George Harrison among new biography entries

LONDON - From Beatles guitarist George Harrison to Concorde test pilot Brian Trubshaw, almost 200 names of people who died in 2001 have been added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Less well-known names, but no less influential in shaping modern times, included chemist Herchel Smith, whose research led to the manufacture of the contraceptive pill, and Rosa Beddington who pioneered genome research.

The names are the first to be added since publication of the 60-volume dictionary last September. Tuesday's release of biographies for the online edition brings the total number of Oxford DNB lives to 55,117.

The next online release will be in May and will extend the dictionary's coverage of people dying before 2000.

- REUTERS