Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Connolly, Maureen

(Encyclopedia)Connolly, Maureen, 1934–69, American tennis player, b. San Diego, Calif. She became, at 16, the youngest player to win the U.S. national singles. She successfully defended the U.S. title (1952, 1953...

Fléchier, Esprit

(Encyclopedia)Fléchier, Esprit ĕsprēˈ flāshyāˈ [key], 1632–1710, French writer. He was a famous pulpit orator and became bishop of Nîmes. His principal work is an account of special assizes held at Clermo...

Paleozoic era

(Encyclopedia)Paleozoic era pāˌlēəzōˈĭk [key], a major division (era) of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, tablegeologic timescale, table) occurring between 570 to 240 million years ago. It is subdivide...

Borg, Björn

(Encyclopedia)Borg, Björn byörn bôrg, bôrˈyə [key], 1956–, Swedish tennis player. As a teenage star he led (1975) Sweden to its first Davis Cup victory. One of the most successful modern tennis players, Bor...

race

(Encyclopedia)race, one of the group of populations regarded as constituting humanity. The differences that have historically determined the classification into races are predominantly physical aspects of appearanc...

Monroe Doctrine

(Encyclopedia)Monroe Doctrine, principle of American foreign policy enunciated in President James Monroe's message to Congress, Dec. 2, 1823. It initially called for an end to European intervention in the Americas,...

Mayweather, Floyd, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Mayweather, Floyd, Jr., 1977–, American boxer, b. Grand Rapids, Mich., as Floyd Joy Sinclair. He began boxing at an early age, coached by his father, a welterweight boxer whose name he subsequently ...

bey

(Encyclopedia)bey bā [key], general title of respect used by Turkish peoples since ancient times. Originally given to tribal leaders, it was later used by the Ottomans to denote a provincial ruler. At first the Ot...

porcelain

(Encyclopedia)porcelain [Ital. porcellana], white, hard, permanent, nonporous pottery having translucence which is resonant when struck. Porcelain was first made by the Chinese to withstand the great heat generated...

Godavari

(Encyclopedia)Godavari gōdäˈvərē [key], river, c.900 mi (1,450 km) long, rising in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra state, W central India, and flowing SE across the Deccan Plateau through Telangana and Andhra...

Browse by Subject