Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

holiday

(Encyclopedia)holiday [altered from holy day], day set aside for the commemoration of an important event. Holidays are often accompanied by public ceremonies, such as parades and carnivals, and by religious observa...

Easter

(Encyclopedia)Easter [A.S. Eastre, name of a spring goddess], chief Christian feast, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. In the West, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the full...

stagecoach

(Encyclopedia)stagecoach, heavy, closed vehicle on wheels, usually drawn by horses, formerly used to transport passengers and goods overland. Throughout the Middle Ages and until about the end of the 18th cent., th...

Keith, James Francis Edward

(Encyclopedia)Keith, James Francis Edward, 1696–1758, Scottish field marshal of Prussia; brother of George Keith, 10th earl marischal [marshal] of Scotland. He participated in the Jacobite uprising of 1715 and in...

Megan's law

(Encyclopedia)Megan's law, in the United States, a state or federal statute that requires the notification of public organizations and private citizens when a convicted sex offender has been released from prison an...

Kloster-Zeven, Convention of

(Encyclopedia)Kloster-Zeven, Convention of klôsˈtər-tsāˈfən [key], 1757. Early in the Seven Years War the English army, under the command of the duke of Cumberland, son of George II, was defeated by the Frenc...

József, Attila

(Encyclopedia)József, Attila äˈtĭlä yōˈzhĕf [key], 1905–37, Hungarian poet. Born in Budapest of a poor family, József had to support himself from the age of seven with menial jobs; he was never able to e...

Alston, Walter Emmons

(Encyclopedia)Alston, Walter Emmons, 1911–84, American baseball manager, b. Venice, Ohio. Nicknamed Smokey, he played one major-league game, for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936, and struck out in his one at bat. ...

Ebner-Eschenbach, Marie, Baronin von

(Encyclopedia)Ebner-Eschenbach, Marie, Baronin von märēˈ bärōˈnĭn fən ābˈnər-ĕshˈənbäkh [key], 1830–1916, Austrian writer. She began writing lyrics and plays with small success, but in middle age a...

Crespi, Giuseppe Maria

(Encyclopedia)Crespi, Giuseppe Maria krāsˈpē [key], 1665–1747, Italian painter of the Bolognese school, called Lo Spagnuolo. He is well represented in and around Bologna. His best-known works are the imposing...