Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Pandora, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Pandora păndôrˈə [key], in Greek mythology, first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create her as vengeance upon man and his benefactor, Prometheus. The gods endowed her with every charm,...

Jokneam

(Encyclopedia)Jokneam jŏkˈnēăm [key], in the Bible, Canaanite royal city, later a Levitical city of Zebulun, SW of Mt. Carmel (in present-day Israel). ...

Hinckley, Gordon Bitner

(Encyclopedia)Hinckley, Gordon Bitner, 1910–2008, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons; see Latter-day Saints, Church of Jesus Christ of), b. Salt Lake City, grad. Univ. of Utah. He ...

Darwin, Erasmus

(Encyclopedia)Darwin, Erasmus, 1731–1802, English physician and poet. During most of his life he practiced medicine in Lichfield and cultivated a botanical garden. He was a prominent member of the Lichfield liter...

Davis, Charles Henry

(Encyclopedia)Davis, Charles Henry, 1807–77, American naval officer and scientist, b. Boston. Appointed a midshipman in 1823, Davis directed operations of the Coast Survey for a time along the New England coast. ...

saint, in Christianity

(Encyclopedia)saint [O.Fr., from Latin sanctus=holy], in Christianity, a person who is recognized as worthy of veneration. Accounts of saints' lives have been favorite reading material for many, and at times thei...

Arcole

(Encyclopedia)Arcole ärˈkōlā [key], village (1987 est. pop. 4,500), Venetia, N Italy. There, in Nov., 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in a three-day battle. ...

Ibleam

(Encyclopedia)Ibleam ĭbˈlēəm [key], in the Bible, town, ancient Palestine, the present-day Tell Belameh, West Bank. It also appears as Bileam and Gath-rimmon. ...

Deep Sea Drilling Project

(Encyclopedia)Deep Sea Drilling Project, U.S. program designed to investigate the evolution of ocean basins by core drilling of ocean sediments and underlying oceanic crust. Funded by the National Science Foundatio...

Browse by Subject