Lancret, Nicolas. 1690-1743. French painter of light comic scenes.

Land, Edwin. 1909-91. US inventor of Polaroid filter 1932, camera 1947, range-finder, anti-aircraft sights during WWII.

Land Decree. 1917. Confiscation of private property in Russia.

Landsgemeinde. Swiss canton meeting. Direct democracy.

Lansdowne, Henry. 1845-1927. British statesman. Governor General of Canada, India. Secretary of War 1895-1900.

Laos. 14C Buddhist Lan Xang. 18C Vientiane(C)/ Luang Prabang(N)/ Champassak(S). 19C Siam. 1893 French protectorate. 1942 Japanese occupy. 1946 French. 1953 Independent...civil wars. 1975 Lao People’s Democratic Republic. 1991 New Constitution and freedoms.

Lateran Councils. Roman Catholic church councils. 1123,39 vs Schism of Arnold of Brescia. 1179 Crusade vs Albigens. 1215 Crusade. 1512-17 Reform.

Latin Empire of Constantinople. 1204-61. Established by 4th Crusade leaders.

Lebanese Crisis. 1958. US Marines intervene in Civil War vs Communists.

Leeuwenhoek, Antony van. 1632-1723. Dutch. First to describe bacteria 1680, protozoa, corpuscles, spermatazoa 1675.

Legion of Honour. French national order instituted by Napoleon, 1802. Five ranks: Grands Croix, Grands Officiers, Commandeurs, Officiers, Chevaliers.

Lemaître, Georges. 1894-1966. Belgian cosmologist. Big Bang theory of creation 1927.

Lenin, Vladimir Illyich. 1870-1924. Russian Bolshevik revolutionary. Dictator 1917-. Created authoritarian, elite, disciplined organization.

Leo Africanus. 1485-1554. Arab/Christian traveler. Descriptions of Africa 1550.

Leo III, St. -816. Pope 795-. Crowned Charlemagne recreating Western Roman Empire.

Lese Majesty. Crime against state or its ruler. Treason.

Leutze, Emanuel. 1816-68. US painter. Washington Crossing the Delaware 1851.

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

Liberalism. 19C. Movement for freedom of the individual, democracy. Bentham. Mill. Spencer. 20C. Movement to free individuals from economic restraint by social welfare programs.

Liberty Bell. 1753. Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Cracked 1835.

Lie, Trygve. 1896-1968. Norwegian. First UN Secretary General, 1946-52.

Liebknecht, Wilhelm. 1826-1900. German Socialist. Founded Social Democratic Labour Party, 1869.

Linacre, Thomas. 1460-1524. English physician, translator of Galen.

Lindbergh, Charles. 1902-74. US aviator: first solo non-stop flight across Atlantic, 1927.

Linear A. 1700BC Undeciphered Cretan script.

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