Le Verrier, Urbain. 1811-77. French astronomer: predicted existence of Neptune by calculation, 1845.

Lepanto, Battle. 1571. Major Christian naval victory vs Turks, saving Cyprus.

Lesage, Alain. 1668-1747. French picaresque novelist. Gil Blas 1715-35.

Lescot, Pierre. 1515-1578. Architect 1546 of current Louvre Palace.

Lesseps, Ferdinand. 1805-94. French engineer. Suez Canal 1869. Corinth Canal. Designed and began Panama Canal 1881-89.

Lessing, Doris. 1919-. Iran./Rhodesian/British novelist. The Children of Violence 1964.

Lettres de Cachet. 16C-1789. French royal warrants for arrest. Often political. Bastille.

Levellers. 1645-50. English Civil War republican democratic party. Sought religious, political equality and end to monarchy.

Levi, Primo. 1919-87. Italian writer. Survival in Auschwitz 1947. Periodic Table 1975.

Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 1908-. Belgian/French ethnologist. Theory of Symbolic Structures: Mythologiques 1964-8.

Levites. Hebrew religious teachers, who slaughtered the idolators of the golden calf.

Lévy-Bruhl, Lucien. 1857-1939. French philosopher. Primitive Mentality 1923.

Lewis, C.S. 1898-1963. English fantasy writer, Christian apologist. Chronicles of Narnia 1950-6.

Lexington and Concord, Battle. 1775. First American Revolution battle. British march on Concord supply depot. Established guerilla warfare as colonist strategy. 273 British, 95 Americans killed. Paul Revere.

L’Hôpital, Michel de. 1505-73. French statesman, urged tolerance during the Wars of Religion.

Li Po. 701-62. Chinese free spirited, playful, fantasy poet. Drowned, drunk, reaching for moon’s reflection.

Li Tzu-ch’eng. 1605-45. Chinese rebel. Overthrew Ming dynasty 1644. Defeated by Manchu.

Li Yüan. 566-635. First Tang Emperor of China 618-27. Led revolt 617, aided by Turks.

Libby, Willard. 1908-80. US chemist. Carbon 14 dating 1947.

Liber. Roman god of wine, fertility...Bacchus. = Dionysus.

Liberalism, Economic. 19C. Striving for personal profits and liberty. Manchester School. Cobden.

Libraries. 1700BC Chaldean. 540BC Athens. 284BC Alexandria. 167 Rome. 355 Constantinople. 1446 Vatican. 1520 Paris. 1757 British Museum. 1598 Oxford Bodleian. 1653 Manchester, First free public. 1800 US Library of Congress.

Libya. 7C BC Phoenician, Carthage, Greek colonies. 46BC Rome. 476 Vandal(W). 534 Byzantine 647 Arab. 1551 Ottoman. 1911 Italian colony. 1943 British/French 1950 Independent Kingdom. 1969 Qaddafi coup. Terrorism. Lockerbie.

Lichtenstein, Roy. 1923-97. New York Pop ‘comic strip’ artist. Whaam! 1963.

Lidice. 1942. Czech village annihilated by Nazis in retaliation for Heydrich assassination.

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