Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

413 results found

Ruef, Abraham

(Encyclopedia)Ruef, Abraham (Abe Ruef) ro͞of [key], 1864–1936, American political boss, b. San Francisco. He practiced law in San Francisco after 1886 and became a familiar figure in San Francisco ward politics....

Wheaton

(Encyclopedia)Wheaton. 1 City (1990 pop. 51,464), seat of Du Page co., NE Ill., a residential suburb of Chicago; inc. 1859. It is a religious center and the headquarters of the Theosophical Society of America. Many...

Stockton, Francis Richard

(Encyclopedia)Stockton, Francis Richard (Frank R. Stockton), 1834–1902, American humorist and story writer, b. Philadelphia. He wrote several children's books including Ting-a-Ling (1870) and The Floating Prince ...

Opper, Frederick Burr

(Encyclopedia)Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857–1937, American cartoonist and illustrator, b. Madison, Ohio. He began as a contributor to comic papers and was associated with Frank Leslie's publications for three years...

Comstock, Anthony

(Encyclopedia)Comstock, Anthony kŏmˈstŏk [key], 1844–1915, American morals crusader, b. New Canaan, Conn. He served with the Union army in the Civil War and was later active as an antiabortionist and in advoca...

Honorius III

(Encyclopedia)Honorius III, d. 1227, pope (1216–27), a Roman named Cencio Savelli; successor of Innocent III. He was created cardinal in 1197 and was an able administrator of the papal treasury. He authored the o...

Johnson, Jack

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, Jack (John Arthur Johnson), 1878–1946, American boxer, b. Galveston, Tex., the son of two ex-slaves. Emerging from the battle royals (dehumanizing fights between blacks for the amusement of...

Lovecraft, H. P.

(Encyclopedia)Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips Lovecraft), 1890–1937, American writer, b. Providence, R.I. A master of Gothic horror, fantasy, and science fiction of a most rococo variety, he is particularly not...

wiki

(Encyclopedia)wiki [Hawaiian, wikiwiki = fast], a website designed to permit the development of information resources by creating hyperlinked webpages using software that accessed through a web browser. First d...

Tilton, Theodore

(Encyclopedia)Tilton, Theodore, 1835–1907, American journalist, b. New York City. After working for the New York Observer he was (1863–71) editor in chief of the Independent, a Congregationalist weekly. He late...

Browse by Subject