Norman Z. McLeod was an American film director who was best known for his comedies, especially those with the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and Bob Hope. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) After studying at the University of Washington, McLeod served as a fighter pilot

Norman Z. McLeod was an American film director who was best known for his comedies, especially those with the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and Bob Hope. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) After studying at the University of Washington, McLeod served as a fighter pilot

Bridgeport: The much-publicized socialist mayor Jasper McLevy was elected there in 1933 to begin a 24-year administration. Bridgeport’s public monuments include a number of war memorials and the Perry Memorial Arch (1918); designed by architect Henry Bacon, it serves as the entrance to the city’s Seaside Park, which covers more…

Maureen O’Hara: …she reunited with Wayne in McLintock!, in which she played the estranged wife of his character. She paired with Wayne a final time in the 1971 kidnapping drama Big Jake.

Oregon Trail: Outposts along the trail: …years from the company’s director, John McLoughlin. Later his general store in Oregon City, which he opened in 1846 after retiring from the company, was considered the final stop on the Oregon Trail.

Theresa May: Cabinet resignations: …the resignation of party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin after he was blamed for providing inadequate security for the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October 2017, when May was interrupted by a pranking comedian who came within touching distance during her keynote address. After initially refusing to step down, McLoughlin…

Theresa May: Cabinet resignations: …the resignation of party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin after he was blamed for providing inadequate security for the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October 2017, when May was interrupted by a pranking comedian who came within touching distance during her keynote address. After initially refusing to step down, McLoughlin…

Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian communications theorist and educator, whose aphorism “the medium is the message” summarized his view of the potent influence of television, computers, and other electronic disseminators of information in shaping styles of thinking and thought, whether in sociology,

Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian communications theorist and educator, whose aphorism “the medium is the message” summarized his view of the potent influence of television, computers, and other electronic disseminators of information in shaping styles of thinking and thought, whether in sociology,

What Is Mid-Century Modern Design?: The term “mid-century modern” is often said to have been coined by author Cara Greenberg for the title of her 1984 book Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. The phrase, however, was used before then—though sporadically—to describe the furniture and architecture of the mid-20th century. Indeed, Merriam-Webster…

McMahon Line, de facto boundary between India and China in northeastern India, specifically marking the border between the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet. It was negotiated between Tibet, China and the British Empire at the end of the Shimla Convention

Palestine: World War I and after: …to March 1916 between Sir Henry McMahon, British high commissioner in Egypt, and Hussein ibn Ali, then emir of Mecca, in which the British made certain commitments to the Arabs in return for their support against the Ottomans during the war. Yet by May 1916 Great Britain, France, and Russia…

Utah: Sports and recreation: quarterbacks, among them Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Robbie Bosco, and Ty Detmer.

Linda McMahon is an American business executive and politician who serves as secretary of the U.S. Department of Education in the Republican administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump. During Trump’s first term in office, McMahon was administrator of the Small Business Administration (2017–19).

Hussein-McMahon correspondence: …Ali, emir of Mecca, and Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner in Egypt. In general terms, the correspondence effectively traded British support of an independent Arab state for Arab assistance in opposing the Ottoman Empire. It was later contradicted by the incompatible terms of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, secretly concluded…

Sir William McMahon was an Australian politician and lawyer who was prime minister of Australia from March 1971 to December 1972. He was educated at the University of Sydney, where he earned a degree in law. After practicing as a solicitor in Sydney he enlisted in the Australian Army in 1939 and

Vince McMahon is an American professional wrestling impresario who used showmanship and tireless promotion to make wrestling, formerly a niche entertainment, into a vastly lucrative industry. With his wife, Linda McMahon, he founded World Wrestling Entertainment, a multibillion-dollar company.

Vince McMahon is an American professional wrestling impresario who used showmanship and tireless promotion to make wrestling, formerly a niche entertainment, into a vastly lucrative industry. With his wife, Linda McMahon, he founded World Wrestling Entertainment, a multibillion-dollar company.

