Amos

Eaton, Amos, 1776-1842, American naturalist, b. Chatham, N.Y., grad. Williams College, 1799. After practicing law for a time, he conducted pioneer geological surveys in Albany and Rensselaer counties, N.Y. (1820-21), and along the Erie Canal (1822-23). His report on the canal was published in 1824. He then became professor at the scientific school opened by Stephen Van Rensselaer (1824) in Troy, N.Y. (now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Besides a number of textbooks, he wrote the Manual of Botany (1817; 8th ed., with John Wright, North American Botany, 1840) and An Index to the Geology of the Northern States (1818).

Tutuola, Amos, 1920-97, Nigerian novelist, noted for his idiosyncratic use of Yoruba legend and fantasy in tales written in vernacular African English. His first novel, The Palm-Wine Drunkard (1952), is probably his best known.

Amos, prophetic book of the Bible. The majority of its oracles are chronologically earlier than those of the Bible's other prophetic books. His activity is dated c.760 B.C. The prophet was a shepherd of Tekoa in the southern kingdom of Judah, but he preached in the northern kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II (c.786-746 B.C.). Israel was at the peak of its political power but was ridden with social injustices. Amos preached especially against hypocritical worship, oppression of the poor, and immorality. Not surprisingly, he was ordered to cease his preaching. The book falls into three parts: God's judgment on various neighboring Gentile nations climaxing with oracles against Judah and Israel, an indictment of Israel, and visions of destruction. The final oracle, an oracle of salvation, is usually regarded as an addition since it presupposes the destruction prophesied in the rest of the book and the restoration of the Jewish state after the exile in the 6th cent. B.C. The chief thought of Amos is that worship of God necessarily entails protection of the poor and the weak in society. Not even God's people can hope to escape the wrath of God if the social responsibilities that go with election are neglected.

Oz, Amos, 1939-, Israeli writer, b. Jerusalem as Amos Klausner. As a teenager he changed his name to Oz, Hebrew for "strength." A former kibbutz member, Israeli soldier, and schoolteacher, he is is one of Israel's major novelists. Written in Hebrew, richly atmospheric and often poetic, his fiction explores the conflicts and tensions in Israeli society, ranging from religious beliefs to the practical demands of modern life. His novels include My Michael (1968, tr. 1972), Touch the Water, Touch the Wind (1973, tr. 1974), To Know a Woman (1989, tr. 1991), Panther in the Basement (1995, tr. 1997), and The Same Sea (1999, tr. 2001), a blend of prose and poetry. He is also the author of several volumes of short stories and the novella Rhyming Life and Death (2007, tr. 2009). A collection of essays (1962-79) was published in translation as Under This Blazing Light (1995); he has also written other nonfiction works dealing with Israel's past and present and frequently reflecting his liberal Zionist views.

Kendall, Amos, 1789-1869, American journalist and statesman, b. Dunstable, Middlesex co., Mass. He edited (1816-29) at Frankfort, Ky., the Argus of Western America, one of the most influential Western papers of the day. At first a supporter of Henry Clay, he shifted allegiance to Andrew Jackson and helped to build Jackson's political strength. In 1829 he went to Washington, D.C., and was appointed by President Jackson fourth auditor of the Treasury. His real importance was as one of the ablest and most influential members of the Kitchen Cabinet—a group of intimate advisers to President Jackson. He helped draft many of Jackson's more important state papers, was chief counselor to Jackson in the controversy over rechartering the Bank of the United States, and vigorously defended administration policies in the newspapers. He was appointed (1835) U.S. Postmaster General by Jackson, and he remained at the post under President Van Buren, thoroughly reorganizing a badly managed department. He became (1845) business manager for Samuel F. B. Morse and played an important role in the development of telegraph service. Kendall opposed secession and urged vigorous prosecution of the war against the South, although he was often critical of President Lincoln's policies.

