Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

367 results found

Schouler, James

(Encyclopedia)Schouler, James sko͞oˈlər [key], 1839–1920, American historian and lawyer, b. West Cambridge (now Arlington), Mass. Admitted to the bar in 1862, he served in the Union army and returned to Boston...

Randi, James

(Encyclopedia)Randi, James (Randall James Hamilton Zwinge), 1928–2020, Canadian-American illusionist and psychic investigator, b. Toronto. Performing as “The Amazing Randi,” he was a conjurer and escape artis...

Virginius affair

(Encyclopedia)Virginius affair, 1873, incident that came near to causing war between the United States and Spain. The Virginius, a filibustering ship, was fraudulently flying the American flag and carrying arms to ...

Stewart, Dugald

(Encyclopedia)Stewart, Dugald, 1753–1828, Scottish philosopher. He studied at the Univ. of Edinburgh, later becoming professor of mathematics (1775–85) and of moral philosophy (1785–1810). After retiring he d...

bookplate

(Encyclopedia)bookplate, label pasted in a book to indicate ownership, also called ex libris [Lat.,=from the books of]. The bookplate is usually of paper on which heraldic or other designs are engraved or printed. ...

Kony, Joseph Rao

(Encyclopedia)Kony, Joseph Rao, 1964?–, Ugandan rebel and war criminal. His cousin, Alice Lakwena, led the Holy Spirit Movement against (1986–87) Uganda's President Museveni, and when she was defeated, Kony for...

Guthrie, Woody

(Encyclopedia)Guthrie, Woody (Woodrow Wilson Guthrie), 1912–67, American folk singer, guitarist, and composer, b. Okemah, Okla. Guthrie was an itinerant musician and laborer from the age of 13. Deeply involved in...

Browse by Subject