Elvis Costello is a British singer-songwriter who extended the musical and lyrical range of the punk and new wave movements beginning in the 1970s. Originally branded as an “angry young man” for his snarky, often political, whip-smart lyrics, he branched into other genres, including country and

comic strip: The United States: …most important gag strip was George McManus’s Bringing Up Father (begun 1913/16), also the first American strip to achieve international fame. Outstanding among the family saga or domestic problem strips that burgeoned during the 1920s was Frank King’s Gasoline Alley, which started in 1918. It strove for realism rather than…

Munich massacre: Massacre at Fürstenfeldbruck: …surrounded the airfield, and sportscaster Jim McKay, who was anchoring Olympic coverage for the U.S. network ABC, provided television viewers with preliminary updates. At midnight, a German official announced that all the hostages had been freed and all the terrorists had been killed, a report that proved to be tragically…

Louise McManus was an American nursing educator, an early leader in extending professional nurses’ training in the United States and internationally. McManus graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, before earning a nursing degree from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of

Louise McManus was an American nursing educator, an early leader in extending professional nurses’ training in the United States and internationally. McManus graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, before earning a nursing degree from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of

child abuse: Dangers of overreaction: …trials beginning in 1984 of Virginia McMartin, founder of the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, and others on dozens of counts of child abuse. Most of the charges, which were based on reports of abuse collected in interviews with hundreds of students, were eventually dropped for lack of evidence.…

McMaster University, Privately endowed university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1887 through a gift from Sen. William McMaster (1811–87). It offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, engineering, and other fields.

Steve Bannon: Association with Trump: …son-in-law) and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. Criticism of Bannon from outside the administration grew louder after Trump responded slowly to and then blamed “both sides” for the death of a counterprotester at a demonstration by white nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis on August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Many…

John Bach McMaster was an American historian whose eight-volume work on the people of the United States was innovative in the writing of social history. The son of a former Mississippi plantation owner, McMaster grew up in New York City and worked his way through the City College of New York.

Ginger Rogers was an American stage and film dancer and actress who was noted primarily as the partner of Fred Astaire in a series of motion-picture musicals. McMath was given the nickname Ginger, which was based on a cousin’s failed attempts to pronounce Virginia. Her parents divorced when she was

Neysa McMein was an American artist whose commercial style was highly popular in magazines and advertising of the 1920s and ’30s. McMein attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in 1913 went to New York City. She studied at the Art Students League for a few months and in 1914 sold

Neysa McMein was an American artist whose commercial style was highly popular in magazines and advertising of the 1920s and ’30s. McMein attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in 1913 went to New York City. She studied at the Art Students League for a few months and in 1914 sold

Ulster Defence Association: Led by Gary McMichael, son of a murdered UDA man, the UDP won enough electoral support to participate in the multiparty peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement (April 1998), but it did not secure any seats in subsequent elections to the new Northern Ireland…

Rock Hudson: …in the popular television series McMillan and Wife from 1971 to 1975.

Daniel Burnham: Urban planner: …Park Commission, also called the McMillan Commission (for Michigan’s U.S. Sen. James McMillan, who was chairman of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia). Burnham invited his friend McKim and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. (son of the famous landscape architect with whom Burnham had worked on the fair), to…

City Beautiful movement: …a City Beautiful design, the McMillan Plan, named for Michigan’s U.S. Sen. James McMillan, who was chairman of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia. It limited building heights and positioned new structures and monuments throughout the city to create a balanced aerial composition. Other cities that benefited from…

Edwin Mattison McMillan was an American nuclear physicist who shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1951 with Glenn T. Seaborg for his discovery of element 93, neptunium, the first element heavier than uranium, thus called a transuranium element. McMillan was educated at the California Institute

preschool education: History: …very young: Grace Owen and Margaret McMillan. Both saw the nursery school as a place for fostering health and physical development (prerequisites to any other kind of development) and as a place that should be an extension of the home. Owen wanted every housing development to have a nursery school,…

Oklahoma City Thunder: Origins as the Seattle SuperSonics: Led by head coach Nate McMillan (who played with the team from 1986 to 1998, which earned him the nickname “Mr. Sonic”) and the deft shooting of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, the Sonics won a surprising division championship in 2004–05 and advanced to the conference semifinals.

Terry McMillan is a writer who frequently graced the bestseller lists in the 1990s and early 2000s with her massively popular contemporary romance novels portraying feisty, independent African American women and their attempts to find fulfilling relationships with Black men. Several of her books,

Bo McMillin was an American collegiate and professional football player and coach. (Read Walter Camp’s 1903 Britannica essay on inventing American football.) McMillin excelled as a quarterback for Centre College, Danville, Ky. (1919–21). In 1921 he completed 119 of 170 passes attempted. He was

Bo McMillin was an American collegiate and professional football player and coach. (Read Walter Camp’s 1903 Britannica essay on inventing American football.) McMillin excelled as a quarterback for Centre College, Danville, Ky. (1919–21). In 1921 he completed 119 of 170 passes attempted. He was

McMinnville, city, seat (1886) of Yamhill county, northwestern Oregon, U.S., on the South Yamhill River. Settled in 1844 and named for McMinnville, Tennessee, it developed as a service centre for Yamhill Valley farmers. Linfield College (1849), affiliated with the American Baptist Churches,