(born 1920, Abeokuta, Nigeria—died June 8, 1997, Ibadan) Nigerian writer. He had only six years of formal schooling and wrote in English and outside the mainstream of Nigerian literature. His stories incorporated Yoruba myths and legends into loosely constructed prose epics that improvised on traditional themes. His best-known work is The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952), a classic quest tale that was the first Nigerian book to achieve international fame. His later works include the tale The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town (1981), Yoruba Folktales (1986), and Village Witch Doctor (1990).

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(born Aug. 16, 1862, West Orange, N.J., U.S.—died March 17, 1965, Stockton, Calif.) U.S. college gridiron football coach. Stagg played end for Yale University and was chosen for the first All-America team in 1889. During his 41-year tenure at the University of Chicago (1892–1932), he devised the end-around play, the man in motion, the huddle (also credited to another), the shift play, and the tackling dummy. He later coached at three other colleges, not retiring until 1960. His 71 years of coaching represent the longest coaching career in the history of the sport. He died at age 102.

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orig. Amos Klausner

(born May 4, 1939, Jerusalem, Israel) Israeli novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. A second-generation Israeli, Oz lived primarily on a kibbutz from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served in the Israeli army (1957–60, 1967, and 1973) but later became a leading advocate of peace. His symbolic works—including Where the Jackals Howl, and Other Stories (1965); My Michael (1968), perhaps his best-known novel; Black Box (1987); and A Tale of Love and Darkness (2002)—reflect the conflicts in Israeli life.

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Czech Jan Amos Komenský

(born March 28, 1592, Nivnice, Moravia—died Nov. 15, 1670, Amsterdam, Neth.) Czech educational reformer and religious leader. He favoured the learning of Latin to facilitate the study of European culture but emphasized learning about things rather than about grammar per se. His Janua Linguarum Reserata (1631), a textbook that described useful facts about the world in both Latin and Czech, revolutionized Latin teaching and was translated into 16 languages. He also produced one of the first illustrated schoolbooks, Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658).

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Czech Jan Amos Komenský

(born March 28, 1592, Nivnice, Moravia—died Nov. 15, 1670, Amsterdam, Neth.) Czech educational reformer and religious leader. He favoured the learning of Latin to facilitate the study of European culture but emphasized learning about things rather than about grammar per se. His Janua Linguarum Reserata (1631), a textbook that described useful facts about the world in both Latin and Czech, revolutionized Latin teaching and was translated into 16 languages. He also produced one of the first illustrated schoolbooks, Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658).

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(born 1920, Abeokuta, Nigeria—died June 8, 1997, Ibadan) Nigerian writer. He had only six years of formal schooling and wrote in English and outside the mainstream of Nigerian literature. His stories incorporated Yoruba myths and legends into loosely constructed prose epics that improvised on traditional themes. His best-known work is The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952), a classic quest tale that was the first Nigerian book to achieve international fame. His later works include the tale The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town (1981), Yoruba Folktales (1986), and Village Witch Doctor (1990).

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orig. Amos Klausner

(born May 4, 1939, Jerusalem, Israel) Israeli novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. A second-generation Israeli, Oz lived primarily on a kibbutz from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served in the Israeli army (1957–60, 1967, and 1973) but later became a leading advocate of peace. His symbolic works—including Where the Jackals Howl, and Other Stories (1965); My Michael (1968), perhaps his best-known novel; Black Box (1987); and A Tale of Love and Darkness (2002)—reflect the conflicts in Israeli life.

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(born Aug. 16, 1862, West Orange, N.J., U.S.—died March 17, 1965, Stockton, Calif.) U.S. college gridiron football coach. Stagg played end for Yale University and was chosen for the first All-America team in 1889. During his 41-year tenure at the University of Chicago (1892–1932), he devised the end-around play, the man in motion, the huddle (also credited to another), the shift play, and the tackling dummy. He later coached at three other colleges, not retiring until 1960. His 71 years of coaching represent the longest coaching career in the history of the sport. He died at age 102.

