Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Mott, John Raleigh

(Encyclopedia)Mott, John Raleigh, 1865–1955, American Protestant ecumenical leader, b. Livingston Manor, N.Y. While a student at Cornell, Mott, a Methodist layman, became active in the Young Men's Christian Assoc...

community chest

(Encyclopedia)community chest, cooperative organization of citizens and social welfare agencies in a city. Also known as a united fund, it has two purposes: to raise funds through an annual campaign for its member ...

Cohen, William Sebastian

(Encyclopedia)Cohen, William Sebastian, 1940–, American politician, b. Bangor, Maine. He attended Bowdoin College (B.A., 1962) and Boston Univ. (LL.B., 1965). A Republican, he was elected to the House of Represen...

Saint Petersburg, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Saint Petersburg, city (1990 pop. 238,629), Pinellas co., W Fla., on Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of the Pinellas peninsula; settled in the mid-1800s, inc. 1892. A port with a ...

Rossellini, Roberto

(Encyclopedia)Rossellini, Roberto rōbĕrˈtō rōs-sĕl-lēˈnē [key], 1906–77, Italian film director and producer. He first received international attention in 1946 with Open City, which was made clandestinely...

Norman, Jessye

(Encyclopedia)Norman, Jessye, 1945–2019, American soprano, b. Augusta, Ga., studied Howard Univ. (B.A., 1967), Univ. of Michigan, and Peabody Conservatory. Making her early reputation in Europe, Norman won first ...

Berlin, Conference of

(Encyclopedia)Berlin, Conference of, 1884–85, international meeting aimed at settling the problems connected with European colonies in Africa. At the invitation of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, represe...

Morse code

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Morse code [for S. F. B. Morse], the arbitrary set of signals used on the telegraph (see code). It may also be used with a flash lamp for visible signaling. The international (or continental) M...

Grotius, Hugo

(Encyclopedia)Grotius, Hugo grōˈshəs [key], 1583–1645, Dutch jurist and humanist, whose Dutch name appears as Huigh de Groot. He studied at the Univ. of Leiden and became a lawyer when 15 years old. In Dutch p...

seas, freedom of the

(Encyclopedia)seas, freedom of the, in international law, the principle that outside its territorial waters (see waters, territorial) a state may not claim sovereignty over the seas, except with respect to its own ...