Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Cheyenne, indigenous people of North America

(Encyclopedia)Cheyenne shīănˈ, –ĕnˈ [key], indigenous people of North America whose language belongs to the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). The ...

Hassi Messaoud

(Encyclopedia)Hassi Messaoud häsˈsē mĕsˌsäo͞odˈ [key] [Arab.,=blessed well], town, E Algeria. Formerly a watering hole in the Sahara desert, Hassi Messaoud rose to prominence with the discovery of oil in 19...

New, Harry Stewart

(Encyclopedia)New, Harry Stewart, 1858–1937, U.S. Postmaster General (1923–29) and politician, b. Indianapolis. He was long connected (1878–1903) with the Indianapolis Journal. New was an Indiana state senato...

Pepi II

(Encyclopedia)Pepi II pāˈpē [key], d. c.2185 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the VI dynasty. His reign (c.2275–c.2185 b.c.) is the longest recorded in history. It was successful because the powerful southern l...

Prokopovich, Feofan

(Encyclopedia)Prokopovich, Feofan fāəfänˈ prəkəpôˈvĭch [key], 1681–1736, Russian churchman. He was appointed bishop by Czar Peter I to carry out his ecclesiastic reforms and wrote Spiritual Regulation (1...

Pea Ridge

(Encyclopedia)Pea Ridge, chain of hills, NW Ark., where the Civil War battle of Pea Ridge (or Elkhorn Tavern) was fought Mar. 6–8, 1862. Earl Van Dorn, leading a large Confederate command, which included Sterling...

belt

(Encyclopedia)belt, girdle or band worn around the body, originally to confine loose garments. Later the girdle became a decorative accessory and was used to carry belongings. The Greeks and Romans wore ornamental ...

Hildreth, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Hildreth, Richard hĭlˈdrəth [key], 1807–65, American historian, b. Deerfield, Mass. From 1832 to 1838 he was the leading editorial writer for the Boston Daily Atlas. In addition to writing contro...

Grimké, Archibald Henry

(Encyclopedia)Grimké, Archibald Henry, 1849–1930, African-American author and crusader for black advancement, b. near Charleston, S.C. The son of a white father and a slave mother, he was graduated from Lincoln ...

Fitzgerald, Lord Edward

(Encyclopedia)Fitzgerald, Lord Edward, 1763–98, Irish revolutionary; son of James Fitzgerald, 20th earl of Kildare and 1st duke of Leinster (see Kildare, James Fitzgerald, 20th earl of). After an early career in ...