Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Gustavo A. Madero

(Encyclopedia)Gustavo A. Madero go͞ostäˈvō ä mädāˈrō [key], city, Federal District, S cent...

Miamisburg

(Encyclopedia)Miamisburg mīămˈēzbûrgˌ [key], city (1990 pop. 17,834), Montgomery co., SW Ohio, on the Miami River; laid out 1818, inc. 1932. It is a tobacco market with diverse agriculture, and metal and pape...

Tres Marías, Las

(Encyclopedia)Tres Marías, Las läs trās märēˈäs [key], archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, c.60 mi (100 km) W of Nayarit state, Mexico. Of the four islands, two—María Madre, which is the largest (c.56 sq m...

broadcasting

(Encyclopedia)broadcasting, transmission, usually using radio frequencies, of sound or images to a large number of radio or television receivers. In the United States the first regularly scheduled radio broadcasts ...

civil commitment

(Encyclopedia)civil commitment or involuntary commitment, process by which a court determines whether or not to order an individual to receive treatment or care or be confined. A person may be committed after a hea...

homelessness

(Encyclopedia)homelessness, the condition of not having a permanent place to live, widely perceived as a societal problem only beginning in the 1980s. Figures for the number of homeless people in the United States ...

National Guard

(Encyclopedia)National Guard, U.S. militia. The militia is authorized by the Constitution of the United States, which also defines the militia's functions and the federal and state role. Article 1, Section 8 provid...

Díaz Ordaz, Gustavo

(Encyclopedia)Díaz Ordaz, Gustavo go͞ostäˈvō dēˈäs ōrˈdäs [key], 1911–79, president of Mexico (1964–70). A lawyer, law professor, and judge, he served in both houses of the federal legislature and wa...

Driftless Area

(Encyclopedia)Driftless Area, c.13,000 sq mi (33,670 sq km), largely in SW Wis. but extending into SE Minn., NE Iowa, and NW Ill. The continental glacier which covered most surrounding regions did not touch this ar...

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

(Encyclopedia)Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, sea-level canal, 19 mi (31 km) long, 250 ft (76 m) wide, and 27 ft (8.2 m) deep, connecting the head of Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River. Built in 1824–29, the c...