Curtis McMullen is an American mathematician who won the Fields Medal in 1998 for his work in dynamics. McMullen studied mathematics at Williams College and received his doctorate (1985) from Harvard University. Afterward he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University,

yacht: Kinds of sailboats: McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A voyage around the world (1895–98) sailed single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray demonstrated the seaworthiness of small craft. Thereafter in the 20th century, notably after World War II,…

Kroger Co.: Modern corporate era (21st century): Under Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen, who led the company from 2014 to 2025, Kroger expanded its private label (also called store brand) products. The company also spent heavily on data analytics and online grocery services, including pickup and delivery, and sought to strengthen its supply chain and logistics…

Kroger Co.: Modern corporate era (21st century): Under Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen, who led the company from 2014 to 2025, Kroger expanded its private label (also called store brand) products. The company also spent heavily on data analytics and online grocery services, including pickup and delivery, and sought to strengthen its supply chain and logistics…

Black Sox Scandal: …(“Happy”) Felsch, and utility infielder Fred McMullin. Court records suggest that the eight players received $70,000 to $100,000 for losing five games to three.

McMurdo Sound, bay off Antarctica that forms the western extension of Ross Sea, lying at the edge of Ross Ice Shelf, west of Ross Island and east of Victoria Land. The channel, 92 miles (148 km) long and up to 46 miles (74 km) wide, has been a major centre for Antarctic explorations. First

McMurdo Station, research and logistics installation located on the Hut Point Peninsula, on Ross Island, Antarctica. Operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the assistance of the U.S. military, the station is the largest town in Antarctica and the continent’s largest research

Fort McMurray, city, northeastern Alberta, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers. In the early 21st century, Fort McMurray became the capital of Canada’s burgeoning tar sands industry. It originated as a North West Company fur-trading post (1790) known as

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Community of Christ: …the church’s World Conference chose W. Grant McMurray as its new president.

Abilene: … (1906; Churches of Christ), and McMurry University (1923; United Methodist). Dyess Air Force Base lies just southwest. The West Texas Fair, rodeos, and livestock shows are annual events. The Grace Museum, comprising an art museum, a historical museum, and a children’s museum, is a local landmark, now listed on the…

Larry McMurtry was an award-winning American writer noted for his novels set on the frontier, in contemporary small towns, and in increasingly urbanized and industrial areas of Texas. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and the National Humanities Medal for his work. McMurtry was

Larry McMurtry was an award-winning American writer noted for his novels set on the frontier, in contemporary small towns, and in increasingly urbanized and industrial areas of Texas. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and the National Humanities Medal for his work. McMurtry was

confession: Confession in contemporary U.S. law: …first announced this rule in McNabb v. United States (1943), in a decision that nullified two second-degree-murder convictions because they were based almost entirely on confessions made after the defendants were subjected to three days of police questioning in the absence of counsel. Fifteen years later, in Mallory v. United…

Donovan McNabb is known as one of the leading dual-threat quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL), known for both his passing and rushing. During his 13-year career, he threw for 37,276 yards, which included 234 touchdown passes, while also rushing for 3,459 yards. Drafted by the

Donovan McNabb is known as one of the leading dual-threat quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL), known for both his passing and rushing. During his 13-year career, he threw for 37,276 yards, which included 234 touchdown passes, while also rushing for 3,459 yards. Drafted by the

graphic design: Art Nouveau: architects Charles Rennie Mackintosh and J. Herbert McNair joined artists (and sisters) Margaret and Frances Macdonald in a revolutionary period of creativity beginning in the 1890s. This group in Glasgow, Scotland, combined rectangular structure with romantic and religious imagery in their unorthodox furniture, crafts, and graphic designs. In a poster…

Ronald McNair was an American physicist and astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster. McNair received a bachelor’s degree in physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, in 1971 and a doctoral degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of

Ronald McNair was an American physicist and astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster. McNair received a bachelor’s degree in physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, in 1971 and a doctoral degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of

Steve McNair was an American football player who threw 174 touchdown passes during his 13 National Football League (NFL) seasons (1995–2008), primarily while playing for the Tennessee Titans. McNair grew up in Mississippi and chose to attend the rural Alcorn State University, a historically Black

Steve McNair was an American football player who threw 174 touchdown passes during his 13 National Football League (NFL) seasons (1995–2008), primarily while playing for the Tennessee Titans. McNair grew up in Mississippi and chose to attend the rural Alcorn State University, a historically Black

