Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

McGivney, Michael Joseph

(Encyclopedia)McGivney, Michael Joseph, 1852–1890, American Roman Catholic priest, founder of the Knights of Columbus, b. Waterbury, Conn. After studying at seminaries in Canada and the United States, he was orda...

Granger, David Arthur

(Encyclopedia)Granger, David Arthur, 1945–, Guyanese political leader and military officer. He served in the Guyanese army (1965–92), rising to the rank of brigadier and becoming commander of the Guyana Defense...

CERN

(Encyclopedia)CERN or European Organization for Nuclear Research, nuclear and particle physics research center straddling the French-Swiss border W of Geneva, Switzerland. Established in 1952 as the provisional Eur...

Alcoholics Anonymous

(Encyclopedia)Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), worldwide organization dedicated to the treatment of alcoholics; founded 1935 by two alcoholics, one a New York broker, the other an Ohio physician. They developed a 12-step...

Waves

(Encyclopedia)Waves (Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service), U.S. navy organization, created (1942) in World War II to release male naval personnel for sea duty. The organization was commanded until 1946 ...

bantustan

(Encyclopedia)bantustan, in 20th-century South African history, territory that was set aside under apartheid for black South Africans and slated for eventual independence. Ten bantustans (later generally referred t...

Konaré, Alpha Oumar

(Encyclopedia)Konaré, Alpha Oumar, 1946–, Malian politcal leader. He served as Mali's youth, sports, and culture minister (1978–80); was a professor of history and archaeology; founded and edited a cultural re...

elephant

(Encyclopedia)elephant, largest living land mammal, found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Elephants have massive bodies and heads, thick, pillarlike legs, and broad, short padded feet, with toes bearing hea...

Doctors Without Borders

(Encyclopedia)Doctors Without Borders, Fr. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), international organization that provides emergency medical assistance to people suffering from a natural or societal disaster, such as an...

Pleven, René

(Encyclopedia)Pleven, René rənāˈ plĕväNˈ [key], 1901–93, French political leader. He held various diplomatic and financial posts in the Free French government during World War II and served (1944–46) as ...