Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Vries, David Pietersen de

(Encyclopedia)Vries, David Pietersen de də vrēs [key], b. c.1593, Dutch merchant captain and colonizer. An experienced mariner, Vries, in partnership with directors of the Dutch West India Company, founded (1631...

Bohr, Niels Henrik David

(Encyclopedia)Bohr, Niels Henrik David bōr [key], 1885–1962, Danish physicist, one of the foremost scientists of modern physics. He studied at the Univ. of Copenhagen (Ph.D. 1911) and carried on research on the...

Shalikashvili, John Malchase David

(Encyclopedia)Shalikashvili, John Malchase David shälēˌkäshvēˈlē [key], 1936–2011, U.S. army general, b. Poland. Drafted into the army, he became a commissioned officer in 1959, served in Vietnam (1968–6...

Cameron, David William Duncan

(Encyclopedia)Cameron, David William Duncan kămˈərən [key], 1966–, British political leader, b. London. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he worked for the Conservative party's research department beginning in 198...

Casement, Sir Roger David

(Encyclopedia)Casement, Sir Roger David, 1864–1916, Irish revolutionary. While in British consular service, he exposed (1904) the atrocious exploitation of wild-rubber gatherers in the Congo (thus helping to brin...

essay

(Encyclopedia)essay, relatively short literary composition in prose, in which a writer discusses a topic, usually restricted in scope, or tries to persuade the reader to accept a particular point of view. Although ...

White, William Hale

(Encyclopedia)White, William Hale, pseud. Mark Rutherford, 1831–1913, English novelist. He studied to become a clergyman, but instead became (1854) a clerk in the admiralty, rising in 1879 to assistant director o...

Ruth, Babe

(Encyclopedia)Ruth, Babe (George Herman Ruth), 1895–1948, American baseball player, considered by many the greatest of all baseball players, b. Baltimore. Ruth, a left hander, proved to be (1914–19) a formida...

Marcus

(Encyclopedia)Marcus, in the Bible: see Mark, Saint. ...

Anne, British princess

(Encyclopedia)Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise), 1950–, British princess, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh. She was educated at Benenden School. In 1973 she married a Brit...