selling authors of all time.