Terrence McNally was an American dramatist whose plays explore human relationships—frequently those of gay men—and are typically characterized by dark humour. He also wrote books for musicals. As a young man, McNally worked as a newspaper reporter, as a tutor for the children of the American

Robert S. McNamara was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations and who played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937, McNamara earned a graduate degree at

Robert S. McNamara was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations and who played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937, McNamara earned a graduate degree at

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara: Farrell and McNamara met while studying at the School of Architecture at University College Dublin. After graduating in 1976, they began teaching at the university, and in 1978 they set up a practice in Dublin with three other architects. The firm began to receive a number of…

Yorgos Lanthimos: The Favourite: …written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara called The Favourite (2018), about a love triangle between the British queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and two women who compete for her attention (Weisz and Emma Stone). Lanthimos made quirky choices for the film, including outlandish dance sequences and surreal scenes involving rabbits,…

radio: Sports: Graham McNamee, a cub announcer, was soon called upon by WEAF to broadcast several sporting events, including championship fights and the World Series starting in 1923. McNamee became NBC’s top sports announcer, presiding over football, baseball, and boxing. He infused his sportscasts with human interest…

United States presidential election of 1940: The conventions: The convention then nominated Charles McNary, the party’s leader in the U.S. Senate, for the vice presidency. The Republican platform opposed participation in foreign wars, urged a strong national defense, demanded a slash in federal expenditures, and criticized Roosevelt’s concentration of power in the executive branch.

United States presidential election of 1928: The campaign and election: …his party, Smith supported the McNary-Haugen farm bill, which proposed grain subsidies in order to raise prices. The bill had twice failed to pass under Coolidge, in part due to Hoover’s opposition to it in his capacity as secretary of commerce. He had preferred a program of modernization efforts and…

history of technology: Steam engines: In 1845 John McNaught introduced an alternative form of compound beam engine, with the high-pressure cylinder on the opposite end of the beam from the low-pressure cylinder, and working with a shorter stroke. This became a very popular design. Various other methods of compounding steam engines were…

Internet: Getting over it: …have zero privacy—get over it,” Scott McNealy, the CEO of Sun Microsystems, memorably remarked in 1999 in response to a question at a product show at which Sun introduced a new interactive technology called Jini. Sun’s cheerful website promised to usher in the “networked home” of the future, in which…

A Raisin in the Sun: …matriarch, Lena Younger (played by Claudia McNeil), wants to leave their Chicago apartment and buy a home in a white neighborhood. Her headstrong son, Walter Lee Younger (played by Sidney Poitier), hopes to use the money to open a liquor store.

Sapper was a British soldier and novelist who won immediate fame with his thriller Bull-Dog Drummond (1920), subtitled “The Adventures of a Demobilized Officer Who Found Peace Dull.” Sapper published numerous popular sequels, but none had the impact and merit of the

Don McNeill was a U.S. radio entertainer. He entered radio in the 1920s as part of a singing team. In 1933 he took over as host of an NBC morning program in Chicago and created The Breakfast Club. Usually unscripted, it relied on listeners’ comments, poems, and folksy humour. It was the

William H. McNeill was a Canadian American historian who promoted an expansive view of the history of human civilization that enlarged the traditional approach to the subject, most notably in his seminal work The Rise of the West (1963). McNeill attended the University of Chicago (B.A., 1938; M.A.,

William H. McNeill was a Canadian American historian who promoted an expansive view of the history of human civilization that enlarged the traditional approach to the subject, most notably in his seminal work The Rise of the West (1963). McNeill attended the University of Chicago (B.A., 1938; M.A.,

Yo La Tengo: …York), and bassist (from 1992) James McNew (b. July 6, 1969, Baltimore, Maryland).

Blondie and Dagwood: …(1938–50) Blondie was played by Penny Singleton and Dagwood by Arthur Lake. Two television series were made (1957 and 1968), and an animated TV movie appeared in 1987. At the height of its popularity, the syndicated comic strip was translated into 35 languages and appeared in more than 2,000 newspapers…

Marcia McNutt is an American geophysicist who was the first woman to direct the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS; 2009–13) and the first woman elected to serve as president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS; 2016– ). McNutt was known for her leadership skills and for her contributions to

Marcia McNutt is an American geophysicist who was the first woman to direct the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS; 2009–13) and the first woman elected to serve as president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS; 2016– ). McNutt was known for her leadership skills and for her contributions to

flag of Malawi: …the flag used by the Malawi Congress Party, then the dominant political force in the country. The stripes on the flag symbolized respectively the African people of the country, the blood of martyrs for independence, and the ever-green nature of Malawi. The country’s name means “flaming waters,” referring to the…

Molly Maguires: …National Detective Agency, which sent James McParland to infiltrate the group. In a series of sensational trials in 1875–77, McParland’s testimony resulted in the conviction and hanging of 10 men for murder. The court convictions, adverse publicity, and more prosperous times effected a subsequent decline of violence in the coalfields.

