Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Alfonso IV, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso IV, 1291–1357, king of Portugal (1325–57), son and successor of Diniz. Disgruntled by the favoritism his father showed toward Alfonso's illegitimate half-brothers, Alfonso rose in revolt i...

Ferdinand VI, king of Spain

(Encyclopedia)Ferdinand VI, b. 1712 or 1713, d. 1759, king of Spain (1746–59), son of Philip V by his first queen, Marie Louise of Savoy. When Ferdinand succeeded his father, his stepmother, Elizabeth Farnese, lo...

Hillary, Sir Edmund Percival

(Encyclopedia)Hillary, Sir Edmund Percival, 1919–2008, New Zealand mountain climber and explorer. He went on many mountain-climbing expeditions before 1953, when he and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first peop...

Andrew II

(Encyclopedia)Andrew II, d. 1235, king of Hungary (1205–35), son of Bela III. He continued his predecessors' policy of transferring crown lands to the magnates, and the lesser nobles forced him to issue the Golde...

Greider, Carol Widney

(Encyclopedia)Greider, Carol Widney, 1961–, American molecular biologist, b. San Diego, Calif., Ph.D. Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1987. Greider was a researcher and professor at the Cold Spring Harbor Laborato...

Mother Goose

(Encyclopedia)Mother Goose, name associated with nursery rhymes. Most English nursery rhymes have been ascribed to Mother Goose. The origin of the name is still a matter of dispute. Some trace it to a French collec...

Mortimer, Edmund de, 3d earl of March and 1st earl of Ulster

(Encyclopedia)Mortimer, Edmund de, 3d earl of March and 1st earl of Ulster də môrˈtĭmər [key], 1351–81, English nobleman. He succeeded (1360) his father, Roger, 2d earl of March, married (1368) Philippa, dau...

Northampton, Henry Howard, earl of

(Encyclopedia)Northampton, Henry Howard, earl of nôrthămpˈtən [key], 1540–1614, English courtier; son of the poet, Henry Howard, earl of Surrey; member of the powerful Howard family. His public career under E...

needle

(Encyclopedia)needle, implement of metal or other material used to carry the thread in sewing and in various forms of needlework and manufacturing. The earliest needles were merely awls or punches. Stone, bone, ivo...

Parker, Matthew

(Encyclopedia)Parker, Matthew, 1504–75, English prelate, archbishop of Canterbury. At Cambridge he was influenced by the writings of Martin Luther and other reformers. In 1535 he was appointed chaplain to Anne Bo...