Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Meek, Carrie Pittman

(Encyclopedia) Meek, Carrie Pittman , 1926-2021, American politician, b. Tallahassee, Fl., Florida A&M Univ. (B.A., 1946), Univ. of Michigan (M.A., 1948). Meek ...

Marmara, Sea of

(Encyclopedia)Marmara, Sea of, or Sea of Marmora, c.4,430 sq mi (11,474 sq km), NW Turkey, between Europe in the north and Asia in the south. The Sea of Marmara, c.175 mi (280 km) long and 50 mi (80 km) wide, is co...

asphalt

(Encyclopedia)asphalt ăsˈfôlt, –fălt [key], brownish-black substance used commonly in road making, roofing, and waterproofing. Chemically, it is a natural mixture of hydrocarbons. It varies in consistency fro...

Lakeland terrier

(Encyclopedia)Lakeland terrier, breed of strong working terrier developed in the 18th and 19th cent. in the Lake District of England. It stands about 14 in. (35.6 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 17 lb (7....

skimmer

(Encyclopedia)skimmer, common name for certain sea birds resembling the related tern. Skimmers (genus Rhynchops) have long, laterally compressed bills of which the lower mandible is one fourth longer than the movab...

Union League Clubs

(Encyclopedia)Union League Clubs, in U.S. history, organizations formed throughout the North in the Civil War after the military defeats and Republican election losses of 1862. A convention at Cleveland (May, 1863)...

Spaulding, C. C.

(Encyclopedia)Spaulding, C. C. (Charles Clinton Spaulding), 1874–1952, African-American insurance executive, b. Columbus co., N.C. In 1900, Spaulding, who had previously worked as a grocery-store manager and part...

Samsun

(Encyclopedia)Samsun sämso͞onˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 301,412), capital of Samsun prov., N Turkey, on the Black Sea. The most important Turkish port on the Black Sea, it is also a major tobacco-processing center...

Azawakh

(Encyclopedia)Azawakh, breed of long-legged, swift hound from the Sahel region of West Africa, particularly Burkino Faso, Mali, and Niger. Slim and elegant with a narrow, chiseled head, it stands from 23 to 29 in. ...

gumbo

(Encyclopedia)gumbo, another name for okra; also applied in the W United States to a rich, black, alkaline alluvial soil, which is soapy or sticky when wet. ...