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Definition: John Smith |
John SmithNoun1. English explorer who helped found the colony at Jamestown, Virginia; was said to have been saved by Pocahontas (1580-1631). Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith is popularly regarded as the most prevalent personal name in England and in some other English-speaking countries. For this reason there are a number of famous people of that name including:
- John Smith of Jamestown an American colonial pioneer
- John Smith (brewer), founder of the Tadcaster brewery in North Yorkshire
- John Smith (dentist), founder of the Edinburgh school of dentistry
- John Smith (missionary)
- John Smith (UK politician) at one time, leader of the UK Labour Party
- John B. Smith, former Governor of New Hampshire
- John Bayard Smith, signer of the American Articles of Confederation from Pennsylvania
- John Christopher Smith, 18th century composer
- John Cotton Smith, former Governor of Connecticut
- John Gordon Smith, one of the founders of the first distillery in Scotland
- John Maynard Smith a geneticist
- John Orrin Smith, 19th century woodcutter
- John Speed Smith, former Representative from Kentucky to the United States Congress
- John Stafford Smith, composer of the tune for "The Star-Spangled Banner"
- John T. Smith, former Representative from Pennsylvania to the United States Congress
- John Walter Smith, former Governor of Maryland
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith was the founder of a famous brewery at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire. The brewery is still functioning, but is nowadays owned by Scottish Courage. It is best known for John Smith's Yorkshire Bitter.Another famous Tadcaster brewer, Samuel Smith, was the brother of John Smith, and took one of John's breweries after his death, changing the name to his own.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith (brewer)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith (1825-1910) was the founder of the Edinburgh school of dentistry. He was born in Scotland, the son of a dentist, and took over the practice in 1851. Recognising the need for improved training, he founded the Edinburgh Dental Dispensary in 1860 and wrote the Handbook of Dental Anatomy and Surgery (1864). The Dispensary grew into the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School by 1879. Smith was also a moderately successful playwright.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith (dentist)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith (1790-1824) was a missionary whose experiences in the West Indies attracted the attention of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce. While in Demerara, he had been asked to assist the governor in putting down a slave rebellion, but refused to do so. For this, he was sentenced to death. Wilberforce stepped in to arrange a reprieve, but, by the time it arrived, Smith had already perished as a result of the awful conditions in jail. His death was a major step forward in the campaign to abolish slavery.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith (missionary)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith (September 13, 1938 - May 12, 1994) was a British politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from mid-1992 until his death. Born in Scotland, he was schooled in Dunoon before attending the University of Glasgow where he studied law. He qualified as a barrister before entering parliament. Despite his quiet, modest manner, and his politically moderate stance, he was a witty, often scathing speaker. He had suffered a heart attack some years before becoming leader, and had been obliged to lose weight in order not to risk further problems. Following Labour's surprise election defeat in 1992, he was elected to succeed Neil Kinnock as leader.During his brief time as leader of the Labour Party he abolished the trade union block vote at Labour party conferences, and replaced it with "one member one vote". It was also during his time as leader, that the Labour party gained a significant lead in the polls over the Conservatives. He also committed a future Labour government to establishing a Scottish Parliament, a policy which was carried out by his successors after his death.
His sudden and untimely death from a heart attack, made way for young hopeful Tony Blair. John Smith was buried on the holy island of Iona, special permission having already been obtained. Following Smith's death, the Labour Party renamed its then party headquarters in Walworth Road to John Smith House in his memory.
Not to be confused with the above is John Smith (born March 7, 1951), Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan. This John Smith was first elected to the seat in 1989, lost it to the Conservatives in 1992, and regained it in the general election of 1997.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith (UK politician)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Smith (1580-1631) was an English soldier and sailor, now chiefly remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English colony in North America, and his brief association with the Native American princess Pocahontas.Smith was born in Alford, Lincolnshire. He led a long and interesting life, although his boastful nature makes it difficult for historians to separate fact from fiction.
