Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

444 results found

Hodgkin, Sir Alan Lloyd

(Encyclopedia)Hodgkin, Sir Alan Lloyd, 1914–98, English biophysicist. For their work in analyzing the electrical and chemical events in nerve-cell discharge, he and Andrew Huxley shared with Sir John Eccles the 1...

Foggini, Giovanni Batista

(Encyclopedia)Foggini, Giovanni Batista jōvänˈnē bätēsˈtä fōdjēˈnē [key], 1652–1725, Italian sculptor and architect. An important exponent of the Florentine baroque style, Foggini followed Roman model...

Mills, Ogden Livingston

(Encyclopedia)Mills, Ogden Livingston, 1884–1937, American political leader, b. Newport, R.I. He practiced law in New York City and became an active Republican party leader. He served (1914–17) in the New York ...

Kirksville

(Encyclopedia)Kirksville, city (1990 pop. 17,152), seat of Adair co., N Mo.; inc. 1857. A processing, trade, and shipping center for a farm area (corn, soybeans, sheep, cattle, hogs), Kirksville also has light manu...

Birrell, Augustine

(Encyclopedia)Birrell, Augustine bĭrˈəl [key], 1850–1933, English essayist and public official. As chief secretary for Ireland (1907–16) his failure to end the plotting that resulted in the Easter Rebellion ...

Pickens, Francis Wilkinson

(Encyclopedia)Pickens, Francis Wilkinson, 1805–69, American politician, b. Colleton District, S.C.; grandson of Andrew Pickens. A lawyer, he served in the state house of representatives and was an ardent supporte...

Dyk, Viktor

(Encyclopedia)Dyk, Viktor vĭkˈtôr dĭk [key], 1877–1931, Czech writer and nationalist. Dyk considered his novels, satires, short stories, plays, and poems as weapons in the struggle to free his country from Au...

Allen, William

(Encyclopedia)Allen, William, 1704–80, American jurist, b. Philadelphia. He and his father-in-law, Andrew Hamilton, decided the choice of Philadelphia instead of Chester as provincial capital, and he helped finan...

Feller, Bob

(Encyclopedia)Feller, Bob (Robert William Andrew Feller), 1918–2010, American baseball player, b. Van Meter, Iowa. Famous for his blazing fastball, he also had extraordinary curveballs and sinkers in his repertoi...

hyperbole

(Encyclopedia)hyperbole hīpûrˈbəlē [key], a figure of speech in which exceptional exaggeration is deliberately used for emphasis rather than deception. Andrew Marvell employed hyperbole throughout To His Coy M...