Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Hughes, Howard Robard

(Encyclopedia)Hughes, Howard Robard, 1905–76, U.S. business executive, b. Houston. As a young man he inherited (1925) the patent rights to an oil tool drill, which, manufactured by the Hughes Tool Company, formed...

Hall, Charles Francis

(Encyclopedia)Hall, Charles Francis, 1821–71, American arctic explorer, b. Rochester, N.H. He became interested in the many search expeditions for Sir John Franklin's party, and with Eskimo companions he explored...

Glazer, Nathan

(Encyclopedia)Glazer, Nathan, 1923–2019, American sociologist, b. New York City, grad. City College, 1944. He became an editor at The Contemporary Jewish Record, later Commentary, and contributed to The Lonely Cr...

Morse, Wayne Lyman

(Encyclopedia)Morse, Wayne Lyman, 1900–1974, U.S. Senator (1945–69), b. Madison, Wis. He was a professor of law and later dean at the Univ. of Oregon law school (1931–44) and gained a nationwide reputation as...

Arbus, Diane

(Encyclopedia)Arbus, Diane ärˈbəs [key], 1923–71, American photographer, b. New York City. For nearly 20 years Arbus operated a successful fashion photography studio with her husband, Allan Arbus. She studied ...

Martin, Glenn Luther

(Encyclopedia)Martin, Glenn Luther, 1886–1955, American aviation pioneer, b. Macksburg, Iowa. Martin built his first airplane in 1909, and in 1912 set the world over-water record, flying from mainland California ...

Knight, Bobby

(Encyclopedia)Knight, Bobby (Robert Montgomery Knight), 1940–, American basketball coach, b. Massillon, Ohio. A point guard at Ohio State (grad. 1962), Knight became (1963) an assistant coach at West Point and tw...

Brulé, Étienne

(Encyclopedia)Brulé, Étienne ātyĕnˈ brülāˈ [key], c.1592–1632, French explorer in North America. He arrived (1608) in the New World with Samuel de Champlain, who sent him (1610) into the wilderness to lea...

reconnaissance satellite

(Encyclopedia)reconnaissance satellite, artificial satellite launched by a country to provide intelligence information on the military activities of foreign countries. There are four major types. Early-warning sate...

Stevens, John Paul

(Encyclopedia)Stevens, John Paul, 1920–2019, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1975–2010). After receiving his law degree from Northwestern Univ. (1947), he clerked with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Wi...

Browse by Subject