Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

De Morgan, William Frend

(Encyclopedia)De Morgan, William Frend, 1839–1917, English artist and novelist; son of Augustus De Morgan. A famous potter, he designed glass and tiles and rediscovered an old process of making colored lusterware...

Nicodemus

(Encyclopedia)Nicodemus nĭkˌədēˈməs [key], in the Gospel of St. John, member of the Sanhedrin sympathetic to Jesus. He helped Joseph of Arimathea to bury him. Among the New Testament Apocrypha is a Gospel of ...

Caiaphas

(Encyclopedia)Caiaphas (Joseph Caiaphas) kāˈyəfəs [key], Jewish high priest, a Sadducee, son-in-law of Annas. According to the Gospels, he presided at the council that condemned Jesus to death. Later, he joined...

Rudolf

(Encyclopedia)Rudolf, 1858–89, Austrian archduke, crown prince of Austria and Hungary; only son of Emperor Francis Joseph and Empress Elizabeth. Upon his mysterious death at Mayerling near Vienna (officially decl...

Albany, river, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Albany ôlˈbənē [key], river, 610 mi (982 km) long, rising in Lake St. Joseph, W Ont., Canada, and flowing generally E into James Bay, near Fort Albany. The Kenogami and Ogoki rivers are its chief ...

Guilmant, Félix Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Guilmant, Félix Alexandre fālēksˈ älĕksäNˈdrə gēlmäNˈ [key], 1837–1911, French organist, one of the foremost performers of his day. He taught at the Schola Cantorum, of which he was a fo...

Nelson, Wolfred

(Encyclopedia)Nelson, Wolfred, 1792–1863, Canadian rebel, b. Montreal. A brother of Robert Nelson, Wolfred served as a surgeon in the War of 1812. In 1827 he entered the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada as a ...

Caldara, Antonio

(Encyclopedia)Caldara, Antonio äntôˈnyō käldäˈrä [key], c.1670–1736, Italian composer. In 1714, Caldara obtained a position at the imperial court in Vienna, where he remained until his death. He composed ...

phrenology

(Encyclopedia)phrenology, study of the shape of the human skull in order to draw conclusions about particular character traits and mental faculties. The theory was developed about 1800 by the German physiologist Fr...

Carey Land Act

(Encyclopedia)Carey Land Act, sponsored by Sen. Joseph M. Carey and passed by the U.S. Congress in 1894. The act provided for the transfer to Western states of U.S.-owned desert lands on the condition that they be ...