Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Kronecker, Leopold

(Encyclopedia)Kronecker, Leopold lāˈōpôlt krōˈnĕkˌər [key], 1823–91, German mathematician. After making a fortune in business he devoted his attention to mathematics and became professor at the Univ. of ...

Lanarkshire

(Encyclopedia)Lanarkshire lănˈərk, –ärk [key], former county, central Scotland. Lanarkshire became (1975) part of the Strathclyde region; when the region was dissolved (1996) the council areas of North and So...

Maachah, ancient city-state of Syria

(Encyclopedia)Maachah or Maacah both: māˈəkə [key], ancient city-state of Syria, S of Mt. Hermon. It was held by Arameans in biblical times. The inhabitants are Maachathi or Maachathites. It is mentioned severa...

Napier, Sir William Francis Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Napier, Sir William Francis Patrick nāˈpēr, nəpērˈ [key], 1785–1860, British general and historian; brother of Sir Charles James Napier. He served in the Peninsular War and wrote a famous and ...

Abraham, Plains of

(Encyclopedia)Abraham, Plains of, fairly level field adjoining the upper part of the city of Quebec, Canada. There, in 1759, the English under Gen. James Wolfe defeated the French under Gen. Louis Montcalm. The bat...

Gustavus VI

(Encyclopedia)Gustavus VI (Gustaf Adolf), 1882–1973, king of Sweden (1950–73), son and successor of Gustavus V. After the death (1920) of his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, he married (1923) Lady L...

Grimaldi, Francesco Maria

(Encyclopedia)Grimaldi, Francesco Maria fränchāsˈkō märēˈä grēmälˈdē [key], 1618?–1663, Italian physicist and mathematician. A Jesuit and professor at Bologna, he studied in detail and named the dark ...

Houma

(Encyclopedia)Houma hōˈmə [key], city (2020 pop. 33,406), seat of Terrebonne parish, SE La.; inc. 1848. ...

Alsop, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Alsop, Richard ôlˈsəp [key], 1761–1815, American author, b. Middletown, Conn. Best remembered as one of the Connecticut Wits, he collaborated with Theodore Dwight and others in writing light sati...

Edgeøya

(Encyclopedia)Edgeøya ĕdˈyə-öyä [key] or Edge Island, island of the Svalbard group, 1,942 sq mi (5,030 sq km), Norway, in the Barents Sea, E of Spitsbergen. It rises to 2,349 ft (716 m). An ice field covers S...

Browse by Subject