Usuman dan Fodio 1754-1817. Fulani religious and political leader. Beginning as an itinerant Muslim missionary in northern Nigeria, he gained a large following for his syncretic visions, establishing a base in Gudu. After Usuman successfully conducted jihād (holy war) against the king of Gobir (1804-8), his followers conquered most of the other Hausa states of northern Nigeria by 1812. He established the Sokoto caliphate, which he left to his brother and son. After his death, his son, Mohammed Bello, gained sole control.

Rostenkowski, Dan (Daniel David Rostenkowski), 1928-, U.S. congressman, b. Chicago. A Democrat, he was first elected as a U.S. representative from Illinois in 1958. Rostenkowski became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in 1981. He helped secure (1983) legislation to keep the social security system solvent and played a major role in the passage (1986) of a new federal tax code. In 1994, Rostenkowski was indicted on corruption charges and stepped down as Ways and Means chairman; he lost his House seat in the Congressional elections later that year. He pleaded guilty to mail fraud in 1996, and was fined and served (1996-97) a 17-month sentence. He has subsequently worked as a political consultant and commentator. Rostenkowski was pardoned by President Clinton in 2000.

Quayle, Dan (James Danforth Quayle), 1947-, Vice President of the United States (1989-93), b. Indianapolis. He graduated from DePauw Univ. (1969) and served in the Indiana National Guard (1969-75). The son of a prominent Indiana publishing family, he graduated from law school (Indiana Univ., 1974) and then became associate publisher and general manager of the Huntington Herald-Press. In 1976 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a conservative Republican. In 1980 he was elected to the Senate, defeating three-term incumbent Birch Bayh, and was reelected in 1986.

In 1988 Republican presidential candidate George H. W. Bush selected Quayle as his running mate. Although not taken seriously by the media at first, he became an effective speaker for conservative issues. He chaired the President's Council on Competitiveness, which attempted to reduce governmental and environmental regulation on businesses. Renominated in 1992, he attacked the "Hollywood" media and campaigned vigorously in defense of the Bush administration's record. Bush and Quayle lost the election to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Quayle mounted an abortive run for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination in 1999.

Marino, Dan (Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr.), 1961-, American football player, b. Pittsburgh. After starring as an All-American quarterback at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, he joined (1983) the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League and was the NFL Rookie of the Year. In the 1984-85 season, when he passed for a record 5,084 yards, he was the league's most valuable player. One of the game's most proficient passers, the durable Marino, who played his entire career with the Dolphins, broke (1995) the lifetime records held by Fran Tarkenton for total passing yardage, completions, and touchdown passes. (Brett Favre surpassed Marino's marks more than a decade later.) Despite his excellence as a quarterback, Marino never led Miami to a Super Bowl championship. He retired in 2000 and began a career as a sportscaster.

Flavin, Dan, 1933-96, American sculptor, b. New York City. In the early 1960s, Flavin experimented with fluorescent lights, bending them into complex, angular shapes. His sculptures, which are closely related to minimalism in underlying approach, incorporate installations of commercially made fixtures that diffuse colored light, thus breaking down or defining the space around them. Flavin's work is represented in many public collections, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim and Los Angeles County museums. Much of his late work was extremely large and site-specific. A gallery devoted to his work opened in Houston, Tex., in 1998 and features a large light frieze installed on its outer and inner surfaces. When Flavin died, he left instructions for the creation of his last work, a vast light construction, Untitled (Marfa Project), that was completed in 2001 and occupies six buildings at Donald Judd's huge Marfa, Tex., art space.

Dan. 1 In the Bible, son of Jacob and Bilhah and eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Their allotment in SW Palestine was the least extensive. The hostility of the Amorites living there prompted the Danites to migrate north where they established themselves. The Book of Judges may indicate that the Danites were originally part of the Sea Peoples. They shared the lot of the northern Hebrews at the hands of the Assyrians in the 8th cent. B.C. 2 City, northernmost landmark of ancient Palestine, hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba." It is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. Its original name was Laish or Leshem; it was renamed by the conquering Danites.

Andersson, Dan, 1888-1920, Swedish poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Although his entire life was lived in extreme poverty, Andersson dealt in his works with religious and metaphysical more than social problems. He worked as a laborer and achieved little recognition for his writing during his lifetime. After his death a cult developed around his work, and his work is still admired today. Among his best-known works are Kolarhistorier [the charcoal-burner's tales] (1914), Kolvaktarens visor [the charcoal-burner's songs] (1915), and the novel De tre hemlösa [three homeless ones] (1918).

(born December 1754, Maratta, Gobir, Hausaland—died 1817, Sokoto, Fulani empire) Fulani mystic, philosopher, and revolutionary reformer. In a jihad (holy war) between 1804 and 1808, he created a new Muslim state, the Fulani empire, in what is now northern Nigeria. He stimulated the growth of Islam throughout the region and founded the important Sokoto caliphate. He also produced a large body of writings in Arabic and Fula that continue to enjoy wide circulation and influence.

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(born Feb. 4, 1947, Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.) U.S. politician. After earning a law degree, he served as associate publisher of his family's Huntington Herald-Press (1974–76). He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1977–81) and two in the Senate (1981–89). Chosen as the Republican Party candidate for vice president in 1988, he was elected with George H.W. Bush. During his term, Quayle traveled abroad on goodwill missions but was criticized for various verbal gaffes. He and Bush ran for reelection in 1992 but were defeated. He briefly campaigned for the Republican nomination for president in 2000.

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