Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. United Nations list of rights to be accorded people by their governments. Rejected by USSR, China, Poland, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, many Moslem countries. Signed by Russia, 1996.

Urban II. 1035-95. Pope 1088-. Forbade clergy to pay homage to temporal powers. Crusades.

Urey, Harold. 1893-1981. US physicist. Isolated deuterium 1931. Heavy water needed for atomic bomb.

Usury. Maximum interest rates: Rome 50BC: 12%, 529: 8%. Islam 622: 0%. Christian 1311: 0%. England: 1623 8%, 1651 6%, 1713 5%, 1854 eliminated. USA, by State: 5-45%

Uthman, ibn ’Affan. -656. Third Moslem caliph. Declared official version of Koran. Assassinated.

Vagrancy Acts. England. 1459 Authorized imprisonment. 1530 whipping. 1535 mutilation. 1597 included entertainers. 1713 branding prohibited.

Valdemar IV. Atterdag. 1320-75. Danish king 1340-. Re-united Denmark. Opposed Hanseatic League. Sold Estonia to Teutonic Knights.

Valentine, St. c270. 2 Christians martyred by Claudius II. Modern celebration derives from Roman Lupercalia fertility festival.

Van de Graaff, Robert. 1901-67. US physicist. Particle accelerator 1929. High voltage generator 1932.

Vanderlyn, John. 1775-1852. US Neoclassical artist. Ariadne 1812.

Veblen, Thorstein. 1857-1929. US sociologist. Theory of the Leisure Class 1899-“conspicuous consumption”.

Venezuela. Carib, Caraca, Teque. 1498 Columbus discovers. 1523 Spain settles. 1811 Independence declared. 1821 «Gran Colombia. 1829 Independent republic.

Venezuelan Claims. 1902-7. European countries blockade ports to press for loan repayment.

Vervins, Treaty. 1598. Spain withdraws support of French Catholic League. Ends Franco-Spanish War. Spanish acquisitions returned to France.

Vespucci, Amerigo. 1454-1512. Florentine explorer who concluded America was not Asia. Name “America”.

Viau, Théophile. 1590-1626. French pre-Classical poet, dramatist. Pyramus and Thisbe 1623.

Victoria. 1819-1901. Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, 1837-. Empress of India 1876-. Colonial expansion. Strict moralist. Lost Hanover Crown by Salic Law.

Vienna Circle. 1920s Intellectual meetings. Formulated Logical Positivism. Schlick. Gödel.

Villa-Lobos, Heitor. 1887-1959. Brazilian composer. Blended classic, folk. Amazonas 1929.

Vincent of Beauvais. c1190-1264. French Dominican priest. Wrote encyclopedic Speculum majus 1259.

Virginia Declaration of Rights. 1776. Model for US Bill of Rights.

Visigoths. 376-711. Western Goths. Alaric sacked Rome 410. Defeated at Vouillé by Clovis 510. Settled Spain, southern France 415-711. Destroyed by Moors 711.

Waksman, Selman. 1888-1973. Ukraine/US Streptomycin 1943.

Walesa, Lech. 1943-. Polish Solidarity leader instrumental in forcing decline of Communist rule. President 1990-96.

Wallace, George. 1919-98. Alabama segregationist governor, presidential candidate. Shot 1972.

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