494 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



in developing his system of world telegraphy and tele- 

 phony. 



Thackeray, William Makepeace, novelist; born 

 in Calcutta in 1811; was educated at the Charterhouse 

 and Cambridge; studied art in Paris, but determined 

 to devote himself to literature, and, in 1837, became 

 connected with " Eraser's Magazine," to which he con- 

 tributed the "Great Hoggarty Diamond." In 1840. he 

 published the " Paris Sketch-book." and. in 1842. began 

 to write for "Punch," in which appeared his "Book of 

 Snobs." His first great novel. Vanity Fair," was 

 followed by " Pendennis," "Esmond," "The Newcomes," 

 and others. He delivered a series of lectures in England 

 and America on the "English Humorists of the Eigh- 

 teenth Century." and "The Four Georges," and edited 

 the "Cornhill Magazine. " Dinl. 1863. 



Thales (tha'li:), a celebrated Grecian philosopher, 

 flourished in the Seventh and Sixth Centuries B. C. 

 He was one of the seven wise men of Greece; and he 

 also predicted the famous eclipse of the sun, which 

 happened in 585 B. C. 



Theodorlc, " the Great," originally chieftain of a 

 tribe of Ostrogoths; was educated at Constantinople; 

 after overthrowing Odoacer (493), established the Ostro- 

 goth kingdom in Italy, which he sought to consolidate 

 by effecting a union of Goths and Italians. He fixed 

 his capital at Ravenna, where he erected many beautiful 

 buildings. His "Edictum" was a body of law for 

 Romans and barbarians alike. Died. 526. 



Thier'ry, Jacques Nicholas Augustin, born in 

 Blois. May 10, 179o; an eminent French historian, best 

 known as the author of "The History of the Conquest 

 of England by the Normans." He was the author of 

 numerous other historical works, his last being "An 

 Essay on the Formation and Progress of the Third 

 Estate." For the last twenty-five years of his life he 

 was afflicted with total blindness. Died, May 22, 1856. 



Thiers, Louis Adolphe (te-air 1 ), an eminent states- 

 man and historian, and president of the French Repub- 

 lic; born of humble parentage in Marseilles in 1797; 

 was educated for the law, but discarding the idea of 

 following that profession, he, at an early age, entered 

 the field of journalism as a contributor to the columns 

 of the "Constitutionnel." Between the years 1823-27, 

 appeared his "History of the French Revolution," a 

 work which stamped him an historian of the first order. 

 He largely contributed to the Revolution of 1830. In 

 1832, he was made minister of the interior; in 1834, he 

 was admitted into the French Academy; and from Feb- 

 ruary to August, 1836, filled the post of president of the 

 council and minister for foreign affairs. In March, 1840, 

 he was recalled to power, but being unable to prevail 

 upon Louis Philippe to support his Eastern policy, he 

 resigned office in October and employed his leisure in 

 writing his "History of the Consulate and Empire" 

 (twenty volumes, 8vo.), one of the greatest historical 

 works of the age. In July, 1870, he resolutely opposed 

 the impending war against Germany. In 1871, he suc- 

 ceeded in effecting peace on the best terms possible 

 under the circumstances, and, in the same year, was 

 elected president of the new republic. In 1873, after 

 an adverse vote of the legislative body, he resigned, 

 and was succeeded by Marshal MacMahon. Died, 1877. 



Thomas, M. Carey (Miss), president of Bryn Mawr 

 College; born in Baltimore, January 2, 1857; daughter 

 of Dr. James Carey and Mary (Whitall) Thomas; grad- 

 uate of Cornell, 1877; studied in Johns Hopkins, 1877- 

 78; Leipzig University, Germany, 1879-83 (Ph. D., 

 University of Zurich, 1883; LL. D.. Western University 

 of Pennsylvania, 1896). Since 1885, professor of Eng- 

 lish, 1885-95, dean, and since 1894, president of Bryn 

 Mawr College; first woman trustee of Cornell, 1895-99; 

 trustee of Bryn Mawr College since 1903. Author: 

 "Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight," "Education of 

 Women." Also "Should the Higher Education of 

 Women Differ from That of Men?" and "The College," 

 in "Educational Review"; also various educational 

 addresses. 



Thompson, William Oxley, president of Ohio State 

 University;' born in Cambridge, 0., November 5, 1855; 

 graduated from Muskingum College, 1878; Western 

 Theological.- Seminary, Allegheny City, Pa., 1882 (A. 

 M., 1881; D. D., 1891, Muskingum College; LL. D.. 

 Western University of Pennsylvania, 1897) ; ordained 

 to Presbyterian ministry, 1882; president of Miami 

 University, 1891-99; president of Ohio State University 

 since 1899. 



Thomson, Elihu, electrician; born in Manchester, 

 England, March 29, 1853; graduated from Central High 

 School, Philadelphia, 1870 (A. M.; honorary A. M., 

 Yale; Ph. D., Tufts College); professor of chemistry 

 and mechanics, Philadelphia Central High School, 1870- 

 80; since 1880 electrician for Thomson-Houston and 



General Electric companies, which operate under his 

 inventions, more than 500 patents having been obtained; 

 inventor of electric welding, which bears his name, and 

 many other important inventions in electric lighting, 

 power, etc. 



