Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

confession

(Encyclopedia)confession, in law, the formal admission of criminal guilt, usually obtained in the course of examination by the police or prosecutor or at trial. For a confession to be admissible as evidence against...

Reynolds, Debbie

(Encyclopedia) Reynolds, Debbie, 1932-2016, American actress, singer, and dancer, b. El Paso, Tx., as Mary Frances Reynolds. Reynolds’ family relocated from El Paso...

Beyoncé

(Encyclopedia)Beyoncé, 1981- , American popular singer, songwriter, and actress, b. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, Houston, Tx. Beyoncé first gained fame as the lead si...

Whelan, Wendy

(Encyclopedia)Whelan, Wendy, 1967–, American ballet dancer, b. Louisville, Ky. A soloist (1989) and principal (1991) with the New York City Ballet (NYCB), the angular, muscled Whelan became known for her roles in...

Melville Island, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Melville Island, c.16,400 sq mi (42,500 sq km), Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada, N of Victoria Island; largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Generally hilly (rising to c.1,500 ft/460 m), i...

Arundel, Henry Fitzalan, 12th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Arundel, Henry Fitzalan, 12th earl of ărˈəndəl [key], 1511?–1580, English statesman. Lord chamberlain under Henry VIII, he was a member of the council appointed by Henry to govern during the min...

Arctic Archipelago

(Encyclopedia)Arctic Archipelago ärkˈtĭk, ärˈtĭk [key], group of more than 50 large islands, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, N Canada, in the Arctic Ocean. The southernmost members of the group include Baf...

Gosnold, Bartholomew

(Encyclopedia)Gosnold, Bartholomew gŏzˈnōld [key], fl. 1572–1607, English explorer and colonizer. In 1602 he commanded the Concord on a voyage of exploration. He navigated the coast from Maine to Narragansett ...

Essex, Walter Devereux, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Essex, Walter Devereux, 1st earl of, 1541?–1576, English soldier. He helped in the suppression of the Northern Rebellion of 1569 and was created earl of Essex in 1572. In 1573 he volunteered to colo...

Sandys, Edwin

(Encyclopedia)Sandys, Edwin săndz [key], 1516?–1588, English prelate, archbishop of York (1576–88). While a student at Cambridge he turned to Protestantism. On the death (1553) of Edward VI, Sandys supported L...