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(flourished 8th century BC) Earliest Hebrew prophet (one of the 12 Minor Prophets) to have a biblical book named for him. Born in Tekoa in Judah, he was a shepherd. According to the book of Amos, he traveled to the richer and more powerful northern kingdom of Israel to preach his visions of divine destruction and the message that God's absolute sovereignty required justice for rich and poor alike and that God's chosen people were not exempt from the moral order. He foretold the destruction of the northern kingdom and Judah and anticipated the predictions of doom by later biblical prophets.

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(born Nov. 29, 1799, Wolcott, Conn., U.S.—died March 4, 1888, Concord, Mass.) U.S. teacher and philosopher. The self-educated son of a poor farmer, Alcott worked as a peddler before establishing a series of innovative but ultimately unsuccessful schools for children. He traveled to Britain with money borrowed from Ralph Waldo Emerson and came back with the mystic Charles Lane, with whom he founded the short-lived utopian community Fruitlands outside Boston. Alcott is credited with establishing the first parent-teacher association in Concord, Mass., while he was superintendent of schools there. A prominent member of the Transcendentalists, he wrote a number of books but did not become financially secure until his daughter Louisa May Alcott achieved success.

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Amos may refer to:

People

• Amos (prophet), one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible
• Book of Amos, his writings
• Amos, son of Nephi and Amos, son of Amos, two minor figures in the Book of Mormon
• Amos (singer), a German pop singer

Surname (Amos)

• Bruce Amos (born 1946), Canadian photographer
• Imre Ámos (1907-c.1944/5), Jewish-Hungarian painter
• John Amos, actor
• John E. Amos, Democratic National Committeeman from West Virginia
• Robert Amos (born 1950), Canadian artist living in Victoria
• Rozie Amos, Modern Rock DJ on CJZN-FM
• Sarah Amos (born 1948), Canadian artist (painter)
• Terri Utley nee Amos (born 1962), beauty queen and motivational speaker
• Tori Amos, (born Myra Ellen Amos, 1963), American pianist and singer-songwriter
• Wally Amos (born 1936), entrepreneur, actor and book writer. Founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand.
• Ben Amos (born 1990), goalkeeper for Manchester United F.C. Reserves

Given name (Amos)

• Amos Bronson Alcott (1779-1888), American educator, Father of American novelist Louisa May Alcott
• Amos Dolbear (1837–1910), American inventor
• Amos Diggory, fictional character in the Harry Potter books and films
• Amos Lee, born 1978, American singer-songwriter
• Amos Meller (1938-2007), Israeli composer and conductor
• Amos Oz (born 1939), Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist
• Amos Urban Shirk (1890?–1956), American businessman, author and reader of encyclopedias
• Amos Tversky (1937-1996), pioneer of cognitive science
• Amos Hanks, Father of American actor Tom Hanks
• Amos Genish (born 1960), CEO of GVT, a Brazilian telecommunications company
• Amos O Mantyla IV (born 1975), Modern day thinker, innovator and problem solver
• Amos Zereoue, American football player

Technology

• AMOS or Advanced MOrtar System
• Amos software for aircraft maintenance (MRO)
• AMOS (Analysis of MOment Structures), a structural equation modelling program
• AMOS (A Modular Open-Source assembler), open source genome assembly software
• AMOS (programming language), a dialect of BASIC on the Amiga computer
• AMOS (Alpha Micro Operating System) - see Alpha Microsystems
• AMOS (Asset Management Operating System), software by SpecTec

Other

• Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing observatory, an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) operating location on Maui
• Amos (satellite), a series of Israeli IAI-built civilian communications satellites in geostationary orbit (launched 1996, 2003, 2008)
• Amos, Quebec, a town in northwestern Quebec, Canada
• Coal-burning John E. Amos Power Plant on Kanawha River in West Virginia
• Amos, an ancient town close to Marmaris, Turkey
• AMOS (Advanced Mortar System), a 120 mm automatic twin barrelled, breech loaded mortar turret
• Amos, the NATO reporting name of the Vympel R-33 air-to-air missile
• Amos The Transparent, a Canadian music band originating from Ottawa
• Amos 'n' Andy (1920s-1950s), a radio-serial situation comedy popular in the United States
• Famous Amos, a cookie company founded by Wally Amos