Chicago style: …was originally produced by trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman, clarinetist Frank Teschemacher, and their colleagues in imitation of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings (originally the Friar’s Society Orchestra, including Leon Rappolo, Paul Mares, George Brunis, and others), a white New Orleans band playing at

Marian McPartland was an English-born American jazz musician and radio personality, best known in the United States for her National Public Radio program Piano Jazz. McPartland began playing the piano when she was three years old. She attended private schools and studied classical music at the

puppetry: Rod puppets: …United States, largely inspired by Marjorie Batchelder, the use of rod puppets was greatly developed in school and college theatres, and the hand-rod puppet was found to be of particular value. In this figure the hand passes inside the puppet’s body to grasp a short rod to the head, the…

Clyde McPhatter was an American rhythm-and-blues singer popular in the 1950s whose emotional style anticipated soul music. One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, McPhatter grew up in a devout Christian family that moved from North Carolina to New Jersey in the mid-1940s. There,

John McPhee is an American journalist whose nonfiction books are accessible and informative on a wide variety of topics—particularly profiles of figures in sports, science, and the environment. Many of his books are adaptations of articles he published in The New Yorker magazine. After graduating

John McPhee is an American journalist whose nonfiction books are accessible and informative on a wide variety of topics—particularly profiles of figures in sports, science, and the environment. Many of his books are adaptations of articles he published in The New Yorker magazine. After graduating

Walter Devereux, 1st earl of Essex: …O’Neills, led by Sir Brian MacPhelim and Turlough Luineach O’Neill, and they were supported by the Scots-Irish under Sorley Boy MacDonnell.

McPherson, city, seat (1873) of McPherson county, central Kansas, U.S. Laid out in 1872 on the Santa Fe Trail, it was named for James B. McPherson, a Union general killed in the American Civil War. The city is now a processing and shipping point for nearby oil fields and the surrounding diversified

McPherson Range, mountain range, eastern spur of the Great Dividing Range, eastern Australia; its crest constitutes the Queensland–New South Wales border from Point Danger to Wallangara (140 miles [225 km]). Occupying a well-dissected and rainforest-covered region, the range rises to its highest

Aimee Semple McPherson was a controversial American Pentecostal evangelist and early radio preacher whose International Church of the Foursquare Gospel brought her wealth, notoriety, and a following numbering in the tens of thousands. Aimee Kennedy was reared by her mother as a Salvation Army

James Alan McPherson was an American author whose realistic, character-driven short stories examine racial tension, the mysteries of love, the pain of isolation, and the contradictions of American life. Despite his coming of age as a writer during the Black Arts movement, his stories transcend

James B. McPherson was a Union general of the American Civil War about whose death General Ulysses S. Grant is reported to have said, “The country has lost one of its best soldiers, and I have lost my best friend.” After graduation from West Point at the head of the class of 1849, McPherson was

James B. McPherson was a Union general of the American Civil War about whose death General Ulysses S. Grant is reported to have said, “The country has lost one of its best soldiers, and I have lost my best friend.” After graduation from West Point at the head of the class of 1849, McPherson was

Newt Gingrich is an American politician, who served as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995–98); he was the first Republican to hold the office in 40 years. He later sought the party’s nomination for president in 2012. His parents divorced, and he later took the surname of his

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Her son and successor, Rolf K. McPherson, carried on this tradition. Doctrinally, however, the church is similar to the Assemblies of God, on whose ministerial rolls Aimee Semple McPherson’s name appeared for several years during her early evangelistic career.

Louise McPhetridge Thaden was an American aviator, holder of several speed and endurance records in the early years of competitive flying. Possibly the best-known female pilot of the 1930s after Amelia Earhart, she used her fame as a competitor to promote the status of women in aviation and to draw

John Sturges: Later films: With McQ (1974), Sturges was at last teamed with John Wayne, though the film drew mixed reviews; Wayne played a detective investigating the death of his best friend. The Eagle Has Landed (1976) showed flashes of Sturges’s old prowess. The old-fashioned suspense thriller was based on…

Alexander McQueen was a British designer known for his groundbreaking clothes, shocking catwalk shows, and precise tailoring. McQueen grew up in London’s East End; he was the youngest of six children of a father who was a taxicab driver and a mother who was a social studies teacher and genealogist.