Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Osborne, Dorothy

(Encyclopedia)Osborne, Dorothy ŏzˈbərn [key], later Lady Temple, 1627–95, English letter writer. The daughter of a royalist, she became engaged to Sir William Temple against the wishes of her family. Her lette...

Lourdes

(Encyclopedia)Lourdes lo͞ord [key], town (1990 pop. 16,581), Hautes-Pyrénées dept., SW France, at the foot of the Pyrénées. It is famous for its Roman Catholic shrine where Our Lady of Lourdes (Feast: Feb. 11)...

Whitty, Dame May

(Encyclopedia)Whitty, Dame May, 1865–1948, English actress. She made her London debut in 1881. In 1892 she married Ben Webster, an actor, and in 1895 she first appeared in the United States, becoming a favorite o...

Winchilsea, Anne Finch, countess of

(Encyclopedia)Winchilsea, Anne Finch, countess of wĭnˈchəlsē [key], 1661–1720, English poet. In 1684 she married Heneage Finch, who became (1712) 4th earl of Winchilsea. Though her friendships extended to the...

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

(Encyclopedia)Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, largest Roman Catholic church in the United States. The Gothic building at Fifth Ave. between 50th and 51st St. replaces an earlier cathedral at Mott St. The ...

Shannon, Charles Haslewood

(Encyclopedia)Shannon, Charles Haslewood or Hazelwood, 1865–1937, English portrait and figure painter, etcher, and lithographer. He was an aesthete and lifelong companion of fellow artist Charles Ricketts, who in...

Stapleton, Maureen

(Encyclopedia)Stapleton, Maureen, 1925–2006, American actress, b. Troy, N.Y., as Lois Maureen Stapleton. Stapleton's first major stage success was in The Rose Tattoo (1951; Tony Award, Best Featured Actress). Bes...

Richter, Conrad

(Encyclopedia)Richter, Conrad rĭkˈtər [key], 1890–1968, American novelist, b. Pine Grove, Pa. After newspaper work in Pennsylvania and Ohio, he moved to New Mexico. Richter's novels treat the American frontier...

Hosack, David

(Encyclopedia)Hosack, David hŏsˈək [key], 1769–1835, American physician, surgeon, and author; for a time he was Samuel Bard's partner (see under Bard, John). He was an authority on the management of yellow fev...

Annapolis Convention

(Encyclopedia)Annapolis Convention, 1786, interstate convention called by Virginia to discuss a uniform regulation of commerce. It met at Annapolis, Md. With only 5 of the 13 states—Delaware, New Jersey, New York...