Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Byrne, Jane

(Encyclopedia)Byrne, Jane, 1934–2014, American politician, b. Chicago as Margaret Jane Burke. She was Chicago's consumer sales commissioner (1968–77) under Mayor Richard Daley before she became the first woman ...

Elverum

(Encyclopedia)Elverum ĕlˈvəro͝om [key], town, Hedmark co., SE Norway, on the Glåma River. A rail junct...

Nordfjord

(Encyclopedia)Nordfjord nôrˈfyôrˌ, no͝orˈfyo͝orˌ [key], inlet, c.50 mi (80 km) long, Sogn og Fjordane co., SW Norway. To the south, between Nordfjord and Sognafjord, is Jostedalsbreen glacier. The Nordfjord...

magnetite

(Encyclopedia)magnetite măgˈnətīt [key], lustrous black, magnetic mineral, Fe3O4. It occurs in crystals of the cubic system, in masses, and as a loose sand. It is one of the important ores of iron (magnetic iro...

Hamsun, Knut

(Encyclopedia)Hamsun, Knut kəno͞otˈ hämˈso͝on [key], 1859–1952, Norwegian author, a pioneer in the development of the modern novel. Virtually without formal education, in his youth he led a wandering life, ...

Anderson, Dame Judith

(Encyclopedia)Anderson, Dame Judith, 1898–1992, British actress, b. Adelaide, S. Australia, originally named Frances Margaret Anderson. She made her debut in Sydney in 1915 and by 1924 had become celebrated for h...

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...

Undset, Sigrid

(Encyclopedia)Undset, Sigrid sĭˈgrĭd o͝onˈsĕt [key], 1882–1949, Norwegian novelist. Poverty forced Undset to do secretarial work for a time (1898–1908). Her early novels of contemporary life, among them J...

Brittan, Sir Leon

(Encyclopedia)Brittan, Sir Leon brĭtˈən [key], 1939–, British politician. Educated at Cambridge, he was elected to Parliament as a Conservative in 1974. Under Margaret Thatcher he served as home secretary (198...

Peters, Vera

(Encyclopedia)Peters, Vera (Mildred Vera Peters), 1911–93, Canadian radiation oncologist and clinical investigator, b. Rexdale, Ont., M.D. Univ. of Toronto, 1934. Beginning in 1935, she studied the treatment of H...