Smith left home at age 16 after his father died, and ran off to sea. He served as a mercenary in the army of King Henry IV of France against the Spaniards and later fought against the Turks. Smith was promoted to captain while fighting in Hungary, but in 1602 in Transylvania he was wounded, captured and sold as a slave. Smith claimed the Turk sent him as a gift to his sweetheart, who fell in love with Smith and inadvertently helped him escape.
Smith then traveled through Europe and Northern Africa, returning to England in 1604. There he became involved with plans to colonize Virginia for profit by the Virginia Company, which had been granted a charter from King James I of England. The expedition set sail in three small ships on December 20, 1606. On May 13, 1607 the settlers landed at Jamestown.
Harsh weather, lack of water and attacks from Algonquian Indians almost destroyed the colony, and in December 1607, Smith was captured and taken to meet the local chief, Powhatan. Although he feared for his life, Smith was eventually made a subordinate chief of the tribe and later attributed this in part to the chief's 11-year-old daughter, Pocahontas.
Later, Smith left Jamestown to explore the Chesapeake Bay region and search for badly needed food. He was eventually elected president of the local council in September 1608 and instituted a policy of discipline, encouraging farming with a famous admonishment: "He who does not work, will not eat." The settlement grew under his leadership, but Smith was injured by a gunpowder burn and had to return to England for treatment in October 1609, never to return to Virginia.
In 1614 he returned to the New World in a voyage to the Maine and Massachusetts Bay areas, which he named New England. He spent the rest of his life writing books until his death in 1631 at age 51.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Smith of Jamestown."
Synonym: John SmithSynonym: Smith (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: John Smith |
| Specialty definitions using "John Smith": INSCRIPTION. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953) John Smith Wakes Up (1940) Pocahontas and John Smith (1924) Looking for John Smith (1906) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
![]() | On the 300-square-mile Jornada Experimental Range near Las Cruces, New Mexico, technicians rob Dunlap (left) and John Smith round up cattle the time-honored way. High-tech equipment may make roundups easier in the future. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. | ![]() | John Smith, yep tha's me all aright ... Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | John Smith Memorial, Gamble Hill Park, Richmond, Va. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | John Smith and family. Portrait of John Smith and family. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | Pocahontas saving the life of Capt. John Smith / New England Chromo. Lith. Co. Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | INSCRIPTION, n. Something written on another thing. Inscriptions are of many kinds, but mostly memorial, intended to commemorate the fame of some illustrious person and hand down to distant ages the record of his services and virtues. To this class of inscriptions belongs the name of John Smith, penciled on the Washington monument. Following are examples of memorial inscriptions on tombstones: (See EPITAPH.) "In the sky my soul is found, And my body in the ground. By and by my body'll rise To my spirit in the skies, Soaring up to Heaven's gate. 1878." "Sacred to the memory of Jeremiah Tree. Cut down May 9th, 1862, aged 27 yrs. 4 mos. and 12 ds. Indigenous." "Affliction sore long time she boar, Phisicians was in vain, Till Deth released the dear deceased And left her a remain. Gone to join Ananias in the regions of bliss." "The clay that rests beneath this stone As Silas Wood was widely known. Now, lying here, I ask what good It was to let me be S. Wood. O Man, let not ambition trouble you, Is the advice of Silas W." "Richard Haymon, of Heaven. Fell to Earth Jan. 20, 1807, and had the dust brushed off him Oct. 3, 1874." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
Expression using "John Smith": john smith senior. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "John Smith"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Romanian | john smith-tatal (john smith senior), john smith-senior (john smith senior). (various references) | |
Russian | джон смит. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"John Smith" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: jhon smith, john smyth, john smythe. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "h-h-i-j-m-n-o-s-t" | |
-3 letters: inmost, joints, monish, monist, months, tonish. | |
-4 letters: hints, hoist, johns, joins, joint, joist, mints, moist, month, moths, omits, shoji, smith, thins. | |
-5 letters: hins, hint, hisn, hist, hits, hons, host, hots, into, ions, jins, jism, john, join, josh, jots, mhos, mint, miso, mist, mons, mosh, most, moth, mots, nims, nits, noms, nosh, ohms, omit. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.