Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Adair, John

(Encyclopedia)Adair, John ədârˈ [key], 1757–1840, American pioneer in Kentucky, b. North Carolina. He went into the Kentucky country in 1786 and became famous as an Indian fighter and as a political leader. In...

Reno, Jesse Lee

(Encyclopedia)Reno, Jesse Lee rēˈnō [key], 1823–62, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Wheeling, Va. (now W.Va.). He was twice brevetted for his service in the Mexican War. In the Civil War, Reno was ...

South Holland, province, Netherlands

(Encyclopedia)South Holland, Dutch Zuidholland, province (1994 pop. 3,313,200), c.1,085 sq mi (2,810 sq km), W Netherlands, bounded by the North Sea in the west. The Hague is the capital; other cities include Rotte...

bittersweet

(Encyclopedia)bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. One, called also woody nightshade...

Olney, Jesse

(Encyclopedia)Olney, Jesse ŏlˈnē, ōlˈnē [key], 1798–1872, American geographer and teacher. His Practical System of Modern Geography (1828), a standard work for decades, revolutionized the teaching of geogra...

Keltie, Sir John Scott

(Encyclopedia)Keltie, Sir John Scott, 1840–1927, Scottish geographer. He was inspector of geographical education for the Royal Geographic Society, librarian, and secretary of the society. In 1880 he became editor...

Atkinson, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Atkinson, Henry, 1782–1842, American army officer, b. North Carolina. After service as a colonel in the War of 1812, he was a commander in the West and led two expeditions (1819, 1825) to the Yellow...

New Bern

(Encyclopedia)New Bern, city (1990 pop. 17,363), seat of Craven co., E N.C., a port and trading center at the junction of the Neuse and Trent rivers; inc. 1723. There is lumbering and food processing, and textiles ...

zone

(Encyclopedia)zone [Gr.,=girdle], in geography, area with a certain physical and/or cultural unity that distinguishes it from other areas. The division of the earth into five climatic zones probably originated (5th...

Dole, Elizabeth Hanford

(Encyclopedia)Dole, Elizabeth Hanford, 1936–, American public official, b. Salisbury, N.C., B.A., Duke, 1958, J.D., Harvard, 1965; wife of Bob Dole. A Republican, she held several government positions including c...