Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Haakon I

(Encyclopedia)Haakon I häˈkən, Nor. hôˈko͝on [key] (Haakon the Good), c.915–961, king of Norway (c.935–961), son of Harold I. He was brought up as a Christian at the court of King Athelstan in England. Hi...

Galt, John

(Encyclopedia)Galt, John, 1779–1839, Scottish novelist. He went to Canada as secretary for the Canada Company, founding there in 1827 the town of Guelph and encouraging Canadian immigration. He wrote poems, blank...

flamethrower

(Encyclopedia)flamethrower, mechanism for shooting a burning stream of liquid or semiliquid fuel at enemy troops or positions. Primitive types of flamethrowers, consisting of hollow tubes filled with burning coals,...

Innocent I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Innocent I, Saint, d. 417, pope (401–17), an Italian; successor of St. Anastasius I. A powerful champion of papal supremacy in the entire Church, he upheld St. John Chrysostom and condemned Pelagius...

Isaac, Heinrich

(Encyclopedia)Isaac, Heinrich hīnˈrĭkh ēˈzäk [key], c.1450–1517, Flemish composer. Isaac, a prolific and versatile composer, traveled widely in Europe, serving at the courts of Lorenzo de' Medici and Empero...

Domagk, Gerhard

(Encyclopedia)Domagk, Gerhard gĕrˈhärt dōˈmäk [key], 1895–1964, German chemist and pathologist. A teacher successively at the universities of Greifswald and Münster, he became (1927) director of research a...

Duarte, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)Duarte dwärˈtə [key], 1391–1438, king of Portugal (1433–38), eldest of the five sons of John I. He was a “philosopher-king,” notable for his legal reforms and as the author of O leal consel...

Alain-Fournier

(Encyclopedia)Alain-Fournier älăN-fo͞ornyāˈ [key], 1886–1914, French novelist, whose real name was Henri Alban Fournier. He was killed in action during World War I. His single full-length work is his poetic ...

Rule, Britannia

(Encyclopedia)Rule, Britannia, English patriotic song. The music was composed by Thomas Augustine Arne for his masque Alfred, first performed August 1, 1740, in commemoration of the accession of George I. The words...

Browse by Subject