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There are two ways to search for a person. One is with a simple name search, the other is with to search using Biographical Facts.

Name Search
Simply enter a name in the box labeled "Name Search" and click the search button. You may also select whether you want only biographies on a specific person or all articles related to that person by selecting either "Biographies only" or "All results" above the search box. You may search for a person by selecting Name contains or Start of last name.

Searching by Name contains allows you to key a full name or any word or combination of words known to be part of the person's name.

Searching by the Start of last name will yield less precise results than searching by a first and last name. For example, searching on bon will return a results list that contains Sonny Bono, as well as Bonaventure, Surya Bonaly, Bobby Bonilla, and many others. Matching variant names and pseudonyms should return the person's full name in the results list. If only one name is found to match your criteria, the application will take you directly to the main tabbed results page for that name.

Discovering Collection will search for documents across the entire database and return results under the following tabs:

Biographical Facts
The Biographical Facts feature also allows you to perform highly targeted searches on the biographical database to identify individuals who match certain search criteria. The search interface is flexible, allowing you to select one, multiple, or all terms on the page. The search results will be displayed on the Reference tab. Once you have identified the type of person you are looking for, you may then launch a search on the name by clicking on the "Search for any documents that may be available on this person" link at the top of the document.

Occupation
Searches for an individual based on occupational information that appears in the career section of the biography. This section typically contains information on the person's various job titles, employers, places of employment, and other details. Within this field, enter a word or combination of words that specify a particular job title, field of endeavor, place of employment, or a related concept. For example:

professor
accountant
lecturer
Michigan State University

You may choose an occupation by selecting the "View occupation list" link underneath the text box.

Nationality
Finds individuals based on their birth or citizenship in a particular nation or country. For individuals who were born in one country and later became citizens of another, multiple nationalities have been identified. To make several selections from the Nationality list box, press down the Ctrl (Control) key and, while holding Ctrl down, click on multiple items.

Ethnicity
Finds individuals based on their membership in a group that shares a common language, culture, customs, or background. To make several selections from the Ethnicity list box, press down the Ctrl (Control) key and, while holding Ctrl down, click on multiple items.

Gender
Finds individuals based on their gender. Click on the arrow next to the drop down menu to specify Male or Female.

Birth Year and Death Year Searches
Searches for individuals based on the year of their birth or death. You may search for birth and death dates:

in a specific year by selecting is from the drop down menu and entering a year

between a range of years by selecting is from the drop down menu and entering two years separated by a hyphen

before a certain year by selecting is before from the drop down menu and entering a year

after a certain year by selecting is after from the drop down menu and entering a year

Birth Place and Death Place Searches
Searches for individuals based on the city, state or country wherein they were born or died. Within the Birth Place and Death Place fields, use a word or phrase. When searching by state, enter any known forms of the state name for best results.