Thomson, Sir William (Lord Kelvin), born in Bel- 

 fast in 1824; was educated at Glasgow and Cambridge, 

 became professor of natural philosophy at Glasgow in 

 1846. From 1846 to 1851, he edited the "Cambridn 

 and Dublin Mathematical Journal," to which he contrib- 

 uted several important papers. Some of his chief dis- 

 coveries are announced in the "Secular Coating of the 

 Karth," and the Bakerian lecture, the "Electrodynamics 

 of Qualities of Metals." He invented the quadrant, 

 portable, and absolute electrometers, and other scientific 

 instruments. To the general public he is best known 

 by his work in connection with submarine telegraphy. 

 In January, 1892. he was raised to the peerage as Lord 

 Kelvin. Died. 1907. 



Thoreau, Henry David, born in 1817; American 

 natpralist; was a friend of Emerson, and a member of 

 the Transcendental school. In 1845, and the following 

 years he lived a life of complete solitude, described in 

 " Walden." He became acquainted with John Brown 

 in 1859, and devoted the rest of his life to the Liberation- 

 ist cause. Died, 1862. 



Thorwaidsen, Albert Bertei, born in 1770; Danish 

 sculptor, of Icelandic origin; studied at the free school 

 of the Academy of Copenhagen, and was sent by that 

 body to Rome in 1796. His first great work was his 

 "Jason." Except for a visit to Denmark in 1819-20, 

 when he executed the statues of "Christ and the Twelve 

 Apostles " for the Frue Kirke at Copenhagen, he remained 

 in Rome till 1837. After that date he, for the most part, 

 lived in Denmark. His masterpieces include the " Entry 

 of Alexander into Babylon," the statue of " Prince Ponia- 

 towski," and the "Dying Lion" at Lucerne. Died, 

 1844. 



Thucydides, Greek historian; born at Athens, circa 

 471; is said to have been descended from Olorus, King of 

 Thrace. At the outbreak of the Pelopqnnesian War he 

 received a command, but failed to relieve Amphipolis 

 when besieged by Brasidas, and was banished (423 B. C.). 

 After twenty years of exile, during which he is supposed 

 to have written his "History of the Peloponnesian War," 

 he returned to Athens about 403. Died about 401 B. C. 



Thwing, Charles Franklin, president of Western 

 Reserve University and Adelbert College since 1890; 

 born in New Sharon, Me., November 9, 1853; graduated 

 from Harvard, 1876; Andover Theological Seminary, 

 1879 (D. D., LL. D.); pastor North Avenue Congrega- 

 tional Church, Cambridge, Mass., 1879-86; Plymouth 

 Church, Minneapolis, 1886-90. Author: "American 

 Colleges: Their Students and Work," "The Reading of 

 Books," "The Family" (with Mrs. Thwing); "The 

 Working Church," "Within College Walls," "The Col- 

 lege Woman," "The American College in American Life," 

 "The Best Life," "College Administration," "The 

 Youth's Dream of Life." " God in His World," " If I Were 

 a College Student," "The Choice of a College," "A Liberal 

 Education and a Liberal Faith," "College Training and 

 the Business Man." Associate editor of "Bibliotheca 

 Sacra," contributor to magazines and speaker on educa- 

 tional topics. 



Ticknor, George, born in 1791; American author; 

 traveled in Europe (1815-19); was professor of modern 

 languages at Harvard (1819-34). He wrote a "History 

 of Spanish Literature," and a " Life of Prescott." Died, 

 1871. 



Tilden, Samuel Jones, born in 1814; American 



: politician; was called to the bar in 1841; became chair- 



i man of the Democratic State Convention in 1866; took 



a leading part in exposing the "Tammany Ring ; was 



elected governor of New York in 1874, and was elected 



president of the United States in 1876. but failed to be 



seated on account of alleged irregularities in Lousiana. 



Died, 1886. 



Tillman, Benjamin Ryan, United States senator, 

 farmer; born in Edgefield County, S. C., August 11, 

 1847; academic education; joined Confederate States 

 Army, July, 1864, but was stricken with severe illness 

 which caused the loss of his left eye and kept him an 

 invalid for tw9 years, so that he saw no military service; 

 followed farming as his sole pursuit until 1886, when he 

 became prominent in an agitation for industrial and 

 technical education and other reforms. Was elected 

 governor of South Carolina in 1890 and 1892, and United 

 | States senator since 1895. Founded Clemson Agricul- 

 tural and Mechanical College at Calhoun's old home. 

 Fort Hill, and also Winthrop Normal and Industrial 

 College at Rock Hill; the first for boys, the last for Kids; 

 they are the two largest schools of the kind in the South ; 

 author of the dispensary system of selling liquor under 



