Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

356 results found

Spanish-American War

(Encyclopedia)Spanish-American War, 1898, brief conflict between Spain and the United States arising out of Spanish policies in Cuba. It was, to a large degree, brought about by the efforts of U.S. expansionists. ...

Harrison, Benjamin, President of the United States

(Encyclopedia)Harrison, Benjamin, 1833–1901, 23d President of the United States (1889–93), b. North Bend, Ohio, grad. Miami Univ. (Ohio), 1852; grandson of William Henry Harrison. After reading law in Cincinnat...

Niles

(Encyclopedia)Niles. 1 Village (1990 pop. 28,284), Cook co., NE Ill., a residential suburb adjacent to Chicago, on the Chicago River; settled 1832, inc. 1899. The village has a replica (half size) of the Leaning To...

gunboat

(Encyclopedia)gunboat, small warship for use on rivers and along coasts in places inaccessible to vessels of larger displacement. In the U.S. Civil War both sides used as gunboats, on the Mississippi and other rive...

Kailas

(Encyclopedia)Kailas kīläsˈ [key], peak, c.22,280 ft (6,790 m) high, SW Tibet region of China, highest point of the Kailas Range, in the Himalayas. It is near the sources of the Sutlej, Indus, and Yarlung Zangbo...

Leonard, Buck

(Encyclopedia)Leonard, Buck (Walter Fenner Leonard), 1907–1997, African-American baseball player, b. Rocky Mount, N.C. Beginning in 1933, he played semiprofessional ball with the Baltimore Stars and the Brooklyn ...

Kingswood

(Encyclopedia)Kingswood, city (1991 pop. 54,736), South Gloucestershire, SW England. A residential suburb of Bristol, the city of Kingswood has printing and light engineering industries. The area is noted for its o...

Aravalli Hills

(Encyclopedia)Aravalli Hills əräˈvəlē [key], hill system, N India, stretching 350 mi (560 km) through Rajasthan state. Divided into the Sambhar-Sirohi and the Sambhar-Khetri ranges, the hills contain a variety...

Swansea, town, United States

(Encyclopedia)Swansea swŏnˈzē [key], town (1990 est. pop. 15,500), Bristol co., SE Mass., a suburb of Fall River, on an inlet of Mount Hope Bay; founded 1667, inc. 1785. Once a vast farmland, it has become chief...

Aso-san

(Encyclopedia)Aso-san äˈsō-sän [key] or Mount Aso, volcanic mountain, central Kyushu, Japan. Aso-san is topped by one of the world's largest calderas (circumference 75 mi/121 km) that contains five volcanic con...