Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Brown, Herbert Charles

(Encyclopedia)Brown, Herbert Charles, 1912–2004, American chemist, b. London, Ph.D. Univ. of Chicago, 1938. A professor at Wayne State Univ. (1943–47) and Purdue Univ. (1947–78), he shared the 1979 Nobel Priz...

Brownell, Herbert, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Brownell, Herbert, Jr. brounĕlˈ [key], 1904–96, U.S. attorney general (1953–57), b. Peru, Nebr. A lawyer in private practice in New York City (1927–53, 1957–89), he became active in the Repu...

Block, Herbert Lawrence

(Encyclopedia)Block, Herbert Lawrence, 1909–2001, American editorial cartoonist known as Herblock, b. Chicago. A superb stylist and generally a political liberal, Herblock began drawing cartoons (1929–33) for t...

Best, Charles Herbert

(Encyclopedia)Best, Charles Herbert, 1899–1978, Canadian physiologist, b. West Pembroke, Maine. With F. G. Banting and J. R. R. Macleod he discovered (1921) the use of insulin in the treatment of diabetes. He was...

Ward, Frederick Townsend

(Encyclopedia)Ward, Frederick Townsend, 1831–62, American adventurer, b. Salem, Mass. A soldier of fortune, he served with William Walker in Nicaragua and with the French forces in the Crimean War. Ward arrived i...

Perry, Rick

(Encyclopedia)Perry, Rick (James Richard Perry), 1950–, American politician, governor of Texas (2000–2015), b. Haskell, Tex. A fifth-generation Texan from the state's agricultural western plains, he attended Te...

Wolfowitz, Paul Dundes

(Encyclopedia)Wolfowitz, Paul Dundes 1943–, American political figure, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Cornell (B.A. 1965), Univ. of Chicago (Ph.D. 1972). In 1966 he entered government service, and worked for the Arms C...

George

(Encyclopedia)George, river, c.345 mi (560 km) long, rising in a lake on the Quebec-Labrador boundary, E Canada. It flows N through Indian Lake (125 sq mi/324 sq km) to Ungava Bay (an arm of Hudson Strait). ...

Gates, Robert Michael

(Encyclopedia)Gates, Robert Michael, 1943–, American government official, U.S. secretary of defense (2006–11), b. Wichita, Kans. A circumspect and pragmatic career intelligence officer, he joined (1966) the Cen...

Quayle, Dan

(Encyclopedia)Quayle, Dan (James Danforth Quayle), 1947–, Vice President of the United States (1989–93), b. Indianapolis. He graduated from DePauw Univ. (1969) and served in the Indiana National Guard (1969–7...