Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Berle, Milton

(Encyclopedia)Berle, Milton, 1908–2002, American entertainer, b. New York City as Milton Berlinger. Berle first performed in vaudeville and on (1939–48) radio. His great success, however, came as television's f...

Ramsgate

(Encyclopedia)Ramsgate rămzˈgĭt [key], town (1991 pop. 36,678), in the Isle of Thanet, Kent, SE England. Ramsgate is a resort and yachting harbor. The town began as a fishing settlement, and extensive trade with...

sampler

(Encyclopedia)sampler, sample piece of needlework or embroidery, of silk, cotton, or worsted, for the preservation of some pattern or as an example of the ability of a child or a beginner. In museums and private co...

Roscius, Quintus

(Encyclopedia)Roscius, Quintus kwĭnˈtəs rŏshˈəs [key], c.126 b.c.–62 b.c., Roman actor. Born a slave at Solonium, he became the greatest comic actor of his time. From the dictator Sulla, Roscius received th...

Stamp, Josiah Charles, 1st Baron Stamp of Shortlands

(Encyclopedia)Stamp, Josiah Charles, 1st Baron Stamp of Shortlands, 1880–1941, English economist and financier. Active in many national and international economic commissions, he had an important part in the fram...

Peter II, czar of Russia

(Encyclopedia)Peter II, 1715–30, czar of Russia (1727–30). A grandson of Peter I and the son of the czarevich Alexis, he succeeded on the death of Catherine I. He was too young to rule, but he willingly lent hi...

Copeau, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Copeau, Jacques zhäk kôpōˈ [key], 1879–1949, French theatrical producer and critic. A founder (1909) and editor (1912–14) of the Nouvelle Revue française, he established the experimental Thé...

Civilian Conservation Corps

(Encyclopedia)Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933 by the U.S. Congress as a measure of the New Deal program. The CCC provided work and vocational training for unemployed single young men through ...

Christian Endeavor

(Encyclopedia)Christian Endeavor, association in evangelical Protestant Churches for strengthening spiritual life and promoting Christian activities among its members. The first Young People's Society of Christian ...

cocklebur

(Encyclopedia)cocklebur or clotbur, any species of the genus Xanthium, widely distributed, coarse annual plants of the family Asteraceae (aster family). They are often persistent weeds; the two-seeded oval burrs ar...

Browse by Subject