Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, (1916— ). British violinist, born in the US. A child prodigy, he made his first concert appearance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra at the age of seven. After a triumphant world tour at 18, he retired for two years to devote himself to further study. He has since given hundreds of concerts and won international acclaim. Since 1944 he has lived in Britain. He founded the Yehudi Menuhin School, a boarding school for young musicians, in Surrey in 1963. His numerous honours include being made a life peer and awarded the Legion d’honneur (1985). Mercator, Gerardus (1512-94). Flemish cartographer, who constructed the first map of the world showing latitude and longitude by means of intersecting lines (1569). Based on what is now known as `Mercator’s projection’, it enabled sailors to plot courses over long distances without adjusting compass readings. A skilled mathematician and engraver, Mercator was the first person to use the term ‘atlas’ to describe a collection of maps.
