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

Le Nôtre, André. 1613-1700. French landscapist. Tuileries 1637. Fontainebleau. Versailles 1663.

Leo IX, St. 1002-54. Pope 1049-. Excommunicated Cerularius, causing East-West Schism.

Leonardo da Vinci. 1452-1519. Florentine painter, writer, sculptor, scientist. Prototypical Renaissance Man. Sfumato. Laws of Flight. Adoration of Magi 1479. Last Supper 1495. Mona Lisa 1503. Parachute 1480.

Leonidas. King of Sparta. Killed resisting Persians at Thermopylae, 480BC.

Leopold and Loeb. 1924. Wealthy, intellectual partners ‘perfect’ murder of Bobby Franks leads to life imprisonment. Darrow plea avoids execution.

Leopold II. 1747-92. Holy Roman Emperor 1790-. “Enlightened despot”. Liberal reforms. Declaration of Pillnitz for absolutism.

Le Vau, Louis. 1612-70. Architect at Louvre, Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte.

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

Leovigild. Last Visigoth King of Spain 572-86.

Lepidus, Marcus. -c77BC. Roman consul. Opposed Sulla’s reforms, 78. Defeated by Pompey in Etruria.

Lerner, Alan. 1918-86. Lyricist. My Fair Lady. Camelot.

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

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

Lesotho. Basutoland. c1800 Basotho kingdom. 1868 British. 1871 Cape Colony. 1884 British colony. 1966 Independent kingdom of Lesotho.

Lessing, Gotthold. 1729-81. German Movement dramatist. Laokoon 1765. Minna von Barnheim 1767. Nathan the Wise 1779.

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

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.

Lewis, Merriwether. 1774-1809. US explorer with Clark overland to Pacific NW, 1804-6.

Lewis, Sinclair. 1885-1951. US writer of small town life: Babbit 1922. Elmer Gantry 1927.

Lex Talionis. Old Testament Law- An eye for an eye...

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.

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

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

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