Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

463 results found

Bloembergen, Nicolaas

(Encyclopedia)Bloembergen, Nicolaas nēˈkəläs blo͞omˈbĕrgən, –bûrgən [key], 1920–2017, American physicist, b. Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Educated in the Netherlands, he began work at Harvard in 1946, ...

Intracoastal Waterway

(Encyclopedia)Intracoastal Waterway, c.3,000 mi (4,827 km) long, partly natural, partly artificial, providing sheltered passage for commercial and leisure boats along the U.S. Atlantic coast from Boston, Mass. to K...

Joplin, Janis

(Encyclopedia)Joplin, Janis jŏpˈlĭn [key], 1943–70, American blues-rock singer, b. Port Arthur, Tex. After dropping out of college (1963) and singing folk rock in Texas clubs, she moved (1966) to San Francisco...

Mutharika, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Mutharika, Peter (Arthur Peter Mutharika) mo͞otäˈrēkä [key], 1940–, Malawian lawyer and political leader, LL.B. London Univ., 1965, J.S.D. Yale, 1969; brother of Bingu wa Mutharika. A professor...

operetta

(Encyclopedia)operetta ŏpərĕtˈə [key], type of light opera with a frivolous, sentimental story, often employing parody and satire and containing both spoken dialogue and much light, pleasant music. In the earl...

Marx Brothers

(Encyclopedia)Marx Brothers, team of American movie comedians. The members were Julius (1890?–1977), known as Groucho; Arthur (1888?–1964), originally Adolph and known as Harpo; Leonard (1887?–1961), known as...

Langdon, Harry

(Encyclopedia)Langdon, Harry, 1884–1944, American silent film comedian and director, b. Council Bluffs, Iowa. He repeatedly ran away from home to join traveling shows and circuses as a youngster, and later develo...

Schuschnigg, Kurt von

(Encyclopedia)Schuschnigg, Kurt von ko͝ort fən sho͝oshˈnĭk [key], 1897–1977, Austrian chancellor. He served (1932–34) as minister of justice and education and helped Engelbert Dollfuss repress the Social D...

Bacharach, Burt

(Encyclopedia)Bacharach, Burt băkˈərăkˌ [key], 1928–2023, American composer, arranger, and conductor, b. ...

Perth Amboy

(Encyclopedia)Perth Amboy ămˈboi [key], city (1990 pop. 41,962), Middlesex co., NE N.J., with a harbor on Arthur Kill at the mouth of the Raritan River, which is crossed there to Staten Island, N.Y., by the Outer...

